In the days leading up to Maya and Josh's wedding, Riley had conversations with Lucas, they ate dinner together and talked about their day. Riley told him that his staff responded to her food and they had already started putting in orders, she was ecstatic and he would smile at her. At night they made love until they passed out in each other's arms, and Riley could feel herself falling deeper and deeper into her feelings for Lucas. It was still the beginning of everything in their relationship but in her heart was slowly letting him have a piece and it scared her.
On the morning of the Wedding Riley and Maya were getting ready in a small church just outside the city. Maya wanted a small wedding with only their closest family and a few friends, so when she had found the church she fell in love with it, the reception would be held in the back of the church in a large tent that they had erected. Everything was pale yellow and white, the flowers were everywhere and Riley knew that her best friend had worked hard on making it a masterpiece.
It made Riley's heart ache because she still couldn't remember her own wedding the week before, even as she got closer to Lucas, but somehow one memory had come to her, their first kiss. She felt the sparks with every kiss he had given her since and each kiss brought back a small memory from that day.
While they got ready, Riley sent Lucas photo messages of the flowers, her shoes, her dress while it hung on the hanger, and the bodice of her lace corset bra she had picked.
"Riley what are you doing?" Maya asked as her friend walked around in a robe. "For crying out loud we're in a church and you're sending Lucas pictures of your freaking underwear… Take one of mine so I can send it to Josh."
Riley laughed as she took a quick photo for Maya before giving her best friend the phone back. When Riley's phone pinged a minute later she saw a message from Lucas.
You're testing me here woman, and I'm next to your father so please don't make this any more awkward.
She giggled before sending a quick I'm sorry back to him with a purple heart next to it. Maya looked up and cornered her best friend.
"You're lucky that mark faded and the lace in your dress covers what's left, because I don't want your dad freaking out at my wedding," Maya said before sitting down to put on her three inch heels. "Geez Riles, why hadn't you told me that you were in a relationship?"
The lie came back to Riley and she hated it, she didn't want to keep a secret from her best friend, but she also didn't want to betray Lucas who had put his whole life on the line because he needed to be married. The lie was the only thing that she had, and it was still partially the truth.
"Sorry Maya, it's just because of who he is we didn't want it to get out," she said looking down at the blonde before slipping on her dress. "Now the wedding was an impulse decision and we should have thought it through but it was Vegas and he showed up because of a business trip, you and Josh were celebrating and after one too many drinks we kind of just went with it."
"Do you love him?" Maya asked.
The words struck Riley in the gut, she thought about their conversations, the way he touched her when they were in bed, or when they took showers together. How she watched him while he worked in his office and she brought him water, or when he watched her cook dinner. It had been a week but her heart skipped a beat, she was falling in love with Lucas.
"Well judging from the flush of red on your face the answer is yes."
"I think that sometimes falling in love with someone takes an instant, they come into your life like a storm and you don't know what to do, but the moment they become a permanent part of your life they become the lightest part of your heart and you can't find a way to be without them," she said knowing the truth of her feelings, and now it was going to break her heart the moment their contract ended.
"That was beautiful, I should have made you write my wedding vows," Maya said making Riley laugh. "Oh well, Josh is stuck with the traditional ones."
"But he loves you anyway," Riley said as she put on her shoes, they were as high as Maya's and only because her best friend wanted Riley to have a version of her own shoes, of course Riley knew that they were going to hurt by the end of the day.
Lucas felt out of place, in a parlor room with Riley's family all around him. He had been introduced to her Uncle Eric, her Aunt Morgan, and several other people. Every once and a while Riley's father would glare at him, even after their dinner a few nights ago, the man still believed that Lucas was the devil. So he busied himself talking to Farkle about the solar farm he wanted to make and the plans Farkle had for the tech they would use to make it.
"I think Mr. Matthews is going to kill you," Farkle whispered. "We're in a church and he's going to kill you."
"Does anyone here actually like me?" Lucas asked looking around at all of the people milling around.
"Well I do, because I know you would protect Riley, her mother likes you and Maya is warming up to you because you want to get Riley's money back."
"I'll take what I can get. So did you bring Iz with you?" Lucas watched the genius in front of him blush which confirmed his suspicions. "She's a good person Farkle, treat her well."
"I will, so far we've been going out to dinner every night, we have a lot in common but we also argue about scientific articles that we both read."
"As long as you both like each other it should be okay," Lucas said as Mr. Matthews walked up behind him and tugged him aside.
"Friar I need to talk to you," he said with the glare of death on his face.
"Sure sir," Lucas answered walking away with Riley's father, as he gave Farkle a look of pure horror.
When they got to the front of the church they stopped and Mr. Matthews turned around to face him. After he took a deep breath he punch Lucas' arm and stood as close as he could.
"You hurt my daughter I won't hesitate to end you," he said reminding Lucas of Mrs. Matthews' threat earlier in the week.
"I will work to prove myself to you sir," Lucas answered trying to ignore the fact that he had just been punched outside of a church.
"I don't like how you two went about this, and I know my wife thinks highly of you and works with you often," he stopped and looked him directly in the eye. "But the reason it bothers me right this moment is that I get to watch my daughter's best friend walk down the aisle at her wedding, her father and mother at her side, and I didn't get the same chance. I love my daughter very much and you stole that moment from me."
Lucas didn't realize how much a single moment meant to the man standing in front of him, and how his own selfishness to continue had stolen something that couldn't be recovered.
"Sir, one day you will get that chance, it might take a while but you will," Lucas omitted the fact that it might not be with him, but he wanted to reassure the man.
"I'll hold you to that," he said before walking away.
Lucas walked into the church and was ushered to his seat as the wedding was about to begin, the thought that Riley walked down the aisle at her wedding drunk and now has no memory of the night hurt him. It was a moment she should have remembered but she didn't and he didn't know how he was going to make it up to her.
As the wedding party walked down the aisle he watched her friends and family smiling because of the joyous occasion. The moment Riley began to walk all of the thoughts he had had left his mind as he marveled at how beautiful she looked in the pale yellow dress, the lace covering her shoulders, her hair in loose curls. She gave him a quick smile and blew him a kiss as she passed him, everyone else in the room was looking at the bride behind her, but his eyes were on Riley, turning his body as she passed him. He remembered the picture she had sent him not to long ago and it made his whole body stand at attention.
Riley was smiling as her best friend walked down the aisle, every once and a while she looked over at Lucas as she sent her a slight smile. Farkle had told her that her father had cornered Lucas just before the start of the wedding and she felt guilty. Yet her heart was light for a moment, she loved her husband, and although she couldn't tell him it was still a beautiful feeling in her heart. When Maya crossed her and Shawn and Katy handed her over to Josh, Riley knew that she needed to start paying attention to what was happening in front of her.
She cried as she watched each moment, when they exchanged vows, their rings, and their first kiss as husband and wife. But she could also feel Lucas' eyes on her and it sent shivers up and down her back. She wanted him so badly but she couldn't do anything about it. As everyone walked outside and waited for Maya and Josh to come out so that they could throw petals at them, Lucas found her and kissed her in front of everyone she knew. She wanted to stop him but she knew that she wanted it as much as he did. Her father cleared his throat making the couple pull apart, but she was happy.
Maya threw the bouquet Riley ended up catching it even though she wasn't standing where all the other single women were. Everyone around them laughed but Maya had refused the chance to throw it again.
"I got my wedding, maybe one day you will get the big wedding too," her best friend said, and Riley couldn't help but want to cry.
Everyone walked towards the back of the church and they sat down at the tables, just as a spring rain fell in the background. Riley smiled knowing the significance of the rain and her newly married best friend and her Uncle. Lucas looked at her and smiled taking her hand and placing it against his lips.
"You look beautiful," he whispered in her ear.
"You look handsome yourself," she said blushing. "By the way, sorry for leaving you alone with my dad. Farkle told me what happened."
"Don't worry… it comes with the territory."
"Yes it does, just like how Farkle also told me that Zay was giving you a hard time the other day because I left a bite mark on your shoulder," she couldn't help but giggle as she said it.
"So, I think we should leave around six," he said whispering in her ear. "And go up to my cabin for the night."
Riley knew that she was ready to leave at that moment but she had to stay for the reception, even though she had more interesting things to do. She looked down at his wrist and pull his sleeve up to look at the time, it was only a quarter after three. She could survive another three hours without combusting.
"Sure, but for now we eat and dance, and play nice with all of these people," she said getting up.
Lucas looked down at her shoes and slowly made his way up towards her face, "Those shoes are never coming off."
"Seriously which is closer the penthouse or the cabin?"
"The penthouse if we leave now, the cabin once traffic starts to get crazy, but I have a helicopter on standby if you want to go back to Manhattan."
"Yes," she whispered but her father stopped next to them causing Riley to pull away from Lucas. "Daddy, can I help you with something?"
"Yes I want a dance with my daughter," her father said slowly pulling her away. She couldn't help but laugh, but when Lucas began to dance with her mother she felt a tug on her heart.
"So my darling daughter, I had a talk with your husband," her father said.
"I already know about it, remember you're surrounded by everyone you know. I just want to know why you hate Lucas so much, he hasn't done anything to you other than marry me. Mom likes him, Maya likes him, even Auggie likes him so why?"
"Fathers are very protective of their daughters, no matter how old they get," he said smiling. "You'll learn the hard way when you have kids of your own. But since that's not going to happen until you're forty."
"Daddy, I swear," she said laughing.
Throughout the reception Riley was whisked away by her family, one at a time, she barely got the chance to talk to Lucas, and she knew that her father had something to do with it. He wanted to control her life even at the wedding of her best friend, so when six o'clock rolled around she faked an ankle injury so that Lucas would have to take her to a doctor. When he picked her up off the ground she giggled in his ear.
"Don't take the shoes off," she whispered.
"You lied to your family just to get me alone," he said, it was almost a growl. "You're lucky I drove because we're going to the cabin and I'm going to lock the door until we have to leave Monday morning."
"That gives us about twelve hours so you better get to it mister, I didn't fake this injury for nothing."
Lucas couldn't believe what Riley had pulled just to get away from her family, who had used everything possible to keep them apart all night. Just as they made it to the car Maya walked up to them with Riley's stuff and a knowing look.
"There's cake and some food in the bag," she said as he put the items in the back seat. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do," she said before walking away.
Lucas looked at Riley confused, "She helped me conspire this little getaway," Riley said giving him an innocent smile. "Take advantage Lucas and let's get going before my father realizes what we've done."
"Yes ma'am," he said closing her door before he ran to the other side and got into his car. He sped off faster than he intended but ever since he received that photo from Riley his body was screaming.
The cabin was an hour ride from where they were but Lucas made it there in half an hour, by breaking a couple of speeding laws on the highway. Riley giggled the whole time as the car went seventy miles per hour sometimes eighty, each time she giggled he sped up knowing it was dangerous but doing it anyway. The woman had a control over him that no one had ever had, not even his ex-girlfriend who dated him just before his father's death.
When they pulled up Riley grabbed the bags and Lucas grabbed the keys and rushed to the door to open it up, he went back and picked up Riley off the ground and walked her into the cabin.
"I'm going to have my way with you," he said as he shut the door and placed her on the floor.
"Can we eat first, I didn't really have the chance to eat when we were there," she said and Lucas knew he should blame her father for dragging her away from the table every chance he got.
Lucas sighed but then remembered that Maya had packed some cake, grabbing the bag he pulled it out and set it on the coffee table.
"We'll eat the rest later," he said as he picked her up and set her in front of the couch. "Let's get this dress off of you," he handed her a piece of the cake and placed it in her mouth. She chewed as he worked the buttons on the back of the dress.
"What are you going to do eat the cake off of me," she giggled. "It's kind of kinky… Let's do it."
Lucas laughed at her enthusiasm but shook his head, "No you eat the cake I'm going to have something better."
Her eyes widened as he slowly took the dress off of her and revealed the corset top she was wearing underneath, it was mostly lace and left little to the imagination but it curved around her body in all the right places. He wanted to keep it on her no matter what his mind was telling him, she squirmed in front of his gaze but it only made him want her more, as he looked at her hips and saw a garter belt holding up her nude stockings. He almost lost it just from looking at her.
"Eat," he growled as he nibbled on her neck, when she was done chewing he claimed her mouth and tasted the sweetness of the cake with the raw passion of his wife. When he pulled away he saw that her hands were filled with frosting and he took care to lick it off one finger at a time as he looked at her as her eyes slowly closed.
"Lucas," she whispered and that was all it took for his control to snap, all he felt was the heat of her hands and the raw need to be inside of her. He pushed her down on the couch and listened to her giggling as he did it.
"I hope you don't like these panties because I'm going to rip them off of you and have my way with your body," he said trying to hold control over his urges.
"The ties come off, just pull," she said to him. He growled at the fact that she came prepared and pulled the ties off of the underwear.
"You're so sexy," he said as he tossed the underwear across the room. His hands slowly traced over the curves of her body, the feeling of lace and her heated skin, he touched her breast through the fabric not wanting to take it off of her. He wanted the image of her in nothing but those heels and the corset top burned into his memory.
"Lucas please," she said to him and he pulled off of her and grabbed her bag to pull out the condoms he remembered her putting in there before they had left the house that morning. Stripping off his clothes as he walked back to her.
"I'm going to do you on this couch, and when we're done," he said kissing her neck, "and then we're going to christen the bathtub I had installed here a month ago," he said as he kissed her collarbone. "And when you think you can't do anything else we're going to go to bed and do everything I've ever fantasized about since I was a teenager," he said as he sucked on her nipple through the lace.
When she moaned he cupped her from behind and slowly moved her towards him as he moved onto to her other nipple. She whispered his name, but he didn't hear her as he slowly entered the heat of her body and began to push inside. Her hips bucked under her and he let go of her breast and claimed her lips. Nothing but raw passion and heat between them.
Riley woke up on the couch an hour later wondering where Lucas had gone only to see him in the kitchen bare assed naked eating some of the cake that was left in the wrapper that Maya had given them. She was still in her heels and her corset top, her stockings were ripped from their little adventure on the couch so she pulled them off along with her shoes. She had actually tripped during the reception and her ankle was slightly bruised but did look like anything major, she would have to stay away from the heels for a while.
"I hope you're not eating all of the food because I'm starved, and not for sex, well not yet anyway," she said looking at his naked body. "Yeah not yet."
He smirked as she said it because he knew that she was watching him, so when he purposely dropped pieces of cake on himself she didn't fight the urge to lick it off of him and just went for it.
"Food can wait," she said and he nodded as he picked her up and put her on top of the counter.
They went at it a couple of times throughout the house, she never got the chance to eat anything at all but the taste of him made her dizzy with anticipation, and with need. She had never felt this kind of need before and it made it even more special because she knew that she was falling for him. It could have been one sided and she didn't want to ruin it by spilling her emotions. She just wanted to savor the moments she had with him before it all went away.
When they left the next morning to go back to the city, they were both exhausted, neither one of them slept at all during the night, except for the cat naps throughout the night. Lucas stayed at home and the slept the morning away before he went to work for his afternoon meetings. Riley made herself something to eat as Richard delivered the groceries she asked for, she gave him his lunch and asked about his family. He would tell her about his grandchildren, and his kids who were all a wonderful happy family, most of them lived all around the country but they got together once a year for a family reunion, they were going to the Grand Canyon that summer.
Her father called to check on her in the afternoon asking about her ankle, she told him that it was only bruised and that she should be fine in a few days. They talked for a little while before hanging up. She walked around the apartment looking for something to do, before she ended up in the library with the forms of what people tasted and liked, and suggestions for other options. Some people asked for more vegetarian options, others asked for a few dishes that could be put in a bowl. She wrote down ideas of everything and made a list of what she would need to buy to test them out.
When Lucas returned that night she had dinner ready, using some of the recipes that she had thought up while reading what people had wanted. He gave her constructive criticism on all of the dishes and asked her to pack some up for Zay to try the next day. When they finished they showered together and made love that night before falling asleep in each other's arms. This was their lives every single day, they talked on the phone, they talked at home, she cooked, sometimes he cooked with her help. The months passed and they lived in their own little world, and she was happier than she had ever been. She worked on the orders for her summer business, even enlisting the help of her younger brother and his girlfriend Ava for the deliveries. Auggie then convinced her to sell some of the sandwiches at her mother's café, her mother gave her the profits for everything they sold.
When August came and she had to get ready to start her first semester of school Lucas complained because he wanted her all to himself but when the first day of school started he had given her a red leather messenger bag as a present. She made sure that her classes were in the afternoon, so she could make all of the food for the deliveries in the morning. Lucas came home for lunch and took her to school before going back to work, he kissed her and wished her luck when they got to campus, before he left drove off.
"A new beginning," she said as she went to class for the first time in years.