Chapter 10

Gulping nervously, Riley felt a shiver course throughout her body, her mouth suddenly going try. "I-If you w-want to…" She stammered out, those soft blue eyes locking with hers, swallowing hard.

Her knees drew up, leaning back against the tub and chewed her bottom lip, wondering what would happen if she said no. Hell this was his bathroom, his tub, she couldn't deny the man who saved her anything and Riley knew it. John saw the fear building in her eyes and sighed heavily, knowing he probably was going too fast for her.

Lowering himself to be eye level with her, John reached in the tub to run his finger up and down her arm very lightly. "I won't hurt you, buttercup." He promised in a deep soothing voice, his finger trailing up to her shoulder and neck, taking his time. "I just wanna caress you, feel you, relax you…" His mouth was right by her ear, his hot breath sending a jolt through her. "Let me in, Riley."

Her eyes drifted shut, chest rising and falling rapidly, the water growing hotter and Riley knew it was because the rise of body temperature. "Yes, come in." She breathed out, his fingers leaving her neck as her eyes opened, looking away as John shed the rest of his clothes in front of her.

Her cheeks burned and that made her even more radiant as the candlelight reflected off of her soft skin. How could Wade hurt a beautiful angel like this? How could he take her for granted the way he had? John refused to walk away from her and shoved her gently forward, stepping inside the tub, being careful not to land on top of her.

The thought of Riley on top of him was very enticing, but John knew he had to take baby steps, not wanting to push her into something she clearly wasn't ready for. He sunk down in the hot water and pulled Riley's back to press against his strong chest, wrapping one arm around her waist. Riley sighed and leaned back against him, feeling his finger up and down her arm while his lips began caressing her neck softly. Getting lost in the softness and feel of her skin against his lips and tongue, John bit back a groan, slowly feeling his arousal grow beneath the water.

"I won't go too far, I promise. If I do, tell me to stop and I will." John murmured huskily in her ear, feeling her melt against him and splayed his large warm hand against her abdomen.

"I trust you, John." She whispered, nodding, letting him know she was fully enjoying everything he was doing to her.

Truth be told, Riley was scared to death, but also knew this man would never hurt her the way Stu had. Not to mention his lips felt too wonderful against her to pull away, Riley hadn't been touched like this by a man in so long. She couldn't remember the last time a man had actually taken his time in caressing and making her feel like a woman, which is what John was doing. Her head lulled back against his shoulder and Riley lifted her foot up out of the water to turn the hot water on, steam slowly rising.

This was truly a heaven Riley never experienced in her life, not even with Stu.

Every bruise that marred her beautiful body John vowed he would give Wade the same treatment, knowing what he did wasn't the end. He hadn't broken the man's back, though he'd used every bit of strength and power he could muster up. He hadn't been one hundred percent last night when he delivered the attitude adjustment, which was really a fireman's carry, on the steel chair. What John would've really enjoyed doing was taking that chair and lodging it in Wade's throat while delivering the STF, which was a drop toehold submission move that forced the head back and caused tremendous pain in the back.

After being caressed from head to toe by John with a loofah sponge and body wash, Riley knew it was time to get out before they both pruned further. She turned her head as John lifted himself out of the tub, quickly wrapping a towel around his lean muscular waist. She couldn't believe what an incredible body the man had and Riley immediately turned red at the thought, trying to push that in the back of her mind. She felt a light tap on her shoulder and Riley turned as she met those beautiful blue eyes again, not able to help smiling. John winked and opened the towel for Riley to walk into, watching her bite her bottom lip apprehensively, knowing it would take time for her to trust a man again.

Not that he blamed her.

"John…"

One gentle finger pressed against her lips before Riley could say another word. "I'll be a total gentleman, Riley, I promise." He vowed, holding the towel open for her again patiently. "You can trust me."

Hesitantly, Riley slowly pushed herself up from the tub, John helping her when he thought she would struggle. John knew she was sore from the beatings Wade gave her, vowing once more to end his career in the WWE if it was the last thing he ever did. Riley lowered her head as John wrapped the towel around her body fully along with his arms, wanting her to feel safe and secure. She honestly did and closed her eyes, leaning back against him comfortably while they just stood there slowly drying off.

"Thank you." She whispered and felt him slowly tilt her head back as their eyes locked.

"My pleasure, buttercup." He murmured, brushing his lips very softly against her forehead. "Come on, I don't want you catching a cold by standing here in just a towel with damp hair. It's cold outside."

Riley agreed and followed him out of the bathroom, keeping the towel firmly clasped in front of her so it didn't fall away from her body. John couldn't believe what an incredible body the woman had, once again wondering why Wade would treat her like a piece of trash. She was indeed one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen in his life, one of the many reasons why John wanted to help her. He had the hero mentality, always putting guys backstage in their places if they were jackasses to any of the women, no matter the circumstances.

He remembered a while back when he walked backstage after a grueling match with Randy Orton and saw John Hennigan –most fans knew him as John Morrison- fighting with Melina Perez –she was simply known all over the globe to fans as Melina-, who was his ex-girlfriend. They had been on and off for the past few years since both debuted in the company and finally decided to be in a real relationship. John noticed Hennigan was getting pissed and walked over to diffuse the situation, having a teary eyed Melina walk away so her boyfriend could calm down. Later, Hennigan thanked John for helping out and John in turn recommended the man go through anger management to handle his temper better.

Backstage, John was a locker room leader and took his role very seriously, but lately Nexus had turned him into an obeying dog. That was fine because it wouldn't last much longer and, as soon as John was free to do what he wanted, he was going to eliminate Wade Barrett from the WWE forever. That was his one and only goal, which began by snatching Riley away from his clutches and bringing her to West Newbury.

They walked inside the huge bedroom John had shown Riley previously, which was hers permanently regardless of how things worked out between them. She clutched the towel tighter while John walked over to the dresser drawer, pulling out a plain cotton white t-shirt with a pair of boxers. He then walked over to the far corner of the room, moments later a bag dangling from his fingers staring her in the face. Riley blinked, it was her bag that she thought she'd lost at the arena and John had apparently grabbed it for her along with his own things. She sighed with relief and took it from him, walking over to set the bag on the bed, sifting through it quickly.

John watched her and frowned, not liking how much she trembled and walked over, standing right behind her. He gently slid his large hands down her soft arms until they rested over hers, lacing their fingers together. Riley chewed her bottom lip and leaned back against him, closing her eyes to relish in his warmth and comfort. John smiled because he knew this relaxed her and gently slid one hand up her arm to her the side of her neck, trailing his large fingers down it in a caress. That motion caused Riley to turn her head until their eyes locked, her bag suddenly forgotten as those blue pools captivated her again, drawing her in.

This woman was enchanting and John was falling under her spell, quickly realizing exactly why Wade wanted her because so did he. He watched as her soft pink lips opened to say something and he knew exactly what it would be. He couldn't bare hearing another thank you from her and instead lowered his head until their lips very softly touched. Riley gasped gently, but the feeling of his lips against hers overtook the fear she felt, having craved to feel wanted for awhile.

Stu never made her feel this way, not even when he wasn't using her as a punching bag and that scared Riley. Still, her hand instantly slid up his arm to cup his cheek and felt John's warm hands grasp her waist, turning her fully around as the kiss deepened. Riley moaned, not believing how gentle John was being with her and felt him lower himself on the bed so she didn't have to strain to reach him. Her heart pounded furiously and Riley felt herself lowering as well, straddling his lap, the kiss never breaking as her hands clutched his muscular shoulders.

John groaned from low in his throat, knowing this probably wasn't the best thing to do, but there was no turning back and he honestly didn't want to stop. His hands slid up and down her back, pulling her closer to him as his tongue swiped against her sweet lips, begging for entrance, wanting to taste her. Riley immediately responded and opened her mouth, moaning louder at the feeling of their tongues clashing for the first time, her hands on his shoulders tightening as she tried scooting closer to him, wriggling on his lap.

Slowly and reluctantly pulling back, John broke the kiss, completely breathless from what just happened between them. "Buttercup, if you keep doing that something is going to happen you're not ready for." He warned in a low ragged voice, pressing his forehead to hers, trying to calm down. He could already feel himself rising to the occasion and didn't want to scare her, trying to calm down.

"I'm sorry…" She whispered, tears stinging her eyes and started to move from John's lap but his hands clutched hers, stopping her from moving.

"Please tell me you don't regret that kiss." John was almost afraid to say that, but he also refused to hide his feelings from Riley. "Because I damn sure don't. I should've done it sooner, but I didn't wanna scare you."

"You do scare me, John." Riley admitted quietly, feeling him pull back until their eyes locked once more. "But only in a good way. I know you're not like Stu. I'm just…It's been so long and…" She was struggling with words and could feel hot tears of embarrassment spill down her cheeks.

"Shhh you don't have to say anymore, buttercup." He hated it when she cried, it nearly tore him in half every time tears fell from her beautiful jade eyes, immediately wiping them away with the pads of his thumbs. "Please, I'll do anything if you stop crying."

Riley bit her bottom lip and tried stopping, but the more she tried, the more tears fell. "I'm s-sorry…" She stammered and John immediately pulled her against him, wrapping his strong arms around her trembling frame, his heart breaking because of how much pain radiated from her body.

She buried her face in the crook of his neck and John refused to move, knowing she needed to be comforted right now. He could still feel her sweet lips against his, the lingering almost enough to arouse him, but Riley didn't need that right now. What she needed most was being held and told that everything was going to be alright, that she didn't have to live in fear anymore. John didn't say anything for awhile, running his hand up and down her back soothingly, trying to get her to calm down.

"Don't be sorry." He finally whispered, his mouth right by her ear. "There's no reason for you to say those words because you have nothing to be sorry for, Riley. If anyone should be sorry, it's that piece of shit ex you have."

Riley slowly pulled back and wiped her tears away, sniffling. "My ex…" That sounded weird coming from her mouth, but surprisingly the biggest weight lifted from her shoulders when she referred Stu as her ex.

There was no way they could mend their relationship and Riley already knew her heart was slowly but surely pulling toward John, her savior. Stu would never be the same again and Riley had fallen out of love for him the first time he struck her down and raped her. After that, her love for him quickly turned into fear and she didn't know how to get away from him without Stu hurting her even more. John had been her way out and now that she was safe for the most part, Riley was going to start getting her life back in order the best she could, hoping she wouldn't have to hide for the rest of her life.

A ghost of a smile splayed across her beautiful lips and Riley gently ran her thumb over John's full red lips, nodding. "This is more than I ever expected and I don't know how to repay you…" She sighed when John pressed his finger against her lips, silencing her once more as he brushed his lips feather lightly against them.

"There's no repayment needed, I just want you to be happy and hopefully I can help you through it." He stated, watching her nod and blinked when Riley threw her arms around his neck, his eyes closing as he tightened his arms around her.

"I just need to take this slow and I need time to adjust to everything. I want to get to know each other before we do anything more. If anything becomes involved with this…" She pulled back to look at him, wanting John to understand that she did want him, but Riley wasn't the type to just jump into bed with a stranger.

Even though John saved her from Stu, he was still very much a stranger to her.

Nodding, John completely understood what she meant and lifted her up with ease, kissing her lips once more softly. "Get some rest, buttercup." He said, setting her on the bed gently, not wanting to harm her in any way. "Don't worry, we're fine, but you need time and I want to give you that. If you need me, my room is just down the hall. Don't hesitate to come find me if you need me for anything…" He began walking toward the door and stopped, turning back to stare at the raven haired beauty. "Anything at all." Winking, he vacated the room.

Riley couldn't help blushing and looked around the room after John left, touching her lips with trembling fingers and felt this rush of excitement overwhelm her. It was intense and Riley knew that once she did get to know John better that they would end up together. That thought alone made her happier than she'd been in the past few years and Riley decided she wouldn't be thinking about Stu anymore, hoping her subconscious agreed with her. After slipping into a pair of black pajama pants with a matching tank top, Riley slipped into bed and stared up at the ceiling. John's scent surrounded her and that eventually lulled Riley into a deep slumber, the first peaceful rest she'd had since meeting Stu.