The Treachery of the Heart

Stunned by the admission, Leah could only stand with mouth parted as he waited for her to respond.

"If you don't want me to, I won't," he assured her quickly. "I just really want to."

Leah could see the faint glimmer of his grey eyes with the moonlight streaming in through the window to aide her. He was looking down at her intently, and Leah felt lost as she looked up at him.

Taking a deep breath, she swallowed. "Alright," she said softly.

Riley's head lowered the moment she acquiesced. His lips brushed against hers tentatively in a gentle greeting. Pausing, he inched closer, and swayed on his feet slightly before his mouth touched hers again.

His lips coaxed hers into parting, and when she opened to him, his tongue slipped in slowly in a sensual exploration.

His breath escaped him in a rush, and then he delved deeper. His mouth was hot, and wet as he took his time in a languorous fashion. When her arms lifted to wrap themselves around his neck to pull him closer, his fingers slipped around her waist, and a soft sound of pleasure left his throat.

Her lips pushed against his in a desperate need for more. When the meeting of their mouths suddenly became urgent, Riley began walking her backwards until they reached the sofa.

Keeping his mouth firmly on top of hers, he lowered her onto it, and pressed his weight down on top of her.

Instead of pushing him away, she pulled him closer, and began writhing beneath him as he hungrily devoured her mouth. Their bodies strained against one another's wanting a more intimate contact, and Leah moaned beneath him as he surged the length of his frame against hers.

When he finally pulled his head back, his breathing was labored. "Why aren't you stopping me?" he gasped.

Leah shook her head frantically. "I don't know." Reaching for the back of his head, she pulled him down to her once more.

Their mouths became greedy as they took from one another. Riley's hands slipped beneath the hem of her shirt, and then he was clutching both of her supple breasts in his palms.

He squeezed them roughly making another moan explode from her throat. When his fingers pinched both of her nipples, she arched beneath him then bent her knees to cradle his hips.

His voice came out anguished against her mouth. "Fuck, Leah. Stop me, or I'm going to be inside of you in another minute."

When her response was to lunge her hips upward into his, Riley's mouth parted on a groan. Retaliating in kind, he thrust his pelvis into hers, and rubbed his aching hardness between her legs through his jeans. It made her fingers fist in his hair as she moaned yet again into his mouth.

Rolling to his side, Riley pulled her with him. His fingers slipped between them, and furiously worked to pull open the button to her jeans. When he had them unzipped, his palm slid from her stomach down into the waistband of her panties until his fingers were pressed between her legs.

Sliding his middle finger along her folds, he sought out her entrance, and thrust into her hard while his mouth aggressively pushed against hers.

The abrupt penetration made her break away from him when her body arched with pleasure. Her eyes closed, and she bit down on her lip to still the cry that wanted to break free.

When he began to vigorously move his finger from side to side, she gripped his arm tightly, and buried her face against his neck while a soft mewl escaped her.

"Oh God," she whispered. "Riley, please."

Refusing to relent for even a moment, he pressed deeper. "I've wanted this for so long," he breathed. "I need you, Leah."

Her hands lifted to his face as she kissed him. When her tongue pushed against his, and her hips undulated against his invading fingers, Riley let out a long, deep groan.

They both froze the moment they heard a cry from above. Breaking away from her mouth, Riley's head turned to gaze towards the staircase.

"Abbie is awake," Leah panted apprehensively.

Releasing him, she waited for him to remove his fingers from the inside of her jeans, then quickly reached down to close them.

Her slender frame slipped from the sofa, and Riley groaned again, but this time it was with frustration.

"I love that little girl, but she has the worst timing," he whispered in amusement.

Still apprehensive, Leah nodded. "Story of my life," she whispered back. Then she left him to ascend the stairs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I can't give you what you want," she said in a barely audible tone. "I have a daughter who wouldn't understand. No one would understand. Your brother would be destroyed by this."

Riley pressed his lips together as he met her gaze. For an endless moment they looked at one another, and then his eyes fell as he nodded.

His feet carried him the few steps it took to reach her, and then he lifted his hand to rest it on the back of her head. His mouth lowered until it pressed against her forehead, and he closed his eyes. Then he tucked her against him before resting his chin on the top of her head.

"I'm leaving, Leah. I understand, but I cannot stay here."

Her head nodded vigorously, and her lips pinched tight to keep the storm at bay. She wanted so badly to cry. To fall into his arms, and beg him to stay.

Only she didn't. She couldn't, and the knowledge that he would soon be gone once again stole her ability to breathe.

When he released her, and turned to walk from the kitchen, Leah felt as if her knees would collapse beneath her. Everything inside of her ached to call him back to her side. By sheer force of will alone she kept silent.

The moisture that had been building in her eyes for the past several minutes finally fell, and with an angry swipe of her fingers, she brushed it away.

"Mommy, are you sad?" Abbie asked where she appeared in the doorway.

Forcing a smile, Leah looked at her daughter. "No, honey. Mommy is fine. Did you see any more birdies?"

Shaking her dark head, her large grey eyes grew wide. "He flew away."

"That's alright, honey. I'm sure he'll be back tomorrow. Are you hungry?"

When Abbie nodded, Leah turned towards the cabinet to pull down a box of cereal.

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Opening his lips, Riley tilted his head, and allowed Abbie to feed him the single cheerio that she was holding in her chubby fist.

When he began to chew it noisily, she giggled, and reached for another. There were two dozen scattered across the tray of her high chair, and she seemed to be a lot more interested in feeding him than herself.

When her small hand reached out, and smacked into his nose, Riley winced before letting out a chuckle.

Parting his lips wider, he chased her small fingers until she nudged another piece of cereal inside. Chewing it slowly, he looked down at her with a smile.

"Does this mean you don't want any breakfast?" Leah asked with a smirk.

Riley's voice was pleasantly filled with elation as he continued to grin at his niece.

"That's alright. I was just going to have coffee. I forgot how much I hate cereal," he said with a laugh.

Leah tried to hide her smile behind her hand as she looked at him. "Then why do you keep eating it?" she wondered.

Glancing away from his two year old niece to look at her mother, he shrugged. "It's making her happy."

Picking up a cheerio, he held it in front of Abbie, and watched as she swooped down to take it from his fingers by opening her small mouth. Once she had it, her tiny teeth gnashed at it exaggeratedly making Riley chuckle again.

"You're always so good with her," Leah remarked wistfully. "You're going to be a good father someday."

Pausing with another cheerio held between his fingertips, Riley lifted his gaze. For an endless moment he looked at her before a frown passed over his features. "In order to be a father I would have to be someone's husband first," he pointed out.

Offering Abbie the cheerio, he watched as she tightened her lips, and shook her dark head. Accepting her refusal graciously, he set the piece of cereal back onto the tray before dropping his hand to his thigh.

His grey eyes lifted once more to look at Leah. His gaze was filled with unhindered heat as he delved directly into the blue of her eyes.

The power behind that simple look was enough to make Leah falter as she turned towards the counter to escape it.

"You'll meet the right person someday," she uttered breathlessly.

Reaching for the coffee pot, she lifted it from it's holder, and turned to fill it with water from the kitchen sink.

His voice was like velvet when it reached her ears. "What if I already have?"

Leah stilled as his words washed over her. "What makes you think they're the right one?" she responded shakily.

"The way that I feel when I'm around her. The way that I feel when I'm not. Sometimes you just know."

The water had filled the coffee carafe to overflowing, and was spilling over into the sink when Leah's attention was brought back to it. Turning off the sink, she dumped some of the liquid out before returning to the coffee maker.

"Have you told her yet?" she inquired innocently.

Riley took a deep breath as he pondered the question. "No," he admitted. "I believe she already knows, but if it takes saying the words to make her mine, then I'll say them."

The chair scraped along the kitchen floor as he rose to his feet. Closing the distance between them Riley stepped towards her until his chest brushed her back.

Closing her eyes in agony, Leah set the pot down upon the counter just as his fingers reached out to wrap around her arms. The heat of him surrounded her, and then he was urging her to face him.

She couldn't seem to look at him, and her head hung low while she peered at the kitchen floor. When his hands lifted to cup her face to coax her into meeting his eyes, a soft shudder escaped her.

It was all there when she finally looked at him. The desperate need, the yearning, the complete and utter adoration. They were all things that she felt every single time that she looked at him, and she could see each of them reflected in his stormy grey gaze.

"You mean everything to me," he whispered.

His eyes roamed over her face as if he was intensely studying every single detail. "We belong together, Leah. You were meant for me. I can feel it with every fiber of my being. I'm never going to want anyone else the way that I want you."

When she gazed up at him in astonishment he went on. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life. I want this. I want you to be mine."

Leah cringed as pain sluiced through her. Her fingers lifted to wrap loosely around his arms. Closing her eyes, she tried to shake her head.

"Riley..." she pleaded.

"I know you feel it too, Leah. I know you do. I can see it in your eyes when you look at me. I can feel it on your lips every time that I kiss you. It's like you're already mine."

He was adamant in his conviction, and her lack of denial only fueled him on. "Be with me, Leah. I need you."

When she shook her head again, it made Riley's grip on her tighten.

"I can't," she gasped.

Her words struck him like a knife. "Why can't you?" he demanded.

A deep breath escaped her, and then her blue eyes lifted to meet his tortured gaze. "Mark asked me to marry him," she whispered.

Every part of him stilled with those few words. His expression became stunned, and then his hands fell away from her as he took a step back.

A moment passed, and then his face darkened. "Tell me you didn't say yes, Leah."

Her breath hitched in her chest, and her voice broke. "He's Abbie's father, Riley. I have to think of what's best for her."

Turning away from her, he stalked across the length of the kitchen. Both of his hands lifted to push through his hair in agitation, and then they dropped to his sides before he whirled to face her. His gaze held violent storm clouds as his jaw tightened.

For a moment he said nothing, and then a strangled sound escaped him. Walking swiftly to the back door, he left the house.

The sound of it slamming behind him was the only outward sign of his anger. It made the entire kitchen shake, and Leah jumped in startled dismay while her heart raced within her chest.

He didn't return until late in the evening. Leah had been lying in bed for the better part of an hour listening for any sounds that would signal to her that he had come home.

She was beginning to worry when she heard the faint, but familiar creak of footsteps upon the stairs.

Slipping from the bed carefully to avoid waking her daughter's father, she quickly slipped on her robe, before quietly making her way from the room.

There was light streaming from the bathroom where the door had been left ajar, and it drew her like a beacon as she made her way down the hall.

When she reached it, she hesitantly pushed the door open to peer inside. The sight that greeted her made her pause in surprise.

He was perched on the side of the tub wearing nothing, but his blue jeans. His arms were resting on his thighs, and his bare back was arched as he stared at the tiled floor.

The soft sound of her gasp reached his ears, and he peered up from where he sat to look at her. He looked tired, and slightly defeated.

"You're home," she acknowledged softly.

A moment passed, and then he nodded slowly.

"I was beginning to worry. I wasn't sure if you were okay."

A short, humorless breath of laughter left his throat. "I'm not sure that I am. This has been one of the worst days of my life."

His gaze dropped back to the floor, and a grimace passed over his features. When he said nothing further, Leah stood hesitantly in the doorway feeling completely at a loss.

"I don't know what to do, Riley," she finally admitted softly.

His grey eyes darted back, and forth as he fought for something to say. When he finally lifted his head, his expression was bleak.

"You don't have to do anything, Leah. You've already made your decision. It doesn't matter anymore."

Leah frowned before stepping further into the room. "Of course it matters," she told him. "Why would you say such a thing?"

His jaw tightened, and his eyes drew closed for a moment before he opened them to look at her.

"I'm leaving for basic training in the morning. You won't have to worry anymore. I won't be here."

Leah's blue eyes widened in surprise as her mouth parted. "Leaving? You can't leave."

Her words brought a scowl to his face. Digging his fingers into the side of the bath tub, his knuckles whitened.

"I can't stay," he told her pointedly.

Leah's expression filled with panic, and her next words came out of her in a rush. "This is crazy," she cried. "The army? Why would you do that? Your life is here with your family. You can't go. You can't leave!"

Her hands lifted to cover her face, and a sob escaped her. It brought Riley quickly to his feet as he reached out to pull her into his arms.

When he was finally able to drag a lungful of air into his tight chest, it escaped him raggedly, and then he was crushing her to him.

"Don't cry," he choked out. "I'm not going to be able to do this if you cry."

He pressed his lips hard against her temple as his eyes drifted closed. A soft mewl erupted from her throat making his insides clench.

Leaning back, his large hand lifted to the side of her face, and he tilted her chin up until she was forced to look at him.

When his cloudy colored eyes met her light blue ones a groan escaped him, and he leaned down to take her mouth.

His lips urged hers to part beneath him, and his fingers slipped into her dark hair to cradle her head as he pulled her harder against his frame.

Holding her in place with a hand at the small of her back, he ravaged her mouth. His knee slipped brashly between her legs, and he drew her forward until she was riding the top of it as his hands clasped onto her hips.

He couldn't get close enough, and as he held her a rough sound of pleasure escaped his throat.

When he slid his knee higher, Leah let out a small whimper, and broke away from his mouth to place her hands in the middle of his broad chest.

"Riley," she gasped. Her eyes were wide, and tremulous as she looked at him, and she weakly tried to push him back to gain her release.

His hold on her didn't loosen whatsoever. His grey eyes were filled with need and pain as he focused on her soft mouth. When he lifted them to capture her gaze, a harsh breath left his chest.

"I need you," he moaned. "Don't make me wait any longer. I can't take it."

Lifting his hand to cup the side of her face, his thumb brushed over her cheek lightly before he leaned in once more to press his lips to hers.

They parted easily beneath his, and Riley swept his tongue along the bottom part of her lip before delving further.

When her fingers finally slipped up his chest to wrap around his neck, a feeling of elation filled him as he dragged her back against him.

Her mouth was eager beneath his now, and Riley began to lose control as he took several steps forward, and pushed her up against the bathroom wall.

He began touching, and caressing every part of her that he could reach. When her fingers slipped into his hair, and her lips pressed to the side of his neck, he was lost.

"Please, Leah," he groaned. "I need to be inside of you."

His mouth blindly sought hers out while his hand slipped beneath her short nightgown to press between her thighs. When his large fingers slid against the warmth of her folds, he could feel that she was more than ready for him.

He practically ripped the button from his jeans in his urgency to free himself, and then he was guiding his thick member between her legs. When the blunt head found her opening, he lifted her thigh against his side, and buried himself deep into her wet warmth.

The intense feel of him barreling inside of her made Leah cry out against his mouth, and then he began to move. His first few strokes were tentative, but he quickly grew bolder until his body was surging into hers. Gripping onto her hips, he buried his face against her neck as a harsh cry escaped him.

Leah's fingernails dug into his back, while her other hand fisted in his hair. He began rocketing into her, and the sensations began to consume her as she moaned beneath him.

The soft little sounds of pleasure she was making finally undid him, and his entire body tensed after he slammed between her legs a final time.

Pouring himself into her body, he collapsed against her as he tried to catch his breath.

"I think you just killed me," he gasped in amazement.

Still unable to speak, Leah nodded in agreement, and clutched onto him harder. When he finally pulled back to look down at her face, his grey eyes were filled with reverence.

"I don't want you to think of this once I'm gone," he whispered. "I want you to be happy, Leah. Promise me that you will be happy."

Her lip trembled as she nodded again, and then his hands lifted to clasp onto her face before he pressed his hard mouth to hers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"There's a few things I need to take care of before I leave town. A few friends I'd like to see." Lifting his duffel bag over his shoulder, Riley smiled weakly at his brother. "I'll call you when I get settled."

Mark seemed baffled as he took in the words. "Alright, little brother. It was good to see you."

Stepping forward, he took Riley into a swift hug, and patted him on the back. When they parted, Riley's grey gaze quickly darted to Leah where she stood near the kitchen door.

Her face was stricken, but he quickly looked away to peer down at his niece who was playing quietly on the floor beside them.

Dropping down to his haunches, he smiled when she looked up at him. "Any chance I can get a hug goodbye, munchkin?" he wondered.