Fighting for Her

"I thought you were staying at your parent's house until Thursday." Tommy closed the door behind Riley and looked her over. She was wearing his sweatpants and shirt, hair a mess. He smiled.

Riley shook her head. He was all she could think about during the ride back and the last thing she wanted was to talk about what happened over there. She stared at him with relief, finally glad to be close to him.

"I missed you." She looked down, tugging on the drawstrings of the sweatpants.

"So you left in your pajamas?" He closed the space between them and placed his large hands on her hips.

"I was in a hurry." She closed her eyes and put her forehead on his chest. His shirt was damp from sweat. She missed his smell.

He kissed the top of her head and played with the elastic band on her pants.

"These are huge on you." He laughed as she answered in a muffled voice.

"I don't care." Her face was buried in his chest.

"Why do you like them so much?" Tommy brushed some of her hair back. She was still wrapped in his arms.

"Because they're yours." She didn't want to let go of him. Ever.

"You know what else is mine?" He pulled his head back to look into her green eyes.

She stared at him patiently, waiting for him to answer.

"You." He slid his hands up the back of her shirt making her take in a quick breath. She smiled and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. He lowered his arms and picked her up, letting her wrap her legs around his waist. He kissed her back and smiled, and then without a word started walking up the stairs.

She moved her face from the crook of his neck to meet his gaze. Riley put her lips to his and kissed him hard.

"That's very dangerous." He mumbled inbetween her kisses.

She giggled in his arms. "I think you can handle it."

When he reached the top of the stairs, he pushed her against the wall and returned the kiss. He let her off of him gently. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled away trying to catch her breath. His blue eyes were calm and patient.

Riley bit her lip and pulled on his shirt, bringing him closer to her. With two hands, she lifted the shirt off and over his head, tossing it on the floor. His upper body was huge and loomed over her. He lowered his head and saw a mischievous smile spread across her lips.

He let out a low chuckle and brought his mouth to her neck. She squirmed a bit at the feeling of his stubble brushing up against her skin.

"Ticklish?" He whispered in her ear and brushed his chin against her skin playfully.

She let out a low squeal and shook her head.

"No? How about here?" He squeezed her sides and laughed when she jerked away from him.

"Thomas! No tickling!" She laughed loudly and started to walk backwards, into his room. He kept his stride with hers, walking slowly. Her eyes were big and her smile bright.

He reached out and pulled her into him with one hand and grasped the back of her neck with the other. Their lips crashed together and Riley let out a small gasp as Tommy pressed his body against hers. Still holding her, he laid her down gently and could no longer fight the strong yearning he had for her.

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Riley's eyes opened just as the sun was setting. She turned to see Tommy sleeping beside her on his side, his chest rising and dropping with each breath he took. His arm was draped over her bare chest, the blankets below that were a tangled mess. She pushed a few strands of hair away from his forehead gently, trying not to wake him.

He turned slightly onto his stomach, the shifting of his weight making the bed creak. She stared at him for a while, waiting for him to wake up but his breathing was heavy with sleep.

"I kicked Ryan in the balls." Her voice was soft. She was scared to tell him so she figured this would be a good way to get it off her chest.

"What?" His voice came first, then his eyes slowly opened. She froze, not expecting him to wake up and hear her. "Riley..." his tone was heavy with concern.

She turned on her side to face him. "He was at my parent's house this morning." She cracked her knuckles. He took her hands and kissed them.

"And..." He stared at her patiently pulling her closer so their chests were touching.

"And he tried to apologize so I kicked him. And then slapped him." She knew what he was going to say next.

"That's my girl." He kissed her softly on the lips.

Maybe not. She was shocked at his response.

"But you should have called me." He gave her a straight face.

There it is. She chuckled. He furrowed his brows at her.

"I'm serious, Ri." He brushed her hair back behind her ear.

"I was five hours away!" She laughed and then felt bad. She was going to call him but Ryan had ripped the phone out of her hand. During her drive back home she realized that it was probably for the best since Tommy would've flipped out and drove the distance just to rescue her. She wasn't used to such kindness and caring.

She hugged him. "I'm sorry. I know you just want to protect me." She stared into his eyes, and went on. "I was going to go home, but I came here because I knew I would be safe. With you."

Tommy's face softened a bit and he pulled her on top of him. She giggled and kissed him. His hands were warm on her cold back.

"I'm glad I left." She rested her head on his chest. His heart beat was low and steady.

"So am I."

"Merry Christmas Eve." She whispered in his ear.

He smirked and rolled her on her back and with a low growl he spoke.

"Best Christmas Eve ever."