Best Of My Love (Home to Green Valley Book 4) (10 page)

Seconds later, she heard him groan against her shoulder as his release overtook him. He held her close to him, shaking a little as he finished.

She couldn’t believe it. Even as her insides quivered, she couldn’t believe they’d done it and that it had been so unbearably good. Better than she’d ever dreamed.

She tried to lower herself to the bed as gracefully as she could, then froze in panic. What now? In darkness, in the middle of the night, it was one thing to lose oneself in passion. In broad daylight, on the other hand? At his place, without a car? Would he want her to leave?

She didn’t need to be so worried, as it turned out. Once he opened his eyes and stretched out on his back, Riley reached for her. She went to him eagerly, relieved, resting her head on his chest. She listened to his strong, rapid heartbeat. It slowed as his chest rose and fell, matching the beat of Erica’s heart as she relaxed. She’d never been so happy.

Chapter Eleven

Erica drifted back to sleep, but he didn’t. He was wide awake.

It felt like he’d wanted Erica forever, and yet after having had her, he was stunned at how good it had been. How raunchy and passionate, yet tender and sweet at the same time. He had assumed they’d be a little clumsy with each other at first, until it became too hot to control themselves. It had been anything but clumsy. It had felt right, like they were supposed to be together that way.

Like they’d always been meant for one another.

He’d wanted her desperately, but the thing was, he
still
felt desperate. Not just to have her again, but to
keep
her. And that was making him feel decidedly vulnerable.

Erica was a great girl—one of the best, easily. Smart, beautiful, with a wicked sense of humor and the ability to roll with the punches. She could hold her own against him and his brothers, which wasn’t a small feat. She was adorable, too, quirky and off-kilter. Perfect, in other words.

That was what bothered him most, he realized. She was perfect, when he was anything but. Would he disappoint her? It was more pressure than he felt comfortable with, and he didn’t know how to take it. He laid there for a long time, thinking things over, wondering if he was making a mistake by letting such a perfect woman get too close to him.

She looked like an angel when she slept. The early-morning sun didn’t hurt as it filtered through the blinds and created a sort of halo effect around her head. She breathed softly, evenly, totally different from the nearly raving fiend she’d been only an hour earlier while pushing her ass back, pushing him in and pulling him out of her. He longed to reach out and touch her, but he held himself back. He would only wake her, and he didn’t want to disturb her when she was so peaceful.

Every curve of her face was like poetry, one flowing seamlessly into the other. He was almost awed by her beauty, the way a person feels awe when they look at something truly inspiring. He remembered going on a road trip not long after arriving in America, driving hours north to Humboldt County to see the redwoods in person. He’d been dumbstruck by their magnitude, absolutely stunned. He felt something similar to that while watching Erica sleep.

She stirred after a while, rousing slowly. He watched as her eyes opened, their hazel depths focusing on him. She smiled slowly, sleepily.

“Hey there,” she whispered, reaching for him. He took her hand, kissing her fingertips.

“Hey, yourself.”

They held hands, facing each other. He had never felt so totally open, so vulnerable. It still scared him, since he’d never known anything like it, but part of him already knew how precious the feelings were.

“You all right?” he asked. “Are you hungry?”

“Eh, not really hungry. But all right, for sure.” She grinned.

“Not disappointed?”

She frowned. “Uh, were you here when I was here? Because if so, I can’t imagine why you’d ask such a question. Wasn’t it obvious that I enjoyed myself?”

He chuckled. “Yeah, yeah, but then again, when you’ve been waiting for something for a long while, it can seem a little…anti-climactic when you finally get it. Right? Haven’t you ever felt that way?”

She seemed to seriously consider his words. “Once, when I was a kid. I wanted a doll for Christmas, a very specific Barbie. I was obsessed with having her. I used to talk about her every day, to make sure my parents knew I wanted her. Not any other doll. Her, specifically.”

“I guess you got her, then?”

“I did.” She snickered. “And after that first moment of excitement, when I unwrapped her box, I realized she was just another doll. There was nothing all that special about her. I had lots of dolls. She was just one more.”

“Was I just one more?” he teased.

Her cheeks turned red. “There haven’t been that many, if that’s what you’re asking. Definitely not as many dolls as I owned!” She laughed, putting a hand over her mouth. “I think I had, like, three dozen!” They both laughed and she shushed him, afraid Sean might have come home already.

“I’m glad I wasn’t number thirty-seven,” he whispered, and she giggled.

“More like number three. And to address your question again, no. I’m not disappointed at all. Quite the opposite.” She snuggled against him, and he was more relieved than he felt comfortable admitting to myself.

“So what are we going to do about your brothers?”

“What do you mean?”

“I know it’s not the best idea for them to know we slept together. I don’t want to cause any trouble for you.”

“You could never be trouble for me,” he lied.

“Don’t be like that. I know I could.”

He sighed. “My brothers will have concerns, mostly Quinn and Brady. What we’ve built is important to us, and one of our rules from the beginning has been to keep our hands off the staff. I’m the first one to break it, unless they’re all much better liars than I think they are.”

“What’s the worst that could happen?”

“Things could get ugly if we don’t work out. Or they could work out, and it might affect the way you do your job—or the way I do mine. They probably worry we’ll end up snogging in the pantry when there were thirsty customers looking for a drink.”

She giggled. “Sorry, sometimes I can’t help laughing at some of your words. But I’m not laughing at you. I see your point.” She drummed her fingers against his chest. “What can we do, then? I guess it would be best to keep it quiet and casual, huh?”

He watched her carefully to see if she meant it. She appeared to. “That’s all right with you, then?”

“I’m not asking for an engagement ring, Riley.” She smirked. “And I’m a grown up. I understand how things need to be. Besides, I like my job. It’s fun working for you guys.”

“So, what? We’ll stay away from each other?” He hated the idea.

She seemed to hate it, too. “Do you think I could stay away from you now?” she asked, grinning. One of her legs wrapped around one of his, and he stirred.

“No more than I could stay away from you,” he admitted.

“So we’ll be careful. We’ll keep it to my place. Or, you know…anywhere else we can manage.”

“I like the way you think,” he murmured, rolling her onto her back. She sighed, her hands running up and down his arms, then over his shoulders and the back of his neck as she pulled him to her for a long, searching kiss. She whimpered in the back of her throat when their tongues touched.

He knew they should get dressed and leave. It would have been the smart thing to do. Instead, they kissed for what felt like ages, until they both burned for more. He swept a hand over her cleft, feeling how hot and wet she was. How ready for him. It couldn’t be a long, leisurely screw but it could be a fast one. It would have to be.

Swiftly, he retrieved a condom packet and ripped it open. After rolling the condom on, he slid inside her without a word, and she accepted him with a muffled moan. Their eyes locked as they moved together, hard, fast, taking each other without apology or explanation. She held him fast, her legs locked around his ass, pulling him inside, forcing him to pummel her with short, sharp thrusts that sent them both skyrocketing in minutes.

He grunted. She bit his shoulder, muffling her cries when she came. He let out a groan, his face buried in the pillow, before they both went still.

And silent.

But he didn’t want to stay silent.

He wanted to say things he’d never said to another woman.

How much he adored her. How much he loved her.

But that was crazy. It was too soon.

So he said nothing, but he held her and kissed her and hoped every touch of his hands and lips communicated the message that she was special to him.

Chapter Twelve

When Riley dropped her off at
Sure Footed
to pick up her car, the only thing Erica’s body wanted was sleep. Between studying for her exam, getting only a few hours of sleep the night before and all the activity of the morning, she was exhausted,

How could she sleep, though, when every cell of her body sang? It felt like a dream was coming true, one which she’d kept locked in her heart for so long. Out of all the women he knew, all the women who went in and out of the pub every day, he’d chosen her. Plain old Erica. It seemed ludicrous, but when he smiled at her from the driver’s seat before she hopped out of the car, his kiss still warm on her lips, there was no denying it.

She drove home with a smile on her face, and she couldn’t help but belt out her favorite songs as they played on the radio. That day’s choice was the local oldies station, and she grinned when she heard the opening notes to “
Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You.
”

“I love you baby! And if it’s quite all right, I need you baby! To warm the lonely nights! I love you, baby, trust in me when I say…” The windows were down, a crisp breeze rolling through the car, and Erica didn’t care who heard her. Her heart was in flight.

She thought it would be best to sneak into the apartment, in case Jenna was asleep. She didn’t know what time her roommate called it a night.

Jenna wasn’t asleep, though. Anything but.

“Oh, my God.” She nearly jumped Erica the moment she walked through the door. “Tell me, tell me. What happened?”

“Easy, girl.” She loved having exciting news of her own for once. Not that she never dated, though Rob had broken a rather long dry spell. Jenna was a social butterfly, always meeting new people, dating interesting, sexy guys. Erica was usually the one getting the news the next day over a cup of coffee, her heart aching a little with envy.

“Don’t tell me to go easy! Come on. What happened? Did you guys, you know…?”

She poured herself a cup of coffee and took a deep breath, inhaling the heavenly aroma. She then took her time pouring milk into the cup, and a spoonful of sugar. She could practically feel Jenna’s blood pressure about to explode off the charts.

Erica turned to her, and Jenna’s eyes nearly bored holes in her skull. “Okay, I’ll tell you.” Erica sat at the kitchen table as Jenna sat across from her, anxiously twirling a long strand of chestnut hair between her thumb and forefinger. As soon as Erica smiled, Jenna knew the news was good.

“You did! You did! Yes!” She pumped her fist into the air, dissolving into giggles. “I knew you would, just from the way he looked at you! Oh, I’m so glad.”

“It was better than I ever thought it might be,” Erica admitted. “And that’s saying something, because I thought about it a lot. Well, you know.” She’d confessed her crush on Riley a long time ago.

“Squee! I feel the way I used to feel when I’d watch soaps. When it took forever for a couple to get together, and when they finally did it was so satisfying.” She smiled with a happy sigh.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We’re not
together
, not exactly” Erica reminded her.

“Oh, come on. You so are. Don’t pretend this is a one-time thing. You broke up with Rob for him. You wouldn’t do that if you weren’t serious.”

“He’s my boss, Jen. I don’t know if we should have done it in the first place.” She chewed her bottom lip, then said, “But to hell with it. I’m glad we did it. Even if it does mean I might lose my job.”

“You can always find another job,” Jenna reasoned. “They’re not the only game in town.”

“No, but they’re the only game I really want to play. Well, besides Riley. He can roll my dice anytime,” she said with a wicked smile, thinking of all the ways they’d played each other.

And thinking of all the moves they had yet to explore together.

He’d had a taste of her.

Next time, she definitely wanted a taste of him.

* * *

Later, when it was time for her to go to work, her heart beat just as furiously as it had the night before, when she’d dreaded going into work to face Riley. This time, it wasn’t dread she was feeling; it was excitement. They had a secret, the two of them. She wouldn’t be the one to break faith for anything in the world. It was thrilling, a little dangerous, and extremely sexy. She wondered what fun he had in store for her that night—it had been hot enough before they slept together, after all.