Riordan (11 page)

scream out my name so prettily that I want to make you come over and over again.”

“Stop that.” He handed her the shirt she’d had on before he’d pulled over. “This is just

stupid, you know. We could have been caught. Then what would you have said to your family?”

“I’m sure that they will be thrilled to death that I’ve finally taken a mate. And I know that

my mom is going to be bugging you soon about grandchildren. She’s always had her heart set on

granddaughters. I’m thinking it has to do with having six sons. But I bet she’d be happy with just

a grandchild—”

“You can’t be serious.” He told her that he was. “I don’t understand you. Even before we

had sex, I never understood you. I think I liked you better when you…when we…. I just liked

you better before.”

As he pulled his pants up over his body, he said nothing. She was sure that she’d pissed him

off, and for some reason that hurt her, too. Not that she hadn’t given him good reason to be mad,

but she was hurt by that all the same.

“My mom wants us to come over for dinner. Is that all right with you?” Storm nodded. “And

I guess your aunts are invited, too. My dad already picked them up and has them at the house.

Also, she said that there are three men waiting for you. She’s not sure what they’re doing there,

but they’re dressed in fatigues and armed.”

“My guards.” He nodded and started the truck. She was still pulling on her pants when he

pulled her to him again. This time he looked deep into her eyes rather than kissing her like she

had expected him to do. “I don’t know what to do. I’m better at orders, and timelines. I can order

around a platoon of men and have them working in short order. But you and this, whatever this

is, it scares me more than being on the front line.”

“I’m scared, too.” He kissed her then and got back under the wheel. “I’m going to tell you

something that you might not know. I’m very possessive of you. And when my brothers touch

you, rub their faces against yours, I’m going to take you back to my place and fuck you like

you’ve never been fucked before.”

“I don’t think I can survive you and sex.” He laughed and drove them back to his parents’

house. She had a feeling that things with this man would never be easy or go gently in the night.

~~~

Isabell turned first right, then left, looking at her reflection in the mirror. There was no way

that she was going to give up this easy, and there wasn’t any way that she was going to give up

on Riordan. He was the perfect man for her no matter how many other women he took to his bed.

She might not even care so long as he satisfied her just as much as he did this other woman.

Whoever she was. And as for him marrying this other woman, that wasn’t going to happen

either. She had her sights on him, and everyone else was going to have to go to hell.

“You don’t even love him. And I’m sure that he’s not in love with you. Why are you doing

this to yourself?” Her mother was sitting on her bed amongst the discarded clothing that she’d

tried on and dismissed after hanging up on Riordan. She refused to think that he’d hung up on

her. Isabell turned to her and picked up the shoes she had decided went well with this dress.

“Isabell, he said he’s found someone else. You should just let him go. You can’t be seriously

thinking that he’s going to drop her after you said he confessed to loving this other woman. It’s

just not right.”

“I will not let him go. He’s mine. And if I can’t have him, I have no intentions of sharing

him with some upstart that thinks she can have him, too.” Her mother asked her what she

intended to do. “I’m not sure yet, but he’s not going to know what hit him when he sees me at his

mom’s house. I should have been there long before now. And this dress will make him realize

what it is he’s giving up for her.”

“You mean to just go there unannounced?” Isabell nodded as she pulled her shoes on. “That

is not the way things are done. You know that. What if this girl is there? What if she’s more than

you expect?”

“Never. We’ve been dating for almost two years now, and he’s mine.” Riordan was the type

of man who made woman look at her with envy. Men, too, for that matter. And when she entered

a room with him right at her side, people knew that this was the kind of couple they wanted at

their homes and parties. “I know that he told me from the start that there would never be

anything more between us than dating and sex, but I’m not going to give up. This is just a small

fling for him. He’s gotten cold feet about us and he’s backing off. I’m just going to show him

that he doesn’t have to.”

“What you’re going to show him is that you’re a desperate woman who doesn’t know when

to stop.” Isabell glared at her mother. “When you get this thrown back in your face, I’m going to

be here to say I told you so. I tried to tell you from the very beginning that Riordan wasn’t a man

to trifle with. And I was right. He’s going to hurt you and us too, if you pursue this.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. He’s not even in the same league as us.” Her

family was old money, and while they didn’t have nearly the amount that the Harrisons did, they

did have the added prestige of being the Applegates of Hyde Park. Her family had been one of

the first to build a mansion in that area, and the estate was still there. “He has money, yes, and a

great deal of it, but we know how to spend it.”

She thought her mother said something like “You do,” but she was going out the door.

Riordan would marry her. They’d have two beautiful children that a nanny would care for, and

the two of them would go on fabulous vacations where they’d have their pictures taken for all

those magazines that followed movie stars around.

Isabell knew that she was vain and spoiled. Her daddy had said that little girls were meant to

be treated like queens and pampered by the best. When he’d died three years ago, she’d felt as if

she’d had her heart ripped from her chest. Her mother had never treated her the way he had. Her

voice was that of reason, her dad had told her, and that on occasion, she should listen to her. But

Mother had never given her everything she wanted, and not once had she called her princess, like

Daddy had.

The limo driver held the door open for her, and she slipped inside. As soon as the door

closed behind her, she leaned back, but not too far so as not to muss her hair. Riordan was going

to be so happy to see her, Isabell knew it. Fussing with her dress, she made sure that it looked

just right so that he could see her long legs when she was helped out of the car. Isabell thought of

all the ways he was going to beg her to take him back. And he would, too.

The ride took longer than she thought it should. And when she asked the driver where they

were, he told her that they were in the country, whatever that meant. But when they stopped

twenty minutes later, she had a feeling that they were lost, and he had to ask for directions. As

far as Isabell was concerned, he’d lost his job as of the moment they got back to her home. But

he opened the door for her, and she had no choice but to get out. If this was a joke, she didn’t

think it was funny.

The house was nice. It was larger than her home, and the pillars out front were made of

stone, not wood as the ones at their house were. She was wondering if they could have their

home look just like this one when a tall handsome man came out of the house. Isabell fluffed her

hair and put on her best smile. Whoever this was, she wouldn’t mind having a bite or two of him.

“Are you lost?” She told him she had no idea and tried her best lost look on him. “Yeah, we

don’t get a lot of your kind coming out here in the evening. At least—”

“What do you mean, my kind?” He laughed, and she felt her temper rise. “I’m looking for

the Harrison family. Perhaps you can direct my driver to the correct address and we can be on

our way.”

“You’re here.” She looked around again and thought this had to be a lie. “My parents live

here, and have since they got married. My brothers and I have for the most part moved out, but

we’re all here now.”

“I’m looking for Riordan. He’s my…we’re dating.” He looked at her oddly with a cocked

brow that made her want to try it, too. She so envied people who had talent like that. Then she

realized that he was speaking. Her asking him to repeat himself had him laughing again.

“I said, Riordan is here, too, with Stormy. She’s in the back with a couple of men, and Dad

and another guest are in the office with Riordan.” Isabell asked him who Stormy was, his sister?

“No, she’s Riordan’s fiancée. I guess she’ll be my sister when they marry, but for now, she’s just

a good friend. Were you invited here today?”

He knew that she’d not been invited and she wanted to smack that knowing grin off his face.

When he turned and started up the steps again, Isabell had no choice but to follow. This was not

going the way she’d hoped. And when she entered the house, she knew how wrong she’d been

about Riordan and his money. She’d bet anything that his money was older than hers.

The house was massive. The entryway alone was bigger than her room. And the marble

floors and beautiful Chippendale table in the center of it shone to a brilliant shine. The vase was

more than likely as old as the house, and the flowers in it were bright and colorful, nothing like

she’d ever seen before. Beyond the hallway was a staircase that was at least ten feet wide and

split at the large stained glass mural at the top. She was just dying to see what beauty was up

there as well. This was a house that Isabell would love to live in forever.

When she saw who she assumed was Riordan’s mother, Isabell thought maybe she should

have taken her mom’s advice and stayed home. This woman didn’t look like she’d be a pushover

as she had hoped she’d be. The look on her face told her that she had interrupted something, and

she wasn’t at all happy with her for doing so. It wasn’t a good way to start what Isabell hoped

would be a long and wonderful relationship.

“Hello, Mrs. Harrison. I was hoping to find Riordan. I don’t know why, but I thought my

driver was taking me to his house, not here.” The man that had met her in the yard laughed. She

glared at him as she put out her hand for Mrs. Harrison. “There must have been some sort of

mess up.”

“I’m sure.” The woman took her hand, and Isabell thought she was trying to crush it. As she

pulled it back, Mrs. Harrison smiled at her, as if she knew just what she’d done. “Riordan is

talking to his dad and one of the partners. There were some issues at the office today, and they’re

trying to work it out. But Stormy is here. I think whatever she was doing with her men is taken

care of. I’ll just call for her. I’m sure she’d love to meet you.”

Before she could tell her that was all right, Stormy was called for. Isabell watched the

woman coming toward her and rethought everything that had been going through her head. This

was the woman he’d given her up for? Christ, she could barely walk. And she was dressed in

what appeared to be scrubs, of all things. When she put out her hand to shake it, she had a

moment of panic. The other woman just stared at it as if she had some sort of dirt on her.

“You must be the ex-girlfriend. You’re just what I expected.” Isabell had no idea how to

take that so said nothing. “You’re kind of…I don’t know…girly, aren’t you?”

“I’m a woman. What are you?” The woman laughed, and it sounded like she really was

enjoying this. “You should really work on your manners some. Riordan expects his dates to be

delicate and well behaved. And well dressed. What are you wearing?”

“Well, then he’s shit out of luck since he started seeing me.” The woman moved around her,

like she was inspecting her or something. And Isabell thought she found her lacking in every

way. “You’re not in very good shape, are you? Kind of flabby. You should really try to join a

gym or something. Might take away some of the cellulite you have under that dress of yours.”

“What?” Isabell looked around for someone to help her. Mrs. Harrison was there, but she

wasn’t going to be any help. The woman could barely stand she was laughing so hard. And the

young man that had met her at the car was sitting on the steps laughing as well. She looked at the

woman again. “Just who the hell to you think you are talking to me this way? I’ll have you know

that I come from a good family with the proper upbringing. I’m not flabby, nor do I have

cellulite, as you have suggested. Why am I even bothering with you? Surely Riordan knows that

you’re no match for me.”

“I’m Storm Browning. I do have a pedigree like you think you have, but that doesn’t really

matter much to me. Dogs make me itch.” Isabell was sure she’d been insulted again but wasn’t

sure. Storm continued on with her introduction, if that was what it was. “My family has more

money and more prestige than you do in all of your entire linage. Not that it means all that much