Silver Spoon (14 page)

The police had called earlier, explaining the whole situation to her, after the original shooter spilled the beans under interrogation. The gunman who shot at her, John Riggings, had a previous record and held an old grudge against her father for sending him to prison eons ago when her father had worked as a district judge before moving up to take a seat in the House of Representatives. Riggings had enlisted the assistance of a former cellmate to provide the distraction in hopes of causing enough confusion and terror as to take out the senator with no one noticing. As the first plan fell through, he opted for the secondary target. Her.

Riggings obviously perceived her death would cause the senator great pain and heartache, not knowing the broken and jaded status of their relationship. It might have happened according to plan except Riggings hadn't counted on an ex-Green Beret being in attendance.

Spoon.
He'd risked his life for her, shielding her with his own body. The brave action spoke louder than any words. No fictional hero could have been more courageous, more chivalrous. For the rest of the evening, he'd stayed with her, touching her, holding her, simply being there for her to defuse from the earlier trauma. She'd wanted to ask him to stay the night, but bit the words back, unwilling to sound like a wimp or ninny who suddenly needed a babysitter. The fact remained she would have to spend nights alone, so as much as she might want to be pampered and babied, she would expect it the following night. And, the next, making it that much harder to be alone again. Better to suck it up in the beginning than try to work it out later.

She sighed wistfully. He'd stepped up to the plate and hit a home run with the superb date straight out of one of her books. For a guy that claimed to know little about romance, he had managed to treat her to the best evening ever. Her only regret remained that he'd opted to leave instead of spend the night, sharing hours of passionate intimacy.

Spoon had explained his reasons. She'd found them sound, respected him for his restraint, and knew for an absolute fact that she'd hit the jackpot when it came to boyfriends. Other men would have leaped at her offer to stay, progressing the relationship by leaps and bounds in a single night. Spoon, on the other hand, had gracefully declined, transparently revealing his feelings for her revolved around more than just sex. As much as she'd hated to see him leave, she clung to his noble act, and soaked up the knowledge that the man she loved put her needs above his own.

Love.
Such an elusive word, common in books, yet a mere illusion in Riley's life until an ex-Green Beret had nearly bowled her over one day and come to see her in a different light. Her feelings toward the man solidified, shoving out the last of her lingering doubts.

Spoon is my future.
The same words she'd said to her father replayed through her mind before lodging tightly into her soul. All arrows pointed toward a lifetime of commitment, sharing, and glowing in his attentions. Anything else fell decidedly short of happiness and a step above absolute sorrow.

Her stomach growled. A quick glance at the clock explained the blatant signal of hunger. Lunchtime had arrived.

Leaving the computer desk, she walked into the kitchen, automatically filling Achilles' empty bowl. She browsed through cabinets, found a package of pasta and sauce to accompany. A pound of hamburger meat sat in her fridge from her last trip to the grocery store. With ingredients in hand, she set about preparing the meal.

Forming each meatball, she placed them in a pan on the stove beside the pot of water heating in readiness for the spaghetti strands. Once all the meatballs sat cooking, she snagged her cell phone, placing a quick call.

"I'm fixing spaghetti for lunch. Are you interested?"

Spoon's low baritone answered. "I thought you were writing today?"

"I was. I did. Just now finished the book."

"Way to go." She heard the smile in his voice.

"Thanks. So, are you free for lunch? I've got everything started."

"Sure. I can be there in ten minutes."

"Great." She nearly bounced in place, a surge of excitable energy zinging through her system at the thought of spending a whole afternoon with Spoon. "See you in a few." Slapping the phone shut, she turned her attention to the stove, flipping the meatballs over to brown, then checking the fridge for side items to serve. Pulling three bowls out, she placed them on the table, eyeing Achilles and warning him to leave them alone when he wandered into the kitchen. Small salads sat in cereal bowls near each plate while fresh fruit and cottage cheese waited in the plastic containers from the refrigerator. Plates and silverware followed, along with glasses full of ice. Dressings and a glass bowl of Jell-O rounded out the selections.

By the time Spoon arrived, the hastily prepared meal sat on the table.

"Wow." He glanced over the food ready before him. "When I say ten minutes, you sure follow through."

She grinned. "Hey, I was hungry. Hope you are, too."

"Sure am."

Together they each took a seat and began filling their plates.

Just as Spoon shoveled the first bite into his mouth, his cell phone rang. He checked the caller ID, grumbled under his breath, and hit the silence button. His face clouded up like a dark thunderstorm.

Riley read his expression and knew who bore responsibility for the sour look. She watched him with empathy, wondering what to say in order to ease his sudden tightness and discontent.

Glancing up, he briefly met her eyes. "He's persistent."

Taking a drink of her soda, she gave a quick nod.

"Too damn persistent."

"It doesn't appear like he's going to give up, does it?" She carefully tiptoed into the topic of conversation, skirting the line between support and pushing him too hard on the matter.

"No. Unfortunately, not." He ran a large hand through his short dark brown hair. "Maybe it's time to confront him. Tell him no to his face and show him I'm dead serious and won't change my mind."

Chasing a stray noodle around her plate, she continued to focus on him, hoping to help him discover the correct answer to this long and painful problem. "Sounds like a difficult but reasonable solution to me."

He released a breath, meeting her gaze steadily. "You're right." As if making a sure decision, he sat up straight. "I'll suck it up, meet him, and lay down the law."

Hope filled her as she watched Spoon wrestle with his options, finally settling on the one she truly believed might work. She understood from personal experience, if he kept dodging his determined father, the situation would only worsen. While meeting his father in person wouldn't be easy, it could be the only way to get his point across. Considering the toll and stress he carried from the continual harassment, anything had to be better than looking forward to weeks more of irritating calls and messages.

"When?"

"Friday." He tossed out the day, then sucked in a breath. "This bullshit ends Friday." His tone carried solid conviction.

Pride leapt to the fore as she watched the Spoon make the final decision and commitment, to take the bull by the horns, and end the situation eating at him for the past several years.

"I know you'll be relieved when it's over."

He stabbed a meatball with his fork. "Yeah."

Taking the hint, she quickly changed the subject. "Achilles knows how to sit and stay now."

"Really? That was quick." He stuck the bite in his mouth and chewed.

Riley grinned, glancing over at the tan canine with the black mask on his face as he chewed on a giant rawhide bone. "He'll do just about anything for a treat."

"Dangle a treat in front of any male and I imagine he would sit up and beg." Spoon's expression slid from high tension and worry to subtle sensual teasing.

"Is that so?" She opted to play along, much preferring the loose bantering and teasing over discussing such a difficult obstacle any day.

"Uh huh." Rolling the remaining spaghetti around with his fork, he popped the bite into his mouth.

Riley watched with fascination as he ate, her libido kicking up a notch from the simple action. The way his lips closed down, tugging the pasta from the utensil sent a shiver of longing through her as she imagined him performing the same feat on various spots on her body. Her stomach rolled in a slow, delightful somersault as places farther south clenched in needy reaction.

"And what treat would tempt you into begging?" The words blurted out before she could bite them back. It seemed a blow torch fixated on her face at the blatant, risqué question.

His eyebrow shot up before a slow smile eased onto his face. Those chocolate brown eyes twinkled over the glass of soda he presently drank from. "What treat are you offering?"

"Oh boy. It's hot in here." Fanning herself, she wondered if her air conditioner lagged behind on cooling duties.

Spoon chuckled, the deep, humorous sound music to her ears. "You'd make a tasty morsel that I would do just about anything to sample."

Her eyes widened. "Sample? Does this have to do with naked bodies and a jar of strawberry topping?"

He grinned wickedly and leaned forward. "I prefer chocolate sauce, dribbled all over, giving a road map for my tongue to follow."

The words and his expression sent her heart to pounding, her belly into another delightful flip, and parts below to begin to dampen. She never realized how sensual teasing would leave her mouth suddenly dry and the voice in her head screaming for her to strip him down and climb aboard. Who needed a bed? Didn't he mention a kitchen table in reference to the sex scenes in her previous book?

She started to check the sturdiness of the small dining table before catching herself. Sex on a rickety, tiny kitchen table with a two hundred pound dog watching wasn't going to happen. No way. Riley could just see Achilles hearing strange sounds and coming to investigate. Who knew where that inquisitive nose would end up. Nope. The bedroom would just have to suffice.

Startled at her own outrageous thoughts, she blinked.
Good grief. When did I turn into such a horny, lustful woman?
The day Spoon knocked her socks off with a kiss.

"I'm going to have to check that air conditioner. Either it's having issues or I'm suffering from hot flashes."

His lips twitched.

Cornered by her own teasing comments, she quickly formulated a retreat. She finished her glass of soda, and carried her dirty dishes to the kitchen countertop. Opening the dishwasher, she began loading, only to find the appliance already full from earlier. She had forgotten to turn it on. One glance at Achilles and she made a hasty decision. She wouldn't put it past the animal to try to climb into her sink to lick the leftovers from the plates.

"I guess I'll wash these by hand." Placing the detergent in the dishwasher, she hit the start button, then turned on the hot water in the sink. Adding some liquid soap, she submerged her dishes into the bubbly water.

Spoon followed with his plate and glass, handing them over, and returning to the table for more. Dropping off the second load, he returned the remaining food to the fridge.

Pulling out two kitchen towels from a drawer, she spread the first on the countertop. Spoon snagged the other from her hand. "You wash and I'll dry."

Riley shot him a grin. "I'll let you."

They quickly found a rhythm, Riley washing then sliding the dish to the opposite side of the sink and into the rinse water. Spoon then took it from the hot water, dried it and set it aside on a clean towel.

"You've done this before." She said, scrubbing the skillet and noticing the way his large hands methodically shined a plate.

"A few times." He shot her a mischievous look then flicked water at her face.

"Hey, now. Abuse the washer and you'll have to assume the job." She glanced over at him with a grin. She finished the pan, dropped it in the clean water, then waited. When Spoon picked it up and started wiping, she used her fingers to wipe foamy soap suds across his nose.

"Sneaky."

"Yep."

He dipped one hand in the rinse water. Without bothering to shake some of the droplets off, he molded it to her rear for a long moment. Giving a little pat, he released her with a challenging grin.

She craned her neck to see the telltale mark left behind.
Two can play at this game.
With a flick of her wrist, she splashed him, sending a fair amount of soap suds and water flying onto his shirt, pants, and face.

Sticking both hands in the water, he removed them to wrap his arms around her, cupping her bottom, and giving the area a quick squeeze.

Not to be outdone, she followed suit, planting her sopping palms on his chest. Short nails dug into thick pectoral muscles. Meeting his gaze, she blew out a breath upon seeing the sultry expression and sparkling eyes. Without a second thought, she stood on tiptoe and covered his mouth with her own.

Chapter 20

Surprised at Riley's impulsive act of affection, Spoon quickly caught up, joining in with the gusto and hunger of a man starved for weeks. He flicked his tongue over her bottom lip, then nibbled, asking for entrance. When she complied, he pushed his tongue inside, reacquainting himself with her taste and encouraging her to join in an age-old game of tag. Using the leverage of his hands on her rear, he tugged her flush, allowing her to feel his rapidly inflating response.

Her hands wound around his neck, breasts pressed into his chest, as she arched against his body. Dropping one hand, she trailed her fingers down his neck, past his pecs, across the plane of his abdomen to land at the hem of his shirt. Burrowing underneath, she retraced her steps, this time on bare skin.

The light caress of her questing fingers fired a bolt of desire through him. Deepening the kiss, he savored every drop of her passionate response and asked for more. Feather-light touches stirred his groin while jolting him into heavy need. A moan escaped when she located his nipple, first rubbing then pinching with infinite gentleness.

He pulled away just enough to catch his breath and pepper kisses along her neck. Locating her dainty earlobe, he nipped then laved the area.