“Thanks,” she said dryly. “Do you want one of us to give you lift? You don’t look to great.”
Kelsey waved her hand in the air, dismissing her. “Nah, I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure? I’d feel better if you let us take you.”
“Stop fussing.” She turned on her heel and walked away.
Riley watched as Kelsey slowly made her way back to her car. After she had pulled away, she looked at Jennifer, who was studying her intently. She wondered if Jennifer was trying to calm the urge to have a go at her again. “Before you start, I swear I didn’t know she was coming.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I just don’t want anything to happen to her.”
“Me neither. So, how have you been?”
“Distracted.”
Riley approached her and took her hand, glad Jennifer didn’t pull away. Perhaps there’s hope for us yet. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. It’s been hard not to touch you when you’ve been at the house, which is less than I would have expected you to have been.”
“It’s hard to be around you for the same reason, so I kept my distance as much as I could.”
“Kelsey misses you. I guess that’s why she came here today.”
“She knows about us.”
“I figured she did. So now she does, perhaps you can go back to coming over all the time? To see Kelsey of course.”
Riley grinned. “Of course.” An idea formed and she prayed Jennifer would agree. It would be a true test if she was willing to see if they had anything between them. “What are you doing Thursday night?”
Jennifer furrowed her brow. “Studying probably. Why?”
“I want to take you out, on a date.”
A huge smile blossomed on Jennifer’s face. “That would be lovely, as long as Kelsey agrees to behave and not abscond again.”
“I’ll make her promise.”
“Okay. Thursday it is. I’ll see you before then, though, right?”
“Definitely.”
“I better go before the urge to stay gets worse.”
“Okay.” Riley watched her leave, her gaze glued to the sway of Jennifer’s hips. She was heading for trouble. Her crush had turned into full-blown lust and she hoped Jennifer was feeling it too. It would be just her luck to fall in love for the first time only for it not to be reciprocated. Jennifer had always been out of reach, a silly daydream. The possibility of actually being with her rattled Riley, but in a good way.
†
“Wow. You look nice,” Kelsey said as Jennifer walked through her bedroom doorway. She was propped up in her bed, gossip magazines spread over her lap.
“Thanks. It’s not too much, is it?” Jennifer looked down at herself. It had taken her two hours to decide what to wear on her date with Riley. She finally settled on a lime green summer dress that stopped mid-thigh. She hoped the colour would remind Riley of the bikini she wore the day Riley noticed her for the first time.
“You look hot. Riley will blow her cool the second she sees you.”
Jennifer ran her fingers through her hair, making the soft waves bounce around her shoulders. “God, I’m so nervous. It’s been ages since I went on a date.”
“And your first with a woman.”
“Yes. And with Riley no less. Nothing like starting simple.”
Kelsey threw off her covers and slowly rose to her feet and crossed to Jennifer. Taking her hands in her own, she said, “You’ll be fine. You know her. You’ll go out, have a nice time, and hopefully not murder each other.”
“Are you okay with this?” She needed to make sure that dating her sister’s best friend would be okay. She didn’t want to make Kelsey feel like she was stealing Riley. Not that anyone could separate the two of them. Their friendship was the strongest one Jennifer had ever seen. It had made her jealous all these years, but all the responsibilities she’d had, had kept her from making many friends.
“What? You going out with Riley? I’m completely fine with it. I’ve been trying to get you two together for years.”
Kelsey sat on the edge of the bed, looking exhausted from standing. Jennifer thought about cancelling tonight. She wouldn’t be able to forgive herself if something happened to Kelsey. Then she shook her head. Kelsey would be fine. She had a phone and would call if there was a problem. Jennifer sat next to her, careful not to wrinkle her dress.
“How did you even know I liked her?”
Kelsey looked at her as if she were dumb. “It wasn’t hard to figure out. You spent so much time going off at her, it made sense you were deflecting your true feelings.”
“I can’t believe it took me so long to figure it out. And you’re sure you don’t mind, your sister and best friend?”
Kelsey took her hand again. “I just want you two to be happy.” Her smile was sad, and Jennifer wondered if Kelsey wasn’t telling her something. “And if that’s you two together, then I’m all for it.”
“Are you sure you’ll be okay tonight?”
“I’ll be fine. I’m going to order a pizza and binge-watch Netflix all night.”
“No more running around the neighbourhood?”
“No, I promise.”
Jennifer stood, smoothing her hands over her dress, making sure it settled right and wasn’t tucked into her underwear, because that had happened once before and was highly embarrassing. “You make sure you call if you need anything.”
The doorbell dinged, and her pulse rocketed. Her palms began to sweat as the realisation that she was going on a date with Riley finally hit her, hard. “She’s here.” She had never been this anxious about a date before. She didn’t think she could go through with it. “Oh, God.”
“Calm down,” Kelsey said, trying her best not to laugh but failing. “Just enjoy yourself.”
With a nod, Jennifer said, “I’ll see you later.” She casually walked down the stairs, resisting the urge to rush. She might have a whirlwind of butterflies in her stomach, but Riley didn’t need to know that. She opened the door and all her breath left her in a long whoosh of arousal. Riley stood there, all brooding and sexy. She wore dark jeans, which looked new, and a crisp white shirt under a grey waistcoat. Her hair was gelled back off her face.
“Hey,” Jennifer murmured, her voice coming out gravely.
Riley stared at her, mouth hanging open, making Jennifer feel all kinds of self-conscious.
“Are you okay?”
Riley cleared her throat. “You, um, look amazing.”
“Thank you.” Jennifer smiled, her gaze travelling over Riley’s body. “You look very handsome yourself.”
“These are for you.” Riley held out a pouch full of bonbons, a red ribbon cinching the cellophane.
“My favourite.” She took the pouch and clutched it to her heart. “That’s so sweet.”
“Are you ready to go?”
“Yes.” She looked behind her to see Kelsey sitting on the top step of the staircase, watching them, looking very pleased with herself. “Bye, Kelsey.”
“Bye, you two. Have her back by midnight.”
“Goodnight, Kelsey,” Riley said.
They walked down the path to an Audi R8 Jennifer had never seen before. She wondered if Riley had rented it for the evening.
“Sorry, she’s rather enjoying this,” Jennifer said.
Riley opened the door for her. “I am too.” She gestured to the car with her chin. “I didn’t want to pick you up in my dirty truck. A customer owed me a favour and let me borrow it.” She went around to the driver’s side and slid into her seat. The engine roared to life and they were on their way.
Chapter Eighteen
“So how have you been?” Riley asked a few minutes later as she drove them through the darkened streets.
“Busy. I’m working from home now, and between studying and looking after Kelsey, I haven’t had much time to myself.”
“Well, tonight is all about you. Let’s make the most of it.”
“So where are we going?”
“It sounds perfect.” Jennifer wouldn’t have minded going there for “that”. She couldn’t get the images of them together in bed out of her mind. If she got turned on just lying in Riley’s arms, God only knew how she would cope if, no, when they had sex. Putting the fantasy from her mind as best she could, she teased, “But can you cook?”
“You like cereal? I’m kidding. Yes, I can cook. And you know that from when I cooked for you after your appendix burst.”
“I was high on pain meds. You could have fed me cardboard and I would have enjoyed it.”
Before too long they pulled up outside Riley’s quaint house. Riley got out quickly and rushed to open the passenger-side door before Jennifer even had a chance to blink. She gallantly held out her hand for Jennifer to take, then led her up the walk to the front door.
As she stepped inside the lounge, Jennifer’s eyes went wide. “Oh my,” she said as she took in the room with a sweeping glance. Riley had strung up fairy lights of different colors around the walls, and soft classical music came from the stereo. The sofa had been pushed back against a wall and in its place a small table was set for two. Mismatched china and plastic wine glasses sat atop a deep red table cloth.
“This looks amazing.” She turned to look at Riley, whose hands were in her pockets, pink tinging her cheeks. “You did all this for me?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you.”
“I don’t entertain much, so I don’t have anything fancy to drink out of,” she said as she gestured to the plastic cups.
“It’s perfect.”
Riley pulled out a chair and bowed. “Please, take a seat, ma’am. Can I get you a glass of wine?”
“That would be lovely.”
She disappeared into the kitchen and came back with a bottle of red and a bottle of Stella.
“You’re not having wine?” Jennifer asked.
“Just a beer,” she said as she poured the ruby liquid into the plastic cup. “I have to take you home later.”
“That’s very responsible of you,” she said before taking a sip.
“I don’t know where you get this idea from that I’m reckless.” Riley sat across from her, sipping her own beer, worrying the label with her thumb. “Yes, I do like to go to the clubs, but I never drink and drive. I’ve had to recover too many smashed-up vehicles to do that.”
“I’m sorry. You’re right.” She reached across the table and placing her hand on Riley’s arm. “I do tend to think the worst of you, and I have no basis for that.”
“That’s what tonight is for: getting to know each other. Is steak and salad okay? I’ve also got chicken if you prefer.”
“Steak would be lovely. Medium rare.”
“Okay.” Riley stood from the table and headed back into the kitchen. After a few moments of listening to her bang pots and pans around, then the sound of the steaks sizzling, Jennifer went to join her, feeling self-conscious sitting in the lounge on her own. Well, that was what she told herself; she just wanted to be close to Riley.
Riley glanced up from chopping a tomato as Jennifer entered. “So how is our patient? Any more escape attempts in the last few days?”
“No, thank God. I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but she doesn’t look well.”
Riley’s forehead creased. “I thought that too when she came by the garage the other day.”
Jennifer watched her hands as they deftly chopped the rest of the salad. The thought of those same hands on her body made her mouth water. She looked away, not wanting to let her libido go into overdrive. “Do you think the balloon is working?”
Riley shrugged. “I’m sure the doctors know what they’re doing. It’s just taken a lot out of her. It’s hard enough being pregnant, but with her pre-eclampsia as well…. It’s going to be a tough seven weeks until the baby is born.” She smiled. “She’ll be fine, don’t worry.”
“It’s hard not to worry. I’ve already lost my parents; I don’t want to lose her too.” The thought terrified her.
Riley captured her gaze. “Same here.” And yes, Riley did understand. Her mother had left and now her dad had passed. If anyone knew what Jennifer would be feeling it was Riley.
“Have you heard any more from your mother?” Jennifer asked.
“She’s left some voicemails on my mobile,” Riley said as she flipped the steaks over. “Not sure how she got my number, but I haven’t called her back. I don’t think I’m ready. And besides, I doubt I’ll believe what she says anyway.”
“You might change your mind, just give it time. You’ve believed in what your dad was saying for so long, it’s hard to rethink what he told you.”
“I don’t care what her excuse is, she shouldn’t have left me.” She lifted the pan from the heat. “At the very least she should have tried to see me.” Riley placed the steaks on a spare plate and carried that and the bowl of salad back into the lounge. They took their seats again.
“Here you go,” Riley said after she plated up the food at the table, passing one to Jennifer, loaded with salad and a juicy steak.
“This looks lovely. Thank you.”
They ate in silence for a few minutes, then Riley asked, “More wine?” as she picked up the bottle.
“Trying to get me drunk?”
She topped off the glass. “No. If anything happens between us, I want you to be fully aware and fully involved. No point doing it if you’re not gonna remember it.”
“Oh, I’m sure I’d remember it.”
Riley’s gaze was intense as she looked at Jennifer over the flickering candle, and heat rose to Jennifer’s cheeks. “Do you think about it?” she asked quietly.
“Every day since I brought my car to you.”
“Yeah, me too. I’m glad you decided to give me a chance.”
“Me too.”
They finished eating and Jennifer sat back in her chair, stuffed. “That was lovely, thank you.”
“I’ve got homemade cheesecake for dessert.”
“Sounds heavenly. Maybe later?”
“Okay. Do you want to sit on the sofa?”
“Sure. Let me help you clear the table.”
“No, it’s fine. Go sit down.”
Jennifer watched from the couch as Riley cleared the table, her thoughts running a mile a minute. She tried to imagine what would happen if Riley led her to the bedroom. Would she be able to go with her? Would she be ready to sleep with a woman for the first time? Watching Riley easily fold down the table and push it into the hall, her muscles flexing under her tight white shirt, Jennifer knew she would. Riley, now finished with her clearing up, joined her on the sofa. “So….”
“So…,” Jennifer repeated. “You seem really nervous.”
Riley’s leg bounced rapidly, and she was tapping her knee with her fingers. Looking everywhere but at Jennifer. Jennifer had never seen her so anxious before, and she was pleased she wasn’t the only one worried about tonight.
“I am. I’ve wanted to kiss you since you opened the door earlier,” she confessed.
“I wouldn’t have minded.”
Their gazes finally locked.
“Can I kiss you now?”
Jennifer wetted her lips. “Yes.”
Slowly, Riley’s face came toward her own, her pupils growing to block out all the colour of her irises. She lunged forward, banging their foreheads together.
“Ow.”
“Sorry.”
Riley moved closer again. This time she somehow managed to headbutt Jennifer’s nose.
“Ow,” Jennifer said again.
Riley threw her hands in the air, slumping back into the sofa. “I can’t believe I’m making a mess of …
oomph.”
Jennifer lunged forward, taking Riley in a hot and passionate kiss. She didn’t know what had come over her, but seeing Riley sitting there, all dejected, she’d just reacted. And, boy, was she glad she had. Riley tasted amazing. She couldn’t get enough.
Without knowing how she’d managed it, Jennifer now sat astride Riley’s lap, Riley’s hands holding her waist, Jennifer’s hands messing up Riley’s hair as their kiss grew more urgent.
“Geez, Jenny. You’re driving me crazy,” she said in between kisses.
“Good crazy?”
“Oh yeah.”
Jennifer went back for more, not caring that her thighs were now bare as her dress had ridden up, and Riley’s hands had moved to cup her breasts. She moaned, undulating against Riley’s crotch.
A loud knocking on the door pulled them apart, both breathing hard.
“Who the hell is that? Sorry.” Riley moved out from under her, straightened up, and patting her hair back down.
“It’s okay. I need to catch my breath anyway. Phew.”
“You look so sexy.”
Jennifer’s dress was still up around her waist and she imagined she looked disheveled, not sexy. She couldn’t help but blush at the way Riley licked her lips.
“And there’s that blush I love. You’re so cute.”
“I’m thirty-two, too old to be cute.”
“Never.” She went to the door and Jennifer heard her say, “Yes? Can I help you?”
“Riley Blake?” It was a man’s voice. Jennifer stood, righted her dress, and peered around the corner.
“Yes. What do you want? I’m kinda busy.”
Oh, yeah, we were busy all right.
“My name is Richard Sanders. I’m your father.”
There was no mistaking that the tall, handsome man stood at the door was Riley’s father. They had the same eyes and the same-shaped face, except his was masculine while Riley’s was softer.
Riley hadn’t replied, so Jennifer stepped around the corner, holding out her hand. “Hello. My name is Jennifer Wilson, a friend of Riley’s.”
“Nice to meet you,” he said as he shook her hand.
Riley found her voice, asking, “What are you doing here?”
Unknown Forces Page 10
