As she passed him, he reached out, grabbed her elbow, and pulled her to a halt. “Nice run with Infidelity today, Maddie.” He winced inwardly. What a stupid thing to say after the look she just gave him. Yet, there it was, all business, nothing that opened the door to invitation of a more personal nature. It was all he could think to say.
He wasn’t even certain what prompted him to stop her—other than the sudden need to touch. His impulse was rewarded, though. Beneath his fingers, her skin burned into his. When her mouth fell open in startled surprise, he couldn’t tear his eyes off it. Soft, full, moist. Would she taste like today’s mint juleps? Or would she be sweet, sugary?
He needed to know.
Her shock vanished, replaced by a polite smile. “Thank you, Riley. Congratulations to you too.”
She gave a little tug on her arm, but Riley held fast. Her skin was far too soft to let her go just yet. He brushed his thumb over the inside of her upper arm. What he hadn’t intended to do—and didn’t realize he had until it was too late—was draw her closer to him by refusing to turn her loose. Almost nose-to-nose with her now, just a few inches away from her face, the soft fall of her breath brushed across his cheek. Mint. Definitely mint. He checked a groan as he felt the tightness pull at his pants again.
“You’re coming over to my place tonight, aren’t you? Pearl loves to see you, Maddie.” Harvey dropped the casual air he assumed with men and reverted to a polite, respectful tone, much more representative of his generation.
At Maddie’s light laugh, Riley’s heart stumbled. Husky, yet whimsical. He’d never heard that quality in her voice before, and it did all kinds of new things to his system. Things like flip his gut upside down and strain his cock further. Almost uncomfortably hard, he fought the urge to shift his weight to make room in his pants. Thank God, they were loose, or he’d embarrass himself by not being able to hide his erection.
“I’ll be there, Harvey. Tell Pearl I won’t forget her.”
She glanced down at Riley’s hand before lifting her brows in silent question. He jerked his hand back, mindful of the intimacy of their closeness, and shoved it into his deep pocket. But when she tipped her head ever so slightly to the side and lowered her lashes a fraction, looking at him with those expressive green eyes, his mouth went dry.
“You’ll be there, won’t you, Riley?”
He recovered enough to summon a quick smile. Not trusting his voice, he said only, “Of course.”
“Good, good,” Harvey exclaimed. “Don’t either of you be forgettin’ Pearl’s made it a formal affair. Neither one of you attended last year, and Pearl got tired of seein’ jeans and cotton shirts. Said she saw enough of them out in the barns.”
Maddie flashed him a bright smile and quipped, “I picked out a special dress just for the occasion.”
Moving closer to the exit, she paused mid-step and looked over her shoulder. Her eyes locked on Riley’s once again, and there was no doubt about it—they held candid invitation. “Do save me a chair, Riley.”
The corner of his mouth pulled up in a grin as he nodded. He’d save her a chair. In Harvey’s secluded garden, right near the fountain. Where no one could witness the way he intended to kiss her.
With a wag of her slender fingers, she stepped outside, leaving him to gulp in the lingering faintness of her floral perfume and stare at the mesmerizing sway of her hips.
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