I hated to see her go, but I really did love to watch her leave.
* * *
I squinted, my drink slowly coming into focus. Riley hadn’t stopped pouring me drinks, and I hadn’t stopped drinking them. I’d been here for hours, much longer than my usual two beer routine. It wasn’t just the view of her pretty face, her sexy body or the sound of her throaty laugh that kept me there.
It wasn’t even the banter.
It was the unrelenting feeling that if I left, something might happen to her. She might get harassed. Or hit on. Or some other guy might come along and sweet talk her into a kiss after closing.
After only a few hours, I objected strongly to that idea.
After only a few hours, I was feeling something more than a simple, rip-roaring attraction.
I was feeling possessive.
So I sat there, letting her pick fights with me. We’d already covered politics, global warming, women’s rights, and foreign policy. Now we were arguing about how to stop terrorism.
Riley-Ann (that was her full damn name and it was way too cute for such a fierce and saucy woman) thought that empowering women would solve it. Her theory was that helping women start small businesses would help children thrive. And thriving children did not grow up to be terrorists.
I argued that clean water and basic things like electricity were vital in emerging countries, but they shouldn’t be given to countries that harbored terrorists.
She argued that something as simple as a single light bulb meant that women and children could read or work at night, and might provide some security from attacks.
This had been going on for hours. I was more than a little soused, though I still had my wits about me. Riley-Ann had started drinking as closing time approached, at my insistence. I paid for her drinks naturally. The place was still busy, but I was happy to note that she spent every moment she wasn’t working leaning over the bar across from me.
She didn’t know it, but when she did that, I could see the creamy swell of her oh-so-squeezable looking cleavage. Now, I realized that she wasn’t a sex doll, even if she did look like one. She was a saucy minx who was already throwing a monkey wrench in my well-oiled machine. If I took her home to bed with me, I had no doubt she would derail my whole damn life.
Funny thing was, I didn’t much care.
For the first time in my life, I wanted high maintenance. Oh, she wasn’t fussy or prissy. She was challenging. I had a feeling the woman would argue about anything, including what I made her for breakfast, or how many positions we should do.
And I wanted to do all the positions with her. I’d been painfully hard for hours with no signs of whiskey dick. I had no doubt I’d be able to keep it up all night if the opportunity arose.
I was confident it would. I was more than hopeful. The young lady was very much aware of who I was, and clearly had a crush on me. I was sure I’d be between her sweet thighs in no time.
“Last call!”
I nursed my beer, watching her close up. Men were leaving reluctantly. I knew how they felt. I felt like a damn coyote, marking my territory. I was not budging.
Finally, she looked at me, taking the money I’d left.
“One for the road?”
“Only if you join me.”
She nodded and poured us each a whiskey. We took a sip and I smiled at her, imagining her naked and writhing beneath me.
“I’m not going to bed with you.”
I choked on my drink. I hadn’t been expecting that. Plus, the woman was putty in my hands.
“Why the hell not?”
“We just met, Caleb. Anyway, I have other priorities. Catching a man isn’t high on my list.”
“Who said anything about catching?”
She raised an eyebrow, cool as a cucumber.
“The truth is, I don’t have time for entanglements.”
“What if we keep it simple?” I toasted her. “Whiskey, conversation and sex.”
I grinned, looking at her gorgeous body.
“Lots and lots of sex.”
She blushed so red I could have sworn the girl was a virgin. Then I shook my head. A girl who looked like that wouldn’t make it past tenth grade a virgin. And she was past the age of consent.
“No, Caleb.” She cleared our drinks, giving me a shy look. “But thank you for the offer.”
I stood and walked to the door, waiting for her.
“Let me walk you to your car at least.”
She nodded and grabbed her purse, sliding the strap over her shoulder.
“Are you sure you should drive, Caleb?”
“I definitely should not be driving. I’m not far though. Are you sure you should drive?”
She sighed.
“I only had one drink.”
“I saw you drinking.”
There was that blush again.
“Soda.”
“But I was buying you drinks all night.”
“I thought those were just tips. Didn’t you want to tip me, Caleb?”
“You sneaky wench. You know I do.”
She laughed as I walked her to her car. I still could not believe she’d cut me off at the pass like that. She wanted me, I could tell. But I wasn’t going to force the issue.
I planned on stealing a kiss though. That was the only way to be sure. I needed to know if the chemistry I was feeling was real.
But she was too fast.
She climbed into her car and rolled down the window before I could do a damn thing. I leaned down, ready to kiss her, even if I had to do it through the open window of her crappy old car.
I was thinking about that too. I thought it was time she got a new set of wheels. I didn’t want to be worrying nonstop about her driving around in that rust bucket.
I was practically climbing into the car as she turned the ignition. I was staring at her neck as the engine refused to turn over. I almost laughed. Lady Luck was smiling on me tonight. I would get my kiss after all and maybe a lot more than that.
She looked at me with those big doe eyes reflected in the moonlight.
“My car won’t start.”
I smiled at her, trying not to look like the big bad wolf.
“Don’t you worry about a thing, Riley-Ann. I’ll walk you home.”
3
Riley-Ann
Bad timing.
It was always that.
Here I was, on my first day on this job as a bartender slash waitress. Instead of enjoying a simple, low-key break from my life, it was anything but. Why? Because the man I considered an entrepreneurial titan, a giant in his sphere of business, was sitting at my bar in the middle of nowhere, and he wanted me.
Craved me.
Lusted after every visible square inch of me.
I could tell every time his eyes grazed up and down my body, betraying his desire. Not that he was hiding it. He sure wasn’t, considering that less than subtle proposition of his near the end of my shift.
Whiskey, conversation, and sex. A whole lot of sex.
Really?
His invitation was so tacky, and so forward, yet coming from him, I was almost flattered. I let it slide because, well, it could’ve been the alcohol talking. Maybe this was how older men like him got to be so successful at what they did, by claiming what they wanted in no uncertain terms. By being blatantly honest, brutally clear, and abrasively frank.
Maybe this was something I needed to learn.
The strange part was, I didn’t know how, but at some point during the evening, I went from mildly entertained by his interest, to more than a little curious, to finding him unbelievably irresistible. It wasn’t the whiskey. I’d served him alcohol, but chose to sip on soda so I’d have my wits about me. I guess it had to have been the conversation. Or all the time we’d spent letting our eyes wander all over each other. At first, I’d wanted to run, but by the time he had ducked his head into my open driver side window, something had changed. My curiosity had gotten the better of me.
; My curiosity, and his strong jawline.
And those eyes of his, showing how much he wanted me.
From the way my skin was tingling when his hand rested at the small of my back while we were walking to my car, to the heat flooding my core, and the throbbing between my legs, it was pretty clear my body was up for whatever he was offering. Which was strange. I hadn’t found anyone remotely attractive before now. Not during high school, not at college, not while I had worked at the law firm, and nowhere in between. I had talked a good game, letting on to all my friends around me that I’d slept with so many guys, when the truth was I was still a virgin. My V-card was still intact. Even my best friend didn’t know.
When my car decided not to start, I began to believe that meeting Caleb was one of those cosmic coincidences.
A tall, dark, sexy older man with all his worldly experience, brimming over with confidence and success, he wanted me, and my body was finally ready to stand still and let him have me. No fighting, no running.
So when he told me he’d walk me home, a switch flipped on inside my head, and I answered, “I’m actually staying at one of the farms outside of town. It’s too far to walk, but how about I drive your car... to your place?”
I almost didn’t believe the words as I said them, but his eyes sure lit up with intrigue and excitement when he heard them.
“That’s the best idea you’ve had all night, Miss Riley-Ann,” he said.
“Just don’t get any ideas,” I added.
I had no idea why, but I quickly backtracked as I took my keys out of the ignition and grabbed my purse. After all, it was one thing to want to do something, and another thing to go through with letting him have me when the time came. God knew I’d gotten close to giving it up a few times before, but caved at first or second base. Yet, all those times, it was with guys who were easy to walk away from, guys I felt nothing for. This time was different. Caleb was not like those men. With him, I felt something, and I couldn’t shake it. But that was exactly why this wasn’t a good idea, letting him think it was a done deal. I couldn’t risk setting the wrong expectations with this man.
So, backtrack I did. “All I’m suggesting is that we use your car. I’ll drive you home, then, if you don’t mind, I’ll borrow your wheels for the night and bring it back to you sometime tomorrow. Are you okay with that?”
“I’m game, sweet thing. It beats spending all your tips on a cab when you’ll probably need it for a tow truck and mechanic,” he mused. “Sure, you can drive me home and hold on to my car. Perhaps I can convince you to come in for a night cap? And maybe to tuck me into bed while you’re at it? You know, to be sure I make it there safely.”
“Let’s not push it.”
As I stepped out of my car and pushed the door closed behind me, Caleb got closer. His big, broad, imposing frame seemed to block me from all sides, moving into my personal space, causing my cheeks to heat up and my heart to race. I breathed out a slight laugh, unsure of what he’d do next.
Stopping just inches from me, he reached his hands out on each side of me and pressed his palms on my car, bracketing me in. I held my breath, crossing my arms over my chest protectively. No words would come to my lips as he just looked at me. My eyes caught the shadows playing across his jawline and his playful smirk.
“I’m going to enjoy tasting you,” he whispered in a raspy, throaty growl.
“Excuse me?” I uncrossed my arms and placed my palms on his chest, hoping to keep the last bit of distance between us. But holding him off by touching him wasn’t a smart move on my part. Not at all. The thin fabric of his shirt did nothing to buffer all the hard, sinewy muscles that bunched beneath it without him even trying. All it did was conjure an image of his big, muscular body, bare and perfect in front of me.
“You heard me, Miss Riley-Ann,” he teased, a wicked glint in his eyes.
“I’ll drop you off, but that’s all,” I told him, panting a little. “And if you insist on behaving like an arrogant, horny, obnoxious jerk, I might be better off calling us both a cab.” It upset me that I could hear the emptiness behind my threat. I needed this cash to fix my car.
With his gaze on me like a predator, he smirked slightly then ran the back of his hand along my cheek. “I can tell you’re a little afraid of me, afraid of what I’d do to you, of how I’ll make you come undone if you let me get too close.”
It took some doing, but I fought the urge to grip the sides of his shirt and pull him to me. Instead, I met his eyes. “I’m not afraid of you.”
“Yes. You are... a little.”
“Well, I’m not sleeping with you,” I said, blinking up at him.
He cupped my chin and tilted my face up toward his, our lips just inches apart. “But you will. It’s all over your face. And you know what? I’m exactly what you need.”
“I’m...” I started, but couldn’t find the words to object, or the strength to pull away as his mouth brushed against mine for a brief instant.
Then he pulled away, and left me feeling something unexpected.
A state of longing.
He must’ve known then that he had me where he wanted me. Was he as wasted as he let on? Was he even drunk at all? He sure seemed to know what he was doing to me. While I stood there, my heart pounding, my skin hot, and my body flaming with need, he dug one hand into his pants pocket and retrieved a sleek keyless fob-like remote on a keychain.
“My wheels are over there,” he whispered.
Turning around, he moved off. I followed him as he strode past the front entrance to the parking area at the side of the building. It was no surprise that the only vehicle that remained in a parking spot was a late model, expensive-looking black Ford Super Duty F-450 Platinum truck with chrome trim everywhere. I doubted that anyone else in such a small farming town could afford a ride like this, and I was sure this was just one of many vehicles he owned.
“Nice ride,” I told him.
“Just wait until you’re in my bed with your legs straddling me. That’ll be one hell of a nice ride.”
4
Caleb
I slid my eyes to the side, admiring the bartender’s long legs. Long legs that would look really good wrapped around me. I’d told her so just a couple of minutes ago.
Unfortunately, she did not look amused.
Riley was a sexy name for a very sexy girl. She was smart too, I mused to myself. Too smart to fall into bed with me.
It was a damn shame she was the first woman to stir my interest in ages.
Hell, she had me hotter than rocket fuel with no place to blast off.
Maybe I had come on a little too strong… I cleared my throat, deciding on a different tactic.
“Are you hungry? I’m a hell of a cook.”
She gave me a quick sidelong glance, and then shifted her eyes back to the road. Even in the dark between streetlights, I could see the skepticism all over her pretty face.
Pretty, hell, the woman was gorgeous.
“I told you, I’m not sleeping with you.”
I held up my hands.
“I heard you. I promise to be the perfect gentleman.” I grinned at her stunning profile. “Unless you change your mind, of course.”
“Hmmm. Maybe. What are you cooking?”
“How about a whiskey and a steak.”
“You got the good stuff?”
“What do you think?”
She chewed her lip. The girl looked a little bit on the thin side. I decided to make it my personal mission to make sure she never went hungry again.
That thought brought me up short. Never again? What the hell was I thinking about, marrying the wench?
She would look damn good in my kitchen though. Even better in my bed, I could see her in my mind’s eye, wearing one of my shirts as she slid out of bed and walked barefoot into my kitchen. She’d make coffee while I made us pancakes. Afterwards, I would lay her back on the island and pour the syrup all over her.
Then I’d lick her clean, starting betwee
n her gorgeous thighs and—
“Which way?”
I snapped out of the fantasy with a wince. Riley was staring at me like I was insane. If she knew I’d been fantasizing about domestic bliss, she would have laughed in my face.
“Left. Then a right.”
She whistled as we came up to the driveway that led to my house. There was a large gateway, which I opened with a click of the remote.
“Where do you keep that?”
“The remote?”
“Yeah, I need that. For later.”
Oh, so she was coming in. I tried to hide my smirk. She’d already called me arrogant. But I was going to do my damnedest to make my early morning fantasy come true.
“Right here, in the glove box.”
“Okay.”
She pulled up the driveway and parked in front of my house. I got out and opened the door for her. She gave me an odd look, but accepted my hand. I didn’t let go as I led her up the wide front steps and opened the front door. I keyed my security code into the pad and turned some lights on.
I locked the door behind us and turned to smile at her.
She was in. That was the hardest part. Now all I had to do was get her to admit how bad she wanted me.
Slow and steady, Caleb. Get some food and top shelf booze into her first…
I led her into the kitchen and her eyes widened in appreciation. My kitchen was state of the art but traditional, with high end appliances and sage green cabinets. It was a chef’s kitchen, designed with help from my good friend Gordon. I had things other than food on my mind tonight, however.
Riley perched on one of the barstools, looking around with curiosity. I decided not to tell her that the white quartz island was the perfect place to get her pussy eaten. I grabbed two glasses and a bottle of whiskey from the butler’s pantry.
“Try this. I’ll get those steaks going.”
She took a sip and gave a little sigh. It was the good stuff. I was definitely scoring points with her.
“This place is incredible.”
Winning the Virgin: A Western Billionaire Cowboy Romance Page 2
