Emma May cleared her throat, reminding him of her presence. When he glanced up in surprise, he saw the change come over her. He recognized the exact moment she realized he’d completely forgotten she was there. Her eyebrows rose, as if she expected him to apologize. It wasn’t going to happen. As the silence dragged on, a calculating light entered her eyes.
“I wonder…” Warning bells sounded inside his head at her tone. “She does remind me of another wild girl who once lived round these parts.”
His temper snapped. “Don’t.” Even Tristan was shocked by the sharp edge to his voice. Rage seethed under his skin. Curling his fingers into a tight fist, Tristan tried to hide the way his hands shook from the power of it. Emma May’s eyes widened in mock innocence.
“I’m simply pointing out what everyone’s already saying.”
“I said, don’t. You’re walking a thin line here.” A hint of satisfaction showed in Emma’s smile as she pretended to straighten the napkins on the table.
“Well. Time will tell, I suppose,” she said, obviously unaffected by his warning.
Tristan pushed to his feet, incapable of listening to another spiteful word. “I’ll see you later, Emma. I just remembered I need to talk to Adam about something important.”
Without a backward glance, Tristan headed for the offices in the back of the bakery. Faith and Riley stood side by side at the edge of Adam’s desk while Serenity sat in the corner. Even with their backs turned, Tristan could hear their laughter. Some of the tension seeped from his shoulders. His family’s opinion was the important one. There were few people who he bothered being concerned over what they thought. Faith and Serenity were at the top of the list. Judging by the way Adam leaned back in his chair with his fingers linked behind his head, and openly laughing, Tristan assumed he also wasn’t immune to Riley.
With Emma’s taunt still ringing in his ears, Tristan snagged Riley’s waist, hauling her back into his embrace without a single thought. Even the shocked expression on Adam’s face, and Faith pushing the office door closed, didn’t deter him, especially once Riley sank into his chest. Keeping his arms wrapped around Riley, Tristan set his chin on her shoulder and met Adam’s gaze.
“Sorry for the interruption.”
“Don’t worry over it. I saw you were trapped in hell out there,” Adam said, nodding toward a security monitor.
“Adam wants to hire me to make Desserts First go viral in hopes of branching out,” Riley said, stopping Tristan from responding to Adam’s remark.
“Did you accept?” Tristan tried to keep the hope from sounding in his voice. A local client meant one more thing tying Riley to his side. He wanted to keep her. He wanted her to stay.
“I’m still considering it, but I wanted to hear your thoughts. Do you think I should accept?” Riley held her breath. Taking on Adam meant possibly staying on a permanent basis. Her life was sort of up in the air. When she’d first set her sights on Tennessee, she hadn’t known if she’d stay. Then she’d met Tristan and something happened. He was an ache blooming in the center of her chest. She didn’t deserve him. He most certainly wouldn’t want anything to do with her once he knew her better, but there was this hope growing inside her. When he touched her, as he was doing now, she forgot for a minute what it was like to be her. His lips touched her shoulder. The heat of his breath seeped through her shirt, warming her skin. He still hadn’t answered her question, and everyone was staring at them both the way most people did the clock at 11:59 on New Year’s Eve.
Her nerves snapped. “For fuck’s sake, Tristan. Are you praying over it?” Faith snorted. Adam and Serenity exchanged knowing glances. Riley released a loud sigh when Tristan still didn’t respond. She pinched his arm. “Thoughts please?”
A low laugh caressed her skin, hardening her nipples and making her thankful she’d worn a thick bra. Tristan was hard on girl’s system. “I’m torn,” he finally said, saving her from abusing him further. “Part of me wants to beg you to accept so there’s a better chance you’ll stay.”
“Awwww,” Faith and Serenity said simultaneously, but Tristan wasn’t finished.
“Another part of me wants you to make the decision on your own, so I’ll know you’re here because you want to be.”
Adam sat forward and shuffled some papers around on his desk. “So it’s settled then. I’ll look for your contract soon, and we can get started.”
“Yay,” Serenity cheered. “Girl’s night out to celebrate.”
A wry smile pulled at Adam’s lips. “Funny how that worked out. I give the woman a job, and the girls are the ones who get to celebrate.”
“Hush.” Even as Serenity fussed, her smile took the bite out of the word. Riley was doing her best not to fling excuses. It wasn’t personal. She simply didn’t want a girl’s night out with strangers.
“It’s Riley’s birthday,” Tristan added, throwing her under the bus.
Serenity clapped. “See. We have to go. It was meant to be.”
Any attempt on Riley’s part to reason out Serenity’s logic made Riley’s brain hurt. In the end, she gave in gracefully, accepting her fate. After all, she mused, there was a first time for everything. Twenty-eight wasn’t too late to do at least one thing gracefully.
***
At a nightclub two towns over and by eleven p.m., Riley was seriously reconsidering her position. The guy’s bikini-clad ass gyrating in her face didn’t help matters. Faith and Serenity thought it was hilarious. In truth, the guy was really hot. Riley had enjoyed watching him perform, giving lap dances to other women. She also had to admit, she did want to touch his abs, because who didn’t want to touch some sexy abs. The guy also had a great smile. None of those things mattered the moment he’d pushed her knees apart and buried his face in her crotch without her permission. After the third time of nudging his head away, the guy had finally taken the hint. The problem was he’d chosen to put his ass on her instead.
Faith came to the rescue, shoving a twenty down the front of his G-string and waving him away.
He didn’t make it far before Serenity snagged him, getting a lap dance. She laughed uproariously. The sound soothed Riley. They were having fun, nothing more. With his tip in hand, the dude disappeared.
“Relax. These guys are just trying to pay the bills. Sheesh. You’re going to make the perfect minister’s wife.”
“Wow. I just felt the breeze coming from Hell freezing over. No one has ever, ever used the term minister’s wife while referring to me. Not ever. And you did it with a straight face and everything.”
“I didn’t want to like you.” That shut Riley up. Her teeth snapped together. “I see too much of myself in you,” Faith added.
“Huh. Well. I suppose if roles were reversed, I’d hate you. After all, I’m easily the worst person I know.”
Faith and Serenity exchanges glances. “Not anymore,” they said simultaneously. “The bitterness runs deep this side of the table,” Faith explained. “Our sister was…” she paused, as if searching for the right word.
“A handful,” Serenity supplied.
Faith nodded. “I suppose that’s a good way to describe her.”
Riley found herself moving closer to Faith in hopes of catching her every word. “What happened to her?”
“She drowned. Along with our parents. I was eighteen and two weeks out of high school. Serenity was sixteen, and we were devastated.”
Riley could imagine. Her mother was a crazy zealot who made Riley’s life hell until she’d finally severed all ties, but Riley would still be hurt if she died.
“I was also bitter as hell,” Faith said, and Serenity nodded, adding her agreement.
“She was, but she took care of me and never made me feel like a burden. Not that she needed to. I did enough of that all on my own.”
Faith patted Serenity’s arm, before taking over. “Anyhow, I was so pissed off at the world. I didn’t consider how Tristan must’ve felt. Harmony made his life miserable, and they got along like oil a
nd water, but she was his wife. We were his family. Part of me blamed him,” Faith admitted. “A huge part of me,” she added with a sad smile. “They’d gotten into a fight that day, and I needed to be mad at someone. It fed my determination. Of course, he had his own guilt and mine. It was pretty ugly.”
“Then he found God,” Riley said, putting the pieces together.
Faith waved a dismissive hand. “Nah. Tristan’s always been good. I didn’t want to see it after my parents died. When I first heard about him becoming a minister, I kind of wanted to hunt him down and beat the shit out of him. After I had time to cool down…”
“Years later,” Serenity put in.
“Years later,” Faith agreed. “I realized he was the perfect person for the position. He cares. I mean, really cares about other people. He sees the good in them. That’s why I didn’t want to like you. When I first heard about you, I thought for sure Tristan had found someone who was going to bore him…”
“…and us,” Serenity added.
Faith nodded. “…and us to tears. Now that I’ve met you, I’m over it.”
“You recognize a kindred spirit, don’t you?” Riley said, attempting to lighten the mood. Faith lifted her wine glass to her lips, taking a sip before responding.
“In a way, I guess I do. You’re a bad girl, Ms. Henderson. But mostly, I like you because you’re broken. If there’s one thing Tristan won’t be able to resist, it’s a damaged bad girl. You’re going to rock his fucking world and I love it.”
Riley wanted to argue that she wasn’t broken. In the end, she couldn’t lie. She was totally fucked up.
“Don’t look so crestfallen,” Serenity said with a laugh. “We’re all a little messed up. Only the best of us embrace it.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Riley agreed, waving a waiter over. Fuck her usual no alcohol rule. She needed fortification.
Tristan watched as Riley tossed back a glass of white wine. God help him. Why was he here again? Oh yeah, Carter and Adam had forced him to come and Riley was there. That last part was a big one. Leaning over the back of her seat, he touched his mouth to her ear.
“Would you like a dance?”
Riley slammed her glass down. “For the love of fucking God. Why won’t you go—” The words died on her lips as Riley turned her head, catching sight of him. Her features shifted, going from irritated to ecstatic in an instant. His breath caught. He’d done that. Carter had been right to threaten to pull his support for the church if Tristan didn’t get in the car. Apparently, they were supposed to look like asses together. He’d never been happier to be inside a male strip club with Riley. That was one thought he’d never expected to have.
“How much?”
His brows drew together at Riley’s question. “How much for what?”
“A dance, of course,” she answered on a laugh.
“Um. I was joking. Obviously,” he added, in case she couldn’t tell.
A slow, naughty smile stretched her lips. “Nope. It’s too late. You offered. Now, you have to pay up. I want my dance.”
Yeah…there was no way in hell he was doing that. It wasn’t happening. Nope. “Twenty dollars.” He heard it, but couldn’t seem to stop the words from leaving his lips.
“Done.”
Everyone else disappeared when he was held captive in her gaze. “I’ll do it for free if you’ll let me do it in private.”
“Come on guys. I don’t want to see this.”
Faith’s squeal pulled Tristan’s attention her way before Riley had time to respond. Faith’s hands were cupping her eyes, creating a barrier between Carter and Serenity kissing. Tristan chuckled at the sight.
“Half the people here are in their underwear but that’s what you don’t want to see.”
Faith scoffed at his statement. “Those people aren’t my sister.”
“Or my dad,” Adam added, making Tristan realize he kept his face carefully turned away from the couple as well.
“That’s your dad?” The disbelief in Riley’s voice was only matched by the expression on her face as she leaned forward as if trying to get a better look at the man. With a giggle, Serenity untangled from the man’s embrace.
“Riley, this is my husband, Carter. Carter, this is Riley, Tristan’s girlfriend.”
Tristan held his breath, wondering if Riley would argue with Serenity’s description of their relationship. She didn’t. Instead, Riley reached across the table, offering her hand to Carter. “It’s nice to meet you.”
He accepted. “You as well. Your reputation precedes you.”
“Yet you still let your wife spend time with me. How odd?”
Carter’s brow furrowed as if he didn’t know what to make of her. Serenity snorted into her drink. “I think he meant what he’d heard about you from me, not what he’d heard around town.”
Riley chuckled. “Oh good. Thankfully, you haven’t known me long enough to list too many of my sins. Of course, I did drag you to a strip club, so that’s probably a mark against me.”
Carter wrapped his arms around Serenity’s waist tugging her from her chair before settling her into his lap. “Considering that you’re trying to make me believe you brought her here as opposed to the other way around. I think it’s a mark in your favor.”
Tristan silently agreed. Of course, he didn’t get to say as much, since Serenity took over. “No worries, Riley. He knows me too well, and I wouldn’t have suggested this place if I thought Carter would be upset.” Indeed the man couldn’t have looked more content in his lot. “Plus, none of these men hold a candle to my hubby.”
Carter eyed Serenity with open lust. “Damn right they don’t.”
“Please? No more,” Faith begged, making Serenity giggle. “For God’s sake, Brother Daniels is here.” Tristan nearly groaned. Faith never called him brother unless she was mocking him. He almost would’ve preferred that.
“Not for long,” Riley said, snagging everyone’s attention. “Sorry,” she added when Faith groaned. “This has been fun, but my head is pounding and Tristan has offered to drive home.”
“I rode with Carter,” he said where only she could hear him.
Riley pushed her chair away from the table. “Don’t worry. I have my car.”
“We’re right behind you,” Adam said, coming to his feet as well. “Dad, we’ll take your car, if you want to ride home with Serenity.” While the rest of the group discussed the best way for everyone to go their separate ways, Riley quickly said her goodbyes, and had them out the door in a matter of minutes. She was good. Tristan had to give her that. She gave him her keys.
“I wasn’t joking. You get to drive. I haven’t had a drop of alcohol in three years. My head is spinning.” With her confession still hanging between them, Tristan searched the parking lot with his gaze, finding her car. With it locked in his sights, he ushered Riley in its direction. The moment they stepped off the curb a black SUV laid on its horn nearly mowing them down. Tristan jerked Riley to a stop before any damage was done.
“Holy crap. I’m sorry. I forgot to look both ways, and didn’t see them coming.” Riley’s face had gone white. Wide-eyed, she watched the SUV pull from the lot.
“Don’t worry over it. I’m distracting like that.” Her tone didn’t match her words. It was as if the life had gone out of her.
“That you are,” he agreed, trying not to read too much into it. After all, he had almost gotten her killed. His heart was still racing. Silence filled the air on the way home. Tristan found himself searching for a way to break it as he pulled into her driveway. “The edge of my land falls just on the other side of Hunter’s. I can cut through the field and walk home, so you won’t have to worry over me. As long as you’re home and safe, that’s all that matters.” Instead of responding, Riley reached over and took his hand. He immediately brought it to his lips.
“Do you believe in karma?”
Even though he hadn’t expected the question, Tristan thought it over before answering. “I guess
to some degree, I do. Why?” He felt more than saw her shrug.
Her answer came out sounding quiet, almost in a whisper. “Because I’ve done a lot of bad things in my life. I’ve just realized that I know exactly what the universe intends to rip away from me to even the score. It’s going to hurt.”
“I can’t imagine you doing anything truly harmful.” He found himself holding his breath. There were a thousand details he didn’t know about Riley, but he wanted to, and he’d given her an opening. Even in the dark her eyes flashed with mischief.
“Kiss me before Billy realizes I’m not out here alone.”
Her demand made him forget all of the questions he wanted to ask. Closing the distance between them, Tristan said the only thing still bouncing around in his brain.
“Yes ma’am.”
Chapter 5
“Who drives the Land Rover?” Faith’s question nearly caused Tristan to jump out of his skin. With his mind firmly locked on Riley while studiously avoiding Emma May’s stare Faith had him off his guard. Her sudden appearance at the edge of his desk had his heart racing, leaving him confused over her question.
“I have no idea. Why?”
Faith shrugged. “There was a black one in the parking lot when I pulled up, but it pulled away before I got out of my car. It’s probably still sitting at the light.” Emma May moved to the window. Faith’s next words left Tristan wondering if Faith’s intent had been to get the other woman out of earshot
“I like Riley. Let’s keep her.”
A Dash of Desire (Spiced Life #2) Page 5
