by Judy Duarte
“Want to stay for breakfast?”
“I couldn’t eat this early. And I should be out of here before daylight.” He slipped on the wrinkled shirt.
“Okay.” She leaned back against the counter. “I’ll pack a few things, buy groceries and be ready to go by this afternoon.”
“Why don’t you just drive out to my place when you’re ready? I’ll show you the way from there.”
She was planning to spend time alone and knew better than to add complications, but she found herself asking, “Will you stay to have dinner with me tonight?”
A smile creased his cheeks as he sat to pull on his socks and shoes. “I’ll do you one better. I’ll help you fix it.”
Lisa stepped forward and cradled his head against her breast. Riley wrapped his arms around her hips and hugged her tight.
She backed away then and he stood, finding his suit coat and fishing in his pocket for his keys. She walked him to the front door and stood watching as he headed down her street on foot in the dark. Several minutes later she was still watching from between the parted lace on the front windows when his Jaguar rolled by slowly. The taillights disappeared in the darkness.
Lisa was beginning to frighten herself with the thoughts and feelings she had difficulty controlling. The fact that Riley was pursuing her for the gold mine and that she was only turning the tables on him for her own satisfaction was getting harder and harder to remember.
He’d been her first crush, and as that had existed only in fantasy and dreams. All these years later he’d become her first lover. And the reality—the physicality of the man—was becoming her undoing. Physical pleasure and blooming friendship had combined with her new self-confidence to fling all those years of loneliness and emptiness in her face.
She didn’t want to let go.
She didn’t have to just yet.
She hadn’t wanted him to move things forward, hadn’t allowed him to take his scheme to another level. When he’d mentioned love, her foolish heart had wanted to hear the words, but her sensible head had warned her it meant the end. As soon as he made a move she couldn’t counter, she would have to end this.
Originally, selfishly, she hadn’t thought past that first night. But after she’d made love with Riley—after it looked like the game could continue a little longer—she’d had to rethink her strategy and strengthen her defenses.
The deception felt wrong, but she justified her actions with the fact that he’d been the first to deceive. She’d been staying a step ahead of him all along, but now it felt as if she had to run to do that.
Lisa let the dogs in and climbed the stairs with them at her heels. They sniffed every corner of the room as well as her bed before climbing up beside her where she lay. She still had a couple of hours before she had to get up, and now she could sleep without Riley’s presence disturbing her.
She didn’t sleep, though. When daylight broke through her curtains, she was still awake, reliving their night together and hoping for more time.
Thunder Canyon was more quiet than usual for a Sunday afternoon, maybe because the sun climbed high and hot and baked the little town, chasing residents indoors. Lisa appreciated it, because no one seemed to pay her any interest.
Once she had her supplies loaded into the Blazer, she ushered the dogs into the back and cranked the air-conditioning. She checked the rearview mirror continuously, but no one followed her. She arrived on the Lazy D and at Riley’s home without unwanted attention.
She rang the bell and waited.
Riley opened the door. The T-shirt he wore was damp with sweat and his face was flushed, his hair wet. His attention immediately focused on the length of her legs in the first pair of shorts she’d worn since she was a kid. “Wow.”
Lisa’s cheeks warmed at his appreciative reaction.
He grinned and gestured for her to come in. “I just finished riding and putting up a horse. Can you wait for me to take a quick shower?”
“Sure. I have to bring in the dogs out of the car.” She led them in on leashes and cautioned Piper when he growled at Riley.
“Living room’s that way. Make yourself at home. I’ll be right back.”
She ushered the dogs into the room he indicated. Sleek modern sofas and chairs, nickel-finish tables with glass tops and track lighting defined the room. Everything was plain and cold looking. “You guys would have to shed…and we’d need some real furniture to feel at home, wouldn’t we?”
The dogs sniffed around, apparently finding nothing of interest because they just sat and panted.
Lisa tested a chair and then the sofa. “Not so bad, really, if a person didn’t want somewhere to rest their arms.” None of the pieces had armrests. “Probably cost a fortune, too, if I know Riley’s taste.”
True to his word, Riley returned in a matter of minutes, smelling like soap. His black hair was damp and combed into place. “Ready?”
Piper stood and growled.
“Sorry,” Lisa said.
“It’s not as big of a deal today, now that I have my pants on,” he told her.
She ignored that comment. “Does this stuff really reflect you? Or do you have a decorator?”
He glanced around, seeming a little surprised at her question. “Well…I did have a decorator.”
“For some reason I feel a little better about that.”
He gave her a look that said he thought she was a fry short of a Happy Meal before turning away. “I have to get something from the kitchen.”
She took the dogs outside ahead of him and loaded them back into the Blazer. Riley carried a small cooler out to his Jag.
Getting to his cabin took a little over a half hour, and she tried to remember the landmarks along the way so she could find the place on her own again—or so she could leave and return.
She parked in the double garage beside Riley and he led the way up the stairs. “Don’t let that dog get too close,” he called over his shoulder.
“I’m watching your butt,” she replied.
“I know, just don’t let that dog get too close.”
“I don’t know why he growls at you.”
“He’s going to like me tonight.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because I’m good at convincing.”
She couldn’t argue with that. She hadn’t had a thought about Orlando Bloom all day.
After being released from their leashes, the dogs checked out every room.
“Do I have to take them down through the garage to do their business every time?”
“No, look here.” He showed her into an enormous suite where double glass doors led to a balcony. “You can use any room you like, but this side of the house is set against a hill. Those stairs lead up to the top, where there’s a wooded area and a great view. C’mon, I’ll show you.”
Lisa called and the animals tagged after them.
Riley took the stairs first and Lisa followed. The dogs took some coaxing, but Piper came first and then Joey.
They came out on a flat expanse of land surrounded by woods and a sharp decline on one side.
“Can anyone get to the house this way?”
“No, it’s too high above the roads and there’s no path except deer trails. You’re safe here.”
“What about wild animals?”
“I’m sure there are some, so stay close to the steps if you have to come out at night. There’s a flashlight beside the sliding doors. There’s a cell phone plugged in on the kitchen counter, too.”
Piper and Joey had taken off into the underbrush and returned with leaves clinging to their fur. She knelt and cleaned them off.
Joey brushed up against Riley, pausing to sit at his feet.
Riley scratched the retriever’s head. “This looks like a fun hangout, doesn’t it? Wait till you see what I have planned for supper.”
After that they made several trips with Lisa’s belongings and the groceries. Riley carried in the cooler and took out steaks and a famili
ar white take-out box.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“That’s your bribe. The steak is theirs.”
“It’s chocolate-raspberry truffle, isn’t it?” She reached for the box.
He caught her hand and wrapped her arm around his waist. Lowering his face to hers, he said, “You don’t want dessert first, do you?”
“Is that a trick question?”
He kissed her, and she leaned into the embrace.
From the other side of the room, Piper growled.
She started to say something, but Riley stopped her. “Don’t worry. Tonight we’re going to make friends.”
He’d purchased three thick T-bone steaks, one for each of them and one for the dogs to share. “Don’t tell me you don’t feed them table food,” he said. “It’s just this once.”
“Oh, I don’t feed them table food,” she pointed out. “Pizza and beer don’t count. They’re TV cuisine.”
It only took Piper thirty seconds to warm to the offering Riley fed him in bite-size pieces as they sat on the deck and enjoyed the sunset. By the time his half of the steak was history, Piper was putty in Riley’s hands. He licked his chops, then Riley’s fingers, and burped.
“Same effect I have on you,” Riley told her.
She took another blissful bite of her chocolate truffle and didn’t argue. She did, however, resist burping.
They cleared away dishes and Lisa took the dogs up top to do their business while Riley lit citronella candles and opened a bottle of wine.
“You’re going to turn me into a lush,” she told him. But she accepted the glass and sipped.
“Do I need to lock my wine cellar while you’re staying here?”
“Probably.”
He grinned and pulled his canvas chair close to hers.
Piper propped his head on Riley’s feet and groaned an exhausted sigh. She knew the feeling. The man had the ability to wear down the fiercest opponent.
“Is this how you negotiate business deals, as well?” she asked.
“Sometimes.”
She’d seen the food and drinks offered for business meetings, so the suggestion wasn’t far off.
Within minutes Lisa had moved to sit on his lap. Leisurely kisses turned hot and hungry, and she threaded her fingers into his hair.
“Lisa…” he said against her mouth.
She worked her fingers under the hem of his knit shirt and splayed her palm over his chest. “The answer is yes.”
“You’d better hear the question first.”
She smiled and tasted his mouth once more. This would be good. Anticipation shot through her nerve endings. Just being here where they’d first made love got her hot. He was going to invite her inside, maybe ask her to take off her clothes…suggest something exciting and erotic. “Ask away.”
He touched her through her shorts and heat reached through the layer of fabric to make her squirm. He took his mouth from hers, pierced her with intense blue eyes and asked, “Will you marry me?”
Chapter Eleven
It took thirty seconds for Lisa’s brain to catch up. When it did, a sinking rush of disappointment flooded through her chest and tears stung her eyes. To hide them she tucked her head under his chin and grabbed the front of his shirt. He’d done it. He’d moved so far out ahead of her, she wouldn’t be able to catch up.
Her body still hummed with desire, but her heart and head had started erecting barriers. She struggled to find something sophisticated and witty to say, something that would diffuse the tension and leave them with the basics of their relationship intact. Nothing came to her. Nothing but a crushing sense of defeat.
“Why would we want to spoil a perfectly good thing?” she asked finally. “I mean, we have the best of everything right now, wouldn’t you say? I’m not much at compromising, and you wouldn’t want to share my lifestyle any more than I’d want to share yours.”
“What are you talking about?” he asked.
Once again in control of her emotions, she straightened on his lap. “Think about it. Where would we live?”
“Does it matter?”
“Well, yes, it matters. My house isn’t your style, and your house certainly isn’t my style.”
“You aren’t planning to stay in that house, are you?”
“Why not?”
“Lisa, you’re—” He cut himself off.
“A millionaire,” she finished. “Rich. Yes, so I keep hearing. And so there must be something wrong with my home since I can afford better.”
He shrugged. “I just assumed you’d build one.”
“Because that’s what you would do, Riley.”
“We could build a home together. One that suits us both.”
“It’s foolish to talk about houses. It’s foolish to talk about anything that permanent. What’s the big rush, anyway? Things were going just fine.” She pushed away and stood, walking to the railing and standing with a hand on a support beam.
“It didn’t seem like such a bad idea to me.”
Of course not—all his ideas were pure genius. “You don’t need me. You were doing perfectly well before we met and you’ll do just as well after—after this time together is over.”
Ever since her ownership of the Queen of Hearts had been discovered, she’d felt as if she was being rushed and pushed in directions she wasn’t prepared to go. The fact that she’d suspected Riley’s true intent from the beginning didn’t make it any easier to accept now that he’d brought his design out in the open.
“I was hoping we could take things to another level,” he said, rising and coming to stand behind her.
“Why?”
He placed his hands on her upper arms and turned her to face him. “Why do most people get married?”
“We’re not most people, though, are we?”
“I’m sorry for jumping ahead, Lisa. If you need more time, I’m okay with that. Just don’t say no.”
He lowered his head, and she was too foolish to turn away. She wanted this time with him, even if it would be their last. Raising a hand to his cheek, she returned his kiss.
Time wasn’t going to fix this. Time wasn’t going to wipe out her knowledge and make this sham real.
“Why don’t we just concentrate on tonight?” she said finally.
If their kisses seemed tinged with desperation, she was the one responsible. If there was a sadness and finality to their lovemaking that night, it was because she had said goodbye in her heart.
They were more subdued, and fewer words were spoken between them than on the previous night. And even though no prying eyes would be there to see him leave in the morning, she didn’t want to fall asleep beside him or wake by his side. She didn’t want ownership of any more memories than those they’d already created.
Once he slept, she crept from his room down to the suite. She urged Joey and Piper up onto the bed with her, fighting the urge to take the boys and escape back to her own house. She had to stand her ground. She had to convince herself she could go back to life before Riley.
Lisa woke early to the smell of coffee wafting through the cabin. She let the dogs out and gave them time to run around the wooded area before calling them back in.
She found coffee in the pot on the counter and then located Riley on the front balcony. He had already shaved, showered and dressed in clothes for work. She joined him and studied the view. In full daylight the scene was indeed as breathtaking as he’d predicted.
“Sleep well?” he asked.
She glanced at him, sensing the new awkwardness between them. “I did. I see you’re ready for the day.”
He nodded. “I have a meeting with Justin this morning.”
She looked at him curiously.
“He’s involved with the resort.”
“Oh. I wasn’t aware of that.”
He sipped his coffee. “You should have everything here that you need.”
They were quiet for a moment, then Lisa broke the silence.
&n
bsp; “I want to say something.”
He turned and studied her. “Go ahead.”
“I think from here on out we should keep things between us…professional.”
Only the twitch in his jaw revealed any reaction.
“If you want to take back your invitation for us to stay here, I’d understand. I don’t want to take advantage of you.”
A look of discomfort crossed his features at her words. “Of course I don’t want to take it back. You’re perfectly welcome to stay here.”
“Things just went a little too far, Riley. We had a good time. Let’s leave it at that.”
“A good time,” he said, his voice flat.
“A very good time,” she stressed.
His piercing green gaze flickered over the nearby woods, then back to her face. “I should probably forewarn you. I’m persistent.”
“Your persistence won’t do you any good this time.”
“Persuasive, as well.”
“I know.”
She could tell there was an argument on his tongue, but to his credit, he held it.
“I’ll call the cell number if I see any interesting news clips or if anything comes up,” he said.
She nodded with a smile. “I’ll answer.”
There was a clumsy pause before he carried his cup into the cabin. Lisa followed in time to see him bend to pet each of the dogs. Picking up his sport jacket, he headed for the stairs.
She refilled her cup and observed from the balcony, as below, his bright red Jaguar could be seen through the trees until he’d roared out of sight and beyond hearing range.
She remained on the balcony until hunger drove her in to find something for breakfast.
Her well-planned getaway had lost a lot of its appeal overnight. She’d been alone with animals for companions her whole life and now here she was again. She’d made a huge effort to change herself inside and out and she’d done a damned fine job of it. Problem was she’d hooked herself up with someone she couldn’t trust and whose friendship—or whatever it was—was only temporary.
But she wasn’t going to worry or pine away her vacation time. She was going to rest, read, walk in the woods and go back to Thunder Canyon refreshed next week. Lisa set about that plan with renewed determination.
