After Tonight

by Erin Nicholas

  As he finished showering, dried, and dressed, he marveled at how he should be feeling relieved and relaxed after a hard, satisfying orgasm, but how, instead, he felt even more irritated than before. Maybe Riley didn’t know she was getting to him, but he knew it. And hell, she wasn’t even trying. That was maybe the worst part. If she’d been trying to tease or seduce him, that might be one thing. It could have turned into a fun game of chicken—see who could make the other one beg first. But no, she was just being Riley.

  And a big part of him couldn’t help but think that if he hadn’t been sexually attracted to her before he’d spent a few innocent hours alone with her, then he really was a dumbass.

  By the time he made it back to the kitchen, Riley was done eating and had cleaned up everything except for a plate and a set of utensils. She flipped an omelet from the pan she held onto the plate and handed it to him. He’d made her an omelet and she’d made him one. That shouldn’t feel significant. And maybe it wasn’t. But the fact that she hadn’t added asparagus or avocado or some weird nuts or seeds, and the fact that he didn’t comment on that, or tease her about what gross things he might have secretly added to hers, was significant. Things were changing between them. They were hanging out, talking, and he was thinking about her breasts far too much.

  She washed the pan as he ate. Then she grabbed a bag from the living room and started setting up her computer, mouse pad, and wireless keyboard on the table across from him.

  “This still okay?” she asked, as she plugged into the outlet behind her.

  “Of course.”

  “What are you doing today?”

  He hadn’t really thought about it. He was going to do some painting in the new addition at the Come Again at some point, and he needed to get the scaffolding out and clean the light fixtures in the vaulted ceiling at the Methodist church. He shrugged. “Just some stuff.”

  “You’re working tonight?”

  “Yep.” He worked almost every night.

  “’Til close?”

  He frowned. This was the part of the dating thing that he didn’t like. He didn’t really make a lot of plans ahead of time, and he hung out with people who didn’t either. His two best friends were more or less on call twenty-four seven around here, and neither really knew what might come up at any minute. Those relationships worked for Derek. He just went with the flow. “Yeah, ’til close. Not sure what time I’ll get there. Bryan’s covering until I show up.”

  Riley looked up and gave him a little frown. She must have heard the annoyance in his tone. “You know, when you’re dating someone, it’s okay for them to know where you are and when.”

  “Every second?”

  “Of course not. But it’s not unreasonable to ask what time you get off work.”

  He shoved back from the table and took his dishes to the sink. “Yeah, well, we’re not actually dating.”

  If they were, the scenario in his head during his shower would not have been fictional. He scowled as he rinsed his plate. He didn’t want to date Riley, dammit. They’d be a terrible match. They’d kill each other.

  “So?” she asked. “I thought you wanted a taste of what this would really be like.”

  He swung around. “You’re offering me a taste?” he repeated. “Well, Ry, I’m all over that. I know exactly where I’d start, in fact. But if you want me checking in with you on where I am and what I’m doing every damned second, you can forget it.”

  She looked exasperated. “What’s your problem?”

  “Jacking off in the shower while thinking of a girl who’s basically been my kid sister all my life.”

  Her mouth dropped open. She shook her head. “You’re just saying that to shock me or whatever.”

  He wished like hell that was true. He pushed away from the counter. “I’m leaving.”

  “Fine. I’ll probably just be here for a few hours and—”

  “Whatever. You don’t have to report in to me either.” He stomped through the house, grabbing a pair of jeans off the back of one of the chairs and his work boots by the door. It was too hot to wear them at the church, but he never knew when he might get a call to climb up into someone’s hay loft or something else that would require different attire.

  See? He didn’t have to plan every damned thing out. He was just always prepared for anything.

  Except for Riley.

  He definitely hadn’t been prepared to have her around more, in his house, in his business, in his head.

  He stopped at the front door and started to turn back. But he didn’t want to ask the question in his head just then. He gripped the doorknob. Don’t do it. Don’t fucking do it.

  And he didn’t.

  Until he got to his truck. Then he texted her. Will you be in tonight?

  He knew she’d know he meant at the Come Again. That was one thing about “dating” Riley. He saw her every night at the bar. They kept the same hours. When she wasn’t dragging his ass out of bed at the crack of dawn.

  That meant that if they really were dating, they’d have plenty of time to go on walks and have meals together and…shower together.

  He swore and tossed his phone on the seat next to him, starting the truck and pulling out of his drive.

  But a minute later, when his phone dinged with a text, he reached for it. He pulled up at the stop sign at the end of the block and opened the message. It was from Riley.

  Yes.

  That was all. But he was relieved.

  I want you to taste test a couple new pizzas, he sent back. The pizza business was going to be all his, and he was excited. It was still a couple months away from opening, but at the same time, he felt like he was running out of time to get things done. And he was getting nervous. He never got nervous. He never had a reason. But he supposed that was a sign that this business really mattered to him.

  He realized he was holding his breath, waiting for Riley’s response. The truth was, he wanted to see her tonight. He didn’t want to have to give her a minute-by-minute account of his day, and he didn’t need that from her either. But he was curious about what she’d be up to, and he knew by eight, when she usually came in, that he’d wonder where she was if she didn’t show. And that was so fucking stupid.

  Great. I love pizza was her return message.

  He tossed the phone onto the seat again, realizing that he was far too pleased by her answer.

  But Riley would tell him the truth about the pizza. That he could be sure of. If they sucked, she’d have no trouble breaking the news. These were not the typical pepperoni or everything pizzas that most people were used to. He’d have those too, but his were going to be stone-oven pizzas, so a little different from the pizzas people ate around here now, and he wanted to have a couple specialties. Barbecue chicken was one. Philly cheesesteak was another. The ones he’d sampled in Omaha had been good, but he hadn’t tried to reproduce them. For some reason, tonight seemed like a good time. Maybe it was because Riley told him about the task force project. Maybe that had opened up a new state where they actually told each other things and had serious discussions instead of him just constantly trying to push her buttons. Huh. Maybe they were going to be able to be grown-ups together.

  At least if he quit saying things like, “I jerked off in the shower thinking of you.”

  He’d hoped that if she knew he wanted her opinion on something, she’d definitely come in tonight. He’d been 90% sure she would anyway, but that was before he told her about the shower. No doubt that could make things awkward. So he wanted to be sure she came into the bar. And Riley loved to give him her opinion.

  But, for a change, he wanted her opinion.

  It’s just pizza, he told himself as he turned into the church parking lot.

  But his new business wasn’t just pizza. It was a chance to do something totally on his own, a chance to bring something new to the town, a chance to be an actual business owner instead of working for someone else all the time.

  And it was a chance to
spectacularly fail. He didn’t have those chances very often. The things he did were pretty safe in general. So this was new.

  He supposed that was also why it felt like bringing Riley in on things fit. Their relationship had always been safe. They were just…there. In each other’s lives. He showed up, he teased her, she got annoyed, she left. Then the next time, it started all over again. He knew which buttons to push, knew which reactions he was going to get. Now though…things between them didn’t feel as predictable. Or safe.

  So maybe he was just in the risk-taking mood.

  Of course, it was equally likely that he was doing something really stupid here.

  7

  She’d spilled her guts to Derek. And he’d jerked off in the shower thinking of her.

  Things were so not normal between them that she honestly didn’t know what to do.

  Riley was still sitting at Derek’s kitchen table, her laptop open, staring at a blank screen twenty minutes after he’d left.

  What the hell was happening?

  She’d told him all about the task force project, and she knew she’d been letting her enthusiasm show. Last night with Peyton it had all been new, but now that she’d had a chance to think it through and do some research, she was feeling excited. She’d even confessed to feeling flattered. Typically, that would be the perfect fodder for Derek to tease her.

  But he hadn’t. He’d listened. He’d asked questions. He’d said he thought she’d be great at it.

  And then he’d apparently jerked off in the shower thinking about her.

  Riley felt her cheeks—and a few other places—get hot. Surely he’d been kidding about that. But why? She’d been asking him about his plans for the day and wondering when she might see him. And then he’d said that. And he definitely hadn’t seemed like he was teasing.

  God.

  She put her hands to her cheeks. She could not get that out of her head. She’d seen enough of Derek’s body to fill in the blanks for what she hadn’t. And the images of him in the shower, water cascading over his back and chest and abs, his hand wrapped around his cock, stroking himself and thinking of her…Riley squeezed her thighs together and took a shaky breath. She could not sit here, at his kitchen table, and think all of the things she was thinking. Most especially the thought where she offered to help next time.

  That was just not what she and Derek were. She was, as he’d said, like a little sister to him. And he was a pain in her ass. And what they’d always had was…nice.

  That thought surprised her but as she thought about it, she had to admit that, yeah, it had been nice. It hadn’t always felt that way. In fact, until that very moment, she’d definitely not thought of it as nice. But Derek was predictable. She always knew how he would react to things. Sure, it was with teasing and banter. Yes, it seemed that he had a hard time taking anything seriously. Absolutely it seemed that she couldn’t say anything without him adding his two stupid cents.

  But at the same time, it had always been generally good-natured. She knew what it was like to be criticized for real. Her mother did it on a regular basis. So she definitely could tell the difference between that and what Derek did. Derek teased. He tried to make her smile. He didn’t let her take things—including herself— too seriously.

  Riley sat up straighter in her chair as she thought back over their interactions and the general vibe between her and Derek over the years.

  Yes, that was it. He’d teased her. He’d always been there, seemingly in the way. Seemingly always with something to say, some comment to make. But it had always been lighthearted. And it had very often been in front of her mother. As if reminding her not to get too worked up about things. As if to help her see the situation less seriously.

  Had he done that intentionally? Or was that just who he was?

  Derek was different from Kyle. Kyle did worry about things like schedules and doing things a certain way, getting things right. Her mother and father were the same. Riley was the one person in her family who didn’t do everything according to the “rules” and, now that she thought about that, Derek was more like her than any of them. He wasn’t really a rebel. He took care of the entire town. And yet, he kept strange hours and just rolled with the punches and did things his way. Because he was always doing things for other people, no one got too worked up about him being exactly on time or how he got things done, but yeah, he’d managed to work it out so that he pretty much did whatever he wanted, when he wanted to do it.

  That was really her style as well. She loved working in cyber security because she could set her own hours, work mostly remotely, and did things her way because most people didn’t really understand what she did in the first place.

  Derek would get that.

  Her mother and brother, not as much.

  How had she never realized all of this about Derek before? That they had several key things in common? That his teasing had annoyed her, but it had never felt like criticism? And that even when it annoyed her, it didn’t really. She knew that he was just working to get a rise out of her, and she gave in to that. For some reason.

  And now he wanted her to taste test his pizzas. He wanted her opinion on something.

  And then there was that jerking-off thing…

  Mentally shaking herself, she put her hands back on her keyboard. She was going to work now. All of this was a lot of realization for one day. And she didn’t like the way desire pulsed through her anytime she thought of him just down the hall, his hand on his—

  Somehow she managed to work for about ten minutes. But it turned out to be nearly impossible for her to keep her mind on anything but Derek. Of course, sitting in the middle of his kitchen probably had something to do with that. She needed a change of scenery.

  But there simply weren’t many options for that in Sapphire Falls. The only place to really work quietly without interruption was the Come Again after hours. If she went home, her mom would pull her into a project, or would want to chat about how long Riley thought Kyle and Hannah would wait before they got married. Everywhere else in town would be overrun with people she’d known her whole life who would want to sit and chat and ask a million questions. Which was exactly why she’d started going to the Come Again in the first place.

  She sat back in her chair and yawned.

  This getting up early to get Derek up early was starting to wear on her. She could see his couch from where she sat, and she had to admit that it was one of the more comfortable couches she’d ever lain on.

  Derek would be out for a while.

  She was going to be up late tonight. And she’d kind of enjoyed their morning walk, so she might have to get him up early again tomorrow.

  Yeah, she needed a nap.

  She closed up her computer and tucked everything back into her bag. Then she pulled her bun down and shook her hair out. She yawned widely as she lay down where she’d spent the night, snuggling into the pillow that smelled like Derek.

  She was asleep on his couch again.

  Derek stood at the end of the couch, watching Riley for a long moment. She slept like the dead. He hadn’t been quiet when he’d come into the house. In fact, he’d made more noise than he’d really needed to. Her car was still in his drive and he’d assumed she was working. And yeah, he’d wanted to distract her. Just like when they were kids and he’d make up excuses to go into the kitchen where she was studying, or through the living room when she was trying to watch TV. He wanted her attention.

  But even stomping his feet on the porch and letting the front screen door slap shut hadn’t awakened her.

  He shook his head. Poor thing. She was exhausted from keeping him up late and getting him up early. He started to reach out to tickle her foot, but he paused just before touching her.

  His eyes slowly climbed up the length of her leg to the curve of her ass, then up to the strip of skin peeking out where her shirt had ridden up on her waist. And suddenly he had a better idea. Or a more fun idea, anyway.

  H
e’d been thinking about her all day. About how she’d driven him to get himself off in the shower. About how he’d announced that fact to her. About her stunned reaction.

  And now she was asleep on the couch. As if she had nothing on her mind at all. Certainly nothing that would cause her to toss and turn instead of sleep.

  Yeah, he simply wasn’t wired to let Riley be. Especially when he was worked up over her.

  He pivoted and headed for the bathroom, stripping as he went, dropping his clothes on the floor wherever they came off. This was how he lived when he didn’t have a guest. And it was how he’d live if he had a serious girlfriend.

  Might as well practice.

  In the bathroom, he cranked up the radio that sat on one end of the vanity. He banged cupboards open and shut. He padded through the living room to the kitchen, naked, to retrieve his electric screwdriver from the cupboard by his back door. Then he’d headed back into the bathroom to tighten the screw on the towel rod. Yeah, he could have used a regular screwdriver, but the electric screwdriver was faster and would get the screw nice and tight. And it was a lot louder.

  He returned the screwdriver to the cupboard, walking back through the living room as if he owned the joint. Which he did.

  A glance at the couch showed that Riley was sleeping through it all.

  Or at least she had her eyes shut.

  He didn’t stop and study her, but he did see that her breathing wasn’t quite as soft and even as before, and he had a suspicion that she was sneaking a peek.

  Exactly as he’d planned.

  He grinned and headed back into the bathroom. He showered for the second time, rinsing off the dirt he’d cleaned out of the arched ceiling at the church and the dirt and grease he’d acquired from changing Gladys Jenkins’s tire when he’d seen her pulled over on his way between the church and the community center, where he’d pulled a bunch of chairs out of the storage area in the basement.