One Winter's Night

by Brenda Jackson

  Riley had actually felt his brother’s pain and heartbreak that day. The sound had pierced something deep within him, and he’d wondered what there was about love that could torture and torment even a badass dude like Bane. On that day he’d vowed never to find out.

  Without letting Bane know he was there, Riley had backed out of the shack and left, allowing his brother to grieve privately for the love he’d lost. That had been several years ago, but Riley’s vow to never fall for a woman hadn’t changed. That’s when he had implemented Riley’s Rule.

  Reaching out, he picked up the wool scarf Alpha had left in his truck and brought it to his nose. It smelled like her. Sweet. Womanly. Enticing…so damn enticing. And the scent reminded him of all the heated desire that had warped his senses during the time he’d been with her. It was heated desire that was still slowly driving him insane.

  He placed the scarf aside and picked up his cell phone to redial the number that had come through that morning. He felt his stomach tighten when he heard her soft voice.

  “Hello?”

  “Alpha? This is Riley. You left your scarf in my truck, and I want to get it back to you. Will you be home tomorrow?”

  There was a slight hesitation and then she said, “Yes, but you don’t have to come out of your way to return it, Riley. I have several of them.”

  “No problem. I want to make sure you get this one back. You live in the Arlington Heights area, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll be out that way tomorrow around two. Is it okay for me to drop by?”

  Another slight hesitation. “Yes, I’ll be home.”

  “Fine, I’ll see you then.”

  Riley clicked off the phone. He was doing the decent thing by returning the scarf and nothing more. The thought that he was itching to see her again had nothing to do with it.

  He brought the scarf to his nose once more. Yes, he definitely wanted to see her again.

  Four

  “I should have been more forceful about him not returning that darn scarf,” Alpha muttered as she glanced at herself again in the full-length mirror in her bedroom. “I guess, considering the layers of clothes I was wearing to keep warm yesterday, he figured I must need every piece.”

  Drawing in a deep breath, she licked her lips, wondering if she should put on lipstick. If she did, he might assume she’d gotten pretty just for him. She frowned, knowing that, in essence, she had. Wednesday was the day she usually did housework and seldom put anything on other than her sweats. But not today.

  She had awakened and quickly straightened up, eaten lunch, baked her favorite cinnamon rolls, showered and dressed in a canary-yellow buttoned shirt that tied at the waist and a denim skirt that hit above the knee. A pair of striped, black-and-white ballet flats that she had purchased before leaving Daytona were on her feet.

  “I look cute, if I have to say so myself,” she said softly and then threw her head back and laughed. When was the last time she had gone to a lot of trouble to look good for a man? Why was she doing so now?

  Okay, she thought, deciding to put on lipstick after all, she would answer the first question. The last time had been for her parents’ anniversary party a year or so ago and the man had been Eddie. In all honesty, she had stopped thinking of her and Eddie as a couple long before he’d given her that ultimatum about Omega. They had begun drifting apart. Once she had gotten serious about becoming an event planner they had found excuse after excuse to not spend time together. It hadn’t bothered her, and she had a feeling it hadn’t bothered him, either. Yet neither of them had made a move to call off their wedding for those reasons.

  Her thoughts drifted back to the second half of the question she’d asked herself. Why was she going out of her way to look good for Riley? It could be that a part of her wanted to feel like a woman—a woman any man could be interested in, a woman a man could and would notice.

  He had noticed the other day, which surprised her when she’d caught him staring. She hadn’t expected him to display as strong a reaction to her as she had to him. And she was certain she hadn’t imagined it. It had been there in his eyes when she’d turned around. Although it had been quickly replaced with a guarded look, it had been there.

  “Okay, for the first time in a long time I feel like a desirable woman, and I like it,” she said, after applying her lipstick and pursing her lips to see the effect.

  Even before they’d broken up, Eddie had stopped going out of his way to make her feel like she could rock his world. But with Riley the sparks had been there, and they were sparks that sizzled. They had both tried to downplay it, but hadn’t been successful. And that was one of the things that concerned her. Would the sparks be there when she saw him again today?

  She was about to take the comb and work with her hair some more when she heard the doorbell. Riley was early. A good five minutes early. Looking at herself in the mirror one last time, she tied her hair back from her face before quickly leaving her bedroom. She headed for the door, not sure if those five minutes were a good thing or a bad thing.

  * * *

  Riley glanced around. Nice house. The stucco structure with an A-line roof and carved columns on the porch suited her. The Arlington Heights area was one of the oldest in Denver, but he could tell her home had been added within the past ten years or so. She had a pretty nice neighborhood. Quiet. Serene. Mountains as a backdrop and snow-covered yard. It had snowed again overnight and was slow in melting.

  On the drive over, he kept asking himself what he was doing. He could easily mail the scarf to her, return it when they met again next week or keep it for a souvenir. But here he was, standing on her doorstep like a lust-craved addict eager for one glimpse of her.

  Okay, who was he kidding? He wanted more than a glimpse. He wanted her. In his bed. There was no reason for him to deny it because it was true. He had tried talking himself out of wanting her all through the night but had failed miserably. In the end, he’d figured that as long as he applied Riley’s Rule he would be safe. And as for mixing business with pleasure, technically, she was on contract and not a real employee of Blue Ridge. Now, if he could get her to go along with his proposition, then an affair would be a surefire way of taking care of this desire before she had a chance to get deeper into his system.

  He heard her at the door and knew she had looked out the peephole at him. He had felt her checking him out, which was fine since he planned on checking her out, as well. Chances were she wasn’t covered in all those coats and sweaters today. Hell, he hoped not.

  The door opened, and she stood there. He had to clamp his jaws together to stop them from dropping. If he’d thought she looked good yesterday then he was totally unprepared for how stunning she looked today. His gaze roamed over her, and he quickly decided that he loved her outfit. It emphasized her figure.

  “Riley.”

  “Alpha.”

  She licked her lips, and his stomach tightened. Not for the first time, he thought she had a nice-looking tongue. He couldn’t wait to taste it.

  “You brought the scarf?” she asked, intruding into his thoughts.

  “Yes.” Did she expect him to hand it over to her right here and now and then leave? Did she not expect him to hang around for a few minutes? He hadn’t thought of that possibility.

  He pulled the scarf out of his jacket pocket. “Here’s the scarf.”

  She took it. “Thanks.” And then she asked the question he’d been waiting for, the one he had begun to fear she wouldn’t ask. “Would you like to come in? I just made a fresh pot of coffee and was about to have a cup with some cinnamon rolls I made earlier.”

  He forced his feet to stay put and not rush past her. “Sounds good. Yes, I’d like a cup of coffee and rolls.”

  She moved aside and he walked in, inhaling her scent as he brushed by her. It was the same scent on the scarf. He glanced around her home, admiring the furnishings, crown moldings, spindle staircase and beautiful light fixtures in the ceiling. She had a gre
at room with a huge fireplace, and he loved that a blaze was going inside of it, throwing warmth into the room.

  “Would you like to give me your jacket?”

  He glanced over at her. “Sure,” he said, shrugging off his jacket and handing it to her. She walked over to the coatrack, and he watched her every move. He had to clamp down on his lips to not let out a whistle. The woman had the most gorgeous legs he’d ever seen. When she turned around, there was no need to act innocent. He’d been caught red-handed checking out her legs.

  He cleared his throat. “Nice shoes.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Different.” Although he hadn’t been concentrating on her shoes, they were different. Striped.

  She glanced down at them. “Different but comfortable. Do you want your coffee out here or in the kitchen?”

  He shoved his hands inside the pockets of his jeans. “Where do you usually take yours?”

  “In the kitchen.”

  “Then lead the way.”

  And she did. He deliberately stayed a few paces behind her to check out her legs, waist and backside. And no, he had no shame. She had more sensuality in her walk than some women had in their entire bodies, and the male in him felt the need to take the time to appreciate it.

  She was wearing flats, but with her shapely calves he could just imagine those legs in a pair of stilettos. Her skirt was a decent length, but if it had been just a tad shorter he would probably have already had a heart attack. At that moment, he felt blood rushing straight to his groin.

  He walked into her kitchen and stopped, equally impressed by the custom maple cabinets, granite countertops and stainless-steel appliances. The high-top café table was facing a huge window overlooking her backyard, which included a view of the mountains.

  “How do you take your coffee?”

  He glanced over at her. “Black and as strong as you can get it.”

  She smiled. “My dad drinks his the same way.”

  “Does he?” he asked, sliding onto a bar stool.

  “Yes. My mom prefers hot chocolate and so did I.”

  She brought the coffee to him with a tray of sweet-smelling rolls. They looked fresh, hot and delicious. Just like her. He took a sip of coffee. It was good, just like he figured she would be. He bit into a roll and closed his eyes. It was delicious.

  He opened his eyes and found her smiling at him. “Hit a sweet tooth, huh?” she asked.

  If only she knew. “Homemade?”

  “Yes, one of my mom’s old recipes. She likes to bake.”

  “It’s delicious,” he said, taking another bite and then gobbling up the rest of it while thinking he would love gobbling her up in the same way.

  “You can have another. I ate a couple earlier.”

  “Thanks.” He didn’t waste time taking her up on her offer, grabbing another one off the plate and biting into it.

  “Thanks for bringing my scarf back, but like I told you, you didn’t have to do it. It could have waited.”

  Riley glanced over at her, thinking that, no, it could not have waited. He was one of those men who, once he made up his mind about something, there was no turning back, no hesitation and no stopping him. He hadn’t been in an affair for about four months now, mainly because he’d had a lot on his plate at the office while taking over for Dillon. Now that he had things at a level where he could work without too much stress, he had time for some of the finer, more enjoyable things in life. All work and no play wasn’t good for anyone.

  “The reason I brought the scarf back, Alpha, is because I wanted to see you again. And I would have found any excuse to do so.”

  He watched her expression. She probably hadn’t counted on him being so in-your-face honest. But he always was at the beginning of his affairs…and at the end.

  She licked her lips. He was beginning to recognize that as a sign that she was nervous. She held his gaze for a moment and asked after taking a sip of coffee, “Would you have…found any excuse?”

  “Yes. We’re adults, and I don’t like playing games. I believe in being up-front with any woman I’m interested in.”

  “And you’re interested in me?”

  He heard the surprise in her voice. “Yes, but you should have known that after yesterday. There is chemistry between us. A lot of it. I could barely watch you while you gave that presentation without getting turned on.”

  Maybe he’d given her too much information, but he wanted her to know just what he was dealing with. What they were both dealing with, because although she hadn’t admitted anything yet, he had a gut feeling she was as attracted to him as he was to her.

  She looked down and nervously began toying with her paper napkin, but he preferred that she look at him. He needed to know what she was thinking. “Alpha?”

  She glanced up, and the look he saw in her eyes made his stomach quiver all the way to his groin. That same potent chemistry, that electrical sizzle, they had shared yesterday was present today whether she wanted it to be or not. It was just as strong and powerful…but he could tell she was fighting it tooth and nail. Why?

  “We just met yesterday,” she said softly.

  He nodded. She had to do better than that. As far as he was concerned meeting just yesterday didn’t mean a thing. People were into one-night stands. He’d done a number of those himself. “And?”

  “And I’m working for you.”

  Okay, now she was trying to play the “it’s not ethical” card, but it wouldn’t work. “No, you’re not working for me, at least you’re not my employee. You’re on assignment for Blue Ridge Land Management for a project that ends next month. As far as I’m concerned that has nothing to do with what’s going on between us.”

  “There’s nothing going on between us,” she said, taking another sip of coffee.

  Now she wanted to be in denial and he wasn’t going along with that, either. He leaned back in his chair and stared at her. For a long moment he didn’t say anything and then he said, “I want to know why you’re sitting there denying what is so blatantly obvious.”

  Her lips began quivering, in anger or desire he wasn’t sure, but neither curtailed the electricity sizzling between them. “And just what do you think is so blatantly obvious?” she asked in a quiet tone.

  He reached out and placed his hand over hers. The moment he did so, he felt what she wanted to deny. A heated spiral of desire flowed between them, and she gasped softly. He wanted her to feel it. He needed her to feel it. And he knew by the look in her eyes that she had.

  “What is so blatantly obvious, Alpha, is that I want you and you want me.”

  * * *

  Alpha couldn’t stop the chaotic fluttering in her stomach. Nor could she slow down the beating of her heart. What was Riley doing to her? What was he making her feel? All these incredible sensations that she’d never felt before were swamping her all at once.

  She tried to force herself to think logically. She needed to make him understand something about her. “I’ve never been a woman to engage in casual relationships, Riley.”

  “There’s a first time for everything, isn’t there?” he asked, still holding her gaze as if he was looking deep into her very soul.

  Yes, there was a first time for everything, but she wasn’t sure she was ready for what she knew would be nothing more than a fling. But another part of her was demanding to know why she wasn’t ready. She had moved from Florida to Colorado to start a new life. It wasn’t that she hadn’t gotten over Eddie, because she had. So what was the holdup? Riley was ultrahandsome, much too sexy, and he was attracted to her. Why was she afraid to go with the flow?

  He leaned in close to her. “In that case, I propose we take some time to get to know each other, but…”

  She’d known there was going to be a but in there somewhere.

  “But that we enjoy each other while doing so.”

  Her pulse quickened. She didn’t have to ask how they would enjoy each other. The man was pushing all her buttons, in ways s
he hadn’t known existed. He was making her consider doing things she’d never thought of doing before.

  “With all of my affairs there are rules so we have a good understanding from day one,” he added.

  She lifted an arched brow. “What rules?”

  He smiled. “First, there needs to be a time limit on how long the affair will last. Definitely no longer than six weeks.”

  She nodded. “What else?”

  “There has to be exclusivity. I’m not into sharing. Neither am I into clinginess. This affair doesn’t give us the right to crowd each other. We need to respect each other’s space.”

  Evidently he’d had issues in the past. Well, he wouldn’t have to worry about those issues with her. “Okay.”

  “And if, for whatever reason, the rules are broken by either of us, the affair ends,” he said.

  His rules were reasonable, but still… “I need to think about it,” she said. At least he was being honest by letting her know up front what he wanted out of a relationship. She could appreciate that.

  “That’s fine. Since we need to meet next week to discuss some things regarding the party, you can give me your answer then. What about Monday? Hopefully the weather will be better and we can meet at my office. Let’s say around ten. Is that time okay for you?”

  “Yes, ten o’clock will work.”

  “Good.” He stood. “I’m sure you have a lot to do today, so I’ll be going. Thanks for the coffee and rolls.”

  She stood as well, thinking how his height seemed to dominate the room. She never thought her kitchen was small until now. “You’re welcome.”

  He took her hand and held it gently in his while they walked through her great room back toward the door. Hand-holding was something she’d always craved but something Eddie had never delivered. He wasn’t a touchy-feely type.

  When they reached the door she turned to Riley, to again thank him for returning her scarf, but the words died on her lips. He had the most irresistible smile, one that showed his dimples. To distract herself, she looked over his shoulder at the picture hanging on her wall, but Riley lifted his hand to cup her chin and return her gaze to him. Then he softly trailed his fingertips along the lines of her jaw.