One Winter's Night

by Brenda Jackson

  His plea was tortured and she was more than happy to erase his concerns. “Yes, I’m on the pill.”

  As if that was what he needed to hear, he began moving again, with even more urgency than before, stroking her deeply, growling like a primitive animal performing his last mating ritual. She felt him in every muscle of her body and shivers of pleasure rammed up and down her spine with every hard thrust. Then she felt him explode deep in her womb. His hand cupped tight to her bare bottom, tilted it at an angle that hit a spot that sent her screaming. She buried her head in the pillow to smother the sound, but it did nothing to the sensations ripping her apart. On top of everything, she felt his mouth on her back, nibbling her skin, licking it, nibbling some more. Branding her.

  “Riley!”

  Her body began quaking, all the way to her toes. Sensations overtook her. Pure feminine satisfaction tore through her, and she shivered with an intensity that shook the entire bed as pent-up passion was released from deep within her. When she collapsed, totally drained, he flipped her on her back and lifted her hips. Using the missionary position, he reentered her. She looked up at him, amazed, although, if the truth be known, she shouldn’t be astonished. She had found out last weekend that Riley Westmoreland had the stamina of a bull.

  And although she didn’t think it was possible, a moment later he brought them both to yet another orgasm, and she knew this was only the beginning.

  There would definitely be no climax control tonight.

  Thirteen

  “I’m glad you’re going to be my wedding planner, Alpha.”

  “And I’m glad you chose me for the job.”

  Alpha sipped her tea as she studied Megan Westmoreland—Megan Claiborne in six months. She thought Megan, who was a doctor of anesthesiology at one of the local hospitals, was a beautiful woman. And Alpha could see the Westmoreland similarities in the dark eyes, perfectly arched brows and cheekbones.

  Other than Dillon and his wife, Pam, Alpha hadn’t met any other family members. Due to the nature of her and Riley’s relationship, there was no need for him to introduce her to his family and she was certain that none of them were aware they were having an affair.

  Alpha’s thoughts shifted back to the bride-to-be. Megan’s engagement party had been held earlier in the month. With that out of the way, Megan was ready to plan her June wedding. Alpha had gotten the call on Monday, the day she had returned to Denver from spending four wonderful days in Memphis with Riley. Goose bumps formed on her arms whenever she thought about just how fantastic those days had been.

  “So you like the wedding colors I’ve selected?” Megan asked.

  Alpha’s attention was pulled back to the business at hand. “Yes, I think buttercup and lime are wonderful colors together. They give me a lot to work with.”

  Megan seemed pleased with that. “I’m glad.”

  They were in the middle of discussing the food items Megan wanted as part of her menu when Megan’s front door opened and a man, who Alpha knew immediately had to be one of Riley’s brothers or cousins, stalked in with a furious expression on his face.

  A calm Megan glanced over at him and asked, “What has you so riled this morning, Zane?”

  So this was Zane Westmoreland? Alpha thought, sipping her tea, trying not to let it be so obvious that she was checking him out. Since arriving in town, she’d heard a lot of feminine whispers about him. Women thought he was hot and she could see why. But then, Riley was hot, as well. Even hotter, in her book. But she would be the first to admit she was biased where Riley was concerned.

  “This is Alpha Blake. She’s helping me plan my wedding,” Megan added, introducing them.

  The man gave a quick tip of his Stetson in Alpha’s direction before returning his full attention to Megan. “What’s this I hear about Channing Hastings being on your invitation list?”

  Megan smiled sweetly. “Yes, what of it?”

  “I don’t want her at your wedding.”

  Megan put her teacup down and gave her brother her full attention. “Why? No matter how your relationship with Channing ended, if you recall, she and I worked together at the hospital long before the two of you met. I’ve always liked her and still consider her a friend and—”

  “I don’t want her there, Megan.”

  Megan frowned. “It’s my wedding, Zane, and she’s invited, so if you have to get yourself together before seeing her again then I suggest—”

  “That’s not it,” he snapped.

  “Sounds like it is,” Megan countered.

  Instead of saying anything else, Zane Westmoreland turned and stormed out the door with the same turbulent gust of wind that had brought him in. When the door slammed shut behind him, Megan glanced over at Alpha with an apologetic smile on her face. “As you can see, not all the Westmorelands are civilized.”

  Alpha took another sip of her tea before asking, “Are you sure you don’t want me to remove Ms. Hastings’s name from the invitation list?”

  Megan smiled. “I’m positive. It’s time my brother comes to terms with his true feelings about some things.”

  An hour later, Alpha had wrapped up her meeting with Megan and stood, ready to go, when there was a knock at Megan’s door. Alpha wondered if Zane had calmed down and was returning.

  “Come in,” Megan called out.

  The door opened and Alpha’s heart almost fell from her chest when Riley walked in.

  Megan glanced over at her cousin. “Riley, if you’re here on Zane’s behalf to talk me out of inviting Channing to the—”

  “No,” he interrupted. “Channing is Zane’s issue. He has to deal with it. You have the right to invite who you want.”

  His gaze shifted from Megan to Alpha. “But he did mention you had company, your wedding planner, so I thought I’d drop by to say hello.”

  Megan looked curiously from Alpha to Riley. “You two have met already?”

  Riley nodded. “Yes, I’m working with Alpha on the holiday party at Blue Ridge next month.”

  Megan tapped her forehead. “That’s right. How could I forget you’re coordinating that? Last time I heard you were doing it grudgingly, Riley. Evidently that has changed.”

  Megan would be surprised to learn just how much things had changed, Riley thought. “Yes, that has changed.”

  Megan smiled. “I’m glad to hear it.”

  When Riley didn’t say anything but continued to look at Alpha, in a way that probably seemed like he could eat her alive, Megan cleared her throat. “Is that the only reason you dropped by?” she asked.

  He shifted his gaze from Alpha back to Megan. “Not really. I wanted to ask Alpha something.”

  He glanced over at Alpha again. “My family is doing their monthly out-on-the-town dinner Wednesday night at McKay’s. I wanted to know if you’d like to come? That way you can meet the rest of the family. I think they’d like to get acquainted with the person putting the party together.”

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Megan raise a brow, because in truth, there was no need for the family to get to know the person putting the party together. He knew it and she knew it, as well.

  Luckily Alpha didn’t know it. She smiled and said, “Yes, I’m available Wednesday night to meet the rest of your family.”

  “Good. I’ll pick you up at six.”

  He glanced over at Megan, who was still staring at him. She was probably wondering why he offered to pick up Alpha when anyone living in Denver clearly knew the directions to McKay’s.

  “That will be fine and I’ll be ready,” Alpha said.

  He began backing out of the house before Megan felt the need to ask him anything. “Great, I’ll see you again later, then.” And he meant that literally because he planned to drop by her place tonight.

  “All right.”

  He turned and headed to the door in quick, powerful strides. She’d looked good in her dark brown slacks and peach-colored pullover sweater. The coloring was perfect for her complexion. And her hair was loo
se and fanned around her shoulders, just the way he liked.

  He told himself to keep walking to the door, to open it and not look back. But for some reason, he couldn’t do that. When he opened the door and glanced back over his shoulder, he looked directly at Alpha. She was holding his gaze and he felt that sensual chemistry that had his body tingling with the same powerful awareness he felt whenever he was around her. He smiled at Alpha and she smiled back.

  There was no way his perceptive cousin hadn’t picked up on the exchange, which was probably the reason she kept looking back and forth between him and Alpha. She would have questions, he didn’t doubt that, but he would deal with his cousin’s nosiness later.

  “Ry?”

  He switched his gaze from Alpha to Megan, aware that Megan had said something. “Yes?”

  “Either come in or go out. Holding the door open is letting out the heat,” she said with an amused expression on her face.

  “Oh. Okay, I’m leaving.” He firmly closed the door behind him.

  Riley smiled as he headed for his truck, but once he got inside, buckled his seat belt and saw his reflection in his rearview mirror, he frowned. What the hell was wrong with him? As soon as an angry Zane mentioned Alpha was at Megan’s, he hadn’t wasted time getting over there, leaving Zane staring at him like he’d lost his mind.

  And, in a way, he was afraid that he had.

  The first of the craziness had been making love to Alpha without a condom. Since the first time he’d made out with Emily Parker at the age of fourteen, he’d always used a condom. His father had had “the talk” with all his sons when they turned thirteen, and Dillon had reinforced those talks over the years. Since no form of birth control was 100 percent, it hadn’t mattered one iota if the woman claimed to be on the pill or any other kind of birth control. His rule was to use a condom.

  Why had he broken that rule for Alpha?

  Granted, being inside her—skin-to-skin, flesh-to-flesh, feeling the way her inner muscles had clamped on him—had felt out of this world. Totally awesome. Even so,there was no reason for him to take chances, and he’d continued to take chances. He hadn’t used a condom with her since they’d arrived back in Denver yesterday morning.

  He leaned back in his seat. It didn’t take much to remember the four days he and Alpha had spent together in Memphis. Words couldn’t describe how much he had enjoyed the trip, and it had nothing to do with him signing off on that business deal. It had everything to do with Alpha being in Memphis with him.

  He had finalized the contract early and had returned to the hotel room to find she’d gone shopping. He had paced the floor like an obsessed man, and the moment she had returned, he had swept her into his arms, making all her shopping bags go flying.

  He’d never known he could undress a woman so quickly. Within moments they were both naked and back in the bed again. Saturday, they had done a tour of the city, including Graceland and the hotel where Martin Luther King Jr. had lost his life.

  Then on Saturday night they had gone to Mack’s dinner party. She had looked fantastic, and he’d known she would wow everyone just like she’d wowed him. He’d actually regretted packing up and leaving Memphis yesterday.

  Drawing in a deep breath, he straightened and started the ignition. Now he’d done the unthinkable and invited her to share dinner with his family. He could just imagine what all of them would think when he arrived at McKay’s with Alpha on Wednesday night.

  He was beginning to act real crazy with her. That wasn’t a good thing.

  The best thing to do would be to put distance between them until the family dinner.

  * * *

  The last person Alpha expected to see when she opened her door later that evening was Riley. “Riley,” she said, moving aside to let him come in. “I was just about to grab something to eat. Do you want to join me?”

  “I’d love to.”

  She closed the door behind him. “You’re not going to ask what’s for dinner?”

  “Doesn’t matter. I came to see you. Dinner is an extra.”

  He’d come to see her, and she didn’t have to guess why. The man had a ferocious sexual appetite that was contagious. But she had no complaints. He’d unleashed something within her. She would admit that she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

  “And, if you’re in the mood, after dinner I thought we’d grab a movie.”

  She glanced over at him. “A movie?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’d love to but…”

  He raised a brow. “But what?”

  “I’ve already made plans for the evening.”

  “Oh,” he said, and she could tell by his expression that he was surprised. “I apologize. I should have called first.”

  “No reason for you to do that. I figured it was time for me to organize my junk room and planned to spend the evening doing just that.”

  “Your junk room?”

  She smiled. “Yes. Whenever I’m out and about and see anything that captures my interest, anything I feel just might work for a future party theme, I bring it home and stick it in my junk room. Needless to say, the room is pretty disorganized now.”

  He chuckled. “Need my help?”

  She was surprised by his offer. “You want to help?”

  “Yes.”

  She thought of all the other things he could be doing tonight. “Are you sure you want to do that?”

  “Positive. Besides, it’s the least I can do to thank you for inviting me to dine with you.”

  Alpha waved off his words with her hand. “No need to thank me. And if you’re sure about helping, then thanks. I can certainly use it. It’s been a while since I got things organized in that room, and I was determined that tonight would be when I started on it.”

  “Then count me in.”

  * * *

  “Every time I eat a meal you prepare, I’m impressed,” Riley said, leaning back in the chair as he used a napkin to wipe the corners of his mouth.

  “You’ve only eaten two meals prepared by me,” Alpha said, grinning.

  “Then I’ve been impressed twice.”

  She threw her head back and laughed. He loved the sound. It was rich, feminine and genuine. It didn’t matter at that moment that earlier that day he’d sworn to put distance between them. All it took was him being home alone with a deep craving to see her again. It was a craving that had him taking a shower, changing clothes and driving over to see her like a demented fool.

  They sat and talked about her plans for Megan’s wedding and then he helped her clear the table before assisting her in loading the dishes in the dishwasher. For no reason, other than he wanted to kiss her, he took her hand and pulled her to him. The feel of her hardened nipples pressing against his chest made him draw in a deep breath and fill his nostrils with her scent.

  “I need to kiss you,” he whispered against her lips before leaning in closer and claiming them. He maneuvered his arms around her waist to bring her closer to him. He enjoyed being inside her mouth, licking her from corner to corner, tasting her deeply as their tongues tangled passionately. And he definitely loved the sounds she made, those sensual moans of pleasure that made his mouth even hungrier for hers. He could lock lips with her for hours, days, weeks…well past six weeks.

  He broke off the kiss but continued to hold her in his arms while inwardly chastising himself for even thinking such a thing. He would admit it was a novelty to want a woman this much, but he would eventually get over it. However, he would be the first to admit she wasn’t making it easy. When she peered up at him, it was the most natural thing to brush his lips across hers.

  A number of other women had been eager to say or do whatever was needed in the hope that he would extend his six-week rule. It hadn’t happened. Yet he knew he would make Alpha the exception, if she was interested. But he had a feeling she wasn’t. Why did it bother him that she wasn’t interested in going beyond the six weeks like the others?

  “Hey, don’t think a few
kisses will get you out of helping me,” she said, placing her hands on his shoulders.

  Tempted, and giving in to it, he leaned down again to trace a kiss along the nape of her neck. “Let me assure you, I’m not trying to get out of anything. Although I’ll admit a few naughty thoughts have crossed my mind.”

  “There’s always later,” she whispered.

  He wondered if she knew how much that promise made his erection throb. He went back to her lips, loving the feel of how they quivered beneath his. “Actually, I was hoping…”

  She threw her head back. “Now, why doesn’t that surprise me?” She took a step back. “Come on and let’s tackle that room before we’re tempted to get into something else.”

  He followed her from the kitchen to where her bedrooms were located. She passed her sleeping quarters and opened the door of another room.

  He walked in behind her and glanced around. He’d seen junkier rooms, but her collection of items intrigued him. He walked across the room and picked up the For Sale sign and looked back at her. “Moving?”

  She shook her head and smiled. “No, I kept that because you never know when I might have a moving party for someone.”

  He nodded and picked up another item. “Boxing gloves?”

  She shrugged. “You never know when they might come in handy, as well, for one of my future events.”

  He picked up several other items, and she provided her reasons for grabbing them either from a store or a yard sale. “Okay, Ms. Blake. Tell me what we need to do to get this show on the road.”

  She rubbed her hands together as he rolled up his sleeves. “Okay. I’ve already named those huge plastic tubs over there by traditional party themes—birthday, wedding, anniversary, retirement and new baby. All we have to do is put them in the designated tub.”

  That sounded easy enough. “And if I’m not sure which one will fit?”

  “Then remember the name of my business, Imagine, and let your imagination go to work. If you’re still in doubt, then just drop it in the miscellaneous tub for me to sort through later.”