Jessica shook her head. “No, I never heard from her again. When she sent me here she didn’t leave any kind of contact information. I told my grandmother where we had been staying, but my mom had already moved out. I think she wanted to make a clean break and sever all ties to me and her mom so she disappeared. I haven’t tried to find her because I don’t think she wants to be found. I figured if she ever wanted to get in contact with me, then she knows where I am.”
“So you wouldn’t be opposed to having contact with her again?” he asked.
“I’m not saying that we will ever have a mother-daughter relationship. In reality, we never had that, but I wouldn’t turn her away before I gave her the opportunity to explain why she did the things she did. I would also like to tell her thank you for sending me here and giving me a chance at a life I deserved.”
Wow. His future wife was remarkable. He didn’t think he could be that forgiving, but she wanted to thank the woman. If he didn’t know she would run scared, he would drop to one knee now and ask her to marry him. He knew it was too soon, so he got up and cleared the table before his mouth got him into trouble. Jessica helped him clean, and they washed the dishes in silence. Once the kitchen was clean, she grabbed her jacket and purse and headed to the door.
“Thank you for dinner, Riley, it was great. I will have to return the favor.”
Her blush made him want to do a victory dance. She had basically asked him out again, and he didn’t plan on letting the opportunity slip by. “I think I will take you up on that offer. How about dinner tomorrow night?”
Jessica stared at him and chewed her bottom lip. He wasn’t sure what she was thinking, but she finally nodded. “Okay. Tomorrow night at seven.”
She turned to grab the door handle, but he stopped her. He had no plans of letting her leave without saying good-bye. He pulled her to him and sealed his lips over hers before she could say anything. Her lips were as soft as he imagined they would be, and he groaned at the sweet taste when he ran his tongue across her bottom lip. He kept pressure against her mouth and stroked the seam of her lips until Jessica finally sighed and relaxed. Riley took advantage of her sigh and slipped his tongue into her mouth. He stroked and caressed her tongue and mapped the inside of her mouth until she was whimpering and grinding her hips against his thigh.
Riley wasn’t sure when he had pressed his thigh between her legs, but he wasn’t going to complain if Jessica wasn’t. Instead he deepened the kiss and sucked on her tongue when she slipped it into his mouth. He moved his hands to her hips and pressed her harder into his leg. Her whimpers quickly turned into moans when he released her mouth and trailed tiny love bites down her neck. This caused her to move faster against him until she finally sunk her teeth into his shoulder as she shuddered, coming against his thigh. Riley smiled. He now knew that her neck was sensitive and seemed to have a line straight to her crotch. He planned on exploring the area thoroughly in the future because he had no doubt that they would be doing this again.
He gave Jessica time to catch her breath while he took the time to get the lead pipe in his pants under control. He was barely able to hold off his orgasm when she came on his thigh, but somehow he found the strength to hold back. He wanted to be inside her when he came for the first time, and tonight was too soon. He was a patient man and could wait a little longer now that he let his intentions be known. He hoped Jessica realized he had just declared her as his and he wasn’t letting her go. Riley felt the moment when reality hit. Jessica stiffened and tried to move away from him. He had no plans of letting her retreat like she always did so he placed a finger under her chin and lifted her face to his.
“Hey, no need to be embarrassed. Surely my following you all over town like a puppy has made you realize that I want you. I want to see where this goes between us.”
When Jessica tried to respond, he gave her a quick peck on the lips. “Don’t say anything just yet. Think about it and let me know at dinner tomorrow night.” He hoped he wasn’t making a mistake by giving her time to come up with excuses on why they couldn’t be together, but he would rather have a thought-out excuse than her just blurting out something at the moment. When Jessica didn’t try to say anything else, he took that as an agreement.
“Come on, let’s get you home. I will follow you in my car to make sure you get there since it is so late.” Riley walked her to her car and kissed her again before he shut her door. He went to his car and followed her down the drive.
The night had gone perfectly. He never expected Jessica to open up about her past the way she had, and he was flattered. He had a feeling that she didn’t tell too many people about her mom. She was a very private person. He knew now he was going to have to change his game plan up a little. At first, he planned to use his knowledge of her books to get her to open up to him. After reading her books, he knew that there was a sensual and adventurous side to her hidden behind her prim and proper, shy personality. Riley originally planned on bringing that side of her out. Now, after spending time with her, he had to rethink that decision. Based on her private nature, he had a feeling she didn’t tell anyone she was J. Red, and she wouldn’t appreciate him exploiting that knowledge. He just needed to continue to be patient and let her get used to him being around. Once she realized he wasn’t going anywhere and truly wanted her, she would open up to him.
Chapter 2
When Jessica arrived home from dinner with Riley, she was surprised to see a single long-stem red rose and a note on her doorstep. Riley had followed her home and was waiting out front in his car when she came out of the garage. She smiled as she picked the rose up and sniffed it. The man had moved pretty fast to put the rose and the note on her doorstep and get back in the car before she made it out of the garage. It was romantic though, and after the night she just had with him, she couldn’t remember being happier. She waved goodnight to Riley when she had the door unlocked and went inside. Once everything was locked tight, she went to her bedroom and found her journal. She wanted to document the night while it was still fresh in her mind because it had been wonderful.
It was strange that Cane suddenly became ill and had to lie down. Jessica was worried about her friend, but she couldn’t complain about being left to have dinner alone with Riley. It felt like she was on an actual date with him. He cooked dinner and served her. She still got tongue-tied around him, so he did most of the talking, but by the end of the meal, she had loosened up enough to tell him about her past. The only person that knew about her mom was her grandmother. Jessica hadn’t even told Cane about her, but for some reason she told Riley. She couldn’t figure out what made her tell him other than the fact that she wanted him to know the “real” her. She wanted him to know her on a personal level. His anger had startled her at first, but it felt good to know that he cared about her enough to get angry about her past.
She wrote all her confused thoughts down and ended by describing how Riley had kissed her in detail. That was the one moment about that night that she didn’t want to forget. The kiss was better than anything she could have imagined. She never expected him to kiss her, so she was caught off guard when he did. She was in complete shock at first, but then realized that by some crazy twist of fate, Riley Matthews was kissing her. Who knew when she would ever get the chance to kiss the man again? So she made the most of it and eagerly returned the kiss. The man made her toes curl, and in her book, that was better than chocolate. What had been the shocker of the night was her coming on his thigh. Jessica could feel her cheeks heating up just thinking about it. She had no idea what possessed her to rub herself against him like that. She had never been that loose before. All she knew was that when Riley kissed her, she had lost all ability to think. Evidently she lost her inhibition as well. She had to admit, though, that her loss of control led to one of the best orgasms of her life, and she wanted more. She was looking forward to her dinner date with him tomorrow night, but she was extremely nervous. Yeah, she had been on dates before, not many, but still,
this date was with the man of her dreams. I have an actual date with Riley Matthews. She wanted to squeal and jump around the room like a teenage girl.
Jessica finished her journal entry and then searched her drawer for scissors. She cut the stem off the rose and then pressed it between the pages of her book. She knew it was an old-fashioned way to save the flower, but it was something her grandmother taught her, and she wanted to keep it to remember the night. Satisfied, she put the journal away and dressed for bed. She looked over at the note, wanting to read it, but she made herself wait. It was sappy, but she wanted to prolong the suspense of reading the note because she didn’t want the night to end yet. When she couldn’t hold out any longer, she climbed in bed and reached for it. The note was handwritten on what appeared to be a piece of stationery and had her name on the outside. If there was a way to determine the difference between men’s and women’s handwriting, Jessica would have to say that the neat block lettering was definitely manly. Smiling, she unfolded the note and read it.
Jessica,
I could start by saying something like roses are red…but I won’t. The sad part is that I wouldn’t even know how to complete the poem. I am not a man of many words so I will just say that I am thinking of you and I hope this single rose will be a reminder to help you think of me, too.
Until I see you.
There was no name or signature, but there was only one person that it could be from. Jessica sighed. The simple note was very romantic, and she would definitely be remembering this night for a long time.
* * * *
He watched the window until the lights went off. She had received his gift and she looked pleased. He hoped she liked the note he left. He knew that his writing wasn’t up to her level, but it was from the heart, and he hoped she saw that. He hadn’t planned on revealing himself so soon, but things changed when he saw the dog that had started sniffing around her. Now the time had come for him to reveal himself to her. She would see that he was no longer fiction, but her fantasy come to life and no other man could compare. She would quickly forget about the loser trailing her around like a lost puppy. Why would she want to keep him when she could have the man that she wrote about in her books? Her writing brought him to life. He was the epitome of every word she put on paper, and she would see that. She would be so happy she had her dream guy that there would be no need for her to write again. Why write your fantasies when you had it standing right there?
He put the car in gear and drove out of town. It was too soon to reveal himself tonight. She wasn’t ready. He would give her a little more time while he assessed this new guy sniffing around her. If need be, he would have to let the guy know that she was his. If he had to get his point across by using force, well, then that was something he wasn’t opposed to. In fact, he really hoped force was necessary. It might be fun to beat pretty boy’s face in. Whistling along to the music, he drove out of town, making plans for the future for him and his little erotic romance author.
* * * *
Jessica woke up bright and early the next morning. Since it was Sunday, she didn’t have to open the library. That meant she could lounge in bed a little longer if she wanted. Unfortunately, nervous energy refused to allow her to do that. Tonight she was having dinner alone, in her house, with Riley. She felt like she was going to hyperventilate just thinking about it. What was she going to wear? Should she cook him dinner or order takeout? Would she be able to actually talk to him tonight or clam up as usual? Would there be more kissing like last night? Would things go far enough that she needed to shave her legs? All of these questions seemed to be running a marathon through her head.
Jessica was a “planner” and lists were her best friends. She never did things spur of the moment because it took her out of her comfort zone. She blamed her grandmother for that. The sweet woman was certainly a task master and a stickler for details, but Jessica had loved the woman fiercely. She never looked back the day she stepped into the house and learned what unconditional love was. It upset Jessica that she never knew what happened to her mom after that, but she couldn’t deny she was better off in her new home. Her grandmother was the town librarian, running the library from the two front rooms of her home. It was there that Jessica’s grandmother encouraged her love of books and pushed her to follow her dream in becoming a writer. At that point, writing had only been a hobby for Jessica. It became a way to escape the reality of her life when her mother sobbed uncontrollably for days at a time. She would write about what it would be like to be somewhere else, to have someone else’s life. When she moved to Pine Valley, her writing turned into hopes and dreams, and she had her grandmother to thank for that. She had taught Jessica to not dwell on the past, but to make her own future.
Lying there, she knew she would never get anything done other than give herself a migraine, so she got out of bed and found a legal pad and pen, determined to follow her grandmother’s advice even if it was for something as simple as planning a date. First off, she decided she would cook for Riley herself since he cooked for her the night before. She wasn’t a master chef, but she liked to think she wasn’t half bad in the kitchen. Next, she decided that she wouldn’t plan on a repeat of the kissing from the night before. If it happened, she wouldn’t be opposed to it, but she wouldn’t get her hopes up in case it didn’t in order to avoid disappointment.
It seemed being single had turned Jessica into a slob, judging by the layer of fur covering her legs. She decided that yes, she would have to shave her legs, not to mention her pits and other private areas. She put three stars and heavily underlined shave on her paper and moved on. As far as the question of what to wear, Jessica decided on comfort over fashion. Jeans and a thin sweater would have to do because she was not getting dressed up just to sit in her own kitchen. The last question gave her the most worry. What would they talk about? Jessica was surprised that she was able to open up and talk to him last night, but was that a fluke? Would she be able to do a repeat performance? She wondered if Riley would think she was crazy if she brought a few note cards with discussion topics on them to dinner. He would probably run screaming out the door after he pulled himself off the floor from laughing so hard. She grimaced at the vision in her head and quickly scratched note cards off her list. She would just have to wing it and hope for the best.
Feeling better now that she had a plan of action, Jessica went to the bathroom to get cleaned up before she started her day. There was no need to clean the house because she kept it spotless. Having the town library in your living room was a good cleaning incentive. The only thing Jessica needed to do was figure out what to cook and go grocery shopping. She decided to head to the grocery store and see if anything came to mind as she walked the aisles.
The good thing about living in a small town was the convenience of everything being so close together. She drove her car so that she could get all the groceries she planned to buy home, but Jessica could have easily walked anywhere in town. When she walked in the store, she was greeted by a young girl that worked behind the counter. Jessica tried to remember her name, something like Janice or Janet. She remembered the girl when the high school class came into the library to do research for their annual term paper, but she wasn’t good with names. She returned the greeting with just a wave since she wasn’t quite sure on the girl’s name and pushed her cart over to the meat department. She eventually decided on steak and baked potatoes after she saw the nice T-bones the butcher had just put in the window. What man didn’t love a good steak? She picked up everything she needed and at the last minute decided to add salad to the menu. When she made it to the front counter, Janice or Janet was standing with an envelope in her hand.
“I was just about to have this delivered to you, but since you’re here you saved me the trouble.”
Because the town was so small, the grocery store also held the post office and the bus station, so Jessica didn’t think anything of the letter that she was handed. She thanked the girl and pocketed the letter to
read later. She paid for everything and went home to start her meal.
Once Jessica had the meat marinating in the fridge and the potatoes wrapped in foil and ready to go in the oven, she had some time to kill. She decided to read the letter she got from the post office. She dug it out of her pocket and sat at the table. The envelope had her name in the same block lettering as the letter from last night. Jessica smiled and felt her heartbeat speed up a little as she pulled a small postcard out of the envelope. On the front of the postcard was a sunset beach scene. There was the silhouette of a man and woman holding hands with their backs to the camera as if nothing else existed in the world but the two of them as they watched the sun set. Jessica flipped the card over and smiled as she read the back. The only thing it said was:
A small glimpse of our future together.
See you soon.
Again, the card was not signed. It had to be from Riley, and it seemed that he was a very romantic man. He was quickly becoming her Prince Charming, and it was a little scary. There was a lot she didn’t know about him, but so far she liked what she saw. What did he mean by their future together? Did he actually want a relationship with her? She found it hard to believe that a man like Riley wanted a too-skinny, pale, redhead. She was boring and plain compared to other women that she had seen him date. Would he get bored or tired of her? Jessica decided she would take as much as he was willing to give while it lasted. If things ended between them, then she would have the memories to last her a lifetime.
Although it was only four in the afternoon and Riley wasn’t supposed to arrive until seven, Jessica decided to go ahead and start getting ready. She hoped that a relaxing bath would help take her mind off things. She went through her normal “de-stressing” ritual of a hot bubble bath with a hint of lavender in it to help her relax. After shaving, she then took the time to rub lotion on every inch of her body and paint her toenails. Jessica didn’t like fingernail polish on her fingers because she had a tendency to nibble on her nails while she was lost in thought, but on her toes she loved it. There was something about polish on her toes that made her feel sexy and the colors usually matched her mood. Today’s color was fire-engine red because nothing screamed confidence like the color red. Jessica felt that she desperately needed all the help she could get showing confidence on the outside because on the inside, she was shaking like a leaf and Riley hadn’t even arrived yet.
Innocent Secrets [Pine Valley 3] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 3
