Chapter Eight
Letty felt like every eye was on them when they entered the party. She wasn’t far wrong, either. She wasn’t sure if it was because she didn’t normally bring a date to this sort of thing or because Riley didn’t. Either way she felt as if they were the center of attention and she didn’t care for it.
People would have to get used to it. Unless something went wrong right away and their fling never even reached fling status.
There were a lot of people at the party.
Probably half the town. Of course, the Gallagher clan was large with all five of them married now.
None of the kids were present, but she figured they’d stashed all of them at one of the siblings’ houses for the evening.
Riley had left to get them drinks, leaving her talking to Mia Gallagher, Wyatt’s wife. Mia was called away and just as she was debating finding Riley, a woman stopped her.
“Letty, is it true you’re dating Riley Fletcher?” Rebecca Wiley asked.
One of Riley’s exes. Letty knew her, but not well. Before she could answer, Riley arrived with her drink.
“Hi, Rebecca.”
She grasped his arm and quite literally gushed. “Riley, I’m having a get-together Sunday night. Just a few close friends. I’d love for you to come.”
He somehow managed to get out of her grasp. “Thanks, but Letty and I have plans.”
Clearly that didn’t please her, but she left shortly after that. Letty took a sip of wine and said, “Do we have plans for Sunday night? I wasn’t aware of it.”
“I wanted to take you to the light festival. And I didn’t want to go to another party. At least, not hers.”
“I have a feeling she didn’t want me there, just you.”
“Maybe but I don’t want to go.” Riley led her away, to a quiet corner of another room. “We haven’t talked about it but I’m not planning on dating anyone else.”
“We’ve only had one date. You’re free to go out with whoever you want.” She hoped it wasn’t Rebecca. Actually, she preferred it wouldn’t be anybody.
“Two dates and I don’t want to see anyone else.”
“Neither do I.”
He smiled, took her glass and set it down beside his. Putting his arms around her, he tugged her close. His eyes were the blue of a Montana sky and right now they were looking at her with a purpose. He kissed her.
The moment their lips met she forgot where they were. She kissed him back, tongues tangling as he swept her mouth with his, her breasts smashed up against him and still she wanted to be closer.
Someone cleared their throat loudly.
Letty moved away from Riley and saw that it was Val who’d interrupted them. Probably a good thing since a party wasn’t the place to do what they’d seemed headed toward doing.
“Go away, Val,” Riley said.
She didn’t. She stood looking at the two of them with a knowing smile on her face.
*
“I’m going to the restroom while you talk to Val, Riley.”
“Chicken,” Val muttered as she left. Turning to him she said, “So, you and Letty, huh?”
Riley was watching Letty walk away, so he didn’t immediately answer.
“Riley?”
“Obviously.”
“It’s not so obvious. After talking to Letty, I knew you two were headed that way, but I hadn’t realized it would be so soon.”
“I’ve been thinking about her for a while now. Getting her to agree to date me wasn’t easy.”
“That’s not surprising. She doesn’t exactly trust men, although I’d have thought she’d be okay with you.”
“You’d think.”
“I’ve been worried about Letty for a long time. I’m so glad she’s finally found a decent guy she can be with.”
“Thanks.” He asked his sister the question that had been bothering him from the first. “She said she’d only date me if I don’t plan to get serious. Do you know what that’s about? Is it the cowboy?”
“Him? I don’t think so. That was a long time ago and he was a jerk.”
“Something happened to make her that way. Maybe it soured her on cowboys.”
“True. I think it did. But she knows you. She doesn’t think of you as just any cowboy.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I know Letty. What’s going on? You’re acting like…Riley! Are you in love with Letty?”
“Say it a little louder, Val. I don’t think the entire party heard you.”
“No one else is around. Answer me. Are you?”
“It’s too soon for that.” But he was afraid he was falling. And if he couldn’t convince Letty that she wanted more as much as he did, that was going to be hell.
“That makes me so happy. You two are perfect for each other. I don’t know what took you so long to see it.”
He picked up his beer from the table and took a long sip. “Don’t get too excited.”
“Why? What’s the problem?”
“She only wants a fling.”
“Well, change her mind.”
Letty returned and said, “What are you two talking about?”
“Nothing,” Val said. “I need to go see what happened to Liam. Something tells me he’ll be at the food table. See you later.”
“You were talking about us, weren’t you?” she asked after Val left.
Riley shrugged. “You know Val.”
“I do. And she’s probably jumping to all the wrong conclusions.”
Probably. It was too bad those conclusions were the ones he wanted to jump to as well.
“Do you think so?” He put his arms around her and pulled her close.
“Riley, what are you doing?”
“Kissing you,” he said, and did so.
He felt her sigh and then her arms came around his neck and she kissed him back. “You’re dangerous,” she said.
“You’re one to talk.”
“I’m ready to go. Are you?”
He smiled. “You read my mind.”
*
Letty had asked Riley to come in after he drove her home. So here he was sitting on her couch, and she didn’t know what to do with him. Contrary to what he probably thought, considering he’d found her at Grey’s ready to go off with a man she barely knew, that wasn’t her normal MO.
She’d had a one-night stand before. Only one, but it had been a number of years ago and maybe not so strangely, she’d almost had another on the anniversary of the same day.
The day her parents died. It had turned out to be a disaster, so you’d have thought she’d learned her lesson.
She should probably thank Riley for stopping her from making another mistake.
“I don’t know how to say this other than to just say it. I’m not going to sleep with you tonight.”
He smiled and reached out to flip her earring. “You didn’t need to tell me that. It’s kind of obvious.”
“I’m not as easy as you probably think considering what happened before Thanksgiving.” Not to mention the past few times he’d kissed her she hadn’t exactly protested. No, she’d kissed him back. Enthusiastically.
“You don’t owe me an explanation and I don’t think you’re easy.”
“I was upset and looking for a way to forget.”
“I know. But I’d been thinking about you for months and when I saw you with Davis I couldn’t stand it.”
“You probably saved me from a disaster.”
“I’m glad but why is that? You were sure mad that night.”
She shrugged. “I’d been drinking so I wasn’t at my most rational. Besides, you were a jerk about it.”
“Guilty.”
“Anyway, I had a one-night stand years ago on the same date, for the same reason.”
“Not a success, I take it.”
She snorted a laugh. “Epic disaster is more like it. Nothing even happened. I flipped out once we got to his apartment. I had a meltdown and couldn’t stop crying. It was just a few years after I lost my parents. He wasn’t happy with me, to say the least.”
“He didn’t—”
She shook her head. “No, nothing like that. He just took me home and never called me again. I felt like such a fool. I should have known I wasn’t ready.”
“Were you a virgin?”
“No, but I wasn’t very experienced.”
“I’m sorry. It sounds awful. Why did you think it would be different the next time?”
“For one thing, that happened years ago. I thought because they died a long time ago I’d be better able to handle it. I can’t forget obviously, which was why I was tempted to see if it helped. But I didn’t think I’d break down like I did that first time.”
“I don’t think you ever forget something as traumatic as losing your parents. You simply learn to deal with it.” He put his arm around her and hugged her. “Letty?”
She turned her head to look at him. Their mouths were inches apart. She wanted to kiss him. When they were somewhere they wouldn’t be interrupted. When she could relax and simply go with the flow. It would be a mistake though. She wasn’t ready.
You’d think she would be. Riley, the man she’d never forgotten even if she had moved on, wanted her. And she had to admit she wanted him.
“If and when we make love,” Riley said, “it won’t be because you want to forget.”