Chapter 18
That weekend was right out of a dream come true for Riley.
When they weren’t in bed, they worked on the kitchen, boxing up the things collected over a lifetime of summers on the island.
Cups bearing the logos of Mario’s Pizzeria, Beachcomber Hotel dish towels, a package of napkins from the Oar bar that Nikki said someone must’ve stolen.
Underneath the counter, they unearthed a huge platter bearing the branding of the original Wayfarer.
“Whoa,” Riley said, holding it up. “Can we have this for the new place?”
“It’s all yours.”
“I want to do something cool with this, like make it the centerpiece of the new bar or something.”
“That’s a great idea.” Nikki tipped her head. “I think there might be a framed picture of the original building in the attic. I remember it from when I was a little kid and Jordan and I would play haunted house hide-and-seek up there.”
“Haunted house hide-and-seek sounds horrifying.”
Laughing, she said, “It was fun.”
At two o’clock Monday morning, the old house creaked as the wind continued to whip.
From what they’d heard earlier from Finn, the ferries were still shut down due to exceptionally high seas.
They were trapped, and there was nowhere in the world he’d rather be trapped than in Evelyn Hopper’s kitchen.
He wore only a pair of boxer briefs while Nikki bent over and gave him a flash of delectable ass when the shirt of his she wore rode up her back.
“Nice view,” he said, moving into position behind her and pinching her ass.
She let out a squeak of laughter and stood, holding another item from the Wayfarer, this one a pitcher with the logo etched onto the glass.
“Did you people blatantly steal from every establishment on the island, or does it just seem that way?” Riley asked, amused.
“I have no idea if my Gram is a closet kleptomaniac, but knowing her, she found this stuff at yard sales and added it to her collection. She loves a good yard sale.”
“Isn’t she somewhat well-off?”
“Uh-huh, and still loves a bargain more than anyone I’ve ever known. She shops for clothes at thrift stores and drives a used car. She’s super frugal and raised us to be, too. I followed her example while Jordan discovered a taste for the high life.”
“I think I’m going to like this Gram of yours.”
“I know she’s going to love you. She appreciated you fixing the roof last fall.” She handed him the pitcher. “Take this to the new Wayfarer and use it with our blessing.”
“I’ll do that.” He kissed her. “Thank you.”
“I’m starving. Are you hungry?”
“I could eat.”
She opened the fridge and freezer to examine their options while he examined her toned, tanned legs under the T-shirt that just barely covered her spectacular ass. She turned to consult with him and caught him looking.
Riley offered a sheepish smile. “Sorry. Just enjoying the view.”
When she returned his smile, the hint of shyness coming from her invoked fierce feelings of protectiveness.
It occurred to him, standing in her grandmother’s kitchen in his underwear, that he would go to war to keep her from ever being hurt again.
He had never experienced anything remotely similar to the feelings she aroused in him.
He was in love with her.
Perhaps he had been since that first day last fall when she’d met him at the door, arms wrapped protectively around herself, as if that could somehow keep danger away.
“Riley?” She tipped her head and gave him a perplexed look. “What’s wrong?”
Clearing his throat, he said, “Nothing.” He couldn’t very well blurt that he loved her out of nowhere.
There was a time and a place for such pronouncements, and the middle of the night in her grandmother’s kitchen hardly seemed like the right place.
All at once, he felt the way he often did on the ferries, when the deck seemed to move beneath his feet, tipping him off balance and sending him scurrying to find something to hold on to.
The counter behind him lent the sturdy support he suddenly needed.
“How do you feel about frozen pizza?” she asked.
“Is it plain cheese?”
“Would I offer you a pizza with gaggers on it?”
“I would certainly hope not.”
“I know better by now.”
While the pizza cooked, he helped her box up two more cabinets full of mismatched cups and bowls and kitchen junk.
She’d decided to go through it all after the renovation rather than before so it wouldn’t take forever to prepare.
In the meantime, she’d been texting with Sydney about ideas and plans.
Being snowbound had given Sydney time to dive into the design of the new kitchen, and Nikki’s excitement over the initial plans had been contagious.
Riley couldn’t wait to start the job and to help make her vision a reality.
They ate the pizza sitting on stools at the large kitchen island, a bottle of red wine sitting on the counter between them.
“What do you think about remodeling the island rather than getting a new one?” she asked, a spot of sauce decorating her bottom lip.
Grinning at her enthusiasm for the pizza as well as the project, Riley dabbed at the sauce with a napkin. “How do you mean?”
“What if we resurfaced the bottom with bead board and topped it with the same thing we use on the countertops?”
Currently, the island boasted a laminate surface that differed from the tile on the countertops.
Riley bent to take a closer look at the island, which had drawers on the front side. “I think we could do that. Would you paint the drawers to match the white cabinets?”
“That’s what I’m thinking—or what if we painted the island an accent color? Maybe a cool blue?”
As Riley pretended to give that deep thought, he rubbed at the stubble on his chin. “You’re very daring.”
Nikki rolled her eyes. “That hardly counts as daring. You need to watch more HGTV.”
“No, I really don’t,” he said, laughing. “I live HGTV every day at work.”
She frowned as she glanced down at her plate. “It’s okay if you don’t want to deal with me and my kitchen after a long day at work. It’s really too much to ask of anyone who works as hard as you do.”
Pushing his plate aside, he said, “Come here.”
“I’m right here.”
He crooked his finger. “Closer.”
Seeming perplexed, she stood and took the two steps that closed the distance between them.
Riley drew her in between his legs and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair and breathing in the refreshing scent that was permanently etched upon his soul after this weekend.
“I want nothing more than to deal with you and your kitchen, and PS, it’s not too much to ask. I’m looking forward to it.”
“It’s okay to tell me if you change your mind.”
“Not going to change my mind,” he said, drawing her into a kiss that made his head spin.
Would it always be like that with her? Would every kiss be somehow more than he’d ever imagined possible?
As he kissed her, he ran his hands over her back and down to cup her ass under the hem of his shirt before lifting her onto his lap.
“Riley!” She broke the kiss, gasping. “We’re going to break the stool.”
“No, we’re not.” He tried to resume the kiss, but she turned her face.
“Yes, we are. They’re as old as the house.”
Without actively making a plan, Riley stood and lowered her to the floor, making sure she made a gentle landing as he came down on top of her. “Better?”
Looking up at him with big eyes full of emotion, she nodded.
“We have to maintain some semblance of control here,” he whispered, kissing her neck and rolling her earlobe between his teeth. “We’re out of condoms.”
“I’m safe if you are.”
Her words hit him like a punch to the gut, sucking all the air out of him in one big whoosh. “Are you saying…”
“We don’t need condoms?” Her saucy reply and the expression to match were his undoing.
“Holy Christ. Hang on to your hat. Things are about to get crazy.”
She was still laughing when he kissed her with the kind of ravenous hunger he hadn’t known he had in him until her, until she made him want her in a way that had him thinking of white picket fences and forever.
Whatever it took to keep her and the feelings that came with her in his life permanently.
A short time ago, thoughts like those would’ve terrified him and had him running for his life from the threat of being tied down, of being beholden to someone other than himself.
But the idea of being tied down by her or beholden to her didn’t scare him at all.
Rather, it filled him with a kind of ebullient joy that made him feel like he could climb mountains and scale tall buildings.
It made him confident that he could do anything he set his mind to, as long as she was in his life, his bed and his heart.
The only thing standing between them was the thin cotton of his boxer briefs, but she quickly dispatched them and wrapped her hot hand around his cock, stroking him until he was forced to bite his own lip—hard—to keep from exploding in her hand.
Words like desire and passion had never meant much to him until she showed him the true meaning of both words.
Desire whipped through him, making every part of him aware of her and the craving need she inspired in him.
And when she guided him into her body with nothing between them, he staggered from the punch of emotion and the sheer pleasure that had his arms giving out, bringing him down on top of her without a thought as to whether she could withstand his weight.
She more than withstood it, wrapping her arms and legs around him and making him feel welcome, more at home with her than he’d ever been anywhere.
“Nik,” he whispered. “This is…” God, she’d turned him into a stammering fool.
“Mmm, for me, too.” She soothed him with her fingers in his hair, her hand on his back and the lift of her hips as he moved in her.