Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Brooke woke with a strong arm draped over her, and the warmth of a man’s body spooned against her from behind.
Riley.
She smiled, still sleepy, and let out a yawn. Then the memories of last night flared, vivid in her mind, and Brooke’s eyes shot open.
She’d seduced him. Bold as day, she’d stripped off her clothes and taken him to bed like she did it all the time.
And God, it felt good.
“Morning, sunshine.” Riley stretched, a smile on his face. He reached up and lazily pushed her hair from her face. “Sleep well?”
“I did.” Brooke realized the sun was already high outside the windows. “Wait, what time is it?”
Riley yawned. “Nearly seven, I think.”
She brightened at the realization. “That means I got a whole six hours!”
He chuckled. “Good thing I wore you out then.”
“A very good thing.” Brooke smiled. No wonder she’d slept straight through, she could barely move from all their athletics the night before.
It turned out, the cure for insomnia was a night of great sex.
“C’mere.” Riley tugged her gently back into his arms and kissed her, slow and steady, warm as the sun pooling on her bare skin.
Brooke sighed against him, melting back into the pillows. This was definitely the best way to wake up.
Riley’s hands slid over her, bringing her body to life in a crackle of heat. The kiss turned deeper, Brooke pressing up against him to?—
Her stomach made a growling noise, echoing through the room. Riley smirked. “Hungry?”
“It can wait,” Brooke said, tugging him back to her. There were more important things to focus on, like the muscular planes of his shoulders beneath her fingertips, and the way his breath hitched as her touch roamed lower.
Then her stomach made another rumble, and Riley laughed. “I can take a hint,” he said, hopping out of bed.
Brooke was momentarily distracted by the sight of him: all lean muscle and tanned skin. She’d nicknamed him Adonis before she even knew his name, and she was right. He could have put Rodin’s statues to shame.
Riley glanced over and caught her staring. “Like what you see?” he teased, and she laughed, blushing.
“You know I do.”
Riley looked at her hotly. “You should put some clothes on, before I ravish you. Breakfast be damned.”
It was tempting, but Brooke was running on fumes, and ravishing would be far more fun with some fuel. “Hold that thought then,” she said, and reached for her robe.
She went to the bathroom and started the shower running. “I don’t have to be in work until nine,” she called. “We could go get breakfast somewhere?”
“Sure, sounds good,” Riley’s reply came. She stripped off and stepped under the hot water, enjoying the drum against her tired skin.
A moment later, the door opened behind her, and a pair of strong hands slid around her waist. “Room for one more?” Riley murmured in her ear, and Brooke shivered, wet, and naked, and already wanting him all over again.
“Always.” She twisted to face him, and taste that gorgeous kiss.
Breakfast could wait.
The water was running cold by the time they finally emerged from the shower, and Brooke had never been so satisfied—or hungry.
“Carbs,” she gasped dramatically, as she drove into to Sweetbriar Cove. “I need carbs!”
“Aww, poor baby.” Riley lifted one hand to his lips. “Remind me to travel with snacks. And a few other supplies.” He winked.
Brooke smiled. She wasn’t going to argue with that.
“What time do you get off tonight?” she asked, turning off the highway towards the bakery.
“That depends, what time are you coming over?” Riley quipped, giving her a grin, and Brooke laughed.
“I’m meeting with the bride-to-be to go over some of the options, so it’s going to be a long day for me.”
“That’s OK,” Riley said. “Call, text, show up naked at the boat whenever you like… I’m not fussy.”
Brooke grinned. “So I’ve got options, then?”
“Absolutely,” he said. “I support your choices. Like if you choose to wear more of that lingerie . . .”
She felt a glow of triumph. So, the new set had worked its magic then? She would have to thank Eliza’s sister sometime.
They reached the bakery, and Brooke pulled up outside. It was still early, but the place was bustling, and the scent of vanilla and sugar made her mouth water.
“Brooke!” She was greeted the moment she stepped through the door. Poppy, Summer, and Mackenzie were sitting at a table by the window with a spread of delicious-looking pastries and coffee between them.
“I was meaning to call you,” Poppy said. “We’re having a big barbecue, and we’d love you to come.”
“That sounds great,” Brooke said. “I’ll be there.”
“Be where?” Riley stepped inside just behind her.
There was a pause. Three sets of eyes looked back and forth between them with delighted smiles.
“Riley.” Summer smirked. “You’re up early.”
“The early bird catches the sticky buns,” he said, nonchalant.
He rested a hand on the small of Brooke’s back, and she flushed.
They couldn’t have been more obvious if Brooke had run through the Sweetbriar town square yelling, “We had epic sex last night!” but she forced herself to stay cool.
She was a grown woman, she could have wild affairs and still show her face in town the next morning.
“Well, you’re in the right place,” Summer said, getting to her feet. “I’m trying out a new recipe, with hazelnut spread. Why don’t you guys join us?”
“Sorry,” Brooke said. “I have to get to work.”
“Another time,” Riley agreed. She caught his eye, and he gave her an apologetic smile. Once they were outside again, armed with bags full of pastries, he gave her a kiss.
“Sorry, small town. It’s hard to stay under the radar.”
“I’m beginning to see that.” Brooke checked her watch and sighed. “I really need to get going. Lila’s bringing her mother-in-law-to-be, so everything needs to be perfect.”
“Lila?” Riley’s eyebrows shot up. “Wait, VIP . . . Hollywood . . .” He started joining the dots. “Is it?—?”
“Shh!” Brooke clapped her hand over his mouth before he could say another word. “Forget I just said that. You don’t know anything!”
Riley laughed, kissing her palm before ducking away.
“You get to your top-secret wedding planning, that absolutely doesn’t involve Lila Moore,” he winked. “I’ll be expecting you later. Clothing optional.”
Brooke kissed him one last time before getting in the car. As she drove away, she was already thinking about tonight, and what kind of sexy adventures lay in store. After all, she had that lingerie set in peach, too . . .
She smiled, loving the lightness in her chest, and how her blood seemed to sing with anticipation.
It felt good, being with him like this: simple, uncomplicated, and full of pleasure.
After all the dark emotion of the past year, it was a relief to just feel happy for once, without the looming specter of guilt and shame.
There was nothing to be ashamed about with Riley. He seemed to know everything she needed—and exactly how to give it to her. He was the perfect fling. And maybe even . . .
Nope.
Brooke stopped that thought before it could even form.
She shouldn’t get carried away on her tide of endorphins.
Riley had been clear from the start about what he was looking for, and commitment was nowhere on the list. And, more importantly, she was in no state to open up her heart again.
Just the thought of baring herself to someone—trusting them, putting everything on the line again—made her heart clench with fear.
No, she should just enjoy this for what it was:
The perfect rebound.
Riley strolled the long way back to the harbor, feeling pretty damn good about the world. A night in bed with a beautiful woman, and a morning with her in the shower, too. Throw in a couple of fresh pastries, and life couldn’t get much better than this.
“And where have you been?”
Riley’s good mood disappeared at the sight of the man lounging on the deck of his boat. “Max,” he sighed. “To what do I owe this unwelcome visit?”
Max grinned from under his shock of dark hair. “Is that any way to greet your favorite brother?”
“You’re my only brother.” Riley hopped up onto the deck.
“Exactly.”
Riley tossed Max a pastry and took a seat, kicking back on a lawn chair with a view of the harbor. “So, this is where you’ve been hiding.” Max looked around. “Not too shabby.”
“It’s a quiet life,” Riley agreed. “Emphasis on quiet.”
“Which is why you didn’t come home last night?” Max quirked an eyebrow, and Riley was reminded of growing up with his younger sibling interrogating him at every turn—which was probably how he wound up such an all-star litigator.
“Sorry I wasn’t here to meet you.” Riley dodged the question. “If you’d given me some warning, I could have rolled out the red carpet for you. Thrown a parade.”
“Or pulled up anchor and sailed off into the great blue yonder,” Max said, giving him a knowing look.
“That too.”
“Well, since you’ve ignored my emails, calls, and certified mail delivery, I figured I should come bring you these in person.
” Max reached down and pulled a thick sheaf of documents from his battered leather duffel bag.
Riley didn’t need to look to know what they were: his settlement with Tate, and the final nail in the whole unfortunate coffin.
“If you’ll just sign them right now, I can be on my way back to the airport. ”
Riley groaned. “Come on, man. It’s too early for this.”
“Actually, it’s about six months too late.” Max stubbornly held out the settlement papers. Riley stubbornly refused to take them.
Max sighed. “I don’t know why you’re hanging on to this. Don’t you want to just put it all behind you and move on?”
Riley shook his head. “The minute I sign those papers, Tate gets what he wanted.”
“He wanted the whole company,” Max pointed out. “This only gives him half.”
“Which is still a hell of a lot more than he deserves.” Riley scowled, hating himself for being so petty—and hating Max for interrupting his good mood.
“So what, you’re going to cling on to a dead partnership out of spite?” Max asked.
Riley shrugged. “Maybe.”
Max set the file down on the deck. “I don’t understand you,” he said, shaking his head. “You could sell him your share and be even richer than you are right now. Hell, you’ve got other companies who are begging to take it off your hands. And instead, you’re sitting on it.”
Riley allowed himself a smile. “That’s the thing about intellectual property,” he said. “He can’t do a damn thing with our software unless I agree.”
“And you can’t either,” Max pointed out.
“Look around,” Riley gestured. “Do I need next-gen streaming apps out here?”
Max sighed. “You always were a stubborn S.O.B.”
“And you always were an irritating brat,” Riley said good-naturedly. “Now come on, I need to open the pub. Since you’re here, you can make yourself useful and pour a few pints.”
“And then you’ll tell me about your new girlfriend?” Max asked.
Riley opened his mouth to argue that he didn’t have a girlfriend, then stopped.
“I knew it!” Max exclaimed. “Don’t tell me you’re finally settling down, after all these years. Mom will love this. Maybe she’ll finally get off my case. She figured I was the only hope for grandchildren,” he added. “Now she can get back to bugging you.”
Riley sighed. “I’m not settling down, or having kids. I’m just . . . seeing someone.” He finally landed on the words.
“Seeing her naked, exclusively?”
Riley paused. They hadn’t said anything about exclusive, but Brooke couldn’t be dating anyone else, could she?
He felt a surge of jealousy that took him by surprise. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “We haven’t put a label on anything. It’s still early days.”
“You better lock that down quick,” Max warned him, looking amused. “Before someone else does.”
Riley shook his head, “It’s not like that. We’re just having fun.”
“Sure, that goofy look on your face is just fun.” Max laughed. “When do I get to meet her?”
“You don’t.”
“Come on, I’m family,” Max argued. “She’ll love me. And maybe she can tell you to sign the damn papers.”
“You leave Brooke out of this,” Riley glared. But Max just grinned wider.
“Brooke, huh? That’s a nice name. Mom will be so happy.”
Riley groaned. “Please don’t say anything to Mom, not just yet.”
“That depends . . .” Max kicked the papers closer.
“Anyone ever tell you how damn annoying you are?” Riley grumbled.
Max chuckled. “All the time. Usually right before I send them to jail.”
Riley sighed. Something told him he wouldn’t be getting his usual relaxing morning coffee today. “I’ll just go change. Then you can earn your keep.”
“Sure thing.” Max rose and grabbed the file. “I’ll just bring these along, in case you change your mind.”
“Don’t hold your breath.”
“I missed you too, bro.”
Riley shook his head, going below deck to change out of last night’s clothes.
Max didn’t know when to quit nagging, but maybe he had a point about Brooke.
Riley wasn’t sure she even had time to be seeing anyone else, but even the possibility made him tense.
He didn’t want to be with anyone else, and he sure as hell didn’t want Brooke out on any romantic dates with some other guy.
Talking to him . . . laughing with him . . . kissing him.
He scowled. He didn’t know where they stood, but he knew he wanted it to be something.
Something real?
He paused. Was he ready for that? Finally trusting someone again. Starting over, and putting his heart on the line. Making room on the bathroom vanity for an extra toothbrush, even.
Riley looked around the cramped cabin, and for the first time, he wondered just how much longer he could keep this up.
Hiding out here, pretending like the rest of the world didn’t exist. If he was brutally honest, he’d been in limbo ever since the lawsuit, and while Sweetbriar Cove made a damn fine escape, all the festivities and small-town charm in the world couldn’t keep real life at bay forever.
Sooner or later, he was going to have to decide what he wanted out of life. And for now, there was only one thing he could think of that might be on the list.
Brooke.