Reconsidering Riley (32 page)

Tonight, he would give all he could to her.
Because tomorrow...well, tomorrow didn't exist for them. Tonight
was everything.

Jayne fell backward onto the bed, laughing
as Riley carried her down. The plush comforter pouffed around her.
Her long wet hair (shampooed at last!) puddled beneath her head and
shoulders. Her damp skin prickled with goose bumps as the air
stirred by their movements washed over her naked body.

She felt no embarrassment at her nudity, no
shyness or self-consciousness. Because she was with Riley. She'd
always been comfortable with him. With him, she felt beautiful.
Desirable. From the moment he'd unveiled his Mister Bubble-y
surprise, being with him had felt right...just like old times.

"Hold still," Riley instructed huskily. "I'm
not done with you yet."

Naked too, he wielded a towel. Grinning, he
wedged his knee between her thighs for balance, then dexterously
dried her hair. He smoothed every strand, touched her face tenderly
with his hands, cradled her close for a kiss like all the others
they'd shared. Passionate. Skillful. Loving.

Through it all, he was fully aroused, and
the restraint he practiced drove her wild. What other man would
have ignored an erection hard enough to hit a home run with, just
for the sake of making sure her hair was untangled? What other man,
except Riley, would have even understood her well enough to
try?

Heedless of her unstyled tresses, Jayne
writhed as he patted a terrycloth path down her body. He took his
time, diligently absorbing every errant drop of water, every
gleaming trace of soapsuds. She watched his face as he cared for
her. His expression was intent, his eyes dark with desire and
appreciation. His beard stubble had begun its nightly appearance,
and its shadow lent his features a ruggedness and masculinity she
loved.

Jayne ran her hand along his jaw, enjoying
the faint prickly texture beneath her palm. She trailed her fingers
lower, to his wide shoulders and chest. Apparently, adventure
travel guiding provided a fierce workout, because Riley's body was
formed of the lean, solid muscle only real labor could endow. His
chest and arms were perfect, his abdominals and thighs powerfully
carved...exactly as she'd remembered. Possibly even better.

Giddy with the joy of being with him again,
Jayne dipped her thumbs into the sexy hollow just below the tattoo
at his hipbones, then lower in a teasing stroke. She admired Riley
as he moved, taking in every dreamed-of inch of him. This night was
hers
, a reward for her bravery, a bonus for curing her own
broken heart. Now that she was safe from falling for Riley, she
meant to savor every single minute of time with him.

She'd earned it, hadn't she? And if she
happened to wish for more, for a future together? Well, she
wouldn't
, and that was that. She'd reformed, Jayne assured
herself. No matter how her feelings urged her to give herself to
Riley, her body understood this was only one night. Tomorrow didn't
exist for them.

Satisfied with that for now, Jayne arched
beneath Riley's crouched body and tugged him to her for a kiss. She
lost herself in the meeting of their mouths, in the heat of their
bodies coming together. Her skin burned. Pleasure wended its way
through her middle, leaving her limbs heavy and her thoughts
muddled. Riley kissed like a man who'd decided to claim his woman,
and for this one glorious night, Jayne luxuriated in being that
woman. In his arms, she felt safe and warm and
wanted
. For
now, nothing else was necessary.

His breathing quickening, Riley rolled them
over so that Jayne straddled him. His gaze touched her face,
lowered to her breasts, lingered. His hands followed suit.

Closing her eyes, she threw back her head
and moaned as he cupped her, stroked her, lightly teased her. He
thumbed her rigid nipples and she shivered...he levered upward with
her in his lap to kiss her breasts and she cried out loud with
pleasure. This,
this
was what she needed. Riley's hands on
her body, his lips on her skin...his husky murmurs of enjoyment in
her ears.

His arms cradled her waist, keeping her
upright. That hottest, hardest part of him nudged between her
thighs, and her slick heat welcomed him. He felt huge and ready and
gratifyingly aroused, and it was all Jayne could do not to nudge
herself the slightest fraction to the right and...

"Whoa," Riley breathed. "Not yet. There's
more of you still needing attention."

She protested as he turned them yet again,
this time so that Jayne lay on her belly against the soft
comforter. With tender kisses and whispered promises, Riley made
sure she would agree with the leisurely pace he apparently meant to
set. He kissed from the back of her neck downward, tickled the
undersides of her knees, and emerged from a foray to the back of
her thigh with a rose petal clenched between his teeth.

"Not as soft as your skin," he announced as
he plucked it out. He let the flower remnant drift to the floor.
"Not as tasty, either."

"How can you be sure?" She turned over,
reaching for him. "You haven't tasted all of me yet."

"Easily remedied."

With that hoarsely voiced promise, Riley
eased down the bed. He smiled wickedly, and parted her thighs.
Moments later, Jayne found herself desperately holding his head as
he delivered a
very
intimate kiss. Her whole focus narrowed
to the thick strands of hair in her fingers, the delicate rasp of
his tongue, the heat of his breath against her most sensitive
places. With an expertise both reverent and wonderfully wild, Riley
loved her with his mouth and hands and murmured encouragement until
Jayne couldn't stand any more. She came unraveled, clutching the
comforter for support, trembling and moaning and begging. Her
orgasm swept powerfully over her, and when she finally dared to
open her eyes again, it was to see Riley...grinning.

She arched a brow. Truthfully, it was the
largest part of her still capable of movement. "You look proud of
yourself."

"And
you
look amazing." He crawled up
her body, pulled her into his arms. "I love making love to
you."

"Spoken like a man who thinks he's
finished."

"Not by a long shot. I'm keeping you here
all night."

"Then I'd say it's my turn."

Rediscovering her energy, Jayne rose and
pushed on his chest. He fell backward willingly, bringing her with
him for a kiss. She let her hands rove lower, let her fingers
rediscover the tautness of his middle...the silken steeliness of
his penis. She stroked him with her palm, feeling a rush of
feminine power at her ability to arouse him. Riley moaned and
lifted his hips at her touch, his eyes bright as he watched
her.

"I...like...your...turn," he said.

"You'll like this even more," she promised,
and gave him an intimate kiss of her own. She trailed her lips down
the length of him and back again, offering a tongue-swirling
embellishment at the end. "You taste like Mister Bubble. And
roses."

"You talk like a woman who
isn't
driving me wild. Please, Jayne. Please, don't stop."

She didn't. Instead, she loved him as
thoroughly and as well as she could—and if affectionate enthusiasm
counted for anything at all, Jayne decided, then she was definitely
the best he'd ever had. Her theory was proved when he groaned and
urged her upward again.

"Please, you have to stop," Riley said.

She paused. Licked. Paused again. "Gee, make
up your mind."

Her suggestion seemed to stump him. "Mind? I
still have a mind?" He rumbled with wholly masculine pleasure as
she circled him with kisses. "I think it's broken."

"It's otherwise occupied."

Thoroughly enjoying herself, Jayne did her
best to torment him. She knew he intended to make love to her, and
she wanted that, too. But for now...

"Hey!"

Riley grabbed her and spun. He panted,
possibly from the exertion of having executed yet another
Kama-Sutra-style move. Jayne found herself sprawled beneath his
big, strong body...and fascinated by his big, wide smile.

"
My turn
," he said.

She pretended to acquiesce, and fluttered a
hand. "Oh, all right. Have your wicked way with me."

"I intend to."

He did. Long moments swept past, during
which Riley did love her, meticulously and well. He touched her
with a care that warmed her heart, and when she looked at him, she
saw something unexpectedly serious in his expression. Although he
purposefully kept their lovemaking playful, Jayne glimpsed
something new in his eyes. As he touched her, the poignancy in his
face stirred her in ways she'd never experienced.

This went beyond a casual encounter, Jayne
realized all at once. And she couldn't deny it any longer.

She couldn't deny it as Riley held her hips
in his hands, gazing at her with wonderment. She couldn't deny it
as he entered her, and the pleasure of being reunited with him
soared through her. She couldn't,
couldn't
deny it as he
began a tender dance of slide and retreat, thrust and kiss, shudder
and moan. She loved him...both seriously and endlessly. She always
had, and there was no doubt now that she always would.

Losing herself to their joining, Jayne held
Riley to her. She loved him, loved him...but he only made love to
her. He did it remarkably, it was true, but now she wanted more.
More of him. More of them. More of the things she could never
have.

She couldn't date like a man. She couldn't.
No matter how hard she tried. She could only love like a
woman—something she wished she'd realized before now.

A tear squeezed from the corner of her eye
and streaked a trail across her temple. As it soaked into her
pillow, Riley lifted his hand to her face. Jayne opened her eyes to
find him watching her, his expression indescribably gentle.

"It's always been you, Jayne," he said.
"Always."

"Oh, Riley." More tears threatened, but she
managed to hold them back. Instead of weeping over what they
couldn't share, she wanted to revel in what they could. She rocked
her hips closer. She wrapped both arms around him, her hands
cupping the taut muscles of his backside to urge him onward.
"Please, don't stop."

"Never."

He didn't stop. He didn't look away, either.
Riley kept his gaze locked with hers as their bodies came together,
and the intimacy of it all stole Jayne's breath. They were so good
together, so perfect...even their heartbeats took on a unique
synchronicity as they both raced toward a climax. She panted and
arched upward; he moaned and drove onward. Closer, closer Jayne
came—and when she did, Riley was right there with her. He savored
the long, blissful moments when her body hugged him nearer, then
stilled as pleasure roared through him, too. Shouting hoarsely, he
united them for a final time.

Sinking back into the comforter and pillows,
Jayne flung her arms outward. Her heart thundered. Her breathing
panted. Her ears even rang. Despite her melancholy mood only
moments earlier, she couldn't help but grin.

Riley slumped for an instant, with an
enormous "
ahhh
" of pleasure that only made her grin wider.
Then he rolled to the side with her in his arms.

"I think my kneecaps are numb," he said,
smiling.

I think my heart is lost. To you
. No,
she couldn't say that.

"I think my teeth were vibrating," Jayne
told him.

"Mine, too!"

"My toes did a rumba," she elaborated.

Riley glanced downward.
"Mine cha-cha-ed."

"I've never felt better."

He cuddled her closer, and kissed the tip of
her nose. "Didn't you know? This is what love feels like."

She knew now. For a nanosecond, she
regretted it.

Catching her, Riley gave her a puzzled look.
Then he lowered his gaze to her lips, and kissed her again. "If you
look that puzzled, you obviously need a remedial course." His hands
slipped past her waist. "Allow me..."

"
Again
?"

"Again."

"Now?"

"I've waited a long time for you," he
explained as he languorously slid against her. He cupped her
breast, his fingers caressing the delicate skin at her side. "I
can't think of a better time."

A few minutes later, neither could Jayne. In
fact, it was a very long time before she thought of much of
anything at all...except Riley, loving her.

Just for tonight.

Chapter Twenty

Sometime past midnight, Riley realized
things had changed between him and Jayne. They'd changed, and for
the better, too.

It had happened so sneakily, amid lovemaking
and bed-jumping and snack smuggling. He hadn't realized it until
just this minute. But now, with the luxury of time—and an armful of
warm, wonderful woman—he considered the ways things were
different...and how those differences had come about.

More than likely, they'd started when he'd
seen Jayne again all those days ago, and his body had gotten
freeze-framed in his Suburban. Probably, they'd continued when he'd
found himself tutoring her girly-girl self in outdoors survival—and
had picked up speed when he'd begun hoping she'd love that same
outdoors as much as he did. Definitely, they'd taken hold
completely when he'd watched Jayne welcome him into her
bathtub...and now, there was no escape.

Not that Riley wanted an escape. Making love
with Jayne, he'd realized how much he'd missed her. They were
perfect together. And now that Jayne was better equipped to handle
a casual relationship, there was no reason they couldn't be
together. He didn't need that long good-bye he'd planned, Riley
told himself. He didn't need to say good-bye to Jayne at all. He
could say hello instead...whenever he was in town.