Rider's Kiss (7 page)

Rider took her to Roaming Oak Park, which was situated right in the center of town, for their picnic. It was a picturesque spot with mature trees of all kinds and a pond where people were often seen fishing. There was a playground for children, and lots of secluded areas for picnicking. Victoria noticed that Rider had chosen a spot next to a large walnut tree. There was plenty of shade, and they were very much alone. Anticipation shot through her at the idea that maybe the secluded spot wasn’t just a happy accident.

“I have to confess something,” he said as he began to set out their lunch. Victoria had literally thrown it together at the last minute.

“Oh?”
Please don’t be secretly married.

“I’ve never taken a woman to the park, but since you refused to have dinner with me, this was my next logical choice.”

“You’ve never been on a picnic in the park? Really?”

“Nope. Never saw the appeal,” he admitted as he sat down next to her on the blanket. “Until now.” He grinned, and her stomach did a little somersault.

“Then we should definitely make this a day to remember,” she replied, hoping to God she didn’t bore him to death. Or worse, spill more iced tea on him.

“It already is.” He winked, then lifted his hand and stroked her cheek. She held her breath and told her brain not to overthink the simple action. When he stroked her hair in an absent caress, though, her heart tripped a beat.

Rider picked up a plastic-wrapped sandwich and said, “Looks tasty.”

Victoria took one for herself. “It’s only slices of deli meat and swiss cheese with a little spicy mustard.” She smiled over at him. “I didn’t have a lot of advance notice.”

He nodded. “I was afraid you’d turn me down if you had time to think it over.” His cell phone chimed, and he took it out of his pocket and looked at the screen. He frowned, then put it on the blanket next to him.

Victoria pointed to the phone and said, “Do you need to take that?”

Rider shrugged. “Nah, it’s just a friend of mine from New York. I’ll handle her later.” He wagged his eyebrows at her. “Besides, I have someone more important that requires my attention at the moment.”

Her?
Victoria briefly considered the fact that Rider had a friend back in New York who happened to be a woman. An uncomfortable feeling settled in her stomach that felt suspiciously like jealousy, but she shrugged it off. Of course he had female friends in New York. He’d lived there for the last ten years. It’d be weird if he didn’t.

“Er, anyway, since I’m a chef,” she said, “I feel like sandwiches, fruit and some kettle-cooked chips is a bit lame.”

He looked at her thoughtfully. “I didn’t come for the food, sweetheart.”

That fast, the phone call was forgotten and Victoria’s cheeks heated. She looked down at her own sandwich, finding it ridiculously fascinating all of a sudden.

“You look damn good, Vic,” he said as his gaze skimmed her. “Those shorts are killer, by the way.”

The compliment sent a rush of pleasure through her. Mostly because it came from Rider. “Thank you. They’re new. Reena picked them out.” She tugged at the hem. “They’re a bit shorter than what I’d normally wear, to be honest.”

“They sure do show off those long legs of yours though.” He wagged his eyebrows. “I’m not the only man in this park admiring the pretty sight either.”

Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, Victoria muttered, “Maybe this was a bad idea. I really don’t know what I’m doing here. I’ve been on a handful of dates my entire life, and none of them were ever much to write home about.” She let out an exasperated breath and covered her face with her hands. “I can’t believe I just admitted that.”

Victoria felt a pair of strong fingers smoothing over the backs of hers and prying them away from her eyes. Before she could take a deep breath, Rider’s mouth was on hers and his hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her onto his lap. The hard ridge of his cock beneath her bottom sent a jolt of electricity through her. The kiss was soft, gentle and meant to entice rather than conquer. It was extremely potent because it came from Rider. She surrendered and put everything she had into it. Victoria angled her head and pressed her mouth more fully against his, then bit down slightly, savoring the unique taste of him. God, how long had she wanted this? He groaned and lifted his head. Immediately, she wanted his touch back.

“Do you wear perfume?” he asked, a frown marring his brow. “It’s driving me crazy.”

“Er, perfume?” Victoria couldn’t think straight. She was still reeling from the power of him.

“You smell like…cupcakes.” He moaned low in his throat. “I friggin’ love cupcakes.”

She laughed. “I’m not wearing perfume.”

Rider’s gaze strayed to her mouth and her lips tingled as if begging for his taste. “You always smell as if you’ve been baking sweets,” he murmured. “Delicious.”

“Probably because I always am,” she explained. Things suddenly felt too hot, too fast. She mentally backpedaled. “Rider, what’s going on here?” She didn’t realize until that moment that she was falling down the rabbit hole. The instinct to protect her fragile heart rose up. She knew that if anyone could crush it, Rider could.

“This is exactly what it looks like,” he told her as a frown appeared on his handsome face. “A man on a lunch date with a beautiful woman.” He paused before adding, “One he wants more than his next breath.” He wrapped his powerful arms around her. “Do you have a problem with that, Vic?”

Well, that did it. As if he’d taken out a sledgehammer and started swinging, Victoria’s defenses were shattered. She leaned her head forward and kissed him. Then he took control, and the sweet caress of lips turned into searing fire. She was thrown off balance. Her equilibrium went all out of whack in an instant.

She melted as he made sweet, slow love to her mouth. God, the man could kiss. With all the effort she could muster, Victoria barely managed to break the connection and place a palm against his chest. “Uh, we’re in a public place here.”

“Mm, yes, I see that. What’s your point?” he asked, passion darkening his eyes.

She cleared her throat and held her ground. Why she held her ground was a mystery to her. If she was smart, she’d go with the flow. It was what she’d always wanted, after all. “We can’t possibly pursue this…whatever is going on here. I think that sort of public display may be against the law. In fact, I’m sure it is.”

“It’s just a kiss, sweetheart. I’m not going to ravish you.”

“Oh,” she mumbled. God, what a dolt. As if for a single moment a man like Rider could possibly be overcome by lust for her. Plain Victoria Kiss. Yeah, right. “Of course.”

He cupped her chin and forced her to look at him. “I’d rather have complete privacy for that,” he whispered. “As well as a whole lot of time.”

Her gaze widened at the candid statement. “You would?”

“I’m not through with you yet, sweetheart,” he explained with a wink. “Not by a long shot.” He took hold of her upper arms and gently pushed her backward onto the soft blanket, then trapped her beneath him. “You know, it occurs to me that you’re quite a contradiction. On the outside, you’re this sweet innocent small-town girl, but on the inside, I bet you’re hot enough to set my blood on fire, huh?”

“Rider, you might be sorely disappointed.” She bit her lip, unsure how to explain how inexperienced she truly was. “I just think you shouldn’t expect too much.”

Rider stared hard at the woman lying beneath him, trying to digest what she’d said. He suddenly felt like the luckiest son of a bitch who ever lived to be the man with Victoria right at that moment. But the feeling was short-lived as suspicion rose up and distrust caused him to wonder if she was being entirely truthful. How could a woman like Victoria have gone so long without getting into at least one serious relationship? Were all the men of Summit Green blind? An inner voice called him a hypocrite though. Hadn’t he kept his distance from Victoria too? Like an idiot, he’d wasted so many years. Years of wondering if her skin would be as soft as it appeared. Wondering what it’d be like to have her pretty hazel eyes trained on him as he made love to her.

Rider cupped her cheek, holding her still, and kissed her. He licked her lower lip, then sucked it into his mouth. It was full and plump. He didn’t think there was any other mouth quite like it. Her lips were made for touching, licking and kissing. For his pleasure and his alone.

Not so fast.
With Victoria, he would need to take it slow. To build the pleasure and bring her to new peaks before they did a freefall over the edge of desire together. He ached to make it as perfect for her as possible.

He grudgingly stopped playing with her mouth and raised his head. “So sweet, so soft,” he murmured.

Desire lit her eyes and a blush stained her cheeks. “I like to see you blush.” He stroked one pink cheek with his thumb, tracing her delicate features. “It’s very sexy on you.”

“It’s a good thing,” she breathed out, “because I have a feeling I’ll be doing it a lot around you.”

He chuckled and got up off the blanket and her. When their bodies were no longer touching, he felt an unexpected sense of loss. It wasn’t an entirely comfortable feeling. He held a hand down for her and helped her to her feet. Together they put away the remains of their picnic in the large basket Victoria had brought along, then walked hand in hand back to his car.

Rider ached for Victoria like never before. The brief lunch date was like dangling candy in front of a child. The few hours they’d spent together flirting and kissing only served to tease his appetite. When it came to Victoria, Rider wanted all or nothing.

Chapter Six

It was Friday night, nearly a week since her date with Rider. He’d called and texted. He’d even sent her flowers. A gorgeous bouquet of daisies. Her favorite, of course. Oh, man, she was falling further and further down that blasted rabbit hole, and she was helpless to do anything about it.

As she stood in the bedroom and stared at her outfit, Victoria groaned. The soft material of the snug black skirt and red satin blouse were absolutely beautiful. She actually looked pretty decent in it too. Yep, she was certainly ready for a night on the town, just as planned. So why was she frozen in place? “Because I’m a freaking coward,” she groused.

Victoria had never been one to go to bars. She’d only decided to give it a shot this time because Reena had talked her into it. She’d said it would do her good to show off her new look a little. All Victoria wanted to do was put on her comfortable sweats, grab a book and hit the couch. “God, I am so pathetic,” she moaned.

Victoria had worked around the clock to create a menu for Rita Williams’s wedding, one that would knock the woman’s socks clean off, and she was due for a break. Right? Still, maybe a bar hadn’t been the best choice. It always seemed like a meat market. As if the customers were trying to select just the right cut of beef or something. Ew.

An hour later, Victoria walked into the Cashmere nightclub arm in arm with Reena. “You really look amazing,” Victoria told her friend. The gorgeous little black dress fit her like a glove, and her hair was pinned on top of her head with soft curls tumbling down.

“Thanks, sweetie, so do you,” she said, leaning close to be heard over the loud crowd and pounding music. “Trust me. You’re going to turn more than a few heads tonight.”

Victoria nodded, but deep down where her inner wallflower still lived, she felt like hiding. Her stomach clenched and her legs shook, which made walking in heels next to impossible. Her face heated when she spied a few admiring glances swinging her way from some of the men in the darkly lit room. A wild tune by Pitbull beat at her senses. The rhythm helped to relax her nerves. Her confidence level rose a notch, and Victoria stood a little straighter as Reena brought her to a high-top table. When a waiter came around, they both ordered lite beer, and that was when Victoria spotted Rider. He stood near the bar, several feet away from her. His face was turned toward her, and a slow smile curved his lips. He wore a pair of low-slung jeans that fit his leanly muscled body a little too well, a tight black T-shirt and a pair of work boots. “What’s he doing here?” she asked, narrowing her gaze at Reena.

“Oh, uh, I might have mentioned that you and I were going out tonight.”

“Might have?” When Reena grinned, Victoria merely shook her head. Oh Lordy, she definitely hadn’t counted on Rider showing up at Cashmere. That shot her little bit of confidence all to crap. The man was potent. His tall, powerful build and dark good looks made the other men in the room look like silly school boys. She wanted him. Ached for him even. He arched a brow at her, as if he could read her mind. Heat crept into her face and Victoria quickly turned away.

“Take a deep breath,” Reena said against her ear. “It’s going to be okay, I promise.”

Their drinks arrived, and Victoria took a long swig of hers before placing it on the table in front of her. She sat up a little straighter and stared at her best friend. “You’re always so confident. I wish some of that would rub off on me.”

“Not really. I’m just better at faking it.”

Before she could reply, Rider was standing in front of her, effectively derailing her train of thought. “Hey, ladies. Fancy meeting you here.”

His voice was deep and rough, and she loved listening to him talk. Dang, no wonder the girls always fawned over him in high school. Too late, Victoria realized she was simply staring at him. “I didn’t know you were coming here tonight.”