His grin told her just how much he was enjoying the process. "I know."
"Riley."
"Paige," he echoed.
"Touch me."
"Oh, I intend to. I intend to do a lot of touching." His hand slid inside her shirt, his fingers slipping under the lace edge of her bra, circling one nipple and then the other as they tightened and peaked under his caress.
His mouth touched hers again as he explored her breast with his hand and his leg insinuated itself between hers. She moved her hand up under his shirt, caressing the taut muscles of his back. He was a strong, powerful man, and she loved the solid feel of his body, the way they moved together so perfectly. She had always believed that when it was really right, she would know it. And she .knew it now. Knew it with all her heart.
Riley sat back, pulling his shirt over his head. She followed his lead, removing each item of clothing with a deliberate seriousness, her gaze never leaving his, answering all the questions in his eyes. She'd never stripped herself so bare before, lights blazing overhead, bodies completely exposed. That's the way she had wanted it. And she faced him bravely, offering herself to him in a way that she'd never offered any other man.
"I don't think I deserve this," he muttered. "Yes, you do. Let me show you why."
They met each other halfway, the slow teasing of the past few minutes replaced by breathless passion as they kissed, touched, stroked, caressed, made love to each other with their mouths, their bodies, their hearts, and their minds. Her dreams had never been this good.
* * *
Paige woke up disoriented. The bed didn't feel quite right,and there was something weighing her down. Blinking, she realized there was a strong male arm, flung heavily over her stomach. As she stirred, Riley's hold on her grew tighter, as if he didn't want to let her go, even in sleep. The events of the past few hours came flooding back into her mind. Making love to Riley had been better than she had imagined. He was a generous lover, inventive, adventurous, demanding, making her stretch, reach, be more than she thought she could be. And she'd tried to give him back what she suspected he needed, genuine caring, unconditional love.
Love. The word took her breath away. They hadn't used the word, but she didn't have to say it to know she felt it. She'd been falling in love with him since that first awkward tea party at the store. And she'd tumbled further and further each day. When would it end? When would she stop falling? When would it feel like every other relationship?
The cynical man in her bed would probably predict that possibility happening today or tomorrow or the next day. But she knew deep down it wasn't going to happen. She hadn't gone into this with blinders on. She knew what kind of man Riley was. He was terrified of commitment. He could risk his life on a battlefield but not his heart on a woman. But she also knew that he could love with loyalty and devotion; she'd seen that with his grandparents.
She wouldn't try to change him; she would just wait him out. Eventually he would realize what she already knew, that feelings like this didn't come around more than once in a lifetime. For the first time in her life that she'd made love to a man without all the trappings of romance, dinner, dancing, music, candlelight, flowers, candy. They hadn't needed any of those things, only each other. She put her hand on his arm and smiled to herself. Even if she didn't have tomorrow, she would not regret tonight.
A wave of light flashed through the window and she heard the sound of a car pulling into the garage. "Oh, my God, my mother is home," she said, shooting up in alarm.
"Paige?" Riley muttered in a sleepy voice.
"They're home. My mother and grandfather are home."
"Huh?"
"Jeez, you don't wake up very fast, do you?" She put her hands on his face. "Focus. My mother and grandfather are home. We have to get out of here without anyone seeing us."
His gaze sharpened. "Got it. You don't want Mom to see me."
"See us," she corrected. "Especially not naked here in my old bedroom."
"Right."
Paige scrambled out of bed, tossing clothes at Riley as she tried to find her own. "What time is it?"
Riley looked at his watch. "Ten forty-five."
"I can't believe we slept so long."
"Well, you wore me out." He smiled. "You're not going to turn into a pumpkin, are you?"
"Ha-ha." She walked over to the door and turned off the light, not wanting her mother to see the light when she came down the hall. "She must still be downstairs. What do you think we should do?"
"We could have sex again until she goes to sleep."
She rolled her eyes. "We already used up my stash."
"Are you sure you didn't hide anything in another book, maybe
The Little Princess
or how about
The Scarlet Letter
?"
"You're quite the funny man tonight, aren't you?"
He offered her an unrepentant grin. "I like you flustered."
"You just like me."
"Maybe a little."
"More than a little." She saw him stiffen and added, "Don't worry, this isn't the
tell
me you love me and want to be with me forever
moment."
"It's not?" he asked, unable to hide the note of relief in his voice.
She laughed. "You scare so easily." She stopped abruptly at the sound of footsteps on the stairs. They slowed down by her door, and Paige had the sudden thought that maybe her door was usually left open, not closed. Holding her breath, she hoped her mother wouldn't take this moment to notice the anomaly, although her mother was certainly one to notice just such things. The footsteps moved on, and she let out her breath.
She wondered if her mother would check on her father or go straight to bed. Thinking about her father made her feel a little guilty that she hadn't bothered to check on him herself. Not hearing anything more, she opened her door a crack and peeked out. The hallway was empty. "I think it's safe," she whispered. "But be quiet. My mother has excellent hearing."
She took Riley's hand as they crept down the stairs. They managed to make it down the stairs without any doors opening behind them or voices calling out. They were almost to the front door when she realized someone was in the living room. She grabbed Riley and pulled him across the hall into the dining room. There was no way they could open and close the front door without whoever was in the living room hearing them.
"Is that my mother?" she whispered.
Riley peered around the corner then looked back at her. "It's your grandfather. He's opening a safe."
"There's no safe in the living room."
Riley took another look. "Behind the portrait by the window."
"That's not possible." She pushed him aside to take a look herself, and what she saw was shocking. She'd thought she'd known where all the family safes were. There was one in the study, one in her mother's bedroom, another in the linen closet, although why there was one there she'd never been able to explain. But no one had told her about the one in the living room. She was so annoyed by the oversight that she stepped into the hall.
"What are you doing, Paige?" Riley asked. "Do you want him to see you?"
"I think I do," she said decisively.
"You're going to take a step you may not be able to take back," he warned her.
"It seems to be the night for that. Are you coming with me?"
"After you, princess."
She drew in a deep breath, walked across the hall, and entered the living room just as her grandfather turned away from the safe with a very familiar object in his hands.
Her body stiffened in amazement. "Oh, my God! That's the other dragon."
Her grandfather drew himself up to his full height, his eyes blazing with anger. Paige couldn't help but take a step back. Actually, she was tempted to run out of the room, but Riley's solid body blocked her exit.
"What the hell are you doing here, Paige?" her grandfather demanded.
She couldn't speak. The dragon in his hands was the last thing she had expected to see. "I—I came to ...." She couldn't think. Her grandfather had the other dragon. How? When? Why? The questions raced around her mind, but she couldn't get any of them out.
"Who are you?" her grandfather asked, his gaze now fixed on Riley.
"Riley McAllister. Ned Delaney's grandson."
Wallace was not surprised. That small fact registered with Paige before anything else. He knew who Riley was. In fact, it was obvious now he knew a lot more than he was telling.
"Where did you get that dragon?" she asked, finally putting a voice to her thoughts. "You told me you'd never seen a dragon like the one that was stolen last week, but this is an exact duplicate. You lied to me. Why?"
"It's none of your business. This is my property. I don't owe you any explanations."
"But you owe me." The voice came from the doorway. David Hathaway entered the room wearing a silk robe over his pajamas. He looked tired and pale, but his eyes were filled with excitement. "Where did you get that dragon?"
"You should be in bed. You look like death," Wallace replied, ignoring the question.
"I got up to get some water. I heard voices." David stared at the dragon in Wallace's hands. "I remember now. I saw the dragon on the television show, and you—" His gaze swung to Riley. "You and your grandmother brought it in to the store."
"That's right," Riley said tersely. "And you took it without telling anyone. The next thing we knew, the dragon was gone and you were in the hospital."
"I took it to show Jasmine. Then I went to show it to someone, a man who can spot a fake bronze from a mile away. I had to be sure my excitement wasn't misleading me."
"Why didn't that man tell the police he had seen you that day? You were on the news every other hour," Paige said.
David hesitated. "He's very private."
"He works the black market," Riley interjected.
"Let him talk," Paige said. "What happened next, Dad?"
"I remember thinking that I needed to get home. I cut through the alley. And then—" He stopped. "There were footsteps behind me. Someone was running. I was struck by a terrible force. I felt myself falling." He shook his head. "That's all I remember."
"You hit your head on the pavement," Paige said.
David drew in a breath, then let it out as he nodded.
"Why did you think you needed to get home and not back to the store where my grandmother and I were waiting?" Riley asked.
David glanced at Riley, then back at his father. "I wanted to speak to you," he said to Wallace. "A long time ago I saw a box that you had, and I thought it could be the one that goes with the dragons. I didn't realize you also had the other dragon—"
"What? He has the box?" Riley interrupted.
David didn't answer. Neither did her grandfather. The two men were staring at each other, a look passing between them that spoke of unfinished business. Paige couldn't help wondering just what her father knew and what else her grandfather was hiding.
"The box you saw was from the Ming dynasty," Wallace replied. "It has no connection to the dragon."
"I find that difficult to believe. It looked exactly the same."
"I don't care what you believe."
"Where did you get the dragon, then?" David asked.
"From a private collector. I thought I might one day find the other dragon and the box. Until then, I would keep the dragon safe." Wallace turned abruptly, putting the dragon back into the safe before anyone could move. He slammed the door shut and flicked the combination lock. Paige was startled by the movement. Her father, too, seemed taken aback. But Riley ... She could feel the angry energy emanating from his body. She glanced over at him and saw a determination in his eyes that told her he wasn't about to let her grandfather end the conversation so quickly.
"I'd like to see that dragon," Riley said.
"I would, too," David added.
Wallace shrugged. "It's no one's business but mine."
"My grandfather had one just like it," Riley said. "And he worked for you. You were friends."
"We were friends until Ned betrayed me," Wallace replied. "I gave him a job. I treated him like a brother. And he paid me back by stealing the dragon and setting fire to the store to cover up his crime."
"That's a damn lie," Riley said.
"It's the goddamn truth," Wallace said, his eyes blazing. "And you gave me the proof when you and your grandmother showed up on television with the dragon he'd been hiding in his attic all these years."
"I don't believe you. My grandfather is an honest man."
"Then how did he get the dragon?"
"I don't know. But then, we don't know how you got yours either, do we?"
"I told you, a private collector—"
"You also told us only a minute ago that you only had one," Riley reminded him. "Now you're saying you had two, and my grandfather stole one."