Authors: Anne Rainey
One thing had been different, though. Her spirit. When she’d all but told him off the other night, it’d been the first time Victoria hadn’t stuttered around him. He liked the fire in her. It was appealing as hell. Christ, if Reena only knew how badly he’d craved Victoria over the years, she’d keep her friend far away from him. It’d been half the reason he’d fled to New York. He’d always known that if he’d stayed in Ohio, he’d end up taking her to his bed. Victoria deserved better than that. She deserved a man who would stay by her side, a man without a bad reputation following him around like the plague. Someone respectable.
But his mind was on one thing—seeing her, making sure she was safe, if for no other reason than his own peace of mind. He hated that she got under his skin so easily. He liked keeping women a few feet from his heart, never giving them the notion that he wanted anything more than a mutually satisfying relationship with a few laughs and some great sex. Somehow, Victoria Kiss had managed to wiggle her way around all the barriers Rider had set up. Despite the years that had passed, he still ached for her. He should be giving her a wide berth. And yet, here he was, coming to her. Needing to see her. Christ, he wanted her and always had. More than any woman he’d ever met. He couldn’t figure that out.
What was it about Victoria that made her so different? She did seem to hide behind a bulky layer of clothes. But Rider had gotten a glimpse of what lay beneath once. Victoria had been a junior in high school at the time. She’d spent the night with Reena, and they’d stayed up late watching scary movies. Rider had gotten up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, and Victoria had run right into him in the hall. She’d only had on a T-shirt and a pair of white cotton panties. Her hair had been brushed out, and it hung in shiny waves all around her shoulders. She’d been the prettiest damn thing Rider had ever seen. And too young. Too naïve. It’d taken all his strength to remember that little detail. Even now, Rider could easily picture her naked. The only thing that would cover her from his view would be all that gorgeous, dark hair. Ah, hell, he was getting hard just thinking about it.
Now it was Wednesday night and he was finally standing at the door to her ranch-style house. His frustrated libido caused him to knock louder than he’d intended. He looked at the time. Nine o’clock in the evening. Damn, would she be in bed already? When no one answered, Rider knocked again.
A curtain moved in the window, and he saw Victoria peeking out.
“Victoria, it’s me, Rider. I wanted to talk to you.”
“Rider, what are you doing here?” Victoria asked as she opened the door wide. “I wasn’t expecting you.” She waved a hand in the air and said, “Come in.”
“I needed to explain, and since you wouldn’t let me the other day, I figure this is the only way.” When she turned around, Rider took a moment to look her over. She wore a pair of baby-blue sweatpants and a white T-shirt. Big and baggy, Victoria’s usual style. Still, Rider saw just the smallest hint of a perfect, heart-shaped ass. God, how he wished he had the right to strip her bare and get a closer look at the curves she hid from the world.
As he walked farther into the living room, he thought of how she sounded when he knocked a moment ago. Tired. “Did I wake you?” Rider asked.
“No, I was just reading.” Victoria’s spine stiffened, and her fists clenched and unclenched at her sides. “Why are you here, Rider?”
She was angry and for good reason. Still, watching her get all riled was a damn sight better than the hurt he’d seen in her eyes the other day. “Will you please forgive me? I was mean, and it was uncalled for.”
“Mean?” she asked dryly. “It seemed more like total honesty to me.” She turned away, as if unable to look at him.
The sight of her backside distracted him. Even in baggy sweats, the woman’s curves showed through. Lord in heaven, he loved the way she was built. Did she have any idea how she affected him? Would he ever feel her sweet body underneath him, writhing in ecstasy? He ached to touch her silky skin, but that wasn’t the reason he’d come to her tonight.
Rider had a feeling no matter how much he wanted to believe otherwise, Victoria would never forgive him. She was too proud for that, and too damn stubborn. He stepped toward her and grasped her arm. “I’m sorry. I know it’s feeble, but I didn’t mean what I said. None of it.”
She turned in his arms, a frown marring her brow. “Then why say it?” She squirmed, and Rider released her.
He tunneled his fingers through his hair, frustrated at his own idiocy. “Reena was trying to rig up a date between you and me, and she wouldn’t listen to reason. I tried to explain that I have zero time for a personal life right now. The business is sucking away all my time. She wouldn’t let up, though.”
“So you told her that I’m not your type,” she gritted out. “That I’m a spinster and a nerd.”
He winced. “Men say a lot of dumb things, Vic. I truly didn’t mean it. I was cornered, that’s my only excuse. I swear it.” He left off the part about her being off-limits. Forbidden to him because she was Reena’s innocent friend. That she was ten miles too good for him.
“Fine. I forgive you.” She let out a heavy breath and pointed to the couch. “Since you’re here, you might as well have a seat.”
He grasped at the flimsy thread as if it were a lifeline. “Thanks.” He sat at the far end of the couch and crossed one leg over the other.
Victoria wrung her hands together, as if nervous all of a sudden. “I was about to get a glass of tea. Want some?”
He smiled. “No, but water sounds good.”
“Uh, I’ll be right back.” Victoria turned and fled the room.
Rider inhaled, catching her sweet scent. She always smelled like cupcakes. He wondered if that was because of the catering business or if she was just that tasty. Would he ever find out for himself? Damn, Victoria was turning out to be entirely different from what he’d imagined when he’d thought to come here. She should’ve been slamming the door in his face and screaming obscenities at him, not welcoming him in and offering him cold drinks. He was only too glad she wasn’t. After a few minutes, Rider began to wonder if she was hiding from him. He stood and went in search of her. As he entered the kitchen, Rider ran smack into her.
“Oh!” Victoria shrieked. Unfortunately, she was holding two tall glasses of icy-cold drinks. Half went down the front of her T-shirt, and the other soaked the front of his.
“Holy shit, that’s cold,” he bit out.
“Oh no, I’m so sorry.” Victoria stared at him, owl-eyed. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“Yeah, I picked right up on that,” Rider said, amused and sopping wet all at the same time. As he turned to get a dishtowel off the counter to wipe off the front of his shirt, Rider looked at Victoria. She stood a few feet from him, her top soaked clear to the skin—and she wasn’t wearing a bra. Ah hell, he never should’ve looked. Rider could see her pink nipples through the wet material. Her breasts were full round globes that would fit his hands perfectly. God, she was perfection. He wanted so badly to just reach out and touch her, to cup her the heavy weight of her tits in the palm of his hands. Rider felt like a total lecher staring at her and getting horny, all while she was fussing over his old, worthless T-shirt.
Finally, he dragged his gaze away from the beauty of her chest and said, “Uh, I think you might want to go change.”
Victoria looked at herself, clearly just now realizing she was soaking wet. “Oh my God!” she shouted as she saw for the first time that she was nearly nude from the waist up. She crossed her arms over her chest to hide the gorgeous swells, but it was too little, too late. Rider had already gotten an eyeful.
She swung around to block his view. “Um, I’ll just go and…yeah.” She sprinted from the room and called over her shoulder, “Make yourself at home. I’ll be right back.”
Unable to help himself, Rider followed her from the room and watched her run down the hall. He leaned against the wall, content to stare at the sway of her hips. Christ, his hands all but itched to massage and knead her shapely ass.
Yep, you’ve gotten yourself in some deep shit this time, buddy.
Fifteen minutes later, Rider once again sat on Victoria’s couch, this time with her in the chair across from him. They were drinking from fresh glasses, and Rider was having a hard time pulling his gaze away from her chest. She’d changed into an oversize black sweatshirt, but it didn’t matter. Rider knew the treasures that lay beneath, and he wanted them for himself. She was gorgeous as hell. The moment her shirt had become transparent, Rider’s good intentions had fled. There was no way he could keep his distance now.
“Are you sure you don’t want a towel or something?”
He looked down at his still-wet shirt and chuckled. “Hell, it’s the least I deserved, Vic, really.” Rider looked around at her living room. “You have a very nice house.”
The inside of the white, ranch-style house was warm and inviting, with an array of plants and cozy furniture and lots of country crafts hanging on the walls. The kitchen, with its large oak table and country-blue accents throughout, made Rider feel right at home. However, it all still seemed somehow unfinished, as if she was in the middle of changing it or something.
“Thanks. It’s become sort of a lifelong project at this point,” she explained as if reading his thoughts. “This was my parents’ home. I’ve been busy updating things for the last few years.” Victoria looked around, a wistful look on her face. “Redecorating can be costly, so it’s taking me some time to finish.”
“You say this
was
your parents’ home?”
She nodded. “Well, as you know, my mom died when I was young.”
He cringed, hating that he’d brought up such a sad memory. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Dad moved to Florida a few years ago. He left me the house.”
Rider cocked his head to the side at that bit of news. “Away from his only child?”
She bit her lower lip, and he badly wanted to ease away the sting, preferably with his tongue. “I think he hoped that by leaving the house behind, he’d be able to get past losing Mom.” Victoria looked down at her lap. “The truth is, Dad will never get over the loss. It broke him, I think. He shut himself off from everyone who cared about him. It got to the point where he and I have become almost strangers.”
Rider saw the pain that came into her eyes, and he wanted to erase it. He hated to think of her ever being sad. Which brought him to the reason he’d come to see her in the first place. He leaned forward and blurted out, “I’m truly sorry for being such an ass.” Rider took her hand in his and stroked his thumb across her palm in a gesture meant to soothe. “I didn’t mean the callous things I said the other day. Please believe that.”
She looked into his eyes, and he hoped she saw the sincerity in them. “Thank you,” she said in a quiet voice. “So, Reena tells me you’re opening a new branch of your auto business here. How’s that going?”
The quick change of topic let him know he wasn’t forgiven. Not by a long shot. Damn, the woman had pride in spades. He let her dodge him, for now. “Yep, it’s a lot of work, but I think it’ll be worth it.”
“How long are you planning on staying?”
He smiled and winked at her. “Hoping to get rid of me?”
She blushed, which was cuter than hell. “Of course not. I was just curious.”
He took a drink of his ice water and watched as Victoria toyed with the hem of her sweatshirt. She suddenly seemed miles away. Why? What had he said? She wasn’t a woman who trusted easily, he was certain of that. It would take time and patience for him to discover all of her secrets.
Good thing he had plenty of both.
“I should be going,” he said as he placed his glass on the coffee table and stood. “Thanks for the water.” Victoria got up to show him out. When he opened the door and turned toward her, he noticed her staring at his wet chest. “Seriously, I earned it, Victoria.” Pain filled her eyes for a brief second, and it tore a path straight to his heart. He needed to wipe away that look. “Just so you know, you’d win my vote in a wet T-shirt contest any day,” he murmured, then bent and kissed her softly on the cheek. He inhaled her sweet scent once more, then walked out the door.
Maybe the brief taste would tide him over, at least until he figured out what the hell his next move would be.
It was Friday afternoon, and Victoria groaned for the umpteenth time as she stared at the pile of clothes Reena had for her to try on. The woman had a full day of shopping planned for the two of them, and Victoria wasn’t sure she’d survive it.
“Don’t be such a sissy, Victoria. They’re just clothes.”
Victoria cursed under her breath and grabbed the pile of colorful material. “We’ve been at it for two hours solid. Face it, I’m never going to look right in any of the stuff from these upscale stores.”
Reena rolled her eyes and pointed toward the dressing room. “Quit bellyaching and get in there.”
“Fine,” she groused. “But I’m telling you, it’s hopeless.”
A few minutes later, Victoria looked in the mirror of the large dressing room. The woman staring back at her was a complete stranger. Amazing the difference a few scraps of material could make. The short skirt made her legs look miles long. How was that possible when she barely grazed five foot four?
She shored up her nerve and swung open the curtain. “Outfit number one hundred and fourteen.”