by Kori Roberts
“It’s my pleasure. Well” — she stood — “I’m headed out now.” She walked to the door and threw out a quick, “Dinner’s at seven,” before she was gone.
Rylee turned to Nick, who grinned down at her. “What?” she asked.
He kissed her. “Mom likes you.”
“Oh, yeah? How do you know?”
“She told you to call her by her first name,” he said. “She’s never let our girlfriends do that.”
She looked over at Noah, who nodded in agreement. “And, she invited you for dinner right after she’d just met you,” he chimed in. “Another first.”
“See, I told you.” Nick kissed her again and whispered against her lips. “Trust me; everything’s going to be fine.”
Rylee smiled and tried to ignore the trepidation she felt. She just hoped Nick was right.
Chapter Eleven
“What I want to know is, what in the hell does she see in you?” Nick glared at his cousin, Leslie’s husband. José just returned his glare with a grin, completely unfazed, while Noah laughed his ass off.
“I’ve been wondering the same thing since I met her,” Noah joined in. “But, she’s still beautiful and funny and smart, so we’ll forgive her lack of taste when it comes to men.”
“Oh, fuck both of you,” Nick said, fighting hard to hold back a smile. He saw his cousin walking toward him.
“Yo, Leslie! You’re just in time to rescue your husband from a serious beat down.”
“Hey, nobody gets to beat on my man, but me.” She wrapped her arm around José’s waist and kissed him on the cheek.
“Speaking of rescues” — she looked back at Nick — “you might want to rescue your girlfriend from Mom and Aunt Caroline.”
Nick groaned. “How bad is it?” He was almost afraid to hear the answer.
“Let’s just say that by this time tomorrow, the entire town will know that you’re dating a woman who’s almost as old as your mother.” She snickered.
“Don’t be a bitch, Leslie.” Nick scowled at her. “It was just a joke, Nicky.” She laughed. “Besides, I don’t care how old Rylee is. I like her.”
“That’s good, because you’ll be seeing a lot of her,” he told the group before he walked off in search of Rylee.
*
Nick found Rylee being held hostage in his mother’s living room by every female
relative over the age of forty in his family.
“So dear,” he heard his Aunt Sylvia ask, “how did you and Nicky meet?” The blush on Rylee’s face told him he’d gotten there just in time.
“Okay, ladies,” he interrupted the interrogation. “You’ve monopolized Rylee long enough. It’s my turn to enjoy her company for a while.” He reached for Rylee’s hand and led her out of the house, amidst the objections of his family. Noah met them outside.
“You’re my hero.” She started laughing as soon as they were away from the house.
He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as they walked through the crowded yard.
“Don’t let them scare you,” he told her. “They’re all harmless.”
“Most of them, anyway,” Noah murmured next to him. Nick glanced in the direction that Noah was looking and saw his ex, Ashley, glaring at him. He sighed. His mom just had to invite the entire town for dinner.
Leslie and José joined them, and they stood around and talked for a while until Nick’s mother walked up.
“Rylee, do you mind if I speak to Nick for a moment? I promise not to keep him too long.”
“Of course I don’t mind.” Rylee stepped back as Nick’s mother linked her arm with his and steered him toward the house.
*
“She’s too old for you,” Nick’s mother said without preamble, as soon as they walked into the house.
“Mom, don’t start, okay?” he warned as he struggled to keep the irritation out of his voice. “She’s not that much older than me.”
“Not that much?” Her face was filled with concern. “Nicky, honey, she’s thirty-six years old — fourteen years older than you. That’s a lot.”
“And Dad was seventeen years older than you when you got pregnant and married him at eighteen,” Nick countered.
She sighed. “Yes, that’s true. But — fair or not — this is different. Our society has always been more accepting of older men with younger women than the other way around.”
His mother shook her head. “And, when you add in the whole race issue…” Her voice trailed off.
“Oh. So Rylee’s not just the wrong age, she’s the wrong color, too, right?” Nick glared at his mother. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, Mom, she’s only half black. The other half is perfectly white.”
“Don’t you dare try to make me out to be the bad guy here, Nicholas Matthew Robin,”
his mother warned, her face turning red. “I’m not your enemy, and you know it. José isn’t white, and I love him just like he was one of my own sons. Rylee could be green for all I care, and it still wouldn’t make a difference to me.”
She reached up and cupped his cheek. “But, I’m just one person. Unfortunately, there are too many people out there who don’t see it the same way I do. I just don’t want you to get hurt, honey. Couldn’t you just find a young lady your own age to be with?”
“You mean someone like Ashley?” Nick snorted. “No, thanks.”
“Ashley?” His mother frowned. “Honey, no, that’s not what I meant —”
“I know what you meant,” he interrupted angrily. “I don’t want to be with Rylee because of what age she is or what race she is. I want to be with her because of who she is. It doesn’t matter to me that we come from different cultures and backgrounds. All I care about is Rylee, and how we feel about each other. And anybody who has a problem with that is just going to have to deal with it, because I’m not going to let other people’s opinions about our relationship stop me from being with her.”
They stood silently for a while, just looking at each other. “You really care about her, don’t you?” his mother finally asked.
“Yeah, Mom…I do.” His voice was firm, sure.
“God, you sound so much like your father did when we first met.” Her eyes became watery. “I just wish he were still here. He’d be so proud of you.”
“I think he’d like Rylee, too.”
She started laughing. “Oh, I’m sure he would. He was a sucker for a beautiful woman.”
“That’s why he snatched you up.” He winked at her, a huge grin on his face.
She gave him a playful swat across the ass. “Oh, I see you have a lot more of your dad in you than I thought.” They both laughed for a moment before she hugged him.
“Just be careful, okay?” she whispered.
“I’ll be fine, Mom,” Nick told her.
Chapter Twelve
“I heard she’s almost forty years old.”
“She’s really pretty. She looks a lot younger.”
“She’s not all that. The only reason Nick’s probably with her is because he thinks it makes him look like a stud to say he fucked an older woman.”
Rylee stood in the evening shadows and listened to the three young women talk about her.
“Don’t pay them any attention,” Noah whispered in her ear, his hand resting on her shoulder. “They’re jealous — especially Ashley.” He nodded to the pretty brunette. “She’s Nick’s ex.”
“Ahh…I see. Well, I guess that explains the vicious comments, cutting looks, and overall shitty attitude I’ve been getting from her all evening.”
“Yeah, Ashley’s a real bitch. Nick was never serious about her, and he finally ended it a couple of years ago. But she just can’t seem to get over it and move on.” He chuckled softly.
“I think of all the girls Nick ever dated, Mom hated Ashley the most.”
“I can see why,” Rylee muttered as she glanced at the group once more.
“Come on.” He led her in the opposite direction. “Let me give you a tour of the
place.” They walked toward the kennel and were greeted by excited barks when they entered the large building lined with cages filled with various breeds of dogs.
“So, how long have you and Nick been breeding and training dogs?” Rylee watched Noah walk through the room. He took a moment to pet each dog through the metal openings before he moved on to the next cage.
In spite of her efforts not to, Rylee couldn’t help but admire Noah’s muscled form as he bent down in front of one of the cages. It still amazed her how much he and Nick resembled each other, and she wondered if their similarities ended with their physical appearances.
He glanced over his shoulder at her and smiled. “Oh, man, we’ve been doing this for as long as I can remember. My parents started this business shortly after Nick was born. When Dad died a few years ago, and Mom retired, Nick and I just continued the business.”
Noah stood up and walked toward her, and she saw a moment of sadness flicker in his gaze. Then he smiled again, and the sadness vanished as quickly as it came.
“Luckily, Nick and I really enjoy what we do, and we work well together. Leslie and José work with us, too, so it’s all good.”
As Noah talked, Rylee’s gaze was focused on his lips. Full, firm, and sensuous, they reminded her so much of Nick’s, and she suddenly wondered if they felt like Nick’s as well.
It took her a moment to realize that Noah had stopped talking and stood looking at her with a knowing expression on his face.
Rylee felt her face heat, and she was sure that she’d turned about ten shades of red when she realized that he’d caught her staring at him.
She quickly looked away, turning her back to him, and focused on a beautiful
Doberman in one of the cages that was whimpering at her for attention.
“It’s cool, Rylee.” Noah spoke softly, his words destroying any hopes she’d had that he hadn’t noticed her practically drooling over him. Rylee squeezed her eyes shut, far too embarrassed to turn around and face him. “Nick and I know how much we look alike. Trust me” — he chuckled — “we’re used to being stared at by each other’s girlfriends.”
Yeah, that was it. Wasn’t it? Rylee desperately wanted to believe that was all it was, because the alternative was something that she just wasn’t prepared to deal with at the moment.
“There is one thing that I’m dying to know, Rylee.” She jumped at the sound of Noah’s voice directly behind her and spun around to face him. He stood so close to her, they practically touched.
“What?” Her voice was tissue-thin, barely strong enough to be considered a whisper as she stared back at him.
When Noah reached out toward her, she stood immobile, her emotions an unstable mixture of apprehension and anticipation as she waited for what would happen next. His fingers wrapped around a lock of her hair at the same time a huge grin spread across his face.
“I need to know the story behind this red hair.”
Rylee’s body relaxed, her heart started to beat, and she felt herself breathe again.
“Oh, that’s easy.” She returned his smile with one of her own. She was used to people asking her that question, knew how uncommon it was for someone who looked like her to naturally have hair that color. “My mother is Irish. I inherited my red hair from her. My name, too.”
“Oh, yeah?” Noah smiled. “So does that make you, Rylee Jr.?”
Rylee laughed. “Not quite. Riley was her maiden name. My father thought it would make a cool first name for me — with a slight alteration of the spelling.”
“So, do you look more like your mom or your dad?” Noah continued to play with her hair. “It depends on who you ask. Some folks say I’m a taller, darker version of my mother, and others say I look just like my father, except with red hair.” She shrugged. “I like to think I’m a pretty good blend of them both.”
“Oh, I’d say you’re a hell of a lot better than just pretty good.” Noah’s fingers released the ends of her hair and slid deep into the thick, wavy tresses, to gently massage her scalp.
The act was incredibly soothing and amazingly seductive at the same time.
“Did you know that Nick loves women with red hair?” he murmured softly, and his hazel eyes studied her intently. She shook her head mutely, far too mesmerized by the look in his eyes, the feel of his hands, and the sound of his voice to do anything more than just return his stare.
“It doesn’t matter how many women are in the room, Nick will always focus on the redheads first.” Rylee didn’t know what to think, didn’t know how to respond, and didn’t bother to try. Instead, she just stood there, took it all in, and enjoyed it.
“Now, I see why he loves it so much.” She struggled to keep her eyes open as Noah’s fingers continued to knead her scalp. “Especially on you.”
Rylee knew they were treading way too close to the out-of-bounds zone, could see them getting deeper and deeper into dangerous territory, and yet she couldn’t seem to stop it.
Thankfully, Noah had enough sense to see where they were headed, and he put the brakes on before they went too far past the point of no return. He removed his fingers from her hair and dropped his hands to his sides before he walked past her to check on another dog.
As soon as Noah stopped touching her, whatever it was that had been blocking her ability to think clearly suddenly dissipated.
What in the fuck are you doing? Rylee’s mind screamed, even as her body still craved his touch. She felt like some horny ass teenager who couldn’t control her hormones. Rylee shook her head, convinced she had a serious problem. She’d finally managed to meet a
gorgeous, sexy, and attentive man, who’d given her more physical pleasure and emotional happiness in the past few weeks than men she’d known for years. Yet, that still wasn’t enough to keep her from lusting after his brother.
“He really likes you a lot,” Noah said, and Rylee flinched. His words served as a necessary reminder that he was supposed to be strictly off-limits. She heard him chuckle softly behind her.
“Look at how he’s staring at you. I swear he gives a whole new meaning to the phrase,
‘puppy love,’” Noah joked, and Rylee looked at him in confusion. He was focused entirely on the Doberman in the cage. Rylee finally understood that his earlier comment was about the dog, not Nick. But it still didn’t lessen the guilt and embarrassment she felt at her behavior.
She turned around to look at the dog. He leaned his head against the cage and poked his nose through the metal grates, his eyes focused on her.
“What’s his name?” She reached through one of the spaces to rub his head and scratch behind his ears.
“This is Zeus.” Noah handed her a treat for the dog.
“Zeus, huh?” Rylee held out the treat to the dog, and he eagerly ate it from her hand. “I like that. It’s strong and powerful, just like you are. Right, handsome?” Zeus barked as if he understood and agreed with her. She laughed and continued to rub and pet him while he licked her fingers and made soft whining noises in his throat.
“We probably should head back,” Noah finally said.
Rylee looked at her watch and was surprised to see that they’d been away from the picnic for nearly an hour. “Wow, I didn’t know we’d been gone so long.”
“Time tends to fly when you’re having fun with someone you really like.” Rylee looked up sharply at Noah. His words were casual, but the look on his face was anything but. “It’s been almost an hour, but to me, it feels like only minutes since we got here.” Rylee swallowed hard, and nodded. Despite the voice in her head that begged her not to, she said, “I feel the same way.”
Neither of them attempted to move, neither tried to speak. They continued to stand there, surrounded by the random noises from the dogs and the distant sounds from the picnic, and let the unspoken words, and undeniable attraction, float in the space that separated them. The moment was broken when Zeus began to whine again.
“You can’t get enough of the most beautiful woman here
either, can you, Zeus?” Noah spoke softly to the dog, but his eyes remained locked on her.
She blushed and quickly squatted down by Zeus’s cage. “I’ll come and visit you again before I leave, handsome,” she promised, and rubbed him once more before they left.
They walked silently down the road toward his mother’s house. Nick met them once they reached the yard.
“Hey, angel.” Nick put his arm around Rylee and pulled her close to him before he leaned down and kissed her on the neck. “I was just coming to look for you.”
“I was showing Rylee around the place,” Noah said.
“Cool. Did you meet all of the beasts?” He looked down at her.
“I sure did.” She smiled back. “They’re amazing…this entire place is amazing.” She hugged him tightly. “Thank you for inviting me here,” she whispered in his ear. “I’m glad I finally got a chance to see it. I’m very impressed.”
Nick leaned down and gave her a long, lingering kiss that she felt all the way to her toes. As she lost herself in the sensations of his kiss, she remained acutely aware of Noah’s presence in the background, watching them.
She opened her eyes and looked into Nick’s smiling face. “You’re very welcome,” he said. “Hopefully, this is the first of many weekends you’ll spend here.” He nodded toward Noah with a smirk on his face. “That is, if my brother doesn’t mind you hanging around all the time.” “It’s cool with me. But I think you should know that you’re not the only one around here who wants Rylee for yourself,” Noah warned.
Rylee’s heart fluttered wildly in her chest as she waited for Nick to respond.
“Oh, yeah?” Nick turned to face Noah. “Anybody I know?”
Noah nodded slowly, his face somber. “Zeus has a crush on her.” He sounded so serious that it took a moment for them to realize what he’d said. Finally, Nick’s head fell back, and he erupted with laughter.
“I knew Zeus was a smart dog. He’s definitely got damn fine taste in women.” Rylee’s laughter joined his. She glanced at Noah and saw that he was laughing as well, but his eyes remained serious.