by Jill Sanders
Riley, in his opinion, took after her aunt Lacey, the mayor of Pride, more than anyone, with the exception of the blonde hair. Even their personalities were similar, although he bet Riley would disagree with that.
He doubted Riley knew how great she had it, since he’d heard her complain on more than one occasion about never being able to get away with anything because there were Jordan eyes watching her every move.
He and Corey had always dreamed of being part of a big family. When his brother had informed him that he’d asked Lilly to marry him, Carter’s first reaction had been jealousy.
His brother was going to be inducted into the family they had always dreamed of. Corey and Lilly had tried to convince him that he too was going to be part of that family, but Carter knew better.
Soon, his brother would have a family of his own, and he’d feel left out, something that had never happened between him and his twin. But he’d sucked it up and tried to do everything he could to make his brother’s wedding perfect.
He liked Lilly, really liked her. She was probably the best girlfriend either of them had ever had.
His mind instantly snapped to Riley, and he held in the dreams he’d had of her.
He’d already burned himself once that afternoon when his mind had wandered to her while sliding out a pizza.
Baked was packed that evening. Graduation was less than a week away, and it seemed like every high school student in Pride was either eating or waiting for their order.
The noise level had reached an all-time high. Even the music that Corey played over the newly installed speakers was being drowned out.
“Hey.” Robin walked over to him and nudged him aside. “Break time, boss.” She nodded to the back door. “Go get some fresh air. You look like you could use it.”
He opened his mouth to argue with her, but her eyes narrowed with that look that always instilled the fear of God in him. He untied his apron, grabbed a soda, and stepped out onto the back patio.
He hadn’t realized he hadn’t taken a break for a while until he rolled his shoulders and felt the stiffness in them. Had he taken a lunch? He sipped the soda and realized it was probably the only thing in his stomach at the moment.
When the back door opened, he had to step aside to avoid being knocked over.
“Wow.” A pretty blonde girl stepped out. He’d seen her hanging around with a group of high school seniors. “What a party.” She smiled over at him, then pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
The alley wasn’t the official smoking area, but he knew that a lot of customers stepped out here to light up. Corey had even purchased one of those tall cigarette butt trash cans for the area.
He nodded his head instead of answering, since he didn’t think she’d technically asked a question.
“You’re Carter, right?” She crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head as her eyes ran over him.
He felt like a piece of meat on display at the butchers.
“Yeah,” he said, wondering if Robin would kick him out again if he went back inside too soon. Deciding not to take that chance, he leaned against the brick wall.
“I’m Bridget.” She smiled up at him. “Bee, to my friends.” She shrugged and moved a little closer to him.
Instantly, he wished he hadn’t put his back up against the wall so he could move away.
“Gosh, it’s hot in there.” She waved her hand in front of her face. Her eyes narrowed to his shirt, just over his chest. Then she shocked him by reaching up and running a fingertip over his left pec. “I don’t know how you do it, working over that oven for all that time. You must be… very hot.” She purred the last words.
He swallowed and tried to figure out what to say but was saved when a door opened and light from inside flooded the alleyway.
He glanced over and realized it was the doorway from Classy and Sassy, not the pizzeria. Riley stood in the doorway, watching him. Since he could only see her outline, he groaned inwardly at the scene he expected was in front of her.
The girl, Bee, had practically caged him against the brick wall with her body. Her hand now rested solidly on his chest.
“Bee, isn’t Cal waiting for you inside?” Riley said easily as she moved down the sidewalk towards them. “I’d hate for him to see you flirting with a man who’s easily ten years older than you, again.”
The girl moved away from him, but not before running her hand slowly down his left side and squeezing his hip.
“You’re just jealous.” Bee stepped closer to Riley. “You’ve had a rep for the longest time without… a date.” The girl chuckled as she stepped out her cigarette on the alley floor. “Poor Riley, always alone.” She shook her head as she disappeared back through the back door of Baked.
“Bitch.” Riley sighed. “She didn’t claw you, did she?”
He finally relaxed and closed his eyes. “Wow, she’s a high school student?” He took another sip of his soda.
“Afraid so.” Riley took the soda from him and took a sip. “I was just heading over to grab a soda.” She motioned with the drink. “I didn’t think I’d get a show too.” She turned to him, and her eyes narrowed slightly. “You weren’t interested in…” She nodded towards the door where Bee had disappeared a moment ago.
“Hell no.” He shook his head. “I’ve never been more afraid of a high school student before. Even when I was in high school.”
Riley laughed, the sound somehow filling the alley with light and warmth. He found himself smiling back at her.
“She’s gone through almost every boy in Pride, and she’s not even eighteen yet.”
He stilled. “Seriously? I could have been arrested for…”
“Relax,” Riley broke in. “Everyone in town knows how she is. Last year, she tried to claim that one of the teachers, Mr. Klaitz, attacked her after class. The problem was, they had installed new security cameras in the parking lot and her attempt to—let’s call it seduce—an older man, was all caught clearly. The video footage was leaked somehow.” Riley leaned closer and took another sip of his soda. “Everyone thinks it was Bee who leaked it herself for the attention. Anyway…” She handed him the glass back. “I would just watch her from now on. Once she has someone in her sights, she tends to get stuck until she either gets what she wants or finds someone else to obsess over.”
“Thanks for the warning,” he said softly.
“You guys look busy.” She nodded towards the back door of Baked.
“Yeah, graduation’s next weekend.” He sighed.
“Yes.” She smiled. “My cousin is graduating.”
“Oh?” He turned back to her. “Which one?” He thought about all of her cousins but couldn’t remember one who was still in school.
“Well, she’s not officially my cousin.” Riley laughed. “Brook. She’s Sara and Allen’s daughter.”
“Sara…”
“Sara’s Nook?” She motioned down the street to the bakery.
“Oh.” He nodded. “Right.”
“I used to babysit her and her sister’s kids.”
“Becca, right?” He thought of the two sisters who ran the bakery.
“Right.” Riley smiled. “You’re getting the swing of Pride. Soon, you’ll know everyone,” she joked.
“I doubt it. I mean, sure, I know all of your clan, but…” Her laughter stopped him. “What?” he asked.
“Only a true local calls the Jordans a clan.” She surprised him by leaning up and placing her lips over his. “There, now we won’t both be thinking about doing that.”
His free hand had gone to her hip and when she tried to pull back, he nudged her closer. “I’ll be thinking about it, regardless.” He didn’t stop pulling her close until her chest hit his. “Thank you for saving me.” He smiled down at her.
“Any time,” she whispered, her eyes going back to his lips. “Are you going to kiss me?” she asked when he just held her next to him.
“I’m thinking about it,” he admitted. “If you didn’
t get this already, I tend to move slow.” He sighed. “Call it caution.”
“Have you been hurt then?” she asked, her hands going to his shoulders.
He swallowed the vile taste that his past caused. “You could say that.” He sighed.
“I’ll want to hear all the details.” She shook her head when he opened his mouth to talk. “Later. Let’s not spoil this moment.” She leaned up and once again placed her soft mouth over his.
He was instantly lost in the taste of her sweet mouth and the feeling of her body pressed up against his. He could have spent the rest of the evening holding her in the alleyway, but once again, the back door to Baked opened, flooding the dark alleyway with light.
He pulled away, holding Riley a foot away from him as two high school students walked out and lit up cigarettes.
“Busy alley,” Riley said softly with a chuckle.
“I’d better get back in there.” He handed her the rest of his soda.
She looked down at the glass. “I was going to grab a slice while I was…”
“Come on in.” He motioned towards the door. “I’ll grab you a slice of whatever just came out of the oven.” He stepped past the two kids, opened the door, and held it open for Riley to walk through.
Robin stood by the oven and turned to berate him, until she saw Riley by his side.
“Hungry?” she asked Riley, ignoring Carter.
“Starving. Lilly and I were hoping…” She eyed the pie Robin was holding.
“I’ll pack it up for you.” She winked at Riley. “Grab some sodas.” She turned to go. “I was talking to you.” Her eyes turned to him.
“Yes, ma’am.” He knew better than to argue with Robin.
“She’s a good employee,” Riley said softly.
“Best employee ever.” He smiled as he poured the sodas.
“If you want a different pie…”
“No.” She chuckled. “Anything is good. At this point, I’m pretty sure we’d settle for a cold pizza and warm soda.”
“Good thing we don’t have any cold pizza.” He nodded to the crowded restaurant. “I think the school kids would eat pizza from the floor if they had to.”
“I remember being that hungry.” She frowned. “Like now, I guess.”
He laughed and handed her the sodas.
“Here.” Robin handed him the pizza box. “Walk it over for her. She has her hands full with the sodas.” She nodded quickly towards the back door.
Riley walked past him and held the door open for him.
“Thanks.” She smiled at him as he held the back door to her shop open for her.
Lilly met them in the back hallway that led to their breakroom, which was also their storeroom.
“It’s about time.” She rolled her eyes at Riley, but instead of taking the box from Carter, she opened it, grabbed a slice and her soda, and disappeared back out front.
“She’s working on a project,” Riley explained with a smile. “Come on back. I’ll bet you haven’t had anything to eat either.” She opened the door and motioned him inside.
The storage room was filled with stuff. Some of it was pretty but other items were…well…not.
“I swear, the way Lilly’s been attacking the antique stores up and down the coast, we’ll need a place twice this size soon.”
She set her glass down and grabbed the pizza box from him. She took a slice while he continued to look around.
“She’s good at it.” He glanced over at her. “Turning stuff like this”—he motioned to a broken desk—“into stuff like…” He waved at a dresser that looked refurbished. Actually, he could imagine the thing sitting in one of his guest bedrooms. “I want this.” He tapped the dresser.
Riley chuckled. “It’s yours, now eat.” She waved him to the chair next to her. “Or do I have to get Robin over here to force-feed you.”
He sat and smiled. “She wouldn’t have to do much, just give me that look.” He mimicked the look she gave him often, and Riley laughed harder.
“I think it’s a gift women get when they give birth. My mom and aunts all have their own versions of that look.” She tried to give him one but ended up in a fit of giggles instead.
“You don’t have kids, yet.” He took a slice and bit into it. He hadn’t eaten and the warmth of the pizza spread quickly, making him even hungrier somehow.
“No, but I will, someday.” She sighed and leaned back in her chair. “If I’m lucky, I’ll have four of them.”
“Four?” He almost choked on the cheese. “Jesus, who wants four kids anymore? With overpopulation and…” He stopped when she frowned at him. “Four is good.” He nodded and took another bite to shut himself up.
“You don’t want kids?” she asked.
He shrugged. “I’ve never really thought…” But he had. He’d always dreamed of having a big family. He just never imagined it would be attainable. “Sure, maybe one or two,” he added, his macho attitude surfacing slightly.
She waved her half-eaten pizza in his direction. “You sound just like my brothers. I swear, guys must take a class or something on how to play it cool if a woman ever asks subjective questions.” She deepened her voice. “No, baby, I only have eyes for you.” She shifted her voice. “Kids, sure, I want a dozen.” Her tone changed again. “Baby, I swear I was at my buddy’s house all night.”
He couldn’t help it, he laughed. “Okay, what about women? There has to be a handbook you all read. I mean, every woman I’ve ever dated always gets to a point where hinting at a future is standard.” He tried to make his voice sound like his ex’s. “So, where do you see this going?” He rolled his eyes.
“So, you’re not a commitment kind of guy?” she asked lightly.
“With the right woman, sure.” He reached for another slice.
“Just not with any of the vast number of women you’ve dated before?” she asked, tucking her leg up underneath her.
“No, I went into each relationship with clear intent.”
“Oh?” Her eyebrows rose. “And tell me just how you managed that?”
Suddenly, he felt like he was on the stand in front of a jury. Swallowing, he reached for her soda and took a sip.
Chapter Six
“Nervous?” she asked playfully. She knew she was baiting him, but after growing up in a house with three men, she knew she could handle him.
“Well, since apparently everyone in Pride knows you’re not as schooled in this topic as I am…” Her eyes narrowed slightly as he moved forward and dropped his voice. His knee brushed up against hers, and, instantly, her heart rate doubled at the closeness of him. He’d set his pizza down and now his hand brushed against her thigh. She felt her body instantly respond. “So, maybe it would be best if you deferred to my expertise on this topic.”
“School me.” She meant it to come out light, but instead, it ended up almost a groan.
His eyes moved instantly to her lips and stayed there. She couldn’t help it, she licked them, tasting the pizza sauce and soda and wishing it was his taste instead.
“This is just sex,” he said softly, before his lips brushed up against hers. “It can’t be anything more.” He nibbled on her lips.
She melted against him and would have, at that moment, given him anything. His hand moved up her thigh until it rested softly on her hip.
“Say it,” he said softly, his mouth traveling down her neck, trailing slow kisses behind her earlobe.
“Yes,” she whispered.
“This is just sex,” he repeated.
“This is just…”
The door to the storage room swung open. “I need—” Lilly stopped dead in her tracks. “Pizza,” she finished. “Sorry!” She rushed over, took another slice, and quickly backed out the way she came, making sure to shut the door behind her.
Riley sighed. “That was fun,” she joked to cover the way her body was still vibrating.
“I’d better…” He got up and, without another word, disappeared through the door.
/>
Leaning her head against the table, she closed her eyes and tried to get her heart and her breathing under control. When she remembered what she’d been about to admit to him, she lightly banged her head against the table a few times before heading out to help Lilly close up shop.
“That was…” Lilly said to her from where she was sitting in the middle of the floor with a bunch of doorknobs around her.
“What are you doing?” She frowned down at her cousin.
“Counting knobs.” She shifted and finished off her second slice of pie. “I’m trying to decide if I have enough…” She glanced up. “You’re avoiding the question about you and Carter.”
“You didn’t ask me anything.” Riley sat next to Lilly.
Lilly sighed. “You’re right. Soooo…you and Carter are…”
“Kissing?”
“An item?”
“Not sure.”
“Sleeping…”
“No,” Riley burst out. “Not… I don’t…”
“Riley.” Lilly reached over and touched her knee. “Honey, it’s bound to happen.”
“What?” She was thankful she was sitting down. “Really?”
“Sure.” Lilly shrugged and went back to trying to match up the knobs. “I mean, Corey and I…”
“Everyone knew you and Corey would get together sooner or later. I mean, each time you two were around one another…”
“What? We looked like you and Carter did just now?” Lilly laughed. “Sucker punch.” She threw a fist towards Riley and laughed even harder.
“Damn,” she admitted. It did feel like she’d just been sucker-punched.
“Okay, so, where do you go from here?” Lilly asked, tossing a few knobs into a box.
“I…” She swallowed. Corey saying “This is just sex” played over in her mind. “It’s just…” She bit her lip, realizing what she had been just about to say.
“Don’t let him take too long making the second move.”
“That was the second move,” she said softly.
“What?” Lilly sat up a little. “When was the first move?”