“Oh!” Sadie froze in the middle of the room, her eyes widened and her mouth formed an adorable O.
Glancing at the clock, she saw that Riley was early which was fine by her. Smoothing her skirt, she strolled to the door, and opened it with a smile on her face, which immediately died when she saw her big brother standing there. Damn it!
“Sam…” She started to say when he moved past her into the room. Sadie ran at him. Her brother laughed, picked her up then buried his nose in her neck, and made smooching sounds as he nibbled at her soft skin, making her squeal with laughter. Turning, he looked at Kaitlyn over the top of Sadie’s head.
“Are you going somewhere?” He raised an eyebrow in his big brother wants to know all way.
“I…uh, no…what do you want?”
Sam frowned. “You’re nervous about something Katie-bug.”
Kaitlyn shook her head. “I’m not…”
“I know you too well. You can’t lie to me.”
“I’m getting ready to have dinner and I have a…guest coming.”
“A guest?” Sam cocked his head. “Who?”
Putting her hands on her hips, Kaitlyn glared up at him. “None of your business.”
Sam’s lips flattened and his jaw clenched. “It’s Riley, isn’t it?”
“Sam…”
“Yes, it’s Riley,” Riley confirmed as he entered through the doorway Kaitlyn was still holding open.
Kaitlyn mentally groaned as Sam set Sadie down and strode over to Riley. They stood glaring at each other. Riley set the pizza box down on a nearby table, never taking his eyes from Sam.
“This is why you couldn’t have dinner with me tonight? I don’t like it. First it’s dinner at the diner, now tonight dinner here,” Sam growled through clenched teeth.
Riley started to step forward but thankfully, stopped when Kaitlyn put her hand on his chest. “Stop. Both of you.” She turned to Sam. “I’m old enough to make my own decisions, so back off.” When Riley snorted, she turned to him. “And you don’t need to antagonize him either.”
Sam sneered. “Yeah, Riley. You really shouldn’t antagonize me.”
Riley muttered under his breath and turned away. All of a sudden, Sadie came running at him so that he caught her, and lifted her up. She patted his cheeks with her chubby little hands and squeezed his nose making him smile. Kaitlyn glanced at Sam to see him scowling at Riley and when she looked at Riley, she saw him raise an eyebrow at Sam.
“You’ve been around each other more than just dinner and tonight,” Sam said with obvious suspicion in his tone.
“We had lunch together too. Christ, Sam get over it. Katie can see whoever she wants. She knows what she’s doing.”
“Does she?” Sam muttered as he headed toward the door, he spun around to face them again, and glared at Riley. “You and I will talk later.” He slammed the door behind him as he left.
Kaitlyn blew out a breath and gazed up at Riley. “I almost fainted when I opened the door and he was standing there.”
Riley chuckled. “Come here.” Putting his hand out to her, she placed hers in his. Riley pulled her against him, and kissed her. Sadie giggled making Riley grin against Kaitlyn’s lips so that she laughed too.
“Are you hungry?” Kaitlyn whispered against his mouth.
“You’ve asked me that before and the answer is still the same…starving,” Riley whispered against her lips then moved to deepen the kiss only Sadie suddenly squealed. Riley jerked back and screwed up his face as if in undefined pain. “I’m now deaf in one ear.”
Kaitlyn laughed then gave him a quick kiss.
“She just wants attention.” Kaitlyn took Sadie from him and carried her into the kitchen, glancing back to see Riley pick up the pizza box and follow behind. When Kaitlyn lowered her into her playpen, Sadie screamed again.
“Good God, the girl’s got a set of lungs on her.” Riley laughed.
“You ain’t heard nothing yet.” Kaitlyn teased and as if to prove a point, Sadie let out a high-pitched scream. Riley cringed then burst out laughing. “She’s tired and hungry.”
“Then let’s feed her.” Riley opened the pizza box and Sadie’s eyes widened. She put her arms up, clutching and unclutching her fists. Riley laughed. “Does that mean give me?”
“Exactly. She loves pizza.” Kaitlyn got plates out and set them on the table. “Could you put her in her seat while I get some napkins?”
“Sure.” While collecting plates and napkins, Kaitlyn watched Riley lift Sadie out of the playpen and put her in a booster seat at the table. Almost immediately, Sadie started kicking her feet and slapping her hands on the table making Riley’s eyes widen.
Hiding her grin, Kaitlyn turned back to the errand at hand. When she turned back from getting the napkins and caught Riley staring at her, she raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“You look beautiful. I didn’t get to tell you that when I first got here.” Sadie screamed and Riley laughed, shifting his attention to the little girl. “Yes, you do too.” She giggled up at him.
Smiling at the way the two interacted, Kaitlyn took a seat at the table. Taking a slice of pizza from the box, she pulled it apart, took the toppings off, and put a small piece in front of Sadie. After pushing it around on the plate in front of her, Sadie picked it up, and took a bite smacking her lips in delight.
Riley chuckled. “Sounds good.” Grabbing a slice, he bit into it. His eyebrows shot up. “This is good.”
“Of course it’s good. Just because we’re a small town doesn’t mean we can’t make a good pizza.” Kaitlyn scolded him and stood to get drinks.
Riley reached for her and pulled her onto his lap. She squealed making Sadie giggle.
Riley nibbled on her neck. “You taste better.” Nuzzling her hair with his nose, he murmured, “And you smell fantastic.”
Kaitlyn blushed. “Thank you. I like the way you smell too.” Even when he was dripping with sweat, she thought he smelled wonderful. Right now, his aftershave was driving her insane so she nuzzled his neck with her nose, inhaled deeply, and sighed.
“We have an audience,” Riley whispered.
Kaitlyn laughed softly. “I see that.”
Pushing off his lap, she stood, grabbed them each a beer from the refrigerator and a sippy cup of juice for Sadie, got herself a slice of pizza, and then sat down beside her daughter at the table. Sadie smiled as she ate her pizza, and then she offered a bite to Riley, who leaned over and acted as if he were eating the pizza, making Sadie giggle.
Kaitlyn couldn’t get over how good he was with her. Some men would simply ignore her. Riley seemed to actually enjoy being around Sadie, and Kaitlyn loved hearing him laugh with her little girl. What was going to happen when he left though? Kaitlyn knew Sadie would eventually forget about him but as for herself, she never would. She’d love him until the day she died.
“Katie? Are you all right?” Riley asked staring at her with a furrowed brow.
Swallowing, she smiled. “Yes…just lost in thought for a few minutes.”
All of a sudden, Sadie threw her pizza on the floor. Riley bent down, picked it up, and threw it in the trash. Sadie threw another piece. Kaitlyn laughed when she heard him sigh.
“As long as you keep picking them up, she’ll just keep throwing it.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that before I picked it up?” Riley muttered.
“Her way of saying she’s done,” Kaitlyn said shaking her head. After removing any more food that might end up on the floor, Kaitlyn cleaned up Sadie’s hands and face before taking her out of the seat and setting her on the floor. Sadie immediately went to Riley and put her arms up for him to pick her up. The action nearly caused Kaitlyn to burst into tears when he picked her up and put her in his lap. Turning her head away so he wouldn’t see, her heart breaking knowing he would leave them.
****
Later after dinner, they sat in the living room watching television. Sadie lay in R
iley’s lap, asleep. Kaitlyn stood and motioned for him to hand Sadie over but he shook his head, and stood with the little girl curled in his arms. Following Kaitlyn down the hallway to Sadie’s bedroom, he stood beside Kaitlyn as she changed the little girl and put clean pajamas on her. After she placed her daughter in her crib, she stood staring down at her. Riley put his arm around her and kissed her temple. It was as if they were married and looking protectively, and lovingly, over their sleeping daughter. Kaitlyn knew it was wrong even to fantasize about such a thing with Riley because it would never happen.
Turning from the crib, she took Riley’s hand, and led him to her bedroom. Once inside, Riley tugged on her hand to pull her toward him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.
“I need you, Kaitlyn,” he whispered against her lips.
Kaitlyn combed her fingers through his thick hair and pulled him tighter against her. “I need you too.” She knew her voice sounded shaky, but she couldn’t stop it from breaking.
Without another word, Riley picked her up, carried her to the bed, laid her there, and followed her down. His lips covered hers possessively and she welcomed him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she moaned into his mouth. Riley’s lips slid across her cheek to her neck and ear where he tugged on her earlobe with his teeth, making her shiver even as her insides flared with heat. His lips moved back to hers. Kaitlyn took his bottom lip between her teeth and tugged on it making Riley growl low in his throat.
When she pushed at his shoulders, he rolled to his back then Kaitlyn straddled him across his hips. She pushed his shirt up his chest, unveiling his six-pack abs and muscled pecs. The man had one hell of a body. Her fingers moved over his nipples making them harden. Riley moaned as her fingernails scraped down his stomach to the snap of his jeans. When he reached his hands out to her, she pushed them above his head.
“Don’t make me ask my brother for his handcuffs.”
Riley chuckled. “I’m game if you are, sweetheart, although I suspect he’d like to see me in them…just not with you.”
Kaitlyn laughed. “I don’t think Sam would let me have them anyway.” She lowered her head and kissed his stomach, his skin quivered beneath her lips as she lowered the zipper on his jeans. His hard shaft pressed against it wanting freedom.
Riley gripped her hand. “Easy. Commando, remember?”
Kaitlyn threw her head back and laughed. “I certainly don’t want to hurt anything.”
“Hell, I don’t want you to hurt anything either.” Riley reached down, lowered the zipper the rest of the way, and pushed his jeans down. Kaitlyn moved down his legs and removed his boots.
“Cowboys…” She snorted. “Wear these damn boots all year round.”
Riley laughed. “What else would we wear, darlin’? Sandals? I don’t see that happening. Besides, we have work to do.”
“You have work to do right now, cowboy.” Kaitlyn grinned as she licked his thigh and he jerked.
“You’re doing a fine job right now, Kaitlyn,” Riley whispered. When she ran her tongue along the length of him, he groaned and threw his head back against the pillow.
Kaitlyn had done this one time for Kevin and hated every second of it, but with Riley she wanted to taste every inch of him, knowing it would never be enough. Wrapping her hand around him, she flicked her tongue along the head, and then put her mouth over him. His hands fisted in her hair. Kaitlyn took him in as deeply as she could. Riley was a big man, so it wasn’t easy. Running her tongue down along his flesh, she sucked on him. When she raised her eyes to his face, she saw him watching her. She smiled and moved her tongue around the head of his hard cock as she kept her gaze locked with his. When she took him in her mouth again and moaned, he trembled. She kept at it for a while before he started pulling on her arms.
“Kaitlyn, you have to stop now,” he groaned.
“No,” Kaitlyn said, and took him in her mouth again. His cock grew harder and he growled low in his throat as he came, his hips jerking beneath her. Feeling confident and very sexy, Kaitlyn sucked on him until he relaxed then kissed her way up his hot skin to his lips where she caressed his lips with hers. Laughing softly, she watched his face, his eyes closed. “Are you all right?”
His lashes fluttering, Riley lifted his head and gazed at her. “I think I blacked out.” His head dropped back onto the pillow. “Just give me a few minutes.”
She sniffed in response. “If I must.”
Riley’s laugh came out in a breath. “God, when did you become so wicked?”
Moving off him, Kaitlyn stood by the bed staring down at him. His arm was across his eyes and his chest heaving, as if he’d just run a marathon. She smiled feeling quite pleased with her abilities. “I’m going to check on Sadie. I expect you to be rested up by the time I get back.”
A burst of laughter filled the air, followed by Riley’s hand giving her behind a gentle smack. “Yes, ma’am.”
****
Taking deep breaths to calm his body, Riley sure hadn’t expected that but he planned to give back in kind. When she first took him in her mouth, he’d almost lost it. He’d wanted to make love to her long and slow. Thinking about doing so made his shaft twitch, and he grinned. She was in for a surprise when she got back.
Riley could hear her talking softly. Sadie must be awake. He was about to get up when Kaitlyn came back into the room.
“Was she awake?” Riley asked.
“Yes. Sometimes she just wakes up long enough to look up and smile. Other times, I have to talk to her and she’ll drift back off.” Kaitlyn stared at him as she removed her clothes. His eyes locked with hers. When she was down to a red lacy bra and matching boy-cut panties, Riley reached for her and pulled her up along his body, and kissed her deeply. Moving his tongue into her mouth, he liked that Kaitlyn groaned and sifted her fingers through his hair. Riley flipped her to her back.
“You have no idea how much I want you, Kaitlyn. Every inch of me wants you.” Riley moved his mouth along her cheek to her neck and down across her collarbone while he pushed his hard cock against her. “Do you feel how much I want you?” Kaitlyn moaned in response.
Trailing his lips down to her breasts, his tongue circled one nipple while his thumb rubbed the other. Riley brought his head up and kissed her before moving down along her stomach and running his tongue over her. Parting her thighs, he moved between them putting his nose against her and inhaling deeply. When Kaitlyn pushed at his head, he chuckled.
“I could stay here all day, darlin’,” he murmured against her.
“Riley…please,” Kaitlyn groaned.
“Yes, baby.” Riley placed his mouth over her and moved his tongue against her clitoris. Her moans were making his dick so hard he thought he was going to explode. It was crazy to think he’d just come a few minutes ago, the woman drove him wild with need. His tongue swirled around her until she cried out and clutched his hair in her fists. Riley moved up her body to her lips and kissed her, thrusting his tongue into her mouth knowing her taste was there. She kissed him back with a passion that told him she liked it. Reaching to the floor, he took his wallet from his jeans to retrieve a condom. Without a word, Kaitlyn took it from him, tore the packet open, and rolled it down his swollen cock making him groan.
Staring into her blue eyes, Riley slid inside her, and stilled as her moan mingled with his. When Kaitlyn wrapped her legs around him and clenched him tightly, he moved his hips, slowly stroking her then pressed his lips to hers. Their tongues dueled and their lips clung. He took her bottom lip between his teeth and sucked it into his mouth. Kaitlyn gasped. Her hands ran down his back until her nails dug into his ass. Her hips moved in rhythm with his, and she threw her head back with a deep moan. Riley felt her inner muscles tightening and throbbing around his dick. Her cheeks flushed pink as her breathing deepened and her body tensed. Lifting her head, she buried it in his neck as she cried out. Then her head fell back onto the pillow as she gasped for air.
Riley couldn’t take it any longer. He picked up the pace and thrust harder into her. His orgasm hit him so hard he thought he was going to pass out, making him groan out her name before burying his face in her neck as he collapsed against her.
“God, it’s never been that good,” he groaned out then kissed her neck. When he sucked on it, she gave a low squeal and squirmed.
“Stop that! I don’t need you giving me a hickey.” Kaitlyn pulled at his hair.
Riley laughed. “I can put one where no one will see it.” Lifting his head, he waggled his brows, and gave her a wicked grin as he gazed into her eyes.
Kaitlyn laughed. “Behave yourself, Riley.”
“Oh, come on, Katie. Where’s the fun in that?” He lowered his lips to hers and proceeded to show her just how much fun it was to misbehave.
****
Eager to get the work of clearing out the old man’s house finished, Riley drove his truck up the driveway to the ranch, and parked near the back door where he climbed out, and rounded the back of the truck to pick up the pile of boxes he’d bought. He took a deep breath before he entered the house and headed up the stairs. Setting the boxes down on the bed, he headed for the closet. As he opened it, he felt a chill go over his entire body. After assembling one of the boxes, he pulled a dress out, took it off the hanger, and stuffed it in the box. Some of them were threadbare from hanging for so many years but Riley didn’t care, he was getting rid of all of them.
Once he finished with the closet, he moved over to the dresser and opened the drawers. Without going through them, he dumped the contents into another box. He planned to take the jewelry to Kline’s Jewelry to check on what was real and what wasn’t. His mother had loved her jewelry from what he could remember, so why had she left it all behind? None of this was within his realm of understanding but after all these years, he didn’t care.
Riley squatted down to pull out the bottom drawer and then stood to dump it. When a pile of envelopes fell out, he froze and stared down at them. Taking a deep breath, he reached a hand out to pick them up, but froze when he saw they were all still sealed. Drawing in a harsh breath, he picked them up then sat on the bed, staring at them. Every single letter had been addressed to the same person—his father. When he saw the return address, Riley knew why they’d gone unopened. They were from his mother. His hands shook as he placed them on the bed. If the old man didn’t want to read them, why had he kept them?
RILEY Men of Clifton Montana by Susan Fisher-Davis FINAL (1) Page 8