Best Of My Love (Home to Green Valley Book 4)

by Virna DePaul

  That was when an idea occurred to him.

  He smiled, wondering if she’d go for it. Could he convince her? He’d convinced her to kiss him back easily enough. This was another challenge altogether. He’d have bet the pub she was thinking about him, though.

  Instead of grabbing for the lotion when he reached over, he grabbed his phone and dialed her up. She’d still be awake, if she was studying for an exam.

  “Hello?” She didn’t sound tired—anxious, more like. She didn’t know why he was calling. Good. He wanted to keep her guessing.

  “Hey,” he murmured. “I’m sorry to ring you up so late.”

  “It’s okay,” she said. “I’m still awake. Studying.”

  “I didn’t want to disturb you. I just wanted to apologize for losing control of myself earlier.”

  A beat of silence passed. “Oh. That’s all right. I don’t hold it against you.”

  “You’re a very understanding girl,” he said.

  Another long pause. She was weighing his words, he knew. She was no pushover. Riley wasn’t used to a challenge like her, but he liked it. It was fun, feeling like he had to be on his toes to woo her.

  “It’s just, I couldn’t help myself. You’re so beautiful, Erica. So sexy…”

  “Sexy?” She sounded skeptical, though a little breathless, too.

  “Yes, sexy. You don’t know how hot you are, do you? Has anyone ever told you?” Like that wanker, Rob?

  “Riley, I don’t think this is a good idea,” she murmured.

  “What’s so wrong about telling you what I think of you? How I can’t stop thinking about you, even now, while I’m lying in bed?”

  “You’re in bed?” she said, her voice high-pitched and a bit warbly.

  “Yeah, and you’re the only thing on my mind. I can’t sleep for thinking about you. It’s like torture, thinking about our kiss. Thinking of all the other things I want to do to you.”

  She was breathing harder. “I wanted to do so much more than kiss you, Erica. I wanted to touch you everywhere, until you screamed.”

  She whimpered, so softly. The same whimper she’d released when he’d kissed her. He pumped lotion into his palm before sliding it down his hardened shaft.

  “Do you want me to tell you?” he murmured. “Do you want to know what I wanted to do?”

  “Oh, Riley…” She wasn’t asking him to stop. She was sighing in pleasure. Was she ahead of him already?

  “Are you touching yourself? Imagining the way I would touch you?”

  She moaned softly in reply.

  “That’s right, baby. Tell me what you’re doing to yourself.”

  “Why don’t you tell me what you want me to do, instead, and I’ll do it?” Her voice was a ragged whisper.

  Her boldness made his eyes widen and made his cock even harder. He throbbed in his hand, aching for her.

  “All right, love. I want you to rub your tits for me.” He closed his eyes, imagining the sight of her touching herself. “I wanted so much to slide my hands up under your shirt and play with them. I wanted to hold them and knead them, and pinch your nipples until you begged for more. Then, I would lick them, so slowly.”

  “Mmm…” She moaned, then gasped.

  “Are you pinching them for me?”

  “Yes,” she breathed.

  He stroked a little harder. “That’s so nice. Does that feel good?”

  “Oh, yes,” she answered.

  “Is your pussy wet?” he asked.

  She moaned again, desperately this time. “Yes, Riley…yes…”

  “I would lay you down and kneel between your legs.” Riley ran his hand up and down his shaft, squeezing harder as he did. “I would peel off your shorts, then your panties. You’d be so wet for me. I’d be able to see it.”

  “Oh…oh…yes…”

  “I would need to taste you. My tongue would lap at your lips, just on the outside, just enough to make you scream for more.”

  “Oh, God…!”

  “Are you touching yourself? The way I would?”

  “Y—yes!” she moaned.

  “How does it feel? How does it feel when I lick your pussy?”

  “Oh, God, Riley…! So good!” Her breath came in hard, ragged gasps.

  His hand stroked harder, faster. “That’s right. Then, I would spread you open with my fingers…and my tongue would brush against your clit…”

  “Oh, yes!” she cried out desperately. He imagined her fingers flying over her clit, and felt his balls tighten against him.

  “I would lick you until you couldn’t take it anymore, and your body would writhe under me. You would beg me for my cock.” It was hard to talk, hard to think about anything but the need to explode. “Tell me,” he begged.

  “I…I need your cock!” she whispered.

  “And I would give it to you. I would slide into your hot, wet tunnel. And I would pump in and out…you’d be so fucking tight…”

  “Yeah…give it to me, Riley…”

  “I’d fuck you until you screamed my name. Over and over. Oh, God…”

  “Yes! Yes, Riley! Don’t stop!” She was so close, and he felt his own explosion building.

  “Come for me,” he urged. “Let me hear you come, love. Let me hear you say my name while you come for me.” He squeezed his eyes shut, imagining her fingering herself, imagining fucking her senseless.

  “Oh…God…Riley…I’m coming…!” Then she shrieked softly, and gave out a long, whimpering sigh.

  He closed his eyes, hand flying rapidly, until he exploded with a loud groan.

  “Shite,” he muttered, catching his breath. All he heard on her end was heavy breathing. They stayed silent while they gained control of themselves. After a few minutes, though, he wondered if she was all right.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “I’m fine,” she whispered, but the shaking in her voice belied her words.

  “You’re sure? I mean, that was…something.”

  “It was something. That’s a word for it.”

  “I’ve been wanting that for a while. I promise, it wasn’t just seeing you with Rob that has me interested in you Erica. Part of the reason I went to Ireland was because of you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “My ex-girlfriend, Lucy. We’d been together and not together, back and forth, for so long. There was part of me that needed to make sure it wasn’t only distance that was making us not be together again. Do you understand?”

  “I understand.”

  “I saw her. I spent time with her. And the whole time, I couldn’t stop thinking of you.”

  “What about the other girls you’ve seen while you’ve been here?” she asked.

  “Nothing happened with most of them. Even when it did—it was you I really wanted. That’s the honest truth, too. But don’t tell the boys,” he said. “They all think I’m a bit of a stud. I’d hate to break their hearts.”

  She giggled. “You’re serious?”

  “As a heart attack, love.”

  She went quiet. He expected her to give back some declaration of affection, or at least the promise that she would break it off with her boyfriend, now that she knew he fancied her and she’d already told him she fancied him. A little phone sex helped solidify the deal. All he needed was a word from her.

  All he got was, “I should go. I need to finish studying. I’ll see you tomorrow. And…thanks. Good night.” She hung up.

  Riley stared at the phone, wide-eyed. That wasn’t what he’d expected at all.

  Nothing about her was what he expected.

  Chapter Six

  Erica had dreaded a lot of things in her life.

  Root canals.

  Doing her taxes.

  Bathing suit season.

  But there was nothing she’d dreaded more in her entire twenty-two years of life than going to work the day after having phone sex with Riley.

  It had started the moment she’d hung up the phone, her entire body flushe
d with embarrassment. What the heck was I thinking? Well, that had been too clear—she’d been thinking about Riley, his hands, his mouth, his cock, and all that he could do to her. She’d been burning for him since he left the apartment—all she’d needed was a push in the right direction.

  No, the wrong direction. What they had done was wrong. He was her boss. She had to face him, or else skip work and lose her job.

  “Well done, Erica,” she’d muttered, throwing her phone to the floor in disgust. Sure, it had felt great—more than great—but was it worth the repercussions? Like having to look him in the eye after he’d heard her orgasm? She’d pulled the covers over her head and curled into a ball, praying he wouldn’t hold it against her. It would be just like him to tease her mercilessly.

  The next day was a blur. She took the Business Law exam and hoped she passed, since studying had been the last thing on her mind once she got off the phone. She couldn’t focus on anything but what they did. What she did. She couldn’t even let herself be happy about it. That might have been the worst part, being unable to enjoy intimacy with someone she’d liked for so long.

  She pulled up to the pub at the usual time, but lingered inside the car for much longer than she needed to. She tapped her fingers along the wheel, nervous tension driving her crazy. Her blood pressure was through the roof, her palms were clammy, and nausea nearly overtook her

  She folded her arms over the wheel, resting her forehead on them, taking deep breaths even as she berated herself. All because I went and answered the phone when Riley called. Rule One: don’t answer the phone when a guy calls that late at night. It’s not so you can exchange recipes or gossip about the latest episode of Scandal.

  She knew she couldn’t stay in the car forever, so she dragged herself out and headed to the back door of the pub. As she did, she realized what scared her most. She was afraid he wouldn’t like her anymore. That things would be weird. That despite his declarations from the night before, he would realize she wasn’t a challenge at all, and therefore he’d be tired of her already.

  “Good evening,” Brady called as she entered the kitchen. “How was your exam today?”

  “Hmm? Oh, I think it was all right,” she said. “It was all such a blur, you know? You get ready for something and you work for it, and then it’s right there and you just do the best you can.”

  “That’s all any of us can do. I’m sure you killed it,” he said with a wink. He was always a very serious, level-headed person, but he had endless charm. Yes, it was partly his good looks and brogue, but it was also inherently genetic: all the O’Neill boys had it in spades.

  “There she is, our lovely barkeep. I’m wondering when you’ll marry me and take me away from all of this,” Sean said, waving his arms around.

  Given he was head over heels in love with his English professor and was planning on making his move soon, Erica laughed in spite of her nerves.

  “How do you know I wouldn’t marry you and take all your money, instead?”

  “Ah, poor thing. You could try, but you’d be a great deal disappointed by what you found.”

  She knew that was nonsense. The Stylish Irish was doing well, and they made money hand over fist. They paid her a more than generous salary, too, enough for tuition, books, and a rather expensive apartment. She was almost ready to buy a new car, too.

  “I’m sure there would be other compensations.” Erica winked, and the two brothers laughed. She felt good as she pushed open the swinging kitchen door and walked into the bar area.

  The sight of Riley behind the bar nearly stopped her in her tracks.

  “Hey, love.” He grinned.

  “Hey.” She fumbled with the strings of her apron, getting them knotted. Her hands shook badly.

  He noticed. “Let me help you with that.” He went to her and very solemnly helped her untie the knots before tying a neat bow. “There. All set.” His hands found her hips, and he smiled as he rested them there.

  “Riley, what are we doing?” she asked, keeping her voice low.

  “Right now, we’re getting ready for a Friday night. It’s gonna be packed in here.” He grinned. “That’s what you meant, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah. Sure.” She rolled her eyes.

  He chuckled. “Let’s just take it one day at a time, right? I know I had fun last night.” His green eyes smoldered, reducing Erica’s knees to jelly. “I want to have more fun with you, if that’s what you want, as well.”

  “It’s not that I don’t want to have fun, Riley. It’s just, you’re my boss…”

  His face grew serious, then he nodded. “That’s right. I am. But your job is safe, Erica, no matter what happens between us. I want you to know that.”

  She swallowed hard, searched his gaze, then nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”

  He winked, then turned his attention to bar prep. She had to admit, having him back at the pub added a breath of fresh air. She’d gotten tired of working without him. He had her laughing within minutes, nerves forgotten.

  Good thing she forgot them, too, since there was no time to think about anything other than the customers from the minute happy hour started. Before long, Riley and Erica raced back and forth behind the bar, filling orders, laughing with the regulars.

  They had a good rhythm together, too, which she appreciated. They didn’t have to overthink what they did or even talk about it very much, anticipating each other’s moves. If he needed a soda gun, she handed it to him while filling glasses with ice. She would then lift the glasses over his head while he ducked, so they could trade places. If he stood near the cooler and a customer asked for a bottle of beer, he’d have it open and ready for her before she had to ask.

  It didn’t hurt that working together gave them the opportunity to brush up against each other, either. At first, Erica had assumed it was a thoughtless mistake. They bumped into each other all the time. It was unavoidable, working in such close quarters.

  Up until that night, though, he’d kept his pelvis away from her butt when he passed behind her. When she felt a distinct bulge brush against her, she blushed.

  “Watch that gun, Riley,” Erica said, glancing at the dispenser in his hand. “You wouldn’t want to shoot off accidentally, would you?”

  He turned his face to the glasses he filled with soda, but she saw the grin he fought to contain. “I’ll have to be more mindful of that,” he said.

  “Good. Nothing worse than walking around with a sticky stain all night. From soda, I mean.” She turned away, taking another order, and heard him laughing behind her.

  Minutes later, she leaned over the bar to collect a few empty glasses and heard him make an approving noise behind her.

  “Yes?” she asked, turning to him.

  He only grinned, but there was no concealing his thoughts. They were written all over his face.

  “You know,” she murmured, ringing out a check, “you could be a little more discreet in your ogling.”

  “Was I ogling? I’m sorry.” He moved closer, his mouth on her ear. She caught her breath. “I was thinking about the way you screamed last night. You’re not the prim-and-proper girl you make out to be, are you?”

  She bit back a smile. “Maybe it was the late hour. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

  “Or maybe you just needed an excuse to let loose a little. I wonder what else you could do if you gave yourself permission to let loose.”

  “Wouldn’t you like to know?” she asked, turning to give a customer change.

  “Wouldn’t you like me to know?” He moved away, leaving her a little breathless. Yes. she would like him to know. She’d like him to take her up against the bar, frankly. Erica deliberately brushed her breasts against his arm the next time they crossed paths, and heard him groan under his breath.

  “You’re trying to kill me here, aren’t you?” he asked.

  “You started it.” She flashed a smug smile his way.

  It went on like that for hours, both of them one-upping each other. It was
a struggle to keep things under control, to stay professional. It was also the most fun she’d ever had while working on a Friday night, no question.

  “What’re you doing tonight, then?” Riley poured two glasses of wine and handed them to a waitress, then turned to Erica. “More studying?”

  “You mean will I be alone in my room, thinking about…being on the phone?”

  He grinned, and she knew that was what he was driving at.

  “Sorry to say, but no. I have plans tonight. It’s Friday, after all.”

  “Oh. You have a date? With Rob.”

  He said it as a statement, and though he tried to hide it, he looked decidedly unpleased. Jealous. Maybe even sad. She shook her head. “Nope. Not with Rob.”

  “Oh.” His expression brightened considerably. “Then what will you be doing?”

  “I’m going to head into Sonoma with some girlfriends. To a bar with great dancing called Sure Footed. Ever been there?”

  “No, but I’ve heard tales. I didn’t think girls like you patronized such places,” he said in a teasing, chiding tone.

  “Oh? And you know so much about it?”

  “Sure, I do. Dark corners, dirty deeds.”

  “Well, all I’m going for is dancing.” She mixed a couple of drinks, while Riley pulled two more beers from the taps. She handed off the drinks then brushed past him to cash the customers out. As she did, her hand gazed his butt. It was just as firm and delicious as she’d always imagined. Her heart raced, and she couldn’t believe her gall.

  He cleared his throat, indicating his surprise. “Come on. You can dance any night. Why don’t you come out with me?”

  “Why do I feel like you would only want to go back to your place?”

  “Me? Would I do that to you?”

  “Yes, you would.”

  He laughed, shrugging. “It was worth a shot, anyway.”

  “Sorry about that,” Erica winked.

  “Fine, then. Maybe I’ll see what this dance club of yours is all about.”

  She eyed him up, wondering if he meant it. He seemed serious enough. “Really, now?”

  “Yes, really.” He moved closer, brushing up against her. She felt the hardening in his pants, and something deep and primal within her let out a roar of approval. She gripped the edge of the bar to keep herself upright.