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

by Virna DePaul

  He knew they should get dressed and leave. It would have been the smart thing to do. Instead, they kissed for what felt like ages, until they both burned for more. He swept a hand over her cleft, feeling how hot and wet she was. How ready for him. It couldn’t be a long, leisurely screw but it could be a fast one. It would have to be.

  Swiftly, he retrieved a condom packet and ripped it open. After rolling the condom on, he slid inside her without a word, and she accepted him with a muffled moan. Their eyes locked as they moved together, hard, fast, taking each other without apology or explanation. She held him fast, her legs locked around his ass, pulling him inside, forcing him to pummel her with short, sharp thrusts that sent them both skyrocketing in minutes.

  He grunted. She bit his shoulder, muffling her cries when she came. He let out a groan, his face buried in the pillow, before they both went still.

  And silent.

  But he didn’t want to stay silent.

  He wanted to say things he’d never said to another woman.

  How much he adored her. How much he loved her.

  But that was crazy. It was too soon.

  So he said nothing, but he held her and kissed her and hoped every touch of his hands and lips communicated the message that she was special to him.

  Chapter Twelve

  When Riley dropped her off at Sure Footed to pick up her car, the only thing Erica’s body wanted was sleep. Between studying for her exam, getting only a few hours of sleep the night before and all the activity of the morning, she was exhausted,

  How could she sleep, though, when every cell of her body sang? It felt like a dream was coming true, one which she’d kept locked in her heart for so long. Out of all the women he knew, all the women who went in and out of the pub every day, he’d chosen her. Plain old Erica. It seemed ludicrous, but when he smiled at her from the driver’s seat before she hopped out of the car, his kiss still warm on her lips, there was no denying it.

  She drove home with a smile on her face, and she couldn’t help but belt out her favorite songs as they played on the radio. That day’s choice was the local oldies station, and she grinned when she heard the opening notes to “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You.”

  “I love you baby! And if it’s quite all right, I need you baby! To warm the lonely nights! I love you, baby, trust in me when I say…” The windows were down, a crisp breeze rolling through the car, and Erica didn’t care who heard her. Her heart was in flight.

  She thought it would be best to sneak into the apartment, in case Jenna was asleep. She didn’t know what time her roommate called it a night.

  Jenna wasn’t asleep, though. Anything but.

  “Oh, my God.” She nearly jumped Erica the moment she walked through the door. “Tell me, tell me. What happened?”

  “Easy, girl.” She loved having exciting news of her own for once. Not that she never dated, though Rob had broken a rather long dry spell. Jenna was a social butterfly, always meeting new people, dating interesting, sexy guys. Erica was usually the one getting the news the next day over a cup of coffee, her heart aching a little with envy.

  “Don’t tell me to go easy! Come on. What happened? Did you guys, you know…?”

  She poured herself a cup of coffee and took a deep breath, inhaling the heavenly aroma. She then took her time pouring milk into the cup, and a spoonful of sugar. She could practically feel Jenna’s blood pressure about to explode off the charts.

  Erica turned to her, and Jenna’s eyes nearly bored holes in her skull. “Okay, I’ll tell you.” Erica sat at the kitchen table as Jenna sat across from her, anxiously twirling a long strand of chestnut hair between her thumb and forefinger. As soon as Erica smiled, Jenna knew the news was good.

  “You did! You did! Yes!” She pumped her fist into the air, dissolving into giggles. “I knew you would, just from the way he looked at you! Oh, I’m so glad.”

  “It was better than I ever thought it might be,” Erica admitted. “And that’s saying something, because I thought about it a lot. Well, you know.” She’d confessed her crush on Riley a long time ago.

  “Squee! I feel the way I used to feel when I’d watch soaps. When it took forever for a couple to get together, and when they finally did it was so satisfying.” She smiled with a happy sigh.

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We’re not together, not exactly” Erica reminded her.

  “Oh, come on. You so are. Don’t pretend this is a one-time thing. You broke up with Rob for him. You wouldn’t do that if you weren’t serious.”

  “He’s my boss, Jen. I don’t know if we should have done it in the first place.” She chewed her bottom lip, then said, “But to hell with it. I’m glad we did it. Even if it does mean I might lose my job.”

  “You can always find another job,” Jenna reasoned. “They’re not the only game in town.”

  “No, but they’re the only game I really want to play. Well, besides Riley. He can roll my dice anytime,” she said with a wicked smile, thinking of all the ways they’d played each other.

  And thinking of all the moves they had yet to explore together.

  He’d had a taste of her.

  Next time, she definitely wanted a taste of him.

  * * *

  Later, when it was time for her to go to work, her heart beat just as furiously as it had the night before, when she’d dreaded going into work to face Riley. This time, it wasn’t dread she was feeling; it was excitement. They had a secret, the two of them. She wouldn’t be the one to break faith for anything in the world. It was thrilling, a little dangerous, and extremely sexy. She wondered what fun he had in store for her that night—it had been hot enough before they slept together, after all.

  What would he expect from her, though? Now that the wall between them had been broken down, would he want her all the time? She wouldn’t mind that—she just didn’t want to overstep any boundaries he wanted to put in place.

  He’d said he wanted her. She couldn’t forget that. He wanted her badly enough to want to continue whatever it was they had together, despite his brothers and their opinions. That meant something. He didn’t hold all the cards, after all. Her happiness mattered, too, just like what she wanted mattered. Erica reminded herself of that when she walked into work.

  Immediately, she was sure his brothers and everyone else in the world knew. They had to know. They had to see it on her face, or in the way she walked or talked. They had to see the blush on her cheeks when they asked her how her night went. They must have been able to read her thoughts—her nasty, dirty, sexual thoughts about Riley.

  They couldn’t, of course. And there was nothing different about her. Take it easy. Don’t give yourself away. If they ever found out, it would be her fault for being such a dork about it.

  Then she spotted Riley.

  Her breath caught in her throat when she saw him. He looked incredible, as always, in a tight t-shirt that showed off his bulging muscles. His body was a miracle, just like everything else about him. She’d always drooled a little whenever he wore tight shirts like that one, but after seeing what went on beneath his clothes, the urge to jump him was that much greater.

  “Oh, there you are. Was beginning to wonder if we’d be seeing you at all today.” He smirked, and Erica rewarded him with a withering look.

  “Sorry. I know you miss me when I’m even three minutes late.”

  “Was it only three minutes? The clock on the wall must be running fast, then. It says ten.”

  “I was very tired today. I had to take a nap before coming in.”

  “Oh?” He raised an eyebrow, stacking glasses at the bar. “And why’s that? Did you have a late night?”

  Sean was right there, wiping down tables. Erica wanted to smack Riley for being such an outrageous tease. “You could say that. I’ve had earlier ones.”

  “Oh, Rob keeping you up late, then?” Sean smirked.

  Erica blushed furiously. “Something like that,” she muttered, not wanting to go an
y further into it. If she told him she’d broken things off with Rob, he’d guess why!

  Only when Sean left the room did Riley let himself snicker out loud.

  “You are the worst,” Erica growled.

  “Oh, come on, now. It was funny.”

  “Not to me, it wasn’t. I could let the cat out of the bag, and wouldn’t that get you into trouble?”

  “You won’t, though.”

  “Oh, won’t I? Maybe I’m starting to have second thoughts. Maybe those extra ten minutes I was late for work gave me time to think things over.”

  “I don’t think so.” He moved closer, until his mouth was by her ear.

  She shivered. “Oh? Why’s that?” she managed to choke out.

  “Because you remember this morning just as well as I do, love.” He ran a slow hand over her butt, and no matter how she tried to hold back, there was no stopping herself from shivering at his touch.

  “I remember it, but that doesn’t mean I have to make a fool of myself for it.” She grinned at him, her resolve melting away bit by bit despite her attitude.

  “Everybody’s a fool for it, though. Don’t you know that? We’re all fools.” He leaned closer, breathing in her ear. The hair stood up on the back of her neck, and she closed her eyes for one breathless instant as his tongue swept over the curve of her earlobe.

  “Not here,” she whispered, casting a worried glance at the kitchen door.

  “Where, then? I’ve been thinking about you all day,” he admitted. “Walking around with a nonstop hard-on isn’t much fun, let me tell you.”

  She snickered. “Poor baby.”

  “When? Where?”

  “You would know better than I would. Where?”

  “The pantry. Your first break.” He moved away, and just in time since Sean came out with another rack of glasses to hang over the bar.

  Erica bent over the cooler, hoping to cool her flushed skin before her boss noticed. Riley carried on conversation with his brother as though nothing happened.

  It seemed as though there would never be a break in the action behind the bar that night. It was even busier than usual that night—great for tips, but not so great for anything else. Every time it seemed as though they were on top of the crowd, another dozen people came in to replace those who had just left. It never ended.

  “The perils of working in a popular place,” Riley mourned at one point, as they passed each other behind the bar.

  “Don’t get me started,” Erica muttered through her teeth.

  He laughed, discreetly patting her on the backside. “We’ll have plenty of time,” he said, winking.

  Finally, after four hours, Erica was nearly dead on her feet—still, she glanced at Riley, and he nodded just enough for her to see.

  “Sean?” she called out. “You mind if I take a break?”

  “Me, too,” Riley said, grimacing. “I haven’t been to the boy’s room since we opened.”

  “Go on, then,” Sean replied with an amiable smile, taking their place.

  It was all Erica could do to pretend to be casual as she walked back to the kitchen, then to the bathroom. She waited a few minutes before going further down the hall, to the walk-in pantry.

  He was waiting for her, closing the door behind her the second she stepped through. “God, I thought it would never happen,” he muttered, his hands on her before his mouth was. She wrapped her arms around his neck, gasping softly when he pushed her against the wall.

  “Thank God for skirts,” he growled, hiking Erica’s up to her waist. “I’ve been watching you bend over all night, and you’re driving me insane.” His free hand dipped beneath her t-shirt, then under her bra. She closed her eyes, leaning against the wall as his fingers sent bolts of lightning to her core.

  “Stop being such a horn-dog, then,” she whispered, then sighed as his fingers found her intimate places. He rubbed her, making her even hotter than she’d been all night. For hours, she’d been thinking about him, fantasizing throughout her shift about what they’d do once they were alone. She found his mouth again in the darkness and latched onto it, thrusting her tongue into his mouth, tasting him. He bit her lip, making her suck in her breath with a hissing noise even as his hand slid through her slickness.

  “I can’t help being a horn-dog when you’re so fucking sexy.”

  She heard the zipper of his pants lowering, then the crinkling of foil as he put on a condom, then the frantic pressure of his head at her entrance. She wrapped a leg around his hips, giving him room. He pressed forward, filling her with one smooth thrust, leaving her whimpering. She tried to control herself, pressing her face to Riley’s neck as he took her.

  “Yes…oh, love…so tight…” He whispered sweet obscenities in her ear as he moved, and she held on as tight as she could, letting him take control, letting him rock her into oblivion with his long, thick member.

  When her climax came, she welcomed it gladly, and dug her fingers into Riley’s hard shoulders as her body trembled. She bit down on her knuckles to stifle her moans, while he groaned softly into her shoulder as he came.

  “Oh, hell,” he muttered, leaning his hands against the wall to steady himself.

  She smiled in satisfaction, murmuring her pleasure in his ear.

  “That was worth waiting for,” she whispered.

  Chapter Thirteen

  She was a drug. That was the only explanation for why he couldn’t get her off his mind.

  What had he done before her? He hardly remembered. He’d known her, yes, but he hadn’t really known her. He’d looked forward to seeing her every day, for certain, but he hadn’t plotted little ways for the two of them to sneak off together during a shift.

  He hadn’t skulked about on her nights off, for sure.

  The second Monday after they first made love was one of those nights. It was the slowest night of the week, a perfect time for the bartender to take off. Sean usually tended bar, or Riley himself. That night, they switched off.

  “You all right, then?” Sean asked once, during a football game which Riley couldn’t have been less interested in.

  “Yeah, why?”

  “You haven’t paid any attention to the game, or to anything I’ve said.” Sean looked him up and down. “Something on your mind?”

  “Not a thing. You know I don’t think about stuff.” Riley grinned, then turned his attention back to the game.

  How had it only been a week since they’d first slept together?

  It felt like forever. Did addiction really start that easily, that quickly? It was the only excuse Riley could come up with.

  A trio of cute girls walked into the pub. Riley watched them approach in the mirror behind the bar. All of them looked to be college age, maybe a year or two older. All of them wore the same smile, the same style of clothes—short, tight, minimal—and the same hairstyle. Their long, silky hair hung in loose curls down their backs.

  “Hey there.” One of the girls, a leggy blonde, swung her hair over one shoulder. “Can we all get vodka and cranberry juice?”

  “Sure thing,” Sean replied, pulling three glasses down from the overhead rack.

  “Oh, you’re Irish?” Another suppressed smile from Riley, who kept his attention tuned to the game on TV.

  “Born and raised,” Sean said.

  The girls squealed. It wasn’t unusual. An Irish accent was pretty much a free pass into a woman’s panties.

  They peppered Sean with questions, which he answered with a smile. Which town was he from, how old was he, did he speak Irish.

  “Gaelic,” he corrected. “And yes, some. The best swear words.”

  The girls giggled.

  They insisted he teach them but Sean charmingly put them off and got back to work.

  “Hey.” One of the girls caught a glimpse of Riley’s face in the mirror. “Oh, my God!” It came out more like “gawd,” and Riley wondered if they were on holiday from New York.

  “Are you twins?” one of the girls asked.
r />   “We sure are.”

  The girls lost their collective minds, asking new questions. Could they read each other’s thoughts? Sean and Riley grinned at each other, both remembering the game they used to play when they were kids. Whenever somebody asked them if they could read each other’s minds, they would go through a pre-arranged script of words and numbers to “read” from each other. The idea did crossed Riley’s mind to do it now, but he wasn’t interested enough in continuing to converse with the girl to put forth the energy.

  “No, we can’t read each other’s thoughts,” he finally said.

  “No more than other people can,” Sean added.

  “Do you feel a really strong connection, though? Like, stronger than you do to other people?”

  “Oh, absolutely,” Riley replied without hesitation. “He’s my closest friend.”

  “We have no secrets,” Sean said. “Or do we, Riley?”

  Riley glanced a his brother, then looked away, filled with guilt.

  It seemed like a strange thing for Sean to say.

  Did he know about Erica?

  One of the girls, a brunette with massive tits, sidled up to Riley. “I think it’s fascinating that you’re from Ireland.”

  “You think so? And where are you from, love?”

  “Love!” She giggled. “That’s the cutest thing. I’m from New York.”

  “How interesting. I’ve always wanted to visit.”

  “You have? And I’ve always wanted to go to Ireland. I wanna see all that greenery. We don’t have anything like that in New York, for sure. Brooklyn’s not exactly green.” She laughed, sliding a hand up his arm until she reached his shoulder. “Ooh, do you work here, too? You can’t. How could you find the time to lift weights?”

  Was this what flirting had evolved into when he wasn’t looking? He was used to flirtatious women. The girl with her hand kneading his shoulder was something else altogether. Or maybe he was the one that was different.