“What do you want, Savannah?” he murmured against her ear. “What do you need?”
Just as she was about to answer, the plane shook a little and she gasped, pulling him closer by clutching his T-shirt.
“It’s just a little turbulence. It’s normal when we’re descending.”
She shook her head. “It always sounds like the plane is going to come apart. I hate it!” She buried her face in the crook of his neck, and he could feel her shaking.
Last time he didn’t act until she asked.
Last time he let the decision be hers.
This time he wouldn’t.
Without a word, Riley tucked a finger under Savannah’s chin, lifted her head, and immediately captured her lips with his. He plundered, he explored, he took. His hand wandered from her chin to the back of her head—anchoring her to him.
She didn’t hesitate, just began to kiss him back as hungrily as he was kissing her.
If it were any other time, or any other place, he’d have her naked and beneath him. There was no point in pretending otherwise. Physically, they were beyond attracted to one another. And personally? He really liked her and he knew—as much as she might hate to admit it—she liked him.
She was making him crazy. She challenged him, argued with him, and made him laugh. And right now all he wanted was to take away all her fears and make her happy, make her smile. God, he was getting sappy. And with the way Savannah’s tongue was swirling in his mouth, he was getting aroused.
Who was he kidding? He’d been aroused since their first meeting. This kiss was simply adding gasoline to an already out-of-control fire. And even knowing it, he was unable to stop himself. So he let go of his own internal musings and concerns and put everything he had into kissing her and distracting her like she needed him to.
Not that it was a hardship.
She tasted like chocolate and sex—one of his favorite combinations. He felt her relax beside him as she sighed and then he wrapped her in his arms and simply held her. In his mind, he wanted to let his lips and tongue linger on other parts of her, but for now he knew he had to settle for this—mainly because they’d proven this brand of distraction worked perfectly for her.
There would definitely come a time when he would try other ways to distract her, but it would have to wait until they weren’t on an airplane with a crew of people around who could walk over and see them at any minute.
He let that thought settle in—not of the interruptions, but of the possibilities—and smiled to himself. Yeah, he couldn’t wait to try them all.
* * *
They were on the ground but still on the plane. There was some congestion on the tarmac, and Lisa told them they were going to be delayed about twenty minutes. Savannah didn’t mind. They were allowed to get up and move around, and that was really all she wanted—the freedom to move if she needed to.
Her head was on Riley’s shoulder and she couldn’t stop thinking about their kisses. She knew he was kind of doing it to distract her during the parts of the flight that terrified her, but she had a pretty good feeling he was enjoying himself.
God knew she was.
Then she thought about how he had kissed her at his house that day, and she realized a potential pattern was developing here that, if she wasn’t careful, could make their working together very difficult—if not impossible.
What if, during the interview process, Riley used this tactic to keep her from asking difficult questions? Would she be able to turn him down? Because really, she was only human and the man kissed like a dream. It wouldn’t be the worst way to spend her time, but it also wasn’t going to help her get her job done.
“You okay?” he asked, his hand lightly combing through her hair.
“Just thinking,” she said honestly with a sigh.
“It doesn’t sound like you’re happy about it. What’s going on? Is it because we’re stuck on the tarmac?”
She shook her head. “No, this is definitely way different than being on a commercial flight, and it’s been glorious.”
He chuckled. “That sounds like a good thing.”
“It has been. I’m just… I mean, I was thinking how…”
Riley pulled back and shifted them so she had no choice but to look at him. “What? Tell me.”
Lord this was embarrassing. “I really…appreciate the way you, um…distracted me here on the plane.”
He grinned. “It was my pleasure. Believe me.”
Savannah couldn’t help but smile at his tone. “But…I don’t want it to become a…um…a habit. Do you know what I mean?”
The grin faded and apprehension replaced it. “No, I don’t think I do.”
“This has been like some sort of reprieve from my normal life for me. I don’t travel in private jets or have my every whim catered to. But when we get off this plane, Riley, I need for us to be who we’re supposed to be.”
“And who is that?”
She sighed with a bit of frustration. “Business associates of sorts. I’m a reporter, you’re the subject. I’ll admit it was nice having some time to ease into things and to get to know you a little bit on a personal level, but from this point on, we need to focus on why I’m here. I have a story to write and I can’t have you…distracting me.”
Slowly, Riley unbuckled his seat belt and put a little distance between them. “And you think I would use this particular distraction method to keep you from doing your job? Why?”
“It’s no secret you’re doing this interview under duress. I haven’t forgotten that.”
“So are you!” he snapped. “You told me from the start that you didn’t want to do it and that you didn’t even like me!”
With a roll of her eyes, Savannah took off her own seat belt and collected her thoughts. “I’ll admit I was wrong about you. I’m fine with admitting it. I jumped to conclusions without knowing you, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to write this story the way I see fit. I can’t let a few kisses cloud my judgment.”
“First of all, they weren’t just a few kisses,” Riley corrected. “And second of all, I don’t believe I asked you to write anything other than the truth! God, do you think so little of me that I would use…sex…to keep you from writing anything that wasn’t flattering to me?”
She kind of felt a little bit ashamed that she had. “Riley—”
“No. You know what? This is good. I’m glad this came out now. For a minute there I almost thought we were connecting on some level, but maybe…maybe I was wrong about you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know anything about you or your credentials. For all I know, this is your…your thing. Maybe you have a thing for rock stars and celebrities and this is how you conduct your interviews. You know, get them to let down their guard, get them hot and bothered, and then pull back, saying how things can’t go any further or it will disrupt the integrity of your precious story!”
“That’s not what I do!”
He stood and was pacing now. “How do I know that? I only have your word for it! Maybe I need to make some calls and find out for certain. For all I know, Savannah, you’ve played this game a dozen times before and because no guy wants bad press, they go along with answering whatever you throw at them or they’d get hit with some kind of slander!”
She jumped to her feet, full of fury. “Is that really the kind of person you think I am?”
“I didn’t until a few minutes ago! I really thought we were connecting, Savannah. I was really enjoying our time together. I never would have asked you to compromise on anything where this damn interview was concerned because of my attraction to you!” He spun away, raking a hand through his hair.
She was about to reply when the plane began to move. She immediately sat back down and clung to the armrest of the sofa. Riley didn’t make any attempt to come near her. Inst
ead he turned to move away.
He faced her one last time before he did. “You’ll get your damn story. All of it. You’ll have access to me and my family for as long as you need it. Don’t make me regret that I trusted you with them because if I find out you’ve done anything to upset or betray them, I’ll make sure this story never sees the light of day. Are we clear?”
All she could do was nod and watch as he stalked to the front of the plane, leaving her alone. Leaning forward, she dropped her head into her hands and fought the urge to cry. How could he think she did this sort of thing all the time? Didn’t he realize how hard she was struggling with the fact it had happened between them? No other subject—famous or not—had ever turned her on so much.
Well, now she’d gone and put her foot in her mouth and had to live with the consequences. It was probably for the best. Riley Shaughnessy was nothing like she envisioned and was suddenly everything she wanted. But as he’d just pointed out, they were vastly different and clearly there were trust issues—on both their parts.
The rest of the month wasn’t going to be easy—particularly while she was spending time here in North Carolina with his family. With any luck, she’d be able to get what she needed for the piece from them quickly and find an excuse to head back to L.A. where they could finish up either by phone or whenever Riley returned.
Thinking about returning to L.A. without him brought on a wave of anxiety that had nothing to do with the man and everything to do with her means of travel. She hated that. Hated how her fears were so strong that they almost obliterated the things she should be focused on.
The plane came to a stop, and a minute later Lisa appeared to tell her they were able to deplane and that her luggage would be waiting for her on the ground.
Savannah thanked her and stood. Slowly she moved across the plane and collected her purse and her computer bag—not that she’d needed either of them during the flight—and walked to the front of the plane. Looking out the door, she saw Riley was already on the ground talking and laughing with a member of the flight crew.
The sun was starting to go down—it was after seven North Carolina time—but the temperatures were mild. Slowly she made her way down the stairs and stood next to Riley while they waited for the rest of their bags. She smiled softly at the crew as they all came down the steps and thanked them all for a wonderful flight.
Someone stepped forward as soon as their luggage was out and immediately put it on a cart for them. Riley motioned for her to follow him into the small airport. “Is this a private airport?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No, but it’s one of the closest to home, and even this will have us driving for an hour.” His tone was pleasant but lacked any of the warmth he’d always shown with her. “If you’re hungry, we can stop for something to eat on the way home.”
Her appetite was pretty much gone.
Riley didn’t push her for an answer, and soon they were inside the air-conditioned terminal. As she took a minute to get her bearings, she knew the instant he spotted his father. His pace picked up and his entire body seemed to relax.
“Dad!” he called out as he moved farther away from her toward the man who clearly meant the world to him.
“Hey! You made it! I heard you were a little detained out there.” Ian Shaughnessy hugged his son fiercely for a minute before taking a step back and looking at him. “You’re looking good, Riley. I hate how L.A. seems to agree with you so much. You know I’m always hoping you’ll move back home.”
Riley chuckled. “I’ll have to retire sometime, right?”
Ian’s eyes went wide for minute. “Don’t toy with me.” He chuckled. “I probably won’t live to see the day you retire. You’ve got too much talent in you to do it any time soon.”
“Oh, stop,” Riley said before turning and facing Savannah, his expression going neutral. “Dad, this is Savannah Daly. She’s a reporter and she’ll be with us for a couple of weeks doing the article I told you about.”
Ian looked at Savannah and then Riley and then back again. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Savannah.”
“Thank you, Mr. Shaughnessy. I appreciate you being willing to have me around for a few weeks.”
“Nonsense. And call me Ian,” he said with an easy grin that reminded Savannah so much of Riley’s.
Not that he was grinning right now. Far from it. If she had to choose a word for it, she’d say he was scowling. Fiercely.
Once again Ian looked between the two of them before clearing his throat. “Well, let’s get your things and get moving.” When Savannah went to grab her suitcase, Ian stopped her. “I’ve got it.”
“Thank you,” Savannah murmured, almost blushing.
“You don’t have to do that, Dad,” Riley said. “You’re not here to wait on her.”
Ian stopped in his tracks. “I believe you were raised with better manners than that, Riley,” he said firmly. “Since when does a gentleman let a lady carry her own luggage?”
“It’s on wheels,” Riley pointed out and flinched when Ian slapped him upside the head. “Ow! What was that for?”
“I should have done that more when all of you were kids,” he grumbled. With Savannah’s suitcase rolling behind him, he simply walked ahead of them toward the terminal exit.
Savannah couldn’t help but chuckle, even when Riley turned to her and glared.
“You think that’s funny?”
“As a matter of fact, I do,” she said, unable to keep from grinning.
“Yeah, well…don’t,” he said and walked ahead of her.
She stood rooted to the spot for a minute, enjoying the view of Riley from the back. It was just as fine as the view of him from the front. There was an uphill battle coming and it had already begun on some levels. He was pissed at her and he was going to make sure his family was on their guard around her. Well, that was all fine and well. She’d win them over and then he’d see he was wrong.
About everything.
Riley stopped and spun around, looking at her with annoyance. “Are you coming or what?”
Nodding, Savannah put on her game face and caught up to him. He looked at her oddly before the two of them began to walk to catch up to Ian.
“I have food back at the house,” Ian said when they got to his truck, “but I’d be more than happy to stop someplace for dinner on the way home.”
“That’s very sweet of you,” Savannah said. “But it isn’t necessary.”
“Believe me, taking a beautiful woman to dinner is no trouble,” Ian said with a smile. He had driven his pickup truck to come and get them. It wasn’t particularly practical—or clean—but it was his only mode of transportation. “Sorry about the cramped space. I was going to borrow Zoe’s car to pick you up but I got hung up at work and it was all I could do to get home and grab a shower before I had to get on the road to get here.”
“It’s not a big deal, Dad,” Riley assured him.
Savannah readily agreed until she climbed in and found herself sandwiched between the two Shaughnessys. As much as she wiggled and shifted, she was thigh-to-thigh with them. Ian looked over with an apologetic smile.
“I promise to have a roomier car for the two of you to use while you’re here,” he said as he started the truck and pulled out of the parking spot.
“We’re fine, Dad. Really,” Riley said as his arm came around Savannah’s shoulders and came to a rest along the back of the seat. “Whose car are we going to have?”
“Quinn’s taking care of that. He said he had the perfect car for you. He and Anna were going to drop it off at the house tonight after he’s done with work. If you want, you can call him and see if they’d like to meet us for dinner.”
Riley shook his head. “No. That’s okay. I’m not feeling overly social tonight. I think a nice dinner and a quiet night at home sounds like the perfect end to this day.”
Yikes. Savannah had to fight the urge to elbow him in the ribs and ask him if maybe he wanted to take up acting! For all the ways he was being dramatic, he seemed to have missed his calling! She muttered, “Oh, brother,” under her breath and could feel the heat of Riley’s stare. She simply turned and glared back. If he wanted to act like a child, more power to him. She, on the other hand, was going to charm the hell out of his family.
“So tell me, Ian—” she began, but Riley instantly cut her off.
“We’re all off the clock, Savannah. You can start your interview tomorrow. Can’t you at least give the man a chance to get home before you start hammering him with questions?”
On the other side of her, she could tell Ian wanted to speak but she beat him to the punch.
“I was going to ask your father what the local food was like here. I’m primarily familiar with the Midwest and West Coast. I’ve never been east.” She shrugged and smiled sweetly. “Just curious.”
Riley’s frown deepened as Savannah turned and put all her attention on the elder Shaughnessy.
For the remainder of the ride, Ian shared with her some of his favorite local foods and restaurants and even a few recipes. By the time they pulled up to one of the places he had mentioned, Savannah was starving.
Riley held out a hand to help her out of the truck, but she refused. As soon as her feet hit the pavement, she walked over and linked her arm through Ian’s and happily walked inside. Riley followed a minute later—with a hat pulled low on his head—and it amazed Savannah he was able to walk into a place like this without anyone really noticing him. Even with the lame disguise.
By the time they were seated and having drinks, she was almost able to forget he was there. Ian was chatting her ear off about his business and the history of the seafood restaurant. If the rest of the family was as charming as Ian and Riley, there was no doubt she was going to be in love with them all by the time she was done with her story.
* * *
It was one thing for the locals to ignore Riley when he was in town. He was used to it. He appreciated it. Other than the waitress asking for his autograph, dinner had been fairly uneventful for him.
This Is Our Song Page 11