Spring River Valley: The Spring Collection (Boxed Set)

by Wynter, Clarice

  Aiden’s darkening gaze lingered on Sam for a second, but whatever his response might have been to her wanton confession, he never voiced it. He rose, a half grin on his lips, and tugged on Barkley’s leash. “Come on, boy, let’s go see the doctor. Um…thanks for the toy. I’m sure he’ll chew the hell out of it when we get home.”

  “Yeah, sure…” Sam made a beeline back to her desk and flung herself into her seat as Aiden and his dog disappeared into the exam room with Dr. Croft. She dropped her head into her hands and moaned. “I can’t believe I just did that.”

  “What? Did you ask him out?” Gillian hovered at her shoulder, her grin reflected in Sam’s computer screen like a Cheshire cat’s.

  “No. Thanks to your sex talk show, I just basically told him I’m a horny slut.”

  “So you just made yourself irresistible to him.” Gillian laughed and put a hand on Sam’s shoulder. “I’ve been married for thirty years, hon. And I’ve been very happy, but I don’t think I would have been if I hadn’t had a little fun beforehand…and that was back when having that kind of fun wasn’t as easy as it is today. Live a little.”

  Samantha fanned herself with a file folder. “Live? I just about died out there. I’ve never been so embarrassed. My brain had no idea what my mouth was doing.”

  Gillian shrugged. “Trust me, I was watching. That young man knew exactly what your mouth was doing, and he was loving every naughty word you said.”

  Chapter Two

  “And I’m a little concerned about this hearing problem,” Taylor Croft said when Aiden finally managed to drag his attention away from the conversation he’d just had in the waiting room.

  “Huh? Barkley has a hearing problem?”

  “No, you do. I’ve been asking you questions for five minutes, and you’ve been staring blankly at the door like you can’t hear me. Are you okay?”

  “I’m…sorry, doc. I’m a little distracted today.”

  “Well, I have the cure for that. The weather’s gorgeous. Go take Barkley out for a nice long run. He needs the exercise, and maybe it’ll clear your head. Have you been working too many hours?”

  “Ah…well, I’m running a full class load at the Rec Center, and I’m getting into judging martial arts competitions, so I’ve been pretty busy. But I love it.”

  “What does Barkley do when you’re at work?”

  “Oh, my sister takes him a lot. She and her boyfriend take him to the dog park a couple times a week.”

  Dr. Croft nodded his approval and continued Barkley’s check-up, talking more to the dog than to Aiden, which was fine since it left his mind free for a few more minutes to wander back to the conversation he’d had with the receptionist.

  Was the universe that cruel to put another stunningly hot girl right in front of him and allow her to have the same viewpoint on commitment he did? It had to be some kind of joke. He’d been in too many relationships where sex had screwed up a perfectly awesome friendship. Too many women he’d known had been all for casual sex until the moment it was over, then suddenly they were planning a walk down the aisle, something Aiden was seriously opposed to at this stage in his life.

  She had to have been putting him on, teasing him like the dog he obviously was—at least the dog he’d been told he was by his last three girlfriends. What was so wrong with having a good time sexually and not turning it into a precursor for a trip to the tuxedo store?

  “It must be nice where you are; you keep going there.” Dr. Croft was grinning wolfishly when Aiden refocused his brain for the second time. “You keep drifting.”

  “I’m really sorry. I must be tired. As soon as we’re done here, Barks and I are going for a nice long run. I really need that fresh air.”

  “Doctor’s orders, for you at least. Barkley looks like he’s in excellent shape. I don’t see any problems, and as long as he’s eating and sleeping and doing all the things dogs do, I can give him a clean bill of health. I’ll just go get his shots ready, and you can get him out of here. I see Samantha gave him one of our organic chew toys.”

  “Samantha.” Aiden liked the sound of her name. It was sweet and sexy just like her. He’d been coming here since Barkley was a puppy. How come he’d never taken a good look at the pretty brunette receptionist before?

  “Yeah. Sam. You know, out there?”

  “Yeah. Organic, huh?”

  “We buy them from Green Solutions, over on Downing Street. They’ve been a great help with the larger dogs who get nervous in the waiting room.” Dr. Croft ruffled Barkley’s fur and stepped away from the exam table. The dog gave him a baleful glance, as though he was fully aware of the unpleasantness to come. “I’ll be back in a sec. And I’ll make sure Samantha processes your paperwork for today.”

  “Why…what?”

  “Aiden, you practically walked into a wall out there because you were looking at my receptionist. In case you’re wondering, she’s not dating anybody, and you didn’t hear that from me, because I’m not supposed to know or care about what my employees do in their off time, but from one guy to another, she’s a great girl. Ask her out.”

  Aiden shook his head. Had he been that transparent? He shrugged. “I…uh…so she’s definitely single?”

  Dr. Croft shrugged. “As far as I know. I’ll be right back.” He stepped out of the exam room, and Aiden turned his attention back to the reception desk before the door closed. Samantha sat at the front desk, her jewel blue eyes fixed on her computer screen. She didn’t notice him staring. When she bit her lower lip in contemplation, Aiden’s heart skipped a beat. Was it worth the risk? He was tired of having the same old conversation with the girls he dated – Where is this going? When are we going to move in together? Put a ring on it or lose it, buster.

  Here was a girl who’d practically guaranteed him that she didn’t expect a rice shower and a stack of thank-you cards. How could he turn down that chance?

  *

  Samantha had just about gotten her breathing back under control when Aiden and Barkley emerged from the exam room. Dr. Croft handed off the dog’s chart to her and patted Aiden on the back. “Sam here will get your vaccination certificate ready and give you a new tag for his collar. Keep doing what you’re doing, and I won’t need to see you again for a year…Barkley, take good care of this guy, he needs some looking after.”

  Sam took the chart and smiled at Aiden, praying he’d suffered amnesia while in the exam room and had no recollection of their embarrassing conversation.

  “Thanks, doc. I will definitely take your advice.”

  “I’ll get the tag ready,” Sam said. She pulled up Barkley’s records on the computer, entered Dr. Croft’s notes quickly and printed out a bill. When the page came off the printer, along with Barkley’s rabies vaccination certificate, she remembered the idea she’d had earlier about jotting her phone number on the receipt.

  She put all the paper work on the counter and handed Aiden a pen. “There you go. Your total for today is one fifteen. Cash or credit?”

  “Uh…cash is fine. So…” Aiden signed the receipt and gathered up the paperwork. “About before…”

  Oh God. Sam’s cheeks flamed. She would have crawled under the desk except there wasn’t room with the huge basket of organic chew toys. “Yes? What, that? Out there? Oh…”

  “Did you mean it?”

  “I…yes.” There it went again, her mouth doing things her brain hadn’t approved. Was she losing her mind? “I did.”

  “So…” He tilted his head, a wordless question packed with innuendo. “I’m not saying, you know…we…whatever, but we could go get coffee sometime. Or dinner. Or a movie?”

  “Are you asking me out?” Dum-dum. Of course he’s asking you out. And the sex is implied. He’s asking you for casual sex.

  His smile turned her heart into that puddle of goo Gillian had warned her about. “Yeah. If you’re…into it.”

  She grabbed the pen from him and wrote her number on his bill. “Sure. Call me. I’m free all weekend.”
Oh, desperate much?

  “Great, I will.”

  “Great.”

  “Awesome. Come on, Barkley. We’ve got to go for a run.”

  Sam stared after Aiden as he walked out the door, certain she would melt from the toes up. Had that just happened? Had she offered herself to a drop-dead gorgeous man for no-strings-attached dating and sex? She should have been mortified. And she was, but she was also more turned on than she’d ever been in her life.

  Chapter Three

  “Getting Serious about Casual Sex? This is the book you bought?” Brenda Samms’s blue-green eyes widened as she flipped through the pages of the book Samantha had just purchased. She’d casually snatched up the best seller while her friend was perusing the bargain books at the other end of the store and paid for it without making conversation, or eye contact, with the cashier.

  “Shhh. Don’t advertise it.” Sam grabbed the book from Brenda and stuffed it back in the bag, then jammed the bag under her purse and picked up the fruit smoothie she’d ordered at the mall food court. She sipped noisily while scanning the crowd of shoppers that bustled in and out of the food court, hoping no one was eyeing her suspiciously.

  Brenda stirred her cup of frozen yogurt and contemplated Sam across the little table they shared. “If you didn’t want anyone to know you bought it, why not just order it online?”

  “I couldn’t wait that long. I need to read it right now.”

  Brenda broke into a wide grin. “Did he call you?”

  Sam nodded. Less than twenty-four hours after her encounter with Aiden at the Clinic, he’d called to ask her out for Friday night. She had one night to read the book and psych herself up for a bona fide, friends-with-benefits relationship.

  “Oh, my God. And you’re going to go through with this? You’re going to…” Brenda lowered her voice, “…sleep with him?”

  “I don’t know…maybe. Probably. What’s wrong with that?” She hoped the question sounded progressive and defiant and empowered, but it really just came out sounding desperate for approval.

  “I say, nothing. Go for it. What guy is going to complain about being your boy toy?”

  Sam shrugged. “He said we were just going out to have fun, no pressure. He wants a girl he can be friends with.”

  “But who doesn’t expect anything from him.”

  “Right.” Sheesh, it had sounded so much better when Aiden explained it. Of course, everything he said with that deep baritone of his sounded good. “Hey look, at least he’s being honest right up front. Better than the guy who puts on the hearts-and-flowers act, and once you’re totally hooked he gives you the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ speech.”

  Brenda contemplated her yogurt. “You’re right… Lord knows we’ve all been there. So you’re starting out with complete honesty. Just be careful…you do have a tendency to fall in love at the drop of a hat.”

  “I do not.” The denial slipped out automatically, but even Sam couldn’t keep up the pretense. She was addicted to love, had been since the age of fourteen when Kyle Weatherly asked her to the seventh grade dance. Their children would have been named Anna and Henry, and they would have lived in a lovely colonial four-bedroom in nearby Stanton. The relationship had lasted twelve glorious days. Ten years later, she’d been in love at least that many times, and her heart had been broken so often, she could swear she heard the pieces rattling around in her chest. This time would be different. There would be absolutely no expectations, just fun and hot sex and companionship.

  “Do yourself a favor, if you think you’re going to fall hard for this guy, break it off. I’d give a copy of this book to Riley and tell him I was ready, willing, and able, if I thought I could be with him and not want forever.”

  “Well, who says Riley doesn’t want to settle down? Just because he’s overworked right now doesn’t mean he isn’t making solid plans for his future. If you told him how you felt about him and told him you’d be there waiting as soon as he took the bar, I bet he’d be thrilled.”

  Brenda made a face. She’d been in love with her coworker, Riley Thayer, since the week she started worked at Esterhause, Brady and Danziger, but the law student with aspirations of being one day named a partner in the firm barely had a moment to breathe, much less date. “That may be, but he’s so focused right now, I don’t know if he’d even understand what I was saying. I might have to translate it into legalese to get him to pay attention. Hmm, maybe I could draw up a contract. That, he’d notice.”

  “So do it. Get a little crazy.”

  “You mean do something really out there, like buy a how-to book on casual sex?”

  Sam cringed. “I just need to know what the rules are.”

  “Rule one, don’t let it get serious. Rule two, run like hell if it gets serious. Rule three, see rule number one.”

  “I know. I know. But…I could use a little bit of fun. My problem has always been that I take things too seriously. I go right for the jugular, and it’s made me miserable since high school. It’s about time for a change.”

  Brenda eyed the edge of the bag peeking out from under Sam’s purse. “When you’re done with the book, can I borrow it? Maybe I will make Riley an offer he can’t refuse.”

  * * * *

  Aiden had no idea why he was so nervous. First dates didn’t faze him and never had. It was the tenth or twentieth or thirtieth dates—those were the difficult ones, where the expectations started to creep in. When Valentine’s Day, Christmas, or New Year’s Eve ceased to be holidays and started to be possible “proposal” days, that’s when his palms would sweat and his collar would feel tight. When he didn’t dare bend down on one knee to tie his shoe for fear his date would already be tearing up for the joyful acceptance of the ring she imagined him pulling out of his pocket…that’s when he’d get lightheaded and a little nauseated.

  No. First dates were easy, but for some reason, meeting Samantha Wilton at the Triple Plex just didn’t feel like a first date.

  He paced back and forth on the corner, checking his phone every two minutes and wondering if she’d come to her feminine senses and changed her mind. He’d assured her over the phone that he had no intention of pressuring her into anything, and if she just wanted to hang out that was fine, but if she wanted anything…more, that was great too.

  For once, he wanted a relationship that could weather the emotional turmoil of sex. How much easier would life be if the whole human mating ritual could just take place without all the associated drama? Was he an idiot to think he’d finally found the girl who understood his point of view completely and agreed with him?

  Probably, but she was so hot, he had to at least give it a chance.

  He was checking the time on his phone once again when he saw her at the edge of the crowd outside the ticket booth. Before calling out her name, he paused a moment and just looked at her. She’d pulled her light brown hair up on one side, exposing her graceful neck. In anticipation of the warm June evening, she wore a royal blue sun dress with a white sweater. The combination made her look almost virginal, except the skirt was short and flouncy, and her sandals had those sexy laces that crisscrossed around her lower legs. He wanted to let out a triumphant wolf whistle, but the place was too crowded, so instead he made his way over to her and tapped her on the shoulder.

  She smiled brilliantly and kissed him on the cheek, teasing his senses with the warm, clean scent of her perfume. “Hey, sorry I’m a little late. I had to circle the block twice to find a parking spot. Where did you park?”

  “I live over there.” He pointed to his building. “So I walked. Parking is a pain around here.”

  He caught the flash of uncertainty in her eyes.

  “After the movie, we can go to the café down the block for coffee if you want.” No pressure. No pressure.

  “Sure, or we could…go back to your place.”

  He slipped his hand into hers and squeezed. “That, we could definitely do. Whatever you decide is great with me.”

 
She met his gaze, her blue eyes clear and serious for a moment. “I’ve already made my decision.”

  Chapter Four

  The confidence that had carried Sam through the first two hours of her date with Aiden began to weaken as soon as they left the theater. The movie, a comedy, had lightened their moods, and they’d spent most of their time laughing and whispering to each other over salty popcorn and chocolate mints.

  She hadn’t had that much fun with a guy in a long time, but she sensed Aiden was concerned about their arrangement. She’d noticed him stealing glances at her during lulls in the action on screen, as if he wanted to make sure she hadn’t bolted from her seat in the dark. She’d slid her hand into his and held on, letting him know she wasn’t going anywhere. It felt good, his warm skin caressing her palm, his strong thigh pressing against hers. Everything about him made her feel feminine, and the way he looked at her caused a shiver to travel up and down her spine.

  Now, as they walked the two blocks to his apartment, still holding hands, she tried to recall the words from Dr. Fraser’s book. A frank discussion should precede any sexual encounter. If you want to make the casual sex arrangement work for both you and your partner, you have to put aside any embarrassment and be willing to talk about what you want, what you expect, and how you plan to deal with the possibility that one or both of your feelings may change once you’ve slept together.

  That was the source of her growing anxiety. She thought she could handle going to Aiden’s apartment and sleeping with him, if that’s what they ultimately decided to do, but the idea of talking about it beforehand, in depth, had her quaking in her sandals.

  How would she start that conversation? “Let’s talk about sex?”

  “Huh?”

  Oh, crap. She’d said that out loud.