One Winter's Night

by Brenda Jackson

  “Okay.”

  He quickly went to work, knowing what was on the agenda for later. She had turned on a radio and, except for the music floating around the room, the only other sounds were those they made moving around while putting items in order. Using his imagination like she’d said, he put every item he picked up into what he felt was the appropriate tub. He tossed a few items in the miscellaneous tub when, for the life of him, he could not figure out what she’d had in mind when she’d bought it.

  He thought they worked well together and within an hour he could definitely see them making progress. He glanced over at her. She had removed her pullover sweater to uncover a T-shirt that said Look at Me and Imagine. He smiled, thinking he could definitely do that.

  At that moment, he could imagine her without a stitch of clothing, spread on top of the table where they’d eaten earlier. He could see her long legs dangling off the sides as he stepped between them after removing all his own clothes. He could further imagine taking his favorite jam—strawberry—and smearing it all over her body, then taking his time licking it off. He could imagine the tip of his tongue covering every inch of her and—

  “Taking an unscheduled break, Riley?”

  Her voice sliced into his daydream. He blinked, realizing he had been standing there staring at her, for no telling how long. Swearing under his breath, he shook his head. “No, I was just checking out your T-shirt.”

  “My T-shirt?” she asked, looking down at herself with a quizzical expression on her face. “Oh,” she said, in a tone that let him know she’d forgotten about what was written on her shirt.

  He couldn’t hold back the smile that crept into his features. “Nice.”

  She shrugged. “It was a gift from my sister and meant to be funny.”

  He hadn’t seen anything amusing about it. It had the opposite effect. Those had been some serious musings stirring his imagination. Pretty damn hot musings, in fact. “Really?”

  “Yes, sometimes she has a warped sense of humor.”

  He would take her word for it since he’d noticed how she would change the subject when any discussion of her family came up. “Well, I think it’s nice, and it’s time to get back to work. We’re almost finished.”

  She nodded and went back to folding up tablecloths of just about every color you could name. He latched his attention onto one of the last items he needed to put away, one of those bouncy exercise balls. It was bright yellow, reminding him of the sun. He wondered what she had in mind for it. He started to ask, but decided he would just use his imagination. The only problem was that the thoughts going through his mind were probably way off from what she’d intended.

  He looked back over at her and saw she was pretty absorbed in what she was doing. He glanced back down at the ball, then back at her again. Imagine. He could see her naked, with her back on the ball. She’d be spread across it, facing him. Thighs open, her femininity wet and ready as he straddled her. And when she arched her body upward, he would lower his downward to connect. It would be a joining he would savor as he fought not to push too hard nor too fast inside of her. Sensations would take over and pleasure would seep into their pores, sink hard into their bones and—

  “If the reason you’re standing there staring at the ball is because you’re trying to figure out where it goes, don’t bother. It’s not supposed to be in here. I use it to exercise.”

  He glanced over at her. “I was just imagining you working out on it.” He shifted his gaze back to the ball and then returned it to her with a lazy smile. “So, what do you say, Alpha? Do you want to play ball?”

  Fourteen

  Two days later, Alpha tried to downplay both her nerves and her excitement as Riley escorted her into McKay’s to meet his family. Although she kept reminding herself that her purpose for being here was mainly to bring everyone up to date on the holiday party, she could barely contain her enthusiasm.

  Riley had ended up spending Monday night with her and had dropped by for dinner last night, as well. She’d had that couple’s seventieth anniversary party for Valentine’s Day to work on, and while she sat at the kitchen table taking care of the details for that event, he had stretched out on her living room floor in front of the fireplace, watching a cop show on television.

  He had pretty much left her alone to hammer out the details for the February party, but, from where she sat at the kitchen table, she could see him. She had been fully aware of each time he’d moved, whether it was to stand to stretch his legs or to shift his body into another position on the floor.

  When she had finally finished her work, she had joined him in front of the fireplace with glasses of wine. Later they’d stripped each other naked and made love before he left at midnight.

  She was well aware that time was ticking. They had less than three weeks before their affair would end. Since the finale was the night of the party, she was reminded of it each time she worked on the holiday celebration.

  “Well, hello, Riley. Welcome to McKay’s,” a feminine voice said. Alpha glanced up at their hostess and saw it was the same woman from before.

  “Paula,” Riley greeted. “I believe my family is here already.”

  “Yes, they are,” the woman said, in a cheerful mood, deliberately not looking at Alpha. “Must be an important business meeting going on with your family.”

  “No, just our usual get-together,” Riley said, handing Paula his leather jacket and then proceeding to help Alpha out of her coat to hand over to Paula, as well.

  Alpha wondered why the woman blinked and stared at her so hard, roaming her gaze up and down Alpha’s outfit. The ankle-length, formfitting dress Alpha was wearing had been one she’d purchased while shopping in Memphis. She could tell from the way Riley had looked her up and down when he’d picked her up, and the low whistle that had eased from his lips, that he liked the way she looked. So what was this woman’s problem? Why was this Paula checking Alpha out with venom in her eyes? It wasn’t hard to figure out there was history between Paula and Riley. Alpha had picked up on that the last time.

  But then a part of her understood any woman giving Riley a second glance on any night. But especially tonight. The man looked so jaw-droppingly, potently sexy, so robustly masculine, in his Armani jeans, herringbone blazer and white shirt.

  She was tempted to tell Paula to pull back her fangs. In a few more weeks, Riley would be on the eligibility list once again. That meant this woman might be the next woman in his bed.

  As Alpha studied the woman’s reaction further, she saw Paula turn her stunned expression to Riley, who merely smiled. Alpha couldn’t help wondering if there was a private joke somewhere, and if there was, why it seemed to involve her.

  She glanced over at Riley, who broke eye contact with the woman to glance over at her. A different smile touched his lips when he slid his hand in hers and asked, “Ready?”

  She drew in a deep breath and tried dismissing from her mind the interaction she’d seen pass between Riley and Paula. She returned his smile. “Yes, I’m ready.”

  He then looked back at Paula. “Please show us to our table.”

  Alpha saw the stiffening of the woman’s spine as she moved forward to do as Riley had asked. Paula might be ticked off, but that didn’t stop her from deliberately swaying her hips in her short black waitress outfit as she led them toward the back of the restaurant. Alpha was sure Paula’s saucy walk was for Riley’s benefit.

  When they reached the room, Paula opened the door and stepped aside. The look she slanted Alpha would have cut her to the core had she thought the situation was that serious. To her, it wasn’t. Alpha thought it was simply pathetic for any woman to get pissed off at another woman over a man neither of them had any right to claim.

  They stepped into the room and all the conversation between the people at the long table suddenly ceased as all eyes shifted toward her and Riley. The men stood and the women eyed her and Riley curiously. She knew Megan was expecting her, but she hoped her presen
ce wasn’t a surprise to everyone else. Surely Riley had told his family he had invited her. Therefore, Alpha could only assume the reason they were staring with such intensity was because Riley was still holding her hand and didn’t seem inclined to release it.

  Seizing the moment when they had everyone’s attention, Riley said, “Hello, everyone. I’d like for you to meet Alpha Blake.”

  Alpha waited for him to continue the introduction, expecting him to say something like “Alpha is the event planner handling our company’s holiday party.” But he provided no further clarification as he tightened his hand on hers and moved around the table, making individual introductions. Because he had talked about his family so much, she felt like she knew them already.

  Everybody shifted places and she found herself sitting with Riley on one side of her and his brother, Canyon, on the other. To say the Westmoreland men favored was an understatement. Because she knew Dillon and Pam already, she felt comfortable being included in the conversations. Other than being asked where she was from—which led to a discussion about Florida beaches—no one inquired about anything concerning her family and she was grateful for that.

  Riley helped tremendously by being so attentive. At some points, she wondered if he was overdoing it, since more than one of his brothers and cousins took note of it. When he asked her to try what he’d ordered for dinner, he had fed it to her with his fork and then used that same fork to finish eating his meal.

  “Are you excited about planning the party, Alpha?” Riley’s cousin Bailey asked from across the table.

  Alpha smiled and nodded. “Yes, definitely, and I think all of you will be pleased.” Bailey had been making conversation with Alpha off and on during the meal and it was hard to believe the young woman was the same one Riley had claimed was once a holy terror in the Westmoreland family.

  It was later that evening, when Riley was taking her back home after dinner, that she decided to bring up that very thing with him. Although he didn’t take his eyes off the road, she saw the way his lips curved in a smile.

  “Don’t let the sweet act fool you. I would be the first to admit that Bailey has matured in a lot of ways, but if rubbed the wrong way, the old Bailey will resurface in a minute. I’m surprised she took to you so easily. Usually she’s very standoffish with those who aren’t family.”

  “Then I guess I should feel special.”

  The car came to a stop at a traffic light and he turned his dark, piercing gaze toward her. The moment their eyes connected, she almost forgot to breathe. The kind of heat she was beginning to get accustomed to around him curled around in her stomach, making her nipples stiffen and her pulse rate increase.

  “You are special, Alpha.”

  She had to draw in a deep breath, wondering why on earth he had to go and say something like that. Why had he spoken in that husky voice that could make her panties wet on impact? And why did she want to believe he actually thought she was someone special?

  “Thank you,” was the only response she could make. Her heart was beating a mile a minute. Riley had the ability to make her want things she shouldn’t. Believe in things that she couldn’t. Hadn’t she learned her lesson with LeBron and Eddie? But still, she wished she could ask Riley to explain what he meant. Why he thought she was special. Heaven help her, she really didn’t want to put too much stock into what he’d just said.

  Riley turned his attention back to the road and she let out a deep sigh. No matter how many times he looked at her or touched her, her body responded in a way it had never responded to a man before. Her affair with him was supposed to be just a fling that meant nothing. Sex with no commitment.

  She swallowed with difficulty. But she was beginning to feel emotions that she shouldn’t be feeling, especially when she knew the score.

  That wasn’t good.

  * * *

  Riley settled between Alpha’s thighs and gazed down at her as he lifted her hips to ease unerringly into the essence of her. They stared at each other, looking deeply into each other’s eyes, as he guided his throbbing erection right through her heat.

  He released a low growl the moment her muscles began clenching him, pulling him deeper inside of her, sending frissons of pleasure rippling all through him. What was there about how she made him feel, the emotions making love to her evoked?

  Riley closed his eyes as he began moving, slowly thrusting in and out of her. He didn’t want to rush. He wanted to savor the moment. His body felt alive, free. Tension began flowing out of him, unwinding and easing away to allow sexual gratification to come in to such a degree that he flexed his toes in time with his strokes. This was what real lovemaking was about, the kind that made you realize what you’d been missing, and what you could only have when you loved a woman.

  What the… He snatched his eyes open to look down at her and was grateful to find her eyes closed as a deep moan escaped from between her lips. Something made her open her eyes and her sultry gaze connected to his. He knew there was no way he could deny what he was feeling at that moment. Emotions he didn’t want to feel. And he was certain they were the same kind of emotions that had torn Bane’s heart in two.

  But he was feeling them nonetheless.

  There was no way he could deny that he had fallen in love with Alpha.

  He had felt himself falling hard in Memphis, probably even before that. And each time he’d tried fighting it and denying it, he was drawn to her even more. He knew his family had questions since he’d never invited any woman to their little family gatherings before. By arriving with her tonight, he had made a statement. He was taking a chance with his heart.

  A part of him wanted to believe Alpha was different. She would never hurt him the way Crystal had hurt Bane. But what about those family secrets she was obviously trying to keep? He brushed the thought aside. Whatever they were didn’t matter. He loved her anyway.

  His body kept moving inside of her, boldly claiming what he deemed, at that moment, would always belong to him. Starting tonight, he would be a Westmoreland in pursuit. He knew there were things she wasn’t ready to share with him and that was fine; he would use his time to break down her defenses and prove to her that no matter what had happened in the past, he was a man worthy of her love.

  Overcome with emotions he couldn’t contain, he tightened his hold on her and leaned down to capture her mouth with his. It was either that or confess words she was not ready to hear.

  She locked her legs tighter around him and he heard her deep groan at the same time as sensations burst within him, releasing spasms of pleasure that ripped all through him. Shot to every angle of his body.

  He broke off the kiss to throw his head back. “Alpha!”

  And then he exploded, spurting his release all through her as he encountered an out-of-body experience that connected him to her in a way that tested the bedsprings. He felt vibrant, alert, alive, and now he also knew how it felt to be a man in love.

  As his tremors subsided, he eased off Alpha, lifted her in his arms and snuggled her head to his chest. Their bodies were wet with sweat and their limbs entwined as he gathered her closer. They were connected heart to heart, soul to soul. He knew that no matter how long it took to convince her, Alpha’s place in his life was permanent.

  Fifteen

  “Are you excited about the party this weekend?”

  Alpha glanced up from her inventory list and smiled over at Lindsey. Her question was bittersweet. Yes, Alpha usually loved the day an event she’d worked on finally arrived, but since this event also meant the end of her affair with Riley, she was torn.

  She decided to give Lindsey the answer her assistant probably expected to hear. “Yes, I’m excited.”

  She immediately glanced back down at her list so Lindsey wouldn’t see the tears threatening to fall whenever she thought about what this weekend entailed. It was hard to believe it had been three weeks since her trip with Riley to Memphis. So much had happened since then. First, it had been his invitation to Mc
Kay’s to meet his family. She was certain that is what had prompted Pam to call her two days later to invite her to the Westmorelands’ Thanksgiving dinner.

  Every one of the Denver Westmorelands had been there except for Bane and his cousin Gemma who lived in Australia. The twins, Aiden and Adrian, had schooled her on the family’s after-Thanksgiving-dinner game of snow volleyball. Lucky for everyone, except for her, it had snowed that morning and a sufficient amount was still on the ground after dinner. After the players divided into the Reds and the Blues, she found her and Riley on opposite teams.

  It had been the most fun she’d had in a long time, and she’d seen just how down-to-earth the Westmorelands were. For a little while, they had made her feel like she was a part of them. That was one of the reasons breaking up with Riley was going to be so hard.

  Then there was also the fact that she had fallen in love with him.

  As she continued to check items off her list, she couldn’t help but feel the pain in her heart. Omega had warned her that such a thing could happen as soon as the flowers began arriving. The day after she’d had dinner with his family at McKay’s, he had, for no reason at all, begun sending her flowers. The flowers would arrive practically every two to three days and when she asked why, he would merely smile and say it was because he was thinking about her.

  Then there were those other habits they had started that would be hard to break—like sharing dinner practically every day, either at her place or his; his spending the nights with her more often than not; and their Friday date-nights. They would take in a movie or go to a play or roller-skating. More than once, he had mentioned something about her going skiing with him and she would change the subject, not having the heart to remind him that they wouldn’t be together for the trip to Aspen that he had planned for January.

  An hour or so later, after Lindsey had left, Alpha was busy making last-minute adjustments to the menu for this weekend’s party when her phone rang. She smiled when she saw it was Riley.