My Last

by
Melanie Shawn
 Cover Design by Hot Damn Designs
Published by Red Hot Reads Publishing
Copyright 2013 Melanie Shawn
All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the original purchaser of this book. No part of
this may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission in writing from
Melanie Shawn. Exceptions are limited to reviewers who may use brief quotations in connection with
reviews. No part of this book can be transmitted, scanned, reproduced, or distributed in any written
or electronic form without written permission from Melanie Shawn.
This book is a work of fiction. Places, names, characters and events are either products of the
author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, or persons,
living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
 Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Sneak Peek: My Only - Alex & Jamie
Excerpt: Sweet Reunion
Excerpt: Scandalous
Other titles by Melanie Shawn
About the Author
 Chapter One
Rachelle Thomas watched her hand tremble as she carefully set her mascara down on the
vanity table in front of her. The shaking fingers looked like they belonged to someone else. It was as
if she were watching this all happen on a movie screen instead of experiencing it live and in person.
She felt like she was floating outside her body.
Still feeling strangely removed from herself, she noticed that tears were forming in her eyes.
She tried to blink them away. But a few errant drops escaped and slipped down her cheek.
She stared at David’s reflection in the round mirror. He didn't look real, either. She wondered
if this were all a dream. She felt numb...paralyzed.
As she looked into her fiancé’s eyes, she desperately tried to see within them the man she had
planned on spending the rest of her life with, had planned on having children with…but she couldn't
find even a trace of that man in what she saw in front of her now. This man was a stranger, she
recognized nothing about him. The eyes that looked back at her in the mirror were cold and distant.
“So let me get this straight,” Chelle began, her voice sounding hollow and strange to her ears.
It didn't matter, though. She needed to say it out loud, to solidify the situation in her own mind. She
hoped that, by hearing the facts spoken in her own voice, maybe she could connect the bizarre words
that she was saying to reality - that it wouldn’t seem so ludicrous.
After taking a deep breath, she calmly repeated what David had just told her. “You have been
having an affair with your 18 year old secretary for the past six months, now she’s pregnant, so you’re
going to marry her.”
He nodded briskly.
She continued, “And...just to clarify...you decided that the best time to tell me this was ten
minutes before we are supposed to leave to go to my best friend’s wedding...in which I am the maid
of honor.”
He stared at her, his piercing blue eyes icy and detached. “Look, I’m sorry if you’re upset by
this, but we’re all adults here…”
“One of us just barely made the cut,” she shot back sharply.
“Don’t be petty,” David snapped.
“Petty is just about all I've got right now,” she said angrily, to which David rolled his eyes,
making her feel about two inches tall.
Chelle wasn’t sure what she was having more of a problem coming to terms with, the fact that,
A – she was finding out that the man she had devoted years of her life to was a lying, cheating
pervert...or that, B - he was being such a dick about it.
 I mean, sure. She had always known that David wasn’t the sweet, teddy bear, cuddly type but
he had never been outright mean...at least not to her.
“Look Chelle, there’s no need to be dramatic about this. These things happen,” his
patronizing, condescending tone was pushing her right to the edge of losing her (admittedly tenuous)
grip on her sanity and self-control.
“Are you being serious right now?”
She waited.
No answer.
“That was not a rhetorical question, David,” she said slowly and with just the slightest razor
edge to her overly-serene voice, “I am literally asking you if you are being serious right now.”
Disdain was pouring off of him as he rolled his shoulders back, “Come on, now. Do we really
have to draw this out with high school dramatics?”
“Really...'draw this out’...‘don’t be petty’...‘no need to be dramatic’...‘these things
happen’...who are you right now?”
She shook her head in disbelief, still seated at her vanity, her back to David, looking at him
through the mirror she sat in front of. Chelle didn’t trust herself to turn around and face him. She might
do something she would regret.
Plus, she admitted to herself reluctantly, she couldn’t really feel her legs right now...so she
wasn’t even sure if standing and facing him was an option.
The alarm on her phone beeped, alerting her that it was time to head over to the church.
Okay, so she wasn’t going to be able to deal with this now. Just as well. The wedding would
give her a good excuse to shove this down, put it inside a mental box, not let it take her over.
Straightening her shoulders she realized, that might be easier said than done. But, it didn’t
matter. She needed to pull it together. She was not going to let David's little bombshell take away
from her best friend Katie’s big day!
Bracing her hands on the edge of the solid wood of the vanity, she used every last ounce of
strength she had in her arms to push off and help balance herself. She carefully stood. Her legs felt
shaky beneath her but they didn’t give out causing her to fall flat on her rear.
Thank God for small blessings.
She made a point to modulate her tone so that her voice came out sounding as neutral as
possible, “I have to go David, I want you gone when I get home.”
David snorted. “I’m still going to the wedding. I’ve known Jason since we were kids.”
He then continued, his tone indicating that he was stating the obvious, “And my name’s on the
lease, too, if you recall. I’m not moving out.”
 He huffed indignantly, sounding more like a rebellious teenager than an almost thirty year old
man.
Hey, maybe he and ‘secretary girl’ had more in common than Chelle had originally thought.
Finally, she turned to look at him. It was surreal, almost as if she were having an out of body
experience. She stared at him and saw him, really saw him, for maybe the first time in her life.
She had known David since middle school, and she had dated him off and on since they were
in high school. They had gotten serious a few years ago, and had been engaged for about a year.
Before this moment, she would have said that - without a shadow of a doubt - she knew him, really
knew him, through and through.
But now, as she stood staring at him with his arms crossed in a combative stance, she couldn’t
believe how different he looked to her.
Everything went eerily quiet for a moment. The only sound she heard was a loud buzzing in
her ears. Her world was narrowing in around her, as if a camera lens were zooming in to take a close
up. She felt as if she were not really experiencing any of this, but rather that she was outside looking
in. She had the oddest sensation that she was merely a viewer of her own life, watching the drama
unfold like she would on an episode of CSI.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, she burst out laughing. She had no idea why. Somewhere in
the back of her mind, she knew this must seem like the behavior of a crazy person...hell, this must be
the behavior of a crazy person!
Hmm, she considered, yep, maybe that was it. Maybe she was crazy. Perhaps this burst of
hysteria meant that she was smack-dab in the middle of a full blown, certifiable, nervous breakdown.
That had to be it.
Instead of having a logical, sane reaction to his rather disturbing news (which she assumed
would be to feel sad...angry maybe) she just couldn't stop laughing.
She noticed that David was looking at her with disgust and pity, shaking his head like he felt
sorry for her.
"Chelle, you really need to pull it together. I know you're going to miss me but..."
She began to laugh even harder at his ridiculous self-important statement. She was laughing so
hard she was crying. She couldn't stop. Now she began to feel afraid – afraid that if some outside
force didn't stop the laughter soon, she would never be able to make it stop on her own. Oh dear God!
Her phone rang, then, answering her prayer. It pulled her out of her hyena-like laughing fit and
anchored her to earth. She looked down at her smart phone and Katie’s face appeared on the screen.
She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, wiped her eyes, and cleared her throat before
answering the call.
 She gave her head one final shake to try and snap out of her unexpected outburst before she
spoke. She didn’t want to alarm Katie by sounding koo-koo katchoo on the phone, after all. Finally,
she pressed the ‘answer’ icon.
“Hey Katie,” she said, and (Happy Dance!) her voice sounded fairly normal in her ears. Well,
she thought, so far so good. She sounded like a completely sane person.
“Where are you?” Katie, however, might be just a little panicked, Chelle immediately
realized.
“I’m headed out right now.”
“Oh thank God!” Katie said, relief filling her voice, “Mom had a last minute errand to run,
Sophie’s running late, and...well, I love Aunt Wendy and I know she means well, but, she is driving
me a little nuts. I need you!”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be there in a few minutes,” with renewed determination to keep it all
together and be strong for Katie, Chelle hung up the phone.
This was Katie’s day! Nothing would stop her from being there for her best friend – her
diamond friend –not even David's shocking announcement. She was not about to let anything take
away from Katie's day. Chelle grabbed her bag, and headed towards the front door.
She could hear David’s voice, and on some vague background level knew he was animatedly
speaking to her. But, to her ears, his voice sounded like he was underwater, or speaking to her from
the end of a long tunnel.
No, I know! He sounds like the adults sound in the Charlie Brown cartoon, Chelle thought to
herself. He's talking but all I hear is, “Waah wa waaa wah wa.”
She snapped a lid on that line of thought before it could send her off on another round of
hysterical and uncontrollable laughter.
Deciding to completely ignore whatever he was saying (as a tactical maneuver, even though
she would have done it just on principal alone!) she brushed passed him to get to the front door. He
reached out as she passed him, grabbing her arm roughly.
Immediately stopping in her tracks and without even sparing him a glance she spoke with an
authoritative tone – one that quite honestly, until this very moment, she had no idea she possessed –
and stated firmly, “Don’t. Touch. Me.”
He must have sensed that she meant business and not been ready to deal with the new steel in
her manner, because David released his hold on her arm immediately, and just as quickly, she was out
the door.

--- ~ ---
 Rushing out to her car, Chelle drove to Harper’s Crossing Community Church on auto-pilot –
or, at least that's what she assumed she must have done, because she certainly wasn't consciously
aware of the trip! She had so many thoughts running through her head, she couldn’t make sense of any
of them. There were so many conflicting emotions competing for her attention that it seemed like they
must be canceling each other out. She felt hurt, anger, confusion, and sadness. They were all playing a
cruel game of bumper cars in her belly, but because of their intensity, all she could feel were the
crashes when they collided.
Getting out of her car in the parking lot of the church, Chelle was immediately accosted by
Aunt Wendy, Katie’s well-meaning and slightly eccentric aunt - who also happened to be the wedding
planner.
“Great, you’re already dressed, let’s get you into the bridal suite. Katie wanted you back there
as soon as you arrived,” Aunt Wendy said as she bustled Chelle quickly off towards the church,
barely giving her enough time to lock her car. Aunt Wendy pressed a button on her headset and, in a
serious voice, alerted the person on the other end that she was, “En route with MOH.”
Even in Chelle’s anxiety riddled, confused state of mind she was able to clearly decipher one
thought - Aunt Wendy’s announcement to whoever might be on the receiving end of her earpiece
seemed slightly like overkill.
This was a small and intimate wedding party. It only consisted of Chelle, who was the maid
of honor and Sophie, who was the matron of honor. Although Sophie was not blood-related, she had
always been like Katie’s little sister. And since Sophie had just married Bobby Sloan (little brother
of Katie’s soon-to-be husband Jason Sloan), she was now going to be Katie's actual sister-in-law.
On the guys' side there were two of Jason's four brothers standing up for him, Alex and
(Sophie's husband) Bobby.
That was it. The whole shebang.
Plus, this was a very small town. Everyone knew everyone. She didn’t think whoever was on
the other end of that radio headset would have been confused if Aunt Wendy had simply said,
“Chelle’s here.”
Chelle giggled and lifted her wrist to her mouth, as if she had a microphone there, secret-
service style. In a voice several octaves below her own, she intoned, “Base, the Eagle has landed,”
and her giggles transformed to out-and-out laughter.
The sideways glance she got from Wendy told her that she might still be slightly hysterical,
not quite in touch with reality, and she made a concerted effort to rein herself in as they headed back
toward the church at a brisk clip.
 As soon as they opened the large wooden front door to the church, which at capacity seated
about one hundred and fifty people, she noticed that it looked to be filling up to the brim. She took a
deep breath. Looked like she'd be giving the performance of her life today, and to a sold out crowd,
no less!
Aunt Wendy pushed her way through the small crowd of people waiting to sign the guestbook.
She acted as though she were Chelle’s body guard, pulling her along, not letting anyone speak to her.
Which, considering what Chelle was going through, she had to admit she was grateful for. Chelle
wasn't exactly in the mood for pleasant conversation.
As they reached the side door to the bridal suite, Aunt Wendy flung the door open and bodily
shoved Chelle inside while simultaneously pressing the side of her headset, this time announcing,
“Delivered MOH, en route to ushers.”
Chelle shook her head, smiling. Aunt Wendy had clearly found her calling.
“See what I mean?!” Katie asked, a touch of panic at the edge of her voice. She was clearly
not as amused as Chelle was.
Chelle turned to see her best friend sitting in the oversized chair in the corner of the room,
leaning over and threading the delicate slip of leather at the top of her beautiful shoe around her ankle
and through the diamond encrusted buckle it was meant to fit into.
Katie stood and smoothed down her simple, strapless, white satin gown. Her long, silken
blonde hair cascaded in curls around her face and fell all the way down to her waist. Her make-up
was understated and flawless. She looked ethereal.
Katie spun around once. “Well, how do I look?”
Chelle smiled, and this time she knew that the smile reached her eyes. Happiness for her BFF
welled up inside of her. Well, Katie was more than her BFF, actually. She was her DFF (Diamond
Friend Forever) – that is what they had considered each other since they were in elementary school
and Aunt Wendy had told them that best friends were common but diamond friends were rare. “Like
an angel,” she answered.
Katie scrunched her nose, “That’s weird. That’s what Jas told me he thought the first time he
saw me in Kindergarten. I’m no angel, I don’t get it,” she shrugged.
“You look so beautiful. I’m so happy for you guys!” Chelle could feel tears beginning to form
again, but this time they were tears of joy. Well...mostly joy. There may have been some leftover
emotions that had decided they wanted to rear their ugly little heads, not appreciating being shoved
down and ignored. But MOSTLY it was joy!
Katie’s eyes met Chelle’s and a flash of concern crossed her face, “Are you okay?”
Dang it, Katie had always been perceptive and once her “spidey senses” detected something,
she would not drop it until she was satisfied with the answer she got.
If Chelle was going to pull this off, she was going to have to give it everything she had!
Attempting to call on her inner Meryl Streep, she tried to mask any emotion that would raise
suspicion. “I’m great!” She announced, perhaps a tad too enthusiastically. OKAY...so, Meryl Streep
she was not. But she was giving it the old college try!
Katie cocked her head to the side and gave her a look that made it clear that she was not
buying what Chelle was trying to sell, “Chelle, seriously...what’s wrong?”
Her mind quickly scrambled for a way out, a plan B explanation that would provide a simple
and believable cause for her welling emotion. Oh snap, that’s it! Simple explanation!
“I’m just so happy to be here with you, you know...on your wedding day. I can’t believe
you’re getting married. And I’ve missed you so much!”

The best lies, Chelle had read somewhere, were ones that were rooted in the truth – and what
Chelle had just said certainly was the truth...if not the whole truth. But Chelle realized that the key to
redirecting Katie’s attention would be to stick to the (palatable part) of the truth since Katie could
sniff out a lie like a bloodhound.
Katie smiled and came over to give Chelle a hug. YES! Plan B was a success.
“I’ve missed you too! God, it’s so weird. I mean, a month ago I was living in California. I
hadn’t even seen you or Jas in over ten years. Now, I can’t imagine my life without him, or you,”
Katie was shaking her head, but smiling from ear to ear, “I seriously can’t believe it’s only been a
month.”
Katie had come back to Harper’s Crossing a month earlier for Sophie's, wedding. Katie had
dated Nick, her next door neighbor and also Sophie's big brother, since they were in middle school.
Nick had died tragically in an automobile accident the summer after their senior year, and Katie left
town the night after his funeral. She hadn’t been home in a decade.
Sophie, who had always considered Katie her big sister, had asked Katie to be the maid of
honor in her wedding. Katie, despite her reservations about returning to the place that had spawned
such complicated feelings for her – feelings she had been running from for a decade – had returned
out of pure love for Sophie. Over the course of that wedding weekend, which turned out to be the
most fateful weekend of her life, she had reunited with Jason, who had been the best man in the
wedding.
Jason had been in love with Katie since the first day they had met in Kindergarten, but he had
never told her of his feelings until the weekend of the wedding, and - after spending a roller coaster
few days together - he had asked her to marry him.
Katie had said yes, and Jason hadn’t wanted to waste any time getting her down the aisle. His
feeling was that they had already wasted over 20 years not being together, and he didn’t want to live
even one more day than he absolutely had to without her as his wife.
Katie, who was the sweetest person alive, hadn’t wanted to overshadow Bobby and Sophie’s
recent nuptials and had insisted that they wait at least a month. In that time, she had headed back to
San Francisco, with Jason by her side, and tied up some lose ends with cases that she had in progress,
facilitating their transfer to other attorneys on staff at her firm. She had thought that she might be sad to
leave her fast-paced life as an up and coming lawyer, but had ultimately decided that 80-plus hour
work weeks and near-constant pressure to perform were not the life she wanted. She wanted to move
home to Harper's Crossing, and - most importantly - she wanted Jason.
Chelle could honestly say she had never seen her diamond friend happier.
“And just think, in a couple of months...this will be you in the white dress, getting ready to
walk down the aisle!” Katie exclaimed.
“Yep!” Chelle agreed and smiled widely...again, probably just a touch too brightly.
“Chelle…” Katie’s concerned voice and narrow-eyed suspicion were interrupted as the door
burst open and one extremely frazzled matron of honor rushed in.
“Oh my gosh, I am sooo sorry I’m late, Katie! I was doing sooo good. I was on track. On time.
Just finishing getting ready when Bobby came in and then…” she started to blush, “well, he
sidetracked me and before I knew it I was off schedule. But I’m here now. What do you need?”
Katie laughed, “Ahhhhh the 'newlywed' excuse. I guess I’ll be able to use that one after
today,” her eyes danced with delight as she hugged Sophie. “I’m good, Sophiebell. Honestly, more
than anything, I just want to get this show on the road!”
Sophie looked up at the round clock hanging on the far wall of the small room, “Well, we
should be getting started in about twenty minutes!” She enthused as she clapped her hands together
joyfully.
The door swung open once again and Aunt Wendy appeared in the doorway, all business,
announcing her arrival in no-nonsense tones through her headset.
Sophie turned and mouthed to Chelle, “Who is she talking to?”
Chelle shrugged and shook her head, eyes wide, to indicate her lack of knowledge. She didn’t
know who was on the other end of that headset, but she did know that she was happy about the arrival
of more people in the small bridal room! More people meant more hustle and bustle, which meant
fewer opportunities for the attention to be focused on her. And that meant less of a chance for Katie to
figure out something was wrong with her!
Aunt Wendy looked all three of the girls up and down, like some kind of impromptu bridal
inspection, although her facial expression read much more 'drill sergeant' than 'kindly wedding
coordinator.' Still, they must have all passed the test, because her expression of scrutiny melted into
one of bliss, and she sighed happily, “Well, don't you girls just look as pretty as pictures!”
Chelle glanced over at Sophie who was in the same red halter-top, tea-length dress that
Chelle wore. Sophie looked amazing. The contrast of the deep red color with her honey blonde hair
was beautiful, bringing out the deeper and more complex tones in both the dress and Sophie's hair. It
was like the sum of the parts created something even greater than what the two components had
started out to be on their own.
And Chelle had to admit, although red was not normally a color she liked to incorporate in her
own wardrobe, Katie had chosen a very pretty and striking rich shade of red for the wedding.
Amber, who owned Bella, a small boutique clothing shop in town, had designed the one-of-a-
kind bridesmaid dresses. As soon as Chelle had slipped the dress on, she had immediately fallen in
love with it - and not just the fit, but also the unique shade of red, which offset perfectly her olive-
toned skin and chestnut brown hair.
Then, when Sophie had come out of the dressing room and Chelle saw how good the dress fit
her and how the red also complimented Sophie’s fair skin and golden blonde hair, she knew Katie
had been her 'usual Katie self' and chosen perfectly.
The next half-hour flew by and, before Chelle knew it, she was walking down the center aisle
of the church toward the altar. She concentrated hard on not looking at anyone in the pews, as she
didn’t want to see the wrong person (David!). With her head held high, she simply looked straight
ahead and put one foot in front of the other.
Hey, she thought, that's not a bad metaphor for my life now – just look straight ahead and put
one foot in front of the other...oh, and, of course, try not to collapse in a heap. That was also an
important step.
Jason smiled at her as she came closer, his warm brown eyes filled with excitement as he
waited for Katie to walk down the aisle and become his wife. The look in his eyes caused the
floodgates to open and Chelle once again was filled with emotions. Mostly happiness, as she had
always thought that Jason and Katie belonged together, even (if she was being honest) when Katie had
been with Nick. Jason was such a great guy. She knew he would always take care of Katie and treat
her right.
But happiness was not the only thing she was feeling. Those other emotions she was trying her
best to smash down and suppress kept trying to pop their heads up and ambush her. Nope, not today,
she told herself grimly. They are just going to have to wait. She once again stomped them firmly down
into submission.
Chelle got to her place, just to the left of the first step, and turned to watch Sophie coming
towards them. Sophie was staring straight at her new husband Bobby, who was standing beside
Jason. Chelle noticed Bobby wink at his new bride, and when she looked back at Sophie, she noticed
a blush creeping up her cheeks.
Those two are so cute, Chelle thought to herself. Other people make love look so happy, so
easy...what's their secret?
Sophie stepped up beside Chelle and everyone stood when the organist started playing The
Bridal March. As the familiar strains of that well-known anthem rang out, Chelle couldn't help but
hear the lyrics echoing in her mind, “Here comes the bride, all dressed in white...” and wondering if
those words would ever be true for her.
NO, Chelle! Lock it down, she admonished herself.
There was a chorus of “OOOH” and “AWWW” as Katie slowly made her way to the front of
the church, strictly adhering to the formal processional march, on the arm of Sophie's grandfather,
Grandpa J. Katie had asked Grandpa J, aka The Colonel, to give her away since Katie’s father Craig
had been MIA for most of her life – and, as she had found out later, had actually created an entirely
new family in his absence!
Katie had just recently found out that she had four siblings - three half-brothers and one half-
sister. Her brothers CJ, Caden and Corey were all in attendance today. Katie had briefly met her
sister Carrie when she was out in California tying up loose ends, but Carrie was a student at UCLA
and couldn’t make it out to Illinois for the wedding.
Grandpa J was technically Sophie and Nick’s grandfather, but he had unofficially adopted
Katie as his own, and he loved her just as much as his ‘real’ grandkids. They had become very close
over the time that Katie had lived next door to and dated Nick, back in high school.
Also, when Katie had returned to Harper’s Crossing last month for Sophie and Bobby’s
wedding, Grandpa J had been the one to take the most drastic action in playing matchmaker – he had
let the air out of the tires in Katie’s car so she would be forced to drive with Jason up to Whisper
Lake, where the nuptials were being held. He had since said that, even during the years that Katie was
dating Nick, he had always suspected that Jason was the right one for “his Katie girl.”
Chelle saw that Grandpa J had tears in his eyes when he leaned down to kiss Katie on the
cheek. When the pastor asked, “Who gives this woman to marry this man?”
Grandpa J cleared his throat and smiled proudly as he said, “Well now, young man, I guess
that would me.”
Then, when he passed Katie’s hand to Jason’s, he held his gaze and told him, “You take care
of our girl, now, son.”
Jason beamed, “I will, Colonel.”
As Grandpa J made his way to his seat, Pam, Katie’s mom, surprised everyone. Seemingly
overcome with love, she quickly stood, hugging both Katie and Jason before taking her seat next to
her sister, Aunt Wendy. Chelle could see pleased smiles all around the congregation at this show of
emotion by Katie's mother. The whole time Katie had been growing up, although Pam had always
been a very good Mom and there was no question in anyone's mind about how much she loved Katie
and how much she would sacrifice for her, Pam had never been very physically demonstrative or
affectionate about that love.
Well, I guess weddings do tend to bring out the mushy side of people, Chelle thought as she
turned to face the pastor.
The ceremony began and Chelle did her level best to focus on the pastor and what he was
saying, but if she was honest with herself, it was the conversation with David that kept running
through her mind as she tried to enjoy the beautiful ceremony. Her brain kept torturing her with the list
of things that she should have said, the many questions that she should have asked. She had just been
so blindsided by what David had revealed, that it was like her brain had been short-circuited.
Katie and Jason stepped up to the alter and the pastor announced that they were going to
exchange vows that they had written themselves. Chelle prepared herself for the onslaught of emotion
she was sure to have when they spoke. Of all the times during the day today that she needed to guard
against having a breakdown, surely this – during the freaking VOWS, for crying out loud! - was the
most important. And yet, because of the inherent emotion that the moment was going to bring, it could
also prove to be the hardest. She steeled herself.
Jason brushed a soft curl back from Katie's face and she smiled up at him beaming with love.
He took a deep breath and said, “Katie. My angel. I think that from the first moment I laid eyes on you,
when we were putting our backpacks in our cubbies on the first day of Kindergarten, I knew that this
day was in the cards for us. That it was coming, as surely as a sunrise after a dark night, no matter
how far away that light might seem at some points, when you're sitting in the darkness. I never lost
faith in you...in us. I know we took a winding road to get here, but this is where we belong. With each
other. In each other's arms, and in each other's hearts. My beautiful girl, now that I have you, trust me
on one thing – I will never let you go. You are my angel, the light of my life, forever.”
Chelle felt tears falling from her eyes, but that was fine. There was nothing suspicious about
that, there wasn't a dry eye in the place. Still, she certainly wasn't out of the woods yet. She still had
to get through her DFF's speech without falling apart!
Katie took a deep, shaking breath and beamed up at Jason.
“Jason,” she began tremulously, and then squared her shoulders, a determined look coming
into her eye. She began again, her voice stronger and more confident, “Jason, you are the strength that
I never knew that I had. You call me your angel, but the truth is – you are my guardian angel, and you
always have been. Whether I knew that you were doing it or not...whether I even knew that I needed it
or not...you were always looking out for me. Love isn't expressed through the things that we do which
we expect credit for, or some elaborate show of gratitude in return. Many of the sacrifices you have
made for me, I never knew about until fifteen years after the fact. I'm sure there are many more that I
still don't know about.
“The love that you have shown me, and continue to show me, regardless of if I deserve it or
even know about it, is the purest love I have ever known.
“There are so many things I adore about you, my Jason. But I think that the biggest among them
is how you show me, every single day, what it means to be selfless. I love you.”
Good Lord! Leave it to Katie, Chelle thought, to come up with a tear-jerking speech just when
I'm trying to keep all emotions in check!
Katie and Jason kissed, and soon Chelle was relieved to see that they were making their way
down the aisle. YES! Her time “on stage,” so to speak, was nearly over. Of course, there was still the
whole reception to get through...but at least she wouldn't be standing on a platform in front of all the
guests for the entire reception!
Sophie and Bobby followed Katie and Jason, and then Chelle stepped to the center of the aisle
and took the arm of Alex Sloan, another of the five Sloan brothers. As he escorted her down the aisle
he turned to her and said with a wink, “Damn Chelle, you look good, David’s a lucky man.”
Those four innocent words, meant to be a compliment - ‘David’s a lucky man’ - were the
straw that broke the camel's back. They hit her right in the solar plexus and were just about more than
she could handle. She thought she might throw up or pass out, she wasn’t sure which – but neither
option was all that appealing at the moment!
Alex must have noticed that something was wrong, because once they exited the sanctuary he
guided her to a secluded hall that branched off of the foyer, leading to the side of the church. After
checking up and down the hall to make sure they were alone, he said, concern in his voice, “You
don’t look so good. Are you okay?”
Chelle nodded and tried to smile, although even to her own mind, it seemed like a weak
attempt. She realized that her attempts must have actually been every bit as outwardly unconvincing as
she suspected that they were when Alex immediately turned to leave, saying in a somewhat urgent
tone, “Let me go get David.”
“NO!” Chelle hadn’t meant to raise her voice or to bark out the command so harshly.
Alex froze, then slowly turned back on his heels, looking at her like she had grown another
head. He raised his hands in mock surrender, saying, “Okay, sorry. I won’t go get David.”
Chelle slumped against the wall, defeated and still fighting the last vestiges of hysteria.
“David’s been cheating on me with his eighteen year old secretary Kayla. She’s pregnant and he’s
marrying her.” The words tumbled out of her faster than water racing down a wild river. They rushed
from her mouth and she didn't even realize it was happening until she heard her own voice saying
them. She flung her hand over her mouth to try and stop it.
Alex’s emerald green eyes became as big as saucers. “Holy shit!”
Chelle removed her hand from her mouth, realizing the damage had been done. She had
already spilled the beans. Time for damage control. “Please don’t say anything, Alex. I don’t want
Katie to worry. You know how she is.”
Alex nodded his head in agreement, “I can’t believe you’ve been able to keep it a secret from
her, she’s like Sherlock Holmes.”
“Well, I just found out. He told me about ten minutes before I left to come here.”
Alex shook his head. “What an asshole.”
“Yep. My thoughts exactly.” She took a deep breath. Her body felt heavy, as if her limbs were
encased in concrete. She thought she must be weighed down by the stark reality of the situation, which
had just become shockingly more real, now that she had told someone else. Now there was a witness.
“Damn. I don’t know what to say, Chelle.” Alex genuinely looked pained for her.
“Don’t worry about it, I’m fine.” She smiled as brightly as she could manage, not wanting him
to feel sorry for her. If there was anything she hated, it was being the object of pity. “Just please do
me a favor and don’t say anything to anyone, okay?”
Not waiting for an answer, she stepped out of the hall and back towards the crowd of people.
She instantly began to feel a little lighter.
People, that’s what she needed. Crowds of people. No more of this one-on-one conversation
nonsense. That was too heavy. It was (obviously!) far too easy to say things that would be more
prudent to keep to herself. She just needed to keep herself surrounded by the masses. That should be
easy enough to do at the reception, she figured – those things were filled with people, and most of
them would probably want to chat with her and Sophie, since they were the only two bridesmaids.
They were like “stars for a day.”
She felt Alex beside her as she walked out to the limo that was waiting to take them to the
restaurant where the reception was going to be held. He gently squeezed her hand as they all piled
into the vehicle, and when she looked up at him, he gave her a half-smile and a little wink. He leaned
close to her and whispered. “Screw him. He was never good enough for you anyway.”
 Chapter Two
The reception passed by in a blur of activity, which Chelle was grateful for. She felt her
energy, which was so necessary for keeping up the bright facade, flagging a few times – but Alex was
never far from her side when that happened, for which she was grateful.
He gracefully interrupted conversations as they started to stray down an uncomfortable path,
and he kept her occupied tearing up the dance floor. She had forgotten how much fun it was to just
dance.
Chelle didn't know if he was filling the role of guard dog as a personal favor to her or if he
saw the act of preventing her from having a breakdown at Katie and Jason's wedding reception to be
part of his duties as co-Best Man...but either way, she was grateful for the assist. It was so much
easier to keep the train of her sanity on the tracks when she didn't have to worry about directing the
course that would keep it from derailing!
Everything was going great, Chelle had to admit, until she excused herself from Alex's
protective presence to use the restroom. That's when the whole carefully-constructed plan to keep her
on an even keel came right off the rails.
David was waiting for her when she stepped out.
“We need to talk, Chelle,” David demanded standing with his arms crossed in a defensive
stance.
“No, we don’t. Not here.” She tried to step around him, but he swiftly moved to block her
escape route.
“Chelle, we need to get some things worked out, logistically. Kayla wants to move in and we
need to know when you'll be out.”
Chelle’s head began spinning. Kayla wanted to move in. Move into her condo. She needed to
get away. She couldn’t breathe. She needed air.
“We think five days is more than generous. In fact, not to put too fine a point on it, but we
expect you to be out by then. Kayla wants to have the locks changed.”
NO...AIR...CAN'T...BREATHE...
She felt an arm wrap around her waist and heard Alex’s voice, “Come on Chellie Bellie.
They need us out there. They're gonna cut the cake.”
Alex stared directly into David’s eyes, and Chelle sensed that something primal was passing
between them. A pissing contest of sorts. After several moments David stepped to the side, allowing
her and Alex to pass.
Hmm, she thought, guess Alex won that round...
 As she walked past David she heard him say something under his breath but she couldn’t make
it out. From the look on his face she was pretty sure she wouldn't have liked what he said, so she
ignored it.
“Thank you,” she said to Alex. She wasn’t sure how she would have made it through the day
without him.
She turned to give him a grateful hug and heard someone clear their throat meaningfully. She
looked up and saw her big brother, Eddie, who worked with Jason and Bobby at Sloan Construction.
He had also been best friends with the Sloans' older brother Riley when they were growing up.
Chelle had been trying to avoid Eddie at the reception because Eddie was irrationally
overprotective of her, and she certainly didn’t want him to cause a scene with David if he found out
what had been going on. Of course, it's not like she would be planning to tell him about it...but as her
little breakdown with Alex in the hall had proved, sometimes things just pop out.
Chelle had been with David off and on since their freshman year in high school, and it had
taken Eddie a good two years to warm up to him. Well...he had never really warmed up to him, per
se...he tolerated David for Chelle’s sake, but he never really liked him. Needless to say, he had not
been overjoyed when she and David had reconnected and then gotten engaged.
He had always maintained that David was a douchebag – damn it all to hell, why hadn’t she
listened to him?
She knew that if Eddie caught wind of David’s transgressions, the resultant scene would not
be pretty. Eddie, God love him, had a tendency to punch first and ask questions later...and as
satisfying as it might feel to see David take one in the face right about now, she did not want him to
make a scene at Katie’s wedding reception!
Eddie was fairly notorious around Harper's Crossing because had gotten into his fair share of
brawls in high school, and had even had several run-ins with the law during his teen years. He and
Riley both were known for their quick tempers and wild ways. They were labeled the “bad boys” of
Harper’s Crossing.
Eddie had straightened up after he turned eighteen and realized that if he didn't grow up, and
fast, he would be throwing the rest of his life away on stupid adolescent antics. Riley, apparently
having a similar epiphany, had joined the Marines around the same time. He had left for basic training
right after their senior year, and - other than a couple of short weekend trips home to visit his family –
he hadn’t been back to Harper’s Crossing since.
But Riley and Eddie had kept in touch over the years. In fact, Eddie had stepped in for Riley
as a groomsman the month before, at Bobby and Sophie’s wedding, when Riley had found out at the
last minute that his deployment was being extended.
 “What’s going on with you two?” Eddie asked now, staring at Alex.
Alex put his hands up in mock surrender, “Nothing man, we’re just in the wedding party
together.”
She knew Alex wasn’t really scared of her brother, he was just trying to diffuse the tension.
Alex was an ex-Navy Seal, and - although her brother stood at an impressive six-two - Alex was only
a hair shorter than him, at six one. Both men were extremely fit and could definitely hold their own.
Chelle suddenly felt little arms wrap around her legs and she looked down to see her beautiful
six-year-old niece Emily hugging her tightly.
She bent down and wrapped her arms around her, “Hello, my pretty princess. Are you having
fun?”
Emily looked up adoringly and smiled a toothless grin. She had lost her two front teeth the
month earlier, “Yes, I told Daddy that I want a wedding just like this when I grow up.”
Eddie groaned as he scooped his daughter up into his arms, “And I told her she has a lot of
time to plan it since she’s not even allowed to date until she’s thirty.”
Chelle smiled. Her brother was such an amazing Dad. His ex-wife, Lacey, had decided when
Emily was about three months old that she wasn’t cut out to be a wife or a Mom, leaving him
divorced and a single Dad.
He never complained, never acted like it was any kind of a burden, but Chelle knew it must be
hard on him.
Emily giggled as she turned and hugged Eddie’s neck, exclaiming happily, “Dance with me,
Daddy!”
Eddie’s eyes softened for a moment before turning to Alex and hardening again. “I’m watching
you,” he said in his most protective, don’t-mess-with-my-baby-sister tone.
Chelle knew that Alex had a reputation as a ladies' man. That reputation was probably why
her brother looked concerned. But Alex had been a perfect gentleman, and had been her saving grace
today, and she wasn't about to let her brother make it into something it wasn’t.
“Eddie, Alex has been great today. I needed a friend and he was there for me. That’s all.
Don’t act like he did something wrong.” Slipping her arm in Alex’s she started towards the cake
table, “We need to go, they're cutting the cake.”
She heard her brother’s voice behind her, “Friend, huh? Yeah, right.”
Whatever, she thought, exasperated. Think what you want, I‘ll deal with it later. Eddie had no
idea that Alex was definitely not the Sloan brother he would need to worry about, if he were going to
start worrying about any of them. Oh, sure, she had always liked Alex well enough...had thought he
was attractive, funny and easy to get along with. But he wasn’t Riley! She sighed inwardly. Oh
LORD, she had always had it bad for Riley Sloan.
Of course, most of the time they were growing up, Riley had ignored her or treated her like an
annoying little sister. BUT...there were a few nights...a few amazing nights...that he had stayed up late
and talked to her, when her parents had been out and Eddie was passed out drunk or busy
‘entertaining’ the flavor of the week. Those nights had probably been the best of her entire life.
Riley had opened up to her about his childhood. He had talked about his Mom’s battle with
depression, which ultimately resulted in her losing her life. His mother, Cheryl, had been out of the
picture for several years before tragically overdosing on sleeping pills.
He had talked about wanting to leave Harper’s Crossing, to get away from the small town
where everyone had an opinion about his life, his brother’s lives, and his mom's life...and death.
He had also asked her about her plans for the future. He had listened as she told him about
how she wanted to go into nursing. No one had ever asked her what she wanted to do with her
life...well, except Katie. She hadn’t been ignored by her family, exactly. Just maybe not seen. But on
those nights, it had felt as if Riley saw her, really saw who she was. To this day, she had never felt a
connection with anyone like she had experienced with him.
She would still catch herself replaying those nights over and over again in her head. She had
even dreamed about them sometimes. She sometimes thought that if Heaven were really going to be
better than anything she had experienced here on earth, it would have to go a pretty good distance to
outpace those nights she had spent sitting up and talking with Riley Sloan.
His sandy blonde hair and gorgeous hazel eyes had been the stuff of her teenage
fantasies...hell, who was she kidding? Her adult fantasies, too, for that matter. Every man she ever
met, when she unconsciously measured their attractiveness, Riley Sloan was the yardstick she
measured them against.
She had yet to meet someone that measured up to the standard, let alone exceeded it.
Riley had never known how she felt about him. No one did, not even Katie. But suffice it to
say, Eddie definitely didn’t need to worry about Alex Sloan swooping in and stealing her heart.
Nope. Alex never made her heart race, let alone stop cold. Not the way Riley did.
It did make her start to wonder, though...where was David in that mix? Here she was,
ruminating about men that got her heart racing to various degrees...and David didn't even come to
mind?
Hmmmm....
She shook her head. Right now, none of that mattered. She just needed to make it through the
cake cutting, incident-free. She needed to plaster on a smile and get through the rest of the reception
with NO DRAMA. Then, lastly, she would get Katie into the limo that was taking her and Jason to
O’Hare, where they were catching a plane to Bermuda for their well-deserved honeymoon.
 THEN, and only then, would she allow herself to fall apart.
The cake cutting went off without a hitch. Jason and Katie kept it classy and didn’t shove the
confection in each other’s faces, smearing it everywhere - which Chelle appreciated. She had never
understood why couples did that. She had always thought that it was disrespectful, and more than a
little tacky.
Not long after the cake cutting, Aunt Wendy ran up to Chelle, headset firmly in place, and
said, “The Limo's here, doll. Can you go find Katie?”
Chelle nodded and turned to go do exactly that. As she was walking away, she heard Wendy
say into the headset, “MOH retrieving bride...” and Chelle smiled. Probably the first genuine, non-
hysterical, smile that had graced her lips the entire day. It was partly because she was amused by
Wendy's super-serious-secret-squirrel-wedding-planner routine...but it was also due to her
realization that – Woohoo! - she was almost in the clear.
Once Chelle had bundled Katie into that limo and she was on her way to the airport, Chelle
could take a moment to breathe and start to figure this whole debacle out.
She moved forward with a fresh sense of determination, heading toward the last place she had
seen Katie. She didn’t quite make it that far, however. As she was passing the wide doors that led out
to the (closed and off limits) patio, she felt her arm being grabbed and, before she knew it, she was
being dragged bodily through the doors and onto the patio. She was alarmed until she turned and saw
that her “attacker” was Katie.
“Holy catfish!” Chelle exclaimed, “What are you doing out here on the dusty patio? Do you
have any idea what your aunt – or whoever she's talking to on the other end of that headset – will do
to me if I deliver you into the limo with a filthy hem?”
Ignoring this tirade, Katie asked solemnly, “Is it true?”
Chelle, ever the optimist, was still holding out hope that Katie hadn’t heard her news and was
inquiring about some other gossip-worthy scandal.
“Is what true?” Chelle asked conspiratorially.
Katie’s eyes widened, she shook her head. “Is it true that David cheated on you and got some
skank pregnant?”
“Oh, that,” Chelle said nonchalantly, “yeah, that’s true.”
Downplay, that was her only move at this point in the game!
Katie’s voice got squeaky and high, not a good sign. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It’s not that big of a deal. I just didn’t want you worried about it. Now, come on, we gotta get
you to the limo!” She tried to gloss over the whole thing and pull Katie back inside.
Katie maneuvered herself until she was standing in front of the door. “Um, hello, it IS a big
deal! And of course I’m gonna worry about it, are you kidding me?”
There was a loud knock on the door and the girls looked up to see Aunt Wendy tapping on her
watch indicating that it was time for Katie to go. She didn't look happy.
“You see?” Chelle said, “Seriously Katie, go. I’m fine. Really.”
Katie shook her head and waved off her Aunt, indicating she wasn’t leaving yet. When she
turned back to Chelle, she wore an earnest expression, and she said, “What are you going to do,
Chelle?”
Chelle wanted to laugh. Katie asked ‘what are you going to do?’ as if she assumed that Chelle
had formulated some sort of a plan. Honestly, Chelle thought Katie was giving her more credit than
she deserved.
Chelle felt the hysteria bubbling back up, “Umm...get a hotel, I guess?”
Katie looked taken aback, “Get a hotel? You mean while he clears his stuff out?”
Chelle shook her head, “Oh, no. He has no intention of leaving. He's given me five days to get
out. The skank's gonna change my locks.”
Katie's eyebrows raised and her voice became deadly calm as she said, “Yeah, that's not
gonna happen. It's forty different kinds of illegal, and I'm going to make sure he's aware of that fact.”
Chelle shook her head, “Katie, it's your honeymoon. You should just be having fun.”
“Believe me,” she replied grimly, “The conversation that he and I are going to have will be a
LOT of fun. For one of us. Quick hint – it's not going to be him.”
Chelle shook her head, “Oh, Katie. I'm just sorry this whole thing happened on your wedding
day.”
Katie wrapped her up in a warm embrace, “Seriously, don't give that a second thought.
Besides, it's not like you chose the timing. But, honestly, sweetie...what's the plan? I can't just fly off
to paradise not knowing what you're gonna do!”
“I’m not sure, but I’ll be fine. Really,” Chelle did her best to sound convincing, “How did you
find out anyway?”
Katie’s arms flew up as she animatedly explained, “Well! Jason and Eddie both cornered
Alex because they thought he was trying to hook up with you all day today, and they were pissed.
Eddie because, well, you know how he is about his baby sis. And Jason just because he thought that it
was super tactless to be trying to score with you at his wedding reception. Alex cracked under the
pressure, or maybe they gave him a wedgie? I'm not totally clear on that part. At any rate, he spilled.
I’m not sure exactly how it came down, but the end result was that he sang like a canary. Of course, he
told Jason not to tell me, but, come on, please. Jason knew I would have killed him if – make that
when – I found out that he knew what happened and waited until we got to our honeymoon to tell me.”
Panic swept from the top of Chelle’s head to her tippy-toes. “Oh, no! I have to get in there! If
Eddie sees David he might actually kill him.”
Katie shook her head and remained standing in front of the glass door, “Don't worry, DFF.
Jason and Alex have Eddie in the back room and David already left.”
Chelle felt her shoulders slump as she sighed in relief, “Oh, good.”
“But for the record, I think he deserves to get his ass kicked,” Katie crossed her arms.
Chelle shook her head, “Sure, but not at your wedding reception!”
Katie barked out a bitter little laugh, “Please! That would have been the Best. Wedding Gift.
Ever! In fact, I'm actually kind of pissed that you deprived me of it.”
Chelle laughed regretfully, closing her eyes as she let the reality of the situation – and the fact
that most of the people who were important to her in the world now knew about it – sink in just a
little further.
Katie, however, was not done discussing. “When did you find out? How did you find out?
Have you confronted the little home wrecking ho? Is she really only 18?!” Katie’s voice was getting
louder and more strident with each question, so Chelle decided she'd better jump in and try to bring it
down a notch before a passersby decided to come over to the glass door and eavesdrop.
Chelle answered the inquiries one by one, ticking them off on her fingers,” I found out right
before I got to the church this morning. David told me. No, I haven’t talked to Kayla. Yes she is 18.”
This marked only the second time that Chelle had actually spoken the words aloud, and it
didn’t feel any less surreal than the first.
Katie took a deep breath, shaking her head back and forth, her face a mask of disbelief. Then,
a look of determination crossed her face, indicating that her mind was made up. Chelle recognized
that expression from many exchanges with Katie, starting way back in the second grade. It was a
“Katie Classic.”
“Well I’m not leaving you,” Katie declared, “There's just no way in hell that's happening. I’ll
see if we can get a later flight. Let me just go tell Jason, I’ll be right back.”
Chelle caught Katie’s arm as she was turning to head back inside, “No Katie, don’t.” Chelle
didn't want to be the cause of Katie's plans getting derailed. That would only make her feel 50 times
more miserable than she already did. But Katie was in “determined mode” - Chelle needed to think of
something...and fast!
“Look, I was already planning on taking off an entire month for my wedding. Since I won’t be
needing to do that, I think I'll just see if I can get my shifts covered and take the time now. Maybe I'll
head out of town for a while. You know...just take some time for myself and figure all this out, far
away from the mass of prying eyes and gossipy talk that is Harper’s Crossing.”
Katie still looked slightly skeptical, “Okay, well. That does sound like a decent plan. After
my conversation with Douchebag David, I guarantee you won't have to worry about him touching your
stuff while you're gone, or changing the locks. Where will you go?”
“Um, I’m not sure. I haven’t thought that far ahead,” Chelle answered honestly.
Katie thought for a moment before her expression filled with excitement, “Well, I have the
perfect solution. My lease isn’t up for another two months, so my apartment is just sitting there. It’s
still furnished, and you’ve been saying you always wanted to see San Francisco.”
Tears started forming in Chelle’s eyes again, this time springing from sheer love and
appreciation for her friend. “Thank you, Katie. That sounds perfect. You are the best friend a girl
could ever have.”
“Diamond friends,” Katie began.
“Forever!” They finished in unison.
 Chapter Three
Riley was a free man. He had just left Camp Pendleton, the San Diego Marine base where he
received his discharge papers. It was a little bizarre looking down at his DD214 - the paperwork that
said he was no longer the property of the U.S. Marines Corp. He was really out.
Damn. It was a strange feeling.
He had served his country for the last twelve years, and had served it well. But now he was
free to do what he wanted. He could go where he wanted, when he wanted. There was no one to
report to, no one to check in with, and no one’s life was depending on him.
He took a deep breath, reveling in the smell of the salty ocean air as he drove up PCH. He
didn’t have a care in the world. He felt lighter and happier than he had in years. Hell, maybe ever. He
was ready for the next chapter in his life.
Riley had invested in a bar with some guys from his division who had gotten out a couple
years earlier. They had presented him with an investment opportunity that he just couldn’t pass up.
They were opening a bar in New Orleans and he had put up one-third of the start-up capital.
Up until now, he had been a silent partner, letting the other two completely control the day to day
operations and merely reaping the financial rewards. The strategy had paid off. They had made the
bar, Freedom, extremely successful, and Riley had already doubled his initial investment.
Landon and Dax, his business partners, had been sending him monthly reports, and Riley knew
they were doing great – but, he couldn't help it, he was itching to be a more hands on part of the
business. He had been studying marketing online and had some great ideas he wanted to implement.
He turned on the Pandora feature that came with his rental car and was in the process of
searching for a station that sounded good when his phone vibrated loudly in the console beside him.
He wanted so badly to ignore it. To just drive without interruption. To take this well-deserved slice
of time just for himself and to shelve any intrusions.
But Riley was who he was, and when duty called (literally), he couldn’t bring himself to
dismiss it.
Checking the screen of his phone, he saw his brother Jason’s number. With a wide smile, he
answered, “Hey Bro, if you are taking time out of your honeymoon to call me, then obviously you're
not doing something right.”
“Where are you?” His brother did not sound amused.
“In California.”
“Where?”
Riley narrowed his eyes, thinking maybe the sun, sand, and sex had drained Jason's mental
capacity. He repeated slowly, “In California...”
“Where in California, numb nuts?”
Okay, that was more like the Jason that Riley knew and loved.
“On PCH headed up to Oakland. I’m going to see a buddy of mine who just had a baby, then
I’m flying home. Why, what’s up?”
He heard his brother say, “He’s headed that way baby, don't worry. It’s all going to be okay.”
“What’s going to be okay?” Riley asked, clearly not following.
He heard Jason clear his throat, “Look, can you do me…”
“And me!” He heard Katie chime in in the background.
“...and Katie, a favor?” Jason asked.
“Yeah, what do you need?” Oh well, Riley thought, this short reprieve of no one needing
anything and not having to answer to anyone seems to have ended quite abruptly.
“Chelle, Eddie’s sister, is in San Francisco, staying in Katie’s apartment. She hasn’t
answered her phone in a couple of days, and now it’s just going straight to her voicemail.”
Riley felt like his heart stopped beating in his chest, “Shit! I won’t be able to get there for
hours! Why aren’t you calling the police?”
“No, no, it’s not like that. We know nothing has happened to her. Katie’s landlord, Randall,
said he saw her last night when a pizza was delivered.”
“Then, if you know she’s fine, why did you call me?” Riley snapped at his brother. He didn’t
mean for his voice to come out sounding so harsh, but he was a bit taken aback by the out-of-control
sensation he had just experienced at the thought that something may have happened to Chelle.
Truth be told, he never liked any of the feelings he had ever experienced which related to
Chelle. They all seemed a little out of control. He didn’t appreciate them being brought to the surface,
not today. Today was supposed to be carefree and happy, not intense.
“Look, do you remember David Price?” Jason asked.
“Yeah, that douchebag from school,” Riley stated dismissively. He had never liked David,
even before he and Chelle had started dating in high school, and he had definitely not liked the little
prick after that.
Jason laughed a little, “You always were a good judge of character. Well, David and Chelle
were engaged, in fact, they were supposed to get married next month.”
Riley felt like someone punched him in his gut. He had seen that Chelle was engaged to David
when he had checked out her Facebook profile a few months back. And even though he had tried not
to, he had been checking it fairly frequently since then. He had not seen any posts that indicated that
the wedding was that damn soon!
“Then a week ago,” Jason continued, “on the morning of our wedding, as a matter of fact –
thank you, Douchebag David – he tells her that he’s been cheating on her with his secretary Kayla,
who is eighteen and pregnant.”
Now he didn’t feel like someone had punched him. Now he just wanted to punch - no scratch
that - kill David.
“She needed to get out of town, and Katie still had the apartment, so she went to San
Francisco to stay in it. Katie's been calling her every day to check on her, and she seemed to be doing
okay until a few days ago. That's when she stopped picking up her phone when Katie would call, she
would just text back that she was fine. Now she’s not even texting back and when we call her phone,
it's going straight to voicemail.
“Eddie was going to head out to California and bring her home, but Emily came down with the
chicken pox and so he had to stay with her. Katie wants to catch the next flight out of here to go make
sure she’s alright, but I remembered you were gonna be in California. So, I thought if you could go
and check on her, then maybe I can convince my wife to stay in paradise with me just a little longer.”
Riley heard Katie in the background saying that of course she wanted to stay with Jason, but
she was just worried about her friend. He smiled. He had always liked Katie, and he knew his
brother had been head over heels for her all his life. He was glad that things had finally worked out
for them.
Riley, truth be told, was still having a hard time wrapping his mind around the fact that Jason
and Bobby were both married. When he had left for the Marines, Jason was 16 and Bobby was 12.
Now they were grown men - married men. And he had missed both of their weddings. Jason’s by only
a few days. He had a lot of time to make up for in this new phase, he knew.
“Yeah, no problem. Tell Katie not to worry, she can stay in paradise. I’m only about four
hours from San Francisco. I’ll stop by before my flight out of Oakland tonight.”
“Great, I’ll text you the address. Thanks Riley.”
The phone line went dead and Riley couldn’t quite put his finger on what he was feeling about
this unexpected detour. He no longer felt light and carefree. He felt tense, on edge, anxious. Partly
because he now did have someone he had to check in with. But mainly because he knew that he was a
few hours away from seeing the only person he had ever let in, ever let see behind the curtain.
He didn’t know what it was about Chelle that made her so easy to talk to, so easy to open up
to. What he did know was that every time they had spent any amount of time alone together he had
ended up spilling his guts.
Other girls in high school had tried to get close to him, unsuccessfully. And then, in his adult,
life he’d had a couple of fairly serious relationships. The women he had been involved with had done
everything they could to break down, climb over, go around, or even walk right through the high walls
he had put up around his inner life. But none had even come close to breaching that front.
None except for Rachelle Thomas, his best friend Eddie’s little sister. The good girl. The one
girl that someone like him should stay as far away from as possible.
She was sweet and funny. She was smart and had a good head on her shoulders. She always
saw the good in people, no matter what others saw or said. Everyone liked her, and she liked
everyone. Including him. Hell, maybe even especially him.
He had seen the looks she had given him. Had always felt that she might have had a crush on
him. But he knew better than to ever pursue it.
He had tried to stay away from her, had intentionally treated her like Eddie did, like she was
just an annoyance. But the problem was - he was always drawn to her. Chelle was one of the only
people that didn’t look at him with disgust, or worse yet pity, whenever the subject of his family, or
more specifically his Mom, had come up. She had never acted like she was afraid of him when he
would get in stupid fights, or disappointed in him when he and Eddie would get in trouble with the
law.
She had always talked to him like he was just…Riley. Not a mischievous trouble maker. Not
a dangerous bad boy. Just Riley. Thinking back now, Riley thought that maybe the reason she didn’t
treat him like he fit any of those stereotypes was because, around her, he didn't.
He had always felt like he could be himself around her. He never felt the need to be anything
he wasn’t. He never felt like he had to prove, or disprove, anything to her.
On top of all of that, he had always been attracted to her. He had tried not to be, and he had
obviously never acted on it. But, God...she was so beautiful. Her big brown almond shaped eyes, her
long silky chestnut brown hair, her gorgeous olive-toned skin, her petite figure...they were all
perfection. But all of those things, even put together, didn't begin to compare to her smile.
Her smile had always made his heart feel like it was going to explode. When Chelle smiled, it
was the closest thing Riley ever felt to pure unadulterated love. When she smiled, everything was
right in the world. He still dreamt about that smile.
He hadn’t seen her since the day he left for basic training, but he had seen some pictures that
Eddie had tagged her in on Facebook, and, well...damn. From what he could tell, she had only gotten
better with age. She was still thin, but had curves in all the right places. Just thinking of her curves
now, Riley's jeans were getting a little snug.
Man, he really had to shut that kind of thinking down. Riley shouldn’t be letting his mind
wander when it came to Chelle, that would only get him in trouble. He would be seeing her in just a
few hours, and who knew what state she would be in? He just needed to make sure she was good, see
if she needed anything, and be on his way.
Hell, she might not even be happy to see him. With everything she had just gone through, she
probably just wanted some time alone. If anyone could understand that it was him.
He just needed to get visual and verbal confirmation of her well-being, report back to Jason,
and get out of there as quickly as possible.

--- ~ ---

Riley made good time getting to San Francisco, partly due to the fact that he hadn’t hit much
traffic. Also, he had cut over to Highway 5 instead of taking the scenic route so that he could cut about
an hour off of the trip. Now, as he drove across the Bay Bridge, it barely even registered how
amazing the city looked at sunset. All he could think about was that, in a few minutes, he would be
seeing Chelle.
All of his extensive military training had apparently not prepared him for this mission. His
mind was racing, his palms were sweaty, and he felt like his heart was going to pound out of his
chest. Riley couldn’t believe he was having such a strong physical reaction to Chelle before he had
even laid eyes on her.
Maybe, Riley reasoned, this was just the result of pent up anxiety, stemming from the fact that
he had built her up in his mind as this “perfect creature” over the years. But, the truth was, he hadn’t
seen her. Once he saw her, once the fantasy he had built up was disproven by reality, then he would
be able to get past all of these overwhelming emotions.
That knowledge did not, however, change the fact that he was feeling like a nervous teenage
boy, not a grown man.
He just needed to remain calm, stay focused and - with any luck - he would be on a plane
tonight headed to Illinois, where he planned on staying for a few weeks before making his way to his
new life in Louisiana.
Riley found the address that Jason had texted to him, and he had to circle the block ten times
before he was able to find a parking space to squeeze the rental car into. By the time he climbed out
of the car, he was exhausted from driving all day, annoyed from having to look so hard for a place to
park, and cognizant of the fact that he needed to be in Oakland in a few hours if he was going to make
his flight. And who knew what traffic would be like? All in all, he was ready to get this reunion over
with! He had already called Tommy, the buddy he was supposed to meet up with, and had told him
that something had come up, so that was off his plate. Now, all he had to do was a quick inspection
and an even quicker report. After that, he was out of here.
He walked halfway up the block and stopped in front of the glass door that had the number
2202 painted over the top of it. He opened it and headed directly up the stairs. Katie’s apartment was
on the third floor. He glanced at the text message again to reconfirm the apartment number: #314. On
his way up the stairs, he noticed that it was a nice building. Older, but well-maintained. He could see
Katie living here.
On his way to the unit, he passed an elderly woman who was peeking out of her door. She
looked to be about 4’10” and she had curlers in her hair and a lit cigarette hanging out of her mouth.
She eyed him suspiciously, but he smiled at her and noticed a faint flush rise from her neck to her
cheeks. She mumbled something about him being a flirt and closed the door.
Before long, he had reached the door that had a plaque next to it with the metal numbers '314'
attached to it. He took a deep breath. It was go time. He knocked and waited for an answer. Nothing.
He knocked louder and said, “Chelle? Its Riley. Open up.”
Nada.
He knocked again speaking loudly, “Chelle, Katie is really worried about you. Jason sent me
to check on you. Open the door.”
He put his ear to the door to see if he could hear any movement, any noise – anything at all that
would tell him that she was, in fact, alive and in the apartment.
He heard footsteps behind him and turned to see a portly man who looked to be about seventy
coming up the stairs with a large set of keys in his hands. Riley exhaled. Wow. He hadn’t even
realized that he had been holding his breath at the thought that it might be her walking up behind him.
“Hey there, young man,” the elderly gentleman said as he bustled up beside Riley, “I got a call
from Katie and she said that you needed access to her apartment.”
Riley nodded.
The older gentleman unlocked the door, “There you go, son. My name is Randall, let me know
if you need anything else.”
Riley extended his hand, “Riley Sloan, nice to meet you.”
The man smiled warmly, “Sloan, huh? Are you related to that boy Jason who swept in and
stole our Katie from us?”
Riley liked this man, it made him feel better knowing that Katie, and Chelle for the last week,
had been under his watchful eye. “I am, sir. Jason’s my little brother.”
“Well, he seemed like a good man. But I told him,” Randall sternly pointed his finger at
Riley’s chest, “I said, if you hurt our Katie, mister, you’ll be dealing with me. And I meant it.”
“I’m sure you did, sir. And I'm also sure that he heard you loud and clear,” Riley knew for a
fact that Jason would never do anything to hurt Katie. Jason was one of the good guys.
Not like him.
“Hey, do you know if Chelle, the girl who has been staying here, is out?” Riley asked.
Randall lowered his voice, “That poor girl hasn’t left the apartment in three days. She just
keeps having food delivered...and I did notice a couple of deliveries from the liquor store across the
street, as well,” Randall’s eyes narrowed and he took a protective step in front of the door. Keeping
his voice low, he asked, “You aren’t the reason she’s been holed up in here crying her eyes out, now
are ya, son?”
“No, sir.” Riley answered honestly, “I’m just here to make sure that she's alright.”
Seemingly satisfied with that answer, the man patted Riley briskly on the arm before stepping
around him and heading back down the stairs.
Riley took a deep breath and opened the door, stepping into the darkened apartment. It took a
moment for his vision to adjust to the dim light. He waited until it did before closing the front door.
He looked around the small space and saw empty pizza boxes, Chinese food containers, wine bottles,
bags of chips, and Snickers wrappers strewn across the kitchen table, the couch, and the floor. It
smelled stale, like old food.
He stepped around and over the junk food debris and headed to what he assumed was the
bedroom. “Chelle, open up. The landlord let me in,” he said as he knocked on the door.
Again, no answer.
He turned the knob and slowly pushed it open. In the room he could make out a chest of
drawers against the far wall, a small desk in the left corner, a chair beside the door that had more
empty food containers and a bed in the middle of the room.
In the center of the bed he saw a small form covered up with blankets. He stepped closer and
not-so-quietly said, “Hey, Chelle. Wake up, sleepy head. You have company.”
He waited to see if he detected any movement. When nothing happened he took two steps to
the head of the bed and pulled the deep purple comforter back revealing a dark-haired sleeping
beauty.
He glanced up and down, taking a quick inventory of her stats. She was breathing steadily and
sleeping soundly, in what was probably alcohol induced slumber from how deeply passed out she
seemed to be.
Man, she was gorgeous. She really did look like a princess.
He thought back to the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale he had seen as a kid, on the big screen.
Hmm. He seemed to remember something about a kiss. Looking down at Chelle’s perfect red lips, he
was tempted to lean down and brush his mouth against hers.
Shaking his head and moving quickly away from the side of the bed he raked his hands through
his hair. This poor girl was passed out, and from the looks of the apartment was not doing so well
emotionally. And what was his first reaction? He wanted to make-out with her. What the hell was
wrong with him? He needed to get a grip.
 He grimaced. He was certainly no Prince Charming.
He stepped back into the safety of the small living room and assessed the situation, mentally
took note of what needed to be done. Looking around, he realized that the apartment was in worse
shape than he had originally thought. There was no way he was going to make his flight tonight.
He had some calls to make, a rental car to return (no way was he paying $40 a day for
parking) and, finally - some cleaning to do.

--- ~ ---

Chelle came awake to the sound of a beating drum. Why would someone be playing a drum
indoors? Especially this loudly?
She tried to open her eyes, but found that her eyelids were encased in concrete. At least that
was how it felt. They were heavy, and felt abrasive and itchy on her delicate eyes. She tried even
harder to open them, but resigned herself to the fact that it was a losing battle.
If she could just get the drummer to stop banging!
She decided that she needed to sit up. Maybe that simple act would help her to open her eyes,
to become aware of her surroundings. When she tried to lift her head, however, she realized her
mistake. HUGE mistake! Her stomach rolled with nausea, and the banging sound became louder and
was accompanied by sharp pains – pains that felt like ragged shards of glass being twisted viciously
into her brain.
Note to self: Vodka and pizza do not mix.
That's when she realized that there was no mystery drummer in the bedroom (although if she
didn't feel so crappy, she may not have objected to having a mystery drummer in her bedroom...). The
thump-thump-thumping she heard was the pounding of her own head.
She laid her head back down in defeat, but did come up with a plan. She decided that she
would lay perfectly still long enough for the nausea to pass, and then maybe she would just try and
ROLL out of bed. Gravity, FTW!
She carefully placed her hands over her stomach and concentrated on breathing in through her
nose and out through her mouth.
“You awake sleeping beauty?”
At the sound of the deep voice, adrenaline overcame all of her symptoms and Chelle bolted
upright in bed, her eyes flying open.
Adrenaline didn't help her vision, though, and it was pretty fuzzy. She was having a hard time
focusing. She could just make out a shadowy figure sitting in the chair across from the bed. Just as she
was getting ready to scream bloody murder, the figure spoke again.
“Chelle, its Riley. Don’t be scared.”
The deep sexy voice certainly sounded like Riley. From what she could make out of his
features, the seated figure looked like (a blurry version of) Riley. The frame was right – the blurry
blob had Riley's wide, muscled shoulders and taut, sculpted waist. The rest of the features fit, as
well. She could barely make out dark blonde hair and sun-kissed tanned skin.
But what in God’s name would Riley Sloan be doing here!?
“Riley?” Chelle spoke his name in disbelief. Trying to make some sort of sense of what was
going on, she asked, “Is it...what are you...why are you here?”
“Sightseeing.”
“What?” she asked, bewildered.
“Sightseeing,” he repeated.
“In my bedroom?” she murmured, puzzled. She rubbed her eyes, trying to clear her vision to
see if he was really here, in the flesh. After all these years. Live and in person – and in a chair that sat
only a few feet away from her.
Was it true? Or was he just a smoking hot hallucination?
Probably the latter, she concluded.
She was most likely experiencing the final stages of her complete and total mental melt down.
Well, she thought sanguinely, I can think of worse ways to lose my mind than imagining the
sexiest man in the world in my bedroom with me. If I have to go crazy, at least I have company.
Or, at least I'm imagining I do...
The figment of her imagination smiled at her and said, “Jason called me. Katie was worried
about you. She's been trying to get a hold of you for a few days. When she wasn’t able to reach you,
she wanted to fly home early to check on you. But, since I was already in California, they asked if I
could stop by and make sure that you were doing alright.”
Okay, so maybe not a figment of her addled imagination. She didn't imagine that some sexy
hallucination she conjured up would sit there talking to her about phone calls and plane schedules.
She said, “I haven’t gotten any calls from her.” She reached over to retrieve her phone from
the nightstand but her arms were so heavy that she didn’t quite make it.
“Your phone was dead. It’s charging in the kitchen.”
She tried to get out of bed, fueled by new urgency, saying, “I need to go call her.”
However, it seemed that even new urgency was not enough to overcome physical deficits, and
this proved to be much trickier than she had assumed it would be. The blankets she lay in were
wrapped around her tightly, and try as she might to free her arms and legs, it felt as though her limbs
were filled with lead. She was having a tough time disentangling herself.
 Riley stood and stepped towards her. She stopped writhing and just stared. Good LORD that
was a mighty fine male specimen moving toward her! Riley was wearing a white v-neck t- shirt that
he filled out like one of the models she used to drool over on the Calvin Klein billboards. Well, to be
fair, she'd actually drooled over them because they reminded her of Riley...
He looked like a Greek God in jeans.
He stood beside her bed, “I already called them last night after I got here, and I let them know
that you were okay.”
He picked up a bottle of water that she hadn’t noticed was sitting on the night stand.
“You got here last night?” she asked incredulously as he twisted the cap and handed the bottle
to her. She took the proffered bottle and, as she did, her fingers brushed his.
Her body reacted as if she had gotten an electric shock. A zinging sensation raced from the
pads of her fingertips where she had felt his hand beneath hers and zoomed all the way up her arm.
She shivered.
Trying to cover up her completely out of proportion physical reaction to this innocent touch,
she quickly brought the water bottle to her lips and started sipping from it. She had no idea if she had,
in fact, been successful in concealing her reaction. Maybe he'd think she'd been...thirsty? It was worth
a shot. When she looked up at him, he DID seem to have a small smirk on his lips. But she could have
been imagining it.
“Yes, I got here last night. The landlord let me in. I tried to wake you, but you were passed out
cold.”
“Where did you sleep?” she asked as she took another small sip of water. She definitely felt a
little dehydrated...in addition to all of the other things that she was definitely feeling.
“I didn’t,” he answered matter-of-factly.
Her brow furrowed, “You didn’t sleep?”
He simply shook his head.
“At all?”
He shook his head again.
Chelle knew that she was still a little (well, maybe a lot) foggy-brained...but that simply
didn’t make any sense. She was certain she would be having the same reaction even if she were
clear-headed. Why in the world would he not sleep?
Well, she thought dryly, only one way to find out.
“Why didn’t you sleep?”
“I didn’t want you to wake up and be scared that some guy was in the apartment. Plus, I didn’t
know how much you had drunk, so I wanted to make sure you were alright.”
 “So you just watched me sleep,” she smiled sheepishly before taking another drink of water,
“Sorry that must have been boring.”
His voice dropped an octave and there was almost a growl to it as he said softly, “No, it
wasn’t.”
She shivered again, this time solely from the baritone vibrations of his voice. Her eyes shot up
to meet his. He looked down at her, his gaze intense and…hot. She felt a tightening in her stomach
(and a fluttering a little farther south) from just the expression in his eyes alone.
Wow. He had such amazing eyes.
It was almost as if she could lose herself in them, they were deep and always held so much
emotion. She had forgotten what looking into them made her feel. It was like when you didn't eat a
favorite food for several years. Obviously, you remembered how much you loved it, but the passing
of time makes that memory almost academic.
Until, of course, you taste it again. Then, the flavors hitting your taste buds bring all the
memories of every time you ever tasted that food flooding back to you at once, all the emotion
connected to it, and you truly remember how much you loved it. And you're amazed that you could
have ever forgotten.
When you put a forkful of that long-forgotten favorite food into your mouth again, it was like a
mouth orgasm. This was like that. But with eyes. It was an eye orgasm. An eyegasm, if you will.
She felt her breath begin to quicken.
Riley took a step back from the side of the bed and cleared his throat. “Why don’t you take a
shower or a bath or whatever and I’ll go make some breakfast.”
He turned and started towards the bedroom door, walking with purpose.
“Umm, I’m not sure there’s anything to make.”
He stopped mid-exit. Without turning back to face her, he said lightly, “Then I’ll go down to
the market on the corner. Do you have any requests?”
Riley stood perfectly still and Chelle took a moment to appreciate the view from the back.
Man, he looked as good going as he did coming. His back muscles were taut beneath the thin white
cotton of his t-shirt, and HOLY MOLY, he had a perfect rear-end. He had the kind of physique that
people carved marble statues of. It really wasn’t fair for one man to be that insanely hot.
“Chelle?” He turned back towards her, and she realized belatedly that she had let the silence
go on an uncomfortably long time.
She immediately shot her gaze up to his face, her eyes becoming as big as saucers.
Embarrassment caused heat to race up her face, coloring her cheeks a deep red, she was sure.
She was pretty certain that he had caught her staring at his backside, but he didn’t make a
comment about it. “Huh?” she asked innocently.
“What sounds good for breakfast?” The corners of his lips twitched as though he was trying to
suppress a smile.
Well, even if she had been caught, at least Riley was too much of a gentleman to call her out
on it.
“Oh, right. Umm, yeah. If you could just get me some orange juice and maybe bread for toast
that would be good,” she stammered. She wasn’t sure if her stomach could handle much more than
that.
“Got it,” he smiled and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him – but not before
he favored her with a small wink. She smiled weakly. So, he had seen.
She flopped back on the bed, letting out a loud groan as she covered her face.
“Oh, and Chelle?” she heard him say as the door cracked back open.
She popped back up into a sitting position, and said, “Yes?” in as non-nonchalant a tone as
she could manage.
“Take a picture next time,” he said, a light teasing tone playing at the edges of his voice, “It'll
last longer.”
 Chapter Four
As Riley stepped outside of the apartment building onto the street a cold gust of wind hit him
smack dab in the face.
Good, he thought. Since he wasn't in a position to take a cold shower then the chill of the wind
would be the next best thing.
Damn it. Big mistake. Thinking of a 'cold shower' made him think of any kind of shower...and
that had him imagining Chelle, upstairs, naked...water dripping down her skin...
DAMN!
He shook his head. That was not a visual he should be entertaining. It was bad enough he had
been sporting wood for about five hours now.
The first thing he had done last night after checking on Chelle was call Jason and let him know
that he could tell Katie that Chelle was fine, and that he was letting her sleep but would be staying the
night to make sure she was alright. Jason had thanked him, a relieved tone in his voice that let Riley
know that Katie's worry over Chelle had probably been impacting their enjoyment of the honeymoon.
As soon as he had hung up he gave the apartment a thorough cleaning and then he went into the
bedroom to wait for Chelle to wake up.
The last thing he had expected was to get hard just watching her sleep but, damn. She was just
so beautiful.
It also didn’t help that she kept twisting and turning under the covers, giving him brief
glimpses of skin. Then she must have gotten warm, because at about 4 am she started kicking the
covers completely off.
That wouldn’t have been any cause for concern except for the fact that she was only wearing a
thin grey t-shirt and white cotton panties. The t-shirt kept riding up her waist exposing her tight, flat,
sexy-as-hell belly. Which in turn kept making Riley picture trailing his fingertips over it...oh, God. It
made Riley’s mouth water just thinking about it now.
And that didn't even begin to cover her gorgeous long, toned legs and her ass...damn. Her ass
was, in and of itself, a thing of dreams. In fact, her whole body was like a walking, breathing wet
dream come to life.
Riley must have covered her back up with the blankets at least a half a dozen times, but she
just kept kicking and shoving the covers back off of her. It was like, even in her sleep, she knew how
profoundly she affected him and wanted to make the effect as powerful as possible. It was enough to
drive a man crazy!
He had almost laughed out loud when she apologized to him for how “boring” it must have
been to sit up all night and watch her sleep. Yeah, right. If she knew what he had been thinking about
the whole night, she wouldn't be the one apologizing, that was for damn sure. He would.
Then she had looked up at him, the same way she used to when they were kids, on those nights
when they would stay up talking till the sun came up. It was almost too much for him. He had almost
lost control. Because, when it came down to it, she wasn’t some naïve young teenager smiling up at
him anymore.
Rachelle Thomas had grown up. She was a woman now. She was all woman. And it took
every ounce of self-discipline, self-control...hell, self-preservation that Riley could muster to resist
the urge to pin her back down on the bed and kiss that look of wonder off of her face and replace it
with a look of ecstasy.
Add to that the fact he had caught her checking his ass...well, he knew if he didn’t get out of
there ASAP he would not, could not, be responsible for his actions. He was only human.
Now, as he stepped into the small grocery store on the corner, he knew he was going to have
to come up with a game plan to make it through the day, and one thing that game plan was absolutely
going to include was leaving the apartment and getting out into the city. He was just a man, after all. A
mortal man of flesh and blood. He knew that he absolutely could not trust himself to be alone in that
apartment for the entire long day until eight pm, when he needed to leave to catch his flight.
He wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but he knew he only had a little bit of time to figure it
out. Once she was showered and done eating breakfast, if he didn’t have a plan of action solidly in
place, he honestly didn’t think he could control himself.
---~---

Chelle finished her shower and stepped out onto the yellow floor mat. She dried off with a
white fluffy towel and then wrapped it around her body snugly.
She was feeling a little more human...which was both good and bad. She was glad to have her
wits about her again and to be thinking more clearly, that was true enough. But with that clarity came
the knowledge that Riley Sloan was here.
In the flesh. And WHOA NELLY what flesh that was!
Riley had always been handsome. He had always made her heart skip a beat. As a pre-teen
and teenager, butterflies would flitter around in her stomach whenever he had been near - but
nothing...NOTHING...could have prepared her for what he looked like now, or the effect he was
having on her in...well, not so much her stomach...let’s just say an area slightly south of her stomach.
On the bright side, she had been spending the last week feeling sorry for herself, and
wondering if she could ever have any feelings for a man that wasn’t David. So...question answered!
And that answer was a loud and resounding YES.
 She had always been attracted to David. He was a good looking guy. She had enjoyed the
physical aspects of their relationship. When they did have sex it was fine...he was fine. But he had
never made her feel anything close to what she had felt just a moment ago when she had simply
looked into Riley’s gorgeous hazel eyes.
Riley. HOLY MOLY! Riley was hot.
Like...flames-coming-off-his-body-that-will-burn-you-if-you-get-too-close-or-dare-to-touch-
him kind of hot.
Hmm. She hadn't phrased the metaphor that way intentionally, but it brought up a good point. It
was probably a good thing to keep in mind - the fact that if you play with fire, you get burned.
She put a hand to her forehead. This was ridiculous. She was getting so far ahead of herself,
cautioning herself for nothing! She was thinking of the situation as if Riley even wanted to play. She
knew he probably still thought of her as Eddie’s little brat of a sister. An annoyance. An
inconvenience.
And why shouldn’t he, she thought. Just look at the facts. Case-in-point, this very situation.
After not seeing each other for over a decade, their very first re-introduction consisted of a situation
where he was being asked to look after her, to check on her, to make sure she was okay. She was an
inconvenience.
She squared her shoulders with renewed determination. She was going to take back some
control in a situation that felt 100% out of control. She was going to solve both his problem and hers
in one fell swoop.
As soon as he returned, she would let him know that she was fine, thank him for his time, and
send him on his merry way. Problems solved! There was no possible way she could get burned if the
fire was gone. And if she asserted herself and let him know in no uncertain terms that, yes, she had
been having a bit of a rough patch, but she was doing better now - then he could be on his way. She
would be out of his hair. True, she may have been a slight inconvenience when she was passed out,
unconscious. BUT now that she was up and about, he didn’t have to worry about her. No sirree!
Quickly and efficiently, she towel dried her hair and pulled on the first clothes she saw, which
were a pair of jeans and a blue thermal. She took in her reflection in the mirror.
Wow! An entire week of nothing but junk food and alcohol seemed to have caught up with her.
There were deep purple bags under her eyes, and her jeans were a little tighter than she
remembered them being the last time she'd worn them…which had been last week.
Oh well, damn it. It would have to do! She shouldn’t even care what she looked like. It’s not
like Riley would notice anyway!
Taking one last deep, fortifying breath she turned the knob and opened the bedroom door. She
might as well get this over with, quick and painless - like pulling off a Band-Aid. The sooner she sent
him on his way the sooner she could be certain that she wasn’t inconveniencing him, and - more
importantly - the sooner she could stop worrying about getting burned.
She stepped out to a bright clean apartment, she blinked several times at the light flooding the
room. The drapes were pulled back, blinds were up and all the windows were wide open. Chelle
looked around. It was like seeing the apartment for the first time.
Since she had arrived she had kept everything shut up tight, closed and dark. She had not even
noticed how beautiful the small space was.
Katie had carved out quite a life for herself here in San Francisco. Even with most of the
items that had filled the apartment now packed up and shipped back to Harper’s Crossing, the pieces
that were left really made the space feel like a home.
A home which, right now, smelled like bacon, eggs, and coffee. At first Chelle thought the
smells would cause her to get nauseous again, but that didn’t happen. In fact, quite the opposite
occurred, and she heard her stomach rumble loudly.
“Sounds like someone’s hungry,” she heard the light, teasing tone in Riley's voice and felt
herself fall right back into the bond of camaraderie they used to share. Effortlessly, like a tongue in
groove joint, her soul fell back into lockstep with his. She closed her eyes, reveling in it and refusing
to think about the consequences right at that moment.
She turned to look toward the kitchen, which was where his voice had originated. Riley stood
with his back to her, cooking at the stove. Chelle’s heart melted, just a little. Damn fire.
No man had ever cooked for her before. She knew it wasn’t like he was cooking for her. He
was just making the two of them breakfast.
But it did kinda sorta feel like he was cooking for her.
And, since no guy had ever cooked for her, she had never realized how sexy it was. She stood
watching him at the stove. Her mouth was watering, sure enough, but it had nothing to do with the
food and everything to do with the cook.
Riley glanced over his shoulder, “Do you want coffee with your OJ?”
For an instant, she felt caught, like a deer in headlights. She thought that somehow Riley had
read her thoughts, felt her energy, knew what she was thinking. She thought his question was some
kind of double entendre, like when idiots replaced their wolf-whistling with some clever phrase like,
“Can I get some fries with that shake?”
It took her only an instant to mentally process the words and realize that wasn't what was
going on, but it was an important instant - it served to snap her out of the trance that she had begun to
fall into.
“Um, yeah...but I can get it.” She forced her feet to start moving and headed into the kitchen.
She moved to the far left corner cabinet where the mugs were kept.
“Thanks for cleaning up,” she said awkwardly, “You, um...you really didn’t have to do that.”
“Not a problem,” his baritone voice rumbled.
The sound made Chelle’s toes curl and the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand up as a
sensual chill ran through her. Fire, she reminded herself, four-alarm fire. You don't need to get burned
right now, girl!
“ Do you want a cup?” She asked as she stepped around him and reached for the mugs on the
top shelf of the cabinet. They were just out of her reach, so she went up on her tip toes. She could feel
the cold ceramic of the mugs brushing her fingertips...almost there...just stretch a little higher...
Chelle felt Riley move so that he was standing directly behind her. He easily reached the top
shelf and pulled two mugs out, setting them down on the counter. She froze when he didn’t
immediately move away. She felt as if she couldn't draw a breath. She was utterly paralyzed – but not
just her. She felt like the entire world now existed in a state of suspended animation.
She waited. She could sense more than actually feel his solid form directly behind her.
Her first instinct was to lean back and melt against him. Nope! Melting was probably a bad
idea. Not just probably. Definitely. Bad idea. Bad, BAD idea. Melting indicates heat, heat comes
from fire, and fire equals burn. Chelle decided to play it safe and turn to face him, thinking he would
back away.
She thought wrong.
Riley stood perfectly still in front of her, his golden eyes staring down at her, the liquid pools
boring into her own. Oh yeah, definitely fire. Hot-hot-hot. She couldn’t take the heat, in fact, so she
dropped her gaze and looked toward the ground.
Riley's large frame surrounded her, encompassing her, becoming her whole world. Soon she
was aware of nothing but the nearness of his flesh. He slowly placed both of his large hands on the
counter, one on each side of her so that his arms formed a barrier. She was trapped in the corner of
the kitchen. She wasn't sure she ever wanted to escape.
She started to look up at him to ask what he was doing, but her eyes were sidetracked midway
through that journey. As soon as they alighted on his sexy, muscular chest she forgot that she wanted to
ask him what he thought he was doing...hell, she forgot her own name. Suddenly, there was nothing in
the world to her but the fact that Riley Sloan was mere millimeters away from her and, if she wanted
to touch him, all she would need to do was reach out the slightest little bit.
Her breathing quickened. Her heart raced. Her belly tightened.
The electricity running between them was palpable, at least on her end. There wasn't even
room in her consciousness to wonder what he was experiencing, so overwhelmed by the sensations
that she was feeling.
She could feel her chest rising and falling, could hear nothing but the pounding bass line of her
heartbeat in her ears.
She tried to get herself together. Figuring that ‘panting’ at Riley’s mere nearness may not be
what one would consider ‘playing it cool’ - nor would it be the most attractive thing in the world -
she decided she should try and alleviate the tension a bit.
Not having the slightest clue how to go about doing that, she simply looked up into his sexy
hazel eyes and smiled and squeaked out a simple, “Hi.”
Emotion flooded those amazing hazel eyes, and a deep rumbling sound, one that could be
likened to a growl, vibrated from his chest. It sent a delicious thrill running down Chelle’s spine.
She stood perfectly still, her lower back pressed up against the counter. She never wanted this
moment to end...but at the same time, she was excited to see where it would go.
She stood, remaining stock still, waiting...just waiting...for his next move.
Yesterday, if you would have asked her if Riley Sloan would be standing in this small kitchen,
pinning her in the corner, desire flashing in his eyes...Good God! She probably would have snorted
and shot back that the scenario was too crazy even for her wildest dreams. But right now, in this
moment, it seemed as if her wildest dreams might just be coming true.
Breathe, just remember to breathe!
Riley leaned down and rested his forehead against hers, just for a moment. “Hi,” he
whispered. Chelle breathed out, her knees weakening.
But then, with ninja like quickness, he was gone. Before she even had time to blink he was
standing a few feet away from her, back in front of the stove pulling pieces of bacon off of the fryer
and placing them on a plate.
She stood frozen where he had left her and tried to decide if she had, in fact, just imagined that
little encounter or if it had in fact really just occurred.
Wildest dreams much?
It had felt real...but as she watched Riley walking calmly to the small kitchen table, two
breakfast plates in hand, she thought that she may have indeed taken a trip to crazy town. He was
behaving for all the world as if nothing had just passed between them.
Then, when he leaned over to set the plates on the table, she looked down and noticed how
snug his jeans looked in the groin area. She smiled to herself. Aha! So she hadn’t imagined it.
Riley Sloan had been affected by her. For some reason, this made her want to rethink her plan
of immediately kicking him out. Suddenly, spending some time with Riley didn’t seem like all that
bad of an idea. Not that bad of an idea at all, as a matter of fact...
No, wait…must not play with fire! She knew she needed to stick with the plan. She had gotten
burned, and burned badly, by David – and he was barely even the tiny flame of a candle in the heat
department. Riley Sloan was a four alarm inferno! If she tangled with him, she would never make it
out unscathed.
“So after breakfast, do you want to catch a cable car down to Fisherman’s Wharf? Have you
been down there yet?” He sat at the table and began eating.
No, she hadn’t been there.
Yes, she wanted to go with him.
Why did he have to make this so much harder than it already was?
“Actually Riley...look. I appreciate you stopping by and checking on me.” She finished
pouring the coffee and carried both steaming hot mugs to the table as she sat down. “But I am fine,
really. You don’t have to stay and babysit me. I promise I will keep my phone on and return all phone
calls I miss, alright? That way no one will be worried about me.”
“I don’t think I have to babysit you.” He looked serious and his jaw flinched. “My flight isn't
until 8 o’clock tonight and I’d like to see some of the city today. You don’t have to keep me company
if you don’t want to.”
Well, when he put it like that...
“No! I mean...yes...I mean...” she stumbled.
Riley gave her a good-natured half smile, “Well, which is it?”
She smiled back, “Yes, sure, that sounds like fun.”
What had she just agreed to?
An entire day with Riley Sloan.
Alone.
That thought should make her nervous, and it did…a little. But mostly she just felt happy. She
smiled.
He made another noise that sounded like a groan and then snapped at her, “Eat.”
She looked up at him, a little shocked by his tone, expecting to see him giving her a stern look
or something. But he was just bent over his plate, shoveling food in his mouth.
Alrighty then, looks like someone’s in a hurry, she thought. Well, there's only one thing to do.
Eat.
 Chapter Five
Riley was starting to relax a little now that they had left the all-too-confining space of the tiny
apartment. He almost hadn't been able to control himself when he had stepped behind Chelle to grab
the coffee mugs.
He had wanted so badly to turn her around, pick her up, and place her on the counter. Oh,
God. To step in between her legs and pull her against him. To kiss her sweet mouth until coffee and
breakfast were the last things on their minds...
He had just about gotten himself under control, but then when she looked up at him with those
incredible almond-shaped brown eyes and smiled...his control had just about snapped.
Then she had taken it to another level entirely by voicing that tentative, “Hi.”
Good Lord! His resolve, at that point, had almost completely snapped. There was just
something about her smile that had always gotten to him.
Whenever she smiled at him, it was like her whole face lit up. It was sexy as hell. Just
thinking of it now he was growing harder by the second.
He had to stop his mind from going there or he was going to have a permanent imprint of his
zipper on his dick by the end of their little sightseeing adventure. Plus, walking around with a hard-on
wasn't the most appropriate or comfortable way to spend the day.
It occurred to him then that it had been a good long while since he had gotten laid. Maybe that
was it. Maybe he just needed to hook up with someone, release a little of that pent up tension. Yeah.
That had to be the issue.
Well, it would be taken care of soon enough. He and Megan had been sending messages back
and forth on Facebook. He shrugged to himself. He had always liked Megan well enough when they
had hooked up back in high school, and he had already made plans to see her when he got back to
Harper’s Crossing. So that would take care of that.
Now he just needed to concentrate on keeping himself under control and enjoying this
beautiful day in San Francisco. And it was a beautiful day – that was an understatement, as a matter of
fact. The weather was perfect, eighty degrees with a slight breeze. The air was so bright that it
actually seemed to sparkle. It almost felt magical.
He just had to get his head on straight - the one that ought to be doing the thinking, that is...not
the one that actually was.
Riley and Chelle walked several blocks to Powell St., got their tickets, and stood in line.
Riley tried to think of something to say – and not just something, but the right thing. Chelle seemed
preoccupied. She was quieter than he remembered her being. Then again, he thought, she probably has
a lot on her mind. It’s not like she's here on a real vacation. She's here because of that douchebag
David.
Riley wasn’t sure if he should ask her about it. She was probably aware that he knew what
had happened, but it seemed like an awkward conversation to have. Plus, she may not even want to
talk about it. Better to stick to safer subjects.
“So Eddie mentioned that you're a nurse now.” He felt ridiculous making small talk with
someone he'd known practically his whole life, but he wasn’t sure what else to do. It was either that
or grab her by the waist, pull her against him and kiss her senseless.
So, yeah. Small talk was probably the way to go.
“Yep, I really love it,” she responded, turning toward him. Her face lit up with one of those
smiles, and it almost knocked him flat on his ass.
Well, damn it. Maybe silence is the way to go, Riley thought as he tried to keep his reaction to
her under control.
She continued, “I work in labor and delivery. I just love being around all those babies.”
Suddenly a picture popped into his mind unbidden. An image of her sitting in a rocking chair,
holding their baby, looking down at the child as she stroked its tiny head and whispered and sang,
pausing every once in a while to kiss the tiny, perfect nose... he shook his head to clear it, to no avail.
In fact, instead of erasing the image like an etch-a-sketch, it seemed to be making the vision more
clear like, say, a Polaroid picture coming into focus.
He was, honestly, stunned that his mind would even go there. A very long time ago Riley had
decided that a wife, kids, and white picket fence would never be in his future.
He just wasn’t that guy.
He had nothing against it. In fact, sometimes he really wished he was that guy. He knew part of
his reluctance to even hope for anything like that came from all he had been through with his Mom.
Well, actually, all he had seen his Dad go through because of her was more like it.
He never wanted to end up like his Dad had - trying to take care of kids and a depressed wife.
Being the breadwinner, disciplinarian, cook, and maid. Of course, he and Seth had helped out with
Alex and Bobby. Jason had always been pretty self-sufficient, but the younger ones needed a lot of
time and attention.
Looking back, he wished he would have done more. He wished he could have managed to not
have been such a problem child. He realized now, as an adult that he was just acting out because of
being angry and confused about his Mom. But, damn, he certainly hadn’t made life any easier for his
poor Dad!
For quite a few years now he had been wanting to reach out and apologize to his Dad, to tell
him that he was sorry for being a little shit, especially when what his Dad really needed was support.
But, he never felt right having a conversation that important over the phone or email. That was
definitely a dialogue he wanted to strike up with his Dad in-person.
They climbed onto the cable car and sat down on the wooden bench.
Chelle was looking down, fidgeting with her hands, “So, how does it feel to be home? I mean
in the states. You’ve been overseas for a few years right?” She seemed to be nervous.
Great. He wanted her to have a nice day, not be worried about trying to filling awkward
silences. He needed to remove his head from his ass, and he needed to do it now. He needed to get
real comfortable real fast, because she was obviously picking up the awkward vibe from him.
He turned towards her and put his arm around the back of the seat, smiling casually,
“Honestly, I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet. I mean, I've known this time was coming for a while
now. I wasn’t even close to being tempted to re-enlist this time around, no matter what they offered
me. I was definitely ready to get out.”
“Really? You didn't like the military? I don't know where I got this impression – maybe from
Jason, or maybe from Eddie – but I always thought that you loved it.”
Riley nodded thoughtfully, “I do love...or, you know, I did love it...it had just turned into
something that I didn't recognize. The whole philosophy of the young guys coming in, the way that
tactics are evolving...it's more about drone strikes than hand to hand combat now, and the younger
guys understand that. They recruit them that way. I don't. I've always believed that you look the enemy
in the eye as you attack, at least metaphorically, if not literally.”
Riley stared off into the distance, then shrugged, “It was time for me to put myself out to
pasture,” he said with a self-deprecating smile, “Let the young bucks take over.”
Chelle placed a hand gently over his and said lightly, “I wouldn't exactly call you ancient. Not
quite yet.”
Riley felt his pulse begin to speed up and realized that he needed to get the conversation back
on more neutral ground. “Anyway,” he continued, “It still seems more like I’m on leave, you know - it
doesn’t quite feel permanent yet.”
“Yeah, that makes sense.” She smiled up at him.
Her smile slammed into him like a Mack truck. God, he didn’t think he would ever get used to
the way that smile made him feel.
“I can’t seem to shake the feeling that I should be checking in with David,” she continued, “I
keep catching myself glancing at my phone to see if he’s called.”
Riley felt himself tense up at the mention of David’s name. He didn’t like the feeling that
David’s name on her lips caused in him. It felt dangerously close to jealousy.
Her eyes widened and she quickly added, “Not that it’s the same thing at all, you know...my
relationship status is nothing compared to your military service.”
Riley mentally forced himself to relax, she had no idea his reaction had nothing to do her
comparison of their situations and everything to do with the fact the he was having a completely
irrational reaction to the mere mentioning of David’s name.
He smiled, “Actually it is the same in a lot of ways. We are both closing the door on big
chapters in our lives.”
She paused a moment, and then added playfully, “And we're both handing over the reins to 18-
year-olds.”
They laughed, relaxing as the gorgeous architecture flew by them, and the tension between
them was broken.
As they went up and over Nob Hill, Riley looked over the shimmering surface of the ocean.
He had always loved water. Over the last twelve years he had seen a lot of it - oceans, seas, rivers,
gulfs - and no matter what the circumstances were that surrounded him at the time, when he saw large
bodies of water, he felt a sense of calm wash over him.
But right now, sitting next to Chelle in a cable car in San Francisco, he realized that it felt a
million times better seeing it with her beside him.
He didn't think there was a whole lot that wouldn't be a million times better with her by his
side.
Damn. What had he gotten himself into here?
He absently rubbed her shoulder with his thumb and he felt her jump a little under his touch.
Holy crap! He hadn't even realized that he intended to touch her. It had been completely
natural. If he was going to keep his hands to himself today, he was going to have to actively be
monitoring himself at all times. He was just too drawn to her. If he let his guard down or relaxed even
a little, he would touch her. It felt like she was a magnet that his body was drawn to.
He placed his hand on the wooden bench and wrapped his fingers around it to anchor himself.
Because no matter how much he wanted to touch her, Rachelle Thomas was off limits. Completely,
one hundred percent, off limits.
 Chapter Six
As they exited the cable car on Bay Street, Chelle was still having a tough time wrapping her
mind around the fact that Riley was here, beside her. He was safe and sound, she was standing right
next to him. She could reach out and touch him, although she was trying her best not to.
There were too many nights to count, over the years since Riley had left for basic training, that
Chelle had lain awake and wondered where he was. If he was okay. If she was ever going to see him
again.
She would pray that God would make sure that he got home safely. Not only physically, either,
but that he would come home emotionally intact as well.
She would catch herself casually trying to work Riley’s name into conversations and ask
Eddie if he had spoken to him. At first, her brother would always tell her where Riley was and what
he was doing. But once Riley had become a part of a Special Ops team about seven years ago, the
updates were few and far between. Eddie not only heard from him less, he rarely knew where Riley
was or how long he would be there.
Then, a year ago, everything had changed. That was when Riley had gotten a Facebook page.
Once she had seen the update in her feed that informed the world (well, all of their friends, at any
rate...) that Eddie and Riley had become friends on the social networking site, she had to admit she
had cyber-stalked him a teensy weensy little bit.
Not in the hey-baby-I-wanna-hook-up way or anything. She was, after all, an engaged woman.
Not to mention, that just wasn’t her style. No, she had just been checking in on him, looking at his
posts and...OKAY...maybe a picture or two as well. Or maybe three. Or...maybe all forty-seven that
he had either posted or been tagged in. But not all the time! Just…daily. Or so.
She couldn't help it! Seeing him alive and well gave her a sense of peace she hadn’t realized
she had been missing. But, she guessed it made sense, because not a day had gone by since he had
gotten on that bus to leave for basic training twelve years ago, in which she hadn’t thought about him,
worried about him, and wanted to make sure that he was alive and well...and happy. Yes, happy, too.
He deserved to be happy.
Everyone in Harper’s Crossing had always seemed to think that he was this big, infamous
troublemaker. They treated him like a delinquent. But that’s not the Riley she knew. She had never
understood why everyone else didn’t see what she saw.
She heard how people talked about him all the time growing up. Of all the Sloan boys, he
definitely had the worst reputation...and that was really saying something!
She had never known much about Seth, the oldest. She just remembered him being quiet and
mysterious. People always referred to him as “brooding”.
Then there was Riley, the bad boy. He never followed rules. Between breaking and entering,
getting in brawls at local bars, and “borrowing” cars to go joyriding before he was even old enough
to have a license...well, he had had his fair share of scrapes with the law. People were always talking
about how dangerous he was.
But Chelle had never seen him like that, not really. Although she had to admit he had starred in
many of the bad-boy-with-a-heart-of-gold fantasies.
Then there was Jason, the charmer in the bunch, who was aptly nicknamed Romeo. He had a
natural charisma. Guys wanted to be friends with him and girls wanted to be with him. To the dismay
of most of the female population of Harper’s Crossing, the only girl that was on Jason’s radar was his
new bride Katie. Since the day he met her in kindergarten, he had been head over heels for that girl.
Alex was next. He was the player. He went through women like most guys went through
deodorant.
And finally the youngest, Bobby. He was the strong, silent type.
Chelle hoped that when Riley went back home, people would see him for the man he was
today and not try to put him back in the box they had placed him in during his adolescence. She wasn’t
holding her breath on that count, though, because Alex had been away and when he returned, everyone
just expected him to be the same womanizer he was in his teens. That might be a different story,
though, because so far it seemed like Alex was living up to his reputation.
Wait, what was she doing? She was imagining a whole scenario where Riley came home and
built a life, and she wasn’t even sure if Riley was planning on going back to Harper’s Crossing! For
all she knew, he never planned on stepping foot there again!
Whoa. That thought suddenly made her feel really sad. Why was that? It shouldn't matter to
her...should it?
She tried to shake off the sudden melancholy. No, it shouldn’t matter to her what his plans,
now that he was out of the Marines, might be. They didn’t affect her at all. Or...they shouldn't affect
her at all. Her mind knew that. Now someone just needed to give her heart the memo.
But, now that she had started thinking about what Riley’s plans were in the future, the
curiosity was driving her absolutely bonkers. Hmmmm....she would have to try to think of a way to
subtly work in some reference to his future plans, hoping to get some clue as to what they might be
without actually coming straight out and asking. She could be subtle. Just like she used to be with
Eddie!
Chelle looked over at him as they made their way around the crowds at Fisherman’s Wharf,
trying to plot and plan her oh-so-subtle inquiry as to what the future might hold for him...and
completely lost her train of thought. He was just so gorgeous!
 His light brown eyes had flecks of hidden green in them, which she had always found
intriguing. Mesmerizing, really. They looked nearly iridescent in the sun. And, although she never
before would have considered a jawline sexy, Riley was making her rethink that assessment.
Because...yeah. His jawline was inspiring all kinds of thoughts in her mind, and not one of them was
of the innocent variety. She wanted to reach out and touch it, she wanted to press her lips to it and
pepper kisses up and down it...
She was beginning to get all hot and bothered just picturing it.
Stop! She commanded herself. She needed to stop this line of thinking immediately. Riley was
being a good friend to her, to Jason, to Eddie, to Katie...and how was she repaying him? By having all
kinds of naughty thoughts! Way to go Chelle, she thought, real classy.
Okay, new plan. Distraction through conversation.
“So Riley, now that you’re out what are your plans?”
Oops! Hadn't she just been trying to mentally manufacture a more subtle way to go about
sussing that out? Oh, well, she thought. At least Riley doesn't seem thrown by her directness.
“Well, I'm headed back home for a week or two. You know, visit the family for a little bit.
And then, after that, down to New Orleans.”
Chelle’s heart sank. She knew it was utterly ridiculous to be disappointed that he didn’t plan
on moving back to Harper’s Crossing. Still, that didn’t change the fact that she was.
Wait a minute...he hadn’t said he planned on living in New Orleans. Maybe he just wanted to
visit there.
“For vacation? Or are you planning on staying?” She mustered every ounce of strength she
possessed (and it definitely took every ounce!) in order to keep her tone sounding blasé. She knew
that her whole life’s happiness did not rest in his answer...but it certainly felt like it did.
“To live. For a while at least. A few buddies of mine from the Corp moved down there and
opened a bar. I invested in it, and I'm a partner. So far I’ve just been a silent partner since I was still
enlisted.”
Chelle tried to mask the feeling of sadness that washed over her. Why did she feel like
someone had just run over her dog?
“That’s great!” She said, maybe just a tad too heartily. She pasted on her best ‘fake’ smile and
started walking a little faster.
She felt her hand being pulled and she was stopped short as Riley spun her to look at him.
“Hey,” he said, his face etched with concern, “is everything alright?”
Chelle nodded enthusiastically, “Yep, I’m good.”
He did not look the slightest bit convinced as his brow furrowed and he reached out and
tucked a strand of hair that was flapping wildly across her face behind her ear. “Are you sure? You
seem like something’s wrong.”
A rush of warmth raced through her as his fingers lightly brushed her neck. She closed her
eyes.
How could such an innocent gesture feel so erotic? It seemed that her body was wired to
respond to even the slightest contact with his. She couldn’t even imagine what it would feel like if he
really touched her.
She felt his stare and looked up into his eyes. She couldn’t read precisely what was behind his
expression, but his gaze was definitely filled with emotion.
Why in the name of all that is holy did he have to be so perceptive?
She had never been around any guy that had been so in tune to what she was feeling. Every
other relationship that she had ever been in (which, if we were talking ‘serious’ relationships, was
sadly just the one) had been nothing like this.
If she was mad, or upset, or had hurt feelings – well, she would always have to spell it all out
for David. Even after she had, he usually responded by either ignoring her, or justifying his behavior
and listing the reasons why she shouldn’t be feeling the way she was.
But not Riley. Nope. He was tuned to her like a fine instrument.
“I’ve missed you,” she breathed. She wasn’t sure what prompted that, and she probably
shouldn’t have said it. But she just needed to tell him.
His mouth curved at the corners and a small smile appeared on his face, “I've missed you,
too.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Really?” She wasn’t sure what she had expected him to say, but it
hadn’t been that!
Maybe he was just saying it to be nice. Yep, he had probably just said it out of politeness. It
was a courtesy ‘Missed you.’
His expression turned serious and his voice a little shaky as he leaned in and said quietly,
“More than you know.”
Chelle's mind started racing a mile a minute.
She was having trouble processing what he had just said.
What did he mean, ‘more than you know?' She didn’t know that he missed her at all so any
amount of missing would have been more that she knew!
She wasn’t sure about the significance of his admission, but there was one thing she was sure
about: those words had definitely made her heart skip a beat.
 Chapter Seven
As Chelle and Riley walked around Fisherman’s Wharf, Riley could honestly say he didn't
know when the last time was that he had had this much fun. He loved watching Chelle interact with
people. Everyone just seemed drawn to her.
She didn’t seem to notice the effect that she had on people. To her, it probably just felt
normal. But Riley had been around the world. He had met a lot of people, and he knew how special it
was. He knew how special she was.
After they had lunch, as they were walking along the pier, they passed a mom of three trying to
change her infant's diaper and keep her other two little ones corralled close by. Chelle didn't miss a
beat. She stopped, kneeling down and asking the young boy and girl their names and ages. Then she
started talking to them about their favorite movies.
The children were enamored of her, of course, and when the mom had finished attending to the
infant, she looked up at Chelle and said gratefully, “Thanks, you’re a lifesaver!”
Chelle smiled and waved it off like it was no big deal before saying goodbye to her two new
little friends and cooing over the baby.
As the afternoon wore on, Riley and Chelle went into pretty much every single souvenir shop
they passed. Chelle bought a pink stuffed seal for Emily, a shirt and hat for Eddie, a snow globe for
Katie and several other trinkets for other friends and co-workers - and even some for long-term
patients she had gotten to know in the hospital.
She happily shopped, explaining why she was choosing each gift specifically for each person.
Every time she relayed the story of why each gift had a personal meaning, her face lit up and she
smiled.
Damn, Riley thought. Her smiles were becoming like a drug to him. With every single one he
felt himself getting more and more addicted.
After their afternoon spent shopping, they sat together on a bench, gazing out at the azure blue
sea. He drank coffee, and Chelle ate a caramel apple, giggling as she explained that she was able to
eat it guilt-free because the apple had fiber and the nuts had protein.
He smiled. God, she was so cute.
Suddenly she gasped and almost choked on her 'nutritious' treat. “Oh my gosh, what time is
it?” She looked at her watch, alarmed. “Your flight is…Oh God! We need to head back! If we hurry,
you can make it!”
Chelle never ceased to amaze him. He just couldn’t get over how she was always worried
about other people! He knew that she was having fun, enjoying herself - but her first concern was
getting him to his flight on time.
It was a stark contrast to the women he usually dated. Well...let's be honest, he thought -
'dated' is strong term. 'Spent time with' would be more accurate.
Those women would never have worried about him making a flight. Not in a million years! If
they had thought about it at all, it only would have been in the context of trying to figure out how they
could make him miss his flight. He had had girls hide his keys, hide his phone, and employ a number
of other sneaky tactics if they knew he had to leave and they didn’t want him to go.
But not Chelle. She always put others first, even someone she hadn’t seen in over a decade.
What the hell had douchebag David been thinking to throw that kind of love away? David Price
literally might be the stupidest person on the face of the earth.
“Are you coming?” Chelle asked anxiously. She was already off the bench and a few feet
away from him, headed back in the direction they had come, toward the place where they would catch
the cable car that would take them back up to Powell St.
“No,” he answered simply.
“No, you’re not coming?” She stopped, a look of confusion clouding her face.
He shook his head.
She waited, then tilted her head continuing to explain, “Riley if we don’t leave now you’ll
miss your flight.”
“I canceled it.”
“You canceled your flight?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“While you were talking to that elderly couple, when we were watching the seals sunbathe.”
“Why?”
“Because, the last thing I want to do is get on a plane that takes me away from you.”
Her eyes widened.
“Me?”
“You.”
“Oh.” A flush crept up her cheeks and she slowly walked back to the bench where he had
remained seated and sat back down next to him.
She was completely silent and he suddenly realized that she may not want his company. He
wasn't, after all, exactly an invited guest.
He didn’t know what had possessed him to say what he did. He should have just said that he
wanted to do more sightseeing, or that he was extending his vacation. Something neutral. Or he could
have made something up! He could have said that Jason had asked him to stay...which he had, as a
matter of fact.
But, no. He had to go and say that he didn't want to leave her.
The tension between them was so thick that you could cut it with a knife.
He turned towards her, saying awkwardly, “Look...I don’t have to stay. I could…”
She put her hand on his thigh, he stopped talking.
She turned and smiled at him, then leaned over and pressed her lips to his. For a moment, he
wondered if he imagined that part, though, because in a blink of an eye she was up and off the bench
again.
“I want to go on the Ferris wheel!” she said brightly.
“The Ferris wheel?” He repeated, still in shock from the indescribable feeling of her soft full
lips pressed against his, no matter how short the duration of the kiss.
“Yep,” she grinned, and then she was off, headed down to the Ferris wheel.
Unable to come up with a better plan, he shrugged and followed her.

--- ~ ---

Chelle still couldn’t believe that she had kissed him. She...Rachelle Thomas...had kissed
Riley Sloan on the mouth. In broad daylight, in front of God and everybody.
Well 'kiss' might be overselling it. But she had given him a peck on the lips. She wished that
instead of half-assing it, she would have had the courage to woman up and really go for it! At least
then she would have known for sure if there was going to be another kiss at some point.
In fairness to her, she hadn’t ended the kiss so abruptly solely because she was a big chicken.
The other contributing factor had to do with the fact that, the minute she came into contact with him a
sweet shock of bliss washed over her entire body like a wave crashing over her being. It was intense.
Very intense.
Nevertheless, she was still kicking herself for retreating. If she hadn’t done that...if she had
really kissed him...then the ball would have been in his court. He would have either had to kiss her
back, or end the kiss. It would have been clear-cut, one way or another. Although the second option
would have been disappointing (in the extreme) it would have at least been addressed.
At this point in the program, the entire incident was just being completely ignored. By both of
them.
He hadn’t mentioned it, and they both seemed to be acting normally. ‘Acting’ being the
appropriate term, for her at least, because that was definitely what she knew she was doing.
After that all too brief smooch, all she could think about was if their lips would ever touch
again. It was consuming her thoughts. As soon as they got off the Ferris wheel Riley suggested they go
take one of those old-timey photos where you dress up.
Ooookaay, Chelle thought, so maybe he was not having the same issues getting over her sad
excuse for a kiss as she was.
Chelle agreed to the idea and they found a photo shop that did Wild West pictures. Chelle
dressed up like a saloon girl and Riley was in chaps and a cowboy hat, holding a rifle.
Hmmmm....Chelle thought. He looks good.
The photographer posed them so that Riley was seated on a bar stool and Chelle’s heel-
booted foot was resting on Riley’s firm leg. As soon as the photographer directed Chelle to place her
foot on him, she felt his hand wrap possessively around her calf.
Her dress was pulled up to reveal a garter that she had placed mid-thigh.
Riley held a rifle in one hand, the base of which rested against his opposite leg.
As they waited while the photographer placed props around them and the lighting was set up,
Chelle felt Riley’s strong fingers begin moving slightly, massaging her skin. She didn’t know if he
was purposely trying to torture her or if he was just doing what felt natural to him...but either way, it
felt amazing.
Who knew that a person could have so many nerves in their calf? Chelle had never before
thought of her lower leg as an erogenous zone, but now she knew that it definitely was. The gentle
movements of Riley's fingers felt so good, in fact, that she was having a hard time holding still.
“You look good in that dress,” Riley said in a deep, low voice that rumbled from his chest.
Just those few well-chosen words, combined with the pressure of his fingers caressing her
leg, were almost too much for Chelle to handle. Her body trembled and she found herself having a
hard time standing with only one leg to support her.
Feeling that the moment was getting a little too intense, she thought it was probably a good
idea to lighten the mood. She teased, “You’re not so bad yourself, cowboy.”
She looked down at him, forcing herself to smile brightly and she felt his grip tighten around
her calf, causing a lightning bolt of pleasure to run all the way up her leg to her core. She heard a gasp
escape from her mouth.
The photographer stepped behind the camera and told them to look up.
Chelle did, and the photographer counted down three, two, one before snapping the pic.
She then took several more before smiling and letting them to go change out of their western
gear.
The dressing rooms were on opposite sides of the studio, so - without sparing a glance in
Riley’s direction - Chelle headed to her side to change out of her dress and try to get a handle on her
out of control hormones.
 She had never really considered herself a sexually-charged person. Sure, she enjoyed sex. She
thought it was nice when it happened. But, by the same token, she had gone long stretches without it
and never even missed it.
And she had never once before been in danger of having an orgasm from a simple touch of her
leg!
She knew, now more than ever, that the feelings she had for Riley were beyond dangerous. It
would be smart for her to keep her distance, both emotionally and physically.
That might be difficult, though, considering the fact that he was staying one more night (at
least!) because he hadn’t wanted to leave her. SWOON!
As she walked out of the dressing room, Riley was leaning against the doorway of the small
hallway waiting for her.
“We should probably head back, the last cable car leaves in about forty-five minutes.”
“Sounds good, let me just get the picture.”
“Already got it.” Riley held up a bag that Chelle had not noticed him carrying.
“Oh,” She said trying to hide her surprise at the fact that he had actually taken care of getting
the photo. That was yet another thing that Chelle had never experienced.
First of all, David would have never - not in a million years! - suggested getting the photo
taken. And even if he did finally agree to do it, he would never have taken it upon himself to pick out
the picture and purchase it. He had never even made dinner reservations for her.
In fact, now that she thought about it, any time they did anything - from simply going to a
movie, to going out for dinner, or all the way up to a week-end getaway - Chelle was the one to plan
it. It was always left to her to find out the show times, pick out the movie, choose the restaurant, make
the reservations, find the hotel, etc. David had never done any of that.
Now, after spending less than twenty-four hours with Riley, Chelle promised herself that she
would never settle for less than the bar he had unintentionally set.
All day, he had opened doors for her and placed his hand on her lower back to guide her
through crowds. He had even bought her a zip-up hoodie when he thought she was cold.
In reality, it had not been the cold that was making her shudder, it was him. Every time she
came into contact with him, no matter how brief or innocent that contact was, her body responded.
She knew that kind of chemistry was not easy to find, but now she also knew that she would
rather be alone than in a relationship which didn’t generate that kind of heat.
 Chapter Eight
Riley paid the delivery man and brought the bags of Chinese take-out to the kitchen table.
“So this is the best Chinese take-out in the city, huh?”
Chelle sat the plates and forks on the table.
“That was what Katie claimed,” she said, stepping back into the kitchen to retrieve a bottle of
wine, “So the first night I got here I tried it, and after one bite I was convinced.”
Riley winked. “That would explain all of the San Tung containers I cleaned up from this place
last night.”
“Yeah,” Chelle blushed and smiled as she slid into the chair opposite Riley, “I’m a stress
eater, what can I say.”
Thinking that this was as good an opening as any, Riley decided to go ahead and address the
elephant in the room, “So the whole thing with David came as shock?”
After a few moments of silence, she said, “Yes and no. When he first told me, I admit I was
completely blindsided by it. I think part of that had to do with his timing, though. I was so focused on
Katie and Jason’s wedding.”
“And what about the ‘no’?” Riley figured he might as well go all in. In for a buck, in for a
quarter.
“The what?”
“You said yes and no. What about the no?”
“Oh, well, I just meant that after I had some time to think about it, about our relationship I
mean, it doesn’t shock me very much that he cheated. Looking back now, I guess all the signs were
there. The late night meetings, the weekend business trips, the plans that he canceled at the last minute
because 'something came up at work.' So cliché. That's one of the worst parts. He made me feel trite. I
should have known something was up. I should have questioned him. But, what can I say? I trusted
him. The thought never even crossed my mind that he would be cheating on me.”
“He’s an idiot,” Riley grumbled, all the while stuffing his face with chow mein.
Chelle smiled, “You definitely won’t get an argument from me about that. And to tell you the
truth, I’m not even mad he doesn't want to be with me. Really, I don’t want to be with someone who
doesn’t want to be with me. I just don’t like all the lying and sneaking around. I mean, seriously? Why
not just leave me if Kayla was the one he wanted to be with? Why wait until she’s pregnant to walk
away? I guess I should just be happy he didn’t take me on Jerry Springer to break the news...” She
shrugged and scooped out more fried rice onto her plate.
“Enough of my drama, what about you? Do you have anyone serious in your life?” She looked
down at her food as she poured soy sauce over her rice.
“I’m not in a relationship.”
Her gaze still downward, she continued pouring soy sauce over the rest of her plate, “What's
the longest relationship you’ve had?”
“A couple of years.”
Her eyes shot up to meet his, abandoning her pretense of nonchalance, “Really! That’s a long
time. Were you engaged or anything?”
“Nope. Actually, that was part of the reason we broke up. She wanted to move things along
and I was more than happy to keep them exactly where they were.”
“Was it just that she wasn’t the right one? Do you ever want to get married?”
If anyone else, at any other time, had asked Riley that question the answer would have come
easily - “NO”. But right now, sitting across from Chelle, looking into her big doe eyes...he didn’t
know what he felt about wanting to get married. But, regardless of his feelings, the fact that he
wouldn’t get married hadn’t changed. That fact remained immutable.
“Whether I want to or not doesn’t matter. I’m not ever getting married.”
Chelle nodded, seeming to understand, “Because of what you saw happen with your Mom and
Dad.”
“No.” He hadn’t thought his response had come out sounding harsh, but the hurt expression on
Chelle’s face told him it had.
He tried to soften his tone. “I’m just not that 'forever' guy. I’m not cut out for marriage.”
“Really? Why not?”
He didn’t answer. He wasn’t trying to give her the silent treatment or anything. He just didn’t
know what to say.
“Is it because you can’t imagine being with only one person for the rest of your life?”
“No,” he answered honestly.
“Then what is it? If it’s not about your parents and it’s not that you don’t think you could be
happy with just one person, then what is it?”
Again, he didn’t answer.
After waiting several minutes for him to respond she finally just smiled and said, “Well, I for
one think you would make a great husband.”
He didn’t know how she always did that. How she always knew the real reasons behind his
behavior. It was like she had a direct line to his soul. It was unnerving.
“And an amazing dad,” she added before stuffing her face full of rice.
She chewed, her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel who was storing nuts for the winter. He felt
a smile spread across his face. Chelle Thomas was equally as adorable as she was sexy.
 --- ~ ---

Chelle laid in bed and mentally kicked herself. Why had she gone down that line of
questioning with him?
Oh right, because she had been feeling guilty about their momentary lip-lock and was scared
that she may have inadvertently been a participant in cheating. She was not “the other woman” kind of
a girl. She liked having a clear conscience and being able to sleep at night (current evidence of both
to the contrary!).
She should have just stopped there. As soon as he said he wasn’t in a relationship, she should
have zipped it. But, no. She had to add a follow-up question.
And. for the life of her, she could never guess what had prompted her to say that he would
make a good husband...and dad.
Holy Flipping Moly!
He had just said in no uncertain terms that he didn’t want to get married. And she had no idea
what his feelings were about becoming a father, but she was pretty sure he didn’t need (or want!) her
opinion on the matter.
Tossing and turning, she looked over at the clock beside the bed and saw that it was just past
one. She had been laying sleeplessly in bed for over two hours and was starting to think that she may
not be getting to sleep anytime soon, either.
Earlier, when neither of them could possibly eat another bite, they had decided to watch some
TV. As the television program wore on, blue light flickering into the darkened room, Riley began to
nod off. Chelle had thought that he must be exhausted, not having gotten any sleep at all the night
before.
So, instead of waiting for him to call it a night, she lied and said that she was worn out from
their day of sightseeing and wanted to hit the sheets.
Although he had tried to hide it, she could tell he was relieved at the prospect of being able to
get some sleep. He asked if it would be okay if he just took a quick shower first, since he hadn’t had
one that morning.
For a moment, she hadn’t been able to respond. The mental image that his request inspired left
her temporarily mute. Even after a full minute, she could only squeak out a high-pitched, “Yes”.
While he was busy in the shower, she had busied herself with both making up a bed for him on
the couch and banishing thoughts of his wet, naked body from her mind. The latter was significantly
more challenging than the former!
 She had tried to insist on sleeping on the couch herself, since she was barely 5’4” and he was
well over 6 feet tall, but he scowled and said that wasn’t up for discussion.
SWOON! Chivalry wasn't dead.
When he had finished showering, they had said an awkward goodnight and she had thanked
him again for the day. Then, just as the tension between them began to ratchet up in a serious way, she
had practically sprinted into the bedroom.
Holy Roly Poly Moly!
Riley, freshly showered and wearing nothing but baggy sweats, was more temptation than any
woman should ever be faced with! Well...more than any woman should ever be faced with and be
expected not to give in to, at any rate, she grimaced.
Now, lying restlessly in her bed, she started counting sheep like she had when she was a little
girl. She sighed. It didn’t work any better now than it had then.
Ugh! She couldn’t even go watch TV because it was out in the room that was currently being
occupied by one half-naked Riley Sloan.
At least...she assumed that he was still only half-naked. Hmm...interesting. Was there a
plausible scenario that might result in him being entirely naked right now? The possibility was...
STOP!
Chelle chided herself sternly. Seriously, girl, she thought to herself, get it together! There is
more to life than picturing Riley Sloan naked!
However, when pressed to think of what that 'more' might consist of, she found herself
drawing a blank.
She did have a book that she had been reading but, it was a romance novel. Last thing she
needed, especially if she was trying get off the kick she seemed to be on of picturing Riley naked.
And...other stuff. Like the things she would DO to him if she walked in and found him naked...STOP!
Yeah. She clearly did not need to have her mind filled with the images the book inspired. She
was obviously having a hard enough time keeping her mind out of the gutter without the additional
literary inspiration.
So, after considering all of the non-narcotic sleep inducing techniques at her disposal, she had
finally settled on counting backwards from one thousand. At around the six hundred mark, she had
finally begun to drift off when she was startled awake by the sound of someone crying out.
It was Riley.
Her heart began to race as she felt adrenaline flood her veins. She flew out of bed and raced
into the living room, heart pounding in anticipation of what terrible scene might await her when she
got there.
 What she saw was Riley, alone on the couch, seemingly engaged in a battle with his blanket.
He thrashed back and forth for a few seconds and then cried out again. She saw the anguish on his
face and her heart broke in two.
She stood, watching him suffer, torn as to what action she should take next. She knew that
there were conflicting theories when it came to whether or not you should wake someone who was
having a nightmare. She briefly battled within herself, trying to decide which way was right, trying to
remember what each study had said, trying to come to a decision about what the most medically
responsible decision would be in this instance.
Then Riley cried out once more, the sound of his anguish filling the air, and Chelle decided
she didn’t care what the studies said. She could not sit idly by while he was being tortured - even if
he wasn’t consciously aware of what was going on.
She knelt beside the couch. “Riley,” she said softly, attempting to sound as calming as
possible.
It didn’t have any effect, though, and he continued his thrashing.
“Riley,” she said in a louder, stronger tone.
Still no response. His night terror seemed to be getting worse. His movements were more
erratic and his face contorted even more painfully.
She felt a tear fall from her eye. She hated seeing him this way. She felt as if her heart were
being torn in two. Before she realized what she was doing, she reached out and touched his chest.
When she again uttered his name, the tortured quality of her voice matched that of his own cries.
Suddenly, his hand clamped down over hers, grabbing it tightly and holding it against his
warm skin. His eyes flew open, looking beyond her with a wild, frenetic gaze. The pressure he
exerted in squeezing her hand to himself nearly crossed the threshold into pain.
“Riley,” she said urgently, “It’s me. It’s Chelle. Wake up.”
Chelle could feel his heart pounding furiously beneath her palm. Her heart ached for him. The
powerful need she felt to help him was matched only by her overwhelming sense of powerlessness to
do so.
She didn't know what to do. Ideas for various courses of action ping-ponged around inside her
brain until she felt that her mind was swimming with conflicting courses of action and all that she
could do was tread water. She felt that she must do something, but by the same token, she definitely
did not want to make the situation worse!
She just wanted him to know she was here if he needed her. The desire to take away any pain
or fear he felt flooded her entire body.
Instinctively she moved onto the couch. She laid down beside him, her body pressed tightly
against his, her head resting against his chest.
The instant she laid her head on his chest, his body began to relax. He slumped back down, his
back lying flat against the pillows, his breath shallow and rapid. She stayed, lying beside him,
stroking his hair gently.
After a few moments his arm wrapped possessively around her, his hand landing on her hip.
She froze, waiting for him to say something, to address what was happening. When he didn’t speak,
she carefully peaked up at him, trying as best she could not to move anything except her eyes.
She couldn’t see much from her awkward position, but she could tell that Riley’s eyes were
closed. His mouth was slightly open and she had to stop herself from reaching up and pressing her
lips to his. The kiss they had shared down on the wharf had only made her want more.
Immediately she admonished herself for having those thoughts. The very last thing Riley
needed was to have her drooling all over him.
She just needed to be his friend. Too bad it couldn’t be friends with benefits, she thought.
As she laid still, trying to calm down enough to go to sleep, she was consumed by the feeling
of rightness that being held in Riley’s arms inspired in her. She felt like a puzzle piece that had finally
been fitted down into place with its perfect match with a satisfying snap.
She had never before spent the night in a man’s arms. Obviously, she had slept beside David,
but beside was the operative word there. David liked his space. He had been very clear on setting
boundaries. The perimeters of her side of the bed and his were very clearly drawn. He had always
claimed that he felt claustrophobic if she even accidentally rolled onto his side in her sleep.
Chelle remembered, even as a little girl, watching movies where a man and woman would fall
asleep or wake up in each other’s arms. She had always thought it looked so romantic. It had looked
like it felt so cozy, so warm, so loving, so comfortable, so…safe.
She allowed herself to imagine, just for a moment, what it would be like if this was her
reality. If she and Riley were together and she could fall asleep in his arms each night.
She felt the air leave her lungs in a rush. No. She couldn't even allow her mind to entertain
that fantasy. It was too much even to wish for, and she was a realist. She knew that was never going to
happen.
Riley could wake up any minute and she would be headed back to her own room, like a
naughty kid sent to bed without supper. It was fine to enjoy the physical contact with Riley while it
lasted, but starting to fantasize about it possibly continuing was a dangerous and STUPID road to go
down. She wouldn't allow it.
No, she determined, just enjoy what you get while it lasts.
Since she couldn’t change the past and certainly could not foresee the future, she figured the
best thing she could do was to just live in the present...which wasn't actually all bad, come to think of
it, because the present felt very, very good.

--- ~ ---

Riley felt something different, something off, as he drifted up from sleep. Even before he
opened his eyes, he could sense that there was an important shift in his circumstances, something that
he should be aware of. As he came fully awake, it did not take long to discover the source of this
sensation.
It was Chelle, draped across him, sound asleep. Whoa. His arm cradled her to him and his
hand rested on her hip. Without consciously planning to do so he tightened his grip on her. She made a
small noise and snuggled in tighter to him.
Again...whoa.
Was this a dream, he wondered as he took in his surroundings. He was on the couch where he
had gone to sleep the night before and it was still dark outside. No clues there as to whether this was
reality or dreamland.
It felt real, though. She felt real.
The large erection he was sporting certainly felt real.
But why was she out here and not in her room? Had she gotten scared in the middle of the
night? Had she sleep walked?
So many questions flooded his mind that it was difficult to think about them one by one.
Why hadn’t she woken him? Had she tried? How could he possibly sleep through someone
lying down with him?
He had been a light sleeper his entire life and his military experience had only cemented that
trait even further. He had been trained to wake at even the slightest sound or movement.
Looking down at her sweet face resting against his shoulder, Riley knew that regardless of the
circumstance which had brought her there, this was exactly where Chelle belonged. He didn’t know
how long he had been asleep with her there, but he knew he wasn’t going to waste another second
sleeping when he could be spending that time reveling in the pure, sweet sensation of her body lying
on top of his.
At that very moment Chelle raised her head slightly, opened her beautiful brown eyes
sluggishly, and blinked several times.
“Hi there, Sleeping Beauty,” Riley smiled.
She blinked again. A look of confusion played across her face but was almost instantly
replaced with a more serious look of concern.
 “Riley,” She intoned gravely as she sat up on her elbow, “Are you okay?”
“Of course, you barely weigh anything.” He pulled her closer to him. He didn’t know why he
did, it just felt so good to have her near.
“Oh, no,” she blushed, “I meant because of the dream…I mean nightmare, or uh...terror or
whatever.”
His chest constricted as a feeling of dread filled him. Riley quickly moved from under her and
sat on the edge of the couch running his hands through his hair, “I had a…I didn’t even know I…
when…what did I…”
Chelle sat up beside him and rested her hand on his arm, “No, nothing, I mean you just…I
heard you yell so I came out to make sure you were okay. You were…I mean you looked like you
were having a bad dream so I called your name and you didn’t hear me, so I just laid beside you.”
He didn’t know what to say. He had been having those dreams for a couple of months now. It
was part of the reason he knew it was time to get out. It was like his subconscious' way of telling him
it was time.
But no one knew about them outside of his unit. He hadn’t gone and talked to the shrink that
had been suggested, and now he was wishing he would have. The last thing he wanted was to seem
weak in front of Chelle. A silent curse crossed his lips.
Chelle started to get up, a blush creeping up her cheeks as she stammered, “Sorry, I shouldn’t
have stayed, I just wanted to be here, you know if you needed me and I just fell asleep and…”
Without thinking about it he reached out and grabbed her hand, “I liked waking up with you in
my arms. I just, I don’t really know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything. I’ll let you get back to bed.” She tried to move away but he
didn’t let go of her hand.
“Chelle,” He looked up at her, He knew he shouldn’t ask her to stay but he couldn’t help
himself. “Don’t go.”
Without hesitation she nodded and he laid down on his side. She sat down and slowly
lowered her body, curling herself into him as he draped his arm around her. No questions, no strange
looks, no expectations. She just laid silently beside him.
He shouldn’t be surprised. It was Chelle. She had always just got him. Just accepted him for
who he was.
Now more than ever he wished that he was the type of guy that was cutout for the house, kids,
and wife. That would be a dream come true, actually. If he were that kind of guy, he would do
anything in his power to convince Chelle to be his. He would hold her and never let her go.
Still, it was useless to think that way. He knew that was not the case and it never would be.
When it came down to it, he would have to let her go.
But...not now. Not tonight. Tonight he could hold her.
He loved the way her tiny frame felt pressed tightly against him. She moved, snuggling closer
to him and he knew he would need to devote all of his energy to thinking about anything other than the
way her ass felt pressed snugly against his groin if he was going to keep his body under control.
His attempts to think of baseball stats or saying the alphabet backwards were thwarted when a
lock of Chelle’s hair tickled his nose. Gently, he brushed her hair back from her face and the smell of
coconut and cinnamon assaulted his senses.
The fine strands felt silky soft to the touch, so smooth. He ran his fingers through her dark
lustrous locks, his fingers grazing her scalp as he smoothed her hair down and tucked her even closer
to him.
She made a sound that Riley had only ever heard women make while they were making love.
His fingers itched to touch her again just so he could hear that sweet sound.
She moved against him as if searching out connection and his body responded to her curves
aligned against him. He didn’t want her to feel him growing harder and think that this was something
it wasn’t so he moved slightly back.
Asking her to stay with him was not to fulfill something physical. Their connection had always
been an emotional one and tonight he felt like he needed her beside him.
He knew in his mind and heart that her nestled beside him had nothing to do with sex. It just
seemed that the area below his belt decided that there was definitely more than emotional fulfillment
that needed to come out of this sleeping arrangement.
Normally the thought of spending a night destined to put him in the blue ball hall of fame,
would not be his idea of a good time...but as far as he was concerned, this was one of the best nights
of his life. He knew that, no matter how long he lived, all he would have to do was close his eyes and
he would be able to remember it, clear as a bell – the way she felt, the way she sounded, and the way
she smelled of coconut and cinnamon.
 Chapter Nine
Chelle reached her hands over her head and stretched her legs out straight. She arched her
back, enjoying the feeling of slowly coming awake as she stretched and unkinked her muscles. Her
feet hit something solid, then, and she opened her eyes only to realize that she was on the couch.
Alone.
The memory of the night before came flooding back to her mind.
Coming out to check on Riley, lying down beside him. And the very best part - him asking her
to stay with him.
Warmth at the sweet memory welled inside her and she felt a smile spread across her face.
She still couldn’t quite get over how much of an impact those two words he uttered to her in the
middle of the night had had on her.
“Don’t go.”
His voice had been filled with equal parts plea and command.
When she laid down beside him, she thought for a moment that something might happen
between them. That his invitation had implied more than just sleep was on the agenda.
She had even scooted closer to him, trying to subtly move things in a more intimate direction.
But, to her extreme and utter disappointment, he must have thought that she needed more room because
he had adjusted so that she had more space. That had been a bummer, but she hadn’t let it dampen her
enjoyment of the experience.
She had spent half the night in Riley’s arms. Before she had drifted off to sleep, she had felt
him run his fingers through her hair before pulling her closer to him. The sensation was so sweet, so
intense, that she had almost cried.
With that one small gesture, Riley had made her feel like the most special girl in the world.
Like she was somehow precious to him.
She sat up just as she heard the shower turn off. Hmm, the vision of Riley in the shower, naked
and dripping wet...not a bad way to start a girl’s day, she decided.
Her phone buzzed, interrupting her mental peep show. Picking it up she saw it was her brother
Eddie calling. She swiped her phone screen to pick up the call and said, “Hey, how is Emily
feeling?”
“Better. Her fever broke. Now she’s just dealing with itching like crazy. How are you doing?”
“I’m okay.” She clamped her mouth shut before she could say another word. It occurred to her
that she didn’t know if he knew that Riley was there. Suddenly, she felt like a teenager entertaining a
boy when her parents weren’t home.
 Not that she had ever done that or anything! She had been the quintessential good girl. But, you
know. She assumed this is what that would feel like.
“Jason told me Riley stopped by to check on you.” Eddie’s tone was accusatory.
“Yep, he did.” Chelle planned to keep her answers short and sweet. She wasn’t about to
reveal anything that could get misconstrued in Eddie’s over-protective-big-brother mind.
“Is he still there?” He asked, his voice even more intensely suffused with accusation.
“Yep, he is.” She was not going to change her strategy mid-stream. She was staying the
course. She knew if he got her talking she would end up saying too much, she always did.
“Where is he sleeping?” Eddie’s voice sounded dangerously close to murderous.
What Chelle wanted to say was “NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS” - but she decided it
was not a good idea to poke the bear, so she went with, “On the couch.”
She tried to infuse her voice with a righteous indignation that she did not currently feel.
She had no idea if she succeeded. But she did not have long to ponder it because Riley chose
that exact moment to appear looking like six feet four inches of man-candy.
Holy mother of pearl! He was dripping with sex appeal. Dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, clean
shaven, and hair still wet from the shower. She could practically smell the freshly applied cologne,
although he was far enough away that she knew it must be in her head.
Good thing she was already sitting because she wasn’t sure her legs would have supported
her if she had been standing – and suddenly dropping her ass into a chair upon first sight of him
probably wasn't the impression she wanted to put out.
“Chelle? Chelle, are you still there?” She heard her brother’s raised voice on the other end of
the line.
“Wha…oh yeah...what did you say?” She felt as though she had been hit by a truck (a sexy
truck!) and was having a hard time focusing.
“I asked when you’re planning on coming home,” Eddie’s frustration with the fact that he
couldn’t order her to come home right this minute was painfully obvious.
“Oh, well, I uh...I don’t have to be back to work for a few more days. And I can always try to
get another week covered. So...yeah. I'm really not sure. To be honest, at this point, I'm just taking it a
day at a time.”
See? That was why she had initially implemented the ‘short and sweet’ plan. Too bad Riley
walked in and short-circuited her brain so that she couldn't focus on maintaining it.
Damn Riley, and his distracting sexiness!
Riley motioned to her, asking if she was hungry, and she nodded. She sighed inwardly. She
could get used to Riley Sloan cooking her breakfast...
 Wait, no! No! She absolutely would not let herself get used to Riley cooking breakfast! That
would be a sure-fire recipe for heartache.
But, after spending less than two days with Riley, things that she would have settled for before
were now deal-breakers. Riley was setting a pretty high bar for other men to live up to, whether he
was aware of it or not.
“So, how long is Riley planning on staying? I thought he was supposed to fly home a couple of
nights ago.”
“I’m not sure, we haven’t talked about it.”
“You haven’t talked about it?” Eddie did not sound convinced. In fact, he sounded downright
suspicious.
“Nope.” Good, she thought. Back up on the ‘short and sweet’ horse.
“If you’re doing fine, then why is he still there, Chelle?”
“Sightseeing.” She answered honestly.
“Tell Riley to call me,” Eddie barked, “I’ve gotta go put calamine lotion on Emily.”
With that, he disconnected the call.
Chelle shook her head as she placed her phone back in her purse. She loved her brother to
death. She really did. He had done his best to step up after Emily’s mom, Lacey, had bounced.
Sometimes though, she wished he would see her less like his little sister and more like his equal. She
knew he thought that he was helping by being so protective of her, but she was a grown woman!
I mean, hell, she thought to herself - if David hadn't turned out to be such a weasel, I would
have been a married woman in a few weeks!
Whoa.
That thought made her feel slightly panicky. Would she really have been happy being married
to David? Not the lying-cheater he turned out to be, that answer was obvious. But what about the
David she had thought she was marrying?
And...wasn't it kind of telling that this was the first time that she had ever thought to ask
herself that question?
And the answer was...No. She knew now, beyond a shadow of a doubt she would not have
been happy.
Again...whoa.
She sat back on the couch and pulled her knees up, hugging them against her chest. Thoughts
and questions began flooding her mind.
Why had she said yes when David had proposed?
Had she really thought he would make a good husband?
 Why did she never questioned him about the odd hours he had been keeping?
Why had she stayed with him when he broke so many promises to her?
What the hell could she possibly have been thinking?
She knew that as a teen she had loved David. But as an adult, had she really seen him for who
he was...and loved that man?
Well, at least that last question was easy enough to answer. No, she had most definitely not
seen David for who he was.
Or maybe she had seen him, on some level, deep down and had subconsciously chosen to
ignore it. Because the truth was, after filtering out the initial shock, anger and embarrassment - she
had to admit it. She knew that his behavior, although reprehensible, was actually pretty in-line with
who he was.
At first she didn’t think she could admit that to herself. Not because it would be heart-
breaking or anything like that. It was just…what kind of a person did that make her, since she had
been his fiancé?
An overwhelming wave of anxiety crashed over her. It was becoming difficult to breath. It felt
almost as though an elephant were sitting on her chest. Sitting up straight, she put her feet back down
on the floor and tried to take deep breaths to calm herself.
Riley came around the corner from the kitchen at that moment, and the second he saw her, he
rushed to her side. He told her to put her head between her legs and breathe slowly in through her
nose and out through her mouth. His voice was low and soothing and she tried to latch onto it as
something she could anchor herself to.
She did her best to follow the instructions he was delivering in his ultra-soothing tone, trying
desperately to get herself calmed down. She really did not want Riley to see her like this. Her arms
felt heavy as they dangled down beside her, her shoulders resting on her knees.
Riley’s large hand was now making slow circles over her back. Mmmmm....it felt good. It
made her forget all of the questions that had nearly caused her to have a panic attack. All of those
concerns melted under Riley's comforting touch.
He leaned down closer to her. “Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth,” he
reminded her.
She was actually feeling much better. In fact, she was breathing just fine now. But...and this
was the big BUT...she knew that as soon as she sat up, he would remove his hand, and she wanted to
enjoy that lovely sensation just a little longer.
“When you’re ready, I made pancakes.” His voice reminded her of what he used to sound like
as a teen when he would be over visiting Eddie and they would find ice cream in the freezer or a
movie they liked came on. It was a light tone, less weighed down by whatever difficulty he might
have been facing.
Well, she thought, it looks like breakfast calls.
Sitting up, she immediately felt the loss of his hand leaving her back. Although she was
disappointed, she tried to put on a bright smile as she said, “Great, I’m starved.”
She got off the couch and he stopped her, much like he had the night before, by grabbing her
wrist, “Hey, are you alright?”
She looked down at him and realized that physically she might be fine, but emotionally...well,
she was treading in very dangerous territory. “Yep, I’m feeling better. I just got a little, I don’t know,
light-headed.”
“Yeah, you looked like you were about to pass out.” He rubbed his thumb along her wrist and
it sent tingles throughout her body.
They stared at each other, neither one moving for several long moments. A current of
electricity ran between them.
Finally realizing that this would not help her stay out of dangerous emotional territory, she
pulled her hand away and headed toward the kitchen. Even though that was the very last thing in the
world she wanted to do.
 Chapter Ten
“So was that Eddie on the phone?” He asked as he joined her, grabbing the plate of pancakes
and syrup.
“Yep, how could you tell?” She asked bringing the butter and coffee to the table.
“When you talk to him you sound just like you did when we were kids.” He smiled while
slathering his pancakes with butter.
“Really? How’s that?” She took a sip of coffee and, as it hit her mouth, she had to stifle a
groan. It tasted like heaven.
He smirked. “Kind of patronizing, but with a lot of love tossed in.”
“I sound patronizing?” she asked, shocked by the description. She had never thought of herself
as a patronizing person.
“Well, yeah. Maybe 'patronizing' is a bit of a strong word. It’s more like you sound like you
are humoring him, but out of love.”
“That sounds a lot like patronizing to me,” Chelle said as she took a big bite of pancake.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it.” Riley said, his tone conveying his belief that he had
upset her.
“You don’t have to apologize, you didn’t say anything wrong,” Chelle assured him.
She was just trying to assess if that was, in fact, how she behaved. A little self-reflection, if
you will. “Plus, I asked you what I sounded like, and you know what Grandpa J always says. Don’t
ask the question…”
“If you don’t want the answer,” they both finished in unison.
“How is the Colonel?” Riley asked, the affection he obviously felt for him shining through.
“Good,” Chelle was happy to report, “He’s slowing down a little, but what can you expect?
He’s about to be ninety. His age has done nothing to dull his sharpness, though. He’s just as feisty as
ever.”
“Man, I’ve missed the Colonel,” Riley said with a nostalgic grin, “I’m really looking forward
to catching up with him.”
“I didn’t realize you two were close,” Chelle said.
“Yeah, he moved to town right after we lost Mom, and I was…well you probably remember. I
was mad at the world, kept getting into trouble. Then, the night I got taken in for the B&E at the
grocery store, the Colonel happened to be taking his nightly stroll and saw them hauling me into the
police station.
“He came in and got them to release me to him and drop the charges. I still don’t know how he
did it. On the walk back to my house we had a ‘come to Jesus’ meeting about the reality of what my
life would be if I continued heading down the destructive path I was on.
“He told me he had lost both of his parents to measles when he was sixteen and, due to the
sudden loss, he went a little crazy and started acting out. Then he told me that the only one who could
ruin my life was me, and I was also the only one who could make something productive out of myself.
“I called him the next day and he drove me to the recruitment office. I had just turned eighteen,
which was part of the reason why the Colonel was so concerned. I was of legal age and my record
could have been ruined. I left the day after graduation, which was a few weeks later, and I really
haven’t had the chance to thank him for taking the time to help me pull my head out of my ass.”
“You know he has a Facebook page right?” Chelle offered, knowing that he would still want
to thank him face to face, but also thinking he might like to keep in touch with him when he moved to
Louisiana.
Riley eyes widened in shock and he laughed a little, “You’re kidding me. Seriously?”
“Seriously,” Chelle smiled, “and he has more ‘friends’ than I do.”
“Wow, well I guess I’ll have to send him a friend request.”
“You should, I think he would love that,” Chelle said. But what she wanted to say was,
‘Great, and hey - why don’t you send me one, too? That way I can torture myself with your updates
while you're meeting ten thousand available women in the bar you own in New Orleans.’
But...probably good that she showed restraint. She looked down at her plate and realized she
had cut her pancake into pizza slices. She smiled, realizing that she hadn’t done that since she was a
kid.
“I almost sent you a friend request.” Riley’s voice sounded a little more serious, and Chelle's
eyes darted up meet his. Yep, he looked serious, alright.
“Why didn’t you?” she asked somewhat hesitantly. If she was completely honest, she wasn’t
sure she wanted to know the answer.
“You were engaged, I didn’t want to overstep. I wasn’t sure how David would feel about it.”
Chelle scrunched her brows, “David wouldn’t have cared. He never got jealous over stuff
like that. Actually, he never got jealous about anything...but I guess now we know why.”
So much of David’s behavior made sense in light of everything that she now knew about his
extra-curricular activities. Including (but not limited to!) the fact that they hadn’t slept together in over
six months.
Holy Flipping Moly!
It really had been over six months.
What in the name of frickety frack had she been thinking during that time? She searched her
memory. She vaguely remembered attributing it to him being tired, working long hours, the stress of
the wedding...she shook her head. It made her blood run cold to think about it now, but she mainly
remembered...well, frankly...not giving it a second thought.
“Well, I didn’t know that. The last thing I would want to do is to put you in an awkward
position by having to decline my friend request.” He smiled and she knew he was teasing her, but she
still wanted to make sure that he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that would never happen. Self-
deprecating jokes, after all, do often have their roots in real insecurities.
“Riley,” she said solemnly, putting down her fork, “It doesn’t matter who I am with - I could
be married with five kids - and I will still accept your friend request.”
Riley's eyes grew a little darker and his expression grew grim, but before she had a chance to
follow up by asking him what was wrong, what she had said to upset him, he abruptly changed
course.
“Do you have plans for today?” he asked, sounding like he had something in mind.
“Um, Riley, in case you hadn’t noticed...before you got here, I hadn’t left this apartment. Not
once. My ‘plans’ for this little mini-vaca consisted of lying in bed - or possibly on the couch for a
little variety - and eating my feelings.”
“Well - as truly wonderful as that sounds - I think I may have something better in mind.” His
countenance brightened with mischievous glee as his eyes danced with enthusiasm.
What she wanted to tell him was anything he had in mind would be amazing to her. They
could sit and do nothing at all and she would be on cloud nine, if only he was beside her.
But she didn’t think that was really an appropriate thing to say, so she settled for, “I’m game!
Let me just go take a quick shower.”
She stood and picked up his now-empty plate to carry with hers to the sink. After rinsing them,
she was overwhelmed with the sensation that Riley had been watching her the entire time. She lifted
her head and smiled as she was able to confirm that her suspicions had, indeed, been correct.
Oh Lord! Yep. Only...he wasn’t just watching her. It felt like he was committing her every
move to memory. He studied her with an intensity that caused her body to respond with a 'HELLO!
All Systems Go!' sensation.
Chelle stared, unable to tear her gaze from him. It was as if his gaze alone had pulled her
under some kind of magic spell. Ah, yes, she thought. The classic man-woman magic spell. The 'lust
trance.'
Well, if that was a thing, she could consider herself under it!
“You are so beautiful,” he rasped, his voice raw, yet filled with reverence.
Her cheeks became warm and she was sure that they were probably turning bright red.
She was also pretty sure he was just being nice. She needed to remind herself not to read too
much into it. Why did his simple compliment affect her so much? She wasn’t some love-sick teenage
girl!
A small voice in the back of her head chimed in, ‘No, you’re a love-sick grown-up girl.’
Seriously. Why did that little voice always have to be spot on?!
He was still staring at her and she felt the need to fill the electrified silence.
“Thank you...um...so are you…I mean not beautiful…you’re uh…handsome. I mean I guess
you’re beautiful too but, oh whatever, you know what I mean. I just, well…you know...you’re cute.”
CUTE. Had she seriously just called RILEY SLOAN cute?!
He was a lot of things. Sexy. Gorgeous. Built. Hot. Nope, scratch that - smokin’ hot! But
cute…Good God in Heaven and All That Is Holy Moly...why in the world had she just said that?!
She had just started talking (read: stammering) and CUTE came tumbling out. Gah! Chelle
hated that she rambled when she was nervous. She’d always wished that like Samantha on Sex and
the City (one of her favorite TV shows), she could be cool and sophisticated. But, unfortunately, those
were two traits that she did not come by naturally.
Most of the time it didn’t bother her. There were, after all, surely bigger hurdles given to
people in life that they had to overcome. But, good lord...in moments like these, she really wished for
the ability to quickly craft a sassy comeback. One that would have made Riley see her as an equal -
better yet, a sexy equal.
Instead, what she came up with amounted to, “Blah blah blah, stammer, stumble...CUTE.”
Nice. Good one, Chelle. Her response, she was sure, had only served to solidify the way
Riley did see her - as his best friend’s kid sister.
He smiled, seemingly completely unaware of her internal battle. The smile spread slowly
across his face, as sweet and languid as the syrup that had just spread slowly across their pancakes
moments ago. When the smile had finally reached full wattage, he said, “You’re pretty cute, yourself.”
Holy catfish! How did that man make the word cute sound so sexual? Maybe she was just
projecting, or maybe he really did think being cute was sexy. Either way she needed to get out of there
before she said something that would cement her in the best-friend’s-little-sister category.
But she couldn’t just walk out and ignore his last comment. Oh what to do...what to do...?
Dang it, she was just going to have to open her mouth and speak again. That had an equal chance of
ending up with success and disaster. Damn it! Well, she thought, here goes nothing.
“Thanks. I’m gonna go take my cute self to the shower, then.”
She smiled outwardly but inwardly groaned, feeling her stomach drop to the floor. Really
‘take my cute self to the shower’, that was the best you could come up with after the man that you have
been crushing on for twenty years pays you not one, but two, compliments…in a row!?
Still, not as bad as it could have been, she tried to comfort herself. But not great. Nope.
Certainly not great.
Oh, Lord. Riley was way out of her league. She was in SO FAR over her head! If that little
exchange did not serve to prove that fact, she wasn’t sure what would. She ducked her head and
walked quickly to her room. Before closing the door she heard Riley’s parting remark, delivered in a
spicy and mischievous tone.
“Have fun.”
She leaned against the door, breathing hard. If she were Samantha, she would open up the
door and say something sexy and provocative like, “I will have fun…if you join me.”
BUT, she was not. So, instead, the best she could manage was to yell, “Uh, yeah...thanks,”
through the wooden door.
Yep. Definitely NOT Samantha.
 Chapter Eleven
As he stepped onto the pier with Chelle, Riley was glad that he had made sure she brought
both a jacket and gloves. He smiled to himself. Not that he wouldn’t thoroughly enjoy keeping her
warm, but the smart thing to do was definitely to keep his hands to himself.
Damn, it was a struggle, though. For the past couple of days - not to mention nights - he had
been trying to do just that. But, then things would happen. Like when the cab driver made a sharp left
turn and Chelle had slid - actually more like slammed - into him. In that instance, Riley suspended his
self-imposed 'no touching' rule and allowed himself a few moments to let his fingertips roam her
body, making sure that everything was still intact.
All G-rated areas, of course! He was careful when he smoothed his hand over her leg, for
instance, that he stayed on the outer thigh. If he had gone inner thigh...well, probably best not to even
let his imagination wander down that path. Suffice it to say that they may not have made it out of the
cab.
But, he had to admit that – carnal desires aside - he was glad that they did manage to exit the
cab at their destination, because Chelle’s expression when she realized that he was surprising her
with a day cruise was worth it.
The day before, as they had been walking around on Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39, he had
noticed her face light up as she longingly gazed at the large boats filled with tourists.
The expression of desire which painted her face as she looked at those boats lazily cruising
the bay was not quite as intense as the hungry looks she had been shooting his way for the past couple
of days, but what the hell. This was at least something he could actually fulfill for her.
He wished more than anything that, when she looked at him with desire pouring out of those
big brown eyes, he could fulfill that as well - but he knew better. He knew that one touch, one ‘real’
kiss, would never be enough with Chelle.
Hell, they had only spent the last forty-eight hours together and he was already having a tough
time thinking of not seeing her when he left to go to New Orleans! It was becoming difficult to picture
a day without her in it, without the smell of her coconut and cinnamon shampoo. Without seeing the
funny faces she made when she thought she was rambling or when she said something that
embarrassed her. Without experiencing her caring and her kindness, not just to him but to everyone
she came in contact with.
But the thing he was having the hardest time coming to terms with not seeing on a daily basis
was her smile. That smile could probably end wars, he guessed. Or start them.
He would do just about anything to see that smile. But he really needed to remember that this
time with her was just temporary.
Also, even if he could offer her everything she deserved, he knew that she was vulnerable
right now. She had planned on marrying another man in just a few weeks and that man had seriously
betrayed her. A situation like that didn't exactly put someone in the right frame of mind to start another
relationship.
Nope, in fact, what usually followed a breakup of the sort of epic proportions that Chelle had
just experienced was what was most commonly referred to as a rebound. And from what Riley had
seen and heard, rebounds did not usually last. If he was the kind of guy Chelle deserved, he would
definitely want to start and build something with her that lasted. He would want to be in it for the long
haul.
Not that it mattered anyway. He wasn’t the “forever” kind of guy. And Chelle was definitely a
“forever” girl.
As they stepped onto the shaky steps to board the boat, excitement radiated from Chelle.
“Oh my gosh,” she grinned, “Thank you so much Riley! I can’t believe you did this!”
He smiled back. Her enthusiasm was contagious.
“I saw you eyeing the boats as they passed by while we were out on the pier yesterday,” he
confessed and then shrugged. “I decided to take a chance.”
“I am so glad you did! But, wow, am I really that transparent?” She chuckled, still beaming.
He brushed back a few strands of hair that were blowing in her face and tucked them behind
her ear, “To me you are.”
They both froze instantly. It was as if time stood still. Each was lost in the other's gaze. They
stood like that, inside their own bubble of magic, until Riley was jostled from behind by eager
passengers waiting to come aboard.
This broke the spell that they had momentarily found themselves under. Chelle turned and, still
somewhat breathless, continued onto the ship.
There were two decks on the boat. The lower one had an indoor section enclosed with big,
sparkling windows, behind which sat several rows of wooden benches, affording even the indoor
passengers a spectacular view of the San Francisco bay. This small section was the only space on the
boat where passengers could get out of the elements, and Riley predicted that it would be quite
crowded today due to the strong gusts of wind that were already whipping past his face, even before
the vessel disembarked.
Indeed, the majority of the tourists rushed past the two of them and into the indoor space,
clamoring to get a good seat close to the glass walls. Chelle, on the other hand, seemed to have other
plans. She immediately headed up the winding steel staircase to the upper deck.
Riley followed, but when they reached the top he asked, “Are you sure you want to be up
here? It might get pretty cold.”
Her smile never wavered as she turned sparkling eyes to him, “Are you kidding me? We’re
going under the Golden Gate Bridge! I won’t be able to see anything if I’m downstairs. I’m not going
down there.”
“Okay,” He shrugged, “If you’re sure.”
He was still not entirely convinced that they would, in fact, spend the entire four hours of the
cruise on the upper deck, but if she was happy being up here now, that was good enough for him.
Besides, a small voice in the back of his head piped up – the one he always likened to the
devil on his shoulder – ‘if she gets cold then she just might need someone to keep her warm’. He
shook his head, trying to erase the thought. Then, another little voice in his head – the one he always
likened to the angel on the other shoulder – piped in ‘this little field trip was not planned so he could
grope Eddie’s little sister.’
The thought of Eddie did put into perspective the very things he had been trying to convince
himself of since the moment he looked down at Chelle’s sleeping form.
Eddie was his best friend. And for all of the trouble they got in, Eddie always had his back.
He owed Eddie big time and he was not going to repay him by playing grab ass with his little sister.
If he even had a shot at keeping himself under some kind of control, the only way to do it was
not to think of Chelle as the beautiful, sexy, smart, funny, caring person that she was. No, he could
only allow himself to see her as Eddie’s little sister.
As they sat down on one of the small benches, he intentionally left about six inches between
them, because that was the right thing to do when you sat next to your best friend’s little sister.
They sat in companionable silence looking out over the water. A loud blast from the horn
shattered their quiet moment and let them know that they were about to shove off.
Chelle's smile grew even wider, which Riley would not have thought was possible, and she
started clapping her hands together and bouncing up and down with childlike excitement.
Riley chuckled a little, her joy was very contagious. It was like he became happier via
osmosis. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt this vital, this alive.
These last two days with Chelle made the last twelve years of his life seem like a fog that he
was just now waking up from. He felt like the world he had lived in for the past decade had been
drawn in shades of beige, and now everything was in technicolor.
“I’m so excited!” Chelle exclaimed as the boat pulled away from the dock.
“I can tell.” Riley said, he heard the amused affection in his own voice. Dang. He seriously
needed to lock that down or he was going to get himself into trouble.
Chelle pulled out her phone and started taking pictures. She snapped photos of everything they
passed - of the water, the other boats, and the city as they were passing by. She went a little nuts with
the pics as they passed by Alcatraz, even by the liberal standards that she had set during the early part
of the trip. She stood and leaned over the railing slightly to get a better angle for her amateur phone
photography.
The farther she reached out, the more precarious her perch seemed, and the more nervous
Riley became. He figured that his protective instinct must have kicked then, because it was the only
way to explain what happened next - before he even realized what he was doing, he found himself
behind her with his arms wrapped tightly around her waist.
She jumped at the initial contact and looked over her shoulder, seeming surprised at the
sudden embrace. But as soon as her eyes locked with his, a smile spread across her face and she
melted into him.
His body acted on its own accord and he felt his arms tightening around her. This time it had
nothing to do with her safety, and everything to do with the feeling of rightness spreading through him
from the close physical contact.
Neither of them spoke, they just stood there, Riley’s arms wrapped tightly around Chelle’s
waist. As much as he told himself that he needed to, he simply couldn’t bring himself to step away
and release his hold on her. He had never felt more at peace, more at home than he did in that
moment, on the boat, with Chelle in his arms.

--- ~ ---

HOLY CATFISH! Chelle figured that this must be some sort of a dream. Yep. She was still
asleep in her bed, and the Chinese food was doing its work, fooling her brain into thinking that
unrealistic scenarios were literal realities. Had to be. There was no other explanation for the fact that
she had just gone underneath the Golden Gate Bridge in Riley Sloan’s arms. She felt tempted to raise
her phone and take a double selfie, just so that she could later assure herself that the scenario had, in
fact, taken place...but she resisted the urge because she didn't want to scare him off. She was hesitant
to take any action that would encourage Riley to move away or release her from his all-encompassing
embrace.
She was pretty sure that Riley had initially grabbed her out of fear that she was going to go
over the edge, but she didn’t think for one minute that was why he still held her in his arms. If she had,
she would have been formulating plans for making him think she would be jumping off the top of the
TransAmerica building next...but, no, she was pretty sure that wasn't what was going on here.
Nosireebob, this was no longer a fear-for-her-safety embrace. She tried not to read too much into it. I
mean, hey. He had probably just missed home and she represented home to him.
 Or maybe he was just cold.
After being out on the bay for what was probably an hour (but what felt like just a few
minutes, because time flew while she was being held in Riley’s arms!) the boat began turning around
and heading back the way they had come. The waters were choppy and they hit a large wave, causing
the boat to rock sharply.
They both lost their balance and began to tumble back onto the wooden bench. Stumbling
backwards, Chelle turned to catch herself but ended up falling instead onto Riley’s very solid, very
firm body. In fact, she face-planted right into his chest. She sat there for a moment, trying to wrap her
head around the events as they unfolded, and it took a bit before she acclimated herself enough to
realize that one particular portion of Riley’s body felt especially hard. She felt his impressive length
pressed against her belly.
HELLO!
“Are you okay?” His deep voice vibrated through his chest and it sent a zing running down her
spine.
She looked up into his gorgeous face and saw that his champagne colored eyes were trained
on hers. “I’m good,” she managed to squeak out. She was surprised that she was able to form any
words at all since it felt like her brain was melting into a big puddle of goo. She figured that the
simple expression of 'I'm good' must have just been what the autonomic part of her brain, the one that
controlled her heartbeat and breathing, was able to spit back on autopilot, because she certainly
hadn't been aware of consciously forming the words.
Hell, they were certainly true, though! In fact, she was SO good that she would be perfectly
happy to continue the rest of the trip sprawled over him like a blanket. But, she knew that he was flat
on his back against an uncomfortable wooden bench and although his body was letting her know (in
no uncertain terms) that he was enjoying their close proximity, she sorta felt like she was taking
advantage of his purely physical reaction to having a female as a human duvet.
It probably had nothing to do with her in particular, she reasoned. Sadly enough, she really
didn’t believe Riley saw her that way. It was more likely just a physical reaction that he had no
control over. But, Good LORD, did that reaction feel good!
Get up, stay put, get up, stay put. Hmmmm....back and forth, back and forth. What to do, what
to do...?
Finally, her internal battle was lost (or won, depending on what side you were on...) and she
decided to get up. She knew that women fell all over Riley all the time, and she didn’t want to be one
of the trite women who would do that…literally, in her case.
She pushed up slightly and moved her leg off of Riley with the intention of setting it down on
the floor, but the bench was higher than she realized, so her foot didn’t make contact with the surface
below. The movement only caused her body to shift in position so that his hard-on was nestled right
between her legs, pressing firmly against her sensitized center.
Damn, he felt good. Too good. Her body instantly responded to the intimate position. She felt
a delicious ache between her legs which quickly progressed to a steady throbbing. Her panties were
getting moister by the second.
His muscles bunched under her fingers as they grasped his shirt and she itched to touch his
skin. She wanted to slowly explore every inch of his amazing body and she wanted to take her sweet
time doing it. She wanted to memorize every line, every dip, every muscle – of which one in
particular had her undivided attention at the moment!
His chest rose and fell rapidly under her hands. She looked up and saw that his eyes were
mirroring the desire that was exploding inside of her like fireworks on the Fourth of July.
She licked her lips. That was a nervous habit that she had tried to break for years. But, this
time, when she heard the deep growl it caused Riley to make and saw his eyes grow fierce with
passion, she decided maybe it wasn’t such a bad habit after all.
“Chelle.” Her name sounded like a warning.
She smirked to herself. Hell, if he was trying to warn her away from him, he was barking up
the wrong tree. She had wanted Riley Sloan for as long as she could remember. The only reason she
hadn't tried to make something happen before this was because she knew that he was out of her league
and was trying not to get burned.
But, hey - she had played it safe and still gotten burned. And, what's more, this time in San
Francisco might be her one and only chance with Riley. Looking into his eyes, feeling his body
beneath her she started to think playing with fire could be fun.
She could see in his eyes and feel in his body that he was battling with something, probably
trying to talk himself out of what his body was telling him he wanted. Well, no harm in helping tip the
scales in her favor.
She took a deep breath and rolled her hips against him as she moved her body higher to press
her lips to his. She was really going to go for it. Not like yesterday. Go big or go home!
His fingers dug into her backside as he pulled her closer to him. Their lips touched just as the
boat rocked wildly again. Chelle thought for sure they were going to tumble off of the bench, but Riley
quickly sat up and had them anchored and secure between the wooden benches.
When the boat violently jerked, Chelle had instinctively thrown her arms around him and
buried her face in the crook of his neck. Now that they were safely seated upright she kept her face
there and did not release her arms. She held onto him for dear life.
She did this, not because she really thought they were in any true danger. The only thing in
danger, she feared, was her heart. Even with that knowledge she didn’t release her hold. She just
loved how it felt to be this close to him, plastered against him. It was perfect.
“It’s okay.” Riley rubbed up and down her back with his free hand. His tone and gesture she
was sure was meant to be soothing, but instead it was just fanning the flames of lust that were raging
inside of her.
She had to know what it felt like to kiss, really kiss, Riley Sloan. She knew it may not be the
smartest thing to do but...screw it.
She lifted her head and looked into his eyes, his grip tightened around her. She moved her lips
toward him as she felt her hot breath mingling with his...
“Are you guys okay?” A young crew member raced up the steel steps, “We didn’t know
anyone was up here.”
Riley barely spared him a glance, “We’re fine.”
“The waters are getting pretty rough. We're gonna need you guys to go ahead and come on
down to the lower deck. For safety.”
“We’ll be down in a minute.” Riley’s authoritative tone surprised Chelle. She had never
heard him speak to someone like that.
She kinda liked it.
She looked up at the nervous guy standing with a worried look on his face, probably just
trying to follow orders. Poor kid, she smiled and a blush rose on his fair cheeks.
“Um, well...okay.” Crew boy quickly turned and made his way down the stairs.
Chelle looked up at Riley, “Are we going to go down?”
He quickly and efficiently moved and settled her beside him on the bench. She loved how
easily he maneuvered her. It made all kinds of fun images of what he would be like in bed pop into
her head. She was definitely going to file that in the mental slide-show for another time.
“We are as soon as this does.” He looked down at his lap.
“Oh.” She wanted to laugh but she didn’t think he would appreciate it. He did seem a little
tense.
Although she was actually feeling pretty happy (and more than a little proud!) about the fact
that he was sporting such impressive wood due to her, she did also feel a little bad. She knew that
they did, indeed, need to get down to the lower deck.
“Well I think I can help with that situation.” She stated.
His expression told her that he thought the help she was offering entailed much more than what
she intended. Not that she would mind helping like that, but...not here.
“Chelle.” There was that warning tone again. She was actually starting to think it was really
cute the way he kept saying her name like that.
She smiled and his eyes grew even more intense, she chuckled and shook her head “I wasn’t
talking about that.” She wished she was though. “I’m really gonna help.”
One of his eyebrows shot up, “How?”
“My brother called yesterday. He wants you to call him.” Riley groaned and his head fell
back.
She looked down at his lap. Sure enough, mentioning her brother had done the trick.
“See? Told ya.” She patted his arm, laughing, as she got up and they made their way down to
the lower deck.
 Chapter Twelve
People were packed into the small glass-encased room like sardines. Chelle normally didn’t
like small, confined places but this time it wasn’t so bad. The difference? In this case, the
overcrowding caused her to be pressed tightly to Riley, so she liked it just fine.
Riley ran his hands up and down her arms. His touch caused shivers to run through her body
like a wild river. He must have mistaken this response as her being cold, because he said he was
going to go and get her a cup of hot cocoa.
She smiled and nodded, mostly because she didn’t trust herself not to burst out in tears. He
was just so thoughtful, always noticing things about her, and constantly trying to take care of her.
No one had ever done that for her. Well, no guy anyway. Katie had always been like that, but
it felt a lot different coming from a man – and, hell, this was not just any man. This was Riley Sloan!
As he moved away she saw that there was room on a bench in the far corner of the room and
she went to go snag it. Now that Riley wasn’t standing behind her for support, her legs did feel a little
wobbly as the ship made its way through the choppy waters.
She asked the woman who was sitting at the end of the bench with a child asleep across her
lap if the spaces were taken. She shook her head no and Chelle quickly sat down.
The dark-haired woman turned and nodded as she smiled at her, “You’re quite a lucky gal.”
Chelle eyes followed where the woman tipped her head to and saw Riley standing in line at
the small beverage bar.
When he caught her looking his way he smiled and Chelle felt it down to her soul, breaking
open just a little bit more of her heart.
Good lord, she was in trouble!
“When’s the wedding?” The woman asked.
Chelle returned her attention to the woman, “Excuse me?”
The woman looked down at Chelle’s left finger and Chelle realized that she was still wearing
David’s ring. She had just gotten so used to having it on her finger. She hadn’t even noticed it she still
had it on.
What did that say about her?
Wouldn’t the normal reaction when an engagement was broken be to take the ring off of your
finger? Immediately? In a rage? And then fling it into a lake...or...sell it on eBay? Something?
Why hadn’t she done that?
Maybe it was because she wasn’t one of those girls that had always dreamt of a big diamond
ring. She had never really given the ring itself much thought after she and David had gotten engaged.
 But, still. How had she literally not noticed it on her hand these last couple of weeks?
“Is something wrong?” The woman asked, concern lacing her voice.
Chelle nodded her head up and down. She remained silent, lacking both the will and the
ability to find the words which would explain her odd behavior.
“What’s wrong?” Riley was there, standing next to her.
She glanced back at the woman who had asked about the ring and she was looking out the
window watching the water, obviously not wanting to intrude.
“Chelle?” He sat down and his concerned tone made her feel the way only Riley had ever
made her feel…special. She thought it was really sweet but she really didn’t want to make a big deal
out of this.
“Nothing, thanks for the hot cocoa.” She smiled up at him as she took the cup from his hand.
He looked into her eyes, searching for some clue that she was not, in fact, okay. She did her
best to mask any internal turmoil by leaning down and blowing on the surface of the hot drink before
bringing it to her lips and sipping it.
She decided it was probably best to change the subject. She smiled brightly, “Did you want to
grab a bite when we get back to the pier?”
He shook his head. “Actually, I need to go see my buddy Tommy. He and his wife just had a
baby. I was originally supposed to meet up with them the night before I was scheduled to fly home,
that’s why I was headed to San Francisco.”
Chelle felt her stomach drop to the ground. A wave of utter disappointment washed over her.
She knew her reaction was completely ridiculous, and she did her best to get it in check before it had
the chance to show in her facial expression.
He had a life. He had friends. He didn’t need to babysit her.
She also knew that if she felt this upset just because she wasn’t going to be with him for a few
hours, then she really wasn’t doing a good enough job maintaining her grasp on the fact that this time
they were sharing was extremely temporary.
This little development was like a blinking neon sign warning her that she was getting WAY
too attached to having him around. She was forming an addiction to his presence, and if she let it go
on much longer, then detoxing was going to be a real bitch! It was probably a good thing that this
dinner came up when it did. It was like reality was giving her a slap in the face.
This isn’t a real thing, you and Riley, she told herself. You need to remember that THIS ISN'T
REAL!
Riley was only here because Katie was worried about Chelle, and Jason wanted to stay on his
honeymoon. He was doing everyone a favor.
 That thought made her feel really bad about kissing him...let's be honest, practically seducing
him...on the upper deck.
She pasted on her best smile, “Oh, that’s great!”
She hoped she sounded convincing.
“Have you ever eaten Indonesian food?” He asked.
She shook her head, “Nope, I don’t think so.”
Don’t look sad. Don’t look sad. She repeated these words over and over again in her head.
She was trying as hard as she could to keep her countenance upbeat, positive. She would have time to
process this completely disproportionate reaction to him being gone for a couple of hours when he
left to go meet his friend. Now was not the time!
“Well I know Mindy, Tommy’s wife, was planning on making Indonesian food. They asked if
that was okay with us?”
“Huh?” She thought she must have heard him incorrectly due to the internal dialogue running
through her head like a ticker tape. She didn’t want to make a fool of herself and assume that she was
invited. Although...that was what it sounded like.
“I asked if Indonesian would be alright.” He gave her a strange, somewhat concerned, look.
Kind of like the one her mom would give her before touching the back of her hand to Chelle's head to
check for a temperature.
She still was not 100% convinced that his question meant that she was invited, so she decided
to clarify, “Did you want me to go?”
He tilted his head to the side a little, his puzzled look intensifying, “Yeah, of course I do.”
Woo Hoo (happy dance in full effect!), he wanted her to go with him!
Wait...but what if he was just asking out of obligation? What if he felt like it would be rude
not to include her?
She definitely didn’t want to be some kind of pity case. She didn’t want him to feel like he
had to invite his best friend’s little sister, who had just gotten dumped practically at the altar.
Okay, maybe she was being slightly dramatic. But still, she didn’t want to impose. She should
let him off the hook.
“Oh no, don’t worry about me! You should go, have fun, catch up. I’ll be fine.”
He smiled a smile that she had never seen before and she thought that her panties might
spontaneously combust - burst into flames right there on the Blue and Gold boat. WOW! So that is
what a panty-melting smile was!
“I want you to come with me. Tommy’s wife Mindy is a sweetheart. I think you two would
really get along. They just had a baby, who I'm sure they want to show off to as many admirers as
possible. Plus...you don’t want me to feel like the odd man out, do you?”
“No,” she rushed to explain, “I just thought...well...I don’t want you to feel like you have to
invite me.”
Chelle felt a blush creep up her cheeks.
Riley brushed aside a hair that had fallen in her face and tucked it behind her ear. His
fingertips lingered below her ear, his thumb slowly traced her jawline. “I want you to go,” he said
simply.
Well, damn. How could she possibly say no to that?
“Okay.” She smiled.
She heard him let out an audible breath. She saw his hazel eyes trained on her mouth, “God, I
love it when you do that.”
“What?” she asked with a nervous little laugh, “Agree with you?” She didn't know where this
was going but she was really enjoying the way his gaze was laser-focused on her.
“Smile. I love it when you smile.” His tone sounded rough, like he was on the ragged edge.
She smiled even wider and he groaned and leaned back in his chair.
Hmm, interesting, she thought. SO...maybe he doesn't just look at me as Eddie’s little sister.
That discovery made her feel as giddy as a schoolgirl whose crush just asked her to prom.
She didn’t know if anything was ever going to happen between them. She didn’t know if he
would get on a plane tomorrow and this little fantasy bubble they had been living in would burst. But
for tonight, she was just going to enjoy the time she did have with Riley. And oh, yeah...she was
definitely going to keep smiling.
 Chapter Thirteen
Chelle had wanted to take a shower before they headed over to Tommy’s for dinner and Riley
had thought that would be a good time to get himself under control - to get his mind right so he would
stop drooling over Chelle.
That had been the plan, at any rate. But all that he had done since he heard the water come on
through the paper thin walls was imagine Chelle, naked under the spray. The way her body would
look with drops of water sliding down her curves. He shook his head, trying to erase the images that
were flashing one after another like a peep show in his mind.
Wait! Chelle had mentioned that Eddie wanted to talk to him. He should call Eddie. That
would put things into perspective real quick.
He scrolled through his phone and found Eddie's name in his contact list. He pressed call.
Eddie answered before it had even gotten to the second ring. “Are you still with my sister?”
Okay, so, apparently no pleasantries then.
“Yeah, I’m still in San Francisco.” That sounded better than ‘yes I’m still with your sister’.
“Is she okay?” Eddie did not sound happy, and Riley couldn’t blame him.
“She seems okay,” Riley answered.
“Then why are you still there?” Eddie’s tone left no room for misinterpretation. This wasn’t a
question, it was an accusation.
“I don’t want to leave her alone. She’s been through a lot.”
Riley would not normally put up with this kind of questioning from anyone. He was a grown
man and what he did in his private life was his own God damn business. But this wasn't 'anyone' - this
was Eddie. His best friend.
He and Eddie had been pretty wild in their teens. Riley knew for damn sure that if Eddie had
tried to mess around with one of his cousins, he would have lost his shit. And Chelle wasn’t Eddie’s
cousin - she was his sister. His only sister. His baby sister.
Guy code clearly states that you don’t mess around with your friend’s little sister. Riley knew
that.
But, the truth was...Riley hadn’t done anything. Sure, he had thought about it…a lot. And today
on the boat he was one second away from losing control and taking her on the upper deck. He knew it
would have happened if that damn kid hadn’t interrupted them.
But the point was...he hadn’t!
And, as for tonight, he had made sure that they weren’t going to have an intimate dinner alone.
Nope. They were going to have chaperones!
 “What have you guys been doing?”
Eddie obviously was not going to drop this. Riley didn’t blame him.
“Hanging out, seeing the city.”
“Where have you been sleeping?”
“On the couch.” That was the truth. There was no denying it.
Riley just prayed Eddie wouldn't ask him where Chelle had been sleeping...
“Look, I’m not stupid. I know she’s always had some kind of a thing for you. A crush. She
always asks about you and brings up your name pseudo-casually.”
For some reason that new piece of information made Riley feel good. Really good.
“But this is Chelle we’re talking about. You’re not what she needs. I know you man. I love
you like a brother, but…”
Eddie paused. Riley said nothing. He wasn't sure what Eddie was about to say, but he was
pretty damn sure that he wasn't going to like it.
“She deserves better.”
Nice.
“Like David the douchebag?” Riley snapped back.
He really hadn’t meant to. He knew exactly what Eddie was talking about, and he knew it was
true. Chelle deserved a hell of a lot better than him. He knew that in his head. He just needed to make
sure that his heart (and dick) were on the same page.
“Look, I never liked that guy, alright? But she seemed happy and I honestly didn’t know him
that well. But I know you.”
Ouch.
“I’m just staying to make sure that she's doing okay.” Riley didn’t want Eddie stressing about
the situation. Riley was handling it and he was done discussing it. He was moving on to the next topic
whether Eddie felt like coming along or not. “How’s Emily feeling?”
Riley didn’t know if his not-so-subtle attempt to change the subject would work, but he
thought he would at least give it a try.
There was a long pause, but Riley remained silent. He would give Eddie the space to figure
out how he wanted to proceed.
He heard a sigh on the other end of the line.
“She’s doing better. She won’t go back to school till next week so she is going a little stir
crazy. But she is getting all caught up on Pretty Little Liars so that’s keeping her mind off of how
bored she is.” Eddie’s voice filled with love as he spoke of his daughter.
“I don’t even know what Pretty Little Liars is.” Riley said flatly.
 “Man, I wish I didn’t.” Eddie sighed.
They laughed and Riley promised to get Chelle back to Harper’s Crossing safe and sound.
He hung up and felt a knot forming in his gut. He hadn’t realized it until right now, but the fact
that Eddie was still clearly not okay with anything happening between him and Chelle made him feel
like a low life for where his mind had gone since seeing her again. Riley knew that Eddie wasn’t just
being an ass. He had seen a lot of Riley at his worst, and Eddie knew Riley’s views on commitment.
Riley was the very last person that a loving big brother should want his baby sister to get involved
with!
But, damn. Even with this new knot that had taken residence in his stomach, he still wanted
Chelle…bad. He wasn’t even sure how he had actually managed to keep his hands off of her up until
this point. But with every smile, every ‘innocent’ brush, every look that told him she wanted him as
much as he wanted her...God. It was getting harder and harder- both figuratively and literally.
Realistically, he only had a few more days - a week, tops - with her in San Francisco. Once
they were home, keeping his distance would be easier.
That realization should have made him feel relieved. Instead, the thought of not spending his
days with her just made him feel sad and empty.
Oh, well. It wasn’t like sad or empty were new feelings for him. He had felt a hole in his life
since his mom left when he was eight, and it only got bigger when she had died when he was twelve.
But his issues were not Chelle’s problem. She had enough to deal with without him coming
into her life and creating drama and problems.
He needed to keep his hands, his mouth, and every other body part to himself. Not just
because of Eddie, and how much Riley owed him. But also for Chelle. Because no matter how strong
and significant their connection felt to him, he knew that Eddie was right. She deserved better. So
much better.
She deserved forever.

--- ~ ---

Chelle was trying really hard not to feel self-conscious as they made their way up the short
path to Riley’s friend’s townhouse, but if she were honest, she knew that she wasn’t doing a great job
in that department. As soon as Chelle had come out of the room, excited and ready to go, she sensed
something had changed between her and Riley.
It wasn’t anything too obvious. It’s not like he was being mean to her. He was being as nice as
he always was. Thoughtful, even. He had reminded her to bring her keys (which she probably would
have remembered). He had made sure that she brought a jacket (which she absolutely would have
forgotten). He had complimented her on her dress.
But, still. It wasn’t the same. He just said, “You look really nice,” in a tone that was almost
without inflection. He hadn’t even met her eyes when he said it.
She briefly wondered if he were acting that way because he had noticed that she had taken off
her engagement ring, since (as far as she could tell) that was the only thing that had changed. But
no...that would be silly. Why would he care?
She felt like a complete and total idiot for having it on as long as she had, but he probably
hadn’t even noticed it.
Unless...could he sense her growing attachment to him, and the absence of the ring symbolized
that? Shit. That would be embarrassing.
Regardless of the cause, there was definitely a distance between them. It was like he had put
up a wall that she was not allowed to pass. He also seemed…sad. She was trying not to read too
much into it, but she just couldn’t help it. It was as if he were an entirely different person.
Okay, she thought, that's it. I'm clearly a fifth wheel here, and I don't need to be where I'm not
wanted. It's not doing me any good, and it'll interfere with Riley's ability to have fun with his friends.
This isn't good for anybody.
She was just about to make up an excuse about why she suddenly needed to head home, and
tell him that he should stay and catch up with his friend, when the front door of the townhouse flung
open. She was momentarily paralyzed by what she saw. It was like David Beckham and Johnny Depp
had a love child. The man standing before her was beautiful.
“Sloan, man good to see you!” The man (whom she assumed was Tommy) pulled Riley into a
hug. “It’s been too long, bro.”
Riley nodded as he slapped the man on the back, “Yeah, it has, Baxter.”
The man turned to her and Chelle was once again blown away by his sheer physical
perfection. Not in a ‘How you doin?’ kind of way. She definitely didn’t feel any butterflies or zings.
She had just never seen anyone who was that perfect in real life.
“Hey,” he greeted her, “I’m Tommy. And you must be the emergency.” A mischievous smile
spread across his face.
She furrowed her brow and tilted her head in confusion. She glanced at Riley and he put his
hand on her lower back, “Tommy Baxter, this is Rachelle Thomas. Chelle, this ugly bastard is
Tommy.”
“Nice to meet you.” Chelle smiled and shook Tommy’s hand. She was trying not to
concentrate on how good, how right, it felt for Riley to be touching her again.
Bingo! That is what had felt so off before, she thought. It wasn’t just his mood or his change in
demeanor. It was the fact that he had made absolutely sure not to touch her. Stepping to the side as she
passed him in the hall, opening the door and then backing completely out of the way before she
stepped through it. He had even placed the bottle of wine and small present for Tommy and Mindy's
baby Serena, which they had picked up on their way back from the cruise, between the two of them in
the cab.
Now, just this small connection of his hand resting on her lower back filled her with an 'all is
right in the world' sensation. Everything was how it should be.
Crap! She had it bad.
“Nice to meet you too.” Tommy smiled and a look passed between him and Riley that felt
significant, although she couldn’t quite put her finger on why that was.
“Come on in. The baby just woke up so Mindy is upstairs with her.”
“Congratulations, man! I am so happy for you guys.” Riley seemed a little bit more like
himself as they walked through the entrance of the gorgeous Victorian-style townhome.
She looked around and felt like she had walked through the front door and right into the pages
of Better Homes and Garden magazine. It was breathtaking.
“Wow, your home is so beautiful,” she said, hearing the awe in her own voice.
“Yeah, my wife loves all things HGTV. She did a lot of redecorating while we were waiting
for Serena to arrive. I think she called it nesting.”
“Well, she did a great job. This looks like a house that could be featured on one of those
shows,” Chelle said, still taking in every detail.
“Thanks.” Chelle looked up and saw a stunning dark-haired woman carrying a little bundle of
love down the wooden stairway. Chelle could not believe that the woman before her had recently had
a baby. With her exotic, dark beauty and tall, willowy frame, she looked more like a runway model
than the mother of a newborn.
The woman smiled as she reached the bottom step. Her face was open and friendly. “I was
going stir-crazy waiting for this little princess to show up and I may have gone a little overboard.”
“No, not at all. It’s incredible.”
“Hey, Gorgeous.” Riley pulled her and the baby into a hug.
“Watch it, Sloan,” Tommy joked, “Don’t get all handsy with my wife.”
Mindy laughed. Riley turned to Chelle, “Chelle, this is Mindy...Mindy, Chelle.”
They said their hellos and Tommy stepped up and kissed his wife on the forehead, “And this
little angel is Serena.”
Chelle moved forward and looked down at the baby, “Oh, she’s so beautiful. She’s perfect.”
And she was. Chelle didn’t think in all of her years at the hospital she had ever seen such a
beautiful baby.
“Thank God she takes after you, Mindy.” Riley teased.
They laughed. “Do you want to hold her?” Mindy asked, and as she spoke she was already in
the process of placing baby Serena into Riley’s arms.
Oh boy! Was there anything sexier than a big, strong, tough man holding a tiny little baby?
Nope, Chelle decided as she attempted not to blatantly drool, there sure as hell wasn’t.
Riley looked so at ease holding the baby. Chelle had seen a lot of new fathers that looked
supremely uncomfortable and awkward when they held their babies, but Riley looked like an old pro.
She felt an ache in her chest. Hoo boy. She knew that she was beginning to want things that she
had no business wanting.
“She likes you.” Mindy smiled, “You’re good with her.”
Tommy stepped behind his wife and pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her
waist. “Yeah, man. When are you gonna get one of these?”
Riley looked at them, smiling a little. Chelle thought that the smile seemed a little wistful. “A
wife or a kid?”
“Both.” Tommy smiled back, and there was nothing wistful about his grin. It radiated nothing
but pure joy.
“I don’t think it’s in the cards, man.” Riley again turned his attention to the tiny bundle in his
arms.
“Which one, the wife or the kids?” Tommy shot back.
“Both.” Riley stared down at Serena, who began wiggling in his arms.
“That’s what I thought, too.” Tommy kissed the top of his wife’s head. “Now I don’t know
what the hell I was even doing before this.”
Mindy shook her head and laughed, “I do. You were getting drunk with your buddies and
being a man-whore.”

Chelle watched the interaction between the two of them and a twinge of sadness began to form
in her chest. She wanted that - the easy camaraderie that accompanied the sparks that flew off of them
every time their eyes met.
She had never experienced that before, never fit with someone that way. She had seen that
kind of a relationship, sure - with Jason and Katie. But she had thought it must be a fluke. A once in a
lifetime kind of connection.
She had only been around Tommy and Mindy for a few minutes, but she already recognized
that they had the same kind of love that Jason and Katie had. When Tommy looked at his wife it was
like the rest of the world didn’t exist. She wanted a man to look at her that way. Like all he needed
was her.
“Alright, you boys head out back. That Saté is not going to barbeque itself. I’m gonna go check
on the peanut sauce.” She began to take baby Serena out of Riley’s arms.
“Can I hold her?” Chelle asked. She loved babies so much. Which was the main reason she
had chosen to work as a nurse in labor and delivery.
Mindy smiled widely, “Of course.”
“She’s qualified,” Riley said as he handed the small infant to Chelle, “she’s a nurse in the
baby place in the hospital.” If Chelle was not mistaken, she heard a note of pride in his voice. Hmm.
That observation warmed her from within more than it probably ought to.
“Labor and delivery,” Chelle smiled as she clarified, and the group chuckled.
As Chelle took the precious bundle from Riley’s arms and their skin connected for a moment,
something passed between them. It felt more like a shot of pure electricity than anything Chelle had
ever experienced. She was momentarily stunned by it, paralyzed.
But then she felt Miss Serena squirming in her arms and was brought out of the trance-like
state that shock had momentarily put her into.
She looked down at the newborn and, like clockwork, tears began to form in her eyes. For
some reason, every time she held a new baby for the first time, she got choked up. Everyone on the
nursing floor she worked on teased her about it. It had, in fact, become a running joke in Labor and
Delivery. They called her 'Waterworks.'
She didn’t mind. She wasn’t embarrassed about it. New life was a miracle. Secretly, she kind
of looked down on the others for not getting choked up, although she would never tell them that. I
mean, come on...if you could look down into the face of a squirming little bundle of brand-new tiny
human and not feel overwhelmed by the awesomeness inherent in that...well, Chelle couldn't wrap her
mind around that level of jadedness.
Not to mention, they were just damn cute.
“You okay?” Riley asked. He rubbed the small of her back.
She nodded and shook her head, “I always get all misty-eyed whenever I hold a new baby for
the first time.”
“You must keep a lot of Kleenex on hand at work then,” Tommy teased.
Chelle smiled, “I should have stock in the company.”
She looked back down at Serena. Her sweet face, her perfect lips, her long eyelashes.
Riley moved closer to her, leaning close to her ear, “I’ll be out back if you need me.”
He placed a soft kiss on her temple and Chelle felt her knees go weak.
Phew! Sensory overload!
 Holding Serena, having Riley rub her back and whisper in her ear (and true it wasn’t ‘sweet-
nothings’, but still!)...and then the cherry-on-top – him kissing her sweetly before heading out back.
How much more perfect could that moment be? A little voice in the back of her head reminded
her that it wasn’t real. Her perfect moment was not reality. Riley wasn’t hers. She wasn’t his. Okay,
so maybe not the perfect moment...
 Chapter Fourteen
“Do you want a glass of wine, soda, water?” Mindy offered as she was bustling around the
kitchen.
“Water would be great, thanks.” She had probably ingested more alcohol in the past week
than she had in the entire twenty-eight years previous. It might not be a bad idea to give it a rest for
the evening.
Chelle sat at the beautiful oak kitchen table with baby Serena in her arms.
“So, Tommy said that you and Riley grew up together.”
“Yeah, well, kind of. He and my older brother Eddie are really good friends.”
“So, do you live out here now? Riley grew up close to Chicago, right?” Mindy asked as she
stirred scrambled eggs and chopped up pieces of chicken into rice, which she called Nasi Goreng.
“Yes, he did. We grew up in a little town called Harper’s Crossing. And I actually still live in
Harper's Crossing, I just came out here for, um, a vacation.”
“Oh that’s fun. How long are you staying?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe another week or so.”
“So, Riley and you...is that new? Or have you guys been doing the long distance thing?”
Mindy was putting out a strong protective vibe and, although all these questions were making
Chelle a little uncomfortable, she could sense that they weren’t being asked out of any sort of gossipy
or nosy intention. No, it was obvious that Mindy wanted to safeguard Riley's happiness. She was
trying to make sure that Chelle was on the up and up.
Chelle could appreciate that. She would want to do the same. Although her protective instinct
may have some ulterior motives attached to them (and, in fact, would probably be more in the realm
of 'territorial' than 'protective') since she had feelings for Riley. But, she wanted the best for him all
the same.
“Oh, Riley and I aren’t a couple. The poor guy just got dragged into the soap opera that is my
life. He’s just looking out for me.”
Mindy gave her an odd look, “So, you guys aren’t together?”
Chelle figured instead of beating around the bush and trying to tell half the story she might as
well just come out with it. It was easier than trying to explain without really explaining. Plus, it
would put Mindy’s mind at ease.
“No, we aren't. So, here's the story. A few weeks ago my best friend Katie married Riley’s
brother Jason. On the morning of the wedding, my fiancé told me that he had been sleeping with his
eighteen year old secretary, that she was pregnant, and they were getting married.
 “Holy crap!”
“Indeed,” Chelle agreed, and then pressed on, “Katie, who is the sweetest best friend in the
whole world, ended up finding out the news at the reception. She offered me her apartment here in the
city. She just moved back to Harper’s Crossing and still had a couple more months on her lease. She
knew this would give me time to get my head together, and also time for Katie – who is a lawyer, by
the way, I forgot to mention that – to convince my ex-fiancé that it wasn't actually legal to decide that I
had five days to vacate my condo, at which point his new girlfriend was changing the locks. Which
was another little gem that he dropped on me at the wedding. At the reception, as a matter of fact.”
“He sounds like a delight,” Mindy said ironically, shaking her head.
“Oh, yeah. A real winner. Anyway, I got out here and started wallowing. All the alone time,
you know? I wasn't answering my phone, so Jason and Katie got worried and asked Riley to stop by
and check on me. That’s all, the whole sordid tale. There’s nothing going on between us.”
Mindy had turned away from the stove and now gave Chelle her undivided attention. “Wow,
I’m so sorry. That is crazy, I don’t even know what to say.”
Chelle smiled and looked back down at baby Serena who had fallen asleep, “No, it’s fine. It
actually feels good to say the whole thing out loud, get a little perspective on it. I wasn't fishing for
sympathy, honest! I only told you because I didn’t want you to get the wrong idea about Riley and
me.”
She nodded and turned back to the stove, “So how long is Riley planning on staying?”
Good question, Chelle thought to herself, I would love to know the answer to that myself! “I
don’t know,” Chelle responded, her voice a study in intentional casual inflection, “He hasn’t really
said.”
Mindy looked out the window towards her husband and Riley, “I know it’s none of my
business, and I probably shouldn’t say anything...” she hesitated, and Chelle didn't know if she
planned to go on.
“Oh, now you have to tell me,” Chelle encouraged, “Some of the best conversations in history
have started with that opening line. I mean...probably some of the worst, as well, but let's not think
about that part right now...”
The two women laughed, and Mindy looked more at ease. Chelle's joke had done the trick.
“Look, I don’t know you that well, but I like you,” Mindy confided, “And if my intuition is
correct, you care about Riley. A lot.”
“I do,” Chelle nodded, keeping her voice neutral, not sure if she was going to like what Mindy
had to say but certain that she needed to hear it.
Mindy put the burners on low and moved away from the stove to sit directly across from
Chelle. “I’ve known Riley for almost a decade now. I’ve seen him with other women. A couple I
think he genuinely cared about.”
Why did those words feel like a punch to Chelle’s solar plexus?
Of course he had cared about women. He had said himself that he had been in a couple of
serious relationships. It had nothing to do with her. She breathed out slowly, doing her level best not
to let her internal turmoil show up on her face.
Mindy continued, “But I’ve never – NEVER – seen him look at anyone the way he looks at
you. I’ve never seen him be affectionate with anyone, even his more serious girlfriends. I had to pick
my jaw up off the floor when he kissed you right before he headed outside.”
“Me too, to be honest,” Chelle confided.
Mindy smiled, “Sometimes people don’t see what’s right in front of them. They are just too
close to the situation. I know you’ve known him a lot longer than I have, and it’s not my place to say,
but…”
“But what?” Chelle was on pins and needles.
“I just think…”
The sliding glass door slid open, “Alright ladies, chicken Saté, fresh off the grill.” Tommy
held a plate stacked with chopped up chicken on kabob sticks. It smelled and looked delicious.
Mindy stood and reached for Serena, “Great! Let me put this little princess down and we can
eat.”
As she took the baby from Chelle’s arms she winked at her conspiratorially and Chelle felt
like she might have just made a very good, new friend.
 Chapter Fifteen
Riley loved watching Chelle. He was blown away by how people responded to her, and how
she seemed to blend seamlessly into any new situation. His friends obviously loved her, and she
seemed to be having a good time, as well.
After dinner, they all decided to go into the game room to play some cards, and Chelle was
currently killing them at gin rummy. She looked so relaxed, like she didn’t have a care in the world,
and Riley thought that he could sit here, watching her laughing and having fun, for the rest of his life
and never tire of it.
They heard the baby cry and Mindy stood, “That’s my cue.”
“Yeah, that's probably our cue, too. It’s getting late, we ought to get going.” Riley stood and
gave Mindy a hug.
“Do you mind if I go say goodbye to the baby?” Chelle asked.
“Of course.” Mindy threaded her arm through Chelle’s as the women headed up the stairs. As
he watched her leave, he realized how perfectly she fit into his world. In fact, he realized that maybe
it wasn't even so much that Chelle fit into his world, but more that his world had always had a Chelle-
sized hole in it, just waiting for her to come along and take her rightful place.
He knew this was a dangerous train of thought, but damn. The evidence was difficult to
ignore. None of his family or friends from home had ever met his military family. Not even Eddie. He
tended to keep those worlds separate. But Chelle just wove right in. No fuss, no muss. She was
perfectly matched.
Tommy remained seated and took a long swig of his beer. “So, you still planning on heading
down to New Orleans?”
Riley sat back down, “Yeah.” He picked up his Bud and took a drink.
“Really?” Tommy didn’t look convinced. In fact, he seemed a little 'smirky' for Riley's liking.
Riley shrugged. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I?”
Tommy’s eyes moved to the stairs where Chelle had just been.
“We’re just friends.” Riley spoke harshly, he felt his jaw lock and a tension rolled through
him.
Tommy was a good guy, they had served four tours together. He would do anything for him.
He trusted him with his life. But this was not a subject that was open for discussion.
Tommy smiled, “Look, I know we haven’t seen a lot of each other the last couple of years
since I got out, but I do know you. And she’s it for you. She’s the real deal.”
Riley did not want to go down this path. “We’re just friends,” he stated again, firmly.
 Tommy leaned forward resting his arms on the card table, “I don’t know if you’re just too
dumb to realize it or too chicken shit to admit it. But either way, it doesn’t change the fact that you
love that girl. And if I’m not mistaken, she loves you. The question is - what are you going to do about
it?”
“Nothing.” Riley knew he sounded angry, and he also knew his friend was just trying to look
out for him.
But Tommy didn’t know him like he thought he did. He had only known Riley since he had
joined the military. The man he was now wasn’t the totality of who he was. There was a lot Tommy
didn’t know.
Tommy reclined in his chair, “Do you remember the night that I broke things off with Mindy,
and you came over and told me that if I didn’t make things right with her you were gonna kick my
ass?”
Riley sighed. He had always suspected that somehow that night would come back to bite him
in the ass. He’d been waiting for it. Here it was.
He made it a rule to never get involved in other peoples personal lives. Too messy. Too much
potential downside, almost zero potential upside. But, dammit, when he'd seen Mindy crying and she
told him that Tommy had told her he needed space, he'd felt like he had to step in.
He had known that Tommy thought he wasn’t good enough for Mindy, that she would be better
off with someone else.
Tommy came from the south side of Boston, a pretty rough area. He was an only child. He
never knew his dad and his mom had had more boyfriends than Tommy could count.
Mindy grew up on a farm in New Hampshire. Her family was wealthy. Her parents were still
together, happily married for over forty years. She had an older brother and a little sister, both of
which she was extremely close to.
Tommy had gotten drunk one night and told Riley that he felt like he would bring her down.
That he didn’t deserve someone as good as she was. Riley told him he was right, she was too good
for him - but that, rather than breaking things off, he should pull his head out of his ass, accept that
fact, quit his bitching, thank his lucky stars, and make sure he took good care of her. Tommy had
looked unconvinced.
Then, the very next week he saw Mindy leaving the base, tears streaming from her face and he
had just felt like he needed to step in.
Maybe it was just that he had been missing his younger brothers and felt guilty for bailing on
them.
Whatever the reason, after he had gone and given Tommy a push in the right direction, Tommy
heeded his advice. He went after Mindy and they were engaged that very night. Riley had been glad,
at the time, that he'd broken his own personal credo to never get involved in peoples' business. But,
as he was discovering, no good deed goes unpunished.
Now, the shoe was on the other foot, and Tommy felt free to intervene in his affairs.
“Yeah, I remember.”
“You told me the truth. You said that if I let her walk away because I had some bullshit notion
that she would be better off without me, then I was the dumbest asshole you ever met and that she
really would deserve better.”
“It’s not the same thing. You and Mindy had been together for years. Chelle and I are just
friends.”
“Man, you guys may not have the title, but you’re together. Two seconds around you two and
that is blatantly clear.”
Riley shook his head. Tommy didn’t know what the hell he was talking about. He and Chelle
didn’t have what Tommy and Mindy had. And even if they did, it was completely different...because
Chelle really did deserve better than him.
“Listen, just think about what I said, alright? Because, as we all know, I have been with my
fair share of women. Some would say I'm a damn expert on the subject. And that one? She’s special,
Riley. Girls like her don’t come around that often.”
“There are no girls like her.” Riley heard the words come out of his mouth and he knew they
were true. There was no other girl in the world like Rachelle Thomas.
Tommy smiled. “My point exactly. So don’t lose her.”
Riley shook his head. “I never had her.”

--- ~ ---

Riley needed to get some space, clear his head. Taking a few deep breaths didn't seem to be
working. He had to get a little distance if he was going to get his head on straight. As it was, he didn't
seem to be able to think of anything other than how incredibly sexy Chelle looked, and smelled,
and...hell...even sounded. Just hearing her voice, saying even the most innocuous thing, could
apparently get him hard in .0005 seconds.
After they had gotten back from Tommy’s, he had asked if she wanted stay up and watch a
movie, like they had when they were teenagers. She agreed. He said he would run down to the video
store he had seen on the corner and pick something up.
The nice thing about it was that he really did want to veg out and watch a movie. It worked out
well that way. But the main reason he had suggested the activity was to create an errand that would
buy him a little time alone (and fresh air to boot) so that he could process what was going on between
them. Between the last couple days with Chelle and his talks with both Eddie and Tommy, he was
overwhelmed with conflicting thoughts and emotions.
On the one hand, he knew Tommy was right. There was absolutely no other girl in the world
like Chelle. He knew that his feelings for her were real. He also knew that his current coping
mechanisms (which basically consisted of pushing those feelings down and trying to ignore them)
were not working. His feelings for Chelle grew stronger with every minute they spent together.
But, on the flip side, he also knew that Eddie was right. He was not the man for Chelle.
Eddie’s words kept echoing in his head.
“I know you.”
“You’re not what she needs.”
“She deserves better.”
All of which were true.
He knew that, logically. But, emotionally and physically, he was having a tough time getting
on board with that line of reasoning.
He lived by instincts, he always had. Sometimes, like when he was in his teens after his mom
passed away, those instincts had gotten him in trouble. But as an adult, and especially as a Marine
Special Ops (MARSOC), those instincts had saved, not only his life, but the lives of other men and
women during missions.
In this case though, he was receiving conflicting instructions from those instincts. That
certainly was not a feeling he was used to, and he didn't like it one bit.
His protective instincts were telling him to keep his distance. Keep things G rated. Don’t let
her get too close. Save her from him.
Then there were his base instincts. Well...those told a different story. They said that he needed
her as much as she needed him. He needed to touch her. Taste her. Feel her. Claim her. Love her.
Make her forget anyone else had ever existed outside of the two of them. Show her that he needed her
more than he needed his next breath.
Damn.
The more time he spent around her, the stronger his base instincts became, and the more his
protective instincts waned.
That's why he needed this reprieve, needed these few minutes to try and make sense of the
battle that was raging inside of him.
He wasn't having much luck.
As he approached the video store, he felt a vibration coming from his pocket. He was so lost
in thought that it startled him. He reached in, pulled out his phone, and saw that it was a text from
Mindy:
“Great seeing you 2night. So glad you got to meet the little princess. LOVED Chelle! She is a
keeper! SO get your head out of your ass and make that happen! Luv Ya! XOXO”
He had to smile. Mindy certainly did know how to get to the heart of the matter, and she had
no problem telling it how it was. That was part of the reason why she was so good for Tommy - she
kept him in line.
He smiled as his thumbs flew across the keypad. “Good seeing you guys too. Serena is
amazing. Thanks for the pep talk. Will work on removing head from ass.”
 Chapter Sixteen
As soon as Riley left, Chelle put on sweats and pulled her hair up in a ponytail. She had just
finished making some popcorn for their movie night when her phone rang. She grabbed it and saw that
it was Katie.
A grin spread from ear to ear as soon as she saw her friend's name and photo on the display.
“Hey diamond friend! You having fun in paradise?”
“Yes I am, so much fun! Wow. You sound so much better than the last time we talked.”
Katie’s voice sounded shocked.
“Yeah, I’m doing better. A lot better.” Now that Riley’s here, Chelle wanted to add, but
didn’t.
“And does this newfound ‘betterness’ you speak of have anything to do with my new brother-
in-law?” Katie asked.
Damn it. They didn’t call Katie ‘Sherlock’ for nothing. Stall. That was Chelle’s only option.
“What do you mean?” That came out sounding curious and not nervous...she hoped.
“Well...Jason just talked to Eddie, who had a question about a job he’s overseeing, and Eddie
mentioned that he had just gotten off the phone with Riley who is still out in the Golden State with
you! Oh, and...by the way...your big bro is not too happy about that fact.”
Chelle groaned inwardly. She loved her brother, but he drove her CRAZY sometimes. He
needed to mind his own frickin' frackin' business!
So Riley and Eddie had talked. Riley hadn’t mentioned anything about it. But...hmmmm...
Maybe that explained his behavior earlier this evening.
She was trying to put the timeline together like a puzzle when Katie interrupted her thoughts.
“You still there?” She asked. Her tone indicated that she knew damn well Chelle was still on
the line. She was just making a point.
“I’m here.”
“SO...? What’s going on with you and Riley?” Katie sounded like she had when they were in
middle school, gossiping about a boy.
“Nothing, nothing.” Chelle wanted to open up to Katie. To tell her everything that was going
on. To ask her for advice.
But now Katie was married to Jason. And that was amazing, Chelle loved Jason to death. But
it changed things. Jason was not only Riley’s brother, he was also her brother Eddie’s boss. She
didn’t need anything that she said getting back to either of them.
“Really? So then why is Riley still there after he was just supposed to pop in, make sure you
were okay, and then head on home?”
Chelle didn’t really have an answer for that. So she was honest.
“I don’t know. I haven’t asked him.”
“What have you guys been doing?”
“Mostly sightseeing and just hanging out.”
“Uh huh, sightseeing.” Katie didn’t sound convinced.
“We went down to Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39 yesterday and today we went on a day
cruise. Then we went over to have dinner at his friend’s house who had just had a baby. And now
were gonna watch a movie.” Wow, she said that all in one breath.
“Thanks for the itinerary. So nothing physical has happened between you two?” Katie asked,
her tone sounding like Chelle imagined she sounded in the courtroom cross-examining a witness.
“Not really.” Damn! Chelle meant to say no. Why in the name of everything that is good and
holy had ‘not really’ come out of her mouth? Why for the love of freaking Pete could she not just keep
things simple?
She had minored in psych and, based on some of her studies, she knew that what she had just
said was probably a Freudian slip. Subconsciously, she must have wanted to talk to Katie about it,
otherwise she would have just denied that anything had happened.
“Look, I’m not going to say anything to Jas, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Katie and Chelle may not have been in contact much over the past decade, but when it came to
knowing Chelle inside and out, Katie still had the goods.
“Fine, we kissed.” Chelle blurted out.
“OOOH I knew it! And then what?” Katie asked, wanting to get all the juicy details. Chelle
only wished that there were any further details, juicy or otherwise, to be had.
“And then nothing,” she admitted glumly.
“What? How could there be nothing? He just kissed you and then nothing happened?!”
“Well...” Chelle admitted, “Actually...I kissed him. Sort of.”
“How do you ‘sort of’ kiss someone?”
“I mean it wasn’t like a kiss kiss, it was more like a peck. And then I just walked away.”
Chelle thought it sounded bad now that she said it out loud.
“So he didn’t kiss you back?”
“Well, yeah. He kissed me back...I think? I don’t know. It happened really fast.”
“When did this happen?” Katie was in full information-gathering mode.
“Yesterday.”
“And you haven’t talked about it.” This was more of a statement than a question. Chelle
wouldn't have been surprised if Katie had magically summoned a yellow legal pad into her hands,
upon which she was now recording the pertinent details.
“Nope, no, not at all, no thank you. Not a conversation I am trying to have. ‘Hey, remember
when I kissed you, what did you think about that?’ No sirree.”
“Well, why did you kiss him?”
Chelle had generally believed that there was no such thing as stupid question. But Katie had
just proved that notion to be incorrect.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. Why did you kiss him?” Katie repeated.
Chelle didn’t know if it was built up anxiety from the last few weeks or just built up tension
from the last few days, but something inside her snapped.
“Uuuummm...well, I kissed him because I have been in love with him since middle school. I
kissed him because I have never felt about anyone the way I feel about Riley Sloan. No one even
comes in a close second! I kissed him because I can barely think of anything other than kissing him
when he is within a four block radius of me. No, scratch that - he doesn’t even have to be in the same
country as I am and it’s hard not to think about it. I kissed him because I had to.”
Katie was silent for a moment, and then she said, “And all he got out of that was a peck?”
Chelle burst out laughing and Katie joined her.
Katie continued, “Okay, so I realize I’m playing catch up here, but is it safe to assume that
Riley is the ‘unrequited love’ you were referring to at Sophie’s bachelorette party?”
Chelle suddenly remembered. When all of Sophie's bridesmaids had been playing a drinking
game where you had to answer questions about your love life, Chelle’s question had been ‘Have you
ever had an unrequited love?’ - to which Chelle had immediately responded ‘yes’.
Pssshhhh...
Leave it to Katie not to forget that, even though she had gotten massively wasted that night.
Lawyers!
Chelle figured there was no point in denying it, since she had basically just admitted as much.
“Yes, that's right. He’s the unrequited love I was talking about.”
“So any chance of him requiting said love?” Katie’s voice sounded much more hopeful than
Chelle felt.
“I don’t think so. In fact, now that you’ve asked me, I’m not sure if he did kiss me back. I think
that he likes me just fine. You know...as a person. And he might be attracted to me on some level,”
she wasn’t going to say that she had seen and felt physical proof that that was in fact the case – some
things she wanted to keep private, “but I think to him I will always be Eddie’s baby sister.”
“Well, hmm. Maybe you need to show him that baby sister is all grown up.”
 “It sounds so lascivious when you say it.” Chelle said.
Katie laughed, “What can I say, it’s a gift.”
Chelle was so happy to be back in touch with her diamond friend. She had missed her so much
over the years. And even if there wasn’t a solution to the situation, it felt good to talk about it with
Katie.
“So how’s married life? Are you guy’s sick of each other yet?” Chelle asked, knowing full
well that Katie and Jason were madly in love and would not be getting tired of each other for as long
as they lived.
Katie sighed a happy sigh. She said dreamily, “Married life is amazing! I honestly never knew
life could be this good. I have never been happier, and I think Jas feels the same, and that makes me
even happier.”
“Oh, I know Jas feels the same. He’s been in love with you forever.”
“Yeah and I think I always loved him too. It just took me longer to realize it. Hey!” Katie’s
voice raised in excitement. “Maybe that’s the same with you and Riley, only you are like Jason and I
am like Riley! Maybe Riley loves you too, he just has to figure it out! Why else would he still be
there when he was supposed to fly home three days ago?”
Chelle didn’t want to put the kibosh on Katie’s enthusiasm. Katie did LOVE to try and play
Colombo, and normally no one could refute her deductive abilities. Still, Chelle was fairly certain
that his continued stay did not mean anything nearly as significant as Katie was trying to say it did.
“No, I wish,” Chelle responded wryly, “If only my life were like a romantic comedy. That
would be awesome. But, in reality, I'm pretty sure he’s just sticking around because he wants to see
the city, and because he's enjoying the fact that – for the first time in over a decade – he has nowhere
that the government has said he has to be.”
She heard the door shut and looked over her shoulder to see Riley. He had just come in and
was holding her favorite movie, Good Will Hunting, in his hand.
If Chelle had been on the fence about what she felt about whether or not she was completely in
love with him, the fact that he remembered her favorite movie after all these years would have pushed
her over to the ‘definitely-yes-madly-in-love’ side.
But she did know that she was in love with him. She didn't need a movie to tell her that. She
just didn’t know what she was going to do about it.

--- ~ ---

Even if Riley hadn’t been confused before he had gone out to get the movie, he certainly
would be now, after overhearing Chelle’s phone call. He was glad that he had chosen a movie that he
had seen several times before. That way, he could use the time that the movie was playing to try and
figure out what he was going to do about the conversation Chelle had with Katie.
He had chosen the movie because he remembered how many times he and Eddie would come
home to find Chelle watching it. She loved it, to the point that she knew every line by heart.
When he had stood at the video store, looking through the selections, he wasn’t sure what she
would be in the mood for. He wanted to pick something he was sure she would enjoy. From the look
on her face when he had finally shut the door loudly enough that it would alert her to his presence, he
had definitely made the right choice.
And now, as he watched Matt Damon’s character Will grapple with some of the same issues
that he himself was struggling with, he thought the choice was even more apropos. It made him feel
better in a certain way. Hell, apparently even geniuses were idiots when it came to women. He was
in good company.
He had overheard Chelle say that she loved him. That she had always loved him. That no one
else even ran a close second.
Shit.
And this was coming from a girl that had been engaged not even two weeks ago. Hell, she
hadn’t even taken off her engagement ring till that night!
So what did that mean? Sure, he had always known that she had a crush on him. But he had
always chalked that up to puppy love. Not the real thing. She knew him too well to really love him.
And, yes, he had definitely felt the sparks flying between them since he had shown up a few
nights ago. But, again...he had just put that firmly in the category of hormones. They were both good
looking, single, consenting adults. It made sense that they would be attracted to each other.
But never in a million years did Riley believe that Chelle genuinely loved him. And he
certainly never let himself examine his own feelings for her too closely! Tommy had said he knew
that Riley was in love with her. Tommy knew him better than most.
Damn. Was he in love with Rachelle Thomas?
He knew he loved Chelle.
He knew he would do anything for Chelle.
He knew the thought of Chelle being with anyone else made him feel either physically ill or
like he had been punched in the gut – or, in the worst cases, a really fun combination of both of those
two things.
But, was he in love with her?
Shit. He was.
Now the question was - what was he going to do about it?
 Did it really change anything? Eddie’s words popped in his head.
“I know you, man.”
“You’re not what she needs.”
“She deserves better.”
Did she? Or could Riley make her happy?
He knew he could, physically and even emotionally, in the short term. But over the long term?
What could he really offer her? He couldn’t give her the white picket fence, 2.5 kids, a dog.
That wasn’t the guy he was.

--- ~ ---

Chelle was sitting scrunched up in the corner of the couch opposite Riley. She was watching
the movie that she loved so much, but she was very aware of Riley. He had been pretty quiet since he
came back from the video store. It was making her feel a little on edge.
She had finished her popcorn within the first ten minutes, because...well...she ate her feelings,
that’s why. She needed to relax!
She laid her head on the arm of the couch. Trying to watch the movie. Trying to get
comfortable. Trying to silence the portion of her brain that was overanalyzing everything that Riley
did and said.
Talking with Katie had opened up a whole can of worms that Chelle was not sure she was
ready to face. Just the fact that she had spoken (out loud!) that she loved Riley was making her feel off
balance.
And she also kept reminding herself that she had just gotten out of a very serious, very long
relationship. What kind of a person just completely forgets the man they were supposed to be walking
down the aisle with?
She wasn’t sure. But what she was sure about was that whatever kind of person that was, she
was it.
Yep, she admitted to herself, 'completely forgets' was a fair assessment. Because if she was
honest, except for the couple of times that they had spoken about David - and then when the woman on
the cruise pointed out that she was still wearing her engagement ring - the topic of David had not
taken up a single moment of time in her thoughts since Riley had walked through that door.
(Well...since he had woken her up from a drunken stupor, technically. She hadn't been aware
of it when he'd first walked through the door. But what were details when one was analyzing big
picture feelings and being poetic???)
 She readjusted her position, trying to lay her head on a pillow. She pulled her feet up on the
couch and tucked them beneath her.
“Come here.” Riley’s low voice caused a tightening in her belly and a quickening of her heart.
She looked up at him. He was reclined in the corner, his arm draped across the back of the
couch, his body turned slightly towards her.
Open. Inviting. Sexy. Tempting.
Holy Catfish! She swallowed. Hard. And moved closer to him. She positioned herself beside
him and snuggled up against him leaning her head on his chest.
Even through his t-shirt, his body felt hot. She noticed that his breathing was shallower than
normal. Her head was moving along with his chest as it rose and fell. Against her cheek, she felt his
heart beating in time to her own racing pulse.
He smoothed down her hair and, unless she was going crazy and had imagined it, kissed the
top of her head. The small gesture caused all of her nerve endings to come alive with passion.
Tingling sensations hummed through her entire body.
“Chelle.”
“Yes.” She heard the word she spoke, but it sounded more like a breath than an actual audible
response. She didn’t even know if he was asking a question yet, but it really didn’t matter. If he was
asking anything the answer was definitely yes!
“Did you mean what you said to Katie on the phone?”
All of the desire that was burning inside of her was instantly squelched as if someone had
dropped a bucket of ice water over her. The fire was quickly replaced by dread. And humiliation.
And...she didn't even have a word for some of the murky, dark emotions that were flooding her.
She was equally as scared to look up at him as she was scared not to. She felt torn, paralyzed.
She knew that if she looked into his eyes, she wouldn’t be able to lie or make up any kind of an
excuse for whatever he had overheard. He would see down to her soul.
But on the other hand, she was tired of hiding what she felt for him. Maybe it was good that he
knew. At least then they could get it out in the open. Deal with it, no matter what happened. Maybe
then she might have some closure. Maybe then she would be able to go two days without cyber-
stalking him.
She thought about asking him what he had actually heard just to clarify what they were
discussing, but she wasn’t sure she could actually put together a cohesive sentence. So instead she
just answered honestly.
“Yes.” She simply stated. After all, regardless of how much he'd heard, she knew that she had
meant every word she said to Katie. Whatever he had heard had been the truth.
 “You did?” There was surprise in his voice.
Deciding that all those hours she had spent watching Sex and the City should not go to waste,
she decided she was going to pull out the old WWSD (What-Would-Samantha-Do) playbook. So she
squared her shoulders, sitting up she faced him and repeated, looking straight into his gorgeous hazel
eyes, “Yes.”
“You love me?” he asked, incredulous.
Okay, she thought, apparently he was the one who needed clarification.
Well, it’s now or never.
“Yes.”
His jaw tightened and a pained look crossed his face. Exhaling loudly through his nose, he
closed his eyes and leaned his head back, resting it on the back of the couch. Tension radiated from
him like heat from a boiler.
Well, she thought to herself, battling a small amount of irritation, like Grandpa J always says -
don’t ask the question if you don’t want the answer.
Then another realization hit her. She understood, suddenly, that this may be the last few
moments they would ever spend together. It was very possible he was going to get up and leave. Right
now. Tonight.
She wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but she did feel like the ball was squarely in his
court. She sat perfectly still and waited to see what he was going to do next. She tried to wait
patiently. She had just made quite a declaration to him. He most likely needed time to process.
She just sat there. Didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Didn’t breathe.
This was ridiculous. There was only so much a girl could take, no matter how patient she had
made up her mind to be! She needed to tell him that she knew he didn’t feel the same and not to worry
about what he had overheard. It was just girl talk, for God's sake!
She wasn’t sure if he would buy it. But she definitely didn’t want him to feel sorry for her, or
worse that he was somehow responsible for her. Like he needed to do anything because she had
feelings for him.
The thought of being the object of Riley's pity, of being pathetic in his eyes, was so much
worse than even the thought him walking out the door, and of her never entering his mind at all again
after that.
Just as she opened her mouth to begin her let-him-off-the-hook speech he raised his head, his
eyes locking with hers.
He no longer looked pained, he looked…turned on.
OOOOKKKKAAAAYYYY.....
 Her entire body responded to his heated gaze, once again burning with arousal.
Oh, yeah.
She was definitely playing with fire.
“Tell me.”
Her mind was swimming and her heart felt as though it might beat right out of her chest. She
was having a tough enough time reminding herself to breathe. Following along and participating in the
thread of this conversation was too much to ask.
“What?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
A small smile spread across his face. Moving slowly, he closed the gap between them. His
lips brushed lightly against hers. He rested his forehead against hers.
“Did you mean what you said to Katie?” he asked again.
Hadn’t they already been through this?
Whatever. She liked where it was headed, so she certainly wouldn’t be pointing that out. That
wouldn't be a very strategic move! Hell, for all she cared, he could keep asking her that exact same
question all night if he stayed this close, and kept looking at her the way that he was!
“Yes,” she repeated her previous answer.
“Tell me,” he growled.
OH! Right. Got it. She might be a little slow on the uptake, but she understood now.
“I love you,” she said simply. And although before her voice had been small and quiet, when
she spoke those words aloud to Riley, it rang out strong and clear.
 Chapter Seventeen
Riley knew he was being selfish. He knew he had no right to ask her to say the words aloud to
him when he wouldn’t be able to say them back to her. It wasn't because he didn’t feel that way - he
did. He loved her. He knew that now, beyond any shadow of a doubt.
But...he had never said those words to anyone except his family. Never to a woman. Mainly,
before now, it had been because he had never felt that way and he wouldn’t lie to them. That certainly
wasn't the case here, but there were still problems.
With Chelle, he couldn't tell her, not because he didn't feel that way about her, but rather
because he knew he shouldn't.
It wasn't fair to her. He knew that. But he couldn’t help it. He wanted to hear her say those
words to him. He wanted to feel the power of those words coming from her mouth. He wanted to feel
it wash over him like a wave.
Other women had declared their love for him and he was reasonably sure that a few of them
did, in their own way, love him. But it was different coming from Chelle. It was more. It was
everything.
He brought his hands up and cupped her face gently. He brushed his lips against hers a second
time and heard himself demanding, “Tell me again.”
“I love you,” she whispered raggedly, and her breathing was labored, her eyes filled with the
love that she was expressing to him.
He knew he needed to stop. He needed to get up and tell her that this wouldn’t work out
between them. He needed to get the hell away from her.
Instead he just offered her a pathetic excuse for a warning. “You shouldn’t.”
A smile spread across her face and he grew harder than he ever thought was humanly
possible. She pushed gently on his shoulders and straddled his lap.
“Too late. I already do.”
He felt the air leave his lungs in an uncontrollable rush of air.
He was in. All in. He couldn't believe it, really, but this was actually happening.
Riley slid his hands up the outside of Chelle's luscious thighs, his fingers tightening around her
toned legs as they rose higher.
Chelle had her head bent down close to Riley's, her fragrant hair forming a curtain that
engulfed him in the scent of cinnamon and coconut. He felt the soft strands brushing against his face. It
seemed that, with every subtle touch of her silken brown hair against his skin, his arousal was
ratcheted to new heights. Chelle sat very still atop his legs, barely moving except for the rapid rise
and fall of her chest, which became more and more exaggerated with the increasing intensity of her
breathing.
As he watched the perfect mounds of her breasts moving up and down with each breath, he
saw the evidence of her intense arousal in her now-hard nipples, which were poking through the thin
fabric of her shirt.
Riley groaned from deep within his chest. He did not know how much more of this sweet
torture he could take before he simply had to touch her, take her, devour every inch of her, drive
himself into her...
He moaned again.
Riley slid his hands quickly the rest of the way up her thighs until they cupped her ass - that
sweet, round, perfect ass. Digging his fingers into the fleshy mounds, he pulled her forward so that her
hot, moist sex rested directly atop his fast-hardening erection.
She gasped with pleasure, her eyes suddenly widening, and he realized that her tender center
must already be sensitized. Mmmm...that meant that she was already really turned on. He like that -
liked that he had the power to take her to that level of arousal so quickly.
She slid her arms around his neck and grasped him tightly, whimpering a little as she began to
grind her hips against him.
God. He could actually feel the intense heat radiating from her core, even through the fabric of
the clothing that both of them still wore. Holy crap. If this heaven that he was experiencing was
merely a glimpse of the sensation that was to come, when nothing separated their bodies but a thin
sheen of sweat, and he was able to drive himself inside of her with no protective barrier of clothing
between them...God, it might actually be too much to take!
Riley had never felt this strongly about any other woman before.
Of course, he had had sex with other women in the past. Plenty of other women. But he'd
never felt anything that even came close to comparing to this level of intensity. Of reverence, almost.
This was more than mere physical sensation. This felt spiritual, and he couldn’t wait any
longer to be with her. He simply had to touch her bare skin, had to let his hands and mouth roam over
her naked body. He couldn't wait one minute longer.
"God, Chelle," he groaned, barely in control of his ragged voice, "I need you. I need you right
now."
"Yes," her warm breath heavy with lust as she leaned closer to him, resting her forehead
against his, "I need you too. God, I need you now, Riley. I've wanted you so bad...so much...for so
long."
The words she spoke fueled Riley’s desire. Consuming need flooded his body. Chelle sitting
on his lap fully clothed, telling him how badly she needed and wanted him was the most erotic thing
that Riley had ever experienced. He moved his hands up her slim waist, sliding them underneath her
shirt, reveling in the feeling of the warm skin of her torso under his fingertips as he moved them
steadily upward, upward...sliding her shirt over her head and feasting his eyes for the first time on her
lovely, full, round breasts.
Her nipples were even harder than the preview he had gotten through the thin fabric of her
shirt, would have led him to imagine. The flickering light from the still-running television cast a
delicate glow on her skin in a luminous shade of blue. The cherry red peaks of her nipples stood out
prominently at the tips of her gorgeous, plump mounds.
He had to taste her, now. Riley's ragged breathing became even deeper and faster as he leaned
forward immediately and took the buttons into his mouth, first one and then the other, alternating back
and forth quickly between them. It was as if he couldn't decide which he favored - the instant he began
to suck on one nipple, he would start to feel the call of the other, and vice versa.
As his tongue flicked her sensitive nubs Chelle moaned and trembled. They became even
harder under his gentle yet urgent suckling. And while his mouth was busy at work on her gorgeous
breasts, his hands roamed over the rest of her body. From the tip of her head to the soles of her feet,
he ran his fingertips up and down her back, her side, her arms, her legs – cupping her ass, pulling her
closer to him, grinding her hot center against his manhood. All the time he did this, he never broke the
contact of his hot and insistent mouth from the hard tips of her nipples now, shining with saliva.
Chelle whimpered as she writhed under the touch of both his hands and his mouth. She arched
her back and bucked her hips. It was clear the things that Riley was making her feel were too intense
to be contained by the somewhat restrictive position she was in. He smiled to himself. That could be
easily remedied.
He wrapped one arm around her waist and slid one hand smoothly underneath her ass as he
stood up with one swift motion. She gasped in surprise.
"I'm taking you to bed," he growled insistently.
She nodded, her eyes fiery with desire. He moved them quickly into the bedroom. He laid her
down in the bed. Swiftly and efficiently he pulled off the rest of her clothing. When he was done
undressing her, he stood and gazed at her gorgeous naked form. The beautiful swell of her breasts, the
feminine way that her hips flared out delicately from her slender, nipped in waist. The round and
perfectly shaped taut loveliness of her ass. The graceful length of her legs and, of course, the swollen
and shining core of her sex between those long, graceful legs.
She began to scoot her way back up the bed, but Riley put a hand out and touched her leg to
stop her. "Don't move," he breathed intensely, "I'm still looking at you."
Her eyes widened but she didn't protest at the command. In fact, he saw the skin of her chest
flush red with pleasure, her nipples hardened yet another small degree, and the muscles in her belly
twitched and tightened. He smiled a small half-smile to himself. He realized that the command he had
just given her had resulted in a powerful wave of erotic pleasure rushing through her body, and he had
been able to see the physical representations of it.
He liked that.
He moved a little closer, sliding his hand up her inner thigh.
"You liked that just now, when I told you what to do. Didn't you?" he asked, his otherwise
authoritative voice trembling slightly with desire.
She looked into his eyes and nodded, her eyes bright with the fever of passion, her breath
coming in ragged gasps.
He smiled again, moving his fingertips ever-so-slowly but ever-so-insistently further up her
inner thigh.
"You want me to keep telling you what to do. Don't you?" he asked, his sly smile spreading
further.
He could see her breath catch in her throat, and the fevered intensity in her eyes grew even
brighter. She nodded again, this time just a touch more frantically.
He leaned down closer to her as his fingers rose yet higher, and he whispered, "Because you
know that I know what to do to make you feel good. Right? You know that I know exactly what to do
to your body so that you come."
Another nod, this one with her head thrown back and her eyes closed tightly against the
onslaught of pleasure that his words were causing to course through her body.
At that moment, his fingertips came into contact with her wet, slick folds for the first time and
she cried out in ecstasy. He felt her lips jump at the first touch of his fingertips, and she spread her
legs open eagerly to accept his caresses.
As he moved his fingers slowly up and down her slippery folds, he was brought to the very
edge of desire by how wet and hot she was. If this was how turned on she was already, he thought to
himself breathlessly, he knew that he was going to be able to take her to previously unexplored
heights of desire. When he finally let her come, he was going to be able to make her feel like it was
an orgasm that was emanating from every cell in her entire body, not just her exploding core. He was
now determined to make her feel sensations that she never had before, not in her entire life - and that
she never would again, unless he was the one who gave them to her.
He felt drunk with the power.
With every new thought that passed through his mind, as his fingers caressed Chelle's most
intimate erogenous zones, his dick grew harder and harder.
Oh, it was going to feel so good when he finally allowed himself to push inside of her. Not
yet, though. First, he had to see to her pleasure. First, he had to drive her insane with ecstasy. Then he
could give himself the freedom to indulge his own desires.
He dropped to his knees in front of her spread legs, gazing at her beautiful core, and stopped
himself just short of pushing her knees further apart.
He smiled.
No.
That wasn't how they were going to do this.
He looked up into her eyes. "Chelle," he said in a gravelly yet commanding tone, "spread your
legs further apart for me, baby."
A whimpering little moan escaped from her, which quickly escalated into a full-throated
groan. She spread her legs as far apart as they would go.
"That's right," he whispered as he lowered his mouth to her, "That's right, Chelle."
He began to flick his tongue over her sensitive nub, tracing the hard tip of it over her lips and
swirling around the hard pleasure button again and again. He loved the way her muscles twitched
with every small touch, the way her body responded to his hands and his tongue as if it were a well-
tuned instrument which he had spent a lifetime learning to master.
He cupped his hands underneath her and pulled her tighter to his mouth, tasting the sweetness
of her arousal and becoming dizzy with the headiness of it all.
Suddenly, he sensed a change in the movements of her hips underneath his mouth. They
became faster-paced, more frantic. He felt her fingers dig into the back of his head, urging him closer,
faster.
This was it. He was about to bring her to the heights of ecstasy that, not moments ago, he had
been turning himself on by thinking about his capacity to bring her to.
He slid one strong hand under her again, pressing her up as tight as he could to his hungry
mouth, and used the other hand to slide two fingers inside of her as he expertly employed his tongue to
work her pleasure center harder and faster, using every tool at his disposal to stimulate her beautiful
body and bring her crashing into orgasm.
Then, all of a sudden, he felt her muscles clamp down on his fingers as they moved inside of
her, felt her hands ball into fists in his hair, felt her arch her back and thrust her hips forward, and
heard her scream, "Oh, Riley! Oh, God! Yes! Oh, Riley, yes, YES!" as she came powerfully.
He stroked her gently with his thumb as she came down from her explosive climax, as her
breathing slowed, as the sweat dried on her perfect skin, and as she slowly opened her eyes and
began to look around, aware again of her surroundings.
She sat up and watched him with lusty interest as he quickly stripped off his clothes and took
his “trusty condom” from his wallet, tearing it from its foil wrapper and sliding it onto his powerful
erection. He saw her eyeing his length hungrily, biting her lip and breathing hard as she stared at his
impressive manhood.
He stepped closer, smiling his enigmatic half-smile again. He ran his fingers softly through
her hair.
“Is this what you want?” he asked, observing the way that her eyes never left his stiff erection.
She nodded lustily.
He took her hand and guided it to his shaft, wrapping her fingers around it tightly.
"This?" He clarified, a teasing note in his voice.
She nodded, her breathing coming now in short, rapid bursts.
Leaning down, placing his lips directly against her ear. "Then lay back," he whispered
intensely, "spread your legs, and put me inside you."
She groaned with the sheer erotic pleasure of it all and did exactly as he said. She scooted
back against the pillows, spread her legs wide, and positioned him at her opening.
When he felt that he was properly aligned, he thrust into her, all of the power of the pent-up
desire that he had been shoving down for the past couple of days – hell, maybe for the past couple of
years – powering that first thrust.
When he was buried in her up to the hilt, he paused for a moment to enjoy the sensation of
being buried within her, of being enfolded in her soft snug warmth. It was like nothing he'd ever
experienced before. It went so far beyond physical sensation that the physical sensation itself –
although intensely pleasurable – almost seemed beside the point. The most overpowering thing about
the whole encounter was the fact that it was happening with Chelle – a fact that seemed almost
beyond belief.
Her name was continually playing through his head, "Chelle, Chelle, Chelle, Chelle..." almost
like he had to keep repeating it to remind himself that this was real. That he was actually making love
to Chelle.
As he moved in and out of her, in and out, in and out, he reveled in listening to her small
moans and whimpers of delight. In fact, he focused more on those than on his own pleasure, a fact
which shocked him immensely. He was someone who loved the physical intensity of sex – lived for
it, in many ways – but had never really been moved by the emotional aspect of it. Now, here, with
Chelle, that was all he could think about.
He felt her inner walls spasm around his rock hard shaft. Her body began to shake as her hips
bucked against his.
“Riley, Riley, oh my God, I’m gonna…come…again!” She gasped as her arms tighten around
his neck. He felt tremors running through her entire body as she clung to him desperately.
 As he felt himself nearing climax, he pulled back from where he had buried his face in her
neck, positioning himself directly above her.
“Chelle,” he commanded hoarsely, “Open your eyes. Look at me. Look into my eyes.”
She did, her expressive almond brown eyes gazing directly into his as the spasms of climax
overtook him. They both rode out the incredible, intense physical sensations, looking into each other’s
eyes the entire time.
It was amazing.
As long as he had lived up to this point, he had never felt as connected to another human
being.
And as long as he was going to live in the future, he didn't think that he ever would again.
 Chapter Eighteen
Chelle awoke, warm and toasty in bed, to the smell of bacon and coffee. She stretched her
hands over her head and smiled. She felt refreshed, renewed, happy. Last night was perfect.
She enjoyed this elated feeling for just a moment before her mind started racing with the
possibilities of what last night meant. What would the ramifications be?
She didn’t know if things would be weird between her and Riley now.
Chelle had never had a one-night-stand before. It's not that she had some kind of moral
objection to them. She just wasn’t that girl - the one who could be carefree and wild. She had only
ever been intimate with people that she was in a committed relationship with. But, hey, she thought
wryly, look where that got me.
Plus, she had known Riley forever. Did it really count as a one-night-stand? Hmm, maybe she
should Google it. No, wait. She was overthinking this. Overanalyzing was her main flaw! She needed
to summon her inner Samantha.
She and Riley had fun last night. They were both adults. She just needed to go out there with
an air of sophistication and be very casual about the whole thing.
She rose out of bed, grabbed Riley’s shirt and pulled it over her head. It fell to just above her
knee. She walked over to the full length mirror and looked at herself.
Her hair was a mess and she was swimming in his shirt. But there was definitely a glow about
her.
She had always wondered if people really did have a morning-after-sex-glow. She had never
experienced it. Although, in all fairness, her experience was somewhat limited. But one night with
Riley and she sure as heck had it!
Excitement filled her. She wanted to jump up and down, clapping her hands and
squealing...but she didn’t really think that would read “mature experienced woman” so she refrained.
She needed to pull herself together before she went out there and faced the music...or the
bacon, in this case. She hoped that Riley wasn’t regretting last night.
Well, only one way to find out.
She took a deep breath. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Opening the bedroom door,
she padded barefoot across the wooden floor to the kitchen.
Riley was standing at the stove in sweats that hung dangerously low. He stood there, sans
shirt, and the muscles in his back rippled as he flipped the bacon.
Mmmm.....
She heard a sound of sheer, unadulterated appreciation escape from deep inside of her. She
slapped a hand over her mouth just as Riley turned, now alerted to her presence.
A small lopsided grin was the only acknowledgment he made of her reaction to him.
“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty,” he said as he turned and finished removing the last of the
bacon from the pan and transferred it to the plate beside the stove.
“Morning.” Chelle wasn’t sure what to do. A small voice inside her head piped up - ‘act
natural, for God's sake!’
Yes! Good. She could do that. Just act natural, she repeated to herself as she walked into the
kitchen to get some OJ from the fridge. She opened the fridge, removed the OJ, placed it on the
counter and closed the fridge.
Okay, so far so good, she thought. She turned and opened the cabinet that held the cups.
Reaching high over her head she felt Riley behind her.
She leaned back into him, feeling his solid chest at her back. Unlike the first morning after he
had arrived, when she had had to fight the instinct to melt against him, now she simply let herself
luxuriate in the warmth and solidness of his body. She felt his erection, rock hard, pressed against her
back.
He wrapped one arm around her waist. Looking down she saw his large hand spread across
her belly and the sight of it was a serious turn-on. With his other hand he brushed her hair to one side,
revealing her neck.
She instinctively tilted her head to give him better access.
His lips moved to her sensitive skin and she felt a ripple of chills rush throughout her entire
body. Even the tiny hairs on her arm were standing up.
He kissed her softly at first, then she felt his mouth open as his tongue licked from the base of
her neck to right below her ear. She felt his teeth as he bit the tender skin there. The hot, stinging
sensation shot right down to her sex. She heard herself gasp from sheer pleasure.
He alternated kissing, licking, and biting up and down her neck. She began writhing from the
sweet ecstasy that was coursing through her. Her knees felt wobbly and her legs felt shaky. She
melted against him, desire pulsing through her.
“Do you remember the morning I got here?” His ragged voice caused goosebumps to form on
her arm.
“Yes,” she whispered throatily.
“Do you know how bad I wanted to touch you then?”
His words caused pleasure to build inside of her like a balloon about to burst.
“Do you know how bad I want you to touch me now?” she said, her voice coming out in a taut,
strangled gasp.
He groaned as he slipped his hand between her legs. She felt the pressure of his fingers
rubbing her through her panties. Her body tensed at the overwhelming sensations his touch was
causing.
“Relax, Chelle. Open your legs for me,” he commanded gently.
She did as he asked and he slipped his hand inside her panties. She could feel the rough pad
of his fingertips as he brushed over her sensitive nub, lightly at first, and then with more pressure
before his fingers traveled lower. He took his time, gliding over her wet folds, before he slipped one
finger inside of her.
He moaned from deep inside his chest. She felt the vibration against her back. “Damn, you
feel so good, baby. So tight around my finger.”
His bold words caused her legs to give out on her and she reached up and grabbed onto his
arms. His biceps flexed beneath her hands as she anchored herself to him. She dug her fingers into his
arms as she held on for dear life, riding out the incredible pleasure his fingers were giving her.
Then suddenly everything stopped. Riley’s his entire body stilled. He removed his hand and
she heard him curse under his breath.
She had no idea what was going on. She felt engulfed in a cloud of confusion, her legs
trembling like Jello, her breath coming fast in short gasps. She was just about to ask Riley what in the
heck was going on when she heard it. A loud knocking on the door.
“It’s Randall, Chelle!” She heard Katie’s landlord yell. “Need to get into the apartment, hon.
Open up!”
Chelle began to move to the front door, but Riley beat her to it. He was at the front door
before she even made it out of the kitchen.
He glanced back over his shoulder before opening the door, “You might want to put some
pants on. Sounds like he’s coming in.”
She looked down at herself still feeling a little shell-shocked and saw that she was only
wearing Riley’s shirt.
“Good idea,” she said as she sprinted to the bedroom. She had just closed the door when she
heard the two men talking.
She quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and pulled her hair up into a ponytail.
When she joined the men in the kitchen she saw that Randall was under the sink and Riley
(who she saw had thrown on a shirt) was standing, arms crossed, with a not-so-happy look on his
face.
“I really don’t mind taking a look.”
“Oh, nonsense, son - this is my job!” She heard Randall's cheerful voice from below the sink.
“What’s going on?” She asked.
 Randall’s head popped up, “Well now, Mrs. Partridge was sittin' down to have her morning
coffee. She takes it black, no sugar, no milk. And, what do you know? Just as she was about to take
her first sip, doggone water splashed into it. She looked up and, lo and behold, it was coming from
the ceiling above her head! Now, she’s right below you in 214. So, best as I can put together, you got
quite a leak from this here pipe.”
Chelle looked up at Riley, who still wore his not-so-happy frown.
“Now, don’t mind me! You kids go on with what you were doin',” Randall said as he climbed
back under the sink.
Chelle immediately felt her cheeks get heated and her eyes shot to Riley, who now wore a
crooked smile. He waggled his eyebrows up and down and Chelle laughed. She loved this playful,
happy side of Riley. She didn’t think many people saw that side of him and she felt grateful that she
was able to.
“This shouldn’t take more'n a couple of hours, kids,” Randall bellowed.
Chelle’s eyes widened and Riley’s head fell back in frustration.

--- ~ ---

Riley had been pretty upset when Randall and the leaky sink foiled his plans to keep Chelle
naked and in bed all day. But now, he had to admit, he was having a good time.
After they had eaten breakfast and Randall informed them the fix would most likely take up the
‘lion’s share of the day’, they decided to get out of there and get some air. When Riley asked Chelle if
there was anything she wanted to do, her eyes lit up and she said there was one thing that she had
always wanted to do, but had put off so far because she hadn't wanted to do it alone.
So now, here they were, riding their bikes across the Golden Gate Bridge. Chelle was in front
of him and he had to say - he was enjoying the view. She would look over her shoulder every once in
a while and flash him her amazing smile. Every time she did his heart cracked open just a little more.
He knew that they should probably talk about last night. He knew that she needed to know
where he stood. He knew that the last thing he would ever want to do is lead her on.
His head was still trying to convince him that things would never work out with her. But after
last night, he really wasn’t sure how he could ever walk away from her.
He loved her and she loved him. He knew that without a shadow of a doubt. Maybe a part of
him had always loved her. But he was a realist and knew that love didn’t solve everything.
His dad had loved his mom, and look how that had turned out. He had ended up alone, raising
five boys. He didn’t want to end up like his dad.
 His mom had loved him and his brothers and she still left.
Just like he had loved his Dad and brothers, but the first chance he saw, he had gotten the hell
out of Dodge.
Some people just weren’t cut out for a family and all that goes with it. His mom was one of
those people. Riley had always believed that he was too. But, Chelle definitely made him wish that he
wasn’t. He wished he could be her forever.
He knew the truth though. He was damaged. She was perfect. She deserved better.
They ended up back at Crissy Field, and together they laid out a blanket with all of the picnic
stuff they had picked up once they had decided what their field trip would be for the day.
They chatted while they ate, mainly about what the past years that they had been apart had
been filled with. Riley kept things light as he told her about his time in the military. He didn’t like to
let his mind go to the disturbing places he had been and things he had seen.
She told him about nursing school and moving back to Harper’s Crossing. She really loved
that town and the people that lived in it. Sadly, Riley did not share in her warm feelings for either.
His experience there had not been quite as happy as hers had.
After they finished eating they sat in comfortable silence as they looked over the bay. The
water was shining. There was a breeze blowing and he was perfectly content just watching Chelle as
she sat beside him. She was breathtakingly beautiful. He could get used to this, to spending his days
with her, and - more importantly - his nights.
He had to remind himself harshly that that wasn’t going to happen.
They needed to talk. He still felt bad about that moment last night when he had asked her to
tell him how she felt. He knew it was wrong, he had known it even as he had done it, but he couldn't
stop himself. And now, no matter what transpired in the future, he would always have the memory of
her saying those sweet words to him. He wasn’t sure what to say to her. He just needed her to know
where his stood. He didn’t want to leave any room for confusion or pain when he walked away. And,
make no mistake, he would walk away. This time together had been amazing, but there wasn’t a future
here.
“Chelle, we need to talk.”
She didn’t look up at him, just quietly said, “No.”
He didn’t really know how to respond to that. Should he just come back with 'Yes' or...? He
hesitated, not sure what the correct tactic was. Before he could figure it out, though, she explained.
“I just want this day. Just one more day. Okay?” She did look up at him then, and he saw in
her eyes that she knew. She knew this was all it could be.
He nodded.
 “I love people watching,” she said, glancing away.
Honestly, he hadn’t really even noticed that there were other people around them. It felt like
they were in their own little world whenever they were together.
He looked up and saw an older couple walking hand in hand down the pedestrian path. He
saw a young father playing catch with his son on the grassy area to their left. There was a woman on a
bench down by the water, reading, and a young couple walked their golden retriever puppy on the
sandy beach area.
She nodded her head towards the older couple strolling together. “Okay,” she challenged with
a smile, “what’s the story?”
Nostalgia washed over him. He had completely forgotten that they used to play ‘what’s the
story’ when they were kids down at the Riverwalk.
“That’s Bernie and Nancy,” he said, getting into the spirit of the game, “They just celebrated
their fiftieth wedding anniversary. They were never able to have children due to an unfortunate
incident that Bernie suffered while playing baseball in his youth. Suffice it to say, it involved a bat
and his junk. He doesn't like to talk about it.”
“Junk? Really?” Chelle smiled and shook her head.
“I said he doesn't like to talk about it,” Riley replied, doing his best to keep a straight face and
succeeding – except for the small smile that tugged at the edges of his mouth.
“Miles and Velma, both widowed, met online. Their kids made their respective profiles. This
is their first date.” She looked proud of herself.
He tilted his head, giving her a knowing wink. “Mine’s better.”
She sighed in defeat, “I know, yours always were. You have a good imagination.”
He leaned forward, “I wanted to put that imagination to good use this morning before we were
interrupted.”
A blush quickly rose on her cheeks. He loved how she was always blushing around him. He
loved seeing the physical evidence of how she responded to him.
“Well, we still have tonight.” She smiled as she got up and swung her leg over the side of her
bike.
His pants were suddenly very tight, and it occurred to him that he had no idea how in the hell
he was going to ride a bike with a raging hard-on.

--- ~ ---

Chelle pulled the chicken out of the oven and flipped it before returning it and closing the
oven door. She set the timer for another 15 minutes. She stirred the rice as she checked on the veggies
she was steaming. She wasn’t the greatest cook, but Riley had made her breakfast every day that he
had been there and she wanted to return the favor.
She knew that this afternoon, when she had put off their talk, she was only delaying the
inevitable. But, why not put it off? She already knew she wasn’t going to like what he had to say.
She just didn’t want things to be awkward between them. She didn’t want him to feel like he
had to let her down easy. She wouldn’t be able to stand it if she saw a look of pity in his eyes.
Chelle didn’t want to be 'that girl' to him. The one that got attached. The one who got clingy.
The one he would have to avoid from then on.
She had seen it happen time and time again with women and her brother Eddie. He hadn’t
wanted anything serious since Emily’s mom Lacey had left.
He had tried to date casually, but women always took it for more than what it was. She had
seen him try and let them down easy, to try to be kind but firm. That worked about eighty percent of
the time. But, with the other twenty percent, he had to end up being downright cruel, or to just try and
avoid them at all costs. There was no other way, because they simply refused to get a clue!
She didn’t want to have that ‘talk’ with Riley.
WWSD (What Would Samantha Do), hmm?
That’s it, she thought!
Samantha would probably let him off the hook first, beat him to the punch. Proactive was
always better than reactive, right? She was sure she had read that somewhere.
Good, so the plan was to make sure that Riley knew that she was aware of the situation, which
was - this was just for fun. Temporary. Nothing serious. She may have to backpedal a little, since she
had told him several times the night before (at his insistence, but whatever!) that she loved him.
Whoops!
But, hey. He probably wouldn’t bring that up. He was a guy! If there was one thing you could
count on a guy for, it was to be willing to gloss over an emotionally charged topic if it meant
shortening – or avoiding – an uncomfortable, intense conversation. So she was sure that they could
just sweep the whole 'I love you' thing under the rug.
Right?
 Chapter Nineteen
Chelle sat across from Riley trying to build up the courage to have The Talk.
“This is amazing,” He took another bite of the chicken, “You didn’t have to do this.”
“I wanted to.” She smiled and she immediately saw that look he got in his eye whenever she
smiled. She liked that look. She was going to miss that look.
Okay, talk time! Just start talking, she told herself. There was one tiny problem with that...she
had no idea what to say. What did she remember Eddie saying to women?
He told them he didn’t have room in his life for someone other than Emily. Yeah, well that
wouldn’t work for obvious reasons.
He sometimes reminded them that he had told them he didn’t want anything serious before they
had ever hooked up the first time. Well, damn. Also not going to work, since she (like an idiot) had
professed her love to him before they hooked up.
At times, he had also used the good ole’ faithful ‘not ready for a relationship.’ Now, that one
might actually get some traction. She had just gotten out of a serious relationship. It would make sense
that she wasn't ready to just jump right into another one. Yeah. That could actually work.
DAMMIT! Why did this have to be so hard? Why couldn’t she just tell the truth? You
know...say something like, ‘Sure I’m in love with you, but it’s no biggie! I know that you don’t feel
the same, and that's cool. But, here's the thing - I really like having sex with you...SOOOO...this
friends-with-benefits thing is just fine and dandy with me.’
If only life were that simple.
“I can practically hear the wheels churning. What’s going on in that pretty little head of
yours?”
“Nothing.” She smiled to try to deflect. No way was she going to fess up that she had been
thinking about them.
“Chelle.” His tone made it very clear that he was not buying what she was laying down.
“What?” she asked innocently.
“I think we need to talk.”
Crap, he beat her to it. Well, since she couldn’t come up with anything to say anyway, maybe
she didn't even deserve to go first. She might as well hear him out. Pssshhh.... even though she would
bet her last dollar she was not going to like what he said.
She looked up into his hazel eyes…nope, not one little bit.
“I care a lot about you…”
Not a good start! She wanted to crawl under the table and hide.
 “I want you to know that I wish things were different…”
God, she wanted to throw up.
“I wish I could be what you need, what you deserve…”
Whoa, she needed to stop this train and fast. It was headed straight into Humiliation Station
and Chelle did not plan to still be riding it when it pulled in.
Think, think, think!
Perfect! WWSD to the rescue!
“What I need is just this. No strings. No expectations. I just want to enjoy our time together
while we’re here.”
Please please let it be at least a few more days, she said to herself.
She continued, “When I go home, I return to reality. And reality is that in Harper’s Crossing,
we are just old friends. You’re my brother’s best friend. Nothing more, nothing less. This is my break
from reality. You are my break from reality. That’s what I need.”
Riley was quiet. He looked as though he was battling with what she was saying. He didn’t
look quite convinced that she was telling the truth.
She was so ready for this conversation to be over! She just wanted him to drop it. Not
knowing what else to do, she stood and cleared the plates.
As soon as she did, Riley stood and started clearing the rest of the table. He looked
conflicted. She hated seeing him like that. He had had enough conflict in his life.
She wanted him to be able to look back on these few days they had spent together with nothing
but fondness. Nothing but happy - or, better yet, HOT - memories.
A bell went off in her head. Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner! That’s exactly what she
needed to do! Make more memories of the HOT variety. She could do this. She could be bold.
She stripped out of her shirt and began walking towards the bedroom door while unbuttoning
her pants. She heard nothing but absolute silence behind her as he stopped clearing the table. She
could feel his eyes on her.
“I’m gonna take a shower, care to join me?” She didn’t look back, her heart was pounding out
of her chest.
She heard the clatter of plates being dropped back on the table, and then Riley's footsteps as
he moved to follow.
She breathed a sigh of relief as she realized that, in fact, this was going to happen after all.
She really didn't want to leave things with Riley on this note of angst. She wanted to experience at
least one last night of bone-shattering ecstasy. She wanted to put just one more memory of pleasure, of
their bodies connecting, into her consciousness before this beautiful time came to an end.
 In addition to that, she felt pretty proud of herself. During their previous encounter (well,
encounters – plural, if you wanted to get technical – it was four times!) Riley had been the one driving
things. Now she was taking the initiative, and she liked the little rush of excitement it gave her.
She had never thought of herself as a particularly sensual person before, or a particularly
sultry one. She'd never thought of herself as being especially sexy, per se. It wasn't that she didn't
have a good idea of how she looked – she realized she was reasonably attractive. She didn't have low
self-esteem or anything – she liked her face, and she liked her body.
It was just that she had never thought of herself as one of those women that exuded sex appeal.
Some women just did, it poured off of them effortlessly, in waves. Like her friend Amber – that girl
walked into the room, and even 90-year-old guys dropped their jaws to the ground and said, “Hubba
hubba.”
Chelle had always kinda wished she was that way. It was why Samantha was her favorite one
on Sex and the City! But, since she was far more of a Charlotte in real life, she had resigned herself to
the fact that it was never going to happen. She was always going to be the pretty one, the cute one –
but never the sexy one.
But now – With Riley – she felt like the sexiest woman that had ever lived. She did feel it
coming off of her in waves. It was like a power that she stepped into, like a certain magic that she
was only able to channel when he was in the room.
It was the way that he looked at her, she decided. It was a hunger in his eyes as they raked
over her body. It was the fact that, when Riley looked at her, he thought about sex - she could read the
unabashed lust in his eyes. The fact that she saw a sexy woman reflected back in his eyes when he
looked at her made her feel like that sexy woman - and she was enjoying playing around a little bit
with that knowledge!
When she walked into the bathroom, she stepped slowly and seductively over to the shower
and turned it on, adjusting the water to be as hot as she could stand it. She turned to Riley and saw
that he was lounging in the doorway, one shoulder leaned against the jamb, watching her with
undisguised carnal interest. She smiled as she released the ponytail holder that had been keeping her
hair in place. As her hair began to fall to her shoulders she shook it loose. Riley remained leaning
casually against the doorway, seemingly unaffected, but when her eyes traveled down his body, she
could see she had a big effect on his lower region.
Her smile widened as she slowly peeled off the rest of her clothing and stepped into the
shower, immediately positioning herself underneath the powerful spray of hot water, wetting down
her hair and letting the steaming droplets stream over her skin.
She slowly ran her hands back through her newly wet hair and down the length of her body,
enjoying watching Riley watch her. His undivided attention and hungry gaze was turning her on more
than she ever thought was possible. His eyes greedily roamed the length of her body before meeting
hers, when their eyes locked she asked playfully, "I’m glad you’re enjoying the show but are you
going to join me?"
She didn't need to ask him twice. Without a word, he stripped down and had a condom on
faster than she would've imagined possible. Unlike her sensual striptease, his movements as he
disrobed were purely practical. He was aiming for speed, not style.
Still, even though he was not calculating his movements to be seductive, she still got a pretty
intense erotic charge from watching each piece of clothing being pulled from his body, revealing his
hard and muscular physique beneath. He was perfection.
As she watched him roll the condom onto his erection, she did not realize that a groan of
anticipation had actually escaped from her throat until she saw him looking up at her, a wicked smile
on his lips. Then, and only then, did she become aware enough of her surroundings to hear the sound
that she was making. Until that point, she had been so caught up in the haze of lust that the sight of his
body created in her mind that she might not even have noticed if they had been engulfed in one of San
Francisco's famous earthquakes. She might have just mistaken it for the quaking that the sight of
Riley's naked body caused inside of her.
She couldn't help it! He was just so sexy, and the charge between them was so electric, that
when she saw his bulging erection all she could think about was him being inside of her, thrusting into
her again and again, until she screamed with release. The image was powerful, it caused a physical
reaction in her that she had not even been aware of, and could not control.
She smiled. The difference between this sex-image of Riley Sloan that flashed through her
brain and the majority of the rest of the thousands that had proceeded it over the course of the years
was that this one was about to really be happening!
Riley moved over to the shower and stepped into it with her. He pulled the curtain closed
behind him, creating a tiny, intimate fantasy world that was only inhabited by the two of them.
He put his hands on her waist, pulling her closer to him. He looked into her eyes and teased,
"I didn't think you needed a shower to get you wet. I thought I did a pretty good job of that last night."
The erotically charged words caused her to whimper, and she couldn't think of a response.
What was it about Riley Sloan and sex that rendered her speechless? She merely looked back up into
his eyes, biting her lower lip to deal with the sudden rush of arousal that was threatening to
overwhelm her.
Apparently, that gesture worked like magic on him, though, because all of a sudden he became
very intense. He put his hands around her face, thumbs stroking her cheeks, and said intensely, "My
God, Chelle, you're so sexy...fuck...the water running down your naked body...you're so beautiful..."
 With that, she felt herself being spun around and pressed up against the tile wall of the
shower. WHOA! She loved it when he took control of her body like that. It made her feel so tiny, so
vulnerable, so utterly protected by his strength, power, and agility.
She felt him step up behind her, his hard body pressing against the length of her soft one,
mingling together under the hot stream of water.
He ran his hands up her slick torso, coming to rest on her breasts, where his thumbs
authoritatively flicked her hard nipples as her back pressed into his chest. She snaked one arm behind
his neck, and pressed the other one against the wall to steady herself.
Every time his thumb flicked one of the hard nubs of her nipples, she felt the corresponding
earthquake down in her center. God, she was aching for him, she was throbbing. She needed him
inside her!
“Please, Riley...” she begged breathlessly, “I need...I need you...”
Keeping one hand firmly on her sensitized breast, never leaving the manipulation of her nipple
for an instant, Riley slid the other hand down her belly and into the soft, hot folds of her center. He
flicked her pleasure button, then swirled his fingers around it in circles, causing her knees to buckle.
Luckily, since she was pressed up against Riley, she remained upright.
“This?” he whispered in her ear, pretending ignorance, “Is this the part of you that needs me?”
Chelle groaned from deep within, shivers of pleasure jolting through her from both areas of
her body that Riley was manipulating. She wanted to answer him, dammit! She wanted to do the
clever-cute-sex-banter thing with him! She wanted him to think of her as a sophisticated,
cosmopolitan woman – his sexual equal.
But, hell...she couldn't formulate a thought to save her life. Banter? Completely beyond her.
Clever-Cute-Sex-Banter?
Get real.
All she managed to squeak out was, “Yes...inside...please...” as her body melted further into
his pleasure-giving fingers.
“I can do that,” he teased, his voice hoarse, “You just had to ask. Now spread your legs a
little more, and tilt your hips back...there you go...just like that.”
Oh, LORD! The instructions he was giving her, logistical in nature though they might be, were
making her feel like she was going to explode in an orgasm right then and there, before he was even
inside of her.
As his rock hard length slowly entered her she felt waves of pleasure from her center rolling
outward to her extremities, and even saw small explosions of light behind her eyelids. Phewwww!
She could experience this until the day that she died and never get tired of it!
 The truth was, when Riley was inside of her, she felt whole. Full. Connected in a way that she
had never felt before. She didn't think that this feeling could be explained entirely by physical
chemistry. In fact, she was fairly sure of that fact. The feeling was, if she was not mistaken, the
physical manifestation of their souls mingling.
Sex with Riley was more powerful for Chelle than any drug she could imagine ever ingesting.
Oh, man, though...if this was what drugs felt like, she could certainly see why people had a hard time
kicking them!
Riley began to move his hand upward, away from where it was massaging her pleasure
center, his fingers exploring her body. Chelle did something that was, for her, uncharacteristically
bold. She reached down, grabbed his wrist, and moved his hand back down.
She felt, more than heard, the growl of pleasure that rumbled deep in Riley's chest. He buried
his face in the back of her neck. “You want me to keep touching you there while I'm inside of you?” he
whispered raggedly.
She nodded furiously. There was that whole 'can't think of words' thing, rearing its ugly head
again.
Riley groaned as he slid his hand back down and began to move his fingers in time with the
rhythm that he was creating by pumping in and out of her. Oh, it was delicious! Chelle didn't know
how long she could hold off before exploding with pleasure around his fingers and his erection, but
she wanted to try and prolong it more than she had ever wanted anything in her life. She needed to
extend this fierce pleasure spiraling through her for as long as humanly possible.
She managed to hold out for what somehow felt like an eternity and felt like mere seconds,
simultaneously. If she had been forced to guess the amount of time that she had stood there, pressed up
by Riley's body against the wall of the shower, enjoying the consuming pleasures that his body was
giving her...she honestly would not have known whether to say a minute or an hour.
When she could no longer control her body's inexorable climb toward climax, she felt the
explosions beginning at her core and spreading outward through her torso and continuing to the tips of
her fingers and toes. If Riley did not have her so securely pinned up against the wall of the shower,
she surely would have collapsed to the ceramic floor as her entire body quaked and shuddered with
the wickedly intense orgasm that Riley was giving her. The pleasure was mind-blowing.
She thought that, of everything that her body was experiencing – every tiny sensation that
contributed to the overload of ecstasy that was roaring through her body – her very favorite part was
the way that she felt completely encircled by Riley's strength and warmth. She could feel his body
pressed up against the length of her, his strong arm around her, holding her up. She had never felt so
completely secure, so safe, so protected, so...free.
 Yes, it was as if the base foundation of safety and comfort that Riley's strong, encircling arms
gave her provided her with the freedom to let her body feel anything that she was willing to let it. She
had certainly never experienced this loss of control with anyone else before! She knew that it had to
be because of more than just the pure chemistry she shared with Riley, or even her lifelong crush. It
was because, with Riley, she felt safe in losing all control, letting everything go.
She felt secure in letting herself tumble skyward, head over heels, when he launched her into
stratospheres of pleasure because she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he would be there to
catch her when she tumbled back down to earth.
As she felt herself slowly descending now, she became aware of little details one by one. The
steaming pressure of the water streaming down her body. The slick, hard surface of the tile under her
palm. The solidness of the ceramic shower floor under her feet.
The final sensation that entered her consciousness was the fact that Riley was still inside of
her, fully erect, moving slowly, gently, ever so slightly. He was guiding her back down to earth.
She turned her head to look back into his eyes. “You didn't...?”
He shook his head, and planted kisses on her forehead, her cheek, the side of her mouth. “I
wanted to enjoy watching you. I wanted to see every detail, commit it to memory,” he whispered.
She closed her eyes against the onslaught of pure pleasure that his words caused to course
through her body. Only Riley could bring her to the brink with nothing more than a few well-chosen
words.
Without taking time to give it much thought, she wriggled away from him, turned around, and
dropped to her knees in front of him. She pulled off his condom and tossed it aside.
She looked up and into his eyes, she smiled and said, in a voice that was much stronger and
clearer than she would have thought that she was capable of, “Well, then. I think that you deserve a
reward.”
With that, she took him into her mouth, using her tongue to trace the outline of his shaft as she
moved her head up and down on his powerful erection. She felt his fingers tangling in her wet hair,
heard him groan from deep inside as her mouth did its work.
Hmmmm...she thought. Riley's really onto something with this whole observing-the-other-
person-in-the-throes-of-ecstasy thing! It's pretty awesome, I could get used to it!
She felt power surging through her like an electric current as she reveled in her ability to give
Riley pleasure. God, if she were able to make him feel even a tenth as good as he had made her feel,
she would be happy with that!
She felt Riley's muscles begin to twitch more violently against her fingers and lips and
realized that he was going to come. He tried to guide her head away, gasping out a warning, but
Chelle didn't want a warning. She wanted every part of him. She wanted to maintain her connection
with him until the end, to use her mouth to give him every last drop of pleasure that she could until he
exploded within her.
As Riley reached climax, Chelle could tell that he was lost in the moment, completely
engrossed. It was a revelation to her, to see someone as controlled as Riley normally was lose all
conscious control in the heat of climax. She could get used to seeing that, and knowing that she was
the cause of it – yeah, she could definitely get used to that!
She stopped herself just short of that line of thinking, giving herself a quick and harsh
reminder that getting used to anything where Riley was concerned was not an option. The truth was,
she needed to enjoy this little interlude for what it was, pack the memories away to be able to look
back on and smile when she was old and gray, and leave it at that.
Hmmmm....
Why was she increasingly beginning to suspect that it was going to be anything but that
simple?
 Chapter Twenty
The first thing Riley was aware of in the morning was feeling Chelle begin to leave the warm
circle of his embrace. Although he was only semi-conscious, he felt his arms automatically tighten
around her. He loved waking up with her beside him.
She patted his hand, “I gotta get my phone, it’s been ringing non-stop for the last hour.”
He begrudgingly let her go. He looked at the clock beside the bed, it read 9:30 a.m. He
watched her cute little rear as she bent over and got her phone out of her purse. He felt himself get
hard instantly.
As she looked down at her phone her brow furrowed, “Holy cow, eight missed calls.”
She hit a button that he was assuming gave her access to her voicemails. Her face grew tight
as she listened.
She took the phone from her ear and pressed another button, then replaced the phone against
her ear. She repeated this several times before Riley asked, “Is everything okay?”
She didn’t answer. She listened for a few more minutes before sighing and placing a call.
“Hey, Vickey. Yeah, I got your messages. I'll check on flights. Hopefully I will be able to get
home today.
“Yes, it’s been great.
“Okay, I’ll shoot you a text and let you know when I can be there.
“No it’s fine. Honestly. Yep, talk soon.”
Chelle replaced the phone in her purse and started picking her clothes up off the floor,
completely ignoring him. He didn’t want to pry, but it seemed that if he was going to find out what
was going on, he was going to have to.
“Who was that?”
“My supervisor,” Her tone sounded flat, “Three nurses are out with the flu and the floor is
full.”
She pulled on her shirt and underwear and sat at the desk as she turned on her laptop
computer. “Lots of people having babies. I’ve gotta get the next flight home.”
“Back to reality.” He repeated the words that she had used the night before. They caused a
sharp pain in his chest.
“Yep.” She said curtly nodding her head, just once.
He stood and pulled on his shorts, crossing to where she was sitting at the desk. “Why don’t
you start getting packed up, I’ll take care of getting us home.”
She shook her head and continued typing away, going from site to site, looking for flights. “No
thanks, I can book my own flight.” She sounded irritated by his request.
He didn’t want to be the cause of her becoming any more upset than she already was.
Honestly, he just wanted to take care of this for her.
He put his arm on her shoulder and he felt her tense under his touch. He removed his hand. He
did his best to make his tone come across as reasonable, without seeming patronizing. He just wanted
her to relax and listen. “Look I have to get a flight anyway, and you have a lot more stuff to pack up
than me. So let me take care of the flights and you get ready to go.”
She slumped in her chair, “Fine, but I’ll pay you back for the ticket.”
He wasn’t going to argue that point with her now, but there was no way in hell that was going
to happen.
He closed his eyes sadly as reality began to truly hit home. He had just spent the last three
days in a fantasy. They had been the best three days of his life. Now, he was buying his own plane
ticket straight back to reality, and it was the last place he wanted to go.
She stood and quickly went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her and clicking the
lock. Clearly he wasn’t invited.
He heard the water start and flashes from the night before started popping into his head. How
drastically things had changed in less than twenty-four hours.

--- ~ ---

Just as he was putting the finishing touches on breakfast, he heard the bedroom door open.
Chelle walked out, her carry-on draped over her shoulder, rolling a large suitcase behind her. She
didn’t look up at him, didn’t smile, but merely placed her luggage by the front door.
When she joined him in the kitchen area, she still looked one hundred percent closed off. The
‘do not disturb’ sign was firmly in place.
He wanted to grab her and kiss her until she melted. He wanted to pick her up and take her
back to the bedroom, strip her out of her clothes and toss her on the bed. And he wanted to keep her
there, naked and smiling.
But he couldn’t do that. That was over. They were over.
“Any luck?” She asked as she straightened up some things in the kitchen. Not that it needed it.
She just seemed determined not to look at him.
“We fly out of SFO in three hours.” He said.
“Great. Well, we should probably get going. Traffic is crazy in this city.”
“We have enough time to eat. Do you want OJ or coffee?”
He wanted his Chelle back. Even on the day he had arrived, after a week of doing nothing but
eating and drinking alone, she had seemed happier than the girl who was standing in front of him now.
“Neither, and I’m not hungry. I’m gonna call a cab.”
“I already did. It'll be here in twenty minutes.” He couldn’t help himself, he had to touch her,
even though she was clearly giving signals that she wanted to be left alone.
He stepped closer to her, cautiously testing the waters, and she raised her face to him. She
looked into his eyes for the first time since she had picked up her phone that morning. He saw tears
brimming, and her eyes were slightly puffy, making him think she had just spent the last hour crying.
The sight made him feel like someone had kicked him in the balls.
Without waiting for permission he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. He held her
tightly. She felt good there, perfect. It seemed like that’s what his arms were created for, to hold her.
Finally, she relaxed and wrapped her arms around him. He let out a breath he hadn’t even
known he had been holding in.
“I just don’t want to go yet,” she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.
“I know. I don’t either.” He heard the need, the desperation coming through in his own voice.
She looked up at him. Without even thinking about it, he kissed her. Not to comfort her, not to
try and make it better. No, he kissed her because he was a selfish prick and he needed to feel her lips,
to taste her. He poured every ounce of unspoken emotion he had for her into that kiss.
All too soon she pulled away and then after a beat she stepped away, out of his arms. He felt
the loss immediately.
“I’m gonna go let Randall and Mrs. Winders know that I’m leaving. I’ll meet you downstairs
at the cab. Can you make sure everything is shut off and locked up?”
She didn’t wait for his answer. Just like that, she was out the door.

--- ~ ---

Chelle felt a teeny-tiny bit bad about the foul mood that had taken up residence and was
steadily worsening. She had tried to shake it, but it didn’t seem like it would be leaving any time
soon.
She attempted to reason with her own foul temper. Hey, she told herself, it isn’t Riley’s fault
that you have to go back to work. It isn’t Riley’s fault that your time in San Francisco is over. It
certainly isn’t Riley’s fault that you're madly in love with him!
She sighed. She recognized the logic in all of that. So why was she was giving him the silent
treatment? Why was she avoiding touching him as if he were a leper? Why was she doing everything
humanly possible to not make eye contact with him?
 She honestly had no idea. He hadn’t done anything wrong. In fact, just the opposite, really. He
had done everything right! He booked the flight, made breakfast, called a cab. And she'd acted like a
spoiled brat.
She wished she could snap out of her funk. She was trying to will herself to do it. But every
time he did something like take her luggage, or hold open a door for her, or kiss her silly in the
kitchen...well, she just got madder and madder.
All of those gestures, as sweet as they might be, were just glaring reminders of what she
would be missing out on when they got back to Harper’s Crossing. But, still, she didn’t want to spend
the last few precious hours she had in their little bubble pouting. She needed to “snap out of it” as
Cher had so eloquently put it in the movie Moonstruck.
Riley’s arm brushed against Chelle and she felt a ripple of desire flow through her. When she
turned her head, she saw Riley staring at her, the look in his eyes conveying that he was feeling the
same thing - or at least something very similar.
“How you doing over there?” Riley asked, sounding genuinely concerned.
“I’m good. I’ve never flown business class, it’s nice.” She tried to inject some life into her
tone, to make sure that her voice sounded cheerful and upbeat. Unfortunately, she only managed
monotone.
Oh well, she supposed, it was better than sounding maudlin or pissed.
The 'seatbelt' light came on and she reached into her purse to get her cell phone and turn it off
before take-off. When she did she noticed she had six more missed calls, the same amount of
voicemails, and eight text messages. A quick look to see who they were from confirmed what she
already suspected.
She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. Great. She was going to have to deal with yet
another thing as soon as she got home. So much for a quiet evening to get acclimated back to reality.
She placed her phone back in her bag, clicked her seatbelt into place and leaned back in her
seat.
“More work stuff?” Riley asked.
“Oh, no.” Chelle closed her eyes. “I wish.”
“What is it then?”
“Nothing.” She stated.
“Chelle.” He sounded impatient and serious.
She opened her eyes and lifted her head as she mimicked his tone, “Riley.”
“Who were the calls from?”
“Why do you care?” She snapped back at him.
 Dammit! Why couldn’t she just talk to him civilly?
He didn’t speak, just waited, patiently looking at her. She sighed, feeling a little guilty and a
tiny bit embarrassed for how she was behaving.
“They’re from David.”
“What the hell does that douchebag want?” Riley’s voice was now very low and menacing.
“To talk.”
“About what?” His tone remained intense.
“I don’t know yet.” She answered honestly.
“Are you going to talk to him?” He asked with disgust.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
This conversation was going nowhere and it served no purpose other than maybe to put her in
an even worse mood, if that was possible. Better to just nip this in the bud.
She sighed loudly, “A few reasons, actually. One: We still live in the same house. So,
obviously, something needs to be done about that, and what that 'something' is has yet to be discussed
or determined. Two: We have been together for years and we’ve built a life together. So, yes, I do
have a slight level of curiosity about what he might have to say. Three: I was engaged to the man not
even a month ago.” She had been counting on her fingers, she now laid her hand on the armrest, “I can
hear him out, I at least owe him that much.”
“You don’t owe him anything,” Riley growled.
Ugh! He was so frustrating. She was over it. Time to give Mr. Buttinski seated beside her a
piece of her mind.
“You’re right, as a matter of fact. I don’t owe him anything. Just like I don’t owe you anything,
including answering your impromptu Spanish inquisition. But,” She threw her arms up in a ta-da
fashion, “I guess I’m a giver. So, I will talk to him and I did answer your questions. Now, it’s your
turn to answer mine. Why. Do. You. Care?”
Instead of responding, explaining his annoying interest in her talk with David, he leaned
closer to her and reached up, threading his fingers in her hair.
Her mind raced. Why, WHY, did that have to feel SO good?
His fingertips brushed the side of her neck and his thumb traced her jawline.
Damn, she loved it when he did that. Perfect! One more thing she was going to miss. She
could probably fill an encyclopedia with all of the things she was going to miss about Riley Sloan.
She needed to pull away from him. She needed to keep her distance. She needed to do both of
those things now if she had any chance of walking away from these last few days with her heart intact.
 But did she pull away from him? Nope! Instead of doing what she knew she needed to do, she
felt herself lean into his touch. He must have taken the small movement as the 'green-light-permission-
to-pass-go-full-steam-ahead' signal because he crushed his mouth to hers.
She gasped at the sudden contact of his lips against hers. It felt frantic. Desperate. Passionate.
She opened to him and, as soon as their tongues touched, he slowed the frenetic pace, his
tongue softly licking, gently probing, and sensuously gliding expertly inside her mouth. Exploring.
Inexorably searching every inch.
Seeking what, she didn’t know - but he was certainly thorough in his quest.
It felt almost as though they were making love while only kissing. Every single cell in her
body was filled with the delicious sensations Riley’s kiss was causing.
It was amazing. It was earth shattering. It was mind-blowing. It was too much.
Chelle used every ounce of self-preservation she could summon from deep inside her soul and
pushed away from Riley.
“Chelle?” He asked through labored breath, reaching for her once again.
She put her hand up and shook her head, “Just…don’t.”
She attempted to calm her racing heart. It astounded her that a heart that was, at this very
moment in time, breaking into a million tiny pieces could simultaneously be pounding so strongly.
Well, I guess - learn something new every day, she thought. Honestly though, she would have
rather skipped this particular anatomy lesson.
She looked out the small circular window of the plane. Watching the clouds below her, she
suddenly felt very small, very insignificant. There was a great big world out there and her problems
were miniscule compared to it.
She took in a deep, fortifying breath. She knew she would need time to put herself back
together post-Riley, but she was confident that could do it. The world would keep spinning when he
was gone out of her life. And she would always have San Francisco. She could hold on to those
memories forever.
 Chapter Twenty-one
Riley had originally thought that the tense plane ride would be the low point of their trip
home.
He had thought wrong.
The instant they had gotten off of the plane, the tension had skyrocketed up from ten to ten
thousand.
The thing that frustrated Riley the most was that he knew he had only had himself to blame. He
was not only letting Chelle’s bad mood set the tone of their exchanges, he had then gone on to adopt a
foul mood of his very own.
For the last hour he had been fighting a powerful, overwhelming urge to turn the car around,
go back to the airport, book the first flight out, and take Chelle back to San Francisco. Things had
been perfect in San Francisco. God, if he could just get them back to the easy (yet smokin’-hot)
camaraderie that they had shared during their idyllic stay there. Although, logically, he realized that
kidnapping her and flying her back halfway across the country was not the answer - nor even, you
know...legal - he still had to fight the small voice in his head which was screaming at him that it
would solve everything. That internal battle had begun as soon as they had started down the highway.
They barely spoke during the entire ride back to Harper’s Crossing. Chelle had just sat
silently, staring out the window. Riley had no idea what was going through her head. He knew that
she wasn’t ready to return home. He assumed that had a lot to do with Douchebag David. But there
was that pesky little voice in his head, which loved to chime in on matters like these, and that little
voice told him that he was also a factor in her reluctance to be heading back so soon.
As much as it was killing him to see her so miserable, there was a small part of him that
wanted to believe it was partly due to the fact that she would miss the time they had spent together.
He couldn't lie. As much as it hurt him to see her hurting, he couldn't help but feel just a tiny bit
touched that she might feel that bad at the thought of being apart from him.
Hell, that alone was proof enough, in and of itself, that she deserved better than him, he
thought. It just goes to show that I am one selfish asshole.
They passed the sign on the side of the road indicating that they were now entering Harper’s
Crossing. They had passed the city limits. That meant that their journey together – both the literal and
the metaphorical one – was rapidly drawing to a close. Riley didn’t want the last few minutes they
spent together to be wasted with the two of them sitting tensely side by side, not even speaking. So, as
they pulled to a stop light – one that hadn’t been there last time he was home – he motioned to an
elderly couple crossing the street. Keeping his voice intentionally light, he said, “What’s the story?”
 Chelle didn’t respond immediately. Riley was just about to share his answer, even though the
person who asks never goes first – but, hey, he would bend the rules for Chelle – when she turned and
looked at him like he had just grown an extra head.
“What?” He asked when she continued staring at him strangely.
“You can’t play if you know the people.” She spoke slowly, as if he hadn’t been following
along with the conversation.
“Oh, do you know them?” He looked back up at the couple who had safely made it across 10th
Street.
“Yes, and so do you. That’s Principal Jenson and his wife Mary. Wasn’t he your principal at
Great Oaks?” she asked, furrowing her brow.
“Oh, damn! I can’t believe I didn’t recognize him.” He looked again and thought that he would
feel some spark of recognition. That something familiar about him would jog his memory. It didn’t.
He shook his head as the light turned green, “I spent enough time in his office. I should have
been able to pick him out of a line up.”
Chelle broke into a half-smile, “Well, I’m sure he could pick you out of one.”
“True.” Riley felt his heart break open just a little more. He paused and then, as he turned his
attention back to the road, he said, “I missed that.”
“What? Running into people you don’t recognize?” she asked dryly.
“No. Seeing you smile.”
When she didn’t answer he glanced over and saw that she had tears starting to form in her
eyes. God dammit! He was an ass!
“Chelle, damn! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.” He reached out to comfort her, to rub
her knee, but she pulled it away.
Sniffing, she turned to him and put on her ‘bright’ face. She said cheerfully, “No worries. You
didn’t.”
She smiled again, probably trying to reassure him, but this time it definitely didn’t reach her
eyes. She turned her attention back out the window, to the streets that they were passing.
“Make a left on Grant Line, I live in the third house on the right.”
He made the turn and felt like he was going to throw up. Damn. He had been in battles, he had
lost people close to him, he had had to deliver bad news to his unit on more than one occasion. But, in
none of those situations had he ever felt like this. Not exactly like this. This was an entirely new
brand of misery.
It felt like someone was reaching inside his chest and squeezing the life out of his heart. He
was having a tough time breathing. Dammit, he just didn’t want her to go! He just wanted – no,
needed – a little more time with her.
Well, maybe he could help her in with her luggage, make sure she was settled. It was the least
he could do, as a matter of fact, to make sure that she was tucked safely inside her home. Then maybe
he wouldn’t feel like there was ton of bricks sitting on his chest.
Hell, it was worth a shot.
As he pulled into the driveway, she opened the door before he had even come to a complete
stop.
“What the…” He threw open his door, hopped out and raced around to meet her at the trunk of
the car.
He was about to ask her what the hell she was doing when he saw tears streaming down her
cheeks. He froze, not sure how to proceed. His first instinct was to pull her into his arms and tell her
everything would be fine. He wanted to tell her that he would never hurt her, and that he would never
let anyone else hurt her, either.
But, the problem was, he knew that was a lie. Those would be hollow assurances, designed to
make the two of them feel better in the moment, but containing no actual truth.
The truth was that he might be able to protect her from the rest of the world...but he would
never be able to protect her from himself. He would hurt her. He was sure of that. It was in his DNA.
“Chelle…” He began still uncertain of what to say.
Sniffing and, from the looks of it, trying desperately to put on a brave face, Chelle patted the
trunk of the car, “Pop it, so I can get my bags.”
He did as she asked and reached in to pull out her suitcase and carry-on. As soon as he had
them out of the trunk, Chelle reached out and tried to take them from him.
“I got it,” she said firmly.
“It’s okay, I’ll take them in for you.”
She shook her head decisively, “Nope, really, I’ve got it.”
He heard someone clearing their throat loudly and looked towards the house. He saw David
the Douchebag standing on the porch, arms crossed, glaring at them. Riley's gut tightened. Even if this
asshole hadn't hurt Chelle, Riley would have wanted to knock him out based on nothing more than the
incredibly smug air of self-righteous anger that was coming off of him in waves at this moment.
Holy shit this guy was a douchebag!
Riley looked back at Chelle. She was holding out her hands, waiting for him to hand over her
luggage. Well, hell, she could stand there all day and he still wasn't about to let her drag these heavy
bags up those steps. He was that much of a gentleman, at least!
He turned and began walking towards the steps that David stood at the top of, glaring silently.
“Riley, give me my bags,” He heard Chelle say with an urgent note in her voice as she quickly
fell in behind him.
“I’m just taking them up to the door.” He turned to look back at her, hoping to gauge just
exactly how mad she was. He didn’t want to really, truly piss her off...but there was no way in hell
that was she going to carry anything that heavy when he was around!
Her shoulders slumped and she sighed loudly, making her displeasure known. “Fine.”
As he turned back around he saw David had moved to stand directly in the path to the front
door.
“Where do you think you’re going, Sloan?” He puffed out his chest.
Riley had to suppress a laugh. Douchebag David could not be serious.
“Move, David.” Riley didn’t mean it to come out sounding as harsh as it did, but he was not in
the mood to deal with this crap. If Chelle wanted to, that was her prerogative...but that didn't mean he
had to.
“Leave them by the door and then get the hell off my property.” David slurred.
Two thoughts immediately filled Riley’s head. First, this guy really wanted to get his ass
kicked. Second, David was hammered.
After setting the luggage down by the door Riley turned back to Chelle, “I’m not leaving you
with him.”
“I’ll be fine. He’s harmless.” Chelle rolled her eyes.
“Hey,” David tried to step closer to them but ended up tripping over his own feet. He grabbed
the railing and was able to steady himself. “Don’t talk about me like I’m not even in the room.”
“This is a porch.”
David glanced around, surprised, like he hadn't even realized where he was.
“Don't talk about me like I'm not on the porch.”
Riley tried to quickly assess the situation, to decide if it was actually safe to leave her here
with him. Before he could come to a determination, however, Chelle pushed past him and opened the
front door. Stepping inside, awkwardly pulling her baggage along with her. David stumbled through
the door in her wake.
Before shutting the front door behind her, she looked up at him and smiled – a sad smile, but a
smile nonetheless – and it hit him like a ton of bricks. “Thanks for everything, Riley. You’ve been
amazing. I really do appreciate it so much.”
With that, she shut the door. He stood for a moment on her porch, stunned and feeling at loose
ends. Not knowing what else to do, he pulled out his phone and scrolled to a familiar number on
speed dial.
 --- ~ ---

Chelle leaned her forehead against the wooden front door. Her body felt so heavy. She wanted
to crawl into bed, pull the covers over her head and hide from the world.
Well...first she wanted to order a pizza and get some ice cream...but then she wanted to crawl
into bed and stay there.
“What the hell were you doing with Riley Sloan?” David asked through clenched teeth.
The way he said Riley’s name made her want to punch him in the face. Suddenly, she felt the
full force of why everyone always called him Douchebag David. She had never been able to see it
before. But now, the derisive note in his voice as he slurred Riley's name really brought it home to
her.
Still, she had to admit – he wasn't the only one that viewed Riley that way. People always
treated Riley like a delinquent, a troublemaker, like he was some kind of hoodlum. She hated it. That
wasn’t the Riley she knew.
“It’s really none of your business, David,” She said calmly as she made her way to the
kitchen, hoping that a glass of water would calm her jangling nerves.
“Like hell it’s not. You’re my fiancé!”
Chelle spun around faster than she even thought was humanly possible. “No, David, I am NOT
your fiancé,” she said tightly, her voice trembling with barely contained rage, “Your fiancé is about
ten years younger than I am, has blonde hair and stellar filing skills, and is currently pregnant with
your child. Ring a bell?”
“Kayla and I are over, Chelle.” He made the announcement and looked at her expectantly as if
she was going to swoon, or jump for joy. When she did none of those, he actually moved to take her
hands in his.
Seriously? Wow! There were just no words.
He actually looked surprised when she snatched her hands away.
“I’m done with her,” he explained, as if the only problem with what he was saying was that
Chelle didn't understand the implications of the situation, “We can be together again, doll.”
He stepped towards her and she quickly turned away from him.
The way he said ‘doll’ made Chelle’s skin crawl. How could she have ever agreed to marry
this man? The thought caused a chill to run down her spine - and not the good kind, either – the
heebie-jeebies kind.
She shook her head and continued into the kitchen. She worked hard to keep herself under
control. She was, after all, heading into the room in the house that contained the knives...
 “David,” she said, carefully modulating her voice and speaking slowly, as if she were
addressing a recalcitrant child, “We are not getting back together.”
“Is this because of Riley? Have you been seeing him behind my back? Is that why we haven’t
slept together in over six months?” David, in contrast to Chelle's efforts, apparently saw no value
whatsoever in attempting to modulate his own voice, and it rose several decibels louder with each
question/accusation.
“You have some nerve!” Chelle yelled back, then took a deep breath and lowered her voice,
continuing in a voice that was as calm as she could muster. “This has nothing to do with Riley. You
and I are not together, and will not ever be getting back together, because of YOU, David! Look in a
mirror if you want to know why we haven’t slept together in over six months. You cheated on me.
You were seeing Kayla behind my back. She’s pregnant for God’s sake!”
“There’s no baby,” David said, looking dejected, “Kayla lied. She’s not pregnant.”
Chelle was momentarily stunned. Not because she cared whether or not Kayla was pregnant…
she didn’t. But the look of complete and total sadness she saw in David’s eyes caught her off guard.
He looked utterly bereft. She realized it may be the first time she had seen an authentic emotion in
them.
She was just about to ask if he was okay, her nurturing instincts getting the better of her in
spite of herself, when there was a loud knock on the door.
Her stomach dropped and she felt her heart skip a beat. It took her a moment before she
realized that it wasn't the sudden loud noise that had caused this intense reaction. Oh, that had startled
her, sure. But she was flushed and filled with adrenaline right now mainly because her mind had
immediately assumed that it was Riley outside, pounding on the door.
Her breathing became labored as she walked the few steps to the front door. She looked out
through the peep hole and was flooded with a confusing mixture of equal parts 'relieved' and
'disappointed.'
She opened the door and her brother Eddie pushed his way inside.
“What are you doing here?” Chelle asked, more than a little irritated. She was so not in the
mood to deal with her big brother!
Eddie leaned down and kissed her on the top of the head. He had done that since they were
kids. It had always made her feel safe and loved. The sweet gesture made her revisit her initial
reaction to his appearance in her doorway.
“Riley called. He said Douchebag is drunk and he didn’t feel good about leaving you alone
with him.”
“Is Riley still here?” Her eyebrows shot up, but otherwise she tried to mask the facial
evidence that her stomach had dropped again.
A strange look crossed Eddie’s face and she thought she may have been unsuccessful. He
shook his head, “Nah, he took off when I pulled up.”
A flash flood of disappointment rushed through Chelle’s body. She tried to do a better job of
masking it on her face so that it wouldn’t be as glaringly obvious.
“Chelle?” Her brother’s tone indicated that she had failed to do so. Damn. She was 0 for 2.
Eddie's eyes narrowed. “What's wrong?”
“Nothing. I’m fine. Really.” She put on her bravest face and used her most confident voice as
she answered.
Seemingly convinced, he dropped it.
“So, where’s the douchebag?”
Chelle looked up and saw David walking out of the kitchen holding a beer in one hand. Great.
That's all the situation needed. More alcohol!
As soon as she saw the look on David’s face, she got a very strong feeling that this was not
going to end well.
“What did you call me?”
Awwww....crap. She reached up and placed her hand on her brother’s arm, “Don’t, Eddie.
I’m serious.”
“A douchebag.” Eddie said flatly.
Her head dropped and her shoulders slumped. Why me, she thought. WHY ME?
She saw a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye as David lunged towards her
brother.
Eddie smoothly stepped a foot to the right, causing David to lose his balance and fall flat on
his face, sending his beer flying.
“Get out of my house,” David yelled as he tried and failed several times to get up off the
floor.
Eddie picked him up by the back of his shirt, spun him around, and pushed him up against the
wall. He held him in place with his forearm pressed against his neck.
“Here’s the deal, Douchebag. You have ten minutes to get everything you need and get the hell
out of here. This is my sister’s house. She lived here before you moved in. I don’t care what it says on
some piece of paper. You don’t live here anymore. You're gonna get your shit, get the hell out of here,
and leave my sister the hell alone.”
Eddie stared at David for what felt to Chelle like an hour but was, in reality, probably only a
few seconds. David looked terrified.
“Do you understand?” Eddie asked calmly.
 David nodded his head in the affirmative. Well, as much as he could with Eddie’s forearm
being pressed up under his chin. Eddie released him and David scrambled back to the bedroom,
presumably to collect his things.
Chelle stared at the space that David had just occupied and thought to herself, ‘Riley would
never have backed down to Eddie.’
Okay. Wow. She really needed to lock that kind of thinking down if she was ever going to get
over him!
A knock on the door, she had thought it was Riley. Eddie says Riley called him, she had
thought he was still there. David gets punked, and she had compared him to Riley.
Riley hadn’t even been out of her life for an hour yet, and she was already on some kind of
Riley-induced emotional roller coaster.
Well, time to get off that ride and get on with her own life. Her real life. Her Riley-free life.
Sigh.
Now she really wanted pizza and ice cream.
 Chapter Twenty-two
As he walked up the steps of the bar portion of The Grill, Riley was seriously regretting his
decision to call his brother, Alex, to pick him up after he dropped off his rental car. The minute Riley
had climbed into his brother’s truck, Alex had declared Riley his wingman for the night and told him
they were meeting Bobby for drinks.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to spend time with his brothers. He did. It was just that he wasn’t
really in a social mood. He wanted to be alone. Well, actually he wanted to be with Chelle, but since
that wasn’t an option - he wanted to be alone.
Bobby was waiting for them in a booth in the back corner and, as he stood, Riley couldn’t
believe his eyes. Bobby and Seth had always resembled each other, both had jet black hair and blue
eyes, but now Bobby was the spitting image of Seth at age 24.
“Hey, Bro. Good to see you,” Bobby said as he stood.
Damn, he even sounded like Seth. They both had those deep, sonorous voices which lent
everything they said an air of gravitas and made them sound as if they were constantly doing real-time
narration of a documentary of their life. Riley felt as if he had just walked into an episode of the
Twilight Zone.
“Good to see you, too,” Riley said as they briefly hugged before sitting down in the booth.
A young, attractive waitress came over to take their orders.
“Hey Nina,” Alex greeted her with a wink.
The girl blushed, “Hi, Alex.”
Riley couldn’t help but smile and shake his head a little. Some things never change, he
thought.
“Can I get you guys something?” she asked, her attention still solely focused on Alex.
“How about a pitcher of Bud and some hot wings,” Bobby suggested as he set the menu down.
“Sure, yeah...um...comin' right up,” she said, blushing, clearly a little flustered at the sudden
reminder that there were actually other people at the table. She glanced once more at Alex before
heading up to the bar.
Bobby’s phone beeped and a huge grin spread across his face as his fingers typed out a
message.
“It’s like having dinner with teenagers,” Alex said to Riley before turning to Bobby. “No
phones at the table, Bobby.”
Bobby didn’t respond to Alex baiting him.
Alex smiled as he shook his head, “Tell Sophie her favorite brother-in-law says Hi.”
 “Okay,” Bobby said without looking up, “I’ll tell her Jason says Hi.”
Riley chuckled, “Married life looks good on you, little brother.”
Initially, when he had heard of his baby brother's plans to get married, he had thought it was a
very bad idea. Riley remembered what he himself had been like in his early twenties, and he knew for
a fact that there was no way he would have been ready to settle down at that point. He would have
ended up being miserable, and – moreover – so would the poor woman who had the misfortune of
marrying him.
He had talked with Jason, though, who had convinced him it was a good thing. Jason had
explained that Sophie was Bobby’s world and that they were good together.
From the look that Bobby had on his face while even just texting his new bride, Riley had a
strong suspicion that Jason was right.
The waitress reappeared with the pitcher and three chilled glasses, again her cheeks turned a
deep rose color when she saw Alex.
“Nina, do you know my brother Riley?” Alex heartily patted Riley on the back.
Her eyes widened, “You’re Riley Sloan?”
“Last time I checked.”
“Wow,” she breathed in awe. “I’ve heard so much about you. My brother Kenny was a few
years behind you in school. And…wow, I just…all the stories I’ve heard…I can’t believe…”
Riley wanted to move on from this topic of conversation, “You shouldn’t believe everything
you hear.”
“Oh, no! It was nothing bad, I think my brother just idolized you a little bit, him and all his
friends. I would hear them talk about all the pranks you and Eddie Thomas would pull,” she said,
clearly impressed by whatever she had heard.
“That was a long time ago. I was a kid,” He shot back, his voice hardening a bit with every
word, until it was solid concrete by the time he spit out the last of it. He didn’t want to be mean, but
he really wasn't in the mood to take a trip down memory lane tonight. In fact, if he went the rest of his
life and never reminisced about a single memory in his childhood, that would be just fine with him.
“Don’t mind him,” Alex said giving her his go-to mega-watt smile. “He just got back from
overseas and he’s a little cranky.”
Riley shot him a look that in no uncertain terms conveyed exactly how he felt about being
described as ‘cranky’ - not to mention about having his travel itinerary spilled to complete strangers.
Alex completely ignored the look Riley threw him.
Riley decided that, at some point over the next few days while he was here, he and Alex were
going to have to have a little talk about what Riley considered appropriate and inappropriate.
 “Oh!” She snapped her fingers, “That’s right. You were in the Marines, right?”
Why she was still standing here - at their table – talking, Riley had no idea, but maybe if he
answered her questions she would just go away. Why did people find him so damn interesting,
anyway?
“Yep.”
“Are you home for good or just here visiting?” She asked, seeming to be genuinely interested
in his reply.
Riley had forgotten how much people pried into your personal business when you lived in a
small town. He didn’t like it…at all.
“I’m here for a few days.”
“Are you heading back overseas after that?”
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Alex’s smile get even bigger. Clearly his brother was
enjoying the fact that Riley was clearly not enjoying this conversation.
“No.”
“Oh,” Nina said, finally taking the hint and dropping the subject.
“See, I told you,” Alex said as he “covertly” pointed in Riley’s direction and mouthed,
“cranky.”
She giggled, “Well, let me know if you guys need anything else. Your wings should be up in a
minute.”
As she bounced away Alex not-so-subtly checked out her rear before turning his attention
back to Riley, “You didn't have to be so mean to poor Nina.”
Riley replied, un-phased, “Poor Nina didn't have to be so nosy.”
Alex smiled, obviously enjoying the banter for its own sake and not because he felt any
compulsion to truly protect 'poor Nina's' honor.
“I think the phrase you're searching for is 'polite interest' dear brother,” Alex grinned.
“Drop it, Alex.” Riley took a swig of beer.
Bobby put his phone down and decided to join the conversation. “So, Jason mentioned that
you were going to head down to New Orleans.”
“Yeah, I invested in a bar that a couple of my buddies opened,” Riley replied.
“Well, Sophie wants to know if you'll still be here on Sunday. She wants to throw a welcome
home party for you.”
The thought of a bunch of people gathering together for the specific purpose of talking to him
and prying into his private business did not sound very 'welcoming’ to Riley. In fact, if they truly
wanted to give him a 'welcome home'' gift he would appreciate, it would be to forgo making a big
deal about him being back in town, and for God’s sake, stop bringing up his damn past!
Yeah. That wasn't likely to happen.
So, not wanting to be rude to his new sister-in-law, he simply nodded. He knew her intentions
were good, and he’d always thought she was a sweet kid. He could grin and bear it through one
uncomfortable afternoon if it made her happy.
Alex must have sensed his hesitation because he chimed in, “Jason and Katie get back on
Saturday. Why don’t we make it a joint party, for the newlyweds and the returning hero?”
“Sounds good to me,” Bobby shrugged, “I’ll tell Soph.”
He picked up his phone again and started texting.
“So, you staying at Dad’s or did you want to crash with me?” Alex asked as he took a swig of
beer.
“I’ll stay with the old man. I wouldn’t want to cramp your style.”
“See, that’s why you make a good wingman,” Alex grinned, “But, I think you might be
cramping Dad’s style more than mine. The ladies love them some Bob Sloan.”
“Dad’s dating?” Riley asked, stunned in disbelief.
“More than me, and that’s sayin' something. A lot can change in twelve years, bro.”
Riley tried to wrap his mind around the concept of his dad being a ‘ladies man.’ It didn't seem
real. He shook his head. “I guess so. Alright, guess I’ll bunk with you then.”
A new server delivered the wings and Bobby quickly ate a couple before announcing he was
headed home to see his wife. Of course, Riley and Alex gave him a hard time about going home to
The Little Missus, but Bobby couldn't have cared less. He dropped a couple of twenties on the table
and left wearing a smile that reached from ear to ear.
Riley thought that his non-reaction to the ribbing could have been because, growing up with
four older brothers, you would have to develop thick skin in order to hang onto your sanity. But, more
likely it was that he didn’t care about his brother's teasing because he knew what he had waiting for
him when he got home. A woman he loved with all his heart, and who loved him right back.
The image of Chelle, sitting on the couch when he had gone out to rent them a movie popped
into his head. His chest ached. He felt empty.
He had only dropped her off a couple of hours earlier but he missed her more than he ever
knew was possible.
There was a part of him that wanted to call her. Go to her house. Hold her. Kiss her. Touch
her. Feel her. Drive himself into her until the dark, heavy, empty feeling went away.
But an even bigger part of him just wanted to be near her. To hear her voice. To look in her
eyes. To see her smile.
He sighed. Which was exactly why he knew he needed to stay away. If he didn’t make a clean
break now, he wasn’t sure he would ever be able to walk away from her.
His phone buzzed and he pulled it quickly out of his pocket.
His first thought was…Chelle. He felt a rush of adrenaline, kind of like he would feel right
before a mission. Until he saw who had sent the text, then his heart sank once again. Megan.
Shit. He had forgotten all about her. Literally. The thought of her hadn’t entered his mind in
even the most fleeting instant since the first day he was in San Francisco. And the only reason he had
even thought of her then was that he had been trying to convince himself that all he needed in order to
get Chelle out of his system was to get laid.
Well, that hadn’t exactly gone as planned.
For the last three months, he and Megan had been exchanging texts and Facebook messages.
They'd been pretty suggestive, he had to admit. He had fully intended to hook up with her while he
was in town. Hell, he had actually been looking forward to it.
Now, the thought of being with someone else - not just Megan, but anyone who wasn’t Chelle
- just didn’t hold the same appeal. Or any appeal, when it came right down to it.
He needed to let Megan know that things had changed. Riley may be an ass in a lot of ways,
but he never led women on.

--- ~ ---

After working three sixteen hour days back-to-back, Chelle normally would have wanted to
go home and go straight to bed. But, since she had gotten home from San Francisco four days ago, her
bed did not have the same appeal that it used to.
Every night since returning home, she had lain in her bed and tossed and turned. It felt so
lonely and empty. Not because the man that she had shared it with for over a year no longer occupied
it. David being gone didn’t bother her at all. Nope. She was having restless nights because of the
absence of a man she had shared a completely different bed with for two (yep, that's right, ladies and
gentlemen...two, count 'em, TWO) nights only.
It wasn’t even as if she had any memories of Riley in her own bed. But every night since she
had been home and her head hit the pillow she just felt…empty. She tried snuggling with her body
pillow. It didn’t work.
So when she had gotten a text earlier in the day from Sophie saying that Katie was home and
declaring tonight ‘Girl’s Night Out’...well, she had figured - what the hell?! At least being out with
her friends would be better than being at home. Alone. In a Riley-less bed.
Now, as she walked up the wooden steps of The Grill Bar, she thought she may have made the
wrong choice. She was exhausted and had not been able to shake the bad mood she had been in since
coming back home.
As she reached the top of the steps, she was very tempted to just turn right back around and
head down again the way she had come up. Just get in her car, go home, and cry.
Yep, she thought with a sort of gallows faux cheerfulness, that sounds like a much better use of
my Saturday night!
She was turning to leave when Sophie and her blonde curls bounded up the stairs, enthusing,
“Yay! You’re already here! I was scared you wouldn’t come!” Her hands flew up in the air, “Girls
Night, Woohoo!”
Reaching out and grabbing Chelle’s hand she pulled her through the sea of people until they
reached the small VIP area. Chelle smiled. The small grouping of tables in the corner was the same
one that they had sat at for Sophie’s bachelorette party a couple months back.
She saw a lot of the same faces there now as she had that night. There were Riley’s cousins,
Haley, Krista, Jessie, and Becca Sloan - aka The Quad Squad. Sitting next to them was Amber and
also some of Sophie’s friends from school. Chelle looked for Katie but didn't see her.
“Hey, is Katie running late?” Chelle asked after Sophie had ordered a round of shots.
“No, she said she was too ‘tired’ to come out tonight.” Sophie smiled and rolled her eyes,
“But she didn’t sound ‘tired’ when I talked to her, if you know what I mean.”
Sophie waggled her eyebrows up and down.
Chelle knew exactly what she meant. And, truthfully, she couldn't blame her diamond friend. If
she had the option of having a ‘Girl’s Night Out’ or staying at home with Riley, there would be no
contest.
“But, hey, promise - if you’re not working tomorrow you have to come over. We’re having a
BBQ for Jason and Katie. They’re the guests of honor so they have to show up to that one!” Sophie
giggled.
“That sounds great,” Chelle smiled, “And, as it happens, I do have tomorrow off. What time
should I be there?”
“Any time after one is great. Oh, and would you mind making your peanut butter fudge? It’s
always a big hit. Please? Pretty pretty please?” Sophie batted her eyelashes.
“Sure, no problem!” Chelle laughed. She loved making people happy, and it was true - her
peanut butter fudge did tend to make a lot of people happy.
Amber leaned in, “I can’t believe you didn’t stay home being ‘tired’ with Bobby tonight
Soph.”
A blush rose on Sophie’s cheeks, “Well, Bobby had to work late. With Jason being gone the
last couple weeks he’s had to put in some long hours. He texted that he’ll be home around 11.”
 Amber looked at her watch, “Well, it’s 8:45 right now, so let me guess - you’re going to get
‘tired’ in about two hours.”
Sophie smiled, “It’s so weird, it’s like you’re psychic!”
They laughed and after some of the girls had taken shots, they all decided it was time to dance.
After about an hour of letting loose and tearing it up on the dance floor, Chelle and Amber
dragged themselves back to the comfort of the black leather couches in the roped off area that Sophie
had reserved.
“I don’t know where that girl gets her energy.” Amber said nodding her head towards Sophie
as she took a large drink of water.
Chelle sank back into the cushiony paradise of the couches they were seated on as she took a
long pull on her own bottle of water, “She’s been like that since we were kids. She was always go,
go, go.”
“Chelle?” A woman said behind where they were seated.
Amber looked up before Chelle had a chance to turn around, “Hey, Megan.”
Chelle turned around and smiled, “Hi.”
Megan was a few years older than Chelle. Although she vaguely knew who the other woman
was, Chelle didn’t think they had ever actually spoken before. Megan had always reminded Chelle of
a Barbie. In high school, she had been a cheerleader, popular, blonde…perfect.
“Are you seeing Riley?” Megan’s voice was shaky. She wasn’t smiling.
Chelle was completely caught off guard. She didn’t exactly know what to say, so she went
with the truth, “I haven’t seen him since we got back to Harper’s Crossing.”
“OKAY,” Megan’s voice started getting louder as her indignation grew and she seemed to be
teetering closer to the edge of losing control, “then would you please explain to me why - after we
have been together for three months - he spends a couple of days with you, and now all of a sudden he
doesn’t want to see me anymore?”
“What?” Chelle stood in shock, not believing what she was hearing.
“Riley and I have been together for months and now he’s not even returning my calls,” she
yelled.
Amber quickly moved and stood protectively in front of Chelle. She spoke calmly but firmly,
“Megan, you need to calm down, sweetie.”
“No, I don’t,” she wailed as she tried to step around Amber. Her eyes burned with fury as she
jabbed her finger accusingly at Chelle, “Just because you don’t know how to keep a man doesn’t
mean you get to steal other people’s.”
“Megan, stop,” Amber commanded.
 “It’s fine, Amber,” Chelle moved so that she was standing closer to Megan and the entire bar
didn’t overhear their conversation. Luckily, the music was so loud and the place was so packed that
no one had seemed to notice the drama so far.
Chelle looked into her eyes and saw real pain there. She knew that she hadn’t done anything to
intentionally cause it, but she still felt bad for her. “Look Megan,” she said softly, “I don’t know
anything about what’s going on with you and Riley. I haven’t heard from him since he dropped me off
the other day. I swear.”
Megan’s shoulders slumped and her lower lip trembled, “I…I just…I love him.”
Chelle wanted to tell her that she could relate, but she didn’t think that would go over so well.
Tears fell down Megan’s cheeks, “I thought it was going to work this time.”
This time?
Chelle had never known that Megan and Riley were a couple. But, then again, no one knew
about her and Riley being a ‘couple’, either....but still.
Chelle knew what the deal was because she had seen so many girls strung out over Eddie. The
truth was, though, if she hadn’t been privy to those ‘relationships’ and heard how her brother would
talk about those girls, she would probably have been just as naive as Megan. She most likely would
have thought that she and Riley had something special. She might have been the one making a scene in
a bar.
Well, no probably not. That wasn’t really her style. Still, she was glad she had seen up close
and personal what the aftermath of loving Riley Sloan could do to a person if she wasn't vigilant. And
Megan said they had been talking for months!
Riley had told Chelle he wasn’t seeing anyone.
Hmmmm....
It doesn’t matter, she told herself, whatever Riley and I had is over now.
And so was this night. Chelle had had just about all of the ‘Girl’s Night Out’ fun she could
stand. Even her empty bed was better than this.
 Chapter Twenty-three
Riley hadn’t seen Chelle in four days. Well...technically four days, eighteen hours, and about
forty-five minutes. He had just heard Sophie tell his cousin Becca that Chelle would be bringing
peanut butter fudge to the BBQ, so he knew that at some point this afternoon the, last-time-I-saw-
Chelle, clock that had been constantly running in his mind would be reset back to zero.
Every day that he had spent without seeing her felt like a marathon. He had tried tricking his
mind. He couldn't face waking up and accepting the reality that he was going to face an entire day
without hearing her voice, touching her, hearing her laugh, seeing her smile. So instead, he broke his
day up into hours. He would tell himself he couldn’t call her for an hour. Then once that hour passed
he would add another hour.
Sometimes even the hours had seemed too long for him to handle and he was forced to break it
down into minutes. He’d tell himself he wouldn’t call her for thirty minutes. Sometimes it was even
as little as ten minutes. So far his no-contact plan had worked.
He hadn’t called. Hadn’t gone to her house. Hadn’t stopped by the hospital when she was
working. It had been hell, but he had resisted.
Sitting on the back deck of Bobby and Sophie’s new house, watching his family and friends
laugh and talk, he should have been content – happy, even. He hadn’t seen a lot of these people in
several years, and he loved all of them.
Not to mention the fact that this party was technically one-third for him, so logically he should
feel not only like a part of the festivities, but at the center of them.
Instead he felt like an outsider, like he was simply watching all of these friendly interactions,
even the ones that he was participating in, from a distant vantage point completely outside of himself.
When it came down to it, he just hadn’t felt right since he had driven away from Chelle’s
house four days before.
He had kept himself busy over the last five days, sure. He had spent most of his time with
Eddie and Emily, who had very proudly showed off her chicken pox scars.
She was such a great kid. Eddie had done an amazing job as a dad. Riley knew it hadn’t been
easy for him when Lacey left, but Riley could not be prouder of him.
Then, the night before, Riley had gotten a chance to sit down with his dad, which was good.
He had apologized for his behavior in his teen years, which was something that he had been intending
to do for years. Bob, Riley’s dad, hadn’t wanted to hear it. He said that he was proud of him and how
well he had done in the service as an adult.
He even shared with Riley about some of the trouble that he himself had gotten into as a teen.
The conversation hadn’t gone how Riley had pictured it going, but he felt better for having had it.
He was hoping that he would see Grandpa J, aka The Colonel, today at the BBQ. Since he
was Sophie’s Grandpa, Riley felt like there was a pretty good chance he would be in attendance. He
wanted to thank him for taking the time to talk to him when he had been a punk teen.
Also, since he now knew Chelle would be here, it would be a good time to say goodbye to
her. He had gotten a call from Landon the day before to let him know that they had a meeting with the
bank on Tuesday. They were planning on consolidating their loans and getting a better interest rate.
They felt it would go better if all of the partners were present.
So, Riley was headed out to New Orleans, and away from Harper's Crossing, tomorrow
afternoon. He should be excited to start his new life. He wasn’t.
“Well now, I haven’t seen you round here for quite some time.”
The Colonel’s voice boomed from the sliding back door.
Riley smiled as he stood and took off his aviator sunglasses. “Colonel.”
He reached out to shake his hand, but The Colonel pulled him into a hug.
“It’s good to see you home son. It’s good to see you home.” He patted his back heartily
several times before releasing Riley from his embrace.
“Good to be home, sir.” Riley said, and oddly enough, it was true.
He had originally been dreading being back in the small town he had spent his wild youth in.
But, other than the constant torture of maintaining distance from Chelle, it hadn’t been that bad. In fact,
Riley had actually enjoyed being back in Harper’s Crossing.
Grandpa J took the seat next to Riley and motioned for him to sit down as well.
“So. I hear that you’ve got yourself a bar down in Louisiana. That right?”
Riley had to smile. Typical Harper's Crossing. Everybody knew everybody’s business here.
Yep…he was home.
“That’s right. A couple of buddies and I went in as partners. They've been running things, and
from all accounts have done a good job. I'm headed down there tomorrow.”
Grandpa J smiled, “Good to hear son. It’s good to have a plan when you get out. I’m proud of
you.”
In the last two days, he had heard that same sentiment from the two men that he respected most
in the world. It felt good.

He heard his cousins and Sophie squealing and greeting each other in the special way that
only girls did, so there was a good chance that either Katie or Chelle had just joined the party.
Chelle.
His heart began to race and his palms were sweaty. It wasn't like this was a surprise. He had
figured he would see Chelle today. But now that the moment was fast approaching, he couldn't get his
pulse under control.
Then, he heard Katie’s voice announcing how much fun they had had on their honeymoon and
he slumped back in his chair and looked at his watch. 2:10. Maybe Chelle wouldn’t be coming after
all.
Riley felt a slap on his shoulder and looked up to see Jason. He stood and hugged his brother.
“Hey, man. Thanks for checking on Chelle and putting Katie’s mind at ease, I owe you one,”
Jason said as his new wife joined them.
“Yes, thank you so much Riley! We owe you,” Katie said as she hugged both him and Grandpa
J.
“No, you don’t. Chelle’s my friend, too.” Well at least he hoped she still considered him a
friend. “Anyway. Congratulations, you two. I really wish I could have made it to the wedding.”
“Oh, it was a beautiful wedding. We missed you. I’m just so glad you’re home safe and sound,
now,” Katie said, just as someone across the yard called her name.
“Come on, Kit Kat. We better go make the rounds.” Jason leaned down and kissed her briefly
and Katie smiled up at his brother like he was her hero.
Chelle had looked at him like that. The difference was that Jason deserved that title. Riley, on
the other hand, did not.
“How long are you in town?” Jason asked Riley.
“Just until tomorrow afternoon.”
“Breakfast at Gerard's Diner before you head out?”
“Sounds good.” Riley watched as Jason and Katie made their way down the steps of the deck.
They looked so in love, so happy. And Riley was happy for them, they deserved all the happiness in
the world. But for some reason, seeing them together just made him miss Chelle even more.
As they sat back down in their chairs, Grandpa J cleared his throat, “So, you were the one
who went out to take care of our Chelle in California.”
“I was already out there to visit some friends. Since I was coincidentally headed her way
anyway, I just stopped by to make sure she was doing alright.” Riley said, clarifying and trying to
downplay the whole thing.
“Well, how’s our girl doing?”
Riley didn’t know how to answer that. Last he had seen her she was crying and had shut a
door in his face. He didn’t want to tell The Colonel that.
“I haven’t seen her since we got back a few days ago.”
“I see,” The Colonel responded sagely, eyeing Riley closely.
 For some reason, the way he said those two words ‘I see' caused Riley to have the sudden
urge to spill his guts. Tell him everything. The man had straightened things out in Riley’s head when
he was younger. Hell, maybe he could help him again?
Not to mention, the sly look The Colonel was giving him told him that he may have guessed
the lion's share, anyway. It would feel good to unburden himself. He took a deep breath.
"When we were in…” Riley began, but was interrupted by a tornado of color that whipped up
the steps of the deck.
“Gentleman, inside please,” Katie’s Aunt Wendy clapped her hands excitedly, “I have
prepared a surprise for my buttercup and her hubby.”
Oh well, Riley thought as he and Grandpa J made their way inside with the rest of the crowd,
I’m used to figuring stuff out on my own. Why should this be any different?
Jason and Katie were ushered to the middle of the family room by a very excited Aunt Wendy.
“Everyone take a seat, or stand, or whatever...I don't care if you squat...but get comfortable,”
Wendy directed.
Riley watched as Jason bent down and whispered something into his new bride’s ear. Katie’s
eyes brightened and a flush rose up her cheeks. She leaned up and kissed his brother, who had his
arms wrapped protectively around her.
Riley had never been too big on public displays of affection. But, after spending those
amazing days in San Francisco with Chelle, he understood it. He knew that if she was his, he
wouldn’t ever be able to keep his hands to himself. He would hold her every second he could,
whether they were in a crowd of people or not.
As if on cue, the front door opened and Chelle walked in wearing a white sundress and
carrying a tray of her famous peanut butter fudge.
The second he laid eyes on her he wanted to wrap his arms around her and breathe her in. In
fact, he had to stop himself from pushing through the crowd of people gathered to see Aunt Wendy’s
surprise and doing exactly that.
She smiled and, even though he could tell that it was just a polite smile as opposed to one of
her ‘real’ smiles, it still knocked the wind right out of him.
“Hey guys, sorry I’m late. I got called in last night. Then, of course, I had to make these.” She
lifted the large plate she was holding.
Katie pushed her way through the crowd and gave Chelle a big hug. When she did, Chelle’s
mouth lifted into a genuine, full blown, knock-you-flat-on-your-ass smile. Riley felt its effects as a
warmth spread through his entire body.
As Chelle made her way through the mass of people, most of them greeted her in the same
way, saying it was good to see her and asking her if she was okay or how she was holding up. She
was her usual friendly self and answered everyone, telling them she was great and holding up just
fine. Then she would ask them how they were, usually asking about something specific in their life.
She asked Haley, his cousin, how her design classes were coming…wow, he hadn't even
known she was in school. She asked Mike, Sophie’s dad, how his knee was feeling after the accident,
and Pam, Katie’s mom how the new bathroom had turned out.
She also genuinely listened to them and cared about their responses. He could watch her like
this all day, smiling and talking with everyone.
Damn. He had it bad.
As she reached him, their eyes met. Riley felt like a thunderbolt had struck him in right through
his heart. His chest was tight and he wasn’t sure if he was breathing. He knew he should say
something, he just couldn’t seem to form words. He couldn’t do anything but stare into her gorgeous
doe eyes.
She broke away from his gaze as she glanced around the room nervously. Riley hadn’t noticed
until that moment that the room had fallen completely silent, waiting for Aunt Wendy's presentation to
begin.
She looked back up at him briefly. “Hi,” she said quietly.
“Hi,” he responded awkwardly.
She moved around him and set the peanut butter fudge down on the dining room table that he
was standing in front of.
“Okay!” Wendy bellowed, “Now that everyone is here we can begin.”
Wendy pulled a sheet off of a large screen that was set up in front of the fireplace. “I put this
special treat together for my buttercup and her Romeo. Hit the lights, Sophiebell!”
Sophie nodded happily as she closed all of the curtains and blinds, and turned off all the
lights.
“Roll it, hot stuff.” Wendy told Bobby, who was seated on the couch with his laptop.
He pressed a button on his keyboard and a picture of Katie and Jason appeared on the screen,
looking like they were probably in Kindergarten. Katie was holding a clay impression of her hand
and Jason held his fingers in a V behind her head giving her bunny ears.
Everyone laughed.
The next slide showed them in some kind of school play. Katie was standing center stage, her
arms outstretched and looked to be delivering a line. Jason stood off to stage right sticking out his
tongue doing a goofy face to whoever was taking the photo.
Katie turned and swatted Jason playfully on the arm, and everyone in the room chuckled.
The next was a series that showed them out at the lake at approximately age twelve. In the first
one, Katie was standing at the end of the dock and Jason was sneaking up behind her. Then the slide
changed to Katie being picked up by Jason, and the next shot showed him jumping into the lake with
her in his arms. Then, the last photo in the series depicted Katie shoving Jason’s head beneath the
water, dunking him in retaliation.
Everyone cracked up, it was a crowd-pleaser. Katie looked out at the group, light-heartily
announcing, “He deserved it.”
There were several more shots from their teen years. Showing them at various places -
science camp, parades, and car washes. They were all fun, but more than that, it was photographic
evidence of their connection even then.
The last photo looked to be from prom, Jason and Katie were slow dancing. Katie had laid
her head on Jason’s shoulder and Jason was looking down at her with so much love, so much longing
in his eyes…it was beautiful.
The crowd erupted in oohs and awws, and Riley turned to Chelle and noticed she was tearing
up. He wanted so badly to reach out to her, to pull her to him, to keep her there forever.
Instead, he just asked lamely, “You okay?”
She nodded, but he knew she wasn’t. She had dark circles under her eyes, which told him that
she hadn’t been getting much sleep. Riley knew the feeling. After spending only two (well, two and
half) nights with Chelle beside him, sleeping without her pressed against him seemed impossible.
He had only gotten a couple hours of sleep each night since they got back from San Francisco
and it had nothing to do with his brother’s uncomfortable couch. He had slept in ditches, in Humvees
– hell, even standing up. He could sleep anywhere. Nope, his sleepless nights were due to the fact
that he felt as if a part of himself was missing. And now, that part was standing next to him, crying.
 Chapter Twenty-four
Chelle couldn’t stop the tears that were falling down her face. Watching the slide show
brought a lot of emotions to the surface that she had been trying her darndest to completely ignore. It
also didn’t help that the source of most of those pesky emotions was standing right beside her, looking
dangerously sexy in a black v-neck t-shirt and jeans.
I really should have just stayed home, she thought to herself. I did not need this today.
After the picture of Jason and Katie dancing at prom, the slideshow transitioned seamlessly
into the wedding pictures. They were beautiful.
She looked over at her diamond friend and saw that Katie was crying, happy tears streaming
down her face. Turning her attention back to the screen, Chelle watched as pictures of the ceremony
flashed in front of her. Honestly, Chelle had been so out of it on Katie's wedding day that it seemed in
many ways like she was seeing it all for the first time. She hadn’t really been mentally present there at
all, she'd been so laser-focused on just keeping it together until her responsibilities were over and she
was able to escape.
Next were pics of the reception. Aunt Wendy had included a lot of candid photos of all the
guests and wedding party enjoying themselves. Chelle saw a few pictures of she and Alex dancing,
and then some of her and Alex talking to guests. Then, several of her and Alex eating.
Man, he really had not left her side for one minute! The thought occurred to her that maybe she
should buy him something as a token of gratitude – just a small gift to show how much it meant to her
that he had looked out for her that day.
There were shots of the cake cutting – again, with Alex by Chelle’s side, protecting her. He
really was a good friend.
The last slide showed Jason and Katie getting into their limo, Katie waving out the window as
they pulled away, Jason pulling his bride inside.
Everyone clapped and cheered when the slideshow concluded. Katie gave Aunt Wendy a big
hug, thanking her profusely.
Above all the chatter about what an amazing video it was, and how cute Jason and Katie were
together, Chelle heard raised voices coming from the kitchen. Well, one raised voice, at any rate, and
she recognized it. It belonged to Riley.
Without even giving it a second thought, she raced down the hall and pushed through the
swinging door that led to the Spanish style kitchen.

--- ~ ---
 Chelle found Riley and Alex in the far corner having a heated conversation. Actually, Alex
seemed to be calm, cool and collected. Riley on the other hand looked like he was about to spit nails.
“Is everything okay?” Chelle asked, her question alerting them both to her presence.
Simultaneously both of their heads snapped up, looking toward her.
Alex’s mouth immediately broke out in a wide mischievous grin, while Riley’s jaw tensed. It
seemed her arrival caused him to look even more upset than he already had been.
“Everything’s fine,” Riley said in clipped tones, his jaw so tight she could see a vein in his
neck.
Alex chuckled as he pushed past Riley and walked over to Chelle, casually putting his arm
around her waist. Chelle’s brow furrowed as she gave him a sideways glance.
What was he up to?
“You see,” Alex began, his explanation aimed at Chelle.
“Alex,” Riley warned.
Uh-oh. She had heard that tone before. Riley obviously did not want her to know what they
had been discussing.
That just made her want to know even more.
“My big brother here,” Alex continued, totally ignoring Riley, “thought that I spent a little too
much time with you at Jason and Katie’s wedding.”
Chelle wasn’t following, “What?”
“I know, I don’t get it. A guy tries to help a friend out and what does he get? Thanked? Nope.
He gets threatened.” Alex was still smiling from ear to ear, obviously enjoying this little exchange.
Chelle’s head was spinning. She turned back to Riley, whose stance could only described as
‘battle ready’.
“You threatened him?” she asked in disbelief.
Riley didn’t answer her. He merely stood stock still, glaring fiercely at his brother.
“Well, in all fairness, Riley wasn’t the only one,” Alex said in mock-regretful tones, shaking
his head, “First there was Eddie, then Jason. Riley’s actually a little late to the what-the-hell-do-you-
think-you’re-doing-with-Chelle party.”
Alex pulled her a little closer, against him, then whispered (LOUDLY) in her ear, “I just don’t
get it, Chellie Bellie. Why does everyone want to keep us apart?”
Chelle started cracking up. Alex could always made her laugh.
Riley, however, did not find Alex’s playfulness quite as amusing. He started stalking towards
his brother, growling “You’re not funny. Get your hands off of her.”
 Wow. This was the first time that Chelle could see what people meant when they said he was
dangerous. The look in Riley’s eye and his body language could not be described as anything else. An
aura of coiled rage radiated from him, and he reminded her of a lion poised to pounce on his prey.
Alex, who was definitely more of a lover than a fighter when it came to social interactions,
immediately threw his hands up in mock surrender and took a few steps back towards the kitchen
door.
“On that note, I think I’ll leave you two crazy kids alone. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
He winked at her as he quickly made his exit.
Chelle turned back to Riley, who had stopped mid charge and was standing several feet away
from her, anger rolling off of him in waves.
She wasn’t exactly sure why he was so upset. He couldn't seriously think that there was
something was going on between her and Alex. No, she didn't think that was it.
So, if that wasn’t it, then what could it be?
She took a few steps toward him, closing the space between them. She reached out to touch
his arm and instinctively wrapped her hand around it. His biceps bunched beneath her fingers, causing
a ripple of delicious tingling to flow through her like a river.
Oh, my. She was definitely going to need to add 'biceps' to the long and ever-growing list of
things that she was going to miss about Riley.
He didn’t look down at her, just stared straight ahead at the space that Alex had just occupied.
“Riley?”
For a few moments he didn’t move, didn’t even acknowledge that she had spoken.
Chelle just waited, her hand still resting on his arm, unable to pull it away.
Finally he looked down at her and although she had expected to see anger in his eyes what she
saw instead was pain. Pain and confusion.
Not knowing what else to do she wrapped her arms around him. His arms immediately
encircled her and he held her tightly. She felt him breathing rapidly.
“What’s wrong, Riley?” She asked, compassion and emotion welling up as she continued to
hold him. She felt the intensity of their connection, palpable between them as they stood, encircled in
one another's arms.
He didn’t answer.
She knew she should probably just be silent and hold him for as long as he would let her, but
she needed to know he was okay. “Are you upset about Alex?”
“No,” he answered, holding her even tighter.
She pulled back her head slightly so she could look into his eyes, “What is it, then? What’s
wrong?”
His eyes flared with heat as he leaned down closer to her, resting his forehead against hers.
Their labored breathing was the only sound in the quiet kitchen.
She knew it was probably wrong of her to be so turned on when he was obviously so upset.
But with the way he was looking at her, so primal, so intense – well, she really couldn’t help herself.
Not to mention, she had been craving his touch for days now, so standing in his arms, his body
pressed tightly against hers…well, how could she not be affected? She was only human.
“What the hell?” An angry voice interrupted their intimate moment.
Oh great…Eddie.
Before she had a chance to turn toward the source of that outraged exclamation, she felt
herself being bodily spun around. The next thing she knew, she was standing behind Riley, his arm
holding her protectively in place.
She peeked around Riley’s sheltering hold and saw her brother at the other end of the kitchen.
His face was red and he looked like his head was going to explode. She thought that, like in cartoons,
she could almost see the steam rising from his ears.
Chelle wasn’t really sure why Riley had pulled her behind him. Her brother would never hurt
her. If anybody needed protecting, it was Riley!
Eddie’s stood, steaming, hands flexing open and shut. She was no body language expert,
but...yeah. She didn’t think that was a good sign.
“I’ll kill you,” Eddie said, low and intense, as he stepped toward her human shield.
“Eddie, stop it!” Chelle heard herself say, sounding much more authoritative than she had ever
been in the past.
She pulled away from Riley’s hold and stepped in front of him.
“Nothing is going on,” she explained.
Again...why poke the bear?
Eddie didn’t even glance her way, he merely continued staring at Riley.
“Is that true?” He asked Riley, “Is nothing going on?”
Chelle couldn’t see Riley’s face because she was standing directly in front of him, but she felt
his body tense up. Oh no!
“It’s none of your business.” Riley’s tone was eerily calm.
Anger flared in Eddie’s eyes.
“That’s what I thought,” Eddie said as he fisted up his hand and took another step toward
Riley.
Chelle reached out and pushed Eddie’s chest as hard as she could.
“Stop it, just stop!” she pleaded.
 “What’s all this commotion?” Grandpa J asked sternly as he walked in through the swinging
doors. Chelle thought it was entirely possible that she had never been so happy to see anyone in her
whole life!
The energy in the room immediately changed the second the Colonel walked in. The men both
relaxed their tense postures and took a step back from each other.
Neither said anything.
Chelle was so relieved that he had come in when he did, and broken up a confrontation that
could have gotten ugly…well, she could just kiss him!
“Everything’s fine Grandpa J. Just a misunderstanding.” Her voice sounded stronger than she
felt.
Grandpa J looked at both Eddie and Riley, clearly aware that something had just transpired.
She didn’t know what was being communicated between the three silent men, but she was sure that a
message was being sent.
After a few silent moments, Grandpa J nodded at her brother and Riley and then turned to her.
He smiled and said, “Now pretty lady, why don’t you come on out and enjoy the party with me?”
Chelle was still breathing hard, from adrenaline this time, not arousal. She looked at both
Riley and Eddie and figured - screw it, if they wanted to be idiots... so be it. She was done
babysitting.
She smiled up at Grandpa J as he offered her is arm, “I would love to.”
As they walked out to re-join the party, Chelle decided that, as it happened, she had had all
the ‘party’ she could handle for the day. So, after thanking Grandpa J for rescuing her, she found Katie
and let her know that she had worked all night and was heading home to get some rest.
Katie looked disappointed and a little worried, but the two of them made plans to meet for
lunch the next day and Chelle promised that there was nothing wrong that a good night's sleep couldn't
fix.
As Chelle walked out toward her car, she thought to herself...hmm...how lovely it would be if
only that were true!
 Chapter Twenty-five
Chelle had just finished off her second heaping bowl of Ben & Jerry’s Half Baked when there
was a knock on her door.
She sighed. Dammit! She knew it was going to be her brother wanting to talk. She had realized
this would probably happen, she just hadn’t expected him to be over this soon.
First he ruins my sexy hug, now he ruins my ice cream binge, she moped to herself as she
trudged toward the front door.
She knew her real issue, though, was not about the interruption but rather about the fact that
she didn’t want to answer questions about her and Riley. She wanted to keep what had transpired
between the two of them private, sacred...but she knew her brother wouldn’t leave it alone. That was
never going to happen. Therefore, she figured she might as well just get it over with.
Chelle opened the door and her heart immediately sped up to double or triple its normal rate.
It felt like it would jump right out of her chest!
Riley stood on her porch looking intense, and frankly sexier than she thought should be legal.
“Hi,” she said when she realized she had just been standing there drooling.
“Hi.” He looked down at the ground. Usually he radiated confidence, but right now he seemed
unsure.
She stood back opening the door wider, “Do you want to come in?”
He looked tortured by her invitation, “I can’t.”
Ooookaay. Thinking she needed to lighten the mood, she smiled, “Well, if it's because you're a
vampire, then no worries. I just invited you in, so...you're in the clear.”
He looked confused.
Alrighty, then. Not a big fan of vampire humor.
“SO...you and my brother didn’t kill each other, I see.”
“We worked it out.”
“Really? And how did you do that?” She asked.
“He asked questions and I answered them.”
“What did he ask?”
“If there was anything going on between us.”
“What did you say?”
“It was none of his business.”
“Well, yeah. I was there for that part. Is that all he asked you?”
This was largely rhetorical. She knew for a fact that her brother would not have dropped it at
‘It’s none of your business.’
“No.”
She really wished at moments like these that guys were better communicators. If she was
having this conversation with Katie, she would have every last thing that happened in the room, what
was said outright and what was implied, and how each party felt about every single step along the
way.
Ugh, men!
“Well, what else did he ask?”
“If I was in love with you.”
Holy catfish! She knew that curiosity killed the cat, but that didn’t stop her.
“What did you say?”
“That it didn’t matter because I was leaving tomorrow.”
Her heart plummeted to the floor. She knew this day was coming - so why did she feel so
shocked?
“Tomorrow?” She asked, just to make sure.
He nodded.
“I wanted to say goodbye.”
Her knees felt like they were going to give out on her. She didn’t trust herself to remain
standing. Tears were forming in her eyes, and she refused to cry in front of him. That was NOT going
to happen!
In order to avoid that, though, she needed to wrap this up…now.
She put on her bravest face as she smiled up at him. “Okay. Well, bye, then,” she said as
lightly as she could, waving as she moved to shut the door.
The next thing she knew, Riley had stepped inside, shut the door, and had her backed up
against the wall.
She shook her head in disbelief, “You’re like a ninja.”
He smiled down at her. She loved when he smiled. She wished he did it more often.
He stepped even closer to her and her knees started to shake. Her body was flushed with
arousal. Just his nearness alone was enough to rev her engines, but combine that with the
overpowering intensity he was focusing on her, and she thought she might be more turned on than she
had ever been in her entire life.
He reached up and wiped his thumb across her bottom lip. She stopped breathing when he
slowly moved across it again.
He lifted his thumb away and she saw that there was chocolate on it.
“Was the ice cream good?” he asked. His voice caused goosebumps to form on her arms.
 She nodded, unable to speak.
She traced her tongue along her bottom lip, trailing it slowly across the path he had just left
with his thumb, making sure there was no more chocolate on it.
He watched her greedily as she did this, and a groan escaped his mouth. His hand was fisted
at his side, causing his biceps to pull his shirt tight across his skin.
She wanted him so badly. She knew it wasn’t the smart thing to want. She knew he was
leaving. Tomorrow. She knew another night with Riley would be playing with fire.
But, hell. She had spent her whole life being safe, doing what was right. With Riley, she just
wanted to do what she wanted – and, right now, she wanted him.
She loved him. If this was going to be her last night with him she wanted to make it count. She
would have plenty of time to mend her heart and pick up the pieces when he left.
Decision made. She just had to clear up one thing, “Were you seeing Megan for last few
months?”
He took a step back, his brow furrowed, “What?”
“Megan told me you two were together for the last few months and that you just stopped
talking to her. That it was because of me.”
He shook his head, clearly annoyed, “We had been exchanging messages and, yes, I had
planned on hooking up with her when I was here. But we weren’t together. Not by any stretch of the
imagination. And the first night I got home, I told her it wasn’t going to happen...”
“Okay,” she interrupted him.
He looked at her intensely, “Chelle, I swear…”
“I believe you,” She assured him, “I've seen how women get with Eddie. I know how they can
build things up in their head.”
“I never led her on.”
“I know.” She let out a strangled laugh, “Believe me, I know.”
His eyes grew serious, “Chelle, don’t do that. You’re nothing like Megan. You’re different.
I… I…”
“You what?” Chelle knew that it wouldn’t change anything if she heard him say he loved her,
but she still wanted to hear it. He had made her say it, dammit. She deserved to hear it.
Even if it was only once.
--- ~ ---
Riley looked into Chelle’s eyes and knew what she was waiting to hear. Hell, he knew what
he wanted to tell her. But he couldn’t. He wasn’t about to give her any hope that they had a future.
“It doesn’t matter, I’m leaving tomorrow.”
 He saw a look of disappointment flutter across her face. But it was quickly replaced with
something soft. Vulnerable. Sexy.
She swallowed hard. “But we still have tonight.”
He knew what she was offering and he wanted more than anything in the world to take her up
on it. But that would be selfish, and he had been selfish enough when it came to her. He didn’t want to
be that anymore.
He should have never come inside the house. That was the wrong move. But, dammit, when
she had started closing the door, and he pictured her going back and crying in her ice cream, he
couldn’t stop himself.
Now, standing in front of her, his heart was racing a mile a minute. All of his blood that
should have been feeding his brain had flowed down to his rock-hard shaft. He was having a difficult
time thinking straight while dealing with the overwhelming feeling of arousal pulsing through him.
He wanted her. He needed her. He shouldn't. But he did.
Somehow sensing his indecision, Chelle lifted herself up on her tippy-toes and pressed a kiss
to the corner of his mouth. God, her lips were so soft.
“I know you're leaving,” she said as she moved to kiss the other side of his mouth, “I know
this won’t change anything.” She pressed her lips firmly against his before lowering back down to her
normal, flat-footed stance and stripping off her tank top. She looked up at him with a seductive smile,
adding “But we do still have tonight.”
He snapped. All the self-control he had been doing his best to hold onto vanished, slipping
through his fingers as easily as sand.
He reached out and grabbed her waist pulling her to him and lifting her up off the ground. He
took two steps forward, stopping when her back was firmly against the wall. Her legs wrapped
tightly around him and he dipped his head and sucked her taught nipple in between his lips, running
his tongue across the surface.
“Oh God, Riley,” she whimpered as her nails dug into his shoulders.
He couldn’t bring himself to walk away without holding her, feeling her, kissing her, making
love to her at least one more time. Even though he knew he deserved to be in the Guinness Book of
World Records for “Most Selfish Asshole” he just couldn’t resist taking what she was offering - one
more night together.
But he needed to get one thing straight first. He lifted his head and stared into her eyes,
“Chelle I need you to know you are nothing like Megan.”
Her gorgeous heavy-lidded eyes were filled with a heartbreaking combination of confusion
and need. She stared at him, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, through her labored breathing
she tentatively answered, “Okay.”
Her response was far from convincing. He wished he could spell it out for her. He wanted to
be able to tell her what she meant to him. He wanted to tell her how much he loved her, how much he
needed her, how desperately he wished things were different. That he was different.
“Chelle,” Her name came out as a growl even to his own ears. Frustration boiled up in him.
His hands tightened as his fingers dug into her hips.
He felt a tremor run through her body as she moaned in pleasure from the pressure his flexing
grip caused. All confusion vanished, her eyes now filled only with desire. Damn, she was so sexy. It
took every ounce of the self-discipline his military training had instilled in him not to get side-
tracked.
“I need you to know you’re not like her or anyone else Chelle.” It was part plea part
command. He knew he didn’t have the right to demand anything from her, but that didn’t stop him. He
had to know that she knew she was different. Special. Perfect.
He leaned in closer to her, his lips brushed against hers as he asked, “Do you? Do you know
that?”
“Yes.” She answered as she rolled her hips against his straining erection. Her head fell back
against the wall. She relaxed her arms as she ran her fingers down the back of his neck, across his
broad shoulders, finally landing on his biceps where she traced the lines of his muscle several times,
almost as if she was committing the feel of his upper arm to memory.
He was already rock hard and just the simple sensation of her soft fingertips brushing up and
down his bicep was so erotic he felt as though he was going to explode before he was even inside of
her.
“Do you know that?” She asked him, her attention still focused on her slender fingers trailing
his up and down his arm.
“What?” The intense arousal pumping fiercely through his entire body made it difficult for him
to follow her line of questioning.
“Do you know that you are not like anyone else?” She asked sweetly as she lifted her eyes to
his.
Fuck. His heart broke wide open inside of his chest. That was Chelle. His Chelle. Even now
she wasn’t thinking of herself. Her only concern was him.
He couldn’t speak. He couldn’t breathe. He hadn’t cried since the day of his mother’s funeral
when he was twelve years old, but he felt moisture filling his eyes.
He needed her. Now.
He crushed his mouth to hers as he stalked down the hallway, carrying Chelle to her bedroom.
He laid her on the bed and as he looked down at her he saw the same level of desperation and desire
that was flooding through him mirrored in her eyes.
Neither spoke as they both quickly stripped out of their clothes. For a moment time felt as
though it had stopped. Riley stood above Chelle, they both just stared at each other. Naked. Bare.
Raw.
Chelle’s eyes hungrily traveled down his body. When her gaze fell to his raging erection he
felt it jump at the attention. A blush crept up her cheeks and she licked her lips.
God, he loved her.
As he climbed on the bed she opened her legs and wrapped them around him. He pulled her
arms above her head and held her wrists in place with one hand. With the other he gripped his shaft
positioning it at her core. He rubbed the head of his swollen erection up and down her opening. She
was wet. Swollen. Ready.
A sound of need escaped her mouth as she tilted her hips seeking connection.
He leaned down and kissed her full lips softly as he pushed his length inside of her slowly.
Savoring every sensation. Her body beneath him. Her lips pressed to his. Her inner walls squeezing
him as he slid deeper into her.
He may not be able to tell her with words how he felt, how much he loved her, craved her,
needed her. But he damn well could show her.
He knew that maybe they did only have tonight. Maybe this was the last time they would ever
be together – hell, maybe it was the last time they would ever see each other.
If it was, then he sure as hell going to make it count.
 Chapter Twenty-six
Riley and Alex made their way to the back booth of Gerard's Diner where Jason and Bobby
were waiting for them.
Riley had left Chelle’s around six a.m. He hadn’t wanted to wake her, she was sleeping so
peacefully. His sleeping beauty. But now he was wishing he would have gotten just one more kiss.
Yeah, right. Who was he kidding? Riley knew ‘just one more’ would never be enough when it
came to Chelle.
“Man, you look like shit,” Bobby said as they approached the table.
“Hey, watch it, junior. I can still kick your ass,” Riley said as he and Alex sat down.
“I wasn’t being a smartass. You really don’t look good,” Bobby clarified, looking concerned.
“I just haven’t been sleeping well.”
“Speaking of sleeping…” Alex began turning towards him.
From his tone, Riley could already tell he wasn’t going to like what he said.
“Where exactly did you sleep last night, Cassanova?”
Riley was silent as he looked over the menu, completely ignoring Alex.
“Where did he sleep?” Jason asked Alex, looking confused.
When no one answered Jason looked at all three of them and asked, “What am I missing?”
Hazel, their waitress, appeared with a carafe of coffee and four cups. She put the cups down,
poured them each coffee, and then pulled out her pad and pencil to take their order. Even though
Hazel was pushing seventy and had known them her entire life, she still blushed when Alex asked if
she was still taking her Pilates class.
When she moved away from the table, Jason asked once again, “What’s going on? Where did
you sleep?”
Riley did not want to discuss this, so he took a drink of his coffee.
Alex, never one to let something drop, chimed in, “Maybe we're asking the wrong question.
There may not have been a lot of sleeping going on.”
Riley shook his head. He knew if he let him see he was getting to him it would only make
things worse, but he was having a tough time hiding his frustration.
“How was the honeymoon?” Riley asked Jason in a clear attempt to change the subject.
“Great,” Jason answered before asking again, “Where were you last night? And why am I the
last to know?”
Alex nodded his head towards Jason, “Gotta love middle child syndrome.”
Jason gave him a look that clearly telegraphed how unamused he was.
 Alex smiled, “All I know is that after that little slideshow yesterday Rambo over here pulled
me into the kitchen and wanted to kick my ass for 'hanging all over Chelle' at your wedding.”
“If I had wanted to kick your ass, you would've got your ass kicked.”
“Hey, look who decided to join the conversation.” Alex smiled smugly.
“You spent the night with Chelle?” Jason sounded genuinely shocked. “Does Eddie know you
hooked up with his sister?”
“She is not a hook-up.” The words came out of his mouth before he could stop them. Great, he
all but admitted that something had happened between him and Chelle.
Jason’s eyes grew wide, “Holy shit! You love her.”
Riley took another drink of his coffee.
“What the hell is wrong with you guys?” Alex shook his head in disgust, “You’re droppin like
flies. First Bobby, then Jason, now you. What? Is there something in the water? I better stick with
bottled just to be safe.”
“What are you going to do about it?” Bobby asked sounding much older and wiser than his
twenty-four years.
Damn, Riley thought, the kid didn’t say much but when he did he got right to the point.
“Nothing. I’m leaving.”
“That’s your big plan. Just leave.” Alex mocked.
Riley shrugged.
“Well, good, then. I'll tell you the truth. All this talk of me and Chelle has made me
think...might not be a bad idea. I might want to get to know her a little better,” Alex goaded Riley.
Riley knew Alex was just trying to push his buttons, but that didn’t change the fact he wanted
to punch him in his face. His hands flexed.
Jason, always the peacemaker spoke up, “Alex, stop being a dick.”
Hazel came bustling out of the kitchen with a large tray of their food. After distributing it all
she said, “It’s so good to see all of you boys in one place. I bet your mama’s lookin down from
heaven just as pleased as punch with how you all turned out.”
As she moved away from the table, an awkward silence fell. They never discussed their mom.
Bobby broke the silence, “What was she like? I don’t really remember her.”
Jason and Riley looked at each other, and then Jason said reluctantly, “She was sad a lot, and
when she wasn’t sad, she was really happy. She would stay up for three days straight and then be in
bed for weeks.”
“I remember that,” Alex said quietly. “She was never a normal mom.”
“Some people just aren’t cut out to have a family.” Riley added.
 They ate their food in silence, a pall having fallen on their mood of lightly-combative
camaraderie. Riley remembered the times he had shared with his mom, good and bad. Now that he
thought about it, there had been more good times than he would have estimated.
“So is that what you think?” Bobby asked Riley.
“What?” Riley asked, the question pulling him roughly back out of his reflections.
“Do you think you’re not cut out to have a family?” Bobby clarified.
Riley just shrugged.
“Why would you think that?” Jason asked. “You’re nothing like her.”
Riley remained silent.
“You think you’re like her?” Alex asked incredulously.
“Dad always said I reminded him of her,” Riley said matter-of-factly.
Alex looked at Riley as if he was crazy, “Dude! That’s because you are the only one who has
her hair and eye color. Not because you act like her.”
“I left, didn’t I?” Riley snapped back.
“Whoa, you left to go into the military.” Jason leaned forward, resting his forearms on the
table, “You dedicated twelve years of your life to serving your country, and you did it well and
without complaint. Mom couldn’t even hold down a job waitressing here for more than a couple
weeks. She was ill, Riley. She was bi-polar. You’re not.”
Riley shook his head. “It doesn’t matter, anyway. I’m leaving.”
“Wow, and I thought that David the Douchebag was a prick for what he did to Chelle,” Alex
said, shaking his head slowly.
Bobby and Jason exchanged glances, clearly thinking that there was a better-than-even chance
that Riley was going to kick Alex’s ass for saying what he did. But, Riley wouldn't do that. Alex was
right, he was only speaking the truth. Riley was a prick for leaving Chelle. Alex was doing nothing
more than simply pointing out the obvious. Riley knew it. He also knew that – dick move or not - it
was for the best. She deserved better.
--- ~ ---
Chelle had woken up to an empty bed with a note lying on the pillow Riley had slept on.
‘Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. I made breakfast, it’s warming in the oven. Thank you for…
being you.’
She knew it wasn’t a declaration of love by any means. She knew that it was his way of saying
goodbye. She knew that her time with him was over.
She also knew that she wouldn’t take back a second of the time she had spent with him.
The days and hours that she had shared with Riley had been the best moments of her life. Even
if she had to spend the rest of that life repairing her broken heart - or even if it never healed - she still
wouldn’t take back what they had shared.
Now, as Chelle walked into The Grill, she saw that Katie was already at a table overlooking
the river.
The moment Katie saw her she stood and pulled her into a huge bear hug, “I’m so sorry.”
Great, Chelle thought, she knows.
“I’m fine,” Chelle said as she pulled away and sat down across from her diamond friend.
“Jason had breakfast with Riley this morning before he left for New Orleans,” Katie said by
way of explanation.
“Oh, that’s good.” Chelle replied distantly.
“Jason said he was a mess,” Katie continued, clearly looking for a response – any response.
Chelle just nodded. She really didn’t want to talk about Riley. She knew if she did, the
waterworks would start – and, honestly, she was just so tired of crying.
“At first, Jason didn’t want to say anything. Probably because he knew I would tell you.”
“What would give him that idea, I wonder?” Chelle smiled.
“Gee, I don’t know,” Katie shrugged faux-innocently. Then she waggled her eyebrows,
teasing, “But, I will tell you - with a little encouragement, I got him to tell me everything. Well, I think
it’s everything. It’s definitely a lot even if it’s not everything.”
“Katie, what did Jason say?” Chelle interrupted. Katie had a tendency of rambling when she
was excited or nervous. Normally, Chelle thought it was cute - but not when it came to information
about Riley.
“He said that Riley basically admitted that he’s in love with you, and he's pretty much only
leaving because he thinks he’s not cut out for a family. He thinks he’s like their mom!” Katie leaned
back in her chair, obviously proud of herself, smiling widely.
Apparently she thought this was much better news than Chelle did.
“Why are you smiling about that?” Chelle asked.
Katie eyes widened, “Hello! He basically said He. Loves. You.”
“Okay, well...first of all, I don’t know how you ‘basically’ say that but, that's beside the point
right now. Secondly, did you not hear the part where you told me he left because he doesn’t want a
family?”
“No, I said he doesn’t think he’s ‘cut out’ for a family. There’s a difference,” Katie enthused.
“Well, he's still gone. And he never actually said he loved me. So I don’t really see how
there’s a difference,” Chelle stated flatly. She wasn’t trying to dampen Katie’s excitement, she was
just being realistic.
Katie’s face dropped a little, “I know, but...I just think that if two people love each other; then
somehow they'll find their way back to one another.”
Chelle sighed. “Katie, that’s sweet, but not everybody gets a happily ever after like you and
Jason.” Chelle knew her friend’s heart was in the right place but she thought she might be a tad
optimistic. This was probably due to the fact that she had just lived her own fairy tale and ended up
with the prince – but whatever the reason, Chelle could not afford to give in to this kind of magical
thinking. “What you and Jason have is special and very rare.”
“I know, but I just thought...well, you know. That Riley is Jason and Bobby’s brother. You see
how they are! When Sloan men fall in love, they fall hard,” Katie said, again desperately attempting
to put a positive spin on the situation.
“True. But he is also Alex’s brother, and you see how he is,” Chelle stated bluntly.
“Oh, I didn’t think about that,” Katie said, slumping her shoulders, her whole posture
telegraphing defeat.
“Katie, really. I’m going to be fine. I went into this thing with Riley with my eyes wide open. I
knew what the outcome would be, I knew how hard it would be, but I also knew it would be worth it.
And it was,” Chelle said, meaning every word.
Katie brightened a little, “Well, since we can’t fix that problem today, what do you say we
order our lunches to go, stop by the grocery store, get a bottle...or maybe two...of wine, and then go to
your place and watch Good Will Hunting?”
Chelle really wanted to cry now. She would have to come up with a new 'go to' movie.
“How about Playing by Heart?” Chelle asked.
“Okay, sure!” Katie agreed as she motioned for the waitress to come over so that they could
place their orders to go, “Anything you want, DFF.”
Oh, Chelle thought for the second time in as many days after a conversation with Katie, how
lovely that would be if only it were actually true.
 Chapter Twenty-seven
Riley shut down his laptop just as Landon came through the grey office door.
“Hey man, those blondes with the double Ds at the end of the bar keep asking about you.”
“Oh yeah?” Riley couldn’t have cared less.
“Did you see them?” Landon asked as he held up his hands in front of his chest, rounded
slightly, indicating that the blondes had big racks.
“Yep, couldn’t miss 'em.” All three of the women were pouring out of their shirts. Maybe at
one time in his life that would have appealed to him, but not now. Not since Chelle.
He had been down in New Orleans for four weeks and two days, and he hadn’t even gone an
hour without thinking about her. She occupied his mind constantly. He had been checking her
Facebook page several times a day, hoping she would post something, anything so he could know
how she was.
She hadn’t.
He had spoken to Eddie about once a week, but there was no way he was going to ask him. It
was bad enough he knew that Riley had slept with his sister, he didn’t want to remind him of that fact
by asking about her.
He kept thinking, hoping, praying that the pain and emptiness would ease, would subside.
Wasn’t it widely known and accepted that time heals all wounds? But in his case, time away from
Chelle was doing the opposite to the wound. It was making it deeper.
“So, what’s up? Dax and I are going to take them out. They want to walk down Bourbon
Street. You down?”
Riley’s phone rang and when he saw the number he told Landon, “I’ve gotta take this. Sorry.”
“Man, you weren’t gonna to go anyway.” Landon shook his head in disappointment as he left
the office, shutting the door loudly behind him.
“Hey, Pops.” He hadn’t talked to his dad since he left town.
“Hey, Riley, how you been?” his dad asked.
“Pretty good.” Riley was actually a little nervous. His dad normally didn’t do small talk, so
Riley wasn’t sure where this could be headed. “How about yourself?”
“Well, actually, I had another episode with my heart last night. I’m fine. They kept me
overnight for observation but I’m home now. They already released me.”
“I can be there in a few hours.” Riley had always thought of Bob Sloan as invincible, and he
hated the feeling that washed over him as he was now faced with such compelling evidence that he
wasn't. He had been in Afghanistan when his dad had had his first heart attack and hadn’t been able to
get home, but now he could, and he would be there for him.
“No need, I’m really fine. I already spoke to Jason and told him that I would be handing over
the reins of Sloan Construction to him. The doctors think that with medication, diet and exercise - if I
take care of myself - I’ll be around for quite some time. But that’s not why I called.”
“What else is wrong?” Now Riley really felt nervous.
“Well Bobby and Alex came by the hospital last night. We started talking about your mom,
and they told me that you thought you were like her, because I had told you that you reminded me of
her.”
Damn, his brothers were worse than gossiping school girls.
Riley remained quiet.
“Riley, if I ever gave you the idea that you had the same issues your mom had, I’m sorry, son.
The only reason I ever said that is because you have her eyes. That’s all. None of you, thank God,
have any of the symptoms of her disorder.”
Riley felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of him. He didn’t know why hearing his dad
say the same words that his brother had said over a month ago hit him so differently, but they did.
Maybe they were all right. Maybe he really wasn’t like her.
“You know Chelle stopped by my room, too. She was working the night shift. That girl kept
me company on every one of her breaks and even snuck me in an extra Jell-O.”
Yep, that sounded like Chelle. Riley smiled as he pictured her sitting beside his dad, handing
him the clandestine Jell-O and swearing him to secrecy.
“Please don’t let your mom’s troubles dictate your future, Riley.”
“I won’t, Dad.” Riley assured his father.
“I know I didn’t handle things that great when your mom left, and then later when she passed,
but I want you to know Riley - if you ever need to talk, I’m here.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
As Riley and his dad ended their call his mind was spinning. Did what his dad just tell him
really change anything? Or was Riley just trying to make it that way because he missed Chelle so
damn much?
He sat absentmindedly scrolling through his text messages when he saw the message that
Mindy had sent him after he and Chelle had had dinner at her and Tommy’s house.
'Great seeing you 2night. So glad you got to meet the little princess. LOVED Chelle! She is a
keeper! SO get your head out of your ass and make that happen! Luv Ya! XOXO'
He sighed, and then a chilling thought hit him. When he'd been speaking with Eddie at the
barbecue, he'd said something that just now struck Riley as telling. In his efforts to remind Riley that
he wasn't good enough for Chelle, he'd said, “Dude, it's nothing personal. It's not like you're a bad
guy. You're just like me. But look how that turned out. We're just not cut out for relationships, and I
don't want my sister getting caught up with someone like us.”
But the truth was – Eddie had not done anything to end his relationship. Lacey had left Eddie
and her small baby daughter because she was not cut out for relationships! Apparently, the end of his
marriage had given Eddie some deep-seated issues about himself and his worthiness to find
happiness and give it to his partner, and he had projected those issues onto Riley, as well, as a way to
protect his sister.
Damn it! And Riley had been quick enough to believe him because of his issues with his
mother...but that didn't make it true.
Riley realized that he had been keeping himself away from Chelle because of the issues of
two women who had left their families – one of whom he barely remembered and one of whom he
had not even met - but those were NOT his issues! He could see that clearly now. He felt free.
Shit, what the hell was he doing in New Orleans!?
--- ~ ---
Chelle splashed water on her face as she breathed in through her nose and out through her
mouth.
She looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. There were dark circles under her eyes
and her face looked a little thinner. She was tired. Exhausted, really. It had only been a month and she
knew she had a long road ahead of her.
The doubles she was working weren’t helping, but after yesterday, she knew that wasn’t the
only reason she felt like this.
She walked into her bedroom and put the last of her toiletries in her overnight bag.
Her phone beeped, alerting her that the cab should be here any minute to take her to the
airport.
She wasn’t looking forward to this trip. She had no grand illusions that things were going to
work out. She didn’t believe in fairy tales…at least not for her. But she needed to face this, and
hopefully get some kind of closure. Yep, she was a realist. Closure was probably the most she could
hope for.
She grabbed her bag, her purse and her phone. She didn’t think she was forgetting anything.
She was pondering this as she heard a loud knock on her front door. Weird. Wouldn't the cab just
honk?
She hustled out of her room and, as she opened the door for the cabdriver, she was distracted,
going over her mental list to make sure that she hadn’t forgotten anything…Oh shoot, her keys.
“Just a minute,” she told the driver as she distractedly turned back into the house, “Just let me
grab my keys.”
“Hi.” She heard the deep voice reply, and she froze. She knew that voice. When she looked up
to confirm her suspicions, she dropped her bags.
“Riley,” she said. Shock completely numbed her entire body.
Her heart stopped, she felt like the whole world was spinning while she stood still in the
middle of all the whirling commotion. She realized she wasn’t breathing. She needed to breathe.
Breathe, she told herself, breathe.
A concerned look crossed his gorgeous face, “Chelle, do you need to sit down?”
She nodded her head, “Probably.”
He led her inside and guided her as she sat down on her couch. He crouched in front of her
and placed his hands on her knees rubbing them gently in circles, “Breathe, Chelle.”
She nodded her head trying to do just that but with his large hands rubbing her knees and
thighs she was having a hard time concentrating on something as insignificant as oxygen.
“Are you okay?” He asked.
Well, the room has stopped spinning, she thought, but now I'm light-headed for a completely
different reason.
Instead of saying that out loud, she just nodded again.
He rose and pulled the ottoman over so he was still seated in front of her.
What was he doing here, in Harper’s Crossing? Then she remembered. His dad. Of course,
his dad had suffered a mild heart attack a few days ago. He must be in town visiting him.
Forcing herself to speak she asked, “Are you here visiting your dad?”
“No, I’m here because I forgot to give you something.”
He handed her a plastic bag. She recognized it as the one from Old Time Photos.
Ummmm...he flew back to give her their picture? She was pretty sure he could have just
mailed it.
“Open it,” he instructed.
She did and pulled out what looked like a large Hallmark card. On the front was their picture,
her in her saloon girl attire, him all decked out in his cowboy gear, on the top of the page it said
“What’s the story?”
She opened it, it was the same picture from a different angle with bold words written above
and beneath it.
On the top it said “Riley and Chelle…” then on the bottom large letters read, “Happily
Married. This was their last ‘first date’.
Oh. My. God. She was going to throw up.
She looked up from the card and saw that Riley had gotten down on one knee, an open ring
box containing a beautiful diamond solitaire in his hand. “I know I said I wasn’t the forever kind of
guy, but I was wrong. I want to be your forever. Will you make me the happiest man in the world and
marry me?”
Dread filled her body. Oh, no. He knew. Her eyes filled with tears. “Who told you?”
A look of shock and confusion crossed his face, “What?”
“Who told you?” she repeated.
She saw the confused look in his eye. Oops...maybe he didn’t know.

--- ~ ---
Riley knew that, in response to his proposal, there was a possibility that Chelle might cry, yell
at him, and even kick him out. He was hoping that she would smile and say yes. But he had not
expected her to ask him a question he didn’t understand.
He stood, “Who told me what?” He saw tears forming in her eyes and noticed her hands were
shaking as she covered her stomach protectively. Was she sick or wait, was she…? No way.
He then looked around and saw the bags that she had dropped when she had opened the door.
The puzzle pieces were starting to come together in his mind and he was beginning to see the big
picture.
“Where were you going?” he asked, trying not to get his hopes up.
“To see you,” she answered, the color draining from her face.
“Why?” He asked, trying to calm his racing heart.
She swallowed hard and he could see her hands were shaking even harder. He wanted to
reach out and comfort her, to tell her everything would be alright. He just needed to hear the words
first.
“To tell you, I’m…that I’m…” She struggled to get the words out.
Fuck it, he couldn’t wait. He blurted out, “You’re pregnant.”
She nodded as the tears fell from her eyes.
“With my baby,” He said in a reverent whisper.
She nodded once again.
He felt like his heart was about to burst at the seams. He pulled her up into his arms and held
her as she cried. He knew she was upset, but he couldn’t help but smile. He didn't want to seem
insensitive, so probably best to get that all out of the way while he was looking out over her shoulder,
out of eyeline. He really couldn't help it, though - he felt like he had just won the lottery.
He tried to comfort Chelle, murmuring “Shh, it’s gonna be okay. I’m here, I’m here baby.”
She looked up into his eyes, gasping out between sobs, “I don’t…want you…to mar…ry me
bec…ause I’m….pregnant.”
He held her face in his hands wiping her tears away, God, she was so beautiful. “Baby listen
to me, I didn’t even know that you were pregnant when I asked!”
Her lips quivered and he couldn’t stop himself. He had to kiss her. He had to kiss the mother
of his child. He leaned down slowly and brushed his lips against hers. He felt her body relax into his
and he slowly deepened the kiss, stroking his thumbs across her jawline. She sighed and her body
melted into his. He peppered kisses on her cheeks, which tasted of the salt of her tears, then the tip of
her nose, her forehead, her eyes. He wanted to kiss every inch of her, to claim her as his, and he
would. But first he knew that they needed to talk.
As hard as it was, he made himself stop showering her with soft kisses. When he looked into
her eyes now, he didn’t see tears there, just passion. God, he loved her so much.
“Chelle, will you please marry me, be my wife, have my baby, raise a family with me?” He
wanted to strip her out of her clothes and make love to her. He needed to feel her, to be inside of her.
But first he desperately needed to hear her say yes.
She looked conflicted, unsure. Her breathing was labored and he thought she might be about to
cry again.
“What?” He asked, “What’s wrong baby?”
“What about New Orleans? Your bar?” she asked.
“I already told them I was moving back home. I’m still an owner, I’ll probably need to take
trips down there every once in a while but I can do a lot of what I need to from here. Honestly, they
were so tired of me moping around the place that I'm about half convinced they were planning to ask
me to go back to 'silent partner' status, anyway,” he concluded ruefully.
She nodded, but still didn’t look convinced. He knew something else must be bothering her,
and he needed to get to the bottom of it. “Chelle, what’s really wrong?”
Her lip started to quiver again, and she said in a small voice, “You’ve never even said if you
love me.”
Oh God, he felt like such an ass. How could he be screwing this up so badly?
He looked straight in her gorgeous almond shaped eyes and tried to convey what he felt inside
for her, “I love you Chelle. I love you more than I ever thought it was possible to love someone. I
love you so much it didn’t even occur to me that you wouldn’t know how much I love you.
“Chelle, baby, I don’t deserve you and I know I messed things up by leaving. I am so sorry for
that. I am so sorry I didn’t believe enough in myself to stay and fight for us. I know I hurt you but
please...please let me make it up to you for the rest of our lives.”
She smiled up at him and he knew for a fact that making her smile was what he was put on this
earth to do.
 “Did you mean what you just said?” She said, mimicking back the question he had asked her
in San Francisco when he overheard her conversation with Katie.
“Yes,” He parroted back the answer she had given to him.
“Ask me again.”
He smiled as his heart filled to capacity with love for this woman.
“Rachelle Thomas, you are the most amazing woman I have ever met. You are caring, loving,
funny, and sexy as hell. I love you. I love your heart. I love your mind. And, God, I love your smile. I
want to make you smile for the rest of our lives.”
He wiped the tears from her face as she smiled up at him, “I want to go to bed every night
with you in my arms, where you belong. I want to make you breakfast and make sure you always
remember your jacket and your keys.” She laughed through her tears as he got down on one knee, “I
want to take care of you and our baby always, forever. Chelle will you marry me?”
Her smile widened as she lifted one shoulder in a shrug, “Well since you threw in
breakfast...yes, I will.”
Relief and elation coursed through his body. He wrapped his arms around her waist and
pressed his cheek to her stomach. She ran her fingers through his hair.
“God, I missed you,” he said, holding her tightly. He never wanted to let her go.
“I missed you, too.” She continued to rake her fingers through his hair.
“There’s really a baby in there? Our baby’s in there?” He asked, his voice filled with
wonderment, his face still pressed against her belly. He just needed to hear her say it again.
“Yes, our baby’s in there,” She smiled down at him, her beautiful brown eyes dancing , “I
love you, Riley. I love you so much.”
He stood and picked her up, carrying her into the bedroom where he planned on starting his
make-it-up-to-her plan. She giggled and smiled up at him, her eyes gleaming with love and trust. She
was looking at him like he was truly her hero. He felt it all the way to the deepest part of his soul.
He realized that, for the first time in his life, he felt whole. He had everything he needed
wrapped in his arms. She was his forever. She was his world. She was his home.
 Sneak Peek: My Only - Alex & Jamie
THE CROSSROADS SERIES

Coming August 2013

Sneak Peak from My Only
The alarm on Jamie’s watch beeped and she was glad that she had taken the extra precaution
to set it. She had been so wrapped up in reading the patient chart, she hadn’t even noticed that the
hour had flown by. Alex Sloan’s history was fascinating. Between his mother’s illness, his four
brothers, his time in the service, and his father’s ailing health she concluded that this man must have
quite a life story. Add to that he was only twenty-six, just two years older than her.
The crowd parted as Jamie made her way towards the bed. She smiled at the family and
friends as she passed them. She had inadvertently eavesdropped over the last hour (hey, they were in
a small confined space) and to say that these people were colorful and amusing was the
understatement of the century! After listening to them she knew one thing to be absolutely true, these
people loved each other and would do anything for one another.
She had never had that kind of support system in her life. It had been her and her mom and
whatever boyfriend her mom happened to have at the time. She had never had a group of people that
she could depend on. In fact the one certainty that had never changed in her life was that Jamie could
depend on one person and one person only…Jamie.
The couple she thought she remembered being Jason and Katie were standing beside Alex’s
bed and were the last barrier she had between her and the patient. They moved out of her way and
Jamie saw Alex Sloan for the first time.
 She stood, momentarily paralyzed. Completely breathless by what she saw. Unable to move.
Unable to think. He was…beautiful.
Lying perfectly still with his eyes closed, she stared, looking at his long dark lashes that lay
resting on his cheek. His strong jawline was peppered with stubble. His skin was probably a bit pale
but was still a lovely olive tone. His lips, she didn’t even know where to begin with his lips. They
were perfect. His chestnut brown hair looked so full and inviting she wanted to run her fingers
through it. And even though he had a cast on one arm and an awful hospital gown on, she could see
that he had a broad strong chest. He had shoulders that looked made for someone to lean on. Her
knees went weak.
Her watch beeped once again and it snapped her out of her massive lust-induced trance. She
forced herself to move into action, checking his vital signs almost on auto-pilot. She was so
embarrassed by her reaction to him she didn’t dare glance around the room at her captive audience.
She knew they must think she was ridiculous. And they wouldn’t be wrong, because right now she
was ridiculous.
Never had she experienced a physical reaction to just seeing someone. And she most
definitely had never been rendered speech-less, motion-less, thought-less at the simple sight of
another human being.
After checking some of his vitals she knew it was time to wake him up. She spoke loudly,
“Hey Alex, time to wake up.”
He didn’t move, she spoke again, a little louder this time, “Alex, can you open your eyes for
me?”
He stirred and opened his eyes. The moment they locked with hers she felt like she couldn’t
catch her breath. They were gorgeous. A light emerald shade in the center rimmed with a darker hue
of green. Whoa nelly, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.
Work, she reminded herself, she had to work. She got her mini flashlight out of her pocket and
leaned over him to check his irises.
“Hi,” He said smiling at her as she examined his eyes.
His voice caused a flutter in her belly and lower, “Hi.” She repeated as an unintentional smile
spread across her face.
She was having a hard time concentrating on her job. He stared at her and made her feel things
that she hadn’t felt…ever. But she had to focus.
“Do you know where you are?” She asked, trying to judge his mental awareness.
“Yes.” He replied.
“Where are you?” She asked, being more specific.
 He smiled even though she could tell by his countenance that he was in a significant amount of
pain. Even with the medication he was on, he had to be seriously uncomfortable.
“Lying down, in bed, looking at the most beautiful girl in the world.” He winked at her.
Laughter spread throughout the room and she heard several people comment on his answer.
“He’s going to be fine.” His dad said.
“Well at least we know the head trauma didn’t do too much damage.” One of his brother’s
said.
“Yep, that’s Alex.” Another brother added.
“Not even a beam can knock sense into that boy.” She heard Grandpa J say.
She laughed a little and shook her head. “Do you know what year it is?”
“Yes.” He continued smiling, either unaware or just completely ignoring his family's
comments.
“What year is it?” She asked, again more specifically.
“2013.” He answered correctly.
“Do you know your name?”
“Yes.”
“What’s your name?” She asked as she pressed the stethoscope to his chest.
“I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.” He smiled again, staring directly into her eyes as she
listened to his heart.
Tremors spread through her like a wild fire. She was glad no one had a stethoscope on her
chest right now because he had just made her heart jump, and her pulse race. Even her palms were
getting a little sweaty. Wow, how this guy was pulling off cheesy lines like this after what he had
been through she had no idea. But, it was impressive.
“Jamie.” She smiled as she stared at his chest, trying to hide the twinkle she felt sparkling in
her eyes.
He lifted his head and she glanced up. He was smiling a smile that let her know he hadn’t
missed her reaction and he definitely had a twinkle of his own in his eye, “Alex.”
“Deep breath, Alex.” She instructed.
She saw him wince as he inhaled.
“How is your pain on a scale from one to ten, ten being the worst?” She asked trying to get
back on track.
Professional. She was a professional, she reminded herself. She was a nurse. She was here to
help him.
“Six.” He answered.
 “Okay this is a PCA,” She lifted the small hand held button that was connected to his IV of
Fentanyl, “when you need a hit just press the button.”
“Got it.” He laid his head back as she placed the device close to his right hand.
His fingers brushed against hers as she pulled her hand away and a chill ran the complete
length of her body. She had no idea what was going on with her! Maybe she needed to have sex even
more than she had originally thought.
She took a deep breath to try and steady herself, “I want you to be as comfortable as possible.
So if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“That’s a loaded statement.” He said smiling, his eyes drifting down her body as he looked to
be studying every inch of her.
She thought she might be in serious danger of blushing. She didn’t know how he managed to
be charming when those lines coming out of other guy’s mouths would have her rolling her eyes with
disgust.
As his eyes traveled back up to her face she noticed that they were beginning to droop, and he
had dark circles underneath them. He needed to rest. But first she was sure there were a few people
here that would like to talk to him.
“Okay, well my work here is done, I’ll let you visit with your family.” She said as she started
to back away to make room for his visitors.
He reached out and grabbed her hand before she had a chance to slip away, “Jamie.”
She turned and looked down at him, “Yes.”
“Can I ask you something now?”
“Yes.” She replied, unable to tear her gaze away from his intoxicating, vivid green eyes.
“Will you marry me?” He asked with a sexy tempting half-smile on his face as his eyes were
drifting shut.
“Yes.” She heard herself reply in a whisper.
“Good.” He said, his smile widening right before he shut his eyes and passed back out.
As soon as his eyes were closed and the spell that he had somehow managed to cast over her
was broken, Jamie realized what she had just said.
Oh. My. God. She wanted to die. Well, not die, but she definitely wanted to crawl under a
rock and live out the rest of her life of complete and total humiliation in peace.
Grace stepped beside her, she patted Alex’s leg, “Thanks for humoring him sweetie. I once
had to tell a patient that I knew where his buried treasure was and was going to go dig it up for him.”
There were chuckles in the room, Chelle laughed. “I once had to tell a woman in labor that I
would call the police and have her husband arrested for impregnating her and putting her in so much
pain.”
“Are you going to try and get me arrested?” Her husband, Riley she thought it was, put his
arms lovingly around his wife.
“Maybe, so you better be nice to me.” She teased.
“Forever.” He said staring deeply into her eyes.
“Forever.” She smiled as he bent down and kissed her softly.
Okay, obviously they were having a private moment, Jamie thought to herself. She stepped
back into her corner as the crowd began dispersing. Now that Alex had woken up some of them
decided to head home.
She took the chance while everyone was distracted, saying their goodbyes, to try and catch her
breath from what had just happened. She knew it wasn’t a real proposal. Alex had not just really
proposed to her. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that had just washed over her when he had asked
her. And she couldn’t, for the life of her, begin to understand why she had said, YES!
She appreciated the fact that Grace had bailed her out of the rather embarrassing faux-pas but
she hadn’t been ‘humoring the patient’. Nope, she had really been completely swept up in his eyes
and the way he was looking at her and said yes! She needed to get control over whatever was going
on with her and quick. He needed her to be professional and on top of her game. Not love-sick and
delusional.
Oh Lord! It was going to be a long night.
 Excerpt: Sweet Reunion
THE HOPE FALLS CHRONICLES

Available Now
Excerpt from Sweet Reunion

As Amanda moved the bite-size chicken pieces and chopped vegetables around the sauté pan
in front of her, her head swam with conflicted emotions. Was it always going to be this way? If Justin
did decide to stay and run the adventure resort with her, was her consciousness going to forever exist
in such a state of unbalance?
Karina, Sam, and Lauren had gone to visit Karina's grandmother, albeit reluctantly. They
hadn't wanted to leave Amanda alone, but Amanda had insisted, coming just short of physically
shoving them out the door.
“I need to get my head on straight!” she had told them, “The only way I am going to
accomplish that is with some serious soul searching and contemplation. And, barring that, a little
'come to Jesus' meeting with myself. Trust me! An hour alone will do me a world of good. I'll make
dinner, and be a whole new woman by the time you get back.”
So, the rest of the Fabulous Four had departed amidst skeptical expressions and admonitions
to call if she needed anything.
And now Amanda was by herself, cooking and contemplating, and not a whole lot seemed to
be moving forward. She had started out feeling confused and vulnerable, and that was squarely where
she still found herself. It didn't help that she had had ZERO hours of sleep the night before! Maybe it
was time to try the 'come to Jesus' meeting.
She heard a knock at the back door which led into the kitchen, and turned around to see the
very source of her confusion and angst standing there, his handsome face framed in the glass pane of
the exterior door like a finely wrought portrait.
A tremor ran through her from head to toe, but she quickly reminded herself that she could not
show him her weaknesses. She again thought of her sleepless night, and noticed how well-rested he
looked. She couldn't let him see she was coming apart at the seams!
No, she was only going to show him a completely strong and together facade. She quickly
pasted a smile on her face, striving for as natural an expression as possible, but truthfully not even
caring if it came off as slightly artificial – as long as her face didn't betray the roiling emotions just
below the surface, it could look as plastic as a mannequin's for all she cared.
She crossed to the back door, opened it, and stood aside, inviting him in.
“Is this a bad time?” he asked as he entered.
“Not at all,” she assured him. “The girls went down to see Karina's grandmother, and I'm just
cooking some dinner.”
“How is Renata doing?” Justin inquired.
“Oh, you know Renata. As indefatigable as ever. I think she'll outlive us all, and be working
on twelve different community projects as she does it.”
“She's a rock,” Justin agreed, “Karina's lucky to have her.”
“True. All of Hope Falls is lucky to have her, when you think about it. So, what were you up
to today?”
“Oh, just cleaning out the bunkhouse and getting it habitable. It brought back a lot of memories
of living there.”
“I bet.” Amanda said, and sitting between them, making the air electric, was the unspoken
memory of the last time they had been in the bunkhouse together. The last time they had seen each
other at all.
She quickly turned back to the stove and focused her attention on the chicken sizzling in the
pan.
Justin moved behind Amanda, close. So close that she could feel his ragged breath on her
neck and in her hair. The nearness of him paralyzed her. Her vision swam and her body felt on fire,
and he wasn't even touching her.
“Amanda...” he said, his voice husky with emotion, with regret. With desire? Was that just
wishful thinking on her part?
“Amanda...” he started again, and then trailed off again.
 Slowly, so slowly that she almost couldn't tell if she was really doing it or if it were only her
imagination, she turned her face up to his. She could barely breathe. Their mouths were less than an
inch apart, and their eyes were locked on each other. She felt as if she would melt on the spot, or
possibly explode.
“Yes?” she whispered. With the one small scrap of awareness of her surroundings that she
had left, she realized that her breathing had grown ragged as well, as if in answer to Justin's.
“I...” he started, then took a deep breathe and tried to begin again, “I just...”
And then, displaying a sense of timing so horrendous that it belied the flawless sense of
rhythm she possessed which was one of the factors which made her a brilliant musician, Karina
called from the front door, “Yoo hoo! We're home
Amanda drew in her breath sharply as Justin retreated across the kitchen, but couldn't manage
to access her vocal chords to summon a response. She heard Karina's voice calling as she came down
the hall, “Did you hear me? Lucy, I'm home!” she hollered in her best Desi Arnaz impersonation.
Amanda looked up as Karina entered the kitchen and shook her head to clear it, but realized
that the truth of what had just happened must have been written all over her face when she saw a sly
smile spread across Karina's face. “Lucy, you've got some 'splaining to do,” she grinned, drawing out
the impression.
“What?” Amanda asked, doing her best to maintain an innocent expression as Lauren and
Samantha entered the kitchen behind Karina.
As soon as Lauren laid eyes on Amanda's face, she rushed over and took the wooden spoon
out of her hand, taking over the job of t sautéing the chicken and veggies. “Oh my goodness, Amanda!
I knew we shouldn't have left you to cook dinner for all of us right now. Seriously, go grab a water,
sit down and relax. Your entire face is flushed, you're getting overheated.”
Karina continued to grin her evil little grin, and added an eyebrow waggle for emphasis. “Oh,
yes, it is quite hot in here, isn't it? Very, very hot. On a completely unrelated note, by the way, how
are you today, Justin?”
Lauren looked up and followed Karina's gaze to the opposite end of the kitchen, where Justin
was leaning against the counter. “Oh, hello,” she intoned flatly, “I didn't see you there,” and turned
back to moving the food around the pan, but with an added degree of aggression that was clearly
visible.
“OK!” said Samantha cheerfully, taking the spoon away from Lauren, “Maybe I should be the
one to do this. Although, I think it's done.” She announced, cutting open one of the chicken pieces and
examining the interior, “And it smells delicious!”
“Thanks,” Amanda responded, “There's actually three parts, and I didn't know what
everyone's dietary restrictions were – vegetarian, low carb, etc – so feel free to mix and match any or
all. Whole wheat pasta in the pot, chicken and veggies in the skillet, and vodka sauce in the
saucepan,” she finished, pointing at each in turn.
“And vodka in the freezer!” Karina added, pulling the bottle out with a flourish. “Justin, are
you joining us for dinner?“Oh, yes,” Sam put in, looking at Amanda, “You really should! It will be
fun, like old times!”
Karina and Samantha looked at Lauren until she finally shrugged and said, “It's a free
country.”
But Justin had eyes for only one person in the room, and no one else's invitation or approval
meant anything to him.
“Amanda?” he asked, “Do you want me to stay?”
Now, Amanda felt a certainty and a clarity she hadn't been able to achieve while solitarily
searching her soul. There was no confusion, no hesitation anywhere in her as she answered firmly in
the affirmative.
 Excerpt: Scandalous
RED HOT PRIVATE EYE SERIES
Novella

Excerpt from Scandalous

As Dominic and Cristal were escorted to their table by a bubbly blond waitress, Dominic
tried desperately to get his body under control. Walking around with a hard on in a crowded
restaurant was as uncomfortable as it was inappropriate. His valiant efforts paid off. He had just
managed to lower the flagpole when they arrived at their designated table.
Cristal slid into the booth, giving him an incredible view of her perfect heart-shaped rear. He
closed his eyes, trying in vain to erase the image from his mind. No luck.
Desire quickly returned, flooding through his system like lava in his veins. His fingers itched
to touch her, and he tightened his hands into fists. All of his blood was racing to his groin.
Good God, man, you're not some horny teenager, he chided himself. You're a professional.
This behavior is ridiculous.
Shaking his head, he took his place in the booth across from Cristal.
This view of her was not any less appealing, he found. Her silky brown hair fell in a perfect
wave, a soft curl across her milky smooth shoulder. Her full lips screamed for attention, and they
were certainly getting it from him. He wanted to crush her against his chest and press his lips to her
luscious, plump ones. He eyed her pouty lower lip and imagined tracing his tongue along it, and then
lightly nipping it with his teeth.
 “Well, they’re not wasting any time,” Cristal said, excitement lacing her voice. Her body
tensed like that of a bird of prey who had a quarry in its sights.
She pulled out her phone and began to nonchalantly pretend to text as she actually snapped
photos and took video clips of the woman they had been hired to follow.
“You have a visual?” Dominic asked, all business, and worked to keep his tone neutral. He
didn't want it infused with the sexual charge he was currently battling. He didn't want her to realize
the power she had over him.
“Affirmative,” Cristal said triumphantly, and placed her phone flat on the table, sliding it over
to him.
Dominic glanced down and saw the photo. It showed their mark, seated in a secluded booth
and engaged in a full lip lock with her “co-worker.”
“It still blows my mind that people who are messing around go to public places. Sure, it
makes our job easier, but come on...The Cheesecake Factory? Why would you risk it?” Cristal shook
her head as she pulled her phone back, ready to record any further transgressions for posterity.
“I think sometimes the danger of being caught adds to the heat, the drama. It's usually not about
anything more than excitement,” Dominic said. He shook his head. He had always thought that if you
needed to go outside your relationship to get your kicks, it was time to find a new relationship. But if
people did that...well, then half of his income would disappear, so que sera sera.
The waitress came and took their orders. It was clear during the process that she only had
eyes for Dominic – quite literally. She looked at him even while Cristal gave her order, and directed
questions about Cristal's salad to Dominic.
Dominic, who was used to such attention just as he assumed Cristal must be used to it from
members of the opposite sex, found the whole encounter amusing. He barely gave it a second thought.
What did catch his attention, however, was the sudden stiffening of Cristal's posture.
“Something wrong? Did you lose visual?” he asked crisply, immediately back in the game.
Cristal looked at him coolly, “I still have visual. They're probably playing footsies because
the tonsil hockey has subsided.”
“Then what’s with the stiff back and shoulders?”
She raised her eyebrows, haughty, and spoke in an airy tone of voice, “I don’t know what
you’re talking about.”
“Ooookay...” Dominic said. He refocused his thinking. The amount of time that Cristal was
being forced to spend with him because of their mutual assignment was limited, and he certainly did
not want to spend it fighting. He thought it would be a good idea to change the subject.
He thought could talk to her about Red retiring and the buyout offer, but that would most likely
lead to unpleasantry. After all, they both wanted the company, so they were in direct competition.
He could try again to broach the subject of them getting to know each other better, but he knew
that was a non-starter. She would shut it down with one dry sentence. He could hear her voice in his
head already. “Never gonna happen.”
Since it seemed he had exhausted all other topic choices available to him, he decided to go
with the only thing he could think about rationally at this moment…sex.
“I haven’t been that close to coming in my pants since middle school,” he said bluntly.
Cristal smiled, although Dominic could sense it was begrudgingly. She said, with the first hint
in her voice that she might be enjoying the conversation, “Perhaps your body is simply regressing
until it matches your level of maturity.”
Dominic chuckled, “That could very well be. Or maybe it's the fact that I haven’t been dry
humped since seventh grade and my body is reacted accordingly,” he gave her his 'devilish' smile and
added, with a wink, “Not that I’m complaining.”
One corner of her mouth raised slightly in a naughty half-smile, “Good, cause I don’t seem to
remember hearing a lot of complaining a few minutes ago, and I wouldn't be interested in listening to
it now.”
“You’re right,” Dominic said, and then lowered his voice to an intimate level as he laid his
hand lightly over hers on the table, “I didn’t make any complaints. Just promises.”
A flush rose up Cristal’s neck and she involuntarily snatched her hand back. He could see her
almost instantly attempt to mask her reaction...and she almost succeeded. She didn't, though, not
entirely. Dominic saw the light of passion that burned just beneath the surface calm in her eyes. He
knew that she wanted him just as much as he wanted her.
He smiled.
This was going to be interesting.
 Other titles by Melanie Shawn
THE HOPE FALLS CHRONICLES

Sweet Reunion (The Hope Falls Chronicles, #1)

Sweet Harmonies (The Hope Falls Chronicles, #2)

Sweet Victory (The Hope Falls Chronicles, #3)

Home Sweet Home (The Hope Falls Chronicle, #4)

THE CROSSROADS SERIES

My First - Jason & Katie (The Crossroads Series, Book.1)

RED HOT PRIVATE EYE

Scandalous (Novella, Vol. 1)

 About the Author
Melanie Shawn is the writing team of sister duo Melanie and Shawna. Originally from
Northern California, they both migrated south and now call So Cal their home.
Growing up, Melanie constantly had her head in a book and was always working on short
stories, manuscripts, plays and poetry. After graduating magna cum laude from Pepperdine
University, she went on to teach grades 2nd through 8th for five years. She now spends her days
writing and taking care of her furry baby, a Lhasa Apso named Hercules. In her free time, her favorite
activity is to curl up on the couch with that stubborn, funny mutt and binge-watch cable TV shows on
DVD (preferably of at least eight seasons in length - a girl's gotta have her standards!).
Shawna always loved romance in any form - movie, song or literary. If it was a love story
with a happy ending, Shawna was all about it! She proudly acknowledges that she is a romanceaholic.
Her days are jam-packed with writing, being a wife, mom aka referee of two teens, and indulging in
her second passion (dance!) as a Zumba instructor. In the little free time she has, she joins Melanie in
marathon-watching DVDs of their favorite TV programs.
They have joined forces to create a world where True Love and Happily Ever After always
has a Sexy Twist!
You can keep up with all the latest Melanie Shawn news, including new releases and contests,
at:
http://melanieshawn.com
and
http://facebook.com/melanieshawnbooks