One Winter's Night. Brenda Jackson

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      “All right,” she said. “But I’ll need a decision on the attire in order to determine what sort of decorations will be appropriate.”

      “I’ll keep that in mind.”

      “Last but not least,” she said, switching off the screen, “is the discussion of the budget. That handout I’ve given you breaks everything down. I inflated the expenses to allow for decorations. I’d rather operate on the high end versus a low one.”

      She paused a moment and then said, “Those are all of my ideas and suggestions. Is there anything you want to add or change?”

      He shook his head. “No, I think you did a thorough job explaining things.”

      “Thank you,” she said, crossing the room to place the remote near the television screen. That’s when she dropped her ink pen and leaned down to pick it up.

      For the second time that day Riley was slapped with a case of lust so thick he wondered how in the hell he was going to stand without giving away his body’s reaction. She had leaned down to pick up her pen, and the way the material of her dress stretched snug across that gorgeous backside, he’d almost swallowed his tongue. Drawing in a deep breath, he used his hand to wipe away the perspiration forming on his forehead.

      “Need help with anything?”

      “No, thanks,” she said, flicking a quick glance in his direction before returning to what she was doing. He continued to sit there, almost willing her to glance back at him, hold his gaze, feel his heat and not deny the potent chemistry flowing between them.

      At that moment, he made a decision. “We’ll need to meet again next week, after I’ve reached a decision about the attire for the event.”

      He knew she was probably wondering why they needed to meet to discuss that when it was something they could cover over the phone. Instead of questioning him about anything, though, she simply said, “That’s fine. Do you know when and where?”

      “I’ll call you.”

      She met his gaze and held it. He knew at that moment that if she hadn’t felt the strong undercurrents flowing between them before, she did now. “All right.”

      Now that was where he disagreed with her. It wasn’t all right, but he didn’t know a way to change the path he seemed determined to take where she was concerned.

      He watched as she re-dressed in her two heavy sweaters, scarf, huge overcoat and gloves. Was all that necessary? Evidently to her they were. If she wanted to stay warm the best thing she needed was body heat. Namely, his.

      “I’m ready to go.”

      Glad he had gotten his body under control and that there was no sign of the lust that had overtaken it earlier, he stood. “Do I need to carry you out?” he teased.

      Her eyes rounded and it amused him that she’d assumed he was serious. “No, and I’m sorry you felt the need to do so before. I’m usually not clumsy,” she said apologetically.

      “You weren’t clumsy, Alpha. You aren’t used to walking on icy, slippery surfaces and that’s understandable. Will you do me a favor?”

      She tilted up her head to look at him. “What?”

      “Stop apologizing. You haven’t done anything wrong.”

      “Thanks.”

      “Doing that must drive your boyfriend crazy,” he said, deliberately fishing for information.

      “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

      “Oh.” He placed his hand in the center of her back as he led her out of the room. So she didn’t have a boyfriend. Hmm.

      An hour or so later Alpha entered her home and immediately shrugged off her heavy coat and began peeling off her sweaters and gloves. It was then that she missed her scarf and figured she must have left it in Riley’s truck.

      During their ride back to her car she’d noticed he no longer seemed to be on guard with her, the way he had been at the restaurant earlier, and she took advantage by keeping the conversation going about the holiday party—One Winter’s Night. The more she talked about it the more excited she got.

      Once they reached her car, she saw her tire was fixed and her car keys were back where she’d left them. He wouldn’t accept any money for having her tire taken care of, so she thanked him for lunch. After assuring him she would follow up with him in a week to discuss the attire for the party, she hurried off to her car. He had sat in his truck, watching her drive off.

      Now she was home, inside the house she’d fallen in love with the first time she’d seen it. The last house in the cul-de-sac of a street where all the backyards faced the mountains, it was smaller than her place in Daytona but she’d always thought her condo on the beach had been too large for her anyway. Now she didn’t have any wasted space, and the windows facing her backyard provided a gorgeous view of the mountains. However, there were days she missed the beach, until she remembered she had given up the beach for a reason.

      Sitting down on the sofa, she began removing her boots. The first thing she’d done after buying the house was carpet the majority of the tile floors. The thought of getting out of bed and letting her feet touch cold tile had sent chills up her body. Other than that she hadn’t changed a thing. Definitely not the extensive woodwork trim or the custom cabinets.

      Moments later, taking her shoes in her hand, she walked in bare feet to her bedroom while thinking about what had driven her here to Denver.

      Eddie Swisher.

      At one time, she had thought he was everything she had wanted in a man. In the end, she’d discovered he was nothing more than a puppet with his parents pulling the strings. She would never forget the day, a mere week before her wedding, when he had shown up at her place and dropped the bomb. A family meeting had been called and his family had voted. It had been decided that he couldn’t marry her unless she vowed to disown Omega, her twin sister—the former porn star. After all, he had pointed out, her own parents had turned their backs on Omega. He couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t do the same. It had meant nothing to him that Omega was no longer in the business or that she had met a man who’d adored her regardless of her past. It was a past her parents and Eddie just couldn’t get beyond.

      At least he hadn’t stooped to the same level as LeBron Roberts, the guy she’d dated before Eddie. When LeBron had learned of her twin’s occupation, he’d assumed Alpha would miraculously transform into Omega in the bedroom. When she had dashed those hopes, he hadn’t wasted any time in dropping her.

      Her thoughts shifted back to Riley. He was a fine specimen of a man, definitely a threat to the peace she was trying to find. It didn’t take much for her to remember those beautiful dark eyes, long lashes and the way his jaw curved whenever he smiled. She’d never been drawn to any male with such intensity. He took the word sexy to all new heights. She had been attracted to LeBron and Eddie but not to the same degree. It was something about his voice, the way he looked at her, his entire presence that made her think of long winter nights—with him.

      She tossed the hair from her face, thinking she had truly gotten her drool-on СКАЧАТЬ