Innocent Secrets by Keyonna Davis

Delete, delete, delete! With a growl of frustration Jessica Garrison pressed the delete button a little harder than necessary. Take me, Riley, really? Why was it that every man she tried to write about turned into Riley? He was the one man who had the potential to be her Prince Charming. Also the man who turned her brain to mush and had her running scared at the same time. When she first walked into the third grade classroom in the middle of the semester seventeen years ago, his green eyes were the first thing she saw. They had taken her breath away then, and they still had the ability to do the same today.

Looking back, Jessica realized it wasn’t only her writing, but a lot of her dreams also starred Riley Matthews. He was gorgeous with his green eyes and his black curls. Since that first day in third grade, he was the only man to have ever made her pulse race and her mouth dry. He was the man she compared all other guys to.

Too bad she had never had the guts to approach him in high school. Even when she moved back to Pine Valley after college and bumped into Riley Matthews again, she immediately turned back into the blushing, mumbling idiot that she had always been. Why did he have such an effect on her? Jessica thought she would be okay with him affecting her so much if it didn’t affect her writing. She slid her chair back away from her computer, knowing that she wasn’t going to get any more work done. It had been that way for about two weeks now. Who was she kidding? It had been that way for about seven months now. Every since Riley brought Cane into the library for the first time.

Normally Jessica wouldn’t let it bother her seeing Riley with another woman on his arms. She was used to it after all, but there was just something about the way Riley hovered over Cane. He was protective and careful with her. Jessica had never seen him that way before. It also didn’t help that Cane was beautiful. She had never seen a woman with Cane’s looks. She was exotic, and Jessica knew there was no way she could compete. She felt her world crumble a little that day and had to admit that she was jealous. It wasn’t until she actually talked to Cane and learned her story that she lost her jealousy. Jessica couldn’t help but to admire her. After what she went through with her crazy ex, Cane was still able to trust and find love with not only one, but two men.

It was ironic that the woman she wanted to hate instantly on sight turned out to be her best friend. Jessica felt close enough to Cane to tell her about her “alter ego,” J. Red, and she had to admit it felt good to tell someone her secret. Cane even had Jessica in her wedding party as a bridesmaid. That had been one of the best days of her life. She was paired with Riley as a groomsmen and it was the first time she ever felt what it was like to have Riley Matthews in her arms. He stuck to her side the entire wedding, dancing, getting her drinks, and making her laugh. She knew he felt it was his job to keep her company, but she absorbed all of his attention so that she would have memories of the night after everything went back to normal. She was sure she’d made a fool of herself more times that night than all the times since she had with Riley put together, but she didn’t care. As cheesy as it sounded, it was a night to remember.

The only hard part about being Cane’s friend meant that she saw Riley on a regular basis after that. It was hard to constantly spend time with someone you wanted but couldn’t have. The only reprieve Jessica got was when Riley went back to school, but that all ended about two weeks ago when Riley finished college and moved back home for good. Now it seemed that everywhere she turned, he was there. Hence the reason she was in the predicament she was in now. She couldn’t get him out of her head, and he wasn’t helping. Didn’t he know what he was doing to her? It was like he was following her around, and there was nothing she could do about it. She had to admit that it felt good to have his attention all on her, but why now?

Jessica released another growl and ran her hands through her hair. At this rate, she would be bald before the year was out. What she needed was fresh air to clear her head. She decided that she would go to the diner for lunch and then she would pop over and check on Cane since she was so close to her due date. And if she happened to run into Riley while she was there, well, she would deal with those consequences later.

After showering, getting dressed, and denying that she changed her clothes a few extra times just in case Riley was home, Jessica walked over to the diner. It was around three in the afternoon so the lunch crowd—if around twenty people counted as a crowd—had already left. There were only two guys huddled over at a corner table. She had never seen them before, but that didn’t mean anything. They often got visitors stopping in before they headed out hiking or camping in the mountains surrounding Pine Valley. Still, after what Cane and Ali went through with the kidnapping attempt a while back, she made a point of noticing strangers. Ali was behind the counter and smiled when Jessica walked in.

“Hey, Ali, how has your day been going?” she asked as she walked over and took a seat at the counter.

Ali shrugged. “It’s been about the same as usual. A little busy with tourists coming in trying to get in one last hike or camping trip before it gets cold out.”

Jessica nodded and placed her order. When Ali went back into the kitchen to fix it, Jessica turned on her stool to study the two strangers in the corner. They didn’t look like hikers. They did look like they were use to “roughing it” though, but she had a feeling that wasn’t what they were there for. They were both big men, and she could tell that underneath all those clothes it would all be muscle. The one with dark looks had his eyes narrowed, watching the door that Ali had just gone through. He had long auburn hair braided down his back and dark eyes. He also had a scar going from his hairline to the left corner of his mouth. The scar fit with the brooding, don’t-bother-me image that he was trying to portray. The other guy looked more open and approachable. He had strawberry blond hair spiked on the top of his head and chocolate eyes. He smiled when he caught her watching him and winked. They would make great cover models for a romance novel, she thought. Too bad they didn’t get her blood flowing like Riley. Jessica sighed and turned back around again as her thoughts drifted to where she didn’t want them to go. Ali sat her lunch in front of her and leaned her elbows on the counter. After a few bites, Jessica noticed Ali’s dreamy glances over at the guys in the corner.

“Do you know them?”

Ali seemed to snap out of her daze. “I take it you haven’t talked to Cane in a few days?”

Jessica shook her head. “No, I’ve been a little busy, but I was actually headed over after I leave here.”

“Well, it’s a good thing you stopped by before going over. The place is on lockdown for a while and those are my bodyguards,” she said, pointing at the two men. “A gift from my big brother.”

“Chase?” Jessica asked. “I thought he went on vacation.”

“Well, he did, but he got a call from his old boss while he was gone, asking for his help. Turns out the guy’s daughter was kidnapped and needed guarding. She is at the house now recovering. Needless to say things are a little tense right now until this guy is caught. That’s why they are here,” she said, nodding toward the guys again. “They’re a part of Chase’s old team, and he called them in to help.”

Jessica nodded. She didn’t blame Chase for being extra cautious after what Cane’s ex-boyfriend did. “Wow, life is never boring at the Matthews’ house. Are you sure it’s okay for me to stop by to see Cane or should I wait until things die down?”

“Oh yeah, I’m sure Cane would welcome all the company she can get. It’s bad enough that Duncan and Logan have been very protective of her since they found out she was pregnant. Now with this new threat, they aren’t letting her out of their sight. She is about to go crazy. Just head on out, and I will call Chase and let him know you’re on the way. Just don’t say anything to anyone in town about our house guest. Chase doesn’t want to take any chances like last time with Cane.”

Jessica paid for her lunch and left the diner. As she walked back home to get her car, she thought of what Cane had been through. Even though she spent eight years with a madman, she still had the ability to love. Jessica didn’t know if she would have been capable of trusting a man ever again. Now Cane was happy and very pregnant. You could see the love between her and her husbands grow more and more every day. That’s what Jessica wanted. She wanted to find someone that she could trust and grow to love. She wanted her fairy-tale happily ever after and in a perfect world it would be with Riley.

Once Jessica got her car, she drove toward Riley’s house, wondering if it was a mistake to want him so bad. It was quite obvious that Riley was out of her league, a fact that many of the girls in high school seemed to enjoy making Jessica aware of. They all saw the way Riley watched her, and they all thought they were going to be the ones to turn his head in their direction. Too bad Riley didn’t cooperate. The more he focused his attention on Jessica, the more of a target she became for the other girls. Jessica wasn’t a pushover, but she also didn’t enjoy the spotlight. Needless to say, high school was a miserable experience.

College had given Jessica a chance to escape and start over fresh. She didn’t know anyone, which gave her the opportunity to reinvent herself. She became more outgoing and was even able to make a few friends. Her roommate constantly gushed over Jessica and told her that with her long red hair and slim figure she was stunning. Jessica only saw herself as flat chested and too skinny, but eventually she started to believe her roommate and after a few dates, her confidence began to build. Unfortunately, her few dates didn’t hold a candle to Riley Matthews. Jessica had to wonder if her schoolgirl crush had the potential to turn into anything with him or if she was just wasting her time.

Jessica drove toward the house, determined to find out. She had a feeling she would regret it for the rest of her life if she didn’t at least take a chance with the man. She prayed things would work out with him. If they didn’t, she would definitely be heartbroken, but maybe she would be able to get some damn writing done.

* * * *

Riley hung up the phone with a huge grin on his face. Jessica was coming over and he couldn’t be happier. Now that he was finally finished with school and home for good, it was time to let Jessica know he wanted her. He had tried telling her so many times, but whenever he got close, she turned the other way, running like a scared little rabbit. He knew she was shy, but there had to be a way to get through to her. He just had to figure out his next move. She didn’t know that he knew her secret, so maybe he could use that to his advantage. He just didn’t know how yet.

It fascinated him that someone so shy could write such steamy romance novels. He had found out she wrote the novels by accident. He was at a bookstore one day and picked up one of the books by mistake when some guy walked up to him and started talking about how he used to date the author. The guy knew her real name, and by the time he got done describing her, Riley knew exactly who he was talking about. He didn’t believe it at first, so he blew the guy off and left the store without buying the book. There was no way shy, innocent, sweet Jessica wrote those types of books. The whole way home from Carlton though, he thought about her and how in high school she stayed to herself and was always writing in her notebook. She never went anywhere without it. What if it was true? What if she was really the author J. Red?

Riley wasn’t convinced of it until a few days later when he went into the library. As usual Jessica spoke and then stared at her feet. He wanted to ask her about the books but instead went to see if there were any on the shelf. He was surprised to actually find one and took it up to the counter to check it out. Jessica freaked and her whole face turned scarlet. She refused to let him have the book, coming up with some lame excuse that it was already reserved. Riley didn’t argue and left the library certain that Jessica was really J. Red the erotic romance author. He had to admit that it made him even more fascinated with her, and he was determined to get his hands on the books.

When Riley confided in Cane what he found out about Jessica, he learned that she had a few copies of the books and was willing to loan them to him. He ended up locked in his room for a few days with an extreme hard-on. The only word he could use to describe what she wrote was sexy. The stories were so detailed that all you had to do was close your eyes and it was like you were in the same room with the characters. To know that someone with Jessica’s shy personality had that much sexuality lurking inside of her was a real turn-on. He wondered if she would be as passionate as her characters in bed. Riley definitely wanted to be the one to find out.

He thought he was making progress at Cane and his brothers’ wedding. He stuck to her like glue the whole night. It was the first time he was able to get her to drop her guard and let him in for a little while. They had fun dancing, and he was able to get her to hold a conversation with him that was more than just stuttering or one-word answers. Not wanting to spook her, he chose to talk about mundane things and nothing personal. It wasn’t the time to let her know that he knew about her secret.

After the wedding, things went back to the way that had always been. Jessica put her walls back up, and Riley felt like he was starting from scratch trying to knock them down again. That was when he came up with the plan that he was working on now. He figured that if he was everywhere that she was, then maybe she would get used to being around him and open up. It was a simple plan with the potential to backfire on him, but he didn’t know what else to do. Either she would label him a stalker or she would get to know him better and feel more comfortable around him.

So far, it only seemed that Riley was succeeding in frustrating Jessica. He could see it on her face when she saw him coming, but he didn’t care. Any emotion he got from her was better than her running away. To him it meant that she was comfortable enough to show some emotion around him. It was progress as far as he was concerned. Now that she was on her way over to see Cane, Riley planned to see if he could get more than a few words out of her. Maybe he could invite her out to dinner. He decided to go find Cane and let her know Jessica was on the way. He would see if she could help him figure out what to do.

Cane was lying on the couch with her feet propped up. It was her usual spot these days with her pregnancy so far along. Riley sat down and propped her feet in his lap. Cane had quickly become one of his best friends when he was assigned to guard her from her ex. He still felt guilty that he wasn’t there for her the night that Sam came into town and tried to kill her and Ali. He should have been there. Instead he was at home locked in his room reading one of Jessica’s novels. Because of him Cane suffered needlessly and Ali was traumatized.

“I know what you are thinking and you can just get that thought right out of your head.” Cane frowned up at him.

“So, what, are you a mind reader now?” Riley asked, only half joking.

“No, I just know the look on your face. I have seen that face hundreds of time when I looked in the mirror. It was usually after I got done blaming myself for something Sam did. You have to know that what happened to me and Ali was no one’s fault but Sam’s. I don’t blame you for what happened and neither does anyone else. You have to learn to let the past stay in the past and move on. If you don’t, then you are in for a miserable life.”

Riley shrugged. “I know you’re right and I need to move on, it’s just hard to not think about what could have happened if things had gone differently or if Duncan and Logan were too late.”

“I know it’s hard, and I still catch myself thinking of what would have happened if I never escaped Sam. When it starts to get to you, you have to remind yourself that things turned out okay and everything is fine.” Cane struggled to sit up, so Riley helped her. “Now, I know you didn’t come in here to relive the past, so what’s up?”

It was just like Cane to try and cheer everyone up. Over the past few months, Riley had watched her come out of her shell. She always had a smile on her face and was willing to help everyone. She made it her mission to make everyone as happy as she was. She was the only one who knew how Riley felt about Jessica, and she was determined to make them a couple. Riley wasn’t complaining. He needed all the help he could get.

“I just got off the phone with Ali. She said Jessica stopped in for lunch and is on her way out here to see you. I was just wondering if you could help me with her. I have tried everything I can, but I don’t think any of it is working.” Cane nodded. Riley had to admit the grin that spread across her face kind of scared him.

“Oh, man, this is going to be so much fun. Finally something for me to do around here. It’s no fun being on lockdown.” Cane rubbed her hands together, causing Riley to wonder what he had gotten himself into.

Twenty minutes before Jessica arrived, Riley was freshly showered and shaved. He put on a brand-new pair of jeans and a T-shirt that according to Cane was tight enough to show off his muscles and make women drool. He knew he was the smallest of his brothers in size and height, but Riley had never received any complaints in the looks department. He wasn’t conceited, but it did sting his pride a little that Jessica was the first woman he ever wanted that didn’t seem to fall at his feet. He was at a loss of what to do about it. That’s where Cane came in. She had no shame in using her pregnancy as an excuse to have to suddenly lie down in the middle of Jessica’s visit after she got her to agree to stay for dinner. Knowing Logan and Duncan, they would be concerned and stay by her side. Cane didn’t want her husbands to worry so unfortunately, Riley had to give her permission to let them in on his secret crush and the plan once they were in their room. Riley could already hear the endless teasing he was going to receive. If the plan worked, he would gladly suffer. Kerri was still recovering from her injuries, so she wasn’t able to leave the bed yet and Chase refused to leave her side. Ali was working late with Angel and Gavin guarding her. That meant that what was usually a family dinner was suddenly going to turn into a dinner for two.

Riley had everything set when he heard Jessica’s car pull up. He opened the door for her and had to hold back a laugh when she sighed and immediately looked at her feet.

“Good afternoon, Jessica. It’s good to see you again.”

“Hi, Riley,” Jessica said so low that he had to lean in close to hear her.

He decided not to push her to say more since he was going to ambush her later. “Come on, Cane is in the living room watching TV.” He placed his hand on the small of her back to guide her. He wanted to do a fist pump when he felt a shiver work its way up her spine and she sucked in a breath. If he wasn’t mistaken she pressed her back further in his hand instead of moving away. It was a small move on her part, but it was a start.

When he got to the living room, he wanted to laugh. Apparently Cane had already filled her husbands in on what was going on because she was stretched out on the couch while Logan and Duncan each took up a chair. Normally they all shared the couch with Cane in between them. That only left the smaller couch for him and Jessica to sit on together. Riley waited for her to sit and purposely sat close enough that his thigh was smashed up against hers. He felt Jessica stiffen, but she didn’t complain or try to move. Yes! So far so good.

The entire time Jessica and Cane talked, Riley tried to ignore the looks and snickers that Duncan and Logan were giving him. He couldn’t be upset that the teasing had already started because he was too focused on Jessica. He studied everything about her, from her long red hair that she always wore braided down her back to her sweet scent. She smelled like brown sugar and vanilla. The scent made him want to lick her from head to toe to see if she tasted as sweet as she smelled. She was thin almost to the point of being too skinny, but it turned Riley on. He saw her as delicate and feminine. The clothes he always saw her in fit the image of the stereotypical librarian. She either wore long skirts or dress slacks with collared shirts or sweaters. He wondered what she would look like in simple jeans and a T-shirt, or better yet, with nothing on at all.

From that point on, Riley’s thoughts progressed further into the gutter. He wondered what Jessica would look like under him, on top of him, on her knees in front of him with those aqua eyes of hers looking up at him. They all seemed to lead to one conclusion, him inside her until they didn’t know where he ended and she began.

His thoughts were interrupted when Duncan cleared his throat. He raised an eyebrow at Riley and nodded toward his crotch. Looking down, Riley was startled to see that he had an obvious erection tenting his jeans. Cane and Jessica were caught up in conversation and were oblivious to what was going on, but Logan and Duncan were trying their best not to laugh. He grimaced and reached down to adjust himself. That set Logan off, and he started laughing out loud, causing Duncan to lose it. Riley was able to grab a throw pillow and place it in his lap before Jessica got an eyeful of his obvious arousal. Cane looked over at her two men to see what was going on, and he had no doubt that before the end of the night, she too would know how much just being near Jessica affected him. He was just glad Jessica didn’t seem to catch on to what was going on. He would have been totally humiliated if she knew that just sitting next to her caused him to almost come in his jeans.

Cane used the distraction as an opportunity to fake her illness. She complained that she needed to lie down, and of course her husbands sobered up quickly and rushed her off to bed. Cane was able to yell over Logan’s shoulder that Jessica might as well stay for dinner since she was already there and had promised. Riley was going to have to come up with a way to thank Cane for her help. Although a little reluctant for Riley’s tastes, Jessica agreed to stay. She had that deer-in-a-headlight look when it finally hit her that they were alone together, and he knew he needed to do something to get her to relax. He could hear the gears turning in her head as she tried to come up with a reason to leave. He wasn’t going to let that happen since it was the first time he had her alone since Cane’s wedding. He was tired of her running. Who knew when he would get another chance? He knew the night would go a lot smoother if she felt comfortable around him so he placed a hand at the small of her back, ignoring her when she jumped, and led her to the kitchen.

“Come on, you can keep me company while I cook.” He sat Jessica at the table and went the refrigerator to grab two beers. He handed her one without another word and turned to start dinner.

Riley’s hope was that his silence and the beer would go a long way in relaxing Jessica. He was glad that he was correct when he saw her shoulders gradually relax as she watched him move around the kitchen. He made his favorite meal, chicken Alfredo with garlic bread, and fixed both their plates. Jessica leaned over and sniffed her plate then he waited as she took her first bite.

“Oh man, this is delicious. How did you learn to cook like this?” She moaned.

Just like that his hard-on was back. It took him a minute to think with all the blood rushing from his head to his cock, but he was finally able to answer her. “My mom taught me when I was little. She wanted all the kids to be able to take care of themselves if something happened to her.”

Every time Riley thought about his parents he was a little saddened. The car accident took them unexpectedly, and he missed them a lot. He was grateful for everything his mom and dad had taught them. He didn’t think he and his brothers and sister would have made it after the accident if their parents hadn’t taught them to be independent. They also taught them to stick together and be each other’s best friends. It was why they got along so well.

“I would have loved to have a mom that did things like that for me when I was younger.” Jessica interrupted his trip down memory lane.

He was shocked she’d even mentioned her mother. It was the first time that he ever heard anything about the woman. He didn’t think anyone in town knew anything about Jessica’s past. She just showed up one day, and Mrs. Garrison took her in, no questions asked. He didn’t want to spook her into not talking again, but he had to ask, “I’ve never heard you talk about your mom. What was she like?”

Riley didn’t think she was going to answer the question until he realized she didn’t look scared, just thoughtful. He stayed quiet and let her answer when she was ready.

“My mom wasn’t really a mom. She ‘checked out,’ as I liked to call it, a long time ago. She suffered from severe depression more often than not. I never met my dad, and to be honest, I don’t think she even knew who it was. With her being a single mom, I think she saw me as a responsibility that she didn’t need or want so she only did enough to get by. When she thought I was old enough to take care of myself, which in her eyes was around four, she began leaving me alone for long periods of time. She would put me in my room with the TV on and leave food for me to eat then she would disappear. A first it was a few hours, but as I got older, it became days.”

Jessica paused and took a few bites of her pasta before she continued. “It wasn’t all bad. There were days when she would wake me up, and we would go to the park or to the movies and just hang out all day. Those were good days. Then there were times when she would go days at a time in her room crying for no apparent reason. I didn’t know what was wrong with her, and I didn’t tell anyone because I was scared they would take me away. Finally when I was about eight, she woke me up one day after she had been locked in her room for about a week and told me to get dressed. I thought, ‘Finally it’s going to be a fun day.’ Instead, she had a backpack packed and put me on a bus with a note. I came here to a grandmother that I had never met and who didn’t even know I existed.”

Riley was appalled and outraged that someone could treat a child that way. He knew unconditional love and support growing up. He couldn’t imagine what Jessica went through.

“God, Jessica, you were just a baby. How could someone treat you that way?” He was amazed when Jessica reached over and patted his hand.

“Hey, it’s okay. My grandmother, bless her heart, only shook her head after reading the note and ushered me into the house and straight into the kitchen complaining that I was too skinny and needed to eat. At first I was angry and thought that was the worst day of my life. As I got older, I realized that my mom actually did what was best for me. Her stepping up and sending me away was the first act as a responsible parent she had ever made, and it was the best one. Now I look back at that day as the best day of my life.”

Riley sat back in his seat and stared at her. Jessica was truly an amazing woman. Here she was telling him about her shitty past and instead of him comforting her, she was trying to console his anger over what happened to her. That was one of the things he loved about her, her compassion. She never met a stranger, and she went out of her way to make others feel better. When Cane was recovering from her injuries, Jessica took the time at least twice a week to bring books to a woman she hardly knew. She simply did it so that Cane wouldn’t be bored. It was little things like that that made him fall for her.

This was the first real conversation that they had, and Riley didn’t want it to end, so he asked, “Have you talked to your mom since you came here?”

Jessica shook her head. “No, I never heard from her again. When she sent me here she didn’t leave any kind of contact information. I told my grandmother where we had been staying, but my mom had already moved out. I think she wanted to make a clean break and sever all ties to me and her mom so she disappeared. I haven’t tried to find her because I don’t think she wants to be found. I figured if she ever wanted to get in contact with me, then she knows where I am.”

“So you wouldn’t be opposed to having contact with her again?” he asked.

“I’m not saying that we will ever have a mother-daughter relationship. In reality, we never had that, but I wouldn’t turn her away before I gave her the opportunity to explain why she did the things she did. I would also like to tell her thank you for sending me here and giving me a chance at a life I deserved.”

Wow. His future wife was remarkable. He didn’t think he could be that forgiving, but she wanted to thank the woman. If he didn’t know she would run scared, he would drop to one knee now and ask her to marry him. He knew it was too soon, so he got up and cleared the table before his mouth got him into trouble. Jessica helped him clean, and they washed the dishes in silence. Once the kitchen was clean, she grabbed her jacket and purse and headed to the door.

“Thank you for dinner, Riley, it was great. I will have to return the favor.”

Her blush made him want to do a victory dance. She had basically asked him out again, and he didn’t plan on letting the opportunity slip by. “I think I will take you up on that offer. How about dinner tomorrow night?”

Jessica stared at him and chewed her bottom lip. He wasn’t sure what she was thinking, but she finally nodded. “Okay. Tomorrow night at seven.”

She turned to grab the door handle, but he stopped her. He had no plans of letting her leave without saying good-bye. He pulled her to him and sealed his lips over hers before she could say anything. Her lips were as soft as he imagined they would be, and he groaned at the sweet taste when he ran his tongue across her bottom lip. He kept pressure against her mouth and stroked the seam of her lips until Jessica finally sighed and relaxed. Riley took advantage of her sigh and slipped his tongue into her mouth. He stroked and caressed her tongue and mapped the inside of her mouth until she was whimpering and grinding her hips against his thigh.

Riley wasn’t sure when he had pressed his thigh between her legs, but he wasn’t going to complain if Jessica wasn’t. Instead he deepened the kiss and sucked on her tongue when she slipped it into his mouth. He moved his hands to her hips and pressed her harder into his leg. Her whimpers quickly turned into moans when he released her mouth and trailed tiny love bites down her neck. This caused her to move faster against him until she finally sunk her teeth into his shoulder as she shuddered, coming against his thigh. Riley smiled. He now knew that her neck was sensitive and seemed to have a line straight to her crotch. He planned on exploring the area thoroughly in the future because he had no doubt that they would be doing this again.

He gave Jessica time to catch her breath while he took the time to get the lead pipe in his pants under control. He was barely able to hold off his orgasm when she came on his thigh, but somehow he found the strength to hold back. He wanted to be inside her when he came for the first time, and tonight was too soon. He was a patient man and could wait a little longer now that he let his intentions be known. He hoped Jessica realized he had just declared her as his and he wasn’t letting her go. Riley felt the moment when reality hit. Jessica stiffened and tried to move away from him. He had no plans of letting her retreat like she always did so he placed a finger under her chin and lifted her face to his.

“Hey, no need to be embarrassed. Surely my following you all over town like a puppy has made you realize that I want you. I want to see where this goes between us.”

When Jessica tried to respond, he gave her a quick peck on the lips. “Don’t say anything just yet. Think about it and let me know at dinner tomorrow night.” He hoped he wasn’t making a mistake by giving her time to come up with excuses on why they couldn’t be together, but he would rather have a thought-out excuse than her just blurting out something at the moment. When Jessica didn’t try to say anything else, he took that as an agreement.

“Come on, let’s get you home. I will follow you in my car to make sure you get there since it is so late.” Riley walked her to her car and kissed her again before he shut her door. He went to his car and followed her down the drive.

The night had gone perfectly. He never expected Jessica to open up about her past the way she had, and he was flattered. He had a feeling that she didn’t tell too many people about her mom. She was a very private person. He knew now he was going to have to change his game plan up a little. At first, he planned to use his knowledge of her books to get her to open up to him. After reading her books, he knew that there was a sensual and adventurous side to her hidden behind her prim and proper, shy personality. Riley originally planned on bringing that side of her out. Now, after spending time with her, he had to rethink that decision. Based on her private nature, he had a feeling she didn’t tell anyone she was J. Red, and she wouldn’t appreciate him exploiting that knowledge. He just needed to continue to be patient and let her get used to him being around. Once she realized he wasn’t going anywhere and truly wanted her, she would open up to him.