One Winter's Night

“Can still show the presentation. I called ahead and asked for a private meeting room.”

“That’s great. I have everything I need in here,” she said, tapping lightly on the messenger case in her lap.

That caused him to glance down. She was wearing over-the-knee boots, a cute, dark brown leather pair. He glanced back up to her face and saw she was looking out the window, studying the scenery they were passing.

“I never come this way when going to McKay’s.”

He returned his gaze to the road. “It’s a shortcut.”

“Oh.”

She got quiet again, and this time he decided to let the silence rule. He figured whenever she had anything to say, she would say it. In the meantime, he was perfectly satisfied to sit back and listen to Jill sing her heart out.

Alpha couldn’t stop the fluttering in her stomach as she continued to look out the truck’s window, trying hard to ignore the man behind the steering wheel. She would have to deal with Riley Westmoreland soon enough when they got to McKay’s. She should have known he was drop-dead gorgeous, given Dillon wasn’t bad on the eyes. And he seemed to be full of questions. At least he’d already asked two that she wished she could have avoided answering. The reason she had left Daytona was still too painful to think about and after the heated conversation she’d had with her parents last night, she preferred not to think of them right now, either.

Forcing thoughts of Daytona from her mind she saw that they were pulling into the parking lot of McKay’s. It seemed the weather was not a deterrent for people wanting to dine at the popular restaurant. The parking lot was full, and Riley had to drive around back to find a spot.

She flexed her hands, liking how the gloves were keeping them warm, and tightened the coat around her as she prepared to get out of the vehicle and confront the cold again. She glanced over at Riley. He wasn’t wearing gloves and it seemed the jacket was all he had. She couldn’t help asking, “Aren’t you cold?”

He smiled over at her. She wished he wouldn’t do that because every time he did, he reminded her how long it had been since a man had smiled at her without her questioning his motives.

“Not really. Unlike most, I enjoy cold weather. For me, the colder the better.”

She sat there and simply stared at him. He had to be kidding. “Why?”

He shrugged his massive shoulders. “Not sure. I guess I’m too hot-blooded to be bothered.”

“Evidently,” she said under her breath. If he heard her, he didn’t let on. Instead, he opened the door to get out and she released her seat belt and opened her door to do the same. That’s when she went sliding and would have fallen flat on her face if Riley hadn’t acted quickly to catch her.

“I should have told you to be careful. The ice on the parking lot makes things slippery.”

Yes, he should have told her. But if he had, there would have been no reason for his arms to be wrapped around her or for her to be holding on to him for support, feeling the heat of a hot-blooded man so close to her. And that same male scent that had nearly driven her crazy on the ride over wouldn’t be doing a number on her.

“I think I can make it now,” she said, releasing her tight grip on him.

He kept a firm hand on her arm. “I’ll make sure of it.” He then swept her off her feet and right into his arms.

Two

Riley entered the restaurant carrying Alpha in his arms. The place was packed with a lunchtime crowd, and Alpha was certain she would die of embarrassment when a number of people watched them.

One man, who was on his way out the door, patted Riley on the back, chuckled and said, “You’re still sweeping them off their feet, I see, son.”

Riley grinned and replied, “Seems that way, Mr. Daniels.” Riley then glanced down at her. “You should be okay from here,” he said, putting her on her feet.

“Thanks.” She refused to look up at him, but out of the corner of her eye she saw him take a step back. He was probably wishing he was someplace else since she hadn’t cost him anything but trouble today.

“Welcome, Riley. The room you requested is ready,” the hostess said, smiling, in a way that was a little too friendly, Alpha thought.

“Thanks, I appreciate it, and make sure we aren’t disturbed, Paula.”

Alpha shouldn’t be surprised that the woman knew his name and that he knew hers.

“No problem,” Paula said, gesturing for them to follow her. “We gave you the best room in the house.” She looked over her shoulder, gave a dismissive glance to Alpha, then looked at Riley directly and said, “Because you deserve the best.”

Alpha tried not to frown, wondering if that had been a deliberate dig. Didn’t the woman know they were holding a business meeting? So why had she extended her claws?

Alpha felt a thrumming heat in the center of her back when Riley placed his hand there. Even through her coat and all the clothes she had put on to stay warm, she felt his touch and wondered if there would be a permanent handprint on her back.

She blinked when the door closed behind them, and it was then that she glanced around. The room was nice and spacious with a table for two in one corner. There was also a pull-down screen, a projector, speakers and everything else she would need to provide visuals of her plans for the party. And then there was the wall-to-wall window that provided a beautiful view of the mountains. How was anyone expected to work in here with such a gorgeous view?

“Do you want to do it first or eat?”

She swallowed deeply and drew in a deep breath, certain he hadn’t meant “it” the way it had sounded. “Whichever you prefer—it’s your call.”

“In that case, I’ll let Paula know we’ll eat first. I’m starving.”

She nodded, getting distracted watching him slide his jacket off his shoulders. Those massive shoulders were even more broad and powerful than she’d thought. At that moment, she saw firsthand how well his jeans fit his body, especially his tight, masculine thighs, and how they tapered down to his booted feet. He was definitely a hunk if ever there was one, a fine specimen of a man, hands down. He was a sample of pure masculinity, as raw as it could get.

Following his lead, she unbelted her heavy coat and shrugged it off. Then she peeled off her thick, wool sweater, unwrapped the scarf from around her neck and removed another bulky sweater. She had worn as much clothing as she could in order to stay warm.

Walking over to the coatrack to hang up everything she had taken off, she worked the kinks out of her neck and shoulders. Putting on so many garments had weighed her down and stiffened her muscles. She was flipping her hair back off her shoulders when she turned around to find Riley staring at her with an odd expression on his face.

She swallowed, feeling a bit uncomfortable at the way his penetrating dark eyes nearly swallowed her whole. She nervously licked her lips. “Is something wrong?”

Suddenly, a guarded look appeared in his gaze before he glanced out the window. When he switched his gaze back to her the look was gone. “No, nothing’s wrong,” he said in a brisk tone. “Excuse me for a minute while I let Paula know we’ll eat first.”

Alpha watched him leave while wondering what that had been all about.

Unnerved to the core, Riley closed the door behind him and leaned against it, releasing a deep breath. Every muscle in his body was thrumming with a need like he hadn’t felt in a long time. He was glad the room he’d been given extended off a corridor for privacy … because at that moment he needed it.

Where in the hell had that curvy figure come from? He’d heard of a woman having an hourglass shape, but in all actuality, he’d never truly seen one. Until today.

He couldn’t believe what Alpha Blake had been hiding underneath all those clothes. He’d almost dropped his chin to the floor when she started taking off that coat and those sweaters and then stood there in a pink, formfitting sweater dress belted at the waist, with over-the-knee boots. She looked so damn feminine that he’d been jolted with a degree of lust he’d never felt before.

Not only was she a looker, the woman had a body with luscious curves that could make a grown man weep. Lust, as sharp and keen as it could get, was taking over his senses, and the thoughts running through his mind were totally inappropriate, undeniably unacceptable and definitely X-rated.

Her waist was so small that if he blinked he might miss it. And her chest was a perfect size with nice perky breasts. The way the top portion of her dress pressed against those breasts had almost made his eyes pop out of their sockets. And then there was the way her hips flared from her small waist. They were smooth and shapely.

When she had walked over to the coatrack, he had taken it all in. He heard the heel of her boots clicking on the wooden floor and watched with deep male interest how her hips swayed with each step. He was convinced he’d never witnessed anything so sensual. And the shape of her backside filled his mind with all sorts of ideas.

Then she’d turned around and caught him staring. The look in her eyes had been unsettled, and he was sure the look in his had been cautious. That’s usually the way it was with him when he’d been caught off guard and had to rebound. He was a man who, under no circumstances, mixed business with pleasure. But he’d wanted that rule to go rolling out the window the moment she’d taken off the coat and those sweaters. Okay, he would admit that it was a physical thing for him, but he couldn’t help it. Westmoreland males enjoyed the physical.

“Need help with anything, Riley?”

Paula’s question immediately snatched his thoughts back to the present. His gaze roamed up and down the short black hostess outfit she was wearing. Paula Wilmot had a nice body, but even hers couldn’t hold a light to Alpha Blake’s.

He and Paula had dated a couple of years ago. When it was time for him to move on, she somehow thought some injustice was being done. He had explained up front—as he did with all women he became involved with—that he didn’t do long-term flings. Sex with no commitment. One month, six weeks at the most, was all the time he would put into an affair. Not enough time to get sentimental and clingy. That’s the way he operated. He called it Riley’s rule. Women knew up front what to expect—or not to expect—from him, and he liked it that way.