It was tidy, if not pristine, and Riley entered the small kitchen space, glancing
over her shoulder before opening the fridge.
The hazelnut coffee creamer was a dead giveaway. The man didn’t have much
of a sweet tooth, but he’d been a sucker for hazelnut ever since Riley’s mom had
introduced him to Nutella when he was twenty.
Next up was the tiny wardrobe in the corner. There was his favorite gray hoodie,
an endless supply of functional button-down work shirts, and a suit she’d never
seen.
A quick survey of the dresser drawers confirmed it when she spotted at least a
half dozen familiar T-shirts.
Sam didn’t just stay here occasionally.
He lived here.
Riley had had no idea. She’d always assumed he still lived in the apartment
building up the street from Liam in Williamsburg.
Not that it mattered where he lived, but the surprise caught her off guard all the
same. She’d always been so sure she knew Sam Compton.
But she didn’t even know where he lived.
Not that he would have thought to tell her that he’d moved. He didn’t think of her
at all.
Things definitely weren’t looking good for her plan, but she’d come this far. What
was the worst he could say—no?
Actually, that would be pretty bad. Really bad.
Come to think of it, she’d probably have to leave the country …
Her fingers traced the steel picture frame on his dresser, recognizing it as the
picture of Liam and Sam that her mom had given them both for Christmas the
year before. It was an almost obnoxious display of great masculine looks. Liam
with his jet-black hair and bright blue eyes so like her own, and Sam as the perfect
blond foil. In some ways, Riley could probably blame her older brother for her
current predicament. Had he really needed to pick the most gorgeous man on the
planet as a best friend?
It probably wasn’t fashionable for a grown man to have a picture of his best friend
on his dresser, but then again, Liam and Sam weren’t just friends. They were
practically brothers.
She remembered when it was taken. It had been a horribly hot summer day in
her parents’ backyard. Sam had just bottled his first batch of whisky, and the
McKennas had insisted he bring it over for a tasting.
One of Liam’s arms was hooked awkwardly around Sam’s neck, while his other
hand proudly held up the first ROON whisky bottle.
Sam’s expression was equally happy, if a bit unsure.
She remembered he’d been horribly embarrassed by the attention, which didn’t
make sense. The whisky itself had been fantastic, and he’d sold out of the first
batch, to friends and family, almost immediately.
But instead of being proud, he’d been … weird. Maybe Liam was right about Sam
being modest.
Nah. She put the picture aside. He certainly wasn’t modest about anything else.
Riley’s eyes fell on a door in the corner. It led to a surprisingly large and well-
equipped bathroom. It was clearly not from the same era as the outdated kitchen,
which meant he’d prioritized upgrading a fancy showerhead over getting a fancy
stove.
No surprise there. She’d seen him “help” her father grill at family dinners in the
summer. His food-prep skills were maxed out opening the ketchup bottle.
Her eyes fell on the sliding barn-style door opposite the door she’d entered
through. It could only lead to the distillery itself.
Which would lead to Sam and, consequently, the possibility of her dignity making
the splatter of a skydiving incident gone wrong.
Riley backtracked to the bathroom to check hair and makeup. If she was about
to go down in a pile of humiliated heartbreak, she might as well look her best.
That, and this plan was highly contingent on Sam Compton, you know … wanting
her.
She was pretty sure he did, at least on the physical level. Just how many times
had she felt his eyes on her when he thought nobody was looking? And on
Wednesday when he’d walked her to the subway station, he’d wanted to kiss her.
She’d felt it, and now she was wondering if maybe it had always been mutual.
Perhaps she’d just been too caught up in her own want to notice his. But never
before had she goaded him as blatantly as she had that night. And never before
had she felt his eyes burning into her back as she walked away.
He wanted her, all right.
She just hoped he wanted her enough.
Riley slid open the door as quietly as she could, relieved that it made almost no
noise.
She noticed the smell first. Not a boozy, barroom-floor type of smell but a
delicious grainy aroma with a hint of sweetness.
The last time she’d been in here, there’d been nothing but enormous moving
boxes and a jumble of metal equipment everywhere. Now it looked like …