Just One Night(66)
actually.
Cuddling.
It was phenomenal.
She’d never imagined that the slight rasp of a man’s chest hair against your back,
the weight of his arm around your waist, his breath warm against your neck, could
feel better than Christmas morning.
“I’ve been thinking—” Sam said, shifting and rolling onto his back.
“Aha! I thought I smelled smoke!” Riley rolled onto her side so she could see his
face.
He smiled. “I’ve been thinking about your most recent performance.”
“And?”
“A minus.”
Riley sat up at that. “A minus? That was an A-plus performance and you know it.”
He shook his head, his eyes playful. “It was over much too quickly.”
She pinched his arm. “That’s only more proof that I was good at it.”
“I suppose we’ll have to try again to settle this,” Sam said with a sigh.
Riley flopped back against the pillows. “I should sleep. I have a staff meeting early
tomorrow morning, and it’s my turn to fetch coffee for the girls. And Grace has
been on this soy, extra-hot, half-decaf thing that takes, like, eight extra minutes
at Starbucks.”
He tucked an arm around her, pulling her closer until she snuggled against his
shoulder. “What are you doing tomorrow after work?”
“You’re not suggesting we hang out two days in row?” she asked, keeping her
voice teasing because it was better than revealing the burst of glee that went
through her at his words.
“Just for the sex,” he said, putting his lips to her forehead. She felt his smile.
“Well, I do need to make up for lost time …”
She pulled back slightly when he didn’t respond, noting the pensive expression
on his face. “You doing that thinking thing again?”
To her surprise, he didn’t smile this time. “Got any regrets?”
“Um, what?” she asked, trying to keep up.
“You’ve waited a long time to get your jollies—just making sure it wasn’t a
disappointment.”
“Mr. Compton, are you asking for a grade now?”
He snorted. “Please. I’m shocked your neighbors didn’t call the cops after your
third—or was it fourth?—orgasm.”
She kicked his shin.
“And of course you’re a screamer,” he said, shaking his head. “Are there no
surprises anymore?”
Riley flopped back down, unrepentant about her rather noisy appreciation for sex.
“Since you seem to know exactly how good you are at this, what’s with the asking
me if I have regrets?”
He went quiet, playing with her hair. “I just meant—shit. I don’t know what I meant.
Never mind.”
She melted a little at his self-doubt and tilted her head up to look at him. “My only
regret is not doing it earlier.”
With you, she added silently.
She expected him to look mollified, but his frown deepened. “But you have
nothing to compare it to.”
Irritated, Riley sat up, running her fingers through her hair. “What do you want
here, Sam? A trophy? Why don’t you just say whatever it is you’re dancing
around?”
“Just that most women of your age—”
“Careful.” She held up a finger.
“Most women of your still-very-young-age have had a handful of partners by now.
Now that you’ve dusted off your sex moves, you’ll likely want a little variety.”
“We have got to work on your pillow talk,” she muttered.
“But I’m right,” he said, sitting up and leaning back on his hands, looking
inexplicably tanned and perfect against her white sheets.
He looked … amazing. Maybe I don’t want variety.
But that was not the sort of admission you made to a man who seemed to be all
but ordering you to jump into another man’s bed.
“Do we have to talk about this now?” she asked, pulling the sheet up to cover her
chest more fully. “It’s a little disconcerting to be discussing other partners when
we’re both na**d.”
“So you are planning on making up for lost time?”
“Stop it!” she said, exploding. “Are you trying to be crass?”
He closed his eyes briefly before running an apologetic finger over her back. “I’m
sorry. I’m phrasing this wrong.”
“You think?”
“I just mean that I don’t expect anything from you. If you want to play the field a
bit, I’d, well … understand.”
She narrowed her eyes and turned around to face him. “It wouldn’t bother you?
Knowing that tomorrow night someone else could be in that very spot?”