A Dash of Desire (Spiced Life #2) (3 page)

Chapter 3

“So, what brings you to town?” Tristan asked, trying to keep the laughter from sounding in his voice. Of course, he was forced to pose the question to the back of Riley’s head. She hadn’t moved her forehead away from the steering wheel of her car for the past five minutes. That’s when she’d discovered her car wouldn’t start. He didn’t know how to make it better, but he knew leaning inside her car window with the sun beating on his back wasn’t getting them anywhere.

She mumbled something he couldn’t understand. Even though he couldn’t make out most of the words, the pained way she said them came across loud and clear. It had him opening her door and going down onto his knees at her side. Tristan possessed an unfortunate amount of experience with hysterical women. As much as he’d loved his wife, Harmony, she hadn’t exactly been stable.

“Did you say something about Billy?” he asked, attempting to keep his voice level and supportive.

Tilting her chin, Riley met his gaze. Her flat expression was worse than any fit of temper. His mind went blank in the face of her desolation.

“I said, I’m here because Billy is,” she whispered. “She’s the only family I have who still speaks to me. The last time I saw my momma, she said she hoped I caught some dreaded disease and died, so really, I couldn’t go there.”

Tristan drew back, unable to believe his ears. “Surely she didn’t mean it.”

Riley held his gaze without flinching. “Trust me. She meant it.”

Prying her hand away from the steering wheel, Tristan linked his fingers with hers and pulled. “Let’s go. We’ll stop by a friend of mine’s shop, and have him pick up your car. While he’s taking a look at it, you need some fun time.”

Riley’s features shifted. She snorted as she willingly followed him. As absurd as it might seem to anyone else, it was exactly the reaction he’d been hoping for. He’d rather have Riley thinking about how ridiculous he was than how bad her current luck ran.

“I get the feeling my idea of a fun time is vastly different from yours.”

Oh, the way she said that was enough to tempt any man. Not to mention, he was almost certain their ideas would match up perfectly when the time came. The direction of his thoughts caused Tristan’s steps to falter. He spun, walking backward toward the truck while holding both of her hands, covering up his misstep. She did something to him—made him different somehow. Better. God. He really wanted her. Her soft white t-shirt, blue jean mini-skirt and boots did nothing to hide her every beautiful asset. A wolfish grin tugged at the corners of his mouth.

“Come on, Ms. Riley, you don’t think I’m capable of finding something to do that you’ll enjoy?” A wicked light entered her eyes. It had him half hard already.

“I’m certain you can. Especially considering I’m damnably easy to please. Some might go as far as to call me self-sufficient.”

A bark of surprised laughter left him before he could call it back. “I swear. There’s no one else in the world like you. Everyone else treats me like I’m above such things.”

Riley’s eyes widened with mock innocence. “What things, Brother Daniels? I have no idea what you mean, since I would never toy with you,” she paused before adding, “Unless you wanted me to, that is. In all honesty, I love toy play.”

Tristan allowed his lust to leak into his stare. “You’ll make me blush.”

Smiling brightly now, Riley eyed him for a moment before responding, “Yet you’re not, are you? Blushing, that is.” Tristan didn’t miss the breathless note in her voice. It moved him to honesty.

“No ma’am. I’ve never been more at ease in my life.” And wasn’t that almost enough to scare a man. One day soon, Riley was going to bring him very low. He could practically hear the clock ticking already.

After helping Riley inside the truck, she grabbed his forearm before he could move away. She held his gaze. All the humor she’d regained was gone from sight.

“I’m glad you’re comfortable around me, but don’t stay that way.” A hint of worry wormed its way into his mind at her dire tone. Luckily, Riley didn’t allow it to grow. “Staying in the same position for too long can cause a man to go stiff, and you know there’s only one remedy for such a thing.”

Tristan’s mouth went dry. Still he managed to sound halfway normal when he responded. “Really? What’s that?”

“My special deep tissue massage, of course.”

While Tristan was still attempting to absorb her claim, she tugged the door closed, leaving him no choice but to step out of the way. He shook his head, doing his best to dispel the image she’d painted in his mind. Dear Lord. He wasn’t going to last long in her company. She was the definition of temptation. If God was testing him, he was going to fail. Without a single doubt, he was a doomed man.

***

Tristan’s friend turned out to be a man named Matt who owned a place called Ace’s Car Repair. Riley found this humorous for all the obvious reasons. Since Matt didn’t strike Riley as the type of man who found anything funny, she kept her thoughts to herself. At five-nine, Riley towered over Matt. She’d comforted herself that this was the reason why he pretended she didn’t exist by speaking only with Tristan. At least, that’s what Riley told herself, since—surely—there weren’t still men who found women inferior.

Instead of getting angry over his slight, Riley chose to tune the men out. After all, she already knew what was wrong. Like a dumbass, she’d left her emergency flashers on all night, completely draining the battery. Most likely, a good charge would solve the problem, but she’d get a new one to be on the safe side, because—God only knew—she had no intentions of ever coming back to this place.

To keep herself entertained, Riley spent a few minutes calculating Matt’s weight. She was willing to bet real money she outweighed him by twenty pounds. When she got bored with that topic, she tried to decide if he dyed his hair. It was an unnatural shade of red, but she couldn’t find any roots of a different color. In her fascination, she leaned closer, inspecting his eyebrows and lashes until she noticed an uncomfortable silence had fallen. Matt eyed her with suspicion until she flushed and backed away while muttering her apologies. Tristan’s knowing grin was the only thing keeping her from complete humiliation. She switched her attention to their surroundings to keep from doing anything else ridiculous.

A large, dark-haired man loomed at the edge of the pair’s conversation, catching her attention. He shifted from foot to foot as if unsure of his welcome. Riley tossed a wink his way. Being relegated to the useless female category was starting to make her bitter. When he realized his presence wasn’t going unnoticed, a sweet smile spread across his face. Riley fell in instant like with him. It was his eyes more than anything. The moment he smiled, they lit, and Riley caught sight of an inner kindness. A person could feign gentleness in every way, but no one could mask their soul. That was something that shone equally in everyone’s gaze.

“Are you okay with that?”

The silence following Tristan’s question combined with the way everyone watched her, made Riley realize he was speaking to her. She floundered. “Um. Yeah. I wasn’t listening.” She cast a quick glance in the dark giant’s direction, as if his existence excused her distraction. Tristan followed her gaze. He blinked. Riley wondered if he honestly hadn’t noticed the other man’s presence before that moment. If so, he was quick to recover, waving a hand in his direction, and making the introductions.

“This is Hunter Crawley. He owns the hardware store next door,” he added, before switching his attention back to the mechanic. Since she hadn’t been listening, Tristan had obviously decided he would do as he pleased with her car. Once again, he was speaking with Matt as if she wasn’t there. Riley chose not to get offended.

Hunter sprang forward with one hand extended. Riley was quick to accept. “I’m Riley,” she offered, since Tristan had either forgotten her half of the introduction or assumed Hunter already knew. Hunter’s first words proved it was the second option.

“You’re Billy’s niece, right?” He didn’t wait for her to respond. “My property falls on the other side of the fishing hole behind her house. We’re practically neighbors.”

“That’s awesome,” Riley said for lack of anything else. She wasn’t uncomfortable. It was more that she didn’t know what to say. Everyone seemed to know her, but she hadn’t been there in years.

“I guess it’s a bit awkward having everyone know your name.”

Riley snorted, liking Hunter more and more by the minute. “It is. Not in a bad way, but I’m still adjusting.”

Hunter hadn’t released her hand. She was trying to decide how to gracefully remedy the situation when he blushed and backed away.

“Sorry about that.”

An odd thought hit Riley. The man was stunning. It was almost funny she hadn’t noticed right away. Perhaps it was his quiet demeanor. He didn’t demand attention, but once she noticed, Riley was having a hard time looking away from his blue eyes and black hair. His eyes weren’t as light in color as Tristan’s, but they were just as alluring. Not to mention, he had an amazing body.

“Quit flirting, Hunter,” Matt fussed, making Hunter turn a deeper shade of red. The idea of Matt’s rudeness causing any embarrassment on Hunter’s part brought out Riley’s inner bad girl. That naughty bitch never knew when to keep her mouth shut. It seemed today would be no exception. Pivoting on her heel, she easily repositioned her body at Hunter’s side while linking her arm through his in one fluid motion. He didn’t attempt to get away.

“Hunter was trying to be the perfect gentlemen. I was the one refusing to let that shit go on. Being ignored is hard on a girl’s ego.”

At an obvious loss, Matt blinked. “Okay.”

She could feel Hunter’s eyes upon her, but she didn’t meet his gaze. She couldn’t. Tristan’s lips were pressed into a hard line, leaving her fascinated. It also encouraged her outrageousness.

“Truly. It’s a good thing I’m not lacking in confidence. Otherwise, I’d never recover.”

“You’re beautiful.” The quietly spoken words at her side were said with such honesty, Riley found herself holding Hunter’s stare. Not only had he meant them, his relief over her interference was almost tangible. She squeezed his forearm.

“Thank you.” Riley said, matching his serious tone before tossing him another wink and sighing. “I suppose I’ll have to let you off the hook this one time. With Brother Daniels here expecting everyone to be on their best church-like behavior and all.” Tristan snorted, but Matt and Hunter were smiling as if sharing in her joke. Riley released Hunter’s arm and claimed Tristan’s. For shits and giggles, she made sure her breasts were pressed against it. His eyes shone with mirth, but he didn’t call her on her game. “Come on, Brother Daniels. I believe, according to Billy, you’re supposed to be saving my soul today or some such shit.”

Tristan tilted his chin up, blinking at the ceiling, and making Riley wonder if he prayed for strength. “For the love of—” He broke off without finishing, but the damage was done. Hunter and Matt were eyeing him with open interest while smiling like idiots.

Ignoring Tristan’s ire, Riley steered him toward the door, calling over her shoulder as she went, “It was nice meeting you both. I’ll come by to pick up my car in the morning after you’ve had time to replace the battery.” Switching her attention to Hunter, Riley pitched her voice low, taking on a seductive tone. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around…neighbor.”

Tristan made a choking noise, but Riley already had him halfway outside, ensuring that she was the only one who heard it. The instant they were out of sight, Tristan quickly ushered her to the truck and pulled her to a stop.

“What am I going to do with you?”

A suggestive smile twisted her lips. She couldn’t stop it from happening. “I don’t know, Brother Daniels. What
are
you going to do with me?”

Glancing right then left, Tristan checked out their surroundings before throwing open the passenger side door. He shoved her inside, hiding her from view with his large frame, and capturing her mouth with his. Holy shit. She hadn’t seen it coming. It was absolutely freaking delicious. Tristan didn’t merely kiss her. He claimed her mouth like he owned it. His tongue curled around hers, boldly stroking it before disappearing only to reappear. It was slow. Thorough. Expert. By the time he pulled away, Riley had lost the ability to think. Her body was a ball of need and nothing more. His thumb stroked her bottom lip, wiping away the moisture. He licked his thumb. Her nipples ached with jealousy. They wanted the same attention.

“Don’t ever call me brother again.” His eyes flashed with warning before he slammed the door closed. Riley stared at the side mirror, watching as he disappeared behind the truck, circling to the other side.

“Oh God.” Her breathless plea echoed through the empty truck, dissipating before Tristan opened the driver’s side door. Riley couldn’t look at him. She feared too much for his safety.

***

Tristan couldn’t explain his actions. All he knew for sure was that she’d been flirting with someone else. He hated it. Even though he knew she hadn’t meant it, his common sense had fled. When she’d continued referring to him as “Brother”, something snapped. He needed her to see him as a man. Riley had made a huge mistake by treating him like a normal person the night before. Now, he was addicted. He craved it. They were halfway to his house before Tristan found his voice.

“Just one more stop and we’ll be on our way to having fun. I promise.”