Where There's a Will (Whiskey River Book 1) (3 page)

And his affairs always ended.

*

F
OOL.

She knew that she’d gone out on a crazy limb when she asked him to give her a reason to stay. Of course he wasn’t going to suddenly profess that he couldn’t live without her.

Silence continued to build between them. Only the sound of the wind continued and the creaking of the building as it moved with the gusts.

Heck, if he did that she’d think he was lying. Or crazy. Or maybe just willing to say anything to get into her pants…except he said he wanted to do this right.

“Never mind,” she said. “Can I have Tuesday off for my interview?”

He nodded. “Let me talk to Fiona and Johnny as well about a possible position here,” he said, mentioning his partners.

“Okay,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest as the wind continued howling outside.

She hated the way it kept blowing. The noise seemed to get inside of her mind and push away all the doubts and clutter that she’d been using to keep herself from looking at Ryder as a man and not just as her boss.

But promises she’d made to herself kept her from reaching out to him. No matter what the wind blew into her mind, she couldn’t forget that she could only depend on herself. And women in love made stupid choices.

She’d seen the evidence of that more than once. First in her mom who’d loved unwisely and now herself toying with the idea of giving her boss another kiss and putting paid to his self-control.

She was smarter than that. Really she was. So instead of letting the wind blow away her inhibitions, she pulled it around her like the past. Remembered the walls of that poorly constructed house she’d grown up in. She huddled smaller into herself until she heard Ryder curse.

“What?”

“Come over here,” he said. He held up one arm and gestured for her to move over next to him.

There was so much strength in Ryder. She freely admitted that was one of the reasons she was attracted to him. That strength wasn’t just physical but also part of his core. He had a strong moral fibre that was hard to shake.

“Why?” she asked.

“I hate seeing you look as if you are trying to disappear into the wall,” he said.

“I’m fine,” she said. She’d been weak earlier and look where it had gotten her.

Where had it gotten her? More confused than ever. Afraid of Ryder?

“Am I really scarier than the storm?” he asked. That whiskey smooth voice of his brushing over her senses and making her want to forget her gut instincts which said getting closer to him was a dumb idea.

But she did it anyway. She’d grown up in the Barrels which, let’s face it, had seemed like one big dare to make it to adulthood. And she never backed down. Maybe she could just brazen her way through the next few minutes or hours until the storm abated and they got out of here.

She tipped her head to the side to study him. His face was strong—there it was again—strength. It was hard to see him as the kind of man who wasn’t trustworthy. And she’d never really trusted anyone.

But she’d kissed him twice. That had to mean something. She never let her guard down twice. And even allowing for the storm that still meant that he was different.

“I’m not scared of you, Ryder.”

“Really? Sure seems that way to me,” he said. “I offer you comfort and you stay huddled in the corner. Looks like you’re scared…maybe it’s not me you’re scared of but yourself. Your lack of willpower.”

Damn he was good. Turning the tables back on her. “I was thinking of you.”

“Do tell,” he said dryly.

“Just trying to help keep you from giving in to temptation. You did seem pretty adamant about doing things right,” she said.

She watched him carefully but he was too good a lawyer to give anything away. She knew that once they were out of this closet reality would intrude and she’d remember that she was leaving. And Ryder wasn’t going anywhere.

And she wanted him.

His kisses were hotter than most of the other embraces she’d experienced. He made her laugh with his dry wit, and he was smart. All the things she liked in a man.

“What are you implying?”

“That this closet and the storm are throwing you off your game.”

“Off my game?” he asked, shifting around as if he were getting ready to move.

She nodded her head and conjured up her most sympathetic look. “It could happen to any guy.”

He stared at her a moment before laughing. “Nice try. I was being a gentleman, Addison,” he said. “You and I have been dancing around each other since Christmas. Hell, if we’re being honest, since the day you walked into my office answering my ad. And I thought it might be nice to do this thing properly. Dinner, dancing and then see where the night leads.”

He stood and walked over to her then crouched down next to her in the closet. He was so close the scent of his aftershave wrapped around her and all she could hear was the soft inhalations of her own breath and the heavy beating of her heart.

“But if you have a better idea, I’m all for it.”

Chapter Three

‡

A
DDISON TILTED HER
head in that way she had, considering him. Part of him wanted her to overcome his objections and say right here, right now. But that would be a mistake. Ryder wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted but he did know he wanted more than a quickie in a closet with a tornado bearing down on them.

“Are you asking me on a date, Ryder?”

He sat beside her. “Yes.” He wanted to be just Ryder and Addison, not boss and secretary. “Saturday night. I’ll pick you up at 6:30. Dinner, drinks and dancing.” Prepare to be swept off your feet, Ryder thought.

“What kind of dancing? I don’t do country.”

The only place to dance in Whiskey River was the Blue Moon, a country western honky tonk that had the distinction of being the oldest restaurant in town, if not the most popular. But come to think of it, Ryder had never seen Addison there. He only went occasionally, but he went to shoot pool, not to dance. “The Blue Moon wasn’t what I had in mind. We’ll go to San Antonio, to the Riverwalk.” Not only would the Riverwalk be romantic, but they’d be safe from the town gossips, who loved to be the first with any hint of a romance between Whiskey River’s residents. Ryder wanted to see how things went before a bunch of talk made it uncomfortable for them to be around each other. He didn’t want to ruin their work relationship if it didn’t work out between them.

Not that Addison intended to stick around much longer, he thought with a frown. Still, nothing would happen until after she took the boards. Plenty of time to see how things developed between them.

In the meantime they were stuck in the closet for who knew how much longer. Rather than abating, the sounds of the storm were getting louder. The wind had picked up and was rattling the rafters. He heard the clatter of hail hitting the roof, and glancing at Addison, he knew she heard it too.

“It hailed before
the Barrels Breaker
, too,” she murmured, calling the storm she’d lived through as a child by the name the locals had given it.

Obviously, that storm had made an indelible impression on her. He winced, thinking of his cavalier attitude about it when he’d first brought it up. “Did something happen to you or your family during the tornado?” Good God, what if someone had died?

“It was just my brother, Adam, and I. And our . . . mother.”

Although Ryder wanted to prompt her, he remained silent. Better to let her tell him in her own time. Ryder knew her brother had survived. Adam Wells was a local cop and Addison saw him often. He stopped by when he could to take her to lunch. But she never mentioned her parents.

“Our father had left long before that. It was just the two of us for as long as I remember.” She fell silent and he could see that she’d retreated into the past.

“A minute ago you said it was you and Adam and your mother. Did something happen to her during the tornado?”

Her laugh held no humor. “No, the storm didn’t touch her. We thought the house would come apart, but it didn’t. She . . . slept through the whole thing. But our neighbors weren’t so lucky. Their house was destroyed. They died when it collapsed on them.”

“God, I’m sorry, sweetheart. I can’t imagine how awful that must have been.” Her mother had
slept
through a tornado? He could draw his own conclusions about that. Ryder took both her hands in his. “You don’t have to relive it. Especially not now, considering we’re waiting out a tornado watch.”

As if on cue, the warning sirens sounded, meaning one or more tornadoes had actually been sighted. They had kept the radio on low, tuned to the local weather, and now it was echoing the warning.

Addison jerked and would have pulled away, but he held on and drew her closer. “Don’t think about it. We’ll talk about something else.” Anything else.

Addison shook her head. “Maybe I need to talk about it. I never have. Oh, I did with Adam after it first happened, but neither of us has brought it up in years.”

Ryder squeezed her hands, gently, and waited.

“The
Barrels Breaker
was a turning point for me. I was only eight, but I knew from that moment I’d get out of that house, out of that neighborhood. I would make a success of my life. Do something worthwhile. And I’ve worked ever since to do it.”

“And now you’re going to be a lawyer. Your family must be proud of you.”

“Adam is. Our mother left us years ago. Just before Adam turned eighteen. We pretended she was still there for the few months until his birthday. We were scared to death Child Protective Services would find out and split us up. Once he turned eighteen, Adam was able to become my legal guardian.” She sighed heavily. “You’d think after all that I wouldn’t be such a coward about tornadoes.”

“You, a coward? In what universe?” She smiled but didn’t look convinced. “You’re one of the strongest, bravest people I know, Addison.”

Ryder was amazed at all she’d been through, and become the woman she was now. Smart. Brave. Hard-working. His gaze fell to her lips, skimmed her face. This beautiful woman he hadn’t been able to get out of his mind since she’d come to work for him. He’d tried. Oh, man, had he tried. He’d dated a lot of women. Beautiful, smart, ambitious women. But they were never right for him. Because they weren’t Addison.

He remembered what she’d felt like in his arms, just a short time before. What the hell was wrong with him? Why had he thought it was a good idea to stop things almost before they began?

“Ryder? Why are you staring at me like that?”

He cupped her cheek. Her skin was soft, so soft. “Damn, you are so beautiful.”

Thunder boomed, the wind whistled and rattled windows. They could hear it even in their makeshift shelter. Addison paled. Ryder knew she was thinking of that long ago tornado, wondering if this time, the storm would take her.

He pulled her into his arms and she buried her face against his neck. He said the first thing that came to mind. “It’s okay. I’m here.”
Brilliant, Counselor. What the hell can you do in the face of a tornado?

Addison put her arms around his neck. He looked down and she was staring at him, her eyes deep pools of jade. And then he kissed her.

*

N
O ONE HAD
ever really been there for her. Not really. She knew Adam would come if called but he knew she was strong enough—capable enough to handle herself and often just let her get on with it.

But not Ryder.

Damn. It was impossible to remember all the reasons why she wasn’t going to kiss him when his mouth moved over hers with such surety. He was in command and the storm and this tiny cramped closet dropped away until the only thing left was Ryder.

His tongue curled around hers and she shifted to her knees to change the angle of the kiss. He moaned his approval, putting his hands on her waist and pulling her onto his lap. She framed his face with her hands, feeling the beginnings of his five o’clock stubble and the strength of his jaw underneath.

She lifted her head, looking down at him in the dimly lit closet. Saw the desire in his electric blue eyes and knew that he wasn’t going to wait to do this “right”. Heck, she couldn’t imagine anything about this not being right.

He pushed his hands up under the full skirt of her dress, his big hands rubbing up and down her thighs as he waited. What was he waiting for? Suddenly she realized he was waiting for her. That he was willing to let her set the pace for this encounter.

She was touched.

It made the affection she already had for him blossom and grow. She lowered her head against him, brushed her lips over his and then kissed him. The kiss was deep and long. Made her forget about everything except the way his tongue rubbed over hers. The taste of his mouth—how could one person be so addicting. The way his hands roamed over her body.

He cupped her butt and drew her in as he arched his hips and his erection rubbed against her center. She rocked against him as he shifted under her.

He tore his mouth from hers and she winked down at him. “Are you unsure if you’re doing it right?”

He gave a startled laugh. “Damn, sweetheart, I don’t think we could do it any righter.”

She smiled. How had she kept her hands off of him for as long as she had? She slowly undid his tie and then reached for the buttons of his shirt. He put his hands over her fingers, stopping them before she could undo the first one.

“Are you sure about this? I don’t want to become a regret for you,” he said. His honey smooth Texas drawl and his caring made everything inside of her melt.

“No regrets here,” she said, cupping his face and rubbing her finger over the scar on his jaw. The scar had fascinated her when they’d worked late in the conference room poring over books of legal precedence but until now she’d never felt free to touch him. “What about you?”

“None,” he said, putting his arm around her waist and lifting her up off him.

Startled she braced herself with her hands against his shoulders and she felt his other hand at her panties, pulling them down her legs. She helped him get them off and then settled back on his lap.