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“You were only deployed for six,” she reminded him.
“Yeah, but I’ve wanted you since the moment I saw you,” he told her. That was about nine months ago.
Then the doubt slammed her.
3
RILEY WOULD HAVE LAUGHED at the shocked expression on Rachel’s face if he hadn’t been so surprised by his own admission. Instead he sneaked a quick kiss on her sweet mouth. It invited another. And another.
He could kiss this woman all damn day. So many things to explore.
The sexy fullness of her lower lip.
The scent of honeysuckle that still lingered in her hair.
The way her so, so soft skin warmed beneath the barest touch of his fingertips.
Yet he’d only sampled a hint. There was way more to be discovered about Rachel. And Riley wanted to learn it all.
Except he hadn’t eaten in hours. As much as he hated to leave his bed, and the sexy woman snuggled next to him, they had to do something about food.
“Ready for those steaks?” he asked against her lips.
He felt her tense beside him. Rachel’s eyelids flew open. There was something about her green eyes that got to him. He’d felt it at that initial SEAL speed dating night.
She didn’t see him. She saw through him.
And that was the reason he’d avoided her even though he wanted her like crazy. Every time a woman attempted to delve beneath the surface, what he allowed her to see, she was always disappointed.
Because there wasn’t much. That old adage of what you see is what you get could have been dedicated to him. He liked it that way. Eliminated any complications. Apart from that twinge in the gut he felt when he clued in to a woman’s disappointment when she realized she wasn’t getting much more.
That’s why there was something comforting about dating the superficial and shallow. Quick smiles and good times. Riley didn’t need a person scrutinizing him. Making him feel exposed.
SEALs respected another man’s boundaries. As long as a man did his job on his Team, no one bothered him. Certainly none of his friends gave a shit about his feelings.
That was the thing about soldiers … they liked their armor.
But Rachel was the kind of woman who’d want to learn things about him. Understand him. Hell, he didn’t even want to know himself. Look at him—less than an hour with her and he was already thinking deeply.
Must be lack of food.
With a more forceful kiss to her lips he then jumped out of bed in search of his shirt. He found it crumpled on the floor, and smiled at the memory of Rachel Sutherland ripping it off his body. Rachel. Yeah, even sporting the small scratches on his back, he still found it hard to believe she was the person who gave him a great welcome home. Before his deployment, the woman had barely noticed him.
Naked, he walked to the dresser and pulled out some clothes. Forget his uniform, he only wanted to wear shorts and a T-shirt anyway. After buttoning up his shorts he turned to find Rachel leaning against the headboard, the sheet pulled tight over her breasts.
Even that was sexy.
Her long blond hair was a mess, and he was tempted by the overwhelming urge to sink his fingers into the softness and send his T-shirt to the floor to join his uniform.
Then his stomach growled. Food first. He’d need it for tonight. His night with Rachel. Riley glanced back her way, wanting to catch her tugging her shirt into place or sliding her skirt up her legs. There was something very sexy about watching a woman dress, knowing he’d be doing the undressing later.
Rachel still rested against the pillows. If anything, that sheet was tighter across her body. Had she gone shy on him? Women were known to do that. Some mixed up signals they’d gotten along the way about men thinking they were only good for bedroom acrobatics. He’d have to remember to mention she was smart later.
“You planning on going to the grocery store in just the sheet? Not that I’d mind, but the other customers might be a little shocked.”
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Actually, I was thinking I would head back to The Sutherland. I’ve probably given Nate and Hailey enough time alone.”
Riley made a scoffing noise. “I don’t think a month would be enough time for those two. I was thinking we’d at least give them the weekend.”
“Oh,” she said, and the sheet slackened.
Not enough.
Then she smiled at him. A slow warm smile just for him. For a moment, he had trouble breathing.
A genuine smile from this woman was rare. Riley knew … he’d watched her long enough during the SEAL date nights. He’d sneak a peek, fascinated, as she outlined expectations of the men’s behavior. Rachel didn’t take any guff from the sailors clomping through the Tea Room. She didn’t care they were SEALs, they were going to follow her rules. And they’d respected those rules of hers to the letter.
But he’d also caught the easy grin she’d give a man down on his luck, and then steer him toward a beer, a meal in the dining room or a particular woman taking advantage of The Sutherland’s SEAL night. But she’d never turned that smile toward him.
Until now.
He wanted more. More of her smiles, more of her sexy body and definitely more time with Rachel. But first, food.
RILEY HAD ALWAYS STRUCK HER as a man who never took anything seriously, except his job. She’d observed him in the ocean where the SEALs often trained. There, he was all about the mission, yet when it came to life … he was all about the work hard, play harder mantra.
Riley obviously didn’t take food seriously. He was a disaster in the grocery store. They flew by the fresh fruits and vegetables without picking up one. Rachel cringed as he grabbed the first package of meat he saw, but the last straw was when he asked her preference of steak sauce. She should probably have given him credit for asking her first choice, but it was steak sauce they were talking about. And standards.
“You are not destroying anything I make by drowning it in steak sauce,” she told him, refusing to take another step down the aisle displaying row after row of colorful condiments.
“I like steak sauce,” he replied, reaching for a bottle.
She put her hand on her hip. “Okay, let me ask you a question. What if I marinated those steaks in a dark beer, rubbed them with oregano and cumin, then grilled them with fresh chives and served guacamole and aji sauce on the side?”
His hand fell away from the shelf of sauces. “I’d say count me in.”
“So you’re ready to shop my way?” she asked.
Riley took the two steps that had him at her side. He stroked the side of her cheek. And yes, there were the clichеd shivers down her back. What was with this man and her senses? “I just wanted to get the food and then get you alone again.”
More shivers. This man could have her thinking drive-through burgers were a good idea. Almost.
Then she did something she never thought she’d do on her own. She slipped her hand through Riley’s. His long fingers, warm and calloused and strong, laced with hers, gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
Bad move. A woman didn’t initiate hand-holding with a man who didn’t take things seriously. It screwed up the balance. This would definitely be the last time she’d do something as stupid as that.
An hour later, she and Riley sat together on his patio, plates on their legs as they enjoyed the warm evening breeze.
“That was the best food I’ve ever had. Really,” Riley said. “You must like to cook.”
“Actually, I hate cooking. What I like is eating. Eating good food, that is. When you grow up and your mom is a culinary chef, it’s hard to look at food as casual. Each meal must be something special.”
Riley reached over and took the empty plate from her lap. His fingers grazed her bare thighs. “I’ll have to remember that.” His voice a sexy whisper at her ear. Shivers ran down her neck.
She spotted the bulge in his pants. Apparently Riley was ready for round two. She, for one, couldn’t wait.
He’d said the word remember. It made her go all fluttery. Not good. Riley didn’t mean remember as in them having more than just this weekend together. She stood and walked to the railing, giving herself a little space.
The breeze ruffled her hair, and the last of the sunlight warmed her face. “I love San Diego at night,” she said when he joined her at the railing.
His condo was too far away to see the beach, but the complex was beautiful. “Before I came home to help Hailey with The Sutherland, I worked in St. Louis. There are seasons in St. Louis, snow even. It was a nice change from here, but I missed the palm trees. There’s something purely relaxing about hearing the breeze rustle through those big leaves.”
“I know what you mean. I did some training up at Spruce Cape in Alaska.”
“Alaska? Why there?”
“There’s snow in Afghanistan. Gotta know how to deal. Basically they give you a compass, drop you off and say, ‘Meet us here.’ I don’t think I’ve ever been so cold. Thinking about these palm trees kept me warm,” he told her with a laugh.
Rachel turned to look. For all his joking around, Riley held a dangerous and important job. She could only imagine the kinds of peril he faced. The extreme temperatures. The utter discomfort. Rachel felt the overwhelming need to touch him. Comfort him.
She took a swallow of her beer instead.
“Do you regret coming back to San Diego?” he asked.
“Running a B&B is a lot of hard work and unbelievable hours, but …” Her voice trailed off. A lump formed in her throat, which was ridiculous.
Riley leaned toward her, his knee almost touching hers. Not a lot of legroom on this balcony. He seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say. It was something more than just polite conversation and the kind of inquiries weekend fling etiquette required.
What was the etiquette on a weekend fling?
Those thoughts could wait.
But not the fact that no one had asked her if she were sad to leave her home and a job she loved in St. Louis to return here. Not until Riley, that is. She hadn’t even questioned it. Her family home was in jeopardy, and she and Hailey had to take care of it. Fix it. It was as simple as that.
Her stomach twisted. There was a reason she hadn’t questioned it. A truth she hadn’t yet faced. A dissatisfaction lay under the surface of her very necessary decision. Okay, those thoughts could wait, too.
Rachel swallowed past the lump, reminding herself of the things she did like about returning to The Sutherland. “There is something really satisfying about seeing our home the way my grandparents would have wanted it. I like hearing the laughter of our guests during breakfast, and reading the comments in the guest book. I feel like I saved something important and special.”
“Saved.”
The word hung between them. Not quite a question, not quite a statement. “What do you mean?” she asked.
“Past tense. You saved it, now what?”
Rachel almost did a double take. Wait … when did this guy get so astute? “I’ll keep running The Sutherland with my sister.”
“But you never wanted to run it in the first place, right? Otherwise you never would have left.”
No, The Sutherland had never been her dream. She hadn’t wanted to escape it the way her sister Hailey
had … the B&B just didn’t fit into her plans. But then she’d been doing a lot of things that didn’t fit into her long-range plans. Like Riley.
She shook her head, and let her gaze slide to the palm trees that had been the cause of this whole awkward conversation. Well, awkward for her. Riley still appeared relaxed and sexy beside her.
“So, what now for you?” he asked.
She didn’t know. “How we turned The Sutherland around was featured in B&B Today magazine. Since then I’ve been getting a few calls and emails from other owners asking for help.”
“Hey, that’s great. When do you start that?”
Her knuckles tightened around the railing. “I haven’t called them back.”
“Why not? Sounds like a perfect job for you.”
She shrugged, turning away, though she knew he was waiting for her answer. “I don’t know. Marketing The Sutherland was easy. Well, not exactly easy,” she drawled.
Rachel looked at him then, and he smiled. Slowly. This was a moment. One of those moments when you really connected with someone else. Strange that it was with someone like Riley Wilkes.
“What if I can’t do it?” she asked. “It was just by chance the Navy SEALs train right outside our B&B.” The patio of The Sutherland provided a tableau of males in peak performance as they trained. Apparently a lot of women liked the special view. Add a mojito to the scene of Navy SEALs in action and voil?, extra cash in hand.
“Rachel, if there’s one thing I’ve learned about you it’s that you’re the kind of person who gets things done. I have no doubt you could do it. If a B&B attracted guests in the past, I’m sure you’ll figure out what will make them want to come back in the future.”
He believed it. Riley might be a charmer, but she knew he wouldn’t be encouraging her if he didn’t really think she’d be successful at it. Her family was always supportive, but this, this was something different.
Rachel took a deep breath. “I have thought about it. A lot,” she confessed. “If I took on consulting jobs, I could go all over the country. Make my own hours. But I could keep San Diego as my home base. What could beat the beach? Or wearing shorts in November? Like I said, when I still lived in St. Louis, and it was really cold, I’d stay bundled up inside my apartment. I’m not exactly a nature girl, but I missed being outside. Feeling the wind on my face. The sounds of the birds.”
“Ever made love outside?” he asked.
Rachel choked on her beer.
“Careful,” he said. Warmth entered his gray eyes, turning them almost green.
What Riley had just issued was an invitation … not a question.
No, despite living next door to a beach, she’d never made love outside. She shook her head, her skin heating at the thought.
“Someone will see,” she said. Hating how unadventurous she sounded.
“We’ll keep our clothes on. No one passes by this side of the complex, and if they did, they won’t suspect a thing.” His fingers stole the beer from her hand and placed it on the small table.
“You’ll just have to be very, very quiet,” he told her.
The way Riley made love … that could be a problem.
He was behind her now, his lips just under her ear. Her weak spot. Of course Riley Wilkes would find that.
Her body already ached for more. Rachel’s eyes closed at the caress of his lips. The touch of his tongue. She leaned against his chest. Warm and solid.
“As I followed you around the store today, while you grabbed ingredients, all I could think of was lifting your skirt.” His fingers traced the bare skin above her knee. “Bunching the material in my hand and pulling it up.”
