If She Dares (Contemporary Romance) (7 page)

“Night, Jack.”

He walked away, but just as she was closing her door, he paused. “We’re okay, right?”

“Better than okay. You’re the one who helped me smuggle a dog into the building, and you helped me put an end to a lousy blind date. I owe you big time.”

“Riley Kendrick owing me a favor.” His eyes glinted with humor, and something about his smile made her feel deliciously nervous. “I like it.”

“Is there, um, something specific you have in mind?”

“Not yet. But I’ll think of something.”

6

N
OBODY
COULD
POSSIBLY
be expected to stay indoors and work on a Saturday like this one. For the first time in recent memory, there was no hint of rain in the air; the sky was gloriously blue, and bright sunshine gilded the city. Riley could feel its warmth even through her living room window.

When she’d told Mitch last night that she was behind on work, it had been the truth. But she took the weather as a sign that today was the perfect day to follow through on her promise to visit Wren’s new job. She could get some fresh air and make her sister look good. Win-win.

The lingerie shop, Vivien’s Armoire, was one of the retailers in a picturesque open-air mall. A horseshoe of twenty to thirty stores followed a curved, red brick pathway, dotted with fountains and benches. In the center of the U were restaurants and parking spaces. The lot was crowded—obviously Riley wasn’t the only one who’d been coaxed out by the glorious weather. She parked by a bookstore at the far end of the complex and enjoyed her stroll, window-shopping at a boutique and inhaling appreciatively as she passed a coffeehouse.

Wren, working on a window display, spotted her before Riley even entered the store and waved so excitedly she almost knocked over a faceless mannequin.

They met just inside the door. Wren was beaming but kept her voice low enough that nearby shoppers wouldn’t hear. “You made it! You are my favorite sister, you know that?”

“Only until Rochelle comes by and spends more money than me.”

“Naturally.” Wren watched two women walk toward the register with their selections. “You look around while I ring up these customers.” Nodding toward the back of the store, she added in a whisper, “We keep the
really
naughty stuff around the corner.”

“Uh...good to know.”

Riley meandered through the shop, wincing at a few of the price tags on exquisite lingerie. Maybe she should cross the aisle; the display of candles and luxurious scented lotions might be more her speed, budgetarily speaking. There was no question the merchandise was high quality, but how could she justify spending so much money on dazzling undergarments no one else would see anytime soon?

Then again
... Frowning at the memory of opening her door in unflattering lumpy purple chenille, she stopped by a rack of silky robes. There was one in deep blue, with a bit of lace detailing at the collar and sleeves. Classy, but still sexy. Unfortunately, she only saw two sizes—one that would be almost too small to cinch around her waist and another that would swallow her whole. She’d have to ask Wren if they had more in the back or another shipment coming in soon.

After helping a rapid succession of customers check out, Wren was free. For the moment, the store was empty. She put her elbows on the counter and propped her chin on her hands. “This is the first chance I’ve had to catch my breath since we opened this morning. Seems like everyone is out shopping today! Marissa didn’t come into work because of morning sickness, and Meg has been busy making emergency wedding phone calls. There was a burst pipe situation, and the venue she was supposed to use for the ceremony now has flooding damage.”

“That’s awful,” Riley said, remembering how uncharacteristically frenzied Rochelle had been in the weeks leading up to her wedding. She could only imagine how stressful it must be to make last-minute changes.

“Luckily, I have an awesome best friend who knows a lot of people in commercial real estate, and we have fixed the problem.” This came from a pretty strawberry blonde as she emerged from a back room. She grinned. “Hi there. I’m Meg Rafferty. And let me guess, you’re...Riley?”

Riley nodded, unsurprised that Meg had noted the family resemblance but impressed she’d identified the right sister. “What gave it away?”

Meg indicated Riley’s outfit, a long red ombre skirt with an open-weave dark orange sweater and beaded sandals. “Your clothes look a little more, um, free-spirited than how she described Rochelle.”

Wren smirked. “I may have said our sister wears business suits at all times, except when she goes to bed—at which time she wears business casual.”

Since their sister wasn’t here to defend herself, Riley tried not to laugh. And failed. “To be honest, I’ve been leaning more that way myself lately. Today I wanted to liven things up.” When she’d gone to the closet to get dressed this morning, she’d stared at the hangers, perplexed. When had navy, black and khaki taken over her wardrobe? Inspired by the bright sunshine outside, she’d dug around until she found something colorful and seasonally appropriate.

“Well, welcome to our store,” Meg said. “Your sister has been a godsend. Nice to know I can go on my honeymoon without worrying or feeling like I left Marissa in the lurch.”

Wren grinned. “Like you’ll give this place a second thought. No woman in her right mind could obsess over the store while she was in the Caribbean with Hot Architect.”

“Wren!” Riley wasn’t sure how professional it was to call her boss’s fiancé hot.

“What? That’s her nickname for him,” Wren said. “And it’s entirely appropriate. The first time she showed me a picture, I asked if he had any brothers. And he has an identical twin!” She sighed dreamily. “There are
two
of them.”

“Yes, but his twin is head over heels for my bestie,” Meg said. “I tried to talk them into a double wedding, but Dani doesn’t share my bridal fever. They’ll probably elope one of these days.”

“What about
your
love life?” Wren asked once her boss returned to the back office. “Any sordid details to share from last night?”

“Nothing sordid happened! He only stopped by to talk, and— Oh. You meant that blind date Mom coerced me into, didn’t you?”

“The better question is, who did you mean? Forget blind-date guy, and give me the real scoop.” Wren snapped her fingers. “It’s that hot new neighbor of yours, isn’t it? How late did he drop by? How long did y’all
talk
?”

Riley rolled her eyes. “I don’t appreciate the air quotes. It was a couple of minutes of casual conversation, nothing more.” Yet she couldn’t help the warm, tingly feeling that spread through her every time she remembered that last look he’d given her. “I’m pretty sure Meg’s not paying you to stand around interrogating me. So let’s discuss size selection. There’s a robe over here I love.”

“On it.” Wren grinned slyly. “After all, we want to make sure you look your best for any unexpected late-night
talks
.”

* * *

J
ACK
HAD
BEEN
meaning to return the shelving unit all week; it didn’t fit in the new closet the way he’d hoped. Now that he’d returned it to the home-goods store at one end of the outdoor mall, he found he was in no hurry to return to his truck. The sun felt so good he was content to walk around a little longer. Maybe he’d grab lunch at one of the restaurants in the shopping complex and eat on an outdoor patio. Just up ahead, there were tables in a gated courtyard, but as he got closer, he realized it was a frozen yogurt place. Not exactly what he had in mind for lunch.

Two adults and two young children sat at one of the tables—the perfect picture of a family outing, right down to the dog on the leash. Jack found himself grinning at the dog. With its oddly flat face and ears that looked three sizes too big, it was so ugly it was cute.

The thought took him completely by surprise. Since when did he think of dogs as
cute
? Mostly, he just tried to avoid them.

Must be Riley’s influence. Whenever she mentioned Mags, affection lit her entire face. She—

Speak of the devilishly sexy neighbor
. Up ahead of him, a familiar figure exited a store onto the sidewalk. “Riley?” As the word left his mouth, he second-guessed himself, wondering if he’d only mistaken the blonde for Riley because he’d been thinking about her. After all, the brightly colored outfit was out of character.

But then she turned, the surprise in her gaze immediately giving way to a pleased smile. “Jack. Long time, no see,” she joked.

“What are you up to today?” Maybe she’d like to join him for lunch.

“Oh, I—” She cut her eyes back in the direction of the store she’d left, and her cheeks went as rosy as the pink bag in her hand.

As he took in the silver logo, he belatedly realized she’d been lingerie shopping. Riley in lingerie. All the blood in his brain went south. “Dare you to show me what’s in the bag.” The impulsive words tumbled out before he had a chance to consider if they were wise.

She pursed her lips, studying him. “All right,” she agreed in a low voice. “But not here.” She nodded toward a shaded corner with benches and a decorative waterfall, and he followed.

He would have followed her to the Alabama state line.

Running a finger over the edge of her bag, she peeked up at him through her lashes. “Before I show you what’s in here, you have to promise it won’t lower your opinion of me. I mean, what if I bought a leather thong or something?”

The mental image damn near sent him into cardiac arrest.
Then I’ll die a happy man
. “I promise. No judgment.”

“All right, then. I went a little crazy and splurged.” Her voice was husky as she reached inside and, with excruciating slowness, revealed...a clear bottle with raspberries on the label. “On body wash.” Merriment shone in her eyes. “Man, are you an easy mark.”

The body wash, which should have been innocuous, only redirected his feverish imaginings. Now he was picturing Riley in the tub, her nude body glistening and slick with scented bubbles. “And you are an evil woman.”

She cocked her head. “You almost make that sound like a compliment.”

“Oh, it was.” Taking a deep breath, he tried to banish naked Riley from his mind. He didn’t relish walking around for the rest of the afternoon with a noticeable hard-on. “I hear evil never sleeps. Does it eat? I’m about to get some lunch.”

“I was planning to go into the Halloween store and then swing by my parents’ house, but I can do all that after we eat. In fact, I’d like to buy you lunch. To say thank you for helping with Mags and recommending Dr. Burke.”

“Not a chance. I invited you, so it’s my treat.” When her expression grew mutinous, he offered a compromise. “It’ll be your turn to buy next time.”

“All right, but there had better be a next time—no trying to weasel out of it later.”

“Deal.” He couldn’t imagine wanting to cancel. Spending time with Riley was proving to be entertaining, unpredictable and thoroughly addictive.

* * *

R
ILEY
DIDN
’
T
THINK
it was fair that she was getting a free lunch
and
got to pick where they would eat. “But I don’t even know what kind of food you like,” she protested, pulling a pair of sunglasses out of her purse.

“The kind of food that’s edible.”

“Thanks for narrowing that down.”

“Seriously, I have a big appetite, and I’m always open to trying new things.”

Her thoughts turned abruptly from food to other hungers, and she wondered if the innuendo had been deliberate, to pay her back for her teasing, or if her recent dreams about Jack were giving her an overactive imagination. Given free rein, what new things might she like to try with him?

Food, Ry. You’re supposed to be thinking about food
. And edible underwear didn’t count, she told herself, mentally cursing Wren for showing her a catalog of bachelorette party favorites.

“Lot of people out and about today,” she commented inanely. “Maybe we should just stop wherever it looks like they have the smallest crowd.”

“So we’re looking for the restaurant nobody else wants to eat at?” he teased. “Always a glowing recommendation.”

The place they walked into was a standard bar and grill—wood paneling and brass railing with hamburgers and salads and baby-back ribs on the menu. It wasn’t any place special, but the food smelled good. The hostess handed Jack a buzzer and warned it would be a few minutes. They found space on the padded bench that ran the length of the wall but immediately had to scoot closer together when someone else sat at the end. Suddenly, her body was pressed against Jack’s, the heat and hardness of him, and she gasped at the sudden rush of desire.

“You okay?” he asked.

Not as okay as she’d be with his hands on her. How good would it feel when he finally touched her? When?
Don’t you mean
if
, Riley?

There was no longer any
if
about it. She wanted Jack Reed. Granted, she was out of practice with men, but the look he’d given her when speculating on the contents of her shopping bag had been far more carnal than neighborly. His dark gaze had been hot and hungry. All she had to do was convince him that a fling with someone who lived across the hall wouldn’t get too complicated.

“I’m fine,” she said. “You just, um, sat on my skirt.” She tugged on the fabric to lend credence to her fib, letting her fingers brush the outside of his thigh.

It was a light touch, probably barely discernible through the denim of his jeans, yet he went rigid. Some foreign, exhilarating emotion rippled through her.
Power
. After almost a year of cowering in her apartment, she felt powerful.

“About your skirt.” His gaze met hers. “I like what you’re wearing today. You look very...fiery.”

“Is that your way of saying I’m hot?” she teased.

He grinned, the expression in his eyes one part mischievous humor and two parts knee-buckling seduction. “I—”

“Hey, Riley.” A rangy man with sandy hair and a square jaw paused on his way out of the restaurant to smile at her. “How’ve you been?”

Since Pete was a client, she managed not to scowl at the interruption. But just barely. “Great. Loving the sunshine today.”

Then the buzzer in Jack’s hand began flashing, and Riley stood. “Well, that’s us.”

“Enjoy your lunch,” Pete said. “I’ll call you soon.”

“Look forward to hearing from you.”

Jack didn’t comment until they’d been shown to a table. He peered at her over the top of his menu. “Friend of yours?” he asked so blandly that she wanted to pump her fist in victory. It took real effort to sound
that
indifferent.