Reconsidering Riley (31 page)

Well, looked at that way.... "I did do
it!"

Riley nodded. "You did. And now that you're
finished with that, there's only one more thing you have to
do."

"Actually, there are tons more things."
Jayne ticked them off on her fingers, feeling encouraged again. "I
need to shampoo my hair, fix my pedicure, wash my clothes...does
the lodge have an ironing board, by any chance?"

"It's got something even better." A devilish
glint heightened the green in his eyes, and made his smile look
twice as inviting. "And it's especially for you. Come on."

Chapter Nineteen

The canyon lodge's master bedroom suite was
at the far end of the two-story structure, having been added on
several years after the first log had been notched. It possessed a
four-poster bed, assorted furniture, an attached bathroom, and the
most privacy to be had in the entire lodge. It was this last that
concerned Riley as he led Jayne there to reveal his surprise.

"Wow!" she said, whirling one-handed from
the bedpost. She landed on the pillow-piled mattress. "My bunk is
'Camp Weehawken.' Yours is 'Camp Eddie Bauer.' This is great!"

"Glad you like it."

She gazed at him seriously from atop the
deep green and white comforter. "If you've brought me here to
switch sleeping accommodations, I accept."

Before he'd even blinked, Jayne began
bouncing. For a moment, Riley watched in surprise as she bounced to
her knees, then to her feet, then leapt nearly ceiling-high. The
bed's plain net top fluttered. Something inside him did, too, at
witnessing her unbridled enthusiasm.

"A mattress!" she said as she bounced. "Real
sheets!
Pillows
! I'm in heaven."

"That's not the surprise," he called through
cupped hands.

"It's not?" She stopped, bandana loosened on
her hair. She straightened it with one hand, then accepted his help
getting down from the bed. "What is it, then?"

"This way." Riley headed for the short
hallway—edged by a closet—that connected the bedroom and bathroom.
Halfway there, he stopped Jayne. He untied her bandana, then held
it in front of her face. "May I?"

Jayne blinked. "Blindfold me?"

He nodded.

She swallowed. Curiosity—and
interest—brightened her eyes. "Okay."

With gentle motions, he tied the bandana
over her closed eyes. He made sure it wasn't too tight, made sure
she couldn't peek...made sure his body nudged up against hers as he
did so. This surprise may have been for Jayne, but Riley realized
it was starting to thrill him, too.

They progressed to the bathroom doorway. The
scents of soap and roses teased them inside the rustic log-walled
space. There, it was warmer. Steam clouded the room's mirrors and
made the air moist to breathe. The soft rug he'd laid padded their
footsteps as they drew nearer to Riley's surprise.

"Can I look yet?" Jayne asked, suppressed
excitement in her voice. She jiggled a little. She'd always loved
surprises.

"Are you ready?"

She nodded. Suddenly, Riley wasn't sure
he
was ready. It meant a lot to him that she be happy. He
took one last look at everything he'd arranged, making sure every
detail was perfect for her. His fingers shook as he untied the
bandana.

Jayne gasped. She clasped her hands over her
heart. "A
bath
!"

She gave him an unreadable over-the-shoulder
look. "So
this
is what you've been doing since we got
here."

He shrugged. "Well, this...and
raccoon-proofing the place."

Smiling, she stepped nearer to the old zinc
washtub he'd scrubbed and polished and filled with hot soapy water.
Reverently, like the bath fanatic she was, Jayne knelt and dipped
her hand to the froth.

"I couldn't find any of the deluxe bath
products you like," he said, wishing the freestanding tub were
bigger and fancier, "but Gwen always keeps Mister Bubble on
hand."

"Mister Bubble is perfect." She stood to
blow soapsuds from her fingers, then laughed. "What do you think
got me hooked in the first place?"

"If a storm hits and the power goes out,
we're screwed," Riley told her, gesturing toward the dozens of
white candles he'd arranged and lit on every stable horizontal
surface. There were short squat candles and tall thin tapers and
multi-wick extravaganzas and everything in between. "This includes
the lodge's entire emergency supply."

"In that case, I'll pray for clear weather."
She turned to him in the wavering candlelight, her features warmed
by the glow. "It's beautiful."

So was she.
Beautiful
.

"Sorry the tub isn't a traditional model. I
scrubbed the hell out of it, though, so you don't have to worry
about—"

"I'm not worried." Jayne edged nearer,
pressing her thumb to his lips to silence him. She angled her head,
nudged her thumb past his lower lip, and softly kissed him. "I'm
grateful. I don't know how you knew I needed this. Thank you."

He felt encouraged. And relieved. He nodded
toward the vanity, where several tea kettles waited atop a bath
towel. "There's extra hot water, in case you get cold."

"Oh, I won't get cold." Meaningfully, she
ran her hands down the front of his fleece, then slipped them to
its hem. Moments later, the garment whisked over his head. She
dropped it. "I'll have
you
to keep me warm."

"You make it hard for a man to be
chivalrous." He shook his head. "This bath is supposed to be just
for you."

She eyeballed the tub. Shrugged. "It looks
big enough for both of us to me."

"I had a shower while I waited for the tub
to fill." He'd set up a hose system to pipe hot water from the sink
to the old-fashioned washtub. For aesthetics' sake, he'd removed it
before bringing her here, though. Women cared about things like
that. "You go ahead. Get in. I have some chores I should—"

"Oh, no you don't." Jayne grabbed his
T-shirt as he turned away. She tugged him nearer, then pulled his
shirt off altogether. She tossed it away, her expression daring him
to disagree...and urging him to join her. Again.

Riley couldn't say he regretted her
single-mindedness. He did, however, begin to feel things were
unequal between them. Here he stood, bare-chested and barefooted,
while his intended bathe-ee was still completely dressed.

"As an invitation, ripping off my clothes is
a little ambiguous," Riley said. "What if birthday parties were run
that way?" With a grin, he unzipped Jayne's fleece in
demonstration. "'Please, drop by my party, won't you?'"

He raised the garment over her head and
tossed it onto a nearby chair. "Tonight. All night."

She smiled. He continued, lightly running
his hands over the form-fitting tee she had on underneath. He
slipped his fingers along the hem, teasing the warm skin just
beneath. "I'd love to see you there."

At his mock-serious tone, Jayne raised her
eyebrows. "Gee, I wonder how a person RSVPs to an invitation like
yours? I suppose..." She tucked her fingertips into the front of
his pants and deftly thumbed open the top button. "Oh! Why, look at
that. Will this do?"

Her blue eyes sparkled. Her disingenuous
grin warmed him all over. Her hips swayed, inviting his touch, as
she teased him with another up-and-down sweep of her hands on his
chest.

Riley cupped her derrière in his palms and
drew her against him. "That'll do," he said, and lowered his
head.

Their kiss was hungry, familiar, utterly
necessary. Their mouths met in the steamy heat, sliding and tasting
and searching. After days of never being truly alone, they
luxuriated in the privacy of a room to themselves—with Jayne
doubtless thrilled to have four walls and a ceiling, too.

"I don't know if I should stay," she
murmured, frowning slightly, when their kiss ended. "My breakup-ees
might need—"

"They're fine for now. Your workshops are
finished, right? Bruce and Mack can handle anything else that comes
up."

She bit her lip, thinking.

"Jayne?"

In reply, she crossed her arms and took off
her shirt. Her bra was utilitarian and white. Riley couldn't help
but think it was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen.

"Is that a yes?" he asked. "You're okay with
this?"

"Boy, you've obviously been out in the
wilderness too long." She delivered a nibbling, sexy kiss that him
groping for her when she pulled away. "If you can't recognize a
semi-naked woman as a yes—"

"I can." Lightheartedness filled him. He
unsnapped her bra's front clasp with a pinch of his fingers.
"That's a 'yippee!'," he informed her, mock-seriously.

"Oh, good." Shucking the white cotton straps
from her shoulders, Jayne smiled. "I'm so glad we're on the same
page."

"Shimmy some more, and I'll read you the
whole book."

She did. Naked. Riley didn't think his life
could get any better. Unless maybe Jayne stayed, or he...no. He'd
be damned if he'd start down
that
path. Besides, Jayne had
her fingers on his fly again. She was either taking off his pants,
or measuring him for a jock strap. Either way, he stood
cooperatively still, enjoying every inch of the task.

"See anything you like?" he asked, biting
back a groan.

"I like
everything
I see." She leaned
back, gauging the effect. "Now, if I can just ease past
this...obstruction...."

"Obstruction? Nice way to talk about—"

"You
like
the way I talk, and you
know it."

She was right. He liked her surprising
bawdiness, her open interest, her dexterity with a button fly. But
Riley didn't have the words to say so. He didn't even have the
ability to tease. Jayne's touch had stolen his will to do anything
more than breathe—and love her.

She opened his fly wider. She slipped his
pants lower, past his straining erection. Her fingers whisked over
the soft cotton that still covered him. He throbbed. There was
something wicked in the glance she gave him next, something
expectant and heated and loving. He wanted to laugh with joy—but
that would be too much for a simple one night reunion, wouldn't it?
So instead he only grinned like a goofball, and began kissing
her.

He pressed his lips to her mouth, her neck,
her palm. He nibbled her earlobe, delighting in the way she wiggled
with pleasure. After kicking away his discarded clothes, Riley
started in on Jayne's trail wear. Her socks were first (he tickled
her toes), then her pants whisked to the floor.

Wearing only his white boxer briefs, he took
a moment to savor the sight of Jayne dressed in nothing but her
skimpy polka-dotted panties. Noticing his interest, she turned in a
circle, modeling them for him. They were yellow—and baby blue, a
combination that unreasonably cheered him. It turned out she'd been
wearing her signature color all along.

"Those will have to go, of course," he said,
nodding toward her panties. They were sexy enough to require a
warning label. "Better hurry. Your water's getting cold."

She raised an eyebrow. "You first."

Her pointed glance indicated his briefs. The
sassy gleam in her eyes made it plain she found his appearance
every bit as appealing as he did hers. It was just like old times,
Riley thought. Each of them hungry for the other...each of them
daring the other to make the first move.

He shook his head and pulled her into his
arms again. The press of her bare breasts against his chest made it
hard to form a coherent thought, much less speak. But he did it.
"It's your bath. I insist you go first."

"Ever the gentleman, hmmm?"

"You've got it." He smiled. "Chivalry has
its rewards."

Slowly, Jayne gyrated against him. A moan
escaped him.
There was one of those rewards now
. Nothing had
ever felt this good. He tipped her head up and kissed her, then
urged her toward the foamy tub. Rose petals floated in the water,
barely visible amid the mounds of bubbles.

She abandoned their kiss reluctantly, her
eyes heavy-lidded and dark with desire. Hooking her thumbs in the
waistband of her panties, she bent at the waist and whisked them
off. Riley saw a flash of thigh, a delectable glimpse of derrière,
and then the water splashed. Jayne sat in the tub, beckoning him
in.

"Come on. The water's
wonderful
."

Doubtfully, he surveyed the tub. It would be
a tight squeeze. To make room, she drew up her knees. She gave him
an inviting smile.

Riley couldn't resist. "You know, you have a
way of making bubbles look awfully sexy."

"How sexy?"

"I'll show you."

Fifteen minutes later, they'd successfully
tested the limits of the washtub. It seemed two people
could
fit in the bath...so long as they were willing to be close. Very
close. Luckily for Riley, there was nothing he wanted more than to
be close with Jayne. Now. All night. Forever.

Hang on a minute...
forever
?

Hesitating with the soap in his hand and
Jayne's about-to-be-scrubbed back within reach, Riley balked.
He
didn't want forever. He wasn't a forever kind of guy. So
what the hell?

Clearly, his feelings were being confused by
all this closeness, by the pleasure of being with Jayne again. That
was all. Feelings didn't change what he knew to be true. Feelings
didn't change a
person
. After tonight, he'd return to his
old self again. In the morning, he'd be eager to leave, ready to
hit the trail, anxious for adventure.

To see, to do, to conquer, to
enjoy
.

Hell, yes.

And Jayne understood that, too. Hadn't Carla
just told him how skillfully Jayne was handling her temporary
relationship with him?

Relieved, Riley went on soaping Jayne's
soft, smooth skin. Her little sigh of enjoyment as he slid slick
fingers over her shoulder blades brought him all the way back to
the moment at hand. This was going to be a night to remember, he
reminded himself. It had to be. It was the night he would say
good-bye to Jayne—for the last time, the way he should have long
ago.