“Rile…” He took her sweet face between his hands and gazed down at her. So strange, to have known her for so many years. For most of that time, he’d thought of her as a good buddy, a friend.
But then, on a chilly Saturday night in early October, Riley invited him over to play poker. That night, it was Riley, Macy, Joe and Josh—plus his older brother, Ty, and Ty’s wife, Sadie.
They played until well after midnight, drinking beer, laughing a lot, talking too loud. That night, Dillon had gone to his grandmother’s, so they didn’t have to worry about keeping a lid on the noise.
It was around 1:00 a.m. when the married folks—Joe and Macy, Ty and Sadie—said good night.
That left just the two of them. Riley had offered him another beer. He’d said he’d take some coffee. She said she would make some, and she smiled…
And he couldn’t stop himself. He reached out and caught her hand.
Those blue eyes went so wide. “Josh?” She’d sounded breathless all of a sudden. He got that. He’d felt breathless right then, too.
But all night, he’d been watching her, thinking how pretty she was, seeing her differently than he ever had before. That night was his moment, and he seized it.
Leaning close, he had breathed in her scent. She smelled like roses. He’d brushed those soft pink lips of hers with a kiss.
That did it. She threw her arms around him, and he grabbed her close.
They’d spent the rest of that night in her bed. He remembered sneaking out just before dawn and smiling all the way home.
That was the beginning. It was a fling, they both said. They were friends, and they wanted to keep it that way. They talked about it frankly, agreed it wouldn’t last long, that they weren’t dating, that when it ended, they would make sure their friendship remained intact.
They’d decided they would only tell certain people. Not her mother-in-law, who might not understand. And no way would they tell his ex-wife because Lenore had trouble respecting boundaries. Especially when she was between boyfriends.
Now, half a year later, he looked at Riley and he couldn’t help thinking he wouldn’t mind if this thing between them never ended. He couldn’t get enough of her wide-set blue eyes, that sweet heart-shaped face, all that thick, softly curling red hair. She looked like a princess from some long-ago time when men wore waistcoats and breeches and women dressed in long gowns with frilly petticoats beneath.
“Rile,” he whispered.
And she said, “Oh, Josh…” She surged up and her mouth touched his.
He yanked her close as the fire between them kindled and flared. He was kissing her, loving the taste of her mouth, eager for more of those soft, hungry sighs.
But something was up with her.
He took her by the shoulders. “What’s the matter? Just tell me.”
She stared up at him. Those eyes of hers were oceans. He wanted to drown in them. “Well…”
His phone buzzed with a text.
They both froze.
And then she laughed and flopped back against the sofa cushion. “Better check. Go on.”
He eased the phone from his pocket and looked at it.
“What’s wrong?” Riley asked.
“It’s Lenore,” he said glumly. “I’ll call her back later.” The phone buzzed again.
“Josh, what’s going on?”
He gave in and told her. “Lenore says there’s an emergency, and she needs me at her place right away.”
“She’s got Shane, right?”
“Yeah.”
