Janie honestly couldn’t remember a moment in her life as pleasurable as this one. With Riley’s powerful chest pressed against hers, one hand dropping to cup her bottom with sexy familiarity, and his glorious mouth kissing her like he needed her tongue to go on living, she gave herself over to it. To this perfect, heady, purely sexual moment, knowing there was absolutely nothing she wouldn’t do to make love with him, right here and now.
He, however, didn’t appear to feel the same desperation. With a groan that sounded as though it had been ripped from deep within him, he let go of her leg, ended the kiss—for real this time--and pulled away. As if a few inches wasn’t enough, he shuffled backward, putting a good two feet of space between them.
Staring at one another, they both heaved in a few deep breaths. Then Riley tilted his head back and thrust his hand through his thick hair, visibly trying to grab some control.
She didn’t want him controlled. But Janie had already stolen a kiss and it hadn’t made him rip her clothes off with pure animal passion. So short of ripping her clothes off, herself, she wasn’t quite sure how to push him over the edge.
“I know you,” he eventually muttered. “My grandfather...”
“Yes.”
“You’re that girl.”
“That woman,” she clarified.
Finally meeting her eye again, he looked her over, studying her intently. “I didn’t recognize you.”
“I know.”
His body stiffening almost imperceptibly, he said, “Was that the point? Me not recognizing you?”
Janie couldn’t deny it, not while her head was still spinning from their kiss. “Yes. That was the point.”
Her honesty seemed to surprise him. His brow furrowing in confusion, he asked, “Why?”
“Maybe to make sure you realized I am not a girl.”
He nodded slowly. “I get the picture.” Then, his eyes narrowing, he added, “So having made your point, are we done?”
Done? Good grief, she was nowhere near done with everything she wanted to do with this man. Not that she was ready to admit that out loud. One outrageously stolen embrace had about used up her bravado for this evening.
“You paid me back for thinking you were a student. Now we’re even. Is that right?” His voice sounded tense, almost angry.
Janie didn’t under any circumstances want him leaving here thinking she’d been messing with his head. Neither, however, was she ready to yank her shirt off and ask him to lick her breasts like two scoops of ice cream.
Two scoops altogether...not each. Because she was definitely single scoop size on either side. Or maybe even less. Kid’s size.
Which gave her even less incentive to do any shirt ripping off, because all of a sudden she remembered who it was she was trying to tempt here. Mr. Baseball Star who could probably open his own silicone factory with all the stacked women who threw themselves at him on a daily basis.
Who in the hell had she been kidding with this whole seduction thing? Even after the most passionate kiss she could imagine, the man was looking at her like he wanted to throw her off a building.
“Helloooo?”
Janie shook her head, hard. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
Suddenly it seemed a whole lot worse for the man to think she’d imagined herself able to seduce him than to have him think she’d been playing some kind of payback prank on him. So, while already mentally painting a big yellow “chicken” stripe up her back, she added, “I guess I just heard one too many ‘little Janie’ cracks and I decided to make sure the world,” you, “saw me as the woman I am.”
Riley stared into her face, as if assessing her honesty. It took every bit of strength Janie had to hold his gaze, not blush or blink or do that shirt-ripping-off thing.
Kids size. Sample cones.
She kept her shirt on.
Eventually, Riley sighed and gave her a short nod. “Well, consider the point made.” And without another word, he turned and walked out of the stock room.
Leaving her with a bit of her pride intact. But the rest of her completely empty.
