Hot Item

CHAPTER EIGHT

WHO’D HAVE THOUGHT parasailing would be almost as intimate as sex? By the time they returned to the house, Sophie was wound up both physically and emotionally. Arousal thrummed through her body, due in large part to the rush of adrenaline from her activity. She recalled reading about the effect of adrenaline on the nervous system. It was no surprise she couldn’t wait to wrap her arms around Riley’s neck and her legs around his waist.

She followed him into the house, staring hungrily at his tanned legs and powerful muscles flexing beneath his damp, sand-caked T-shirt. She swallowed hard. Then again, that throbbing, pulsing need just might have more to do with the man himself than with her parasailing adventure.

She shut the door to the house behind her and began to methodically take off her clothes so as not to make a huge, sandy mess all over their borrowed home. When she was through, she was clad only in her bikini.

Halfway through the large living room that led to the master bedroom and its spacious shower, Riley turned to Sophie. Even from a distance, she felt the heat in his stare and the welcoming warmth in his expression. Her heart beat more rapidly in her chest and flutters took up residence in her stomach.

He crooked his finger and no words were necessary to clarify his meaning. She sprinted forward, meeting him halfway.

He grabbed her around the waist, his big hands branding her bare skin with their heated touch at the same time his lips came down hard on hers. This was what she’d been burning for all afternoon and she threaded her fingers through his windblown hair, ready to pull him into an embrace that went deeper than a kiss. He was faster, easing her forward then lifting her onto her tiptoes so their hips meshed at exactly the right point.

On contact, waves stronger than the ocean current raced through her body and she savored the sensation, swaying to the rising current of pleasure he created. Her hips rocked in unison with his. With each roll of his waist, every deliberate thrust of his groin against her body, desire built higher and higher. His mouth worked similar magic, tasting, nipping and exploring.

She moaned aloud, the first sound from either of them.

His body trembled and he moved his hands from her waist to her shoulders, his thumb caressing her flesh in circles, the pressure of his fingers increasing, matching the harder thrust of his lower body. At the same time, he led her across the room.

Her back hit the wall and she finally had the support she needed to hold her up against the sensual onslaught. Through mind-numbing kisses, he nudged her legs apart and shifted until his thigh came in contact with her there. She was out of her mind with need, practically panting with unfulfilled desire.

The next thing she knew, he’d shifted her forward. He slipped his hands inside her bottoms so his hands cupped her cheeks and thrust her directly against his hard, muscular thigh. She was full and wet, on the verge of what surely would be the most spectacular climax in the history of climaxes. Whimpering and completely out of control, she ground herself against him over and over, seeking relief that seemed just out of reach.

“Come,” he whispered in her ear, pumping his leg up and down, teasing her and yet somehow, increasing the pressure each time.

“Riley-” Her voice broke on a sob.

“Don’t hold back, baby.” He slipped one hand around her hips and into the front of her bathing suit. His fingers sliding through her damp heat to ease one finger between her folds. “I’ll catch you. Come on, Soph. I won’t let you go,” he said in a roughened voice.

She shut her eyes and let her head loll back, ecstasy overwhelming her. And all the while he continued to rock his thigh, hard and fast beneath her.

She imagined him pumping thick and hot inside her body. Harder. Faster. Deeper. And she splintered in his arms, the most intense pleasure she’d ever experienced washing over and over and over her.

“Wow.” She opened her eyes to find him watching her intently and tried not to squirm in embarrassment.

“You can’t hide anything from me.”

She merely nodded, then realized how one-sided this had been. “I…let’s go to the bedroom so I can take care of you,” she said, leaning forward and nipping lightly on his earlobe.

He shuddered with pleasure. “Much as I’d love to do just that, it’s unnecessary.” A twitch worked at one side of his mouth.

“You mean you already-”

“Uh-huh. Taking you there and watching you come did it for me.”

“Oh, wow.” She’d never had that kind of effect on a man. Either that or she’d never met a man who would admit that she had, she thought. “I guess I’m pretty potent, huh?”

He grinned. “We could bottle you and make millions.”

She laughed. “Shower?”

“You read my mind.”

Hand in hand, they were halfway there when the telephone rang.

“I’ll get it and meet you in there,” she offered. Her body still trembled with aftershocks and she could use a minute before stepping under the hot spray.

She ran for the phone in the bedroom, drew a deep breath and lifted the receiver. “Hello?”

“Who’s this?” a young female voice asked.

“Who is this?”

“This is Elizabeth Nash. Who are you and where’s my dad?”

Riley’s daughter, Sophie thought. He must have given her the house number when he’d checked in with her earlier. Obviously the young girl wasn’t into polite niceties or preliminaries. “I’m Sophie Jordan and…” Sophie trailed off. Did she tell Lizzie that her father was in the shower, making things sound, oh, about as tawdry as they were, or did she go get Riley?

“Hold on and I’ll get your dad.” She placed the phone on the counter and knocked on the bathroom door.

“Come on in.” She opened the door and peeked inside.

“No need to knock, darlin’. You’ve already seen it all,” he said as he stepped naked beneath the spray. “You gonna join me?”

“Your daughter’s on the phone.”

He frowned. “Tell her I’m in the shower.”

She grabbed the door frame. “I thought about that and it doesn’t sound like she’d take that too well. At least not from me.”

He picked up the soap and began lathering his gorgeous body. “Then just tell her I’ll call her back in a minute.”

She nodded. “Will do,” she said, and turned to go.

“Sophie?”

She pivoted back around. “Yes?”

“Don’t let Lizzie intimidate you. Her bark’s worse than her bite.”

She smiled. “Don’t worry,” she said, shutting the door behind her. She walked back to the phone, thinking how Riley adored his daughter and probably made untold allowances for her.

She lifted the phone again. “Elizabeth?”

“Yeah.”

“He said he’d call you back.”

The young girl let out a prolonged sigh and Sophie gripped the receiver hard, preparing for an argument.

“Okay, just tell him it’s important. Life-or-death important.” But the bored tone sounded anything but distressed.

A pop sounded in Sophie’s ear. Bubble gum? she wondered. “I’ll give him the message.”

“Yeah. Thanks.” Click.

Left holding a dead phone in her hand, Sophie merely blinked before hanging up and easing herself down onto the bed. Her body still tingled, a delicious reminder of what they’d just shared. She shivered and rubbed her bare hands up and down her arms. She would have thought their behavior was as juvenile as two teenagers behind the school, except her feelings were far more adult and intense.

Riley strode out of the bathroom, towel-drying his hair as he came up beside her. “What’d Lizzie have to say?”

“I don’t think she likes me,” Sophie said, recalling the young girl’s defensive attitude that had quickly turned bored and dismissive.

He slung the towel around his neck and laughed. “She doesn’t know you.”

Sophie raised an eyebrow. “Something tells me she wouldn’t want to. Let me guess. Daddy’s little girl?”

Riley’s mouth lifted in a grin that said it all.

Just what Sophie didn’t need-a teenager with an attitude and a proprietary air about her father.

Riley winked at Sophie before he picked up the phone to call his daughter.

Lizzie answered on the first ring. “Dad?”

Hearing her voice warmed him. “Hey, Lizzie baby, how are you?”

“Not good! Mom’s being so unfair!”

He rolled his eyes at the familiar refrain. “What’s going on?”

“My friends are going to the Seaport and she won’t let me go.”

Riley didn’t have to see the pout to know it was on his daughter’s face. He hated her being unhappy and wanted to fix whatever went wrong. Sometimes Lisa drove him crazy with her rules. In this case he didn’t see what was wrong with shopping with friends.

“When’s the day?” he asked.

“Next week. We have school vacation, remember?”

He lowered himself onto the bed. “Of course I remember. We’re going to Playland sometime next week, right?”

“Yeah. Right. But I really want to go to the Seaport and Mom says I can’t go unchaperoned at night.”

“Night?” he asked, his ears perking up.

“Evening,” she said, clarifying. “Like five o’clock.”

Happy hour, he thought. “Who would be there?”

“Dad!”

He chuckled at her outrage. “I have to ask. Now spill. Something has your mother upset enough to say no.” Aside from the hour, which would inevitably turn into eight or nine o’clock.

“Miranda and Ashley,” she said, naming her two best friends. “And their parents already said yes.”

Riley reserved judgment on that bit of news. These kids were notorious for telling each set of parents that the others had already agreed, hoping to sway things their way.

“Who else?” he asked.

“Mmmadjkr,” she mumbled.

He couldn’t help but grin. “Say it again clearly this time.”

“Mike and Joey and Rick and Frank,” she said on an indignant huff, clearly annoyed at being forced to reveal all.

“I’d say the boys are your mother’s problem. That and the hour.”

“But…but…you don’t trust me?”

He shook his head. “It’s not you we don’t trust.”

“It’s everyone else out there.” She parroted the words he and Lisa had used with her before. “Dad, this is so unfair! I just want to hang out with my friends at the Seaport. I don’t see what’s so bad about that. Everyone’s going to go and I’ll be left out, and then they’ll talk about it at school and I’ll be the only one who’s not part of things!” Her voice trembled, tugging at his heart.

“I’ll talk to your mother.”

“She’ll never agree. Can’t I just sleep at your house so I can go and we won’t tell her? Please, Daddy, please.”

He groaned, hating the pleading tone in her voice. “We’ll talk when I get home tomorrow.”

“You’re the best!” she squealed into the phone.

“Lizzie, I didn’t promise anything,” he reminded her.

She laughed. “But I know you and I love you.” She blew a kiss into the phone. “Gotta go now! Bye!”

The phone clicked on her end. Lizzie, he realized, had twisted his words into what she wanted to hear. If he didn’t agree, she’d blame him even more than she already blamed her mother.

“Teenagers should come with an instruction manual,” he muttered.

“Nobody ever said it would be easy.”

He turned, startled at the sound of Sophie’s voice. Wrapped up in Lizzie’s drama, he’d forgotten she sat patiently by his side. “It amazes me how easy it is for someone who’s never been a parent to offer platitudes.”

She inclined her head. “Good point.”

At least she didn’t seem insulted.

“I take it she wanted to go somewhere and her mother said no?” Sophie asked.

He nodded. “South Street Seaport during happy hour.”

“And you agreed with…” Sophie trailed off.

“Lisa,” he said, helping her out with his ex’s name. “I didn’t agree and you know it. You heard my side of the conversation. I said we’d talk about it when I got home.”

Sophie curled a leg beneath her and studied him. “Lisa,” she said. “The woman you married because you were young and in love? Or she was young and pregnant?” she asked.

He liked that she didn’t pull punches. “Too young to know what love was, too young to have kids, too stupid to know we didn’t know any better.” He shook his head and laughed. “But we did get Lizzie out of the deal. Lisa’s married to a stuffed-shirt accountant now and they tend to follow the rules.”

“Aha,” Sophie said, nodding. “You, the nonconformist, don’t want to follow those rules.” A gleam of certainty sparkled in her eyes.

He shifted uncomfortably. “It isn’t that simple.”

“So explain.” She leaned forward, waiting.

He felt certain, once he revealed his motives, she’d come down firmly on his side; after all, she’d already shown she understood him when it came to Spencer. Her insight had provided him with much-needed support this trip.

He’d never shared his feelings about Lizzie with anyone in his life, but he wasn’t surprised he now wanted Sophie to be the first. The notion that he was seeking her understanding, or worse, her approval, was a threat to his style of doing things his own way in his own time.

“There’s a reason I don’t like to do what others expect.” He paused and she remained silent, giving him whatever time he needed to gather his thoughts. “I spent the better part of my life, my youth, trying to get Spencer to notice me.”

Unable to sit still, and finding it even more difficult to look into Sophie’s solemn eyes, he rose and paced the carpeted room. “By the time I won the Heisman and was represented by Yank, with no word from my father, I decided I was no longer going to please anyone but myself.”

Sophie swallowed over the lump in her throat. Imagining Riley as a little boy seeking his father’s elusive approval broke her heart. That it was Spencer, a man who’d given her love and understanding, hurt even more. Guilt pierced through her, making her feel as if she’d stolen something precious from him. Something he’d never get back.

“When Lizzie was born, I held this little bundle in my arms. She was smaller, and a hell of a lot more delicate, than a football.” He grinned, but in his face she saw love and emotion, something so deep it took her breath away.

She started to reach for him then changed her mind. What he felt for his daughter had nothing to do with her and she had no right to intrude on it. “Go on,” she said softly.

“Right then, I promised myself-and I promised her-she’d never wonder if her father loved her. She’d never look around and question why her father wasn’t a part of her life. And she’d never ever resent me.” He set his jaw tight.

Sophie glanced down, knowing she had to phrase this exactly right. “Just be her father.”

“It’s not that simple. I’m not there when she goes to sleep at night or when she wakes up in the morning.”

“So you want to give her what she wants to make up for it.”

He shrugged. “That’s my job as her father.”

“Your job is to make sure she grows up safe and sound and loved. The best way to do that is to set rules-”

“To hell with that,” he muttered, rising from the bed. “Control and rules are your thing, not mine. But because of everything you’ve seen down here, I thought you’d understand my relationship with my daughter. Apparently I was wrong,” he said in a suddenly frosty voice.

She blinked, startled by his change in tone. “Of course I understand.” But that didn’t mean she totally agreed.

Because Sophie and her sisters had been raised by their bachelor uncle, she’d always worried about him getting it right. To his credit-and in no small part thanks to Lola-he had. Partially because they’d known the importance of rules and discipline.

Sophie had taken it upon herself to learn from her uncle’s way of parenting. Maybe Riley could do the same. “This isn’t about my rules. It’s about children and what they need, and what it means to be a parent.”

He raised an eyebrow. “And you’d know this because you are one?”

“Whoa.” She stood and squared her shoulders. “Where’s the hostility coming from?”

He faced her, the arrogant athlete she’d always seen him as in the past. She couldn’t be more disappointed. Or more hurt. Her throat swelled painfully as she realized she’d let him into her heart only to have him trample on it at the first sign of their differences.

“It isn’t hostility, it’s fact,” he said, oblivious to her feelings. “You’ll never understand where I’m coming from. You’re a stickler for rules and I’m not. No way am I going to inflict that kind of control on my daughter.”

He was talking about Lizzie but he was condemning Sophie, too, and with each word his emotional walls rose higher. He wanted to block her out and he’d succeeded. She couldn’t find the words for a cutting comeback nor did she want to try. Riley had been scarred by his childhood and was so obviously overcompensating with his daughter, it was downright scary.

“I’m in her life and she’s going to grow up appreciating that fact, not resenting me or wishing I was gone.”

Sophie looked into his cold eyes. “So you’ll buy her instead. Well, good for you. Maybe one day you’ll grow up and realize she’s better off with a real parent rather than an overindulgent one with poor judgment.”

He scowled and started for the door. “I’m going to pack,” he muttered, and walked out without looking back.

South Street Seaport at night. Sophie shivered and hoped Riley wasn’t seriously considering letting his thirteen-year-old daughter go there. Then again, he had one valid point. Now that he’d decided she didn’t understand him, it wasn’t any of her business.

Unfortunately, there was no telling herself she didn’t care. Sophie headed for the shower he’d just vacated and inhaled the scent of soap he’d left behind. Her heart pounded in her chest, disappointment in both Riley and how their relationship had turned out filling her.

She’d been stupid enough to invest more than her body in this short relationship even though she’d known from the beginning how it would end. Too bad she hadn’t trusted her instincts and steered clear.

Because although she’d expected a parting of ways when they returned home, she hadn’t expected him to turn on her before they even left South Florida.

CINDY REPLAYED the voice mail telling her Sophie would be home later today. Hallelujah. She loved being a publicist, dealing with people and nabbing PR coups, but she hated running the place on her own. Though Spencer had returned, he was too busy handling damage control with his own clients to worry about the mundane things like bill keeping and doling out new assignments to the other publicists. She appreciated Sophie’s faith in her, but she was more than ready to return to the role of employee.

Especially since they’d just experienced a major computer crash in the office. The techs didn’t know what had caused the problem. They’d mentioned the possibility of a virus attacking the system, but until they’d worked on it some more, they couldn’t be sure.

Her cell phone rang and she pulled it out of her purse, answering on the first ring. A pathetic occurrence that happened way too often since she’d shared drinks with Miguel Cambias the other evening.

She looked at the incoming number on the phone. As if on cue, her stomach performed an excited flip. “Hello?”

“Good morning,” he said in that sexy tone.

“Hi,” she said, feeling like a tongue-tied teenager.

“I’ve been e-mailing you all morning. Are you avoiding me?” he asked in a confident voice that insinuated she’d never do such a thing.

He was right.

“Not avoiding you. Just unable to reply. Our server is down,” she explained, thrilled by the notion that he’d been trying to reach her.

“Aah, that explains things,” he said in an understanding tone. “I was hoping I could steal you away for lunch.”

She wanted to say yes, but she and Sophie would have to play catch-up for most of the afternoon. “Not today, unfortunately. How about tomorrow?”

“You drive a hard bargain, Cynthia.”

She loved the sound of her full name coming from his lips. “I think you’ll find me worth the wait,” she said, laughing.

“Of that I have no doubt. Lunch tomorrow it is. I’ll be in touch.” He disconnected the line, leaving a humming feeling dancing through her veins.

She enjoyed his company and not just because the man knew how to treat a lady, from insisting he pick her up at work, to opening doors, to pulling out her chair before she sat. He listened intently to details about her life and asked questions as if he were truly interested in both her family life and her job, unlike many men who only wanted to talk about themselves. Miguel was solicitous and sexy and when he’d walked her to her door, he’d done nothing more than kiss her cheek. His aftershave had lingered in her memory long after he’d gone.

She couldn’t recall the last time she’d been wined and dined and romanced like that. In addition, he’d sent her fresh flowers as a thank-you and e-mailed her just to say hello.

How could she not be interested in the man? Yet how could she not feel guilty when her boss didn’t know about Cindy’s growing relationship with their competitor?

She consoled herself with the fact that Sophie would be back this afternoon and she’d fill her in then. In the meantime, she’d enjoy the excitement of knowing she was finally on the right track in a relationship and enjoying every minute.

DESPITE THE TYPICAL craziness of Kennedy Airport, Sophie still heard her cell ring. A few seconds later, she was no longer worrying about the chill between herself and Riley because her business was a mess.

She shut her phone, slid it into her purse and turned to her companion, who’d been as silent as she for the duration of the flight. Her only consolation had been that he’d been too preoccupied to flirt with the flight attendants.

Despite the sudden urgency to get to the office, Sophie still couldn’t help but drink in what was probably her last look at Riley for a while. Every inch the rebel with the collar of his jean jacket raised and his eyes hidden by sunglasses, she’d never felt more distance between them. It was hard to believe she’d slept with him. Made love with him. Let him begin to get into her heart.

She glanced at the moving carousel, which had begun to circulate luggage from the flight. “As soon as my bag shows up, I’m out of here.”

“Work calls?” he asked.

Was that sarcasm she heard in his voice? “The computers crashed. The tech people are trying to get things back online, but right now it’s a nightmare.” Some sort of computer virus had completely disabled their system. Checks couldn’t be printed or signed and neither could contracts. Internet access was nonexistent.

Just then her bag came into view. Recognizing it, he swung it off the conveyor belt for her.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.”

Silence hung between them. Uncomfortable and not wanting to prolong things, she pulled the handle on her bag so she could wheel it to the taxi line.

“Good luck at the office,” he said.

She swallowed hard. “Good luck with your daughter.”

“No luck needed,” he said flippantly.

Too flippantly, Sophie thought. Could he find this parting as awkward as she did?

She wondered if he’d been at all affected by their time together or if she was just another fling. She’d never know, Sophie thought sadly. She could hazard a guess though, and the answer was as painful as the lump in her throat.

“RILEY NASH, you are a first-class jerk,” his ex-wife muttered.

It wasn’t anything he hadn’t thought about himself since leaving Florida, but Lisa’s reasons for calling him the name were way different than his own.

“It’s not like I brought her back a huge gift. It was just a stuffed animal from the airport.” The gift wasn’t behind Lisa’s anger-that much Riley knew. He just wanted to buy himself time before dealing with the real issue between them.

Riley leaned back in his chair in the small restaurant his ex had chosen as a neutral meeting ground. Though he steeled himself for an argument, he remained outwardly relaxed and in control, leaving the hysteria for Lisa.

“You cannot be that stupid,” Lisa muttered. “You know that’s not what I’m upset about.”

“I think we can refrain from name-calling,” Ted, the ever rational one said, patting Lisa’s hand to calm her down.

Riley had to refrain from gagging at the other man’s patronizing, too fatherly manner. “All I did was let my daughter sleep over,” he said to her for at least the dozenth time.

“And you let her go to the Seaport with friends after I said no!”

He couldn’t deny part of her statement, but there had been extenuating circumstances. Like it or not, he’d come to the conclusion that Sophie’s words made sense. Lizzie needed a father not a friend. Still he hadn’t wanted to deprive her, nor had he wanted her to end up resenting him the way he resented Spencer.

He couldn’t stop thinking of Sophie for many reasons, not the least of which was how he’d treated her their last day in Florida. She deserved so much better. But from the moment he’d realized he cared enough about Sophie to want her to understand his motivations regarding his daughter, he’d been scared by the implications. Scared that he’d come to care for Sophie Jordan as much more than a one-night stand. The minute she’d hit on his weak spot-his relationship with his daughter-his defense mechanisms had kicked in and he’d latched on to the first excuse to push her away.

That he regretted his actions was an understatement.

“Riley,” Lisa said through clenched teeth. “Let me know if we’re boring you.”

He refocused at once. “I let Lizzie go to the Seaport, yes, but I was there the entire time. Which I’ve been trying to tell you, but either you hung up on me or screamed so I couldn’t get a word in edgewise.”

Yet another reason their marriage had failed. Too much screaming and not enough communication skills. Skills that Sophie certainly didn’t lack, Riley thought, surprising himself with his train of thought.

“Well. That changes things,” Ted said.

Lisa shot her husband a scathing glare. “It certainly does not.” She leaned closer to Riley. “Did she know you were there, watching her?”

He shook his head. “Of course not. She’d have been good and pissed, and-”

“You’d have been the bad guy. Instead, you allowed her to think she was defying me, making you her hero and me the bad parent. Again.”

He winced at her description. “I didn’t do it deliberately. I didn’t think-”

“That’s just it! You didn’t think. You never do.” Lisa clenched her fists and pounded on the table. “As long as your needs are met, as long as you look good to Lizzie or the press, all’s well in Riley’s world. To hell with the rest of us.” Tears of frustration sparkled in her eyes.

Riley had seen those tears many times before. During their marriage they had argued over many issues, although since the divorce, the only one they ever had to agree on was Lizzie. And until his daughter had hit adolescence, their differing parenting styles hadn’t caused real conflict. Riley suffered a pang of remorse that it did so now.

“This can’t continue,” Lisa said, squaring her shoulders defiantly. “It isn’t fair to me and it isn’t fair to Lizzie, allowing her to think she can circumvent authority by going to her daddy.”

“The reason we wanted to get together today was so we could agree on some ground rules.” Ted inserted himself in the middle of their war of words.

Riley forcibly bit back a nasty retort. Knowing that his reaction to the word rules had set him on the wrong path with Sophie, he gritted his teeth and merely nodded. He knew one thing for sure. They all had Lizzie’s best interest at heart and they had to get along in order to share custody.

“So what did you have in mind?” he asked, wary but willing to listen.

“A simple thing called joint parenting. In other words, if I tell Lizzie something, you back me up in front of her.” Before he could argue, she held up one hand. “And if you tell her something, I’ll back you up. In private, we can disagree but we present a united front to her. And if we change our minds, we do it together. No divide and conquer. Not anymore.”

“Why do I sense an or else coming?”

Lisa sighed. “Or else I’m going to have to sue for full custody.”

“The hell you will!” Riley rose quickly, knocking over his chair in the process.

The other customers in the small restaurant stared openmouthed, but he didn’t care. “You will not take my daughter from me.”

Ted tossed his napkin on the table and stood. “That isn’t going to happen. Lisa spoke without thinking. Nobody’s going to do anything rash. We…” He gestured to the three of them. “We are going to find a way to co-parent through the rocky adolescent years. And we’re going to do it like a family. Elizabeth’s family.”

Riley met Lisa’s gaze and nodded in agreement. For the first time, he actually agreed with the stuffed-shirt accountant. He’d better, if he didn’t want to find himself in court fighting for custody of the person he loved most.