Riley licked her now-dry lips. “My silence? What exactly should I respond ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to?”
He didn’t actually need to say it. Riley knew what he was asking. She recalled having a similar conversation with him six months ago.
“This isn’t new, Riley. It’s been brewing between us for years. How long do you plan to keep brushing it off?”
Was that what she’d been doing? Her previous answer to Chaz had been an unequivocal “no.” There was nothing between them and to solidify that fact she’d made a point to stay away from him. Which was probably the reason he presumed she’d been running. But tonight, as he’d just stated, she was standing still...and very close to him.
“One night, Riley,” he said, his voice going lower.
His face was just inches from hers as he stood in what should have been an uncomfortable stance. But he wasn’t trying to move. He just stayed there waiting...for her.
“Give this thing between us one night,” he continued.
“There is no ‘thing’ between us,” she whispered.
He eased closer, brushing his lips lightly against hers before pulling back. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Chaz stood up straight.
“You’re sure there’s no ‘thing’ between us? Or you’re sure you won’t give us one night?”
“I’m sure you’re trying to push my buttons and I’m not in the mood,” she replied.
“And yet, you’re still standing right here.”
“You’re in my way,” she countered.
Chaz stepped to the side.
“Now I’m not,” he said. “And you’re still here contemplating whether or not you’re up for one night with me. You won’t do it. You’ll continue to run because that’s what suits you.”
No. He did not just make this a dare. But as Riley continued to stare at him, she knew that was exactly what he was doing. Her brothers had done this to her so many times while they were growing up and Riley had never backed down.
But Chaz Warren was not her brother. He was a very attractive man who made her body respond every time she saw him, regardless of what her brain warned. He was the man who had just teased the hell out of her with that chaste kiss. Riley wanted more. She hadn’t realized how much until this very moment, but she wanted Chaz Warren in her bed.
“Yes,” she said without another thought.
Chaz shook his head and grinned. “You’re killing me here, Riley. What exactly are you saying yes to?” he asked.
Tired of this verbal sparring, Riley closed the space between them. She reached up to cup the back of Chaz’s head and brought his mouth down to hers for a searing kiss.
CHAZ HAD NO IDEA. There was no way he could have prepared for how potent the kiss would be. No way in hell.
She looked like any other beautiful woman with hazel eyes and intriguing high cheekbones. Her body was what a teenage boy’s wet dreams were made of and she smelled like sin walking. But he’d been around the fashion industry for more than half his life, so none of that was abnormal to him.
Still, the punch in his gut the moment his lips touched hers was nothing to ignore. The warmth that spread slowly to every corner of his body as his tongue brushed against hers and her body pressed closer to his was way beyond what one simple little kiss should have caused.
He’d kissed women before. And had done a whole lot more. But nothing, none of those times, had left him feeling as off balance as he did at this very moment.
With heroic strength Chaz pulled his mouth away from hers. But he did not let her go. He couldn’t.
“One night,” she said before Chaz had even caught his breath. “In my room. You’ll be gone first thing in the morning. And we will never...ever speak of this again.”
She was giving him the rules. Chaz was never good at following rules, especially not ones that he hadn’t come up with. However, he knew exactly who he was dealing with and what was at stake for both of them if they proceeded.
“I’d rather twenty-four hours, but we can play that by ear. When the time comes, if you still want me to, I’ll leave when the sun comes up, but it starts right here, right now,” he said before taking her mouth again.
This time it was his tongue pushing her lips apart as he sought the warmth inside. She seemed surprised at first but was clearly ready for their go-round within seconds. Her hands—pressing against the back of his neck as if she thought she was guiding this kiss—felt too good to focus on. There was so much more Chaz wanted to explore with Riley and he only had one night to get it all in.
Her tongue joined his, stroking in a rhythm that seemed practiced and new at the same time. His hands moved down to the dip in her back just before the curve of her ass. Chaz pressed her close to him as he took the kiss deeper. She was tall, probably about five feet seven or eight without the heels she was wearing, so she fit against him perfectly. And with the feel of her body against his, Chaz couldn’t wait to get her naked.
Riley moved her hands, slipping them past his shoulders to press firmly against his chest. Chaz immediately pulled back.
“Not here, not like this,” she said and looked around as if she thought someone might see them.
They were alone on the balcony, the party inside going full swing without a care for the two people who’d slipped out. But Chaz understood. It was no secret that Riley did not like the press. She did the required press releases and interviews, but she tried to stay out of the spotlight. It didn’t matter—her family’s company was one of the most talked about in the industry. There was no way the press would stop doing stories on her; even though Riley and Walter Stone hadn’t married and the phenomenal partnering of RGold Fashions and Stonemill Apparel, a renowned global distributor, was off, they still covered her and they weren’t always kind.
Chaz didn’t answer immediately. He kept his arms around her and walked them back until they were standing on the other side of a decorated and lit Christmas tree at the far end of the balcony.
With her back pressed against the wall of the building, Riley still looked up at him with concern. Chaz touched a finger to her cheek and let it slide slowly down to the line of her jaw.
“I’ll protect you, Riley,” he said softly. “You don’t ever have to worry about that.”
“I don’t need your protection,” she said.
Chaz smiled. “I know,” he told her. “But I’ll do it, anyway.”
He kissed her again, his hands moving down her sides. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him tightly against her. Chaz groaned at the spurt of possession and need. He grabbed the hem of her dress, pushing it up her legs so he could feel more of her skin, get even closer to her. Riley dragged one leg up, wrapping it around his waist until he was delightfully trapped in her grasp.
He couldn’t believe he was here, with Riley Gold, touching her and kissing her. His erection pulsed and pressed eagerly against his zipper. He wanted to be inside her now, but he couldn’t pull himself away from her to get them to the elevators and eventually to her room. He needed something first. He needed to give her something, just this little bit to relax her and to promise himself what was to come.
Chaz moved his hand until he felt the silky skin of her inner thigh. She bucked instantly and tilted her head back to arch into him. He cursed, his mouth sliding over her bared shoulder.
Heat