“I’ve money enough of my own. That’s not why I said no.” She walked into the house and he followed, bumping into her back when she stopped suddenly in the kitchen. The brightness of the sun had clouded his vision for a moment, and he thanked his lucky stars he had a reason to reach out and touch her. Holding her against his chest yesterday clearly hadn’t been enough.
“Sorry.” He gripped her arms to stop her from falling down. “Sun blinded me for a moment.”
She turned around, one eyebrow raised in his direction. “I don’t need the help. Tell Beth thanks, but no thanks.”
“She’s trying to be kind to you after what happened yesterday. Also she feels responsible and it’s her way of saying sorry. Why can’t you take it in the spirit it’s given? It’s not going to hurt you, is it?”
He watched the turmoil in her eyes. Hell, it’s not as if he said he was taking over her life. Riley just had to make his mom happy by doing some small job to even the score and make Sassie’s life easier…and his.
“There’s nothing for her to worry about. It was a stupid accident and nothing more. I’d hardly be holding her responsible for that. She took me to the doctor, so tell her we’re more than even if it’s worrying her. I’ll be right as rain in no time, but I appreciate it, nonetheless.” Sassie looked him square in the eyes. “Besides, she wooed me with tea and scones beforehand, so that alone I consider more than enough payment.”
“Are you always this damn stubborn?” Riley reached for a strand of her hair, the smell of her shampoo reaching his nostrils—peach or mango, whichever it was, his senses sat up and took notice. He wound the strand around his fingers and held her there within his grasp. There was a freshness about this woman he liked. Her eyes flashed a warning, and he chose to ignore it. Used to taking chances, he would take one with this fiery-headed Irish lass and see where it took him.
He dipped his head and touched her lips with his.
Her eyes opened wide and then fluttered closed. A soft moan escaped her mouth, and her bandaged hand reached up to rest on his shoulder. Riley slipped a hand around her back, pulling her closer as he deepened the kiss. She parted her lips, and her tongue sought passage between his. Blood raced through his veins, pulsing in his brain, warning of impending lust.
He stepped forward, holding her tightly against his chest, until she was backed up against the kitchen wall. Breaking contact with her mouth, he opened his eyes and traced his tongue across the cupid’s bow of her top lip. She tried to bite him, pulling his head down to hers with her good hand. Nibbles rained over his bottom lip, which only increased the blood flow to his nether regions.
The slam of a car door broke the spell. Eyes open wide, Sassie looked at him, lust evident in her dreamy eyes and flushed cheeks. Footsteps sounded on the gravel path and Riley stepped back, cursing under his breath.
“Well, well, well, little brother. I might have known you’d be sniffing around the place sooner or later.” Grady leaned against the doorframe, a grin on his face, his hat tipped back on his head.
“Fuck off, Grady.” He brushed the hair back from his face and grinned apologetically at Sassie. “You’ll have to forgive my brother for interrupting a moment. It seems his people skills have gone downhill since Lara made an honest man out of him.”
“Nothing to be sorry for since nothing was happening.” She flicked her hair from her face and moved away from the wall. “So, just how many in this great family of yours, R. P. Cooper?”
“Some days, way too many. Grady, meet Sassie. Sassie, this is my eldest brother—the sheriff.”
“Nice to meet you, Sassie. Mom called and told me about your little incident yesterday. Sorry I didn’t notice you’d arrived in town. I would’ve dropped by earlier to welcome you.”
“Well now, that’s very kind of you, but your mom did the honors already. It’s no big deal.”
Grady looked around the demolished kitchen. “You doing some work in here, brother?”
“Yes.”
“No.”
Sassie and Riley spoke together.
Grady’s lips twisted in a puckered grin. “Right, glad to see you both have that under control. If there’s anything I can do to help, Sassie, let me know. You’ll find this is a pretty friendly little town. I’m sure our mother has already invited you for a meal to meet everyone. Really glad to see someone bringing the old house back to life, too. Riley, Sassie.” He tipped his hat and left them alone.
“Sorry about that.” The flush on her cheeks, the way she avoided eye contact with him, all of it intrigued him after that kiss. She was a stunning woman and the taste of her on his mouth left him wanting more.
“As I said...nothing to be sorry about. Now, for the last time, I don’t need any help, but I thank you for offering.” She folded her arms over her chest, but not before he noticed her nipples tight and erect against the soft cloth of her plain, white T-shirt.
“I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone as stubborn as you, Sassie.” Riley leaned back against the old black stove, mindful of the caked-on grease. “So, you think you can do all this by yourself with that hand out of action?”
“Of course I can. A couple of stitches won’t keep me down for long. Now, if you’ve done all you came for, best you be off so I can get to work.” She licked her lips and avoided his gaze.
“There is so much more I’d like to do, but I don’t think now’s the time. I want to get to know you better, Sassie…much better.”
“I’m not looking for a relationship. I’ll tell you that for nothing. So you might want
