Runaway (Wolfes of Manhattan 3)

Adriano met my gaze. “You know her?”

“She’s renting my cabin this week,” I said.

“Man, she’s hot.” Adriano smiled. “I think she might be into me.”

Jealousy’s green head speared into my gut. Most women were into Adriano, including Leena. He was number two on her list, after me, and she made no secret of it. He was half-Italian, same as I was, only he looked the part. My ancestors were from Northern Italy, and I had my Swedish mother’s coloring.

“She’s only here another few days,” I said.

“Have you tapped her yet?” he asked.

My hand curled into a fist seemingly on its own. Easy, Matt. Hell, Adriano and I talked about women a lot. No reason for him to think this particular one was off limits. But thinking of anyone “tapping” Riley made me want to pound some skulls.

“I have not, and you won’t, either.”

“Man, if I can I—”

I stood, exercising every ounce of control I had not to grab Adriano’s collar. I was taller and more muscular, and I could easily pummel him.

“She’s not on the menu,” I said so only he could hear. “Not tonight, and not ever.”

“Easy, Mattie. I’m working here.”

“You’re working, all right. Just don’t work her. She’s been through some shit.” Of that I was certain. I just had no idea what it was.

I sat down. “What do you want, Leena?” I asked.

“What did little miss silver spoon order?” she asked Adriano.

Anger threatened me again, but Leena was harmless. Adriano, however, was not. I didn’t want him bedding Riley. No fucking way.

“She ordered a small mucho macho.”

Leena’s brows nearly flew off her forehead. “She’s so thin!”

“I guess she’s hungry,” Adriano said. “She said she wanted a ridiculously fattening pizza. I believe those were her exact words.”

“Sounds good, huh, Mattie?” Leena said.

“No way,” Adriano said. “Matt’s never ordered anything but pepperoni and mushroom in the three years I’ve been working at this place.”

“Bring me a beer,” I said. “And then we’ll have a large mucho macho.”

“Perfect,” Leena agreed. “Make that two beers.”

Adriano wrote down the order. “Got it. I’ll be right back with your beers.”

“What the hell is on the mucho macho anyway?” I asked Leena.

“Pepperoni, Italian sausage, pancetta, mushrooms, black olives, onions, green pepper, and fresh tomato. Oh, and lots of extra cheese.”

“Sounds like heartburn on a platter.”

“Little miss silver spoon is—”

“Riley, Leena. Her name is Riley.”

“Geez, Mattie. I’m just teasing. You’ve got it bad.”

She wasn’t wrong. Riley Mansfield had gotten under my skin. Very rarely, I’d tried bedding a woman and she turned me down. I never gave it a second thought.

But I was giving Riley a lot of second thoughts, and I hadn’t even tried to bed her.

This was my fault. I’d pushed her too hard. I rose.

“Where are you going?” Leena asked.

“I’m going to talk to her.”

“Little miss—”

I glared at Leena.

“Okay, okay. Riley. Tell me, Mattie. What does she have that I don’t?”

“She’s not a stalker, for one.”

“Neither am I. Luke just took my interest the wrong way.”

“Leena, you followed him around for months.”

“Like I said, I was interested. Apparently he wasn’t. I learned my lesson. I’ve never done that to another guy.”

“Good for you. Now, if you’ll excuse me—”

She grabbed my forearm. “Sit down, Mattie.” Her eyes were serious. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s don’t go chasing someone who doesn’t want you.”

I chuckled. “You haven’t learned that lesson with me.”

“Hey, I give it my best shot when we’re together. That’s just who I am. But I don’t chase you the way I did Luke.”

I couldn’t fault her observation.

Still…something about Riley called to me. It felt almost like…she needed me.

I pulled my arm away from Leena. “I’m just going to say hi.”

“She knows you’re here. If she wanted to say hi, she would.”

“Maybe she doesn’t want to, but I do.” I walked to her table.

Riley swallowed a sip of wine and met my gaze.

“Hi,” I said.

“Hi.”

Neither of us spoke for what seemed like an hour.

Finally I cleared my throat. “I just wanted to say hi.”

She nodded. “Well, you did.”

Okay, then. This had been a huge mistake. I turned—

“Wait,” Riley said.

I turned back. “Yeah?”

“I’m… I’m really sorry. About the rose. I shouldn’t have thrown it down and stomped on it.”

“Oh. Sure. Okay.”

“I hope you’ll accept my apology.”

Something in her voice made me pause. She sounded sincere, but it was something more than that as well—something that made me sit down in the chair across from her.

“Listen,” I said, “I’m sorry too. I’m sorry I pushed you. We hardly know each other, and I had no right to—”

She reached forward and touched my hand.

Sparks shot through me at the subtle contact. Real tingles that I hadn’t felt in a long, long time.

“It’s okay,” she said. “In fact, it’s nice that you cared enough to prod a little.”

“Still, I shouldn’t have.”

She smiled, and the world was suddenly right again.