Reilly's Wildcard (Blackwater)

“Maybe another one of these will change your mind,” Reilly said, interrupting her protest with the brush of his lips to hers. Lucy sank against him, accepting the kiss. Hell, surrendering to it. She tasted the warm, heady flavor of the man, laced with just a touch of alcohol. She should end the kiss. Go home and get in her pajamas and enjoy the last half of the romantic suspense book she’d been reading lately. Yep, she should definitely end this.

Reilly’s lips were soft as they coasted back and forth, barely touching hers. As his tongue darted out, a shiver of excitement raced the length of her body. When he pulled back and stared down at her, Lucy could see the raw hunger in his pale green eyes. She well understood how he felt. Her entire body was screaming for more of his flavor.

She was done denying herself. Lucy pushed Sarah and Brodix out of her mind and turned all her attention on Reilly. That quickly, a blazing heat in Reilly’s eyes matched her own rising temperature. They would both experience something exciting tonight; she knew it in her bones. Honesty forced her to admit that Reilly scared her a little. No, that wasn’t right. It was the way he affected her. He so easily turned her body to fire, and all he had to do was smile. That kind of power was frightening to a woman who had already been burned by love.

Still, she wasn’t the backward wallflower she had been in high school. And she wasn’t the starry-eyed girl she’d been when she’d fallen for David. She was a confident woman now. She, and no one else, was in control of her own emotions.

Lucy took her cell phone out of her purse and tapped out a message to Sarah, then stood and looked down at Reilly. “I’m ready if you are.”

His grin destroyed the last vestiges of her resistance. The juncture between Lucy’s thighs dampened as his gaze went on a heated journey over her body.

“Give me a sec,” he said, then strode across the room and whispered something to his brother Sam. When both men turned and looked at her, Lucy’s face flamed. What had Reilly told him?

When he came back to her and took her by the hand, he said, “I let Sam know I was taking you home so Sarah and Brodix could have time to talk.” He winked. “What’d you think I told him?”

She slumped in relief. “Suffice it to say I feel sort of stupid now.”

He squeezed her hand in reassurance. “We’re just going to have a drink and get to know each other, Lucy,” he said. “No pressure, okay?”

She nodded and let him lead the way out of the restaurant. Once they were in the dark, close confines of his car, Lucy swore a feral smile skated over his face. Her stomach went all jumpy. Please don’t let me live to regret this.

Chapter Two

When they arrived at a ranch-style, taupe house at the end of a cul-de-sac, Reilly opened the front door and flipped on the light. He looked over at her. “So, this is home, sweet home.”

Lucy placed her purse on the entryway table and looked around the room. “Your house is lovely.”

Reilly smiled. “I like it.”

Lucy was suitably impressed. The décor was simple and uncluttered, the colors warm and inviting. The light oak end tables and coffee table were lovely works of art with intricate designs carved into them. The comfortable-looking couch and loveseat in hunter green and beige stripes appeared perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon. It was welcoming and cozy, two things Lucy didn’t know much about with her cold, boring apartment. When she spied the large entertainment cabinet with the same patterns as the tables etched into the smooth wood, Lucy turned to Reilly and asked, “The artistry in the tables and cabinet is beautiful. Did you build them yourself?” She knew the Jennings brothers were good with their hands. Rumor in Blackwater had spread quickly about how the five of them had done the remodeling of the restaurant themselves.

“No, that’s my brother Vance’s handiwork. He and his cons

truction crew did much of the work at the bar too.” He took her by the hand and led her into the kitchen. “What would you like to drink? I have wine, beer, or I can make coffee.”

The kitchen was no less impressive with the beige granite counter tops, pinewood cabinets and a giant steel refrigerator. The spacious room had all the latest gadgets. “I’m not a terrific cook, but I could sure have fun in here.”

“I like to putter around.” He winked at her and grinned. Lucy’s heart skipped a beat. “Not sure how great I am, but I do okay.”

Lucy strolled around, touching the smooth, shiny surfaces, and hummed her approval. She spotted the coffeemaker and remembered his question. “Coffee sounds nice, if you don’t mind.”

Reilly moved to the coffeemaker, grabbed the glass carafe and went about making a fresh pot of coffee. “Have a seat,” he said, motioning toward the table. “This won’t take but a minute.”

Lucy pulled out a chair and shook her head. “I can’t believe I’m here.”

Reilly didn’t reply, and Lucy thought maybe he hadn’t heard her. She was only too glad. She felt like a nervous schoolgirl, and that wasn’t at all the way she wanted Reilly to view her. Alluring, sophisticated and even a little mysterious, but definitely not immature.

Lucy watched as Reilly hit the power button and started the coffee brewing. When he stepped away from the counter, moving closer to her, and cupped her chin in his palm, forcing her to look at him, Lucy’s heart nearly stopped.

“Already regretting it, huh?”

Lucy couldn’t lie to him. She didn’t know why, but she needed him to know that she wasn’t having regrets. Not exactly. “I’m just a little out of my depth here. It’s been a long time since I’ve spent time with a man.”

Lucy stared into a pair of the greenest eyes she’d ever seen. She wondered if maybe Reilly wore colored contacts. The shade seemed a little too unreal. But that didn’t fit with the man she was coming to know. Every part of Reilly Jennings appeared to be the real deal. There didn’t seem to be a single thing phony about him.

Reilly pulled out the chair adjacent to her and sat down. “A beautiful woman like you? I find that hard to believe.”

Lucy laughed, feeling a little less nervous. “Thank you, but it’s true.” David’s image sprang to her mind, and Lucy looked down at the table. “I was married,” she admitted. “It was short and…not so sweet. Since the divorce last year, I haven’t much felt like dating.”