Alone.
She reached out and touched where Riley had been in the bed beside her, her hand running over the cool sheet. Apparently he’d been gone for some time. Was he in the other room? Or perhaps out on the deck? Regardless, he wasn’t in this bed next to her.
Where she wanted him to be. Where he should be.
Her heart twisted in grief. Had she been wrong? No, he had enjoyed the sex as much as she had. She knew he had. She might not be the best he’d ever had, but she had given him pleasure. A lot of pleasure.
But maybe sex was all he’d wanted from her and now that he’d gotten it, he was done. Perhaps having left her in his bed was his way of telling her not to get too attached, that they wouldn’t be waking up in each other’s arms.
Really, she’d known better. Had known that when she’d had sex everything would come to a screeching halt. She hadn’t needed it to be Christmas to achieve that feat, but she doubted the day of the year had helped any.
Would she never learn?
Recalling all the touches she and Riley had shared, the way their bodies had melted as if made to fit together, the way she’d seen stars flash in front of her eyes and cried out his name, the way he’d growled hers in a torrent of release, she couldn’t regret the night before. Whatever Riley’s reasons for not being in this bed, it wasn’t that she had been horrible in bed and for him giving her that knowledge, freeing her from that burden Chase had saddled her with, for that she was grateful. Not only had he shown her otherwise, he’d given her the greatest experience she’d ever known.
Not just the sex, though. Every moment in his company was precious. He was precious.
She loved him.
Despite all the reasons she knew better, she loved Riley Williams.
She should leave. She should go let her cat out of his guest bathroom and she should leave.
Instead, she closed her eyes and pulled the pillow that his head had once rested on over her head, cursing her stupidity for falling in love with a man who was so far out of her league and who could never really be her Prince Charming, even if he did call her princess.
Had the past taught her nothing?
The tears that burned her eyes were nowhere near as hot as the ones that seared her heart.
His mind racing, Riley carried the last box of his supplies into Trinity’s apartment. He hit the front door with his hip, wincing when it closed a little more loudly than he’d intended.
No one might be home but he didn’t want any of her neighbors calling the law on him either. Then again, maybe they’d just think it was Santa making all the noise. He felt like Santa.
He’d worried how he would be able to pull off her Christmas gift without her knowing what he was up to. Leaving her warm, sexy body naked in his bed hadn’t been easy, but her surprise would be worth it.
He couldn’t suppress the grin on his face.
He’d promised Trinity the best Christmas ever and he was going to deliver.
She’d already given him the best Christmas ever.
The best night ever.
The best everything ever.
She’d rocked his world. In so many ways. Trinity had certainly knocked him for a loop. A good one. Like a carnival ride that thrilled and made you want to just keep coming back for more.
He glanced around her living room, smiling at his efforts. What would she think?
She professed to not like Christmas, but he’d never seen anyone more starved for the magic of the holidays. He wanted to give her that magic. He wanted to make all her dreams come true.
To make her day feel as if she lived a fairy-tale. He wanted to make every day of her life feel like a fairy-tale.
Which struck him as odd. His thoughts were those of happy-ever-after, not those of a man who knew he couldn’t do to a woman what his father had done to his mother. Yet he couldn’t bring himself to think of a future without Trinity.
Because he loved her.
Oh, hell.