BLESS BUTCH’S LITTLE HEART. He chose that moment to interrupt with a loud spate of barking. Regina sat up to see that a rather hefty golden retriever had come over to check him out. Regina started to jump up in alarm, but Riley stayed her with a hand on her arm.
“That’s Blaze. She’s a sweet dog, honey. She won’t hurt him.”
Regina doubted that after she saw Butch try to sprinkle the gorgeous creature’s nose. Yet rather than snap at him, Blaze lunged back playfully, shook her head, and ran the length of his lead so that Butch could chase her.
He went so fast trying to keep up, he tripped over his own nose and managed a complete somersault without stopping. When he ran out of rope, he yelped, and Blaze trotted back to him.
Regina laughed. “I think Butch is in love.”
Riley sat up behind her, his arms looped around her waist. “Poor bastard. I wonder if she’ll keep pictures of other dogs around just to make him nuts.”
Regina turned sharply to stare at him. Was he jealous over the picture? But no, that would be too absurd. Senator Welling represented strong values, not sexual allure. Surely, Riley understood that.
Riley lifted her away and came to his feet. The dogs were still playing, making a terrible racket that didn’t bother Regina at all. She couldn’t keep her eyes off Riley as he stretched, then looked up at the blazing sun.
In the next instant he reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it off over his head.
Regina didn’t so much as blink. His upper body was gorgeous. Dark hair liberally covered his well-defined chest. Sleek, prominent muscles in his shoulders bunched and moved as he haphazardly folded the shirt and laid it over the back of her chair. In unselfconscious masculine display, he dragged one hand through his chest hair, scratching a little, then flexed his shoulder and rotated his head.
Regina’s mouth went dry. In something of a rasp, she asked, “What are you doing?”
“It’s warm out here.” He glanced down at her. “And I’m a little stiff from jumping off your damn balcony so many times.” So saying, he turned to head inside and Regina caught sight of a bruise on his ribs.
“Riley.” She was out of her chair in a flash, catching his arm and holding him still. “What happened?”
He looked down at the darkening flesh she indicated. “Nothing. That must be where I hit the ground when I tripped him. I had no idea there were so many little stones everywhere.”
Wishing she could soothe him, even heal him, her fingertips grazed over his warm skin. “I’m sorry.”
His gaze stayed on her face, piercing and bright. “No problem, Red.” He unsnapped his slacks.
Regina stepped back in a rush.
“I’m going to go change before we have our little chat about that picture. Be back in a second.”
Change? As in, change into what? Less clothes? It was bad enough when he was at the gym wearing shorts, T-shirt, socks and athletic shoes. But at the gym, there was always a crowd around, plenty of people to keep the situation less intimate.
Here, there was no one. And she just knew if Riley started flaunting himself, she’d end up the aggressor.
He was only gone a minute, but it was long enough for Regina to give herself a hot flash, thinking of the night to come.
“You getting hungry, Red?”
She jerked around, then took an automatic step toward him. Good Lord, the man oozed sex appeal. He wore gray low-slung drawstring shorts, and nothing else. She realized she’d never seen his feet before. They were big, sprinkled with golden-brown hair, narrow, and as sexy as the rest of him. Right now, braced apart as they were, he seemed to have planted himself firmly against opposition. Hers?
Not likely. Not when everything about him appealed to her.
Slowly, Regina allowed her attention to climb upward, taking in every inch of his body. Muscular, very hairy calves, nice knees. Incredible thighs.
Her heart raced. She already knew firsthand how strong his thighs were. She’d watched Riley grappling with some very big bruisers at his gym and he always dominated. Swallowing, she looked higher still and saw the hem of his shorts, hanging to midthigh.
A little higher and she saw... Oh my. Regina blew out a breath that sounded part whistle, part exclamation, and not in the least ladylike. Under normal circumstances, she would have been appalled at herself. But the soft cotton molded to his sex. He was right, small condoms would never fit him.
Breathing became more difficult. As an intelligent, educated and modern woman, and as one who had recently read some informed books on the subject, she knew size didn’t matter. That hadn’t been her problem with Luther at all.
So why did it feel like a volcano of heat had exploded inside her?
As she stared at him, unable to draw her gaze away, something twitched. Her brows lifted. Fascinated, she watched as Riley became semierect. She put a hand to her throat.
Riley, blast him, never moved.
Deciding it might be safer to continue on with her visual journey rather than keep staring at him there, Regina looked at his hard abdomen. That didn’t help one iota. The hair around his navel and the silky trail below it appeared soft, tempting her to touch it. She wanted to so badly, but would that be crossing the line?
At the moment, did she care? How could any woman remain rational when faced with such provocation?
Almost from the start, she’d wanted Riley. Every day the feeling grew stronger. Other than her acute sense of caution and propriety, there were no real reasons for waiting.
She moved toward him.
Riley made a gruff sound of expectation.
Savoring the moment, she put her hands on his sides, luxuriating in the feel of hot smooth skin drawn taut over firm muscle. Experimentally, Regina caressed him, her thumbs inward to trace over the sleek muscles slanting toward his groin.
She looked at his face. He was rigid, flushed, waiting. “I want to touch you, Riley.”
“Do.”
One simple word that somehow sounded so provocative. When she looked again, she saw that he now had a full erection. Very full. Just from her touching his waist? Intrigued, she asked, “You like this?”
“Yeah.” He drawled out the word, husky and deep.
Emboldened, she slid her hands around his back near the very bottom of his spine, close to his sexy muscled tush. The position brought her closer to his chest and she inhaled deeply. “You smell so good, Riley.”
He leaned forward, pressed his mouth to her temple, and whispered, “Is that really where you want to touch me, Red?”
Her nose brushed his soft chest hair when she shook her head. She liked that, so she did it again. “No.”
“I didn’t think so.”
Deciding to try pure honestly, she said, “We’re outside....”
“No one can see us.”
“But still...”
“I’m a man, not a schoolboy. I can control myself. Nothing happens unless you say so. Feel free to touch all you want and to stop when you want.”
Her heart expanded. Such an incredibly generous offer.
Such an incredibly generous man.
She tipped her face up. “Will you kiss me while I do it?”
His expression hardened and his voice went low and rough. “My pleasure, baby.”
This kiss felt different. Regina hadn’t realized he’d been holding back, that there were so many nuances to kissing until that moment when she felt all his carnal intent in the way he devoured her mouth. It was an eating kiss, hot and hard and overwhelming. He would make love to her now—she understood that and reveled in the reality.
Again and again, his tongue sank past her parted lips and into her mouth, stroking seductively. She felt consumed. That was enough of a distraction that Riley had to nudge himself forward into her belly to remind her of what she wanted, of what he wanted.
Bringing her hands around, she first toyed with his navel. His abdomen had grown rigid, the muscles clearly defined, growing more so as she touched him until he felt like granite with no give to his flesh at all. The hair there was just as silky as she’d imagined.
Breathing hard, her awareness suspended, she encountered the waistband of his shorts, the ultrasoft cotton material and finally the long, solid length of his penis.
They both groaned.
Riley’s fingers tightened and he lifted his mouth away to gulp for air. Keeping his forehead against hers, he encouraged her by saying, “That’s it. Damn, Red...” And he groaned again, harsh and broken.
Regina could have spent an hour just exploring him. On so many levels, he fascinated her, the freedom he allowed, his open response. Her fingertips trailed up his length, measuring him, then back down again—and she felt the shuddering response of his body.
Driven by curiosity, she cupped beneath his shaft, cradling his heavy testicles in her palm and heard him hiss in a breath.
“Easy.” His long fingers gripped her upper arms.
“Like this?”
“Yeah.” His grip loosened, caressed, encouraged.
They spoke in muted whispers, hers awed, his raw with arousal.
Suddenly he kissed her again, so ravenously that she forgot what she was doing and her hands left him to grasp his neck, holding tight. Strong arms enclosed her, stealing her breath. Her lips were swollen, her head spinning, when Riley again cupped her face to place sweet little pecks on her chin, her cheeks, her forehead.
“You know what I think, Red?”
Overwhelmed, she whispered, “What?”
“That turnabout is fair play.”
Her stomach jumped and her heart began a wild race. When she got her eyes open, Riley was smiling at her.
“You’ll love having me touch you, Red. I promise. But for right now, we should take this indoors before things get out of hand and neither one of us makes a clearheaded decision.”
Her head would never be clear again.
Riley nodded in the direction of the yard. “Butch fell asleep with his new lady friend.”
A safer topic if ever there was one. Regina turned and saw that Blaze had stretched out on her side in the thick grass. Her golden fur looked beautiful with the sun glinting off it. Butch was curled up on her neck, his whole head practically in her ear. They made such an adorable picture, Regina’s heart nearly melted and stupidly, tears filled her eyes.
“Tonight,” Riley whispered to her, “I want to sleep with you curled that close.” He didn’t give her a chance to reply to that, not that she had a reply anyway. He picked her up and started into the house.
“Butch...”
“Will enjoy his freedom in the yard. I’ll leave the window open. Don’t fret, honey. We’ll hear him if he needs us.” Riley walked right past the room he’d given to her and into his own bedroom.
When he reached the bed, he went down with her in his arms. She’d known of his strength, but still he amazed her. He treated her weight as negligible, arranging her as easily as he would a pillow. Straightening away, balanced on one arm, he said, “You’re wearing entirely too many clothes, Red. What’d you say we take them all off?” And before she could find her voice, he already had her sleeveless sweater up and over her head.
* * *
RILEY KNEW if he gave her too much time to consider things, she’d decide it wasn’t proper to be having sex with him in the middle of the afternoon with the window open. He was done giving her time. She now felt comfortable touching him sexually, and he knew, even if she didn’t, that they had a future together.
The rest would fall into place.
The second her sweater cleared her head, he reached for the clasp to her bra. He heard her gasping breaths, felt the urgent bite of her nails in his upper arms.
The bra, bless her feminine little heart, was white lace and so damn sexy he could have spent an hour just appreciating the way it decorated her small breasts. Instead, he flicked the front clasp open, pulled the thin cups apart, and visually sated himself.
“Beautiful.”
Regina made a sound of startled embarrassment and covered herself with her hands.
Riley forced his gaze from her white breasts to her face. “Harris was wrong. Pink and red go real nice together.”
Her embarrassment faded behind confusion. “What are you talking about?”
A long curl of titian hair had come loose, and Riley used it like a feather to tease the side of her breast. “Red hair and pink nipples. It’s a sexy combination.”
“Oh.” More color exploded in her cheeks. “But what does Harris have to do with—”
No way would Riley tell her about Harris picking up her pink panties. “And this pretty blush.” He put his mouth to her cheek and felt the heat of her flush. “You’re beautiful, Regina, and I don’t want you to be embarrassed with me.”
He gently caught her wrists, aware of the fragile bones, how small she felt in his big hands. Drawing her arms up, he pressed her hands firmly to the mattress at either side of her head. He released her and her breasts shivered with her nervous, jerky breaths.
“But I—”
Her protest died on a gasp when Riley leaned down and took one soft, plump nipple into his mouth. Regina’s back arched and her fingers threaded through his hair.
Holding her shoulders down on the bed, he sucked gently, keeping the pressure light, using his tongue to tease her nipple into a stiff little point. When he lifted his head, Regina had her eyes squeezed shut, her bottom lip caught in her teeth and her body held tight.
“You like that, honey?”
Without opening her eyes, she bobbed her head.
Riley smiled, then looked at her body. Her upper torso was so slim, her rib cage narrow and her breasts pert. He skimmed his palm down her side, then inward to the clasp of her slacks. “I want you naked. I want to see all of you.”
Her eyes flew open.
“Once you’re naked, I can get naked and think how good that’s going to feel.”
Her lips parted. “Yes.”
Gently, he pried her fingers from his hair and again raised her arms over her head. “I love seeing you like this, Red, stretched out on my bed.” He studied her from top to toes, then kissed her belly. “Now don’t move.”
She agreed by curling her fingers into the bedding, holding on tight.
Her sandals slipped off easily enough, but Riley took the time to kiss each arch, then each ankle. There was one spot just behind the ankle bone that when pinched, could cause agonizing pain, maybe even paralyze the limb. In the same regard, a featherlight touch sent thousands of acute nerve endings on alert. Riley tickled with his tongue, soothed with soft kisses.
She had sexy legs, long and sleek. Her casual white slacks unbuttoned with ease, and building the anticipation, he slowly drew down the zipper. Her belly hollowed out with her sharply indrawn breath.
Riley spread his fingers wide over her hips and dragged the pants down to her knees. Her panties were the same lace as her bra, showing the springy auburn curls over her mound. He wanted her so badly he hurt, but he didn’t want to rush her, he didn’t want her to start searching for her damn books.
Using one fingertip, Riley traced the triangle of pubic hair. He couldn’t wait to taste her, to have her completely naked and open....
“Riley?”
“Yeah?”
A long heavy silence filled the air before she said, “I don’t think I can take all this waiting. My patience isn’t as strong as yours.”
Riley looked up at her face. Her hands were fisted, her pupils dilated, lips parted.
“Just a little longer.”
Her pants tangled around her ankles with her trying to kick them off and Riley had to finish that chore for her. Her panties came off next, and then she was beautifully bare.
Her aroused scent filled his head. He kissed her belly, each hipbone, an inner thigh. Alternately, he made the kisses gentle, then rough, sometimes laving with his tongue, sometimes nipping with his teeth. Regina squirmed and gasped, on edge, unsure what the next touch would bring. He could feel the urgency pounding through her.
Parting her legs, he licked the joint of her thigh and groin, where her skin was ultrasmooth and delicate.
“Riley, please...”
Regardless of what she said, she couldn’t be ready yet. His mouth open and his kisses deliberately damp, Riley made his way back up her body. She grabbed him, kissing him hard, while his hands covered both her breasts. Her nipples were tight now, her breasts swollen. He caught her nipples and rolled, squeezed, tugged.
She pulled her mouth away. “Riley.”
“Shh.” He kissed her again, silencing her protests while continuing to torment her nipples. The more aroused she got, the more she’d enjoy his caresses. Her legs shifted restlessly, moving alongside his until he stilled them with one of his own. Caught under him, Regina could barely move, and that suited Riley just fine.
Keeping her legs trapped, he leaned up to look at her face. “I want you as ready as I am, Red.”
“I am,” she all but wailed.
“No.” Smiling, he dragged his callused fingertips over her ribs, her belly and finally between her thighs. The crisp curls were damp, her lips puffy, sleek with moisture. His breath caught. “Well now, maybe you are.” He pressed his middle finger inside, just past her swollen flesh, no deeper. She was most sensitive here, at her opening, so he used that knowledge to circle, dip, circle again. He relished her broken moan, the way her body tried to move with him.
“I should... I should be doing something.”
“What is it you want to do?”
“Touch you.”
His control nearly slipped. “No, not yet. I’m on the ragged edge as it is.”
Her eyes opened and her head lifted off the pillow to shout into his face, “Then quit playing around!”
Riley almost laughed. Regina amused him so much, even at a time when laughter should have been eons away. “All right. Tell me how you like this.”
Her head dropped back with a groan as he began moving his finger deeply in and out, making her wetter still. As he did so, he kissed his way down her body. The closer he got to her sex, the more she stiffened.
“Riley?”
“Hush.” He nudged her thighs farther apart, took a moment to enjoy her scent, breathing deep, then with a groan, he covered her with his mouth.
She gave a small cry, arching hard.
At the first flick of his tongue, her body clamped down on his finger. He licked, stroked, and finally, catching her small clitoris carefully with his teeth, he suckled.
Her body strained away from him, but Riley held her hips, keeping her still. He loved the feel of her voluptuous bottom in his hands, the taste of her on his tongue, the hot, wild sounds she made. As her excitement peaked, he worked in another finger, stretching her, filling her. She lifted up to meet his mouth, grinding against him, so close.
When he knew she was ready to come, he sat up and snagged a condom from the nightstand. Regina cried out in protest at the delay, and the second he got the protection taken care of, she opened her arms to him.
Riley settled between her wide-open thighs. Wanting every possible connection, he held her face to kiss her and nudged his way inside. She was tight, but so wet he knew he wouldn’t hurt her. With one hard thrust, he entered her completely and Regina lifted her legs to wrap around his waist. He found a rhythm that quickly had them both straining toward a climax.
Her mouth devoured his, biting his bottom lip, sucking on his tongue. He loved it.
He loved her. If only he could make her understand that.
Sweating, his heart thundering in his chest, he slid one hand under her behind to tilt her hips up so he could enter her more deeply. That was all it took. She started coming with broken groans and mewling cries and that pushed Riley right over the edge. He could feel the throbbing clench and release of her body on his cock, the frantic bite of her nails on his shoulders, the way she shuddered and writhed under him.
He pressed his face into her neck and growled out her name. Regina wasn’t quite so restrained. She screamed.
Two seconds after Riley’s body went utterly limp and he gave Regina his weight, Butch began barking hysterically.
He felt Regina stiffen, but he patted her hip and made the manly offering. “I’ll go get him.”
Her hands slid off his back to land limply on the bed. “Thanks.”
Riley forced himself to his elbows to see her face. Her eyes were closed, her French braid ruined, her makeup smudged. She was sweaty, just as he’d predicted.
And, thank God, she was finally his.
* * *
RILEY ATTEMPTED to wake her with a kiss to her forehead. Regina moaned, rolled to the side and slept on.
They’d spent the night making love and apparently, Regina wasn’t used to such excesses. Truthfully, neither was he.
It had surprised him how often he’d wanted her. Watching her eat a simple dinner in her robe, seeing her coddle the silly little dog, catching her secret smiles and sudden blushes, had all provoked him. He hadn’t been able to keep his hands off her.
And she hadn’t minded in the least.
It’d been tricky, getting Butch to leave the room without kicking up a fuss. Riley figured he’d need to stock up on toys and tasty chews to distract the dog.
After her fourth release, she’d conked out and hadn’t really come to since. Once he’d realized she was done for, he’d worked her pajamas back onto her then let Butch in the room. She hadn’t protested when the dog burrowed under the covers, or when Riley had pulled her close and held her all night long.
She hadn’t even awakened.
It drove home to Riley just how exhausted she’d been, and the toll her worries must have taken on her.
He hoped his presence would ease those worries, because, from now on, she’d damn well be with him. Beyond that, he didn’t know if his lauded control extended to sleeping chastely each night, even if they’d made love prior to going to bed.
He hated to disturb her now, but he didn’t want to leave for the day without saying goodbye. Butch seemed just as determined to keep him from doing so.
He and the dog had been up for an hour and more than once Butch had whined at her door, apparently wanting Regina to join them. Now that he was back in the bed with her, he dashed from Regina’s feet to her head and back again, trying to protect all of her—from Riley.
Riley lifted the miniscule dog. “I may have gone overboard last night, bud, but I don’t accost women in their sleep.”
Regina’s eyes fluttered open. “Riley?”
At the sound of her soft, sleepy voice, some insidious warmth expanded in his chest. “After last night, were you really expecting another man to wake you up?”
He saw confusion flit over her face, then realization. She snatched the sheet over her head. “What in the world are you doing in here?”
He sat on the bed beside her, causing a dip in the mattress. Her rump rolled into his hip. “I slept here. It’s my bed, remember?”
She groaned.
“And because Butch wanted under the covers, I put your pajamas back on you, so you don’t need to hide.”
“It’s not that,” she mumbled from under the covers.
Ah, Riley thought, appearances again. Silly woman. “Do you have any idea how sexy you look all rumpled and warm?”
She went very still. “I do?”
“Yeah. Makes me want to strip naked and get back into bed with you.” He gave a grievous sigh. “But unfortunately I have some stuff to do, so I only wanted to wake you so I could say goodbye.”
One slender hand emerged from the blankets, shooing him away. “I’ll be out in a second.”
Smiling, Riley patted her hip and stood. As an enticement, he said, “I have coffee ready and waiting.”
She made a rumbling sound of appreciation. “I’ll be right there.”
Ten minutes later she emerged with her hair brushed and pulled back in a ponytail, wearing a casual green sundress. Her eyes were still puffy and there was a crease in her cheek probably formed from a pillowcase.
Riley wanted to consume her. Again. Last night hadn’t even taken the edge off his hunger. He didn’t think a hundred years could do that.
As he watched, she made her way unsteadily toward the table. “Riley? I suppose I should admit that I’m not at my best in the morning.” She ended that with an enormous and inelegant yawn, giving proof to her statement.
“Coffee will help. You sit and I’ll pour it for you.”
She plopped down in the chair. “Thank you.”
The dog made a beeline for Regina. She roused herself enough to lift him into her lap and treat him to several kisses to his round head.
Riley could have used a few of those kisses. Not that he was jealous of the attention she gave Butch, and not that he didn’t understand how sluggish she felt. But this was the proverbial morning after and she’d barely looked at him.
Then he decided what the hell.
He handed her a mug of coffee, but forestalled her from tasting it by leaning down and taking her mouth in a warm morning kiss. “Now that,” Riley said as he straightened, “is the proper way to say hello after a night of satisfying debauchery.”
Regina gave him a bemused look, snatched up her cup and swilled her coffee. There was no other word for it. In two long gulps, her mug was empty. Enjoying this side of her, Riley fixed her another cup then seated himself across from her.
“You do remember last night, don’t you?”
Her eyes darted away from his. “Of course I do. No woman in her right mind would forget a night with you. Especially not a night like that.”
“Thanks. I wanted verification, given the way you passed out on me.”
She groaned and covered her face with one hand. “I’m sorry.”
Riley reached across the table and took her slender wrist. Her skin was warm, smooth. “I’m not. You needed the sleep.”
“That’s no excuse for rudeness.”
Riley nearly choked on his laugh. “You were not rude, I was excessive. And believe me, I have no complaints.”
“But...”
“None, Red. Okay?”
Her expression softened. “I don’t have any complaints either. In fact, I think I owe you a few compliments.”
Riley grinned with her. “You can give them to me tonight.”
“Why tonight?” She looked more awake now and somewhat interested. “I thought maybe we could...”
He groaned. “Don’t tempt me, Red. Nothing would please me more than hauling your sexy butt back to bed. But I’ll be gone till this afternoon.”
Her disappointment was plain to see, filling Riley with satisfaction. “I thought you were on vacation.”
“I am, but I want to talk to your two swains, Carl and Luther, then stop by the station and see how things are going with our intruder.”
Her brows pulled down. “I’m not at all sure I like this idea.”
“Why?”
“Don’t look so suspicious, Riley. I’m not hiding anything important.”
That clarification important rang like a bell in his head. “So you’re hiding unimportant stuff?”
“No! And don’t twist my words. It’s just that I’m sure neither Carl nor Luther has anything to do with my trouble.”
“With this type of continued harassment, it’s almost always someone you know, and more often than that, it’s someone you’ve been romantically involved with.” She quit her protests to groan instead. Riley laced his fingers in hers. “Now, don’t take this the wrong way, but I’d like you to promise me you won’t take off anywhere while I’m gone.”
She rubbed her eyes tiredly. “I have nowhere to go. In fact,” she said, giving him a direct look, “I thought I’d finish up my article on the talent show. Once that’s done, I can start on your interview.”
He didn’t want to talk about the damn interview right now. While he intended to discover everything he could about Regina, he detested the thought of her prying into his past. He came to his feet and stepped around the table to reach her. Caging her in with one hand on the seat and the other on the back of her chair, Riley said, “We’ve got a lot to do today, sweetheart.”
She stared at his mouth. “We do?”
He nodded. “We’re going to start on your private lessons today, remember?”
“Oh.”
Seeing her disappointment almost had him laughing out loud. Aware of Butch’s low growls, he touched her nose. “I’ll make sure you enjoy them, okay?”
Her eyes darkened. “Okay.”
“Tonight is the ceremony at the Historical Society. They’re honoring Senator Welling.” He watched her face and added, “I thought maybe we could go.”
Excitement brightened her eyes and added a smile. “You mean it?”
Now he was jealous. Welling represented her ideal man, and for most, his stature was as unattainable as the moon. “It won’t be a social call, honey. I want a chance to talk to your senator, and this seems like it might be the best opportunity.”
Her excitement remained plain to see. “He’s not just my senator, and Riley, you’ll like him a lot, I know it.”
Riley would have liked the guy more if Regina weren’t so infatuated with him. “If he cooperates with me, I’ll have no complaints.”
“I really don’t think he’ll have anything to share, but it’ll be good to see him again.”
Because he didn’t want to hear her talk about Welling, Riley kissed her quick and hard. He felt Butch nipping at his chin, his ear, doing all he could to scare Riley off. Riley drew back to stare at the little dog. “Where’s your toy?”
Butch’s ears shot up. He maneuvered down Regina’s leg to the floor and took off at a dead run for the hallway. He returned with the stuffed Chihuahua in his mouth and dropped it at Riley’s feet.
Riley laughed. “Smart dog. All right, I can play for just a few minutes, but that’s all.” And to Regina he added, “Finish up your coffee. There’s cereal in the cabinet, fruit in the fridge. Help yourself, okay?”
Her expression was tender when she nodded. “Thanks.”
Ten minutes later, Riley was on the floor, the stuffed toy caught in his teeth while he and Butch indulged in a feigned tug of war. Butch gave it his all, jerking and growling in his attempt to tear the toy away from Riley. Riley growled back, a stuffed tail and leg caught in his mouth.
Regina laughed. “You’re both nuts.”
Riley straightened. “Now he knows how to grapple. Did you see his triceps? Or would they be triceps, considering dogs don’t have arms?” Riley shook his head. “Either way, he’s buff and built like a lean bulldog.”
Butch took off in a flash, dragging the toy, but when Riley didn’t pursue him he returned only to smack Riley’s ankle with it. “No,” he told Butch. “I gotta go. Get Regina to play.”
Butch dutifully dragged the toy to Regina. She laughed. “Gee, thanks.”
Riley tipped up her chin to give her a long, thorough kiss. “If you need anything while I’m gone, just call me on my cell phone.”
He knew he had to leave before he decided not to go at all. Today he was going to get some answers. The sooner the better. Then he’d come home to Regina.
Soon he’d have everything worked out.