A Private Affair - A.C. Arthur Page 0,13

with two glasses of champagne. He was wearing his boxers and nothing else and her body instantly responded with disappointment shifting to the slow burn of arousal.

“Yes. Thank you.” For lack of anything better to say, Riley met him as he came into the room and accepted a glass. Her bare feet moved across the plush beige carpet until she could sit on the side of the bed.

“You don’t have to be nervous,” he said.

She finished the sip of champagne and looked toward the end of the bed where Chaz now sat.

“Why would you think I’m nervous?”

“You’re not talking.”

“I was drinking.”

He shrugged and took a gulp of champagne. “Guess what I mean is that this doesn’t have to be uncomfortable. We can just take things as they come.”

“Right. For the next twenty-four hours.” Riley glanced at the clock. It was almost two in the morning. “I’ve had a really long day.”

“Me, too.” Chaz finished his champagne and walked around to the other side of the bed. “I was hoping you weren’t going to expect sex all night long. I mean, not that I wouldn’t be glad to oblige. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t fall asleep on you. But it might be a good idea to get some rest.”

She hadn’t meant to, but Riley smiled. “I wasn’t expecting sex all night long.”

“Great. We agree.” He proceeded to arrange the pillows before pulling back the duvet and sheet.

Riley had been watching over her shoulder and set her glass on the nightstand before easing off the bed to pull the bedcovers down on her side. She normally slept in a nightgown but she wasn’t about to walk across the room to the bureau where she’d put her clothes to retrieve one. The robe would do just fine for tonight. Her pillows didn’t require a lot of adjustment and she lay easily on her side of the bed.

Chaz lay on his side. He pulled the covers midway up his chest. The chest that was still bare and undeniably enticing. There was a scar beneath his left pectoral. She’d seen it when he was standing in the doorway. She wondered how he’d gotten it.

“This is the only time I’m a fan of lights-out in the bedroom.” It was an easy comment made seconds before he leaned over and hit the button that turned off both bedside lamps simultaneously.

The room went dark and Riley’s heart began to pound a different rhythm. It wasn’t a totally unfamiliar feeling but one that she didn’t welcome now. She pulled the covers up, tucking them tight beneath her armpits, and closed her eyes. She could do this. She could sleep in the same bed with a guy. Although she’d never done it before.

Riley Eliza Gold was twenty-nine years old, one of the youngest woman executives at RGold Fashions. She’d graduated summa cum laude with a degree in statistics from Columbia and went on to hone her skills at the Parsons School in New York. She was in charge of a multimillion-dollar line within her family’s company, their legacy. There was nothing she couldn’t do.

Except, at the moment, she was having a hard time regulating her breathing knowing that if she just extended her arm she would touch a man. Chaz Warren, the renowned brand manager for King Designs, her family’s biggest rival, to be exact.

That last thought probably wasn’t the smartest one she’d had tonight since it only increased her breathing and had her clenching the sheets.

Riley was counting down from one hundred when something moved beneath the sheet. It could have been her imagination since her mind was going at a rapid pace, but no, it wasn’t. His foot touched hers and she jumped.

“Shh. It’s just me.”

Well, of course it was him, who else would be in her bed?

Riley’s eyes were wide-open and staring into the darkness. And this was the second time he’d shh’d her. She wasn’t a child and she didn’t like it.

“I figured you weren’t the cuddling type, but I wanted to reassure you that you weren’t alone.” Did his voice sound richer, huskier in the dark?

“I’m definitely not the cuddling type.” It was an honest reply even if she didn’t exactly like how it sounded. “And I know I’m not alone.” Because when she was alone at night she could breathe. She could also fret that she might well be alone forever, but at least she could breathe easily while doing so.

“Do you normally cuddle the women you sleep with?”

“Whoa, I have a strict rule