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pursing her lips to see the effect.
    Even before they’d broken up, Eddie had stopped going out of his way to make her feel like she could rock his world. But with Riley the sparks had been there, and they were sparks that sizzled. They had both tried to downplay it, but hadn’t been successful. And that was one of the things that concerned her. Would the sparks be there when she saw him again today?
    She was about to take the comb and work with her hair some more when she heard the doorbell. Riley was early. A good five minutes early. Looking at herself in the mirror one last time, she tied her hair back from her face before quickly leaving her bedroom. She headed for the door, not sure if those five minutes were a good thing or a bad thing.
    * * *
    Riley glanced around. Nice house. The stucco structure with an A-line roof and carved columns on the porch suited her. The Arlington Heights area was one of the oldest in Denver, but he could tell her home had been added within the past ten years or so. She had a pretty nice neighborhood. Quiet. Serene. Mountains as a backdrop and snow-covered yard. It had snowed again overnight and was slow in melting.
    On the drive over, he kept asking himself what he was doing. He could easily mail the scarf to her, return it when they met again next week or keep it for a souvenir. But here he was, standing on her doorstep like a lust-craved addict eager for one glimpse of her.
    Okay, who was he kidding? He wanted more than a glimpse. He wanted her . In his bed. There was no reason for him to deny it because it was true. He had tried talking himself out of wanting her all through the night but had failed miserably. In the end, he’d figured that as long as he applied Riley’s Rule he would be safe. And as for mixing business with pleasure, technically, she was on contract and not a real employee of Blue Ridge. Now, if he could get her to go along with his proposition, then an affair would be a surefire way of taking care of this desire before she had a chance to get deeper into his system.
    He heard her at the door and knew she had looked out the peephole at him. He had felt her checking him out, which was fine since he planned on checking her out, as well. Chances were she wasn’t covered in all those coats and sweaters today. Hell, he hoped not.
    The door opened, and she stood there. He had to clamp his jaws together to stop them from dropping. If he’d thought she looked good yesterday then he was totally unprepared for how stunning she looked today. His gaze roamed over her, and he quickly decided that he loved her outfit. It emphasized her figure.
    “Riley.”
    “Alpha.”
    She licked her lips, and his stomach tightened. Not for the first time, he thought she had a nice-looking tongue. He couldn’t wait to taste it.
    “You brought the scarf?” she asked, intruding into his thoughts.
    “Yes.” Did she expect him to hand it over to her right here and now and then leave? Did she not expect him to hang around for a few minutes? He hadn’t thought of that possibility.
    He pulled the scarf out of his jacket pocket. “Here’s the scarf.”
    She took it. “Thanks.” And then she asked the question he’d been waiting for, the one he had begun to fear she wouldn’t ask. “Would you like to come in? I just made a fresh pot of coffee and was about to have a cup with some cinnamon rolls I made earlier.”
    He forced his feet to stay put and not rush past her. “Sounds good. Yes, I’d like a cup of coffee and rolls.”
    She moved aside and he walked in, inhaling her scent as he brushed by her. It was the same scent on the scarf. He glanced around her home, admiring the furnishings, crown moldings, spindle staircase and beautiful light fixtures in the ceiling. She had a great room with a huge fireplace, and he loved that a blaze was going inside of it, throwing warmth into the room.
    “Would you like to give me your jacket?”
    He glanced over at her. “Sure,” he said,