She sank onto the stool and swiped her finger through the whipped cream. "All twisted up inside. Gooey, like the inside of your cherry pie."

Her mother nodded, her lips lifting in a knowing smile. "I see. And how do you feel when you're not with him?"

Jenna sighed. "Again, all twisted up inside. I miss him."

"Have you told him you're in love with him?"

G.o.d, her mother was like a master interrogator. "I'm not in love with him."

"Are you so certain of that?"

"I don't know, Mom. I don't know how I feel. I've never been in love before."

"You always were the best at hiding your emotions, at never allowing yourself to get close to someone. Love is a scary thing, my darling daughter. But you're a strong woman and I expect you to face your fears head on, like you've faced every adventure you've taken in your life. A Riley never backs down from something they're afraid of."

Well, h.e.l.l. She wasn't prepared for this, hadn't expected this conversation to get so deep so fast. But now that it had, the floodgates had opened and it was all right there, spilling out.

"I don't like to fail."

"I know you don't. But if you want something that's really worthwhile, you have to be willing to take the risk."

And there it was, the opening she needed.

"Mom, there's something I need to talk to you about."

"Are you two going to serve the pie, or am I going to have to come in here and steal it?"

Dammit.

Her mom's focus turned to her dad, who was followed by Nathan, then Mick.

"Yeah, where's that pie?" Nathan asked, looking eager as he peered over his dad's shoulder.

The moment was over.

"We'll talk about this later," her mother said to her with a pointed look.

But later never happened, because after they ate pie Tyler said he had to leave, and Jenna knew she had to talk to him before he left on his road trip, so she decided she wanted to go with him.

They said their good-byes. Tyler, always the perfect gentleman as he thanked her mother for dinner and shook her dad's hand, promised to be back soon to watch some games and play hoops in the backyard once the weather warmed up.

She wondered if they'd still be a couple come spring.

Did she want that? He was already past her expiration date, and G.o.d, he pushed her way outside her comfort zone. Her life would be so much simpler without him in it.

Yet here she was, driving home with Tyler following her. If she was smart she'd kick him to the curb before he hurt her. Or she hurt him.

She pulled into her garage and got out, shut the garage door, and went inside to let Tyler in. The bite of impending snowfall blew a harsh, howling wind from the north.

He hurried to shut the door, rubbing his hands together as he stepped inside. "I saw a few flakes out there as we were driving. Snow might come in early tonight."

"I saw them, too. I was listening to the weather on the way home. They're expecting this to be a big storm. Hope it doesn't derail your flight in the morning."

He looked out the window, watched the limbs on the tree in front yard bend from the wind, then turned and looked at her fireplace.

"Do you have wood?"

"Out back."

"How about a fire?"

"That sounds like a great idea. I'll make us something to drink. What would you like?"

"Whiskey." He started toward the kitchen.

"You're going to stay tonight?"

He stopped, turned, and looked at her, and she read the question on his face. "You want me to?"

"Yes."

"Okay, then. Whiskey."

She made drinks while he went outside and gathered an armful of firewood, brought it in, and set it down near the fireplace. He got the fire started and she sat down with him near the hearth, listening to the aged wood crackle and pop as the fire got going.

"Too bad I don't have any marshmallows," she said as she took a sip of her drink.

Tyler downed his in one shot, then laid the gla.s.s on the table in front of him. "Marshmallows don't go with whiskey."

She wrinkled her nose at the combination. "You're right."

They hadn't talked about their argument earlier, but he didn't seem angry anymore. She was glad he wasn't the type of guy to hold on to his anger, or hold a grudge. She hated guys who pouted. It was much better to say what was on your mind, get it out in the open, and get past it.

Though they hadn't gotten past it, had they? It still hung in the air between them, unresolved, and that was as much her fault as anyone's.

"I'm sorry about earlier at my parents'."

"It's no big deal. I pushed. You have a right to push back."

He always made it so easy on her.

"I have been making some notes about a new bar," she admitted.

"Have you?" He got up and grabbed the bottle of whiskey, poured himself a refill. "Tell me about it."

"They're just some preliminary estimates on cost and potential feasibility. I listed what I'd want as far as inventory and desirable s.p.a.ce, staffing needs, and things like that."

"I'd like to hear about it, if you want to share."

Surprisingly, she did want to share it with him. "I'll go get my notebook."

She sprung up and went to her office to grab her notes. When she came back, she paused for a few seconds in the doorway, struck by how utterly s.e.xy Ty looked leaning against her sofa near the fire. The flames outlined the darkness of his hair, the masculinity of his facial features, the long lean lines of his body as he sat there with his arm balanced on one bent knee and swirled the whiskey around in his gla.s.s.

She inhaled, let it out, came into the room, and sat down.

Ty smiled at her. "Let me see."

She flipped open the notebook to where she'd started making her notes. "Some of it is scribble, so it probably won't make much sense."

He lifted his gaze to hers. "I can read scribble pretty well since that's how I write. Let me see."

Out of excuses, she gave him her book, then downed the contents of her whiskey, hoping she'd find courage in the amber brew.

He flipped through the pages, murmuring to her as he did. "Your numbers look reasonable. I like your thought processes on s.p.a.ce requirements. Have you given thought to electrical needs for music?"

"Yeah, that's here." She flipped forward a few pages to show him the notes she'd made. "These are preliminary. I figure I'd ask an electrician and someone in the business if it came down to needing cold, hard numbers for outlets and amperage."

He looked it over. "Good idea, but your estimates look sound. What about staffing, for both, plus insurance and liquor? Would you serve food at the other, or just drinks?"

She poured another whiskey. "You think of everything, don't you?"

"You have, apparently. You've got a good list going here."

"I told you I was just jotting down notes. It doesn't mean anything."

"Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Make anything you do seem...unimportant. Don't devalue yourself that way. This could be a big deal for you and for your family, Jenna. Riley's is a huge success. If you expanded you could double your family's income."

Putting it that way made good business sense. "But wouldn't it make sense to just open another sports bar in another part of town?"

"Maybe. It's an option. But is that what you really want to do?"

No.

As soon as the word formed in her head, she realized another sports bar wasn't at all what she wanted. What she really wanted was what she secretly thought she could never have.

Until she'd met Ty. Now she wanted things she'd never wanted before.

And she was tired of thinking about them, at least for tonight. Those possibilities gave her a ma.s.sive headache.

She laid her whiskey gla.s.s down and reached for his, putting it on the table behind her, then climbed into his lap.

"Conversation over?" he asked.

"Yes. You're leaving town for a few days and I don't want to spend our last night together talking about floor plans and electrical."

"What? That's not foreplay to you?"

She laughed and brushed his hair away from his face. "Not in the least. I prefer my foreplay a little dirtier."

He squeezed her hips, his hands traveling down to cup her a.s.s. "Floor plans and electrical can get very dirty."

"You can get very dirty. That's why I like you."

Before she knew it she was on her back on the carpet, Tyler looming over her. "Yeah? How dirty do you want me to get?"

"Very."

He lifted her sweater and pressed a kiss to her belly, rolling the sweater upward as he moved his lips across her stomach and ribs. When he got to her bra, he kissed the swell of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and undid the front clasp of her bra, exposing her to his gaze.

"Firelight does amazing things to your skin. It makes you golden," he said, lifting her sweater over her head and slipping her bra straps down her arms. He bent, pressing light kisses to each of her nipples before taking one in his mouth to suck and nip with his teeth. She arched to feed her breast to him, needing him to take more of it. He slipped his arm around her back and pulled her nipple into his mouth to suck her more deeply.

"Yes. That's what I need," she said as he worked both nipples-and her-into a frenzy. Her back bowed with need as he fed on her b.r.e.a.s.t.s until they popped-wet and glistening-from his mouth.

Then he went to work on her pants, unfastening them and drawing them off, followed by her panties, leaving her bare. The fire bathed her in warmth as she lay there naked before him. He laid his palm over her stomach and traced a path south, taking his time to tease and torment her before he found her s.e.x and petted her lightly, making her hips rise off the carpet to meet his searching fingers.

But he dropped down between her legs, cupping her b.u.t.t in his hands. She leaned up on her elbows to watch as he put his mouth on her.

All that wet heat surrounding her made her quiver. She tuned into only him, on the way he licked around her c.l.i.t before taking it into his mouth to roll the piercing around his tongue until she wanted to die from the sweet pleasure of it. Watching him only notched up the frenzy of her desire. Seeing his tongue swipe over her s.e.x was so incredibly intimate, and the way he'd dart glances at her made her breath catch. She felt the tingles of her approaching o.r.g.a.s.m, almost embarra.s.sed that he could make her come so easily, but he'd become so knowledgeable about her body and her reactions that he knew just where to touch her, where to taste her, to get her there.

She lifted against his mouth, urging him to lick faster. He knew, sliding his fingers inside her because that would intensify her o.r.g.a.s.m. And when it hit, she unabashedly cried out, letting it roll throughout her as she released in wild abandon until she completely fell back, spent and sawing out breath.

Tyler stood and began to undress. Jenna rolled to her side, content to watch.

"You could do that as a strip tease and it would be way more entertaining."

"Ha-ha. Not a chance. I don't have any rhythm."

"Liar. I've danced with you before and you do have rhythm."

"Not on a stripper pole I don't."

"Really. So you've tried and failed on a pole. Who knew you had a background as a stripper?"

"Now you know my deep, dark secret."

When he dropped his briefs, she figured he could just stand there naked and women would happily toss money his way. Even with the scars he bore from battle wounds on the ice, he was pure male beauty.

She reached for his ankle and slinked her hand up toward his calf, loving the muscle that spoke of his strength.

He dropped down to the carpet and drew her against him, kissing her until she forgot all about worshipping his body and concentrated on worshipping his mouth. She'd miss him when he was gone this week. She'd gotten used to having him with her, touching her and kissing her. She especially loved the kissing, the way he lazily brushed his lips over hers before rolling her onto her back and deepening the kiss until heat flared throughout her body. Her heart pounded against him, her pulse rate speeding up until she felt dizzy and hot. The world melted away until all she knew was his lips, his tongue, his hand sweeping down over her b.r.e.a.s.t.s to pluck and tease until she arched against him.

She reached for his c.o.c.k, encircling it in her hand to stroke his length. She circled her thumb over the crest, using the fluid that gathered there to coat his c.o.c.k head.

The groans he made when she touched him only increased her need to feel him buried inside her, and when he rolled her over onto her belly, she was ready for him.