While that moment was a harsh one, the next to impact Riley had been the extreme opposite. When Caitlin had met and introduced Brodie James to their family, Riley’s life had flourished. Not only was Brodie James one of Riley’s sporting heroes, but he was also a wonderful, caring man who had taken Riley under his wing. Brodie was not only an inspiring role model but also a father figure, bringing with him a set of loving parents that immediately became pseudo grandparents for Riley. Brodie James was wealthy. Not just because he was a top level, former rugby league star turned coach—he was also an astute businessman. He’d happily lavished that wealth on Riley and his sister. Slowly at first, but after Caitlin had married Brodie and she and Riley had moved into his waterfront home, they’d never had to struggle to pay for anything again. It had taken a great load from Riley’s shoulders at the time, finally able to put aside the nagging guilt that he was a burden on his sister financially.
The next significant event for Riley, and the only time in his life for which he despised himself or was ashamed by his actions, had occurred just over two years ago.
Riley was haunted by it. Shocked and appalled by his reaction—the amount of anger that had risen in him, the need to do physical harm to another so overwhelming that he had fled before he had been able to act on this new and alarming emotion. Apart from witnessing the assault on Mandy Thomson back when he was eleven, violence had never been a part of Riley’s life. Even spending his youth surrounded by rugby league players, it had never existed. He had always been shown, through example from these men, that it solved nothing to get angry. That it was better to put that emotion into something more positive, use it to strengthen the resolve to work harder and be a better person.
But on that night, all reasoning had flown out of the window. Riley had wanted to rip the guy’s head off for going anywhere near Cassie. What had made that reaction all the more alarming was that Riley had agreed to the ménage in the first place. He had thought he could handle it. Huh, just thinking about it caused that anger and resentment to rear its ugly head again.
Meeting the blonde bombshell Cassandra Davies, best friend of his long-term buddy Phillipa ‘Pippa’ Rogers, had been one of the best moments in his life. Riley had felt an immediate and explosive attraction to the older woman. Four years may not have been a huge age difference, but for the eighteen-year-old Riley the twenty-two-year-old had been way out of his league. Owing to some unexplained phenomenon, Cassie had shown an interest in him—surrounded by her pick of muscled, famous footy players, Cassie had chosen
him
.
For the next eleven months they had been inseparable, Cassie and him. They had hung out with Pippa and Mitchell ‘Rook’ Harris or with the rest of the Jets rugby league team after a game. Often, they had just spent time alone, watching television snuggled under a blanket on the sofa in Cassie’s house or making love. The sex between them had been both emotionally and physically satisfying, off the charts fantastic, but Riley had worried that his experience in that department might have been lacking.
He had tried hard to be everything Cassie had needed in a man, not that it had been a chore—no, making love to Cassie, hearing her scream his name in the throes of passion as he had made her body climax, had been one of the most satisfying times in Riley’s life. He had read every sex book he’d been able to get his hands on. It had been the most enjoyable study regime he had ever undertaken. Some of the sexual positions and description he’d read about had left him shaking his head, sure that he would never be able to manage them. But he had tried—the rewards worth every effort.
Riley had adored Cassie’s body, the shape of her breasts that filled his hand to perfection, her lithe sporty figure and toned legs. The way her hips flared out and fitted beneath his own, as if she had been made for him, and the taste of her arousal on his lips, the sweetest nectar in the world. He had always made sure that he’d pleasured her first, using every new technique he had been able to learn, before he took his own.
Riley had believed it was love, that emotion that drove him to distraction with need to be at her side every minute of the day. Counting down the minutes until they were both through with their daily responsibilities and able to cling to each other again. It was close to obsession what Riley had felt for Cassie, but he had never voiced those emotions to her—afraid that she would rebuff his declaration for that of a foolish eighteen-year-old. Cassie had never spoken of her plans for the future in regards to their relationship, or what she might want for them going forward, so Riley had just taken it day by day. Until that stupid life-changing moment.
Thinking about that night always brought with it a dose of pain for Riley, as well as anger and frustration, but mostly it reminded him of what he could never have. It was not right to want to own someone, possess them so that no other would even look their way, let alone dare to touch them. That was what Riley had felt that night—he had wanted to hide Cassie away from the world, drag her to some isolated place where she would only have him for company, to love and need.
And he had wanted to seriously hurt Mike.
People shouldn’t think that way, and Riley knew he shouldn’t think that way.
But he had been unable to stop the possessive demon that had taken control of his mind that night and encouraged that desire to do harm to one of his friends.
Shaking from the anger that had consumed him, he had walked the few miles back to Caitlin and Brodie’s home—his home. But it had not helped ease his rage. The images of what Cassie had done burned into his soul, ripping him apart. The overwhelming need to smash Mike to pieces had torn at him. How could she have done that to him? Had he meant so little to her that she had been able to hunger for another so quickly? It had all been too much for Riley to handle. He’d taken a bottle of bourbon from Brodie’s liquor cabinet and had drained the bottle dry before falling into a drunken stupor.
The next day, when he’d finally awoken, head pounding from the amount of alcohol he’d consumed, Riley had made the decision that he could not see Cassie again. The anger she had brought out in him was too dangerous, he had been too young to handle all the rage he’d felt. The possessive streak that had arisen in him had been unhealthy, not a normal reaction and one left well alone, he had decided.
Riley had seen first-hand what an unhealthy obsession could become. How Mandy’s ex had not been willing to let her go—had gone to violent ends to stop her from moving on with her life.
The smell of turpentine always reminded Riley of the day when Mandy had been assaulted. He’d been so young and so frightened when she had gone off alone to face the intruder in her apartment. Riley had been beside himself, not knowing what he should do. Luckily Jon Thomson Senior had been just next door, the ex-policeman who had raced up the stairs to Mandy’s aid. But the sight of Mandy lying there with her arm at such an ugly angle, the red smeared on the floor all around her, coupled with the overpowering scent of the mineral paint wash had scared the shit out of him.
For a moment Riley had thought Mandy was dead, like his mother and father, but then she’d moaned and the sense of relief he had felt at that moment had been enough to make him sink to his knees.
Most of the red-coloured fluid had turned out to be paint from Mandy’s art supplies, mixed and thinned by the turpentine that had spilled when Mandy had used the bottle against her attacker, but the sight had left a nightmarish image in young Riley’s mind. Still caused him many a sleepless night when a dream he had suddenly turned bad, rivers of red trying to drown him as Mandy’s screams grew louder and louder. Sometimes images of his mother and father drifted into these moments as they reached out for him, their hands never quite close enough for Riley to grip.
The fear that he had been becoming no better than Mandy’s ex-boyfriend, her stalker, her attacker, where Cassie was involved had turned Riley’s stomach. He did not want to be like that insane man, but he’d been afraid he was already headed down that path.
Staying away from Cassie had been easier said than done, though, when the woman he had been trying to distance himself from—protect—had such close links to everyone in his life. So Riley had done the only thing he had been able to. He had transferred for the second year of his university degree to another state and moved away.
Leaving his sister and the protective embrace of his home had been hard, but leaving Cassie had left him shattered.
And confused.
Now, once again another moment was altering Riley’s life.
When Brodie had called and offered him a job at the Jets, he hadn’t been able to refuse. Not only had the Jets been such a huge part of Riley’s life for so long, bringing him comfort through those tough childhood years after the death of his parents, but it was also the chance to work side by side with the man who had been his mentor. Brodie was such an inspiration to Riley and so supportive that Riley hadn’t wanted to refuse—Brodie being proud of him had always been his dream.
Riley had completed his three-year course in sports management even with the interruption of changing universities. He’d started the extra year to gain his business degree but was happy to put that on hold for some real hands-on experience working in the office at the professional rugby league club.
Having to sit right there next to Cassie Davies the first night he had gone out socially with the Jets family had been a shock, that was for sure, but what Riley found more disturbing was that the feelings he had tried to bury away over the last two years were still right there inside him. He wanted Cassie with a ferocity that scared him. Keeping his hands to himself through the dinner had been a continual battle of self-control. It was as if not a moment had passed, nothing had changed. Time had not weakened his response to her at all. That same possessive urge to have her with him forever rode him—stronger than ever.
He was very relieved that the focus of his return and new appointment had been overshadowed by the Jets social media manager Sarah’s relationship with what turned out to be Gareth Andrews’ brother-in-law. Not that Riley wished heartbreak on anyone, but he was thankful that whatever was going on with that relationship had been enough to keep the conversation at the table flowing without the need of his input. There had been no chance of making small talk when his emotions had been hurtling around like he’d been on some sort of rollercoaster.
Should he apologise for his actions? Should he beg Cassie to give him another chance? Should he berate her for letting another man touch her so intimately? These were some of the thoughts he had argued over with his inner self. But in the end he’d done nothing. Had said nothing. Finally the dinner had concluded and he had taken himself home—alone.
That night’s sleep had been filled with the haunting memories of Cassie and what they had once shared.
Chapter Three
“Hi, Pip, it’s Cassie.”
Cassie had phoned her best friend as soon as she’d arrived home from the school meeting. The staff had been so excited at the prospect of having some of the Jets team at the school fête that Cassie had agreed to try to make it happen.
“Yeah, I know, sweetie, after twenty-odd years I recognise your voice.” Pippa laughed. “What’s up, Cass?”
Now that was a loaded question. Cassie hadn’t quite forgiven Pippa for not warning her about Riley working at the Jets or for setting them up at dinner.
Cassie did concede, to herself, that in Pippa’s defence she was not aware of what had happened between her two best friends. At that time, she’d not wanted Pippa to be caught in the middle. Pippa had been so happy over her engagement to Rook, making wedding plans—plans that had included both Cassie and Riley. There had been no way Cassie would have spoiled that time for her best friend by acting like the heartbroken loser she was. So she’d sucked it up, put a smile on her face and had soldiered on.
The wedding had been hard but luckily for her, Riley had declined to be part of Pippa’s bridal party. Cassie had just kept herself busy fussing over Pippa, taking her job as bridesmaid to a whole new level and keeping well away from Riley Walters. Not that it had been all that difficult. It wasn’t like Riley had sought her out—nope, he’d not even bothered to say hello.
But the other night, having to sit next to him throughout the whole dinner, had been pure torture. Cassie could not remember a single thing she had eaten or any conversation that may have taken place. The whole meal had been spent focusing on her breathing and resisting the urge to demand answers from the man seated beside her.
“Oh, Pip, I’ve got myself into another bind at school. You know, being friends with the wife of the Jets captain does have its drawbacks. Have you got time today to pop over for a cuppa and a chat?”
Much to Cassie’s relief, Pippa agreed to come straight over.
* * * *
So it wasn’t long before they were sitting together sipping tea and chatting, just like they had been doing for years.
After some lighthearted banter about their respective days, Pippa broached the subject of Cassie’s phone call. “So what’s the big drama at school?”
“Well, it’s really just more of the same, you know, pressuring me to use my contacts—that would be you, Pip”—Cassie smiled—“into getting some player presence at the school fête in a few weeks.”
The strange smile Pippa gave Cassie immediately set off warning bells.
“I’d love to help you, Cassie, but you do have other contacts now. Riley is in charge of that side of things at the Jets, public appearances and donations. Why don’t you just give him a ring? It will be quicker than me going to him. You know all the details, where I’d just have to ask you and pass them on.”
Cassie tried to hide the look of dread that crossed her face at Pippa’s words.
“What’s going on between you two? I know something happened, but neither one of you will give me any details. You’re my best friend—don’t you think I deserve to know what happened between the two of you? One minute you and Riley are inseparable, the next you’re hardly able to look at each other. I’m not blind!”