A Guilty Affair by Maureen Smith Read Free Book Online Page B

of her being held, kissed, made love to by someone else. And the day she fell in love again…God help him. He hoped he’d never have to endure that agony. If it happened, he hoped he never had to hear about it.
    â€œFor all we know,” he brooded, hunched over his beer, “she might already have a boyfriend. She’s been gone for three years. We don’t know what kind of life she’s been leading in D.C.”
    Paulo made a face. “Not much of one, according to what I’ve heard. Her friend Lety at the Express-News has kept in touch with Riley. And she says Riley pretty much threw herself into work after she got hired at the Post . She puts in long hours at the office and hasn’t made much time for socializing—or dating.”
    Noah’s relief upon hearing this news was tempered by a sharp pang of guilt. It shouldn’t please him to know that Riley was leading such a solitary life, closing herself off from the rest of the world. The last thing she needed, in the aftermath of losing Trevor, was to be alone.
    His mouth twisted cynically. As if he was an expert on what Riley Kane needed.
    As Paulo studied Noah’s brooding profile, he cocked his head slightly to the side, as if he were angling for a better look into his soul. “Let me ask you something,” he said thoughtfully. “What do you think Trevor would say if he knew how you felt about Riley?”
    Noah frowned darkly. “I try not to think about that too much,” he muttered.
    â€œWell, I’ll tell you what I think, man. I think he’d tell you to go for it.”
    Noah shot him a look. “You obviously didn’t know Trevor Simmons very well.”
    â€œI knew him well enough. And I think he’d rather have you , his best friend that he trusted with his life, to take care of his woman, than some prick who might not treat her right.”
    Noah wasn’t so sure about that. As close as he and Trevor had been, there’d always been a slight under-current of tension between them where Riley was concerned. He still remembered the look on Trevor’s face when he’d stepped outside the police station that fateful day and found Riley, her skirt hiked up to her thighs, huddled beside Noah as they examined the fender of his car. Noah hadn’t missed the way Trevor had pulled her gently to her feet, curved an arm around her waist and held her possessively at his side while he performed the introductions.
    There had been other things, as well, such as the fact that Trevor seldom let Riley out of his sight whenever Noah was around. Once, during a cookout at a fellow officer’s house, Noah had escaped to the privacy of the kitchen to take an important call when Riley appeared in the doorway.
    Seeing him on the phone, she’d motioned to a tray of uncooked hot dogs on the counter behind him. “I need to take those outside,” she’d whispered.
    Noah had stepped out of her way at the same time she moved, bumping into him. They’d laughed and mumbled sheepish apologies to each other. Noah had reached behind him, picked up the tray and passed it to her. As she murmured her thanks, their eyes met and held for a moment, then slid away as Trevor walked into the room. He’d remained by Riley’s side for the rest of the day.
    If Trevor had ever asked Noah outright how he felt about Riley, Noah honestly didn’t know how he would’ve responded. But as it turned out, the topic never came up between the two men. In the back of his mind, though, Noah had always wondered if Trevor suspected the truth—which only compounded his guilt in the aftermath of his friend’s death.
    Shoving aside the painful reverie, Noah tossed down the rest of his beer, then stood and fished two twenties out of his wallet. “I’m gonna go rescue the kid,” he said, hitching his chin toward the pool table where Mario Cruz was trying to figure out which one of the