In Bed with Mr. Wrong

Chapter Fifteen

Ryan built up the fire, then pulled Bri to her feet and swept her into his arms. The snowball fight had been impulsive and silly, but the sound of her gleeful giggles still echoed in his mind. This day had been the most fun he’d had in longer than he cared to remember.

Sure, he enjoyed his squad-mates and they’d had some good times together when they weren’t deployed, but he could only hang out in so many bars and drink so many beers and interact with so many of the same kind of woman, all looking for exactly the same thing. He’d stopped truly enjoying it years ago, though he’d never been able to put his finger on what it was that he actually did want.

Now he knew.

He wanted this. He wanted a partner to act like a fool with, to laugh with, to share new experiences with, to fuck until they both forgot their names. If he were going to be truly honest, he wanted it with this woman.

He laid her on the bed and followed her down, propping himself up next to her. Bri reached up and ran a single finger over his biceps, almost as if she weren’t sure of her welcome. “What are you thinking about?”

He responded by cupping her hip and tucking her against him. “Lots of things.”

“Tell me.”

“I was thinking that I’ve been chasing all the wrong things this entire time.”

She turned those wide blue eyes on him. “What do you mean?”

“I joined the PJs because I got to see some of the world I’d been so desperate for and serve a higher purpose—and to get away from the boy I was, growing up in Wellingford. It was everything I thought I wanted.” He took a deep breath. “But it hasn’t been enough for a long time. Something was always missing.” Something he’d just gotten a glimpse of and didn’t want to let go.

She ran a hand up his arm and back down again. “I don’t want to be presumptuous, but I think I might understand what you mean. You were content, but you haven’t been happy.”

He considered. “Yeah, that’s a pretty fair description.”

“I’m familiar with the feeling.” Then she cuddled a little closer, making his heart give another one of those almost-painful lurches. “So, what are you going to do about it?”

That was the question, wasn’t it? Ryan smoothed his fingers through her hair, marveling at how thick and soft it was. This was the moment when things could change, either for the better or to make their remaining time in this cabin hell. But there was only one way to find out, and his brother hadn’t raised a coward. “I’d like a chance to date you, Bri. Exclusively,” he added, because the thought of her with anyone else made him want to beat the prospective man bloody.

Her breathing picked up, but she didn’t slap him and run from the bedroom, so he figured she wasn’t entirely against the idea. Then again, he could never be sure when it came to her. She was just as likely to be considering how much time it would take for her to grab a chair and bean him again.

When the silence stretched out, Ryan wondered if he’d misread the situation. He rubbed his thumb over a strand of her hair. “No pressure. Things haven’t exactly been smooth between us from the start, so I get it if you—”

She lifted her head and kissed him, silencing whatever the hell he’d been about to say. Once his thoughts were completely frazzled, she leaned back and smiled at him. “I’d like that.”

Had he heard her right? “You would?”

“Yes.” Her smile took on a bashful tone. “After all, there are so many childhood memories we haven’t covered yet.”

“A lifetime’s worth.” Shit, had he just said that aloud? He kissed her, hoping it didn’t freak her out that he was already thinking about a possible future. “How about we take it one day at a time?”

…

One day at a time. She could do one day at a time. Especially if they were anything like today. He’d breached boundary after boundary she’d created to keep her heart safe, all the while coaxing her into experiences she never would have dreamed of. Yes, they’d been silly and cute, but priceless to her.

And he seemed to know it.

Could she date him? It wasn’t the exclusiveness she was worried about…not really. He was leaving, flying off back to his base in a week. The thought of standing at the airport and being left behind made her sick to her stomach. But she could see how the week went, couldn’t she? Seven days was plenty of time to see if things would continue like they had today, or if they would go back to fighting. “One day at a time.” She swallowed hard. “That’s doable.”

The grin on Ryan’s face warmed her right through, pushing away her worries. He rolled onto his back, pulling her with him until she straddled his hips. “This mean you’re going to be my girlfriend?”

Girlfriend. The label shouldn’t make her both happy and terrified at the same time, but it did. Bri attempted a smile. “Don’t you think that’s moving a bit fast?”

“Not really.” He shrugged, the move making his skin slide against hers. “I don’t have a problem going after what I want. And what I want is you.”

But for how long? No. She would not let her issues and fears take over and ruin this. Just because she had a history and some intense abandonment issues didn’t mean Ryan was like the rest. He wasn’t. She bit her lip, playing her fingers over the muscles of his chest. “I want you, too.”

“Then what’s holding you back?”

So many things, none of them completely relevant. She took a deep breath and smiled. “Nothing that matters. I’d like to be your girlfriend, Ryan Flannery.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.” If anything, his grin got wider. “You are so goddamn beautiful.”

“Stop.” She pushed his shoulder. “You don’t have to say things like that. Not when you already have me where you want me.”

Where she wanted to be.

His hand hovered less than an inch from her body. Keeping that distance between them, he traced over her shoulder and breasts, down her stomach, and back up again before taking her hand and pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “Don’t you know by now?”

“Know what?”

“I don’t do anything unless I want to. And I sure as fuck wouldn’t spout pretty words to get you into bed. I mean them. You, Bri Nave, are beautiful in ways that have nothing to do with the physical.” His gaze traveled the same path his hand just had. “Though you’re gorgeous physically, too.” He leaned up and kissed her, and she reveled in the feeling of his body touching hers. When his hands came to rest on the back of her thighs, she rocked against him, a whimper already building in her throat.

“Ryan—”

“I know.” His laugh was a little harsh. “I’ll stop talking now before I freak you out.”

That wasn’t it. It wasn’t that at all. She cupped his face, her touch making him meet her eyes. “I think you’re beautiful, too. I’ve never had someone do anything like you did today.” She traced his lips with her thumb, the memory of them on her skin making her shiver. “I was wrong about you when we first met, and I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, well, I was kind of an ass.” He feathered his fingers across her nipples. “How about I spend tonight making it up to you?”

She kissed him. “You’re off to a brilliant start.”

He reached between them to cup her. “Christ, woman.” First one finger, and then two pressed into her, a slow exploration so at odds with what happened between them on the rug that it made her breath catch in her throat. “Like that?”

“You know I do.” He had yet to touch her in a way that didn’t make her eyes threaten to roll back in her head. She leaned back, giving him better access. “I like everything you do to me.”

Before that thought could take hold and truly freak her out, Ryan jerked his chin. “I think I saw a few condoms hidden in the nightstand.”

She gave a breathless laugh as she reached into the drawer and came up with two. “A nightstand. How mundane.”

“I don’t know. Maybe they were onto something.” He ripped open the packet and rolled on the condom. “Now get back here.”

…

Ryan was going to take this slow if it fucking killed him. Every time he got his hands on Bri, he lost his damn mind, but this time was different. She’d agreed to be his girlfriend. If that wasn’t a step in the right direction, he didn’t know what was. He adjusted his angle and pulled her down, sheathing himself inch by agonizing inch. “I love how you throw back your shoulders when I piss you off.”

“Ryan—”

He could tell the compliments made her uncomfortable, but he didn’t know how else to make her understand that, even knowing her such a short time, she meant more to him than just a beautiful woman he wanted to be naked with. She had a core of strength—and stubbornness—he saw in his fellow PJs. But beyond that strength was a heart that had been beaten and bruised, but still managed to reach out to the children who were lost like she’d been.

“I love that you work so hard for the kids’ programs in your library.” He pressed an openmouthed kiss to her chest, directly above said rapidly beating heart. “You’re strong and smart and compassionate, and any man would be lucky to have you in his life.”

He thrust up, pushing a little deeper. “I care about you, Bri.”

She lifted herself and shifted back down, her breath gasping out. “I care about you, too, Ryan.”

His heart pounded painfully, making him feel as if he were some fucked-up Grinch and it was growing three sizes. Which didn’t make a damn bit of sense, so he shoved it from his mind, and focused solely on making Bri’s body feel as good as she had his soul.

He let her ride him, let her control how fast and hard things went. Her harsh breathing was a perfect match to his own, but she needed that little bit more. Ryan pressed three fingers to her clit, letting her motions stroke her against him and drive her wild. The feeling of her clenching around him, combined with the wild look in her eyes, nearly sent him over the edge then and there, but he held on through sheer force of will. “You know what else I love about you?”

“Oh my God…I…” She grabbed the headboard above him and rolled her hips desperately.

“I love the way you scream my name when you come.”

Her body went tight, her head falling forward, a breathless shriek on her lips. “Ryan.”

The feeling of her coming around his cock was too much for his control. He grabbed her hips and drove into her, needing to follow her over the edge as acutely as she’d needed to get there. “Bri.”

She collapsed on his chest while he relearned how to breathe. Once their bodies quieted, Bri shifted to the side and slipped her arms around him, tucking her leg between his. She pressed a kiss to his throat. “Thank you. For everything you said. For meaning it.”

She sounded like she still didn’t quite believe him. That was okay. Given enough time, she would.

Chapter Sixteen

“Ryan, wake up.”

He opened his eyes, and winced at the bright sunlight shining through the window. “What time is it?” They hadn’t exactly had a restful night between making love and talking. He’d been looking forward to sleeping in.

But Bri was sitting on the edge of the bed, practically vibrating with energy. “Your SUV is back.”

“What?”

“They must have brought it in the night.”

He sat up and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Cowards.” End result aside, stranding them in a cabin was some bullshit, and he fully intended on letting both his brother and Avery have a piece of his mind about it.

“Maybe they didn’t want to interrupt.”

“More like they didn’t want to deal with us being pissed at them. Why are you dressed?”

“What?” She glanced down at herself as if just noticing that she wore the same clothes she’d shown up with. Bri twisted her skirt between her fingers. “Well, I thought it might be nice to get back to civilization.”

Back to Wellingford. That’s what she meant. He started to reach for her, but stopped when he realized it for the ploy it was. The truth of the matter was he wanted to stay here, in this safe place, and let things keep developing between them. Here was the only place they’d managed to have decent conversations that weren’t biting comments linked to the past he’d never escape as long as he was in Wellingford.

But if that was all the confidence he had in Bri, he had no business pursuing this in the first place. So Ryan forced a smile. “I wouldn’t mind some diner food.”

Her eyebrows rose. “Diner food.”

“Yep. The Diner food, specifically.” He took her hand. “Think of it as a date.”

“Because our last one ended so well.”

Obviously she shared some of the same fears he did. “That was before I introduced you to the world of s’mores. Everything has changed now.”

She laughed. “A valid point. Okay, yes. Take me on a breakfast date.”

After doing a quick walk-through of the cabin, they headed outside to where his SUV had been parked in nearly the same spot he’d left it three days ago. He could almost believe this had all been a dream.

Until he looked at the smiling woman at his side. The woman who, three days ago, had barely been able to stand in his presence without them sniping at each other. It was amazing how quickly things could change.

She stopped at the passenger door. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Just marveling at how goddamn lucky I am.”

As expected, she blushed. “You’re laying it on kind of thick with the compliments. I already said I’d be your girlfriend.”

“See last comment.” He slid into the driver’s seat and cranked the engine over. As they cut through the back roads into town, she reached over and laced her fingers through his.

He was struck by how…nice…this was.

It was almost enough to banish his dread of going to the Diner. On a Sunday morning, there was bound to be a bunch of old-timers who’d shown up after the early service down at the church, all willing to share their old battle stories—and his family’s stories. It was exactly the kind of situation he’d avoided before now.

But Bri loved this town. And he was rapidly falling for her. That meant he needed to at least try—no matter how much he hated it. So he pulled into the parking lot and braced himself. Except Bri didn’t move.

“We don’t have to do this, you know.”

She was just waiting for him to back out. To leave. All he had to do was say the word, and she’d let him take her back to her place and maybe they’d fall into bed and spend the next seven days tangled up in each other. But he’d have blown his one chance to prove to her that he was really serious about this.

“I want to.” In that moment, it was almost the truth.

From the look she sent him, she knew exactly how hard this was. “Okay.”

As expected, the Diner was nearly full, mostly of retired folk who used breakfast as an excuse to gossip about whatever drama had gone down over the weekend. The faded and cracked red vinyl seats were exactly the same as when he’d been in high school. Even the old black-and-white tiled floor still sported the stain in the grout from when Avery clocked Matt Jennings in the face and broke his nose after he dumped her big sister. Nothing had changed.

They took the only open booth and slid in. Immediately, the waitress, Dorothy, scuttled over. “Hey there, you two. I’m surprised to see you here. I would have thought you’d be at the library today, Miss Nave.”

It was painfully obvious she was scooping for a story, but Bri just smiled. “You’re pulling my leg, Dorothy. You know the library isn’t open on Sundays.”

“Oh, right. Silly me.” She looked from Bri to Ryan and back again, clearly fighting back the questions she must have been dying to ask. “What will you have?”

They ordered and watched her slink away, as if she thought if she moved slowly enough, they would call her back and confess what they’d been up to for the last few days. Ryan shook his head. “This town.”

“It’s just a little harmless curiosity.”

He was saved from responding by Old Joe walking through the door. The only thing Joe liked better than drinking on his boat was telling stories, and Ryan had all of three seconds to hope his presence would go unnoticed before the old man zeroed in on them. “Is that Billy Flannery’s youngest I see?”

He sighed. “You know it is, Joe. You’re not half as blind as you pretend to be.”

Joe chortled and shuffled over to slide into the bench next to Bri. “Good Lord. Miss Bri? Tell me you aren’t consorting with this here fella.”

She smiled. “Hello, Joe.”

“What’s a nice girl like you doing spending time with a hooligan like Flannery here?”

A hooligan. He was nearly thirty, for God’s sake. He’d stopped being a hooligan when he graduated from high school. And that wasn’t even getting into the fact that everyone still referred to him as “Billy Flannery’s youngest” despite the fact that his father had died nearly seven years ago.

For her part, Bri didn’t seem all that bothered by it. “Ryan is buying me breakfast.”

“Back in my day, when a man buys a woman breakfast, it means something serious.” He shot a surprisingly serious look at her. “You should know this boy right here burned down the high school on the very day he graduated.”

Here they went. It was always the same old story. He didn’t even know why he was surprised, but this was taking it to a whole new level to interrupt his date with Bri to tell the same old tired story.

Bri’s eyes danced. “I have heard that. On several occasions.”

“Well, of course you have. Everyone and their dog in this gossipy little town thinks they know something.” Apparently the irony of that statement was lost on Old Joe. “But I’ll tell you something else.”

Jesus Christ. Would it never end? What was next? The stink bomb incident? Or maybe the time he and Drew jumped their car over the school garden and were suspended for a week?

“There was a reason that fire started,” Joe continued. “He was there in the first place because those little Jennings shits thought it would be funny to color the fur of a cat they found with melted crayons. Our Ryan found out, and he wasn’t going to sit back and let some bullies hurt a defenseless animal. He got that kitten out of the fire, see if he didn’t.”

Bri laughed and patted Joe’s arm. “Sounds like a hero.”

Ryan could only stare. He’d never told anyone that story, except Drew. How the hell did Joe know? Did everyone know?

“That boy is, that’s for damn sure. With a pop like that worthless drunk piece of shit—excuse my French, Miss Bri—he could have grown up wrong. Him and his brother both. But they didn’t follow in Billy’s footsteps, God rest his ill-tempered soul. They grew up right. Do you know he has a whole set of awards for missions he’s done over there in the desert? He’s saved more lives than we’ll probably ever know. Wellingford is proud to call him our own.”

Old Joe had always been the worst of the bunch, constantly ribbing him about burning shit down every time he was within hearing distance. To have the same man sitting here, telling Bri how proud the whole damn town was of what he’d done overseas…

They knew about the cat. He still couldn’t wrap his mind around it.

Bri reached across the table and took his hand, anchoring him while the world spun, settling into a new shape he never would have anticipated. “You should be proud. He’s a good man.”

“The best.” Joe laughed and stood, slapping Ryan’s shoulder as he did. “But it looks like that fox Dorothy is bringing your food, so I’ll leave you to it. It’s good seeing you, Flannery. You don’t come home often enough.”

Ryan looked at Bri. Maybe that was about to change.

After Dorothy dropped off their plates and disappeared back into the kitchen, Bri lifted her fork. “So you saved a cat, huh? It sounds like your hero complex has been around just as long as your history of setting things on fire.” She laughed and shook her head. “I’m sorry. I know it’s a sore spot, but those jokes never get old.”

He braced himself for the instant anger that usually came when someone made reference to burning shit down. Instead, he said, “I don’t mind.” And, to his surprise, he didn’t. “After we finish breakfast, I have something specific in mind that I’d like to set on fire.”

“Let me guess—it has something to do with my panties?”

They finished their meal in relative silence, though it was a comfortable one. After Ryan paid the tab, he took her hand and led the way back to the Suburban. “Your place?”

“Please. I want a shower and some new clothes.” She shot him a look from under her bangs. “And there’s the added bonus of getting you naked and at my mercy.”

“You’re insatiable.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “I like it.”

They could barely keep their hands off each other as he drove to her house, and the only thing that kept him from starting something then and there was the memory of hitting the damn stoplight and taking out the mailbox. The last thing either of them needed was a repeat of that nightmare.

They had just made it out of the car when a woman poked her head out of the house next door. “Hey there!”

Bri waved. “Hey, Marcy. How are you this morning?”

“Doing much better. I noticed that you weren’t picking up your papers, so I grabbed them. Didn’t want the silly things turning soggy—then they’d be no good to anyone.” She hustled out her door and walked to the little fence separating their front yards. “Hi, Ryan. I heard you’re back for another week, and I was wondering if you’d come down to the grade school and talk to my second graders about being a soldier?”

She wanted him to speak to her class? Ryan rocked back on his heels, reaching for words and not finding any. He caught Bri’s gaze and the excitement there hit him in the chest. He cleared his throat and looked back at Marcy. “I think I could make that happen.”

The woman beamed at him. “Thank you so much. I know my kids will love to hear from a local soldier.”

Bri glanced at him and met her halfway to take the newspapers. “Thanks, Marcy.”

“It was no problem at all. See you at Story Time on Wednesday, Bri. And Ryan, let me know what day works best for you.” With one last wave, she retreated back to her door, where a toddler stood with his face pressed against the glass.

Ryan followed Bri inside, his mind still reeling from the invite. Hell, Marcy treated him like a normal person—a person she thought would be a good influence on her schoolkids. It was like he’d fallen down a rabbit hole and was told left was actually right.

She stopped just inside the door and stepped into his arms. “Are you okay?”

“She just asked me to come by and talk at the grade school without joking about me not burning it down.”

“Why are you so surprised?” She cupped his face, her palms soft against his cheeks. “I’ll tell you a secret. It was your reputation as a hero—not a firebug—that got me to agree to that first date.”

Before, Wellingford had seemed claustrophobic and cloying. Everywhere he looked, he was surrounded by people who’d never let him grow up. Now? Now, he was starting to see some of what Bri loved so much about it. They knew him, but no one was forcing him into the role he’d long since grown out of. Not anymore. Maybe he’d only seen what he wanted to see—the gibes without the caring backing it.

It was all too easy to imagine settling here. Raising a family here. This was a town where people barely locked their doors. Where neighbors took care of one another. Where he could create a true home.

His thoughts stuttered to a halt as Bri walked past the living room filled with mismatching floral couches, pulling her shirt over her head. She paused in the doorway on the other side of the room and grinned. “What are you waiting for? These panties aren’t going to light themselves.”