In Bed with Mr. Wrong

Chapter Four

By the time Avery’s birthday party rolled around two days later, Bri was desperate for anything to distract her from memories of her night with Ryan. She’d gone through two sets of batteries, thanks to her buzzy friend Avery got her for Christmas, and her libido was showing no signs of slowing down. Years of reading racy romance novels had given her more than her fair share of erotic inspiration, though the man she imagined now shared Ryan’s face and body.

The birthday party was exactly what she needed. It would be impossible to think about sex surrounded by her friends and Avery’s super-traditional family. If her best friend’s grandfather couldn’t put a damper on any situation, Bri didn’t know who could. Damage control alone would keep her busy for a few hours.

Or so she thought until she pulled up to Chilly’s Bar and Grill and her headlights caught Ryan’s beat-up old Suburban. She mentally kicked herself. Of course he would be here. He and Drew had grown up with Avery. And it’s not like he had the decency to spare her the humiliation of facing what they’d done.

She could do this. There would be plenty of other people around. There was no reason she even had to exchange words with him.

Satisfied she had the situation well under control, she grabbed the massive collection of balloons filling her tiny car and climbed out. Snow crunched under her boots, and she slipped. She grabbed the top of her car with her free hand, but there was no stopping her downward momentum. She slid right down the side and landed on the ground, clutching the balloons in a death grip. “Crap.”

Maybe no one had seen?

“You’re doing that thing again—the one where you personify the librarian cliché.”

She closed her eyes, wishing she could just melt into the surrounding snow. It would be her terrible luck that the one person she wanted to avoid was the one who saw her make a spectacle of herself. Embarrassment heated her as she struggled to her feet, smacking the bobbing balloons out of her face. And there Ryan was, leaning against the wall of Chilly’s with his arms crossed over his chest, looking particularly attractive with his dark jeans, boots, and thick green coat.

She shook off her skirt and glared. “I don’t think you should be throwing stones. An Army coat? Really?”

“Air Force.”

She knew that. Drew never stopped bragging about how his little brother had made it through one of the toughest boot camps any of the military branches had to offer, or how he was a genuine hero—the man who saved other heroes.

That didn’t mean she was going to stand here and let him look down on her for preferring to spend her time surrounded by books rather than out in the world going on adventures. “Same difference.”

“Still sticking with that same song and dance, I see.”

“Why would I suddenly change my tune?”

“I could think of a few reasons.”

She tried to fight down a blush as a vivid memory of exactly why swept through her mind. But she refused to be that woman, the one who had sex with a man and then suddenly fell all over herself to become whatever it was he wanted. “That’s so strange. I can’t think of a single thing. Have you burned anything down recently?”

His mouth tightened, but she was saved from whatever he was about to say by Avery appearing in the doorway. “What are you doing standing out in the cold? Get your ass in here.” She glanced over and did a double take when she saw Ryan. “Uh, unless you want to stay outside. In that case, carry on.”

She thanked God for the opportunity to escape without looking like she was escaping. “I was just on my way in.” She gathered the balloons more firmly in her hand and followed Avery inside, leaving Ryan to brood in peace alone.

“Sorry I interrupted.”

“Don’t be. There was nothing to interrupt.” It tasted like a lie, but she wasn’t going to let the encounter with him set the tone for the rest of the party. She smiled at Avery. “Happy birthday, by the way.”

“I suppose.”

She stopped walking and looked at her friend. There were dark circles under her brown eyes and her skin was unnaturally pale. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Except my yé-ye just made his usual pointed comments about how I’m the last person in the family who can carry on the honor of procreating and keeping our heritage going, if only I’d stop being so stubborn and settle down with a nice Chinese man.” It all came out in a single breath, and she actually sagged against the wall as if it’d taken all her strength to say it. “And I’m twenty-six. That’s a whole year closer to twenty-eight. I feel like I’m running out of time.”

She should have seen this coming. It was bad enough that Avery’s mother had been diagnosed with uterine cancer at twenty-eight, but her older sister, Alexis, had, too. Every birthday was like a ticking time bomb for Avery, counting down the days until she had to get a hysterectomy. Bri let the balloons go and hugged her friend. “It’s going to be okay. Your grandpa can jump off a cliff, because your worth isn’t tied up in making pure-blooded Chinese babies for him. Even saying that sounds so wrong.”

She laughed. “Yeah, I know. And to be honest, I’m less worried about making him happy than, you know, actually making the babies. I want some.”

It was a totally understandable desire—one Bri shared. “We’ll figure it out.”

Drew appeared in the doorway leading into the rest of the bar. “What are you two doing hiding in the hallway? Is this one of those girl bonding moments?” He glanced between them and brightened. “Or are you going to make out? Because I can get on board with that.”

“You’re a pig.” Avery let go of Bri and straightened her spine. Typical of her to show only a moment of weakness before charging on with life.

“Oink.” He met Bri’s gaze as Avery walked past, and she recognized the concern there he’d never let their friend see. Drew was great at distracting people with his dirty jokes and wry humor, but his carefree attitude masked a lot of things.

After the revelation with Ryan and his family’s past last night, she couldn’t help but wonder what else she didn’t know about Drew.

“What’s Avery’s problem?”

As if the thought of Ryan had conjured the man himself, his voice washed over her body, all warm, and deep, and decadent. Bri spun around, hating that he’d managed to sneak through the door and surprise her. Did he have to look so… God, there weren’t words for what he looked like.

He crossed the distance between them, worry written over his face. “Is she okay?”

Right. He wasn’t as affected by her presence as she was by his. Better to remember that if she was going to keep her panties where they belonged—something made more difficult by the way he seemed to care about Avery as much as his brother did, at least in his own way. She squared her shoulders and grabbed the balloons within easy reach. “She’ll be fine. She’s just going through a rough patch.”

Before he could ask her anything else to weaken her resolve, she hurried through the door and followed Drew and Avery into the bar.

…

She was afraid to be alone with him. He couldn’t decide if that counted as a victory or a defeat, so Ryan snatched up the rest of the balloons and walked into Chilly’s main room. He’d waited outside because he knew it was only a matter of time before his favorite little librarian showed up, though they’d been interrupted before things could get interesting. That was fine. He had all evening to push Bri’s buttons. He could be patient.

He searched for a chair, pleased to find the only open one sandwiched between Drew and Bri. She looked horrified when he settled into the seat beside her, purposely brushing against her side as he made himself comfortable. Good.

Avery’s dad waved from his place at the head of the table. “Hey, Ryan. Destroy anything since you’ve been back in town?”

Ryan sighed, and as everyone at the table laughed and laughed, he officially regretted coming home. His frustration peaked when he glanced at Bri. Her eyebrows were raised and a smirk twisted up one side of her lips. Of course she would sit there looking so damn superior—the entire room wasn’t laughing at her.

He reached under the table and squeezed her thigh. “Actually, yeah. I’ve been burning up some panties lately.”

Avery’s dad looked stunned, and her grandparents glared, but everyone else laughed. Everyone except Bri, who blushed a deep red and smacked his hand away. Good. She should know what it meant to be a resident of Wellingford. It wasn’t always a positive experience. He nodded at Avery’s sister, who sat across the table. “Hey, Alexis.”

“Hey.” She didn’t look much happier than Avery.

“How are things? When’s the wedding?”

If Bri’s elbow in his stomach wasn’t enough of a hint, the way Alexis looked sick told him he’d fucked up. She gave him a smile that was so fake his teeth hurt. “Eric and I didn’t work out.”

Ryan Flannery strikes again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“It’s okay.” She shot a look at her grandparents, and sighed. “Mostly okay. Excuse me, please.” Then she was gone, making her way in the direction of the bathroom.

He sat back, feeling like the world’s biggest ass. “I didn’t know,” he said again.

“It’s a recent thing. Don’t worry about it,” Drew said, then turned to field a question from Avery’s grandmother.

“You would have known if you weren’t so busy running away from this place.” Bri spoke so softly he almost didn’t catch her words.

“For the last time, I’m not running from anything.” He smoothed her hair off her shoulder. “I sure as hell didn’t run from you the other night.”

Bri huffed out a breath and reached for her water. She fumbled it, knocking the glass over—and into his lap. Ryan cursed and she stammered out something that might have been an apology, followed by, “I can’t believe this is happening.” She grabbed a handful of napkins from the dispenser in the middle of the table and started dabbing at his crotch.

He groaned, instantly going harder than a steel pike as she patted him. She was so busy trying to clean up her mess, she didn’t seem to realize what part of him she was spending so much time stroking until he cleared his throat.

Bri froze. “Oh crap.”

He pulled the wet napkins from her suddenly limp hands. “This was fun, but I can take it from here.”

Her goddamn perfume teased him much the same way her pink lips did, tantalizing and yet subtle. She finally looked at his face and frowned. “You’re doing it again.”

“Doing what?” He knew exactly what she meant, but he wanted to see if she’d actually call him out on it. “I didn’t knock over your water—you did.”

“You’re staring at me like you’re thinking—” She blushed and frowned harder. “Knock it off.”

“You’re projecting. I wonder why?” He abandoned the napkins and traced a finger up her thigh, chuckling when she shivered. “Could it be that you recently had your mind blown?”

She elbowed his side again. “Shut up. We’re in public.”

“That didn’t bother you the last time we were together.” Nor did his touch, since she hadn’t shoved away his hand yet. Interesting.

“Oh my God, will you stop talking?”

“It’s not my fault someone has their panties in a twist.” He trailed his hand higher than was proper and squeezed her thigh. A flush stole over her chest, creating a fascinating contrast to her white V-neck T-shirt.

She leaned in, kissably close. “Don’t think for a second that you had more than a passing effect on my panties.”

The heat and unmistakable challenge in her eyes was all too similar to the other night on the porch, right before she’d called his bluff and kissed him. It wouldn’t take much to shove her over the edge again. He opened his mouth, though he couldn’t say for sure if he was going to push her away or closer…

Drew cleared his throat. He leaned on the table, his gaze jumping from Ryan to Bri and back again. “Is there something I should know?”

“I…” She went red and then pale. “Excuse me. I need some fresh air.” And then she was gone, moving so quickly she was almost running.

“What the hell was that about?” Drew said, though his face said enough—he knew. Goddamn it. His brother shook his head. “You sure know how to clear a room—and you didn’t even use any stink bombs this time.”

“Shut the fuck up.” Ryan pushed out of his chair and headed for the door, cursing when his wet pants clung to his hips. Even as he pushed out into the cold night air, he told himself he wasn’t chasing Bri down. But when he saw her leaning against almost the same stretch of wall he had earlier, he walked over. “Listen—”

“No, you listen.” She stepped up and smacked her hands against his chest—and then left them there. “I don’t care what happened the other night. It’s not going to happen again.”

“Who said I wanted it to happen again?” He did, though. He wanted to kiss his way across the flushed skin of her chest and pull down her shirt to taste her nipples. Just one more time.

“Why, you!” She shoved at his chest, but he didn’t move. “You’re insufferable—an arrogant ass of a man and—”

“You want me.” He stepped into her and put his hands on her hips, mimicking the way they’d stood the other night before things got so out of control. Bri froze, her body tensed as if she couldn’t decide whether to kiss him or run back into the bar. He didn’t give her time to decide. He pulled her closer, until she could feel just how much she affected him. “You want me so bad, you can’t see straight. You’ve touched yourself thinking about me. And all you can think about is how badly you want to do it again.”

She licked her lips. “You have a very high opinion of yourself.”

“Am I wrong?” He reached down to cup her ass, grinding her against him, loving the way her lips parted in response. “Tell me I’m wrong and it’s done.”

She moved closer, her breasts pressing more firmly against his chest. “Stop talking and kiss me already.”

He crushed her against him, and it felt so terrifyingly good to take her mouth and have those luscious lips pressed against his again. They both groaned at the first stroke of tongue against tongue. Her arms went around his neck and he squeezed her ass. She may have been hell-bent on hiding beneath her frumpy sweaters and loose skirts, but her behind was goddamn biteable.

“Not here.”

She kissed him again before he could respond, and it took a truly outstanding amount of self-control to break it. “My SUV.”

“Okay.” She let him back them off the curb and to his vehicle. He had to release her long enough to open the door and climb into the driver’s seat, but then Ryan lifted her in with him. The large front seat gave her plenty of room to straddle his hips, and he groaned when she pressed against his cock.

But she didn’t kiss him again. “Can you pull around back or something? Someone might see.”

As much as he didn’t like the idea of being her dirty little secret, he also didn’t need his brother or Avery seeing them go at it, either. “Sure.”

He locked her against his body and put the Suburban in drive. The openmouthed kisses he dragged along her neck were rewarded when she went soft with a cry. This was the Bri he wanted to spend more time with, the one who softened her sharp comments with touches that made his head spin. The one who challenged him until he was so angry he couldn’t see straight, then flipped the switch and told him he was the only man to make her come until she lost her mind. She ran her hands over his chest and pulled his chin up for another kiss. It was the kind of soul-destroying kiss that a man could sink into until he didn’t know which way was up. He met her tongue, thrust for thrust, and reached between them to pull her skirt up until he touched skin.

“Mmm.” She slid against his hand as he cupped her through her panties. The heat of her there damn near scalded him through his wet pants. He glanced down and choked back a laugh. Uniform blue briefs. He wanted his mouth against the soaked cotton until her cries filled the SUV. But not yet. Not until they found somewhere to finish this.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t take things a step further. Ryan slid his hand up and then back down her stomach, dipping into her panties so he could cup her again, this time with nothing between them. She moaned and tilted her hips, offering him everything. He teased her, tracing her opening without penetrating. She grabbed his hand, pressing him more firmly against her, and managed to open her eyes. “This doesn’t mean I like you.”

“Good.” He shifted her enough to see the road over her shoulder, and took a left turn. Once they were on the straightaway, he pushed a finger into her, immediately rewarded when she cried out. “Because I don’t particularly like you, either.”

“I can tell.” She nibbled on his neck, her breath coming harsher with each stroke of his fingers. “God, why do you smell so good? It should be illegal. I can’t think when you’re around.”

“Noted.” He spread her wetness around and circled her clit. “Pull down your shirt.”

“What?”

He thrust his fingers into her, two this time. “Just a little bit. I want to see those pale little nipples.”

For a second, she looked like she might say no, but he kept working her with his hand and she bit her lip. “Don’t let this go to your head.”

“Honey, the only thing my head is interested in is getting inside you.”

She reached up and tugged her V-neck down, baring her breasts to him. He forgot about driving. He forgot that he might not actually like Bri. He forgot damn near everything but the need to get his mouth on her. He leaned forward and captured her left nipple.

She gripped his shoulders, her hips moving in time with his fingers. “Keep doing that.”

“I’m not stopping.”

“Thank God.” Another moan. “Mmmmm…oh my God, Ryan, we’re sliding!”

His eyes snapped open just as the SUV hit a massive patch of ice. Ryan cursed and held Bri to his chest as he fought for control of the vehicle. It was no use. They slid through the intersection, past the drugstore and the coffee shop. Despite how slowly they were moving and his pumping the brakes, they hit the stoplight pole. The impact barely shuddered through the vehicle, anticlimactic after Bri’s scream.

For one eternal second, he thought that would be it. That he’d be able to throw it in reverse and get the hell out of there before anyone could laugh at him for destroying yet another piece of Wellington’s property. But then the pole gave a startling creak, and shook. “Oh, shit.”

Bri screamed again when it came crashing down, taking out the blue mailbox in front of the post office. “Oh my God, oh my God. This is not happening.”

Less than thirty seconds later, a siren cut through the air. She scrambled off him and into the passenger seat, but he should have told her it was no use. For someone to have called his brother this fast, they had to have watched the whole thing. There was no escaping what was coming.

Drew jumped out of his cruiser and ran around the hood to their Suburban. Ryan helpfully opened the driver’s door and then his brother was there. “Is everyone okay?”

“We’re fine.” More or less.

“Uh-huh.” He looked from Bri to Ryan. “Mind telling me what happened? Last I saw, you two were at each other’s throats and now you’re involved in a car accident. Not going to lie, it doesn’t look good.”

Ryan was about to tell his brother where to stick it, but Bri started babbling before he could get a word out. “Ryan was just driving me home. And then… Then we saw a mountain lion! And he swerved to avoid it, because who wants to hit a mountain lion, but hit the traffic light instead.”

“A mountain lion.” It was painfully obvious Drew was trying not to laugh. He glanced at Ryan’s still-wet crotch. “Is that what they’re calling it these days?”

Bri blushed. “It’s not what you think.”

“Actually, Miss Nora Lee over at the coffee shop says it’s exactly what I think. She called and said she saw two teenagers necking while driving and then they committed public property damage. Imagine my surprise when I arrived to find my brother and Bri, who claim to hate each other.”

“We do.” She looked like she was ready to climb over his lap and clock Drew. “Don’t you dare go spreading this story around.”

“I don’t have to. I figure by now Nora has called half the town.”

“Of course she has.” Some things never changed. Ryan leaned back against the headrest and closed his eyes. Even then, there was no missing his brother’s laughter.

“Damn, Ryan. Only back four days and already taking out the only stoplight and mailbox in town in one fell swoop. That’s got to be a new record, even for you.”

“Fuck off.”