by Kori Roberts
MRS. ROBIN’S SONS Copyright © February 2008 by Kori Roberts
Chapter One
Rylee Putnam sat at the bar and watched as her best friend, Drew, looked at her like he was about to explode.
“So, you’re telling me that you came home and found Ethan in your apartment…”
“In your bed,” her other best friend, Mya, interjected, looking equally as pissed.
“And his head was buried between another woman’s legs?” Drew continued, his voice getting louder and louder as he spoke.
“Shh!” Rylee hissed and glanced around the bar to see if anyone had overheard. Leave it to Drew to almost cause a scene. He definitely did indignation well. Thank God it was Friday night, and the restaurant was packed with people too busy having fun to pay him any attention other than to get their next drink.
“Yes, I did, and yes, he was.” In spite of her anger, she couldn’t help but wince at the memory of her ex-fiancé going down on the other woman. Ethan had been a decent lover, but oral sex was definitely not one of his strengths. The man was forty years old, and he still hadn’t figured out that eating a woman’s pussy didn’t involve actual chewing.
“Well? What happened?” Mya demanded as she practically bounced up and down in
anticipation. “He invited me to help her suck him off,” she told her friends and braced for the eruption she knew would follow.
“What?!” they both screeched at the same time.
“Shush!” Rylee slapped a hand over each of their mouths. “See? This is why I didn’t want to tell the two of you!”
“That fucking asshole!” Mya’s pretty Asian face was twisted into a scowl, her almond-shaped eyes flashed, and her petite five-foot frame practically vibrated with anger.
“Oh, I would have joined in, and walked away with his balls between my teeth!” The look on Drew’s face was fierce, and Rylee had no doubt he meant every word. The image made her cringe.
“Well, I chose the latter — minus the whole balls part,” she said dryly.
“This is what happens when you decide to run off and marry the same bastard that your best friends warned you about.” Drew’s voice was filled with disgust.
“Well, thankfully this happened before I said ‘I do.’” Every time Rylee thought about how close she’d gotten to being “Mrs. Ethan Ferguson,” she shuddered.
“If you had just broken up with that prick when we told you to, you could have avoided this entire situation.” Mya was nodding her head, reminding Rylee of a bobblehead doll.
“Don’t start,” she warned in exasperation. This conversation was definitely old territory.
“Fine.” Drew threw his hands up in resignation. “It’s not like you would have listened to us anyway,” he grumbled. “We’ve only known you since you were in braces and pigtails, but what do we know?” He finished grumbling and moved right on to pouting before heading down the bar to make another customer’s drink.
When he came back Rylee reached across the bar and playfully ran her fingers through his thick black hair. “You were right.” She turned to Mya and put an arm around her shoulder. “You two are always right about these things. And, I’m sorry that I didn’t listen to you.”
“Again,” they both responded in unison.
She sighed. “I know. But I really thought Ethan was the one.” Even as she said it, Rylee knew that wasn’t true. And, from the looks on her friends’ faces, it was obvious that they knew it, too.
Mya snorted. “Right. Just like you thought Michael was the one…and Kyle was the one…and Eric was the one…”
“Oh, all right, already!” she huffed, glaring at them. She was so not in the mood to be reminded of all her past relationship failures. “Not everyone is lucky enough to have men like Tom and Jacob in their lives.” Drew’s face lit up at the mention of his partner, Jacob, and Mya’s hand immediately went to her stomach, rubbing the slightly rounded mound, her face taking on that dreamy, faraway expression she got whenever she thought about her husband, Tom, and their first baby she was carrying.
Rylee looked at her two best friends, loving them both, and the fact that they had someone in their lives who made them so happy. She secretly wondered what it felt like to get so excited at just the mention of her man’s name or to have a life growing inside her belly.
Yeah, right. Like that’s happening any time soon. Rylee sighed inwardly at the voice intruding into her thoughts, refusing to think about how true it was, trying not to dwell on the fact that she was already thirty-six, and at the rate she was going, she’d probably never know.
“Oh, God, I just suck at relationships,” she groaned.
“Apparently not well enough, or you probably wouldn’t go through so many of them,”
Drew quipped.
Mya burst into laughter as Rylee stuck her tongue out at him.
Chapter Two
Nicholas Robin stood by the bar in the crowded restaurant of the hotel, waiting for his brother, Noah, to arrive when a flash of color caught his attention. He glanced in that direction and saw long auburn tresses that cascaded just past a woman’s slim shoulders. Her back was to him, and she was seated at the other end of the bar, talking to the bartender and another woman.
He loved red hair, and hers was one of the most beautiful shades he’d ever seen. Nick continued to watch her, hoping she would turn around. When she finally did and he saw the face that went with that hair, his jaw dropped. Her gaze suddenly met and held his for several long heartbeats before she finally looked away.
Nick couldn’t take his eyes off her. She looked so damn amazing sitting there on the barstool, her slender but shapely body making his mouth water; the simple business clothes she wore were sexier than any of the barely-there outfits adorning the other women in the room. Her mane of hair softly framed her face; the rich red color accentuated her honey-colored skin and gorgeous eyes. Oh, man, a woman like her was so out of his league. Even from where he stood, Nick could tell that she was a lot classier than the women he was used to dating. But that didn’t stop him from wanting her.
Nick didn’t know how long he’d been standing there staring, so wrapped up in his thoughts about her that he never saw her get up, never saw her move through the crowd, never saw her head in his direction until she was standing in front of him.
“Hasn’t anyone ever told you it’s not polite to stare?” God, she was even more beautiful than he thought. Not to mention older.
“Once or twice,” he admitted with a smile. “But there are just some things that can’t be helped, and staring at you is one of them.” His voice sounded raspy, and he couldn’t tear his eyes away from her face. It was obvious from her coloring, features, and hair texture that she was of mixed race, but Nick couldn’t determine her exact nationality. Not that it mattered.
She was still the most incredible sight he’d ever seen.
She laughed, and the sound was soft and feminine and sexy. Just hearing it made his cock jerk in his pants.
“Good answer.” She smiled at him and held out her hand. “I’m Rylee.”
Nick reached for her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Rylee. I’m Nick.” His fingers held and caressed hers for a moment before he released them completely. Her skin was as soft as he’d imagined. And she smelled good, too, a sexy combination of floral and sweet that made his head spin and his cock rock hard in his jeans.
“So, Nick, other than staring at me, what are you doing standing here at the bar all alone?” The smile on her face told him she wasn’t bothered by his inability to keep his eyes to himself.
“I’m supposed to be meeting my brother, but he hasn’t gotten into town yet. I decided to come down to the bar and have a drink while I wait for him.”
“Where
does he live?” Rylee asked. “Wisconsin,” he said. “We both do. We’re going to be in town for the next couple of days.”
“Well, you picked a nice city and an even nicer hotel to spend your weekend.”
Nick chuckled. “This place should hire you. You’d make a great spokesperson.”
A small smile graced her lips. “I couldn’t agree more,” she murmured.
Nick still couldn’t believe he was standing there having a conversation with this incredible woman. He could see her bartender friend keeping one eye on them the entire time he moved around the bar serving drinks. And her other friend kept shooting glances in their direction as she talked on her cell phone. Nick was sure they were both trying to figure out why she was wasting her time with him.
“Have a drink with me,” he said suddenly. When she seemed to hesitate, he said,
“Come on, it’s my birthday.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Now, how do I know that you’re not just saying that to get me to have a drink with you?”
“I’ll prove it.” Nick grinned and reached into his pocket for his wallet. He pulled out his license and handed it to her. She studied it for a moment before she handed it back to him.
“So, Nicholas Robin of Wisconsin, since it truly is your birthday, the drinks are on me.”
She turned and looked down the bar. “Hey, Drew” — she motioned for the bartender — “we have a birthday boy here who needs a drink.”
Drew looked up and headed back in their direction. “What would you like?” he asked when he reached Nick.
Rylee with whipped cream and a cherry on top. “Another beer,” he said instead, and held up his empty bottle. Drew looked at Rylee. “Merlot?” At her nod, Drew moved down the bar and returned a few minutes later with their drinks. Rylee reached for her glass and raised it in the air. She waited as Nick joined her in the toast. “Happy Birthday, Nick,” she murmured, before taking a sip. “Did you make a wish?”
“Oh, I’ve been making wishes all night.” He gave her a long, heated look.
“Have any of them come true?” she asked, sounding a little breathless, her honey skin taking on a soft rosy glow.
“A few.” Nick leaned in closer, one hand rested on the bar, the other gripped the back of her chair. He stared back at her intently, his lips mere inches from hers. “But the night’s still young, and I’m still wishing.”
Chapter Three
Talk about eye candy. Rylee couldn’t help but admire Nick. He was just over six feet of hotness personified. Blond hair, intense hazel eyes, sexy-as-hell full lips surrounded by a hint of a goatee, and a strong, square jawline with a cute little cleft in the chin. And judging from the way he filled out his white, button-down shirt and faded jeans, the rest of him wasn’t too shabby, either.
He was definitely easy on the eyes, not to mention incredibly young. Rylee couldn’t believe her eyes when she looked at his license and saw that he was only twenty-two years old. Hell, she barely even remembered being that age, let alone having ever dated someone that young.
But, in spite of his age, there was something about Nick that was so sexy, so good, so…right. And if he was willing to spend his evening flirting with her, Rylee was more than happy to oblige him.
Thankfully, Drew had been busy making drinks, and Mya was busy talking on her cell phone. Otherwise they would have been all over her for abandoning them in the middle of their conversation in favor of a total stranger. And, if the looks they kept giving her were any indication, Rylee knew they would give her hell for it later. Until then, she was determined to enjoy herself for a little longer.
Enjoy Nick for a little longer.
Mya suddenly began to squeal with excitement. Rylee didn’t even need to turn around to know that her husband, Tom, had arrived. Seeing the two of them together always made her smile. Mya was a petite little thing, and Tom was a huge bear of a man, with hair even redder than Rylee’s. Tom made Mya look like a little girl when she stood next to him. And, he worshipped the ground she walked on. They walked down the bar to where she stood with Nick.
“Hey, Red.” Tom pulled her into a hug, “You staying out of trouble?”
“You know me.” She smiled and kissed him on the cheek.
“Yeah, I do.” He laughed. “That’s why I’m asking.” Rylee saw him glance over at Nick, and she introduced them.
“We’re out of here,” Mya announced, and she gave Rylee a hug. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Mya whispered in her ear.
“And what exactly wouldn’t you do?” Rylee drawled.
“Oh…right. I see your point.” Mya gave her a wicked grin. “In that case, try not to hurt him too bad.” Mya began laughing hysterically as she and Tom left the restaurant. Rylee smiled in spite of herself, and she turned back to Nick and Drew.
“Well,” Drew began removing his apron. “As fun as this has been for me, my shift is officially over.”
The new bartender, Sean, was behind the bar and had already begun working. Drew’s partner, Jacob, walked in just as he rounded the bar. Rylee couldn’t help but chuckle at the way Drew practically vibrated at the sight of him.
“Hi, beautiful.” Jacob walked up and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Hi, yourself, handsome.” Rylee took a moment to admire the two of them. Drew’s pale skin was a perfect complement to Jacob’s rich chocolate complexion. Just like Mya and Tom, they looked good together. And happy.
Rylee glanced at Nick, who looked on with a mixture of interest and curiosity. That was a good thing; she had no patience for other people’s stupid hang-ups and prejudices, and anybody who couldn’t deal with Drew and Jacob’s relationship, couldn’t deal with her.
Rylee had just introduced Jacob and Nick when Drew’s hand landed on her arm.
“Rylee, you got a moment?” Here it comes. Rylee stepped off to the side to speak to Drew.
“Listen,” she started before he had a chance to say anything, “I already know what you’re going to say, but this is no big deal.” She ignored the fact that it felt like a very big deal. “We’re just having a drink and talking, so there’s nothing for you to worry about.”
Drew sighed and tucked a wayward lock of hair behind her ear. “I can’t help but worry about you, sweetie. You have a tendency to go from zero to love in less than sixty seconds.
And after this whole thing with Ethan, I just don’t want you to get hurt again.” He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a tight hug.
“Now, go on and enjoy your boy toy. Just do me a favor and be careful, okay?”
“Don’t worry. I will,” she promised.
Chapter Four
Nick watched Rylee walk away to talk to Drew, and his gaze soaked in the shapely lines of her body. She was slender, but she definitely didn’t lack any curves. The fitted blouse she wore outlined her slim back and narrow waist, and the tight, straight skirt clung nicely to her rounded hips and ass. In heels, she was only a couple of inches shorter than his six-one frame, and he guessed she was probably around five feet eight in her bare feet.
Just when he’d finally managed to beat his cock into submission, she headed back in his direction. Her hips swayed back and forth, and her blouse was unbuttoned just far enough to reveal a hint of cleavage covered in black lace. When she looked at him, her mouth curved into a sexy smile, and he was suddenly as hard as stone again.
And from the looks she was getting from way too many other men in the room, he suspected he wasn’t the only one feeling the effects of Rylee.
“Alone at last,” he murmured near Rylee’s ear as she slid past him to get to her seat.
“It appears so.” She looked up at him. “So, what are you doing for the rest of your birthday?”
You, if I’m lucky. He decided to keep that thought to himself. As much as he wanted it to happen, Nick wasn’t going to push his luck. The fact that Rylee was still sitting there with
him, instead of leaving once her friends had gone, was a miracle in and of itself, and he
refused to mess things up now that he had her all alone.
“I was just going to hang out and enjoy the city for the rest of the weekend. My brother and I are going to a White Sox game on Sunday before we head back to Wisconsin.
Otherwise, I don’t have any specific plans.” Nick gave her a meaningful look. “Although, I’m hoping that might change.”
“Well, I’d love to give you a tour of the city, but I’m on call this weekend, so I need to stay close to home in case I have to work.” Rylee looked apologetic, her words filled with regret.
“I understand. I know how it is to work on weekends.” Nick tried not to sound as disappointed as he felt. “So, what kind of work do you do?”
A slow smile spread across Rylee’s face. “I work for a hotel.”
“Really?” Nick began to laugh, suddenly understanding her glowing endorsement of the hotel earlier. “It wouldn’t happen to be this hotel, would it?”
“Maybe.” Her laughter joined his. “What about you? What is it that you do up in Wisconsin?”
Nick paused as the bartender placed a fresh bowl of bar nuts in front of them. He was grateful for the interruption, because it gave him a chance to think about his response.
He loved his work. It was something he’d been doing since he was a kid. He really didn’t know how to do anything else, had never wanted to do anything else. Thankfully, he was damn good at it, and the money he made was decent.
Despite all of that, Nick knew Rylee was probably used to dating men much older than him, with pockets much deeper than his. And he couldn’t help but wonder what she would think about how he earned his living. Nick wasn’t exactly sure what Rylee did at the hotel, but he suspected it was something important. And the last thing he wanted was for her to think that he was just another kid who didn’t have his shit together, with no real job or focus in life.
Rylee still looked at him questioningly, and Nick realized that he hadn’t answered her question.
“I work with dogs.” In spite of his reservations about what she would think, Nick couldn’t stop the grin that stretched his face. He loved working with the animals. “My brother and I have a training facility up there, and we breed and train dogs.”