by Reese Ryan
“Fifteen thousand dollars going once. Fifteen thousand dollars going twice.” Rachel looked around the room, excitedly. “Sold! Ryan Bateman, you may claim your bachelorette.”
Ryan froze for a moment as everyone in the room looked at him, clapping and cheering. Many of them with knowing smiles. He cleared his throat, ended the recording and slowly made his way toward the stage and toward his friend who regarded him with utter confusion.
He stuffed his phone into his pocket, gave Tess an awkward hug and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek for the sake of the crowd.
They all cheered, and he escorted Tess off the stage. Then Rachel and Alexis wrapped up the auction.
“Oh my God, what did you just do?” Tessa whispered loudly enough for him to hear her over all the noise.
“Can’t rightly say I know,” he responded, not looking at her, but fully aware of his hand on her waist, his thumb resting on the soft skin of her back. Electricity sparked in his fingertips. Trailed up his arm.
“I appreciate what you did, Rye. It was a very generous donation. But I thought we agreed you would only bid if no one else did.” Tessa folded her arms as she stared at him, searching his face for an answer.
“I know, and I was following the plan, I was. But I just couldn’t let you go home with a guy like Clem.”
* * *
Tessa stared up into his green eyes, her own eyes widening in response. Ryan Bateman was her oldest and closest friend. She knew just about everything there was to know about him. But the man standing before her was a mystery.
He’d gone beyond his usual protectiveness of her and had landed squarely into possessive territory. To be honest, it was kind of a turn-on. Which was problematic. Because Rye was her best friend. Emphasis on friend.
She folded her arms over her chest, suddenly self-conscious about whether the tightening of her nipples was visible through the thin material.
“And what, exactly, is it that you have against Clem?”
Ryan shook his head. “Nothing really.” He seemed dazed, maybe even a little confused himself. “I just didn’t want you to go out with him. He’s too old for you.”
“That’s ageist.” She narrowed her gaze.
It was true that she’d certainly never considered Clem Davidson as anything other than a nice older man. Still, it wasn’t right for Ryan to single him out because of his age. It was a football date. Plain and simple. There would be no sex. With anyone.
“Clem isn’t that much older than us, you know. Ten or fifteen years, tops.” She relaxed her arms and ran her fingers through the silky waves that she still hadn’t gotten accustomed to.
Ryan seemed to tense at the movement. He clenched his hand at his side, then nodded. “You’re right on both counts. But what’s done is done.” He shrugged.
“What if it had been Bo instead? Would you have outbid him, too?”
“Yes.” He seemed to regret his response, or at least the conviction with which he’d uttered the word. “I mean...yes,” he said again.
“You just laid down fifteen grand for me,” Tess said as they approached the bar. “The least I can do is buy you a drink.”
She patted her hips, then remembered that her money and credit cards were in her purse backstage.
“Never mind. I’ve got it. Besides, I’m already running a tab.” Ryan ordered a Jack and Coke for himself and one for her, which she turned down, requesting club soda with lime instead. “You...uh...you look pretty incredible.”
“Thanks.” She tried to sound grateful for the compliment, but when everyone fawned over how good she looked tonight, all she heard was the implication that her everyday look was a hot mess.
Her tomboy wardrobe had been a conscious choice, beginning back in grade school. She’d developed early. Saw how it had changed the other kids’ perception of her. With the exception of Ryan, the boys she’d been friends with were suddenly more fascinated with her budding breasts than anything she had to say. And they’d come up with countless ways to cop an “accidental” feel.
Several of the girls were jealous of her newfound figure and the resulting attention from the boys. They’d said hateful things to her and started blatantly false rumors about her, which only brought more unwanted attention from the boys.
Tess had recognized, even then, that the problem was theirs, not hers. That they were immature and stupid. Still, it didn’t stop the things they’d said from hurting.
She’d been too embarrassed to tell Tripp or Ryan, who were a few grades ahead of her. And she was worried that Ryan’s temper would get him in serious trouble. She hadn’t told her parents, either. They would’ve come to her school, caused a scene and made her even more of a social pariah.
So she’d worn bulky sweaters, loose jeans and flannel shirts that masked her curves and made her feel invisible.
After a while, she’d gotten comfortable in her wardrobe. Made it her own. Until it felt like her daily armor.
Wearing a seductive red pantsuit, with her entire back exposed and every curve she owned on display, made her feel as vulnerable as if she’d traipsed across the stage naked.
But she was glad she’d done it. That she’d reclaimed a little of herself.
The bartender brought their drinks and Ryan stuffed a few dollars into the tip jar before taking a generous gulp of his drink.
“So, is this your new look?” An awkward smile lit Ryan’s eyes. “’Cause it’s gonna be mighty hard for you to rope a steer in that getup.”
“Shut it, Rye.” She pointed a finger at him, and they both laughed.
When they finally recovered from their laughter, she took his glass from his hand and took a sip of his drink. His eyes darkened as he watched her, his jaw tensing again.
“Not bad. Maybe I will have one.” She handed it back to him.
Without taking his eyes off of her, Ryan signaled for the bartender to bring a Jack and Coke for her, too. There was something in his stare. A hunger she hadn’t seen before.
She often longed for Ryan to see her as more than just “one of the boys.” Now that it seemed he was finally seeing her that way, it was unsettling. His heated stare made her skin prickle with awareness.
The prospect of Ryan being as attracted to her as she was to him quickened her pulse and sent a shock of warmth through her body. But just as quickly, she thought of how her relationship with the boys in school had changed once they saw her differently.
That wasn’t something she ever wanted to happen between her and Ryan. She could deal with her eternal, unrequited crush, but she couldn’t deal with losing his friendship.
She cleared her throat, and it seemed to break them both from the spell they’d both fallen under.
They were just caught up in emotions induced by the incredibly romantic setting, the fact that she looked like someone wholly different than her everyday self, and the adrenaline they’d both felt during the auction. Assigning it meaning...that would be a grave mistake. One that would leave one or both of them sorely disappointed once the bubble of illusion burst.
“So...since it’s just us, we don’t need to go out on a date. Because that would be...you know...weird. But, I’m totally down for hanging out. And seats on the fifty-yard line...so...yay.”
“That’s what I was really after.” Ryan smirked, sipping his drink. “You could’ve been wearing a brown potato sack, and I still would’ve bid on those tickets. It’s like the whole damned date had my name written all over it.” His eyes widened with realization. “Wait...you did tailor it just for me, didn’t you?”
Tessa’s cheeks heated. She took a deep sip of her drink and returned it to the bar, waving a hand dismissively.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, partner. I simply used your tastes as a point of reference. After all, you, Tripp and my dad are the only men that I’ve been spending any significant time with thes
e days. I figured if you’d like it, the bidders would, too.”
“Hmm...” Ryan took another sip of his drink, almost sounding disappointed. “Makes sense, I guess.”
“I’m glad you get it. Alexis and Rachel thought it was the least romantic thing they could imagine. They tried to talk me into something else. Something grander and more flowery.”
“Which neither of us would’ve enjoyed.” Ryan nodded. “And the makeover... I assume that was Rachel’s idea, too.”
“Both Alexis and Rachel came up with that one. Alexis got PURE to donate a spa day and the makeover, so it didn’t cost me anything.” Tessa tucked her hair behind her ear and studied her friend’s face. “You don’t like it?”
“No, of course I do. I love it. You look...incredible. You really do. Your parents are going to flip when they see this.” He patted the phone in his pocket.
“You recorded it? Oh no.” Part of her was eager to see the video. Another part of her cringed at the idea of watching herself prance across that stage using the catwalk techniques she’d studied online.
But no matter how silly she might feel right now, she was glad she’d successfully worked her magic on the crowd.
The opening chords of one of her favorite old boy band songs drew her attention to the stage where the band was playing.
“Oh my God, I love that song.” Tessa laughed, sipping the last of her drink and then setting the glass on the bar. “Do you remember what a crush I had on these guys?”
Rye chuckled, regarding her warmly over the rim of his glass as he finished off his drink, too. “I remember you playing this song on repeat incessantly.”
“That CD was my favorite possession. I still can’t believe I lost it.”
Ryan lowered his gaze, his chin dipping. He tapped a finger on the bar before raising his eyes to hers again and taking her hand. “I need to make a little confession.”
“You rat!” She poked him in the chest. “You did something to my CD, didn’t you?”
A guilty smirk curled the edges of his mouth. “Tripp and I couldn’t take it anymore. We might’ve trampled the thing with a horse or two, then dumped it.”
“You two are awful.” She realized that she’d gone a little overboard in her obsession with the group. But trampling the album with a horse? That was harsh.
“If I’m being honest, I’ve always felt incredibly guilty about my role in the whole sordid affair.” Ryan placed his large, warm hand on her shoulder. The tiny white lights that decorated the space were reflected in his green eyes. “Let me make it up to you.”
“And just how do you plan to do that?” Tessa folded her arms, cocking a brow.
He pulled out his phone, swiped through a few screens. “First of all, I just ordered you another copy of that album—CD and digital.”
She laughed. “You didn’t need to do that, Rye.”
“I did, and I feel much better now. Not just because it was wrong of us to take away something you loved so much. Because I hated having that secret between us all these years. You’re the one person in the world I can tell just about anything. So it feels pretty damn good to finally clear my conscience.” He dropped his hand from her shoulder.
“All right.” She forced a smile, trying her best to hide her disappointment at the loss of his touch. “And what’s the second thing?”
He held his large, open palm out to her. “It seems I’ve bought myself a date for the night. Care to dance?”
“You want to dance to this sappy, boy band song that you’ve always hated?”
He grabbed her hand and led her to the dance floor. “Then I guess there’s one more confession I need to make... I’ve always kind of liked this song. I just didn’t want your brother to think I’d gone soft.”
Tessa laughed as she joined her best friend on the dance floor.
Six
Gus Slade watched as Tessa Noble and Ryan Bateman entered the dance floor, both of them laughing merrily. Gus shook his head. Ryan was one of the prospects he’d considered as a good match for his granddaughter Alexis. Only it was clear that Ryan and Tess were hung up on each other, even if the self-proclaimed “best friends” weren’t prepared to admit it to themselves.
It was no wonder Ryan’s brief engagement to that wannabe supermodel he’d met in the city didn’t last long enough for the two of them to make it to the altar.
Encouraging Alexis to start something with the Bateman boy would only result in heartache for his granddaughter once Ryan and Tess finally recognized the attraction flickering between them.
He’d experienced that kind of hurt and pain in his life when the woman he’d once loved, whom he thought truly loved him, had suddenly turned against him, shutting him out of her life.
It was something he’d never truly gotten over. Despite a long and happy marriage that lasted until the death of his dear wife.
Gus glanced over at Rose Clayton, his chest tightening. Even after all these years, the woman was still gorgeous. Just a hint of gray was visible at her temples. The rest of her hair was the same dark brown it was when she was a girl. She wore it in a stylish, modern cut that befit a mature woman. Yet, anyone who didn’t know her could easily mistake her for a much younger woman.
And after all these years, Rose Clayton still turned heads, including his. The woman managed to stay as slim now as she had been back when she was a young girl. Yet, there was nothing weak or frail about Rose Clayton.
Her every move, her every expression, exuded a quiet confidence that folks around Royal had always respected. And tonight, he had to admit that she looked simply magnificent.
Gus glanced around the tented garden area again. The space looked glorious. Better than he could ever have imagined when the club first decided to undertake a major renovation of this space and a few other areas of the club, which had been in operation since the 1920s.
Alexis had headed up the committee that put on the auction. And his granddaughter had truly outdone herself.
Gus searched the crowd for Alexis. Her duties as Mistress of Ceremony appeared to be over for the night. Still, he couldn’t locate her anywhere.
Gus walked toward the main building. Perhaps she was in the office or one of the other interior spaces. But as he looked through the glass pane, he could see Alexis inside, hemmed up by Daniel Clayton. From the looks of it, they were arguing.
Fists clenched at his sides, Gus willed himself to stay where he was rather than rushing inside and demanding that Daniel leave his granddaughter alone. If he did that, then Alexis would defend the boy.
That would defeat the purpose of the elaborate plan he and Rose Clayton had concocted to keep their grandkids apart.
So he’d wait there. Monitor the situation without interfering. He didn’t want his granddaughter marrying any kin to Rose Clayton. Especially a boy with a mother like Stephanie Clayton. A heavy drinker who’d been in and out of trouble her whole life. A woman who couldn’t be bothered to raise her own boy. Instead, she’d dumped him off on Rose who’d raised Daniel as if he was her own son.
From where he stood, it appeared that Daniel was pleading with Alexis. But she shoved his hand away when he tried to touch her arm.
Gus smirked, glad to see that someone besides him was getting the sharp end of that fierce stubborn streak she’d inherited from him.
Suddenly, his granddaughter threw her arms up and said something to Daniel that he obviously didn’t like. Then she turned and headed his way.
Gus moved away from the door and around the corner to the bar as quickly and quietly as he could. He waited for her to pass by.
“Alexis!” Gus grabbed hold of her elbow as she hurried past him. He chuckled good-naturedly. “Where’s the fire, darlin’?”
She didn’t laugh. In fact, the poor thing looked dazed, like a wounded bird that had fallen out of the nest before it was time.
“Sorry, I didn’t see you, Grandad.” Her eyes didn’t meet his. Instead, she looked toward the office where she was headed. “I’m sorry I don’t have time to talk right now. I need to deal with a major problem.”
“Alexis, honey, what is it? Is everything all right?”
“It will be, I’m sure. I just really need to take care of this now, okay?” Her voice trembled, seemed close to breaking.
“I wanted to tell you how proud I am of you. Tonight was magnificent and you’ve raised so much money for pancreatic cancer research. Your grandmother would be so very proud of you.”
Alexis suddenly raised her gaze to his, the corners of her eyes wet with tears. Rather than the intended effect of comforting her, his words seemed to cause her distress.
“Alexis, what’s wrong?” Gus pleaded with his darling girl. The pain in her blue eyes, rimmed with tears, tore at his heart. “Whatever it is, you can talk to me.”
Before she could answer, Daniel Clayton passed by. He and Alexis exchanged a long, painful look. Then Daniel dropped his gaze and continued to the other side of the room.
“Alexis, darlin’, what’s going on?”
The tears spilled from her eyes. Alexis sucked in a deep breath and sniffled.
“It’s nothing I can’t handle, Grandad.” She wiped away the tears with brusque swipes of her hand and shook her head. “Thank you for everything you said. I appreciate it. Really. But I need to take care of this issue. I’ll see you back at home later, okay?”
Alexis pressed a soft kiss to his whiskered cheek. Then she hurried off toward the clubhouse offices.
Gus sighed, leaning against the bar. He dropped on to the stool, tapped the bar to get the bartender’s attention, and ordered a glass of whiskey, neat. He gripped the hard, cold glass without moving it to his lips.
Their little plan was a partial success. Neither he nor Rose had been able to match their grandchildren up with an eligible mate. Yet, they’d done exactly what they’d set out to do. They’d driven a wedge between Daniel and Alexis.