The Difference

by Kaylee Ryan

  The Difference

  Kaylee Ryan

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Epilogue

  Thank you

  More from Kaylee

  Acknowledgments

  Copyright © 2019 Kaylee Ryan

  All Rights Reserved.

  This book may not be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Kaylee Ryan, except for the use of brief quotations in articles and or reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, events, locations, businesses and plot are products of the author’s imagination and meant to be used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events throughout the story are purely coincidental. The author acknowledges trademark owners and trademarked status of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication and use of these trademarks is not authorized, sponsored or associated by or with the trademark owners.

  The following story contains sexual situations and strong language. It is intended for adult readers.

  Cover Design: Sommer Stein, Perfect Pear Creative Covers

  Cover Photography: Sara Eirew

  Models: Simon Cooki & Pamlea Tremblay Mcallen

  Editing: Hot Tree Editing

  Formatting: Integrity Formatting

  Proofreading: Deaton Author Services

  Chapter One

  Addyson

  * * *

  “What about that one?” My best friend, Harper, points her finger over my shoulder. I don’t need to look to know that I’m not interested. I do it anyway to appease her.

  “Which one?” I turn to look over my shoulder at the group of guys playing darts.

  “The one with the black tank top.”

  “Negative.” We’re sitting at Stagger, a local bar, having drinks for our weekly girls’ night. “I told you, Harp. I’m swearing off men. I’m over the drama.”

  “Oh, come on. You can’t let a few bad dates and relationships take you out of the game.”

  “That’s exactly what I’m doing. I’m tired of the games. I want something normal, and from my history, that’s not possible, so I’m sitting the bench.” I’m not exaggerating. Bad luck should have been my middle name when it comes to the opposite sex. I’m not saying I’m benched forever, but I’m definitely on the injured reserve for the foreseeable future.

  “It’s not that bad.” This time she says and points her cheese stick at me before taking a bite.

  “Right,” I say dramatically. “What about Anthony?”

  “Pfft, he was a dick. He cheated on you. That doesn’t mean you fail at relationships.”

  “I didn’t say that I failed. I said I have bad luck. Okay, what about Tommy?”

  She shrugs. “You can’t help that he was batting for the other team.”

  “Harper, he was using me as a cover. Do you know how humiliating that is? To think you are in a committed, loving relationship to find out your man likes men?” I really liked Tommy. In fact, we still keep in touch. Just random “how are you” messages. He and his boyfriend, Josh, are happy and finally have the acceptance of Tommy’s parents. I guess when they figured out how far he was willing to go to make them happy, they changed their way of thinking.

  “He cared about you.”

  “That’s not the point,” I argue. I know he cared about me, but he also deceived me. That’s a hard pill to swallow.

  “Still not an excuse to take yourself out of the game,” she counters.

  “Okay, fine. What about Jared?” I raise an eyebrow in question.

  “He was a douche.”

  I smirk. “You think? He was so hot for you. I should have caught on since he was always asking if you were going to be there when we went out.” Hindsight and all that. I thought it was great the new guy in my life was supportive of how close Harper and I are. We’ve been friends since preschool and share an unbreakable bond.

  “He got what was coming to him.” She grins.

  “That he did.” I can’t help but smile as I raise my glass to hers, and we tap them together. Jared and I dated for about two months. It ended the night he cornered Harper at the club we were at. He told her he was only with me to get to know her, that he loved her. She kneed him in the balls, bringing him to his knees. She left him there to come and find me. I haven’t seen or heard from him since.

  “You can’t let any of those encounters keep you from moving forward.” She signals to the waitress and holds up two fingers and her empty glass.

  “Really? Shall we talk about Fletcher?”

  She immediately laughs, covering her mouth with her hand to keep from spewing the drink of beer she just took all over me. “I’m sorry,” she says, removing her hand. “I’m not laughing at you, but with you.”

  “You think it’s funny that I spent three months with a man who couldn’t get me off?” I ask incredulously. Fletcher was my last adventure with dating, and that was over six months ago. Harper has been on me to get back out there. I have no desire. Well, I have desire, but that’s nothing that I can’t handle on my own. Sure, I’d like to feel the strength of a man hovering over me, holding me after, but sacrifices and all that. In my present state of thinking, it’s well worth it.

  “It’s not that. It’s the way you would tell the story. You tried to coach him and everything.” She giggles.

  She’s not wrong. I tried giving him pointers, but nothing seemed to help. To top it off, he was surprised when I ended things between us. He was convinced I was the one. I’m not sure why he thinks that any woman is okay with him getting his and not repaying the favor. Like I said, I’m better off handling things on my own. This is what my life has become. Sitting at a bar with my best friend while she giggles like a teenager over my lack of orgasms.

  Just living my best life.

  “I’m telling you. I had to break it off for fear of getting carpal tunnel.” I hold up my right hand and wiggle my wrist around, and she laughs even harder.

  I fail to find the humor.

  “One discrete online order and that little problem was taken care of.” I smile, proud of myself for taking charge of the situation.

  “Sounds like you need a real man,” a deep, husky voice whispers in my ear, causing tingles to race up and down my spine.

  Rotating in my seat, I take him in. Tall, well over six feet, dark hair, well-trimmed beard, and a sleeve of ink. Add in the deep, husky timbre of his voice, and you have sex on legs. For a fraction of a second, I reconsider my “sitting the bench” plan, but shake out of the thought quickly.

  “Thanks, but I spend my time with the battery-operated variety these days,” I say, turning back in my seat.

  “Mind if we join you?” he asks.

  Harper gives me a wide-eyed “you better scoot your ass over and make room” look, so that’s what I do. Spinning to face the sexy stranger, I offer him my hand. “Addyson Stafford.”

  His large hand engulfs mine. “Lucas Prescott.”

  I’m tongue-tied. He’s gorgeo
us and exudes confidence. “Addy.” Harper breaks me out of my trance, and I realize I’ve been staring at him. I turn to look at her, and she motions toward the guy next to her. He’s equally as good-looking, maybe a little less rugged than my guy. No, not my guy. Just the dark-haired handsome stranger who seems to be talking to me more so than Harper. “Addyson,” I say, holding my hand out for him across the table.

  “Justin Atwood. Nice to meet you, ladies,” he says, turning his gaze back to Harper. I must have missed their introduction while I was drooling over Lucas.

  “So, orgasms.” Lucas smirks, taking a drink from the bottle of beer in his hand that I’m just now noticing.

  “Ugh.” I cover my face with my hands. “We do not need to rehash that conversation.”

  “Oh, no, I really think we should.” I can hear the grin in his voice.

  “Addy has had a bad run lately,” Harper chimes in.

  “Bad run? Really?” I question her. “Bad run is ending a long-term relationship. I’m having more than a bad run.”

  “A few hiccups.” She tries to soothe my ruffled feathers.

  “Okay, let’s continue with the list,” I say, not even caring that one of the sexiest guys I’ve ever laid eyes on is sitting right next to me, his thigh pressed against mine. “What about Blake?”

  She cringes. “Asshole.”

  “What happened?” Justin asks. He sits back in the booth, settling in for the story.

  “Oh, you know, we met at the coffee shop my senior year of college. We exchanged numbers; he called the next day.” I take a drink of my beer before continuing. “We went out a few times, and he suggested he cook me dinner. Finals were coming up and were kicking my ass. I readily agreed. He picked me up from class as I rode with Harper that day. We stopped at the store to get everything he needed and guess who we ran into?” I keep my gaze on Justin though I’m unable to forget the man sitting next to me. “His wife,” I say when he shrugs. “We met her in the produce aisle. Have you ever had a cucumber thrown at your head? Not pleasant.” I shake off my irritation. “I could go on and on.” I take another sip of beer.

  “Is he the same schmuck who couldn’t get you there?” Lucas asks.

  I turn to look at him. “Nope, that was Fletcher.”

  “Just how many are there?” he questions.

  “Enough.” I shrug. “They’ve all been disasters waiting to happen. Hence the reason I’m on the bench.”

  “Every benched player needs practice.” He winks.

  “You doubting my skills, Prescott?” I lean into him.

  “No doubts,” he says huskily. “But if you need someone to… throw a few balls with, I’m your guy.”

  “Do you even like baseball?” Harper laughs.

  “Nope.” I shrug, finishing off my beer. All three of them are laughing, and it takes extreme effort to fight my grin.

  I’m making light of it, but in all honesty, I’m just over it all. The effort you put into dating and relationships to get nothing in return. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a diva, but an orgasm or two might be nice. Oh, and to be the only one in your life, for that person to be into you and not your best friend, or be into someone of the same gender. Is that too much to ask?

  “All right, so give me some more,” Lucas says, bumping his shoulder into mine. He’s flirting and I must admit, the contact is welcome. With my self-imposed drought, this is the only contact I’m going to be seeing for a while.

  “I’m sure you have better things to do than listen to me whine about my dating mishaps.”

  “Got a cold beer.” He shows me his new bottle that was just dropped off at our table, along with two more drafts for Harper and me. “I’m all ears.”

  “Fine,” I grumble. “Let’s see.” I take a drink as I sift through my bad experiences to give him another one. “Oh.” I point to Harper. “What about Rodney?”

  She shakes her head. “That one was scary.”

  “Scary?” Lucas sits up a little straighter.

  “Yeah, so I signed up for online dating. Thinking maybe I just wasn’t going to the right places to meet a decent guy. Rodney was an immediate match. We talked back and forth online for a couple of months before I was brave enough to meet him.”

  “Did you meet this guy alone?” he asks. Concern is evident in his voice. The knowledge warms me. This man doesn’t know me, but he’s concerned about me. His shoulders are tense, so I’m quick to diffuse his worry.

  “No, we met at a bar a town over and Harper was with me, but sitting at the bar.”

  “Like that’s protection,” he grumbles, but I ignore him and continue with the story.

  “So, on his online profile, he was a decent-looking guy, blond hair, green eyes, said he was a runner. He had an athletic build in the picture, so it was believable.” I take another drink, feeling a little vulnerable with the attention of both of these gorgeous guys. Maybe telling these stories isn’t such a good idea.

  “What happened?” Justin asks.

  Too far in to turn back now. “We finally agreed to meet for drinks. I got there early so Harper could settle in at the bar, just in case. So I’m sitting at the booth waiting for him. I keep watching the door looking for him. I had his profile pulled up on my phone and everything.” I take another drink. “When an older gentleman, late fifties if I had to guess, slides into the booth and hands me a white rose.”

  “Was it him?”

  “Yep,” I say, popping the p. “When I called him out on it, he said he wanted me to want him for him. I then had to point out that he lied not only about his looks, but his age, and occupation and I’m sure everything else. When I stood to leave, he grabbed my hand, telling me one night with him and he’d make it worth my while.”

  “That’s where I stepped in,” Harper adds. “I was sitting next to a couple of guys, leather vests, scruffy beards. We later learned they were in a motorcycle club. Anyway, when I saw him grab her, I enlisted the two guys to show him to the door.”

  “You learned your lesson, right? No more meeting up with strange men from the internet,” Lucas says.

  “Well, you should probably go. You are a stranger,” I tell him. The words leave my lips but oddly enough, I almost want him to stay. He seems like a nice guy, but then again, history proves my judgment in men is shit. Still, a girl can wish.

  “But I’m sitting right here. You see me. What you see is what you get.” He winks again, and butterflies take flight in my belly. He really is that gorgeous.

  “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I should trust you,” I counter.

  “I guess only time will tell.” He raises his hand to grab the waitress’s attention and orders us all another round.

  That’s how the night goes. The four of us sit and talk, leisurely drinking a few beers, and I have to say, even with the intrusion on girls’ night it’s welcome.

  “Last call,” the waitress says, stopping by our table.

  “You ladies want another?” Justin asks.

  “No, thanks,” Harper and I say at the same time.

  “You ready?” I look across the booth at my friend. I can tell she’s really interested in Justin. If I were not on a dating freeze, I would be crushing on Lucas as well, but I’ve been down that road. It’s one I’m not ready to travel again anytime soon.

  “Yes.” She turns to Justin. “It was nice meeting you,” she tells him. I miss his reply because Lucas’s hot breath is in my ear.

  “I had a good time.” His deep timbre causes goose bumps to break out across my skin.

  “Me too.” I smile over at him. His lips look soft.

  “Can I borrow your phone?” he asks.

  “Sure.” I dig into my bag, unlock the screen, and hand it to him. I watch as his fingers fly across the screen. “What exactly are you doing?” I assume he needed to call an Uber or a friend to pick them up.

  “Sending myself a text.”

  “Why?” I ask stupidly. I know the answer to that question. I cringe inwardly. You woul
d think this is the first time I’ve been in the presence of a man.

  “So, we can do this again.” He nods across the table. “My boy has no game.” He chuckles. “This way when he’s kicking himself in the ass tomorrow for not doing what I just did, I can help him out.”

  “Why not ask me for her number?” I ask him.

  “What would be the fun in that?”

  “Right, well, if he wants her number, you know how to find me,” I say, taking my phone out of his hands and dropping it back in my bag.

  “How are you getting home?” he asks.

  “Oh, I just live a few blocks away. We walked.”

  “It’s late.”

  “Is it?” I reply sassily.

  “We’ll walk you.”

  “That’s not necessary. We’re big girls. How are you getting home?” I ask, turning the tables on him.

  “I called my sister. Ollie, my nephew is staying with our parents tonight. I tried to get her to come out with us, but she was actually looking forward to a quiet night at home. She insisted we call her, and she would come and get us. I didn’t bother to argue. If Anna is anything, she’s determined to get her way.”

  I can’t help but wonder if sister is code for girlfriend or wife. Like I said, I’m jaded.

  “You don’t want to keep her waiting.”

  “If you were my sister, I would want the guy to make sure she got home safe.”

  “So, you trying to find out where I live? What, you want to stalk me now?”

  “No.” He rubs his temples. “I just want to make sure that the two of you get home safe.”

  “Hey, did you call Anna yet?” Justin asks Lucas. “I think we should walk them home.”