Raising Ryann

by Alyssa Rae Taylor

  “Damn it!” he growls, making me flinch. “Would you stop being so stubborn and let me help you?” I’m surprised because I think he’s really mad at me.

  “What do you mean stubborn?” I narrow my eyes. “For your information, you are helping me.” Counting on my fingers, I say, “You’re giving me rides. You’re training me.” You saved me, I want to say. “What have I done for you?” I ask.

  “We’re friends.” He shrugs. “That’s what friends do.”

  I watch him reach into his pocket and pull out his phone.

  “Steve, I need a favor.” Luke glances at me with a wry grin. “I have a lady friend who’s having problems with her car. You got time to take a look?” I notice a chunk of hair in the back of his head that’s sticking up in a funny direction and press my lips together, trying not to laugh.

  “It’s a Honda Civic,” he says before pausing and asking, “Tomorrow?”

  I nod when he glances at me.

  “That’ll work.” He looks at me again and furrows his brows. “Yep. No problem.” Narrowing his eyes, he adds, “I’ll drive her around.” He watches me carefully.

  His words have me fidgeting in my seat. The thought of driving around with Luke makes me nervous, and I’m pretty sure he’s aware of this fact.

  When I meet his eyes, the cocky bastard winks at me. “See you then, bud.” He puts his phone away then taps on the steering wheel. “See.”

  I arch a brow. “See what?”

  “Nothin’ to worry about.” Reaching over, he squeezes the lower part of my thigh. His hand feels like it belongs there, but if I act like I notice, he’ll move it. So I don’t.

  “We’ll see about that,” I murmur.

  His brows lift. “He said it may take a couple days, but he’ll do it. He needs to find out what’s wrong first.” He shrugs his shoulders. “It might be an easy fix, like the battery or alternator. If that’s the case, it shouldn’t take long at all.”

  “I can probably get help from Gia if it turns out to be a bigger problem.”

  “Good.” He nods. “You’ve got both of us then.”

  I lean back against the headrest and sigh. “Thank you.”

  He nods then asks, “Do you work at Chili’s this week?”

  “No, I already worked my shifts.”

  “See …” He smiles. “All taken care of.”

  We arrive at work, and the girls are already geared up, anxiously waiting the lesson.

  “Hi Luke!” several of them shout excitedly.

  I place my hands on my hips, faking offense. “What about me?”

  They all giggle, some of them blushing. “Hi Reese!” My goodness. Does he have this effect on everyone?

  “You’re starting to make me jealous,” I mumble, swatting him with the back of my hand.

  “Ouch!” He flinches playfully.

  My mouth drops. “Don’t believe him, girls. He knows how to put on a show.” I spot Ally watching me with a funny expression, so I make my way over and ask, “What’s with the look, Miss Ally?”

  Her brows move up and down before her eyes drift to Luke then back to me. “You know …” She grins. “You two came here together.”

  I lean down and whisper, “You silly girl. My car broke down, and I needed a ride.” When she glances toward the other girls they cover their mouths and snicker. I see, so they’re all in on it.

  “I like your outfit,” Taylor interrupts before Maddy and Rylee agree. I drop my gaze to the fitted pink top and stretchy charcoal shorts—an outfit that Luke won’t be ‘comfortable’ with. My cheeks heat as my eyes flick to his, and a lazy smile stretches across his face. Then he scratches his head and looks away.

  “Okay girls. Reese and I are going to demonstrate a little of what we did last week. Do you remember what we practiced?” The girls nod their heads, sitting side by side with their legs crossed.

  “This time I’m going to throw Reese down on the mat, and she’s going to try to get out from underneath me by flipping me over.”

  I turn and look at him, clearly annoyed, and he flashes his signature grin, dimples and all. I suck at this. He knows I can’t get out of it, and every time I try, I have to deal with him smirking like he won the damn lottery.

  “You ready?” he asks with a look I love to hate.

  Lifting my chin in defiance, I say, “Ready when you are.”

  Then, he tackles me. We land hard on the mat, so I wait for an open opportunity. I savor my strength, trying to stay patient as the weight of his body lies over me. His arms are pinning me down, but I get my footing in a secure place. I don’t look at him. It’s too distracting, and when I’m finally able to maneuver my hips, it works.

  Our hearts pound frantically while we both try to catch our breaths. I stare at him in shock as I lie on top of him.

  “Kiss him!” one of the girls shouts.

  I lift my eyes to meet his, and they sparkle before a devilish smirk appears.

  “You did it,” he says softly.

  I clear my throat, quickly climbing off of him. I don’t want to do something stupid like grab his face and kiss him then run my fingers through his sexy hair.

  “You did good!” Ally says excitedly.

  I smile before my brows knit together, confused. Did he let me do that?

  The girls practiced on each other the rest of the period. Luckily after several tries, most of them seemed to have it down.

  “I have no idea what I’m doing.” Luke frowns, after spending and hour and a half on my A/C.

  “At least you tried.” I shrug. “Which is more than I can say for the management.” He purses his lips, looking down at his hands, which are now covered in grease.”

  “Sorry about that,” I say, before pointing him in the direction of the bathroom. I quickly check my reflection in a nearby mirror and jump when a loud noise startles me. When I make my way into the kitchen, I see Luke’s phone buzzing on the counter. I reach over and answer it, without even thinking, then look around to see if I’m caught.

  “Luke?” I hear a female voice say.

  Squeezing my eyes shut. Damn! What am I doing? “Um he’s busy,” I reply, then nervously glance toward the bathroom.

  Her voice sounds a little bothered when she asks, “Who’s this?”

  At first, I debate not telling her then finally give up. “This is Reese,” I pause, “I’m his friend.”

  “Oh …” she says after a moment of silence.

  “Can I take a message?” I ask in a fake chipper tone.

  “S-sure,” she stutters. “Can you tell him to call Lauren?”

  Why am I not surprised?

  “And tell him it’s important,” she adds just as Luke walks out of the bathroom. Glancing toward the counter before his eyes move back to his phone, he cocks a brow.

  “Wait, Lauren he can talk now. Here he is.” I hand it over, embarrassed to look at him.

  “Hey,” he answers.

  When I lift my lashes he’s looking directly at me, narrowing his eyes. I shuffle back and forth afraid I got him in trouble. Then he makes his way out the front door, leaving me alone in my kitchen.

  It takes several long minutes before he walks back into my apartment. I occupy my time with a book, but I startle when his phone slams on my counter. Very slowly, he turns around looking the most pissed I’ve ever seen him. “Do me a favor,” he snaps. “Don’t answer my phone.”

  The embarrassment I was feeling earlier turns to boiling rage. How dare he talk to me like that! Screw privacy. “I was trying to help!” I yell. “Don’t talk to me like I’m a child!”

  “Then stop acting like one,” he spits.

  “You’re an asshole!”

  He takes a step back, watching me, then sighs. “Look, It’s not your fault.” He runs a palm over his face resigning. “There’s a lot of stuff going on—stuff you don’t know about—that you don’t need to know about,” he finishes. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”

  I fold my arms, arching a br
ow. “And?”

  “And I’m sorry,” he replies with a soft chuckle.

  Tilting my head, I ask, “What’s so funny?” I really want to know, but he just laughs harder.

  “I’m waiting for the smoke to come out of your ears.”

  “Really?” I ask, placing my hands on my hips. “Do you know how bad I want to hurt you right now?”

  He nods his head, and I’m pretty sure I see tears. I playfully swing at his shoulder, and he grabs my wrist then taunts me. “Is that all you’ve got.”

  I bring my face right up to his and whisper, “You infuriate me.” I swing at him with the other arm, and he grabs that wrist as well.

  “Good,” he replies.

  I clench my teeth at his cockiness. “Wipe that stupid smirk off your face, boy.” I stick out my leg trying to trip him. “Let go of me. You jerk!”

  “If I do, are you going to attack me?” he asks, cocking a brow.

  “Of course I am!” I hiss.

  Leaning down, he whispers, “Then sorry princess, I’m not gonna let go.”

  My body ignites with adrenaline, as I twist and turn under his grasp. I start kicking him in the leg, and he flinches before wrestling me to the ground, stretching my arms above my head. His grip around my wrists becomes tighter, stronger. It doesn’t hurt, still I try to buck him off. The electricity igniting between us makes me instantly aware of every part of him that’s touching me. When I feel his arousal, I go still. My chest rises and falls, as I stare into those eyes.

  Hunger flashes his gaze, and the corner of his mouth tilts. He softly says, “You keep moving around like that, we’re gonna have a problem.” His eyes fall to my lips.

  I’m too caught up in our chemistry to care about my traitorous blush. Our lips are an inch apart, and my heart races, as I wonder if he’ll kiss me. He slowly rolls off—disappointing me—before he breaks the silence.

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a good laugh.” He stands then holds out a hand. “Sorry it was at your expense.” After he pulls me up I clear my throat, quickly turning away. I’m terrified that my expression will betray me.

  “I’ll get your A/C fixed. I’m gonna call around,” he says.

  I look over my shoulder. “No way. You’re not going to pay for that, too.” I turn around and shrug. “I’ll just wait for maintenance … it’s fine.”

  “Seriously woman, you’re driving me crazy!”

  I place my hands on my hips and give him my best glare. “Why? Because I don’t want to depend on a man to support me?”

  “Aw, would you just shut up already?” he groans then adds, “It’s hot in here. I’m dying!” Pulling his shirt away from his body, he starts fanning himself. He’s right, it is hot, but I don’t know what else to tell him.

  “Thank you for trying to fix it. I really appreciate it.” I grab his keys and phone then hand them to him. “I can take it from here.”

  He takes a few steps closer and lifts his brows. “Why don’t you come stay with me until you get it fixed?”

  Now that totally caught me by surprise. “Stay with you?” I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear and ask, “Wouldn’t that upset Lauren?”

  A wry smirk slowly slides on his face. “Lauren won’t mind,” he says confidently.

  I find it hard to believe him, but I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t tempting, for several reasons I don’t want to name.

  “Thanks for offering,” I say. “Maybe I’ll take you up on that.” I bite back a smile when he flashes his dimpled grin. “I’ll try maintenance again tomorrow and see if I hear anything.”

  He shrugs his shoulders. “It makes sense since I’m going to be driving you around anyway.

  Is he trying to talk me into it? God, he’s so confusing.

  “Oh! Speaking of driving, can you take me to the work party Friday?”

  He tilts his head. “Yeah, isn’t it supposed to be at some club?”

  “Yes. That was Kyle’s idea,” I murmur. “Several of the guys talked about changing it up over the usual dinner party. Majority won. I think it increases their chances of getting lucky.”

  “I see,” he says, arching a brow. “Are you using a fake ID?”

  I blush. “Yes, but it’ll only be the second time I’ve used it,” I say, grinning. “I’m not a lush or anything.”

  His eyes dance and he flashes that sideways smile. “I never said you were.”

  I shrug. “Anyway, I’m sure it’ll be fun, but I’ll let you go home now.”

  He nods then jingles his keys in his hand before he turns to walk away.

  “You’re sure you don’t mind giving me a ride?” I yell out again, still feeling the weight of his earlier rejection.

  He looks over his shoulder and shouts, “Not at all.” He holds up his keys. “I’m your designated driver.”

  “This class sucks,” I say, glancing at the paper on my left. It has a giant letter A scrawled on it in bright red pen. “How do you do that?” I ask Luke.

  “He only gives a pass or fail grade. I can help you both if you need it.”

  Gia grabs my arm then leans all the way across me. “That would be great. What about today after school?” Flicking her gaze toward me, she says, “We can all go to her apartment.”

  “No way.” I lean back and arch a brow. “I do everything I can to stay away from there. My air conditioner still isn’t working.”

  “I told you to stay with me, stubborn ass,” Luke growls.

  “He told you what?” Gia whispers, but it’s loud enough that Luke can hear. I shake my head, begging her to drop it. But she sits back and says, “I would say you could stay with me, but you’d have to sleep on the floor.” She shrugs. “I have company.” I glare at her, knowing she’s full of shit. “Don’t you remember?” she asks, demonstrating her acting abilities.

  “No, I don’t remember,” I answer skeptically and notice Luke chewing on his pen, smirking. Part of me hopes it leaks all over his mouth, but in real life, those things only happen to me. “Careful,” I say as his grin grows wider.

  “You guys can study at my place,” Gia says. “I don’t live as close, but it’s only about ten minutes more.” The bell rings, and we all head for the exit.

  Luke nods. “I can do that.”

  “Works for me, I don’t have a car.” We make our way to the parking lot, and I glance at Luke. “I’ll … um … ride with Gia.” She grabs my wrist and squeezes it, before I walk to the other side of her car, quickly getting in when she unlocks it.

  As soon as I sit down, she whacks me with the back of her hand.

  “Ouch! What was that for?”

  She rolls down the window and shouts, “Luke, just follow me.” She whips her head around to me, adding, “You really know how to play hard to get, don’t you?”

  My mouth drops. “What? He’s had plenty of opportunities to make a move. He hasn’t. If he wanted me, he would’ve made one already.”

  “Oh, he wants you,” she says. “Anybody can see that.”

  “How?” I arch a brow. “How do you know?”

  She snorts. “By the way he looks at you! C’mon! It’s totally obvious!”

  “Look Gia,” I say. “The other night, I thought he was going to kiss me. I could see it in his eyes.” The memory of his arousal flashes through my head. “I could feel that he was thinking about it.” Tucking my hair behind my ear, I add, “And when I say feel, I mean feel. But then … he just sort of rolled off of me.”

  She turns the radio all the way down, and asks, “So he was lying on top of you when this almost kiss happened?” Her eyes look hopeful.

  I lick my lips. “Yes. We were in my apartment.”

  She nods. “In your apartment … I see. And when you say, you could feel that he was thinking about it, do you mean … he was hard?” She arches a brow, pressing her lips together in a tight smirk.

  I instantly blush, knowing exactly what she’s getting at. Clearing my throat, I say, “Very.”

  �
�Reese Savannah Johnson!” She gasps. “You’ve just felt your first hard on!”

  “Shh. Okay,” I hiss. “Stop yelling! This isn’t a public matter!”

  “Oh, that’s right,” she says. “He might hear us from his car.” I figure she has a point, and start laughing before she joins me in hysterical laughter. When Gia catches her breath she says, “Well, if he was hard, then you’re right; he was definitely thinking about it, and probably more.” She tilts her head. “Maybe he wants you to make the first move.”

  I think about it then say, “He doesn’t seem like the type. He’s sort of a take charge kind of guy.”

  “Yeah, but he’s different with you.”

  “Not really,” I murmur. “Besides, when it comes to men, I have no clue what I’m doing. With my luck, I’d do something wrong.”

  She purses her lips. “Maybe it’s time to make him jealous.”

  “And how am I going to do that?” I scoff.

  “Chill out and listen. This could be very beneficial,” she looks at me pointedly. “You said you have a work party coming up, right?”

  I arch a brow. “Yeah, so.”

  “You guys are going to a club?”

  “Yesss,” I draw out the word, slowly nodding my head. “Luke is driving me. What’s your point?”

  “My point is, find some hot guys at the club, and dance with them.” She shrugs. “It’ll be like a test. If he has feelings for you, he won’t like it. In fact, it’ll probably drive him mad.” She grins. “I’ve seen it with other alpha males like him. They can’t handle it.”

  “Okay. And what if your plan is worthless, and I’m stuck dancing with a bunch of horny men I could care less about?”

  “Trust me. He’ll do something to keep them away. Who knows? Maybe the only person you’ll end up dancing with is him.” She wiggles her brows suggestively.

  “Why don’t I like this plan?”

  “I’m really not sure, because it’s brilliant,” she says confidently. “And it’s going to work.”

  “Ugh.” I throw my head in my hands. “I’ll need a few drinks if you expect me to dance with random guys.”