Nerdboobs

by T. M. Grinsley

  Ryan grazed his finger below my bottom lip and growled. “You made me wait three years for you; you can wait a little longer. What we did on the mountain, is nothing compared to what I am going to do to you tonight.”

  Capturing my mouth in a kiss, which made my toes curl, he left to take care of the rafts. If he kept kissing me like that, I was bound to erupt at any given moment.

  “We were going to join the guys tonight, but from the looks of it, you may already have plans of your own.” Taylor said, approaching me.

  “What can I say? I'm a sucker for all things Ryan.” Which was true, seeing Ryan like this and hearing what he goes through on a daily basis, I started to have a change of heart. He always wanted to help others, but who was helping him? Who was there when he needed someone to lean on?

  “Come on, Fuzzy. Let's get you cleaned up and all sexified for your man. I have a feeling I won't see much of you tomorrow morning.” Taylor looped her arm through mine, and we headed towards our cabin. I had an idea of what I wanted to wear and knew it would drive Ryan wild.

  Opening the door to our cabin, I heard a loud bang in the kitchen.

  “Who the fuck does he think he is? I am not his property to be fucking bossed around.” Something slammed in the kitchen and glass shattered on the floor. “He is the most infuriating asshole on the fucking planet!”

  “What the hell?” Taylor and I ran into the kitchen to see what was up.

  The floor was covered in shattered glass, the counters littered with food particles, and Leigh Ann had a bottle of vodka in her hand.

  “What the actual fuck, dude?” Taylor said, surveying the damage.

  “He wants me. Then he doesn't want me. It's the same damn thing every time. He acts all sweet and romantic, but when he gets close. Sorry, I can’t do this and runs off. Then, when we were rafting down the river, one of the guys commented on how beautiful I looked, and Matt almost killed him.” She took a swig from the bottle and hopped on the counter.

  “What do you mean, almost killed him? What happened, chica?” Taylor asked, while trying to find the broom.

  “We had a great time last night, and no we did not have sex. He told me about his family and the guys. Then I woke up this morning and he was the biggest asshole on the face of the planet. I would say something, and he would grunt in response. Like who does that?” Leigh Ann said, with a frustrated sigh.

  “Seems to be a trend with these three,” I muttered to myself.

  “Not to mention, I was having a nice conversation with one of the guys on the raft and Matt started cussing him out and threatened to beat his ass. Yes, he asked me out for drinks, and I said yes, but my girls had to come with.”

  Taylor had just finished sweeping the floor when Leigh Ann slid off the counter and headed for another bottle.

  Blocking her attempts to get trashed and regret things in the morning, I dragged her upstairs.

  “Ryan told me some things about the guys. I don’t think I should say anything, but if you like Matt as much as you say, just talk to him.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  Plopping on Leigh Ann’s bed, I told her everything that had happened the past two days. From having sex under the stars, to Ryan pouring his heart out to me about what he does, to eavesdropping on a conversation with Taylor yelling at him, and him telling her he tried to find me. Which reminds me, I need to talk to him about that.

  “The guys work with veterans who have bad PTSD and help make sure the town is safe from the drug dealers. Yikes. No wonder they growl so much.”

  “You have a lion to tackle. I need to figure out what is going on with Mister Beasty.”

  Leigh Ann gave me a weird look and was fighting back tears of laughter. “Beasty, huh?”

  “All he does is confuse the hell out of me and claim dominance. Don’t get me wrong, it’s hot and an extreme turn on, but does he have to make me growl so much?”

  “Grr!”

  Grabbing a pillow from the bed, I smacked Leigh Ann in the face. “Ha, ha.”

  “Growling aside. This is the first time I have seen you so worked up over a guy. I think it’s time to put logical crap aside and just go for it. I know he broke your heart and was a dick. But I don’t think things are over between you two.”

  Sighing, I knew she was only saying what my subconscious had since I saw him. “My head and body agree with you. My heart not so much.”

  “So what are you going to do? And don’t you dare worry about my issues with Matt. Focus on Ryan.”

  “I’m going to try.”

  “Seriously?” Leigh Ann placed her hand on my forehead and started examining my face. “You are not sick, are you?”

  Smacking her hand away, I stuck out my tongue and made my way to the kitchen to clean up her mess.

  “Hey, Brianna?” I stopped at the archway of the door and turned around.

  “Yeah?”

  “This is the first time I have seen you this happy in a long time. For once, just take a chance and see where this goes. He is a good guy.”

  “I know he is. And I promise to try.” Blowing a kiss in her direction, I walked out of the room to let Leigh Ann hop in the shower and get cleaned up.

  It took Taylor and I an hour to clean up the kitchen. Glass and food particles were in every crevice of this room. Not sure how the hell she was able to do that, but she did. Not only did we clean every nook and cranny, but we also needed to make sure there was no damage, so the resort wouldn't end up giving us a hefty bill when we left.

  Packing up the cleaning supplies and heading outside to throw away all the trash, I thought about what I overheard the other day. Ryan tried to find me, but found me with another guy. I never dated anyone after him. I tried finding someone online, but that was a horrible mistake. Is what he said true? Tossing the trash in the dumpster, we headed back inside to get cleaned up. Making sure everything was back to normal, Taylor and I started laughing for no reason.

  “Why are we laughing, Bubbles?”

  “No idea. I think the adrenaline from the past two days finally caught up with us. But I tell you what, I'm ready to let loose and get my groove on tonight.” Taylor said, humping the air with her tongue sticking out.

  Laughing at the ridiculousness that is Taylor, I ran upstairs to get changed.

  ~*~

  Taking my sweet time in the shower, I made sure every inch of my legs and hoo-ha were clean and ready for tonight. Deciding to see where this thing with Ryan was going, I was pulling out all the stops.

  Curling my hair and putting it in a bun with my bangs looking fantastic, I wore my favorite dark jeans with a black button-up blouse and cowgirl boots. I made sure to wear my favorite tank top underneath; the one that pushed the girls out and made them look fabulous. I looked like a country girl ready to take on the world.

  “Ready to go, guys?”

  Matt called Leigh Ann earlier to tell her the guys would meet us at the bar. Something came up, and they needed to make a short detour. I mentally made a note to ask if everything was ok.

  “Coming!” They both said.

  Making my way to the car, I saw the girls making last minute adjustments. Taylor was wearing a short white summer dress, while Leigh Ann wore black booty shorts and a halter top. She was on a mission and this spelled disaster.

  It took us thirty minutes to reach the bar, and the guys were waiting for us outside. My eyes instantly went to Ryan, and I had to suppress a groan. He wore a black button up shirt that clung to his chest and arms, dark jeans with a few rips in them, and black cowboy boots. And to top it off, he wore his old military hat. Fuck me sideways.

  Ryan knew I was checking him out because he wore that same smirk that drives my insides wild. Gawking like an idiot, Ryan headed my way and opened the door.

  “Took you long enough, Bree.” He grabbed my hand and helped me out of the car. “I was worried I would have to send in the troops to rescue you.”

  I smacked him on the chest, only to have h
im capture my wrist and pull me closer. “No need to be overdramatic, hot stuff. Leigh Ann had a bit of an episode, and we needed to take care of some stuff.”

  “Everything alright?”

  “Matt is driving her insane because he can't seem to make up his mind. When he threatened the guy on the raft, she about lost it.” I said, nonchalantly. I didn't want to get into the drama of those two. I love her to death, but I needed to focus on me right now.

  “Sounds like you need a distraction.” Planting a kiss on my lips, he steered me towards the bar. He had no idea how true that statement was.

  Our group headed towards the bar, and the music was hopping. Dierks Bentley blared out of the speakers, and the dance floor was packed. Boots slammed on the ground, and several people shouted at certain parts of the song.

  The energy in this place was infectious. My feet started to move on their own, and my hips weren’t far behind. I knew Ryan was behind me, so I backed up a little and started to shake what my momma gave me.

  “If you don't want me to fuck you on top of this bar in front of everyone, I suggest you stop.” Ryan’s voice dropped an octave and he nipped my ear. I felt his cock start to enlarge and poke me in the back.

  “Who me?” I feigned innocence and headed towards the dance floor. Ryan was right on my tail. Whizzing between dancers, we joined in the fun.

  We danced for hours and had a few laughs with strangers. Ryan introduced me to a few of the locals and told me what they did around the town. One was an artist who travels all over the state to capture God’s Country. I wasn't sure what he meant, but I just nodded my head and was polite. I offered to check out his store before I left and he was delighted. He told me his husband makes the best scones and would make sure there was a fresh batch waiting for the sheriff's girl.

  I blushed ten shades of red and tried to change the subject when he mentioned the sheriff’s girl. Thankfully he smiled and didn't say anything more. The other gentlemen were former military and worked with the loggers. Since getting out, all they wanted to do was be away from people and work twenty-four seven.

  They were decent guys, and I swapped numbers with the artist, so I could let him know when I was on my way. I had a feeling we would become pen pals when I went back to Seattle.

  “I can’t wait to try his husband’s scones!” I rubbed my belly and headed to the bar. All this talk of scones was starting to make me hungry. Leaving the dance floor, my boot caught the ledge and I fumbled forwards.

  I prayed I didn’t have a bruise at the end of this; my face was inches from the ground, when a pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist. “Can't take you anywhere, can I?”

  “For your information, I didn't have a single accident on the mountain.” I wiggled out of his arms and made my way to the girls. I swear the gods, or whoever, cursed with me with the worst luck. I was shocked nothing was broken yet.

  Meeting up with the girls, I placed an order for a bacon burger with a side of curly fries with the bartender. Last time we were here, the food was to die for and right now I was craving something greasy.

  “Might want to cut back on the fatty foods. No man likes a woman with extra weight.”

  “Excuse me?” I turned to see an older gentleman giving me a disgusted look.

  He scoffed, then put his drink down. “You heard me. Did I stutter?”

  Oh, hell no! “Let me guess. You come here every night to get shit faced, check out the clientele and see which woman you can take home and fuck? But you haven't had any luck, so you act like a self-righteous prick to piss people off.”

  The older gentlemen started to get off his seat, when Ryan shoved him back down. “Apologize, Cam.”

  I took one look at Ryan, and he looked ready to kill.

  “Why the fuck should I apologize to this fat ass whore. She is blocking my view of the honeys!” Cam chugged the rest of his beer and tossed his cup on the floor.

  If this guy wasn’t careful, he would be flat on his ass in two seconds.

  “I will not tell you again, Cam. Apologize to my woman.”

  Cam leaned his head back and laughed. “That is your woman?” He looked me up and down and looked ready to puke. “Might want to call the fat brigade. I may have found a new member.”

  That’s it! I brought my boot back and kicked him as hard as I could in the balls. When Cam registered what happened, he reached for his peas and tic tac, but I wasn’t done yet. I was far from fat. Yes, I had a few extra curves, but that didn't give anyone the right to be a complete ass. I brought my fist back, ready to break his nose, when Ryan wrapped his fingers around my wrist and stopped me.

  “I got this.” Ryan whispered in my ear and released my wrist.

  “Your food is ready ma’am.” The bartender placed my food on the counter and looked at Cam. He shook his head in disgust, grabbed his towel, and threw it onto his shoulder. “Ryan get him the fuck out of here, and make sure he has a ride home.”

  Leaving Ryan to do whatever he wanted with that prick, I focused my attention on my food. “This looks amazeballs. Thanks!”

  Ryan grabbed Cam by the shoulder and dragged him out of the bar, with John and Matt in tow. I was still reeling with what happened, so I figured why not stuff my face and drool over the best burger I have ever tasted.

  I dealt with insecurities my whole life because of my father. He told me when I was little, that I needed to look like a Barbie and wear tight clothes if I wanted any chance at getting a man. Plus, with all the scars I had from my surgeries, I was considered tainted goods in people's eyes. So I spent a good portion of my life bundled up.

  That was until I met Ryan, three years ago. He showed me that my scars were beautiful and showed how strong of a woman I was. That was the moment I fell for him.

  “Girl, what happened?” Taylor rubbed my back and tried to steal a curly fry off my plate.

  “If you value your life, do not touch my curly fries, wench.” I snapped.

  Taylor ignored my threat and snatched one off my plate anyway. “Cool it, grumpy. We saw what happened from over there. He deserved way more than a kick to the balls.”

  “The moment the guys saw what happened, they jumped out of their chairs and ran right over.” Leigh Ann sat next to me and kept an eye on the door. “Ryan looked ready to gut the dude.”

  “It’s fine.” I took a massive bite of my burger and felt its juicy goodness swirl in my mouth.

  “Talk to us, Fuzzy. It didn't look fine where we were standing, and the fact that you are stuffing your face tells me you are on the verge of tears or shutting everyone out.” From the tone of Taylor's voice, I could tell she was trying to stay cool. I hated how my best friends knew me so well. I was having the time of my life, and some low life scum had to be a dick and ruin it.

  “I’m ok, Bubbles. Promise.” I squeezed her hand and looked at the door where Ryan and the guys left with Cam. “I think I’m going to call it a night though.”

  Dancing for a few hours after a long day of rafting on the river had me spent. Cam and his chauvinistic pig of a comment, was behind me. Some men lived off demeaning others when in reality, they weren't happy with themselves.

  I paid my tab and headed to the car. I looked to see where the guys were and noticed their truck was nowhere in sight. They must have taken Cam home to ensure he got there safely.

  CHAPTER 8

  Tossing my clothes in the hamper, I showered the day away. Massaging shampoo into my hair, I thought about everything that happened. I was on a long overdue girl’s trip, ran into the man who stole my heart, fucked him on the top of the mountain with the Aurora Borealis in the night sky, had him tell me he was going to win me over and watched him almost kill a man because he insulted my curves.

  And we were only three days into our trip. What the hell was going to happen next?

  Turning off the shower, I reached for my towel to dry myself off, when someone cleared their throat. Quickly wrapping the towel around myself, I turned to see Ryan leaning agai
nst the doorframe.

  “Don't cover up on my account. I was enjoying the show.” He said with a smirk.

  “Sorry, but these goods are off limits for the night.” I pushed past Ryan and threw on my Snitch Please t-shirt and black lace thong. Running the towel through my hair, I turned to see Ryan checking me out.

  “See something you like big guy?”

  “I see the sexiest woman in the world, half naked, showing off her goods.” He pushed off the doorframe and walked towards me.

  I took a step back, but my legs hit the edge of the bed. I fell backwards and bounced up when my back hit the mattress.

  Ryan took the opportunity to lean over me and pin me down. “Do you know what you do to me, Bree?”

  I shook my head no and kept quiet.

  “You are stubborn, push me to my limits, drive me fucking wild with your body, and you refuse to take shit from anyone. Seeing you stand up to Cam and take control. I was ready to bend you over the fucking bar stool, rip your pants off and fuck you.”

  A small moan escaped my lips. I squeezed my legs together and tried to think of anything besides him fucking my brains out.

  “Seeing you in another man's arms nearly broke me. You showed me a different way of living. I was so used to being a soldier, and in my own world, I lost sight of me. That was until you stumbled into my life.”

  Sitting on the edge of the bed, Ryan pinned his arms around me, and I was stuck. “What do you mean, another man’s arms? The only man I have been with is you since being here.”

  Ryan leaned down to kiss me, but I put my hands up to stop him. He was not going to woo his way out of this. “Always so demanding.”

  Plopping onto the bed beside me, he grabbed my leg and rested it on his lap. He started to rub small circles on my tailbone and sighed loudly. “After I left you that night, I knew it was a mistake. I knew leaving you that note; you would be gone. My brothers called me an idiot and helped me track you down.”

  “Brothers?”