When the limo pulled up to my building, I sighed and looked at him. “I had fun tonight. Ryan. Thank you. It was a rare occasion to get out. I needed it more than I thought.”
“Let me walk you up to your place.”
Pressing my lips together, I scrunched up my nose. “That probably wouldn’t look good for you or me. Rumors could start, ya know.” I chuckled.
He reached over and pushed a piece of my hair behind my ear. I found myself pulling away from him. I wasn’t the least bit interested in Ryan Dryer and tonight was simply a dinner, nothing more. At least it was for me. What Ryan thought it was was entirely different. “I don’t care about rumors, Aubrey.”
Oh shit. He thinks this is going further. I may have enjoyed my evening, but I didn’t see anything moving on with Ryan at all.
“Well, I do. I’ve worked hard to get where I am, and the last thing I need is rumors that I’m dating a senator from Texas. Thank you for the evening, Ryan. I had a lovely time, but I think it’s time to call it a night.”
Ryan tilted his head and flashed me what I assumed was the smile he used to seduce women. Almost as if he thought it would change my mind. I reached for the car door and opened it. Al, the doorman, was there to help me out of the limo. Not two seconds later, Al’s hand was replaced by Ryan’s.
“At least let me walk you inside the building.”
An uneasy feeling washed over my body, and I finally figured out what it was about Ryan that made me uneasy.
I didn’t trust him.
Ryan placed his hand on my lower back and led me into the lobby of the building. I stopped short of the elevator to say my goodbye. When he wrapped me in his arms and pulled me up against him, I was momentarily stunned. I quickly snapped out of it when his lips pressed against mine.
Pushing him away from me, I glared at him. “What in the hell was that all about?”
“I don’t even get a goodnight kiss? How about a happy birthday kiss?”
The driver came walking in with the roses. My eyes widened as I glanced between the flowers and Ryan. “You brought the roses?” I asked.
“Of course. They’re yours.”
I quickly shook my head and put my fingers to my temple. “Ryan, I really enjoyed this evening, but honestly I don’t see this going anywhere else. I’m sorry if I gave you the impression that I wanted something more.”
He stood there staring at me, as if waiting for me to come to my senses and kiss him.
“Ryan, anyone could take a picture of you kissing me and blow it out of context. I don’t need that in my life right now.”
“It’s one in the morning, Aubrey. There is no one following you or me around. It was an innocent kiss.”
Anger washed over me and I felt my face heat up. “No, it was an unwarranted kiss. There is a very big difference.”
He winked. “You’re right. I’ve had too much to drink, and I let my manners slide out the door. Will you forgive me?”
A look moved across his face and I couldn’t really tell if he was pissed or not.
“Of course. Thank you for the dinner and the lovely evening. Now if you’ll excuse me. I’ve really stayed out much later than I wanted to.”
“Of course and it was my pleasure. I hope you have a wonderful birthday. I’d offer to take you to lunch or dinner, but I’m afraid I’ll be in meetings all day and I have an engagement tomorrow evening.”
The last thing I wanted to do was lead him on by going out with him again.
“No don’t even worry about it. Thank you for the um … for the flowers.”
Ryan turned to Al. “You’ll help Ms. Owens with the flowers?”
Al nodded. “Yes sir. Yes, Mr. Dryer. Sir.”
Ryan barely acknowledged Al. “Thanks.” Turning back to me, he kissed me on the cheek and whispered, “I hope you dream of me tonight.”
What? What part of I’m not interested did he miss?
Forcing a smile, all I could do was nod.
“It was good seeing you again, Senator Dryer, sir.”
Ryan acted as if he hadn’t heard Al while he walked out of the building and slipped back into the limo.
Al shook his head and mumbled, “Asshole.”
Laughing, I looked at the flowers. “Is there anywhere we can take those? Maybe a few residents that might like a little pick me up?”
We both stared at the flowers. “I say toss them in the trash.”
Covering my mouth, I giggled. “That’s so bad, Al.”
“That man is not what you think, Ms. Cain. Please be careful with him.”
With a furrowed brow, I wanted to ask him what he meant by that, but the phone at his desk rang. Taking one last look at the roses, I decided to leave them. I appreciated the gesture from Ryan, but it hadn’t felt sincere. I wondered if we hadn’t been in a room full of people would Ryan have given me the flowers. I doubted it.
I didn’t like the smell of roses anyway.
Standing outside the door to my condo, I fumbled with the latch on my small clutch purse.
“Need help?”
His voice had been so low I hardly heard it. Glancing up, I tried to act normal when everything inside of me was screaming holy shit.
Standing before me was Brett. And Lord have mercy if he didn’t look hot as hell.
“Brett, um … hey … ah … what are you doing up so late?” I questioned with a nervous chuckle.
He took a step toward me. His blue eyes felt like they were pinning me in the very spot I stood. “I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a run.”
My gaze drifted over his body. Shorts. Tight T-shirt soaking wet with sweat. Yep. My ovaries combusted at the sight of him. I couldn’t help it … I licked my lips at the thought of lifting that shirt up and seeing his body under it.
I looked away.
Oh. My. God. What is wrong with me?
Brett took another few steps closer to me until he was right in front of me. “Did you enjoy your evening?”
Lifting my head, I was captivated by the way he was looking at me. “It was okay. I enjoyed it ... I guess.”
A single eyebrow lifted as Brett continued to stare at me. “Did you enjoy it when he kissed you?”
I swallowed hard. “Wh-what?”
My head was spinning. Had Brett been in the lobby? No. I would have seen him. He said he was out running, he must have come back when we were in the lobby and seen Ryan kiss me.
Trying to get my thoughts together, I wasn’t about to let Brett play his head games with me. “Why do you care if I liked it or not?”
Surely he had to have seen me push Ryan away and heard the exchange if he had witnessed the kiss.
He took another step closer, causing me to back up against my door.
The way he searched my face had me fighting to hold back the urge to reach out for him. My fingers itched to reach up and touch his soaked T-shirt.
His hands came up and slid into my hair, gripping it hard as he pulled my head back, lifting my lips to his.
I fought to keep my breathing under control.
Focus. I need to focus.
“When you lay in bed tonight and your hand slips inside your panties, I don’t want you thinking about his kiss.”
What kiss?
Between my legs throbbed as I watched Brett’s soft lips move with each word. Pulling my hair tighter, I let out a soft groan from the back of my throat. “I want you thinking about mine.”
His lips pressed to mine while he pulled my head back more, causing me to open to him and gasp at the slight pain I felt. Our tongues danced in perfect unison. I was quickly taken to a state of euphoria I’ve only ever experienced when this man kissed me. We both moaned into one another’s mouths as my hands clutched onto his forearms. Holding on for dear life as he kissed me like I’d never been kissed before.
I wasn’t sure how long the kiss lasted, all I knew was I was breathless when it ended. With a wink, he whispered, “Get some sleep. We have a long day tomorrow.” He went to turn
but stopped. With a smile that had my heart melting and panties instantly wet, he whispered, “Happy birthday, Aubrey.”
And like that, he turned and walked toward the elevators while my entire body quivered. I couldn’t even think straight. My mouth opened to call out his name, but I knew even if I did ask him to come in, he wouldn’t.
Looking over his shoulder, he winked before stepping into the elevator. My heart raced and my stomach fluttered as I watched the doors close, taking his smile with it.
After a few minutes of standing in the hallway like an idiot, I finally opened the door to the condo. I instantly knew the smell and grinned from ear to ear. Flipping on the lights, my heart dropped at the simple display of flowers on the bar.
Tulips. My favorite.
Kicking off my shoes, I dropped my keys and purse on the small table and headed over to the bright yellow flowers while I ran my fingers along my kiss-swollen lips. I would call my parents first thing in the morning and thank them for the flowers.
Lifting the card out, I opened it. With a stunned expression, I read the words.
The smile that spread across my face almost hurt my cheeks. I didn’t know what made me happier. The fact that Brett actually was listening the day I mentioned tulips were my favorite flower. Or that he called me Bree.
My hand went to my stomach. I swore it felt like a swarm of butterflies were dancing around in there.
Every nerve ending in my body tingled. All those nights with my girlfriends talking about how a man should make a woman feel. This was the way I imagined it. The warmth that spread over my body was hard to ignore. It was too bad the man who made me feel this way was the man I was supposed to be focusing work on. Not falling in love with.
LIFTING MY COFFEE to my lips, I took a drink as I knocked on her door.
For some reason, my heart was pounding in my chest. The flowers weren’t a last minute thought. I had ordered them right after I found out it was her birthday. I wasn’t going to lie and say it didn’t please me she left Dryer’s flowers in the damn lobby. I chuckled at the thought.
The door opened and I was greeted by a beautiful smile and bright light brown eyes. Her hair was piled up on top of her head.
“Brett. The flowers!”
I couldn’t hide my happiness. Of course, I was hoping she would say something like she dreamed about me all night after that kiss, but I’ll take her smile any day.
“You like them?”
“I love them! That was very sweet of you. I thought at first they were from my parents.”
Ouch. Well at least she didn’t think they were from another man.
Aubrey held the door open, allowing me to walk into her condo.
“So, I’ve been thinking about this Emily girl. Something about all of this doesn’t sit right with me. Why all of sudden is she showing up? If she’s four months pregnant, why not show up the second she found out she was pregnant? Wouldn’t you think that would be the normal reaction?”
Swallowing my coffee, I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“And they all of sudden can’t find her transcripts or anything on her? No. This feels crooked. Have you talked to her today?”
With a nod, I sat on her sofa. “Yep. Told her I was having to leave town for a bit and when I got back, we’d talk more.”
Her face dropped. “You’re going out of town?”
“Emily wasn’t so thrilled about it and said if I was planning on skipping out, she’d go to the news with her pregnancy.”
“That’s a rash reaction from her just because you simply told her you were going out of town.”
I lifted a brow. “Is it? You reacted.”
Her arms crossed her chest, lifting her breasts enough to make my dick jump. “I was surprised. That’s all.”
Well, here goes nothing. Aubrey was either going to go along with this, or tell me to fuck off. “You should probably pack a bag.”
“For?” she asked with a cautious look on her face.
“You’re coming with me.”
She let out a little laugh. “You can’t be serious? You want me to just up and go off with you?”
“I’m trying to bring a kid in to play for the university. The deal is pretty much sealed, but I need to go in. He lives in my home town.”
“That’s like … five hours away.”
“Five hours and fifty-two minutes, to be exact.”
With a frown, she shook her head. “You have it down to the exact minutes?”
“Yep.”
“Why?”
Standing, I finished my coffee and walked up to her. “Because my parents’ ranch is right outside of there. After I get this kid to sign, I’m heading home for a bit. Pat thinks you need to see the other side of me. Whatever the fuck that means.”
Her eyes lit up and although she was trying to hide her excitement, it was coming through in the barely-there grin on her face.
“Really? This might be a good thing. I’ve pretty much got everything I need on you for the coach bit, now I need the real you.”
Laughing, I slipped my hand around her waist and pulled her closer to me. “Are you sure you want to know the real me, Bree?”
Her mouth parted and she absentmindedly rolled her tongue along her lips. “If I gave you the real me, my cock would be pounding in and out of you right now and the last thing you’d be worried about is the article as you screamed for more.”
Passion burned in her eyes before she placed her hands on my chest and pushed me away. “Ugh. Must you talk like that? Do you really think women like that?”
With a shrug, I grinned. “Let me check between your legs and I’ll answer that for you.”
She let out a frustrated sigh and turned to walk away from me. With a smirk, I knew she was turned on. I saw it in her eyes.
“And you think I’m going to spend hours in a car with you while you talk to me like that?”
I threw my head back and laughed. “You’re right. I’ll keep my thoughts to myself, after all, this is business only.”
It seemed like Aubrey wanted to argue with me on keeping my thoughts to myself, but she simply rolled her eyes.
“How long would we be gone for?”
I wanted like hell to tell her two weeks. What I wouldn’t give to spend time with her. Getting to know her better, memorizing her body. What types of things she liked to do. What movies she liked. For the first time in my life, I found myself longing for something deeper with a woman.
She stood there waiting for my answer as my thoughts took a sudden turn. How many times could I make Aubrey come around my cock as I fucked her fast and hard?
My dick was throbbing as it pushed against my pants.
“Brett? Hello? What are you thinking about?”
Shit. I wasn’t going to make it ten miles in the car with her if I kept thinking like that.
“A week?” I needed to call Pat and let him know we were staying a week. He said take a few days, there was no way I was going to pass up time with Aubrey. Especially with her on my turf.
“That would mean when we get back to Austin, I’d be leaving a few days after that.” The thought made my stomach drop. She looked up in thought. “Being in the country with no distractions could be just what I need to get started writing. I’ve already interviewed the president of the university so I have everything I need for that.”
My heart leapt to my throat at the thought of Aubrey being at the ranch. I’d never brought anyone there … not even Nicole, my ex. She never had the desire to see where I grew up or where my parents lived. I never had the desire to bring her home to meet my parents so it all worked out.
A smile grew across Aubrey’s face. “Do I need to pack anything special?”
“Jeans, if you want to ride.”
With a little jump and a clap of her hands she took off toward her bedroom. Okay, so she likes riding. Closing my eyes, I pictured Aubrey on top of me. Slowly moving up and down as she grasped onto her tits.
“Fuck,�
� I mumbled, shaking my head to clear the thoughts as I adjusted my dick.
Aubrey called out from her room, “What did you say?”
“Be sure you have your chargers. The nearest store is over an hour away from my folks’ place.”
“Wow! Okay!” she yelled out.
Running back into the living room, she held up a pair of cowboy boots. “Thank God Michelle talked me into boots!”
I couldn’t help but laugh. To see how excited she was made me happy. A happy I hadn’t felt in a long time.
The happiness was soon to fade when my phone went off.
Emily: Will I get to see you before you leave?
Dragging in a deep breath, I slowly blew it out. Aubrey was going on and on about how excited she was to see a ranch. Hitting reply, I typed out my response.
Me: Why? Is something wrong?
Emily: No. I can come to your office if that’s easier.
I had to run to my office to pick up a few files and tapes I wanted to review anyway, so I didn’t see the problem with meeting Emily there.
“Hey, are we stopping by the office? I actually left my notes there and I need them.”
Glancing up, I answered her. “Yeah, I need to stop by there as well, but Emily wants to meet me there. She said she wanted to talk to me.”
A concerning look moved across Aubrey’s face. “At the office? I hope you told her no.”
With a shrug, I replied, “I was about to say yes. Since I’m heading that way.”
“Are you crazy, Brett? The last thing you want is for this girl to be seen walking in and out of your office.”
Her phone buzzed and she grabbed it. Reading a text message, she chewed on her fingernail.
“What’s wrong?” I probed.
Her gaze lifted and met mine. “Ryan was asking how my day is going.”
“You didn’t tell him about Emily did you?”
She shook her head. “Of course not, but I’m wondering if he might be able to help.”
I lifted my brow. “Did you say anything?”
Chewing on her bottom lip, she said, “Just that I was helping you with a problem.”
My eyes closed and I shook my head. “Son-of-a-bitch.”
The Playbook Page 10