The Promise

by S. L. Jayne

  “What am I supposed to think, Rylee?” Matt said still holding onto her.

  “What do you mean, what are you supposed to think?” Rylee shook her arm and Matt loosened his grip on her. She crossed her arms over her chest and stood glaring at Matt waiting for an answer.

  “Oh, come on for fuck sake, I stand by day in and day out watching you, wanting you, and then bang this Connor character comes into the picture from nowhere making you all crazy and I’m not even allowed to question it?” Matt shouted back with a harsh tone.

  I think it came across harsher than he intended and by the look on Rylee’s face I think she just missed the bombshell that Matt just dropped telling her he wants her.

  “You can be a real asshole you know that? He’s my fucking brother, Matt!” Rylee shouted at him which was almost like she was screaming.

  I rushed forward and stood next to Rylee, I wasn’t expecting her to come out with that. Ryan put his hand on Matt’s shoulder trying to pull him away. He knows that Rylee needs to calm down and this doesn’t seem to be fizzling out anytime soon.

  Shock flashed across Matt’s face. “Brother?” He said as he took a step towards Rylee.

  She held her hands up in front of her. “Don’t. I told you time and again that he isn’t some guy I’m sleeping with but you didn’t believe me else you wouldn’t have asked me where he was tonight. Yet another shitty remark. Go fuck yourself, Matt,” she said through gritted teeth, before turning away from him.

  “Rylee, wait!” Matt said in a rushed tone.

  Rylee grabbed my hand and pulled me through the crowded dance floor, as we walked away I heard Ryan telling Matt to leave it and let Rylee cool down.

  The fresh air hit us as we walked out of the club and I took in a long breath. Still holding onto me Rylee pulled me over to the small wall near the parking lot, I sat down putting my arm over her shoulder and could feel her shaking.

  “Are you cold?” I asked softly.

  Rylee shook her head as she dropped it into her hands. I doubt she is feeling the breeze with the alcohol and adrenaline from the argument coursing through her body.

  “What the hell just happened, Ava? She said lifting her head to look at me.

  “Don’t worry about it right now, Ry. Let’s get you home,” I said a small smile.

  I know she’s going to regret this in the morning, as justified as she was in arguing her point with Matt about him not believing her she will still feel bad about cussing him out in the middle of the club.

  After getting Rylee settled into bed and reassuring her for the seven hundredth time that the room isn’t spinning and Matt won’t hate her I finally got to join Ryan.

  “She will have a banging headache in the morning,” I said as I pulled down the covers and climbed into bed next to him.

  Ryan wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me back closer to him so my back was flush to his bare chest.

  “We’ll deal with it tomorrow, baby. Right now I want to show you how much I missed touching you tonight,” His voice was muffled by my hair as he pressed his face into my neck.

  A smile spread across my face, even though his low voice in my ear sent an aching feeling straight to my groin I knew I could tease him a bit before giving in. Moving my hand onto his arm that was draped over me to hold it in place I pushed my ass out slightly so it was pressing firmly up against him and turned my head towards him.

  “Oh yeah? What have you missed touching, babe?” I whispered so he didn’t hear the excitement too much in my voice.

  I can feel the anticipation and excitement from my teasing bubbling up inside me, I can’t let him win this though.

  “Your hair, running my fingers through it when I kiss you.” He tried to move his hand up, I’m guessing to my hair to show me what he’s missed but I push down on his arm to stop him.

  “What else?”

  “Your neck, when I kiss you there to make that shiver run through you.”

  Right on cue a shiver ran through me from his words. Reminding myself I’m the one in charge right now, still holding down Ryan’s arm I close my eyes and focus.

  “You know that makes me weak for you. What else, gorgeous?” I whisper.

  “Your legs, dragging my hands all the way up to the inside of your thighs stopping right before I reach your panties,” His voice is almost a whisper now.

  Asshat!

  He’s on to me, I know it. He’s a guy, he should have mentioned my ass by now. He knows exactly what he’s doing and can probably feel my breaths faltering with each word he’s saying just like I can feel the effect it’s having on him, I’m sure having my ass pressed up to his dick isn’t helping the images he is bound to have running through his mind as he speaks.

  “I miss touching your lips with mine and hearing that small whimper when I pull away, it’s the hottest sound I’ve ever heard.”

  “I don’t like it when you pull away, I miss you instantly,” I breathed.

  I don’t think I’m supposed to be the one that’s most effected right now, this isn’t turning out to be the most epic idea I’ve ever had. It started out with me trying to tease him a little and I’m the one that has ended up with a racing pulse and an aching need for him. How can he turn it around so easily so that he is the one back in control?

  “I know, baby. Have you finished playing with me yet?” I felt the rumble in his chest as he let out a small chuckle and without even looking at his face I knew there would be a smirk all over it.

  “You’re a real douche, you know that, Sanders?” I said turning to face him. “You knew all along didn’t you?” I tried to keep from smiling but I failed. I couldn’t be mad at him, after all he did play along.

  He laughed. “Of course I knew, baby, if I don’t know when my girl is playing me, what hope do I have against the rest of the world?” He said giving me a smug look.

  I shook my head and smirked. “Well, maybe I’ll make you miss me more by stopping you touching me.”

  He slid his other arm out from underneath me and was over the top of me with an arm on either side of my head so quickly I didn’t even see it happen. I lifted my arm to his chest to try shoving him off so I could gain some control but it was pointless, he caught my arm and held it above my head. He had me. He brought his hand up to my hair, dropped his head level with my neck, kissing and sucking his way up to my ear, causing my body to tingle and my hips to jerk up letting him know I want him.

  “Never gonna happen, my girl, I’ll go to the ends of this earth to make sure I get to touch you. Every. Single. Inch. Of. You,” he said sliding his hand down my body to the inside of my thigh making my skin heat up underneath his touch.

  His mouth crashed against mine and his searching fingers found the edge of my panties, I knew then that I would never be able to deny his touch. Ever.

  Chapter Twenty One

  I woke up a while ago wrapped in Ryan’s arms with our legs tangled together and I wish I didn’t have to move but I had to go check on Rylee, with the amount she drank last night the last thing I wanted was to find her in an alcohol induced coma.

  She was fine when I checked so I left her to sleep some more and I went to make coffee for Ryan and I. I walked back into my room and placed the coffees on my nightstand. A groan from Ryan startled me, I turned towards the bed expecting him to be waking up or stretching but he wasn’t, he was laying peacefully with one arm up above his head and the other stretched out over my side of the bed, exactly where it was all night. Standing at the side of the bed I take in the sight of Ryan; his dark hair all messed up from my fingers in it last night, his bare chest and rest of his body barely covered by the sheets. Being with this man is more amazing than I ever thought it would be. Thinking back to that night at the bar when I first saw him here, I can’t imagine not giving him that chance to talk now, what was I thinking? I of all people believe that people can change, and he has proved to me that he loves me at every given chance.

  His eyes flutter slightly and
I see a ghost of a smile on his lips. He could probably feel that he was being watched, I know I would.

  “Are you enjoying the view there, beautiful?” He said sleepily with his eyes half open. His sleepy voice is seriously sexy.

  “Yeah I am, could you just stay there and not move for a little longer so I can continue to stare at you and all your hotness please?”

  He was too quick again, in one swift movement he grabbed me and pulled me on top of him moving my legs so I was straddling his lap.

  “You said very similar words to me on our way to Ocean Beach that night,” a smile spread across his face, this time showing off his dimple.

  “You remember what I said?” I eyed him suspiciously. By the end of our date all I could think about was sixteen diamonds and Ryan’s promise of loving me, everything else was a blur.

  “Baby, you’re my girl, I remember everything about you and every word you say to me. You’re getting too used to staring at me when I’m not looking though.”

  “And you’re getting too used to grabbing me and throwing me around as and when you please,” I say through my laughter.

  “Get used to it, baby, you’re mine and I can’t keep my hands off of you. Don’t even try and stop me,” he smirked and winked.

  Game on!

  I lift myself up ready to move off of him but he realises my plan too quickly and grips my hips holding me in place. I lean forward sliding my hands up his chest slowly moving to the sides readying myself to tickle him and make my escape. I dig my fingers in his ribs making his body jolt.

  “Stop, Ava!” He says as he struggles to keep hold of me and move my hands away.

  I shake my head and smirk. “Don’t try and stop me touching you, babe,” I say sarcastically before laughing.

  I start to wiggle my fingers and Ryan’s laughter echo’s around the room as he thrashes around the bed throwing me off of his lap as his hands lose their grip on me and he jerks upwards. I get to my feet and run out of the room straight to the kitchen, I hear Ryan coming down the hall only a few seconds later.

  Shit!

  “Baby, baby, baby… You better be hiding,” he calls out.

  I can hear his voice getting closer and I realise I’m trapped, I have nowhere else to run.

  Shit! Shit! Shit! Whose idea was this again?

  Ryan rounds the corner into the kitchen and pins me to the spot with his stare, I can see his lips forming a smirk as he walks over to me.

  “I’m sorry… I’m sorry, I won’t do it again,” I pout. Hoping it will work.

  Smiling and shaking his head he takes the final steps towards me, I take two steps back and I hit the wall behind me. Great! I really would be the first one dead in a horror movie.

  Ryan reaches out and pulls me into him by my hips, I have no choice but to move. I lift my arms around his neck and lean back slightly so I can see his face.

  “You two sound like a pair of kindergartener’s, you know that?”

  I turned my head to see Rylee walking into the kitchen holding her head with a pissed off look on her face, she probably remembers last night all too clearly. I pushed against Ryan’s chest to move away but he held me closer.

  “You’ll keep, baby,” he growled in my ear and let me move out of his grasp.

  I’m thinking he saw the look on Rylee’s face too and thought she needed to talk which is why he made a rapid exit after letting us know he was going in the shower first.

  “How are you feeling?” I ask timidly, treading carefully because I’m not sure if her pissed off look is caused by a killer hangover or her drunken argument with Matt.

  Rylee turns around leaning with her elbow on the counter.

  “I feel like shit. I have the devil in my head bouncing around screaming “lemon drops”, I got a text from Connor and I have not long gotten off the phone to Matt about last night. So take your pick, bestie, what should we cover first?” She sighs but still manages to give me half of a smile. That’s a good sign.

  Smiling back at her as I walk over to her and point at the breakfast bar gesturing her to go and sit. I make us both coffee before I decide what to bring up first.

  “Feeling like shit is self-inflicted, sweetie so you get no sympathy for that.” I smirked. “So, tell me about the text from Connor first, we’ll discuss Matt after.”

  She gave me an evil look over my lack of sympathy then picked up her cell from the table to show me the text.

  Connor: Hey, sis. We’ll B at yours tomoro. That cool?

  “There you have it, tomorrow is the big day. I don’t want Connor around when I talk to my mom though, is that bad? I just don’t want him to hear it, it’s still his dad at the end of the day,” she sounded strong but her eyes told a different story.

  I know tomorrow is going to be huge for her but I’m so proud of the strong part of her that is fighting to come out.

  “No it isn’t bad, I totally understand why you wouldn’t want him there. Don’t you worry about that though, we’ll figure it all out. Just focus on staying strong and believing that everything will be ok,” I smiled and reached out to rub her arm letting her know I’m here for her.

  “I’m taking him,” Ryan said as he walked into the kitchen.

  Rylee and I looked round at Ryan with confused expressions, we had no freaking idea if he was talking to himself or not.

  “Why are you looking at me like I have grown an extra head?” He asked.

  “Maybe because you walked in here talking to yourself or accidently thought out loud?” Rylee said with one eyebrow raised.

  Ryan ran his hand through his hair and thought for a moment.

  “I was talking to you two, I heard you both talking about Connor and not wanting him around tomorrow so I said I’m taking him. I’ll go buy an Xbox with him, that way he won’t think he’s being pushed out and I need a new one anyway, Walker’s dickhead of a mate broke mine.”

  Perfect!

  “You’d do that for me?” Rylee asked quietly.

  Ryan looked at Rylee dumbstruck, he obviously didn’t see the question coming. Neither did I.

  “Of course I would, Rylee. That’s the least I’d do for you, we may not have hung out much in the past but you’ve always been around for as long as I remember, you’re like a sister to my girl and in my eyes that makes you as good as family to me. Plus you have my man bear by the balls and that alone grants you extra points,” he flashes her his biggest smile and winks.

  “You’re such a dork, you know that right?” Rylee chuckles and shakes her head.

  I know Ryan’s words meant a lot to her and so does he, but we both know she isn’t good at sentiments and never knows what to say so neither of us address her brush off.

  “I know, but you love me, anyway,” he winks again just to wind her up a little more.

  ***

  An hour later and we’re ready for work, thank God for training day which means we don’t start until eleven today. Ryan left for work earlier and Rylee said we’d talk about Matt on our way to work.

  “I’m driving today.” Rylee informs me as we leave the apartment.

  I decide not to wait for Rylee to bring Matt up and just go in for the kill, it can’t have been bad or else she’d have not wanted to talk about it period.

  “So, spill. What did Matt say?” I say turning to face her.

  “I woke up to a text from him this morning saying ‘wake up princess we need to talk. I’m so sorry for being a jealous asshat’. I didn’t want him to feel bad though, you know? He wasn’t the only one at fault, I shouldn’t have spoken to him the way I did.” Rylee kept her eyes on the road not looking round at me once.

  I nodded anyway, she would have seen me.

  “That’s fair, Ry. What did you say to him? Did he call?”

  “I text back telling him it wasn’t all his fault and I should have told him sooner who Connor was but that I was worried it would have led to a whole bunch of questions that I wasn’t ready to answer, with that he called me straig
ht away and told me never to be worried about him asking questions because he’d never push me past my comfort zone,” a small smile appeared on her lips.

  “That’s why Matt is so perfect, he doesn’t push or moan or bitch about you being closed up. He accepts you for you, Ry. So, as we’re on the subject of Matt, what’s going on with you two…? I mean, are you friends still? More than friends? Friends with not-so-many benefits?” We both laugh at the last thing I say because I know there hasn’t been a benefit side to their friendship, she would have caved in and told me by now.

  This time Rylee does look round at me, maybe because we’re stopped at the lights and she can or she feels my questions warrant the dirty look she is trying to give me while holding back a smile.

  “Okay… Ava, I’m going to be honest with you and myself right now. Where’s your phone? I don’t want you recording this to use against me when I deny all knowledge if you throw me under the bus after a few tequilas,” she smirks

  “Oh, shut up! You know I’d never. Just spill, I can’t wait to hear it,” I say excitedly, I am practically jumping out of this seat right now. I’ve been waiting for what seems like forever for her to tell me.

  Rylee lets out a long breath and focuses back on the road.

  “We are still friends but sometimes it feels like we’re more, not in a physical way because you know that he hasn’t so much as even made a pass at me or told me how he feels. We both get jealous over each other and we both respect that each of us has a past we aren’t ready to open up about, we talk every day and he makes me feel worth it, you know? I like him, Ava, really like him. I miss him when he’s not around, I trust him like I never thought possible and the thought of not having him around makes me feel sick, like if I imagine him not there, my stomach does this flippy thing and I almost throw up.”

  I saw her swallow hard after saying that, I guess she wasn’t exaggerating. I don’t even know what to say to her, I’m speechless. She said he hasn’t told her how he feels so I guess she didn’t hear what he shouted in the club last night.