Arranged Love

by Lacey Wolfe

  Kayla rolled her eyes. “Well, as good as it can go since we haven’t been out yet.”

  “Wear that black dress you wore last Christmas. It was so pretty on you.”

  Any other time she would’ve argued about not needing fashion tips from her mom. But for tonight, she’d appease her. “I think you’re right. Thanks.”

  Her mom sounded excited. “Anytime. I won’t keep you. I don’t want your headache to get any worse. If it isn’t late when you get in, call me.”

  Kayla took a deep breath. Maybe this idea of Ryan’s wasn’t such a good one. “All right. We’ll see.”

  “Have fun. Tell Ryan hi for us.”

  “I will.” She ended the call.

  Maybe she and Ryan would have a terrible date tonight. She wasn’t so sure she could continue on with this…this…whatever it was. She had never been a good liar and it wouldn’t take long for her parents to figure it out. Maybe she should email Ryan and tell him the deal was off. But first, she needed to close her eyes.

  An hour later, Kayla reopened her eyes and was thankful her medicine had helped. She sat up and grabbed her phone from the coffee table to make sure she hadn’t missed a call or anything. No missed calls, only an email from Ryan.

  So glad this is a fake date, or I’d have to cancel. And what a way to make an impression.

  Where am I taking you tonight?

  -R

  She smiled and shook her head. He wasn’t very romantic. No wonder he was still single. Then again, he’d been pretty smooth the night they connected. Apparently, he didn’t need to be a knight in shining armor.

  Italian is my favorite, Mexican a close second. Since it’s a first date, perhaps we should stick with a steakhouse. We don’t want bad breath.

  My mother already called and instructed me to wear a black dress. If for some reason this comes up, I looked unbelievably beautiful and you couldn’t take your eyes off of me.

  Enjoy your evening. Whatever you’re doing.

  -K

  She leaned her head back against the couch. Her stomach rumbled and she wished she was actually eating a juicy steak right now. She got off the couch and went into her kitchen. Her pantry was bare, but she did have a can of steak and potato soup. That would do for now.

  She dumped the contents into a bowl and placed it in the microwave. As she waited the allotted two and a half minutes for it to cool, her phone alerted her of a new message and she went back into the living room to grab it.

  Will you be wearing those heels again?

  And my evening is a late night at work.

  -R

  Kayla giggled and replied.

  Sure, I’ll wear the heels. They probably wouldn’t have been my first choice, but they’ll work.

  So, steakhouse for dinner and a nightcap at McDuffy’s?

  -K

  Returning to the kitchen, Kayla took the bowl out of the microwave carefully and went over to the table to eat it. Her phone sat next to her as she waited on a reply. By the time she’d finished eating, one hadn’t come in. She assumed he was good with her suggestion.

  She glanced at the clock. With her headache gone, maybe she too could get a few more hours of work in. As she sat down at her desk, she realized she needed a life. She had a fake boyfriend and her main companion was a rabbit.

  * * * *

  Ryan shut his office door, thankful it was Friday. On Monday, he thought this week was going to be a breeze. Yet something was still off in his research. He was frustrated and once again needed to get his mind off of work. Blow some steam off. Perhaps he should be Doug again.

  Doug would walk out of this office and not even think about work again until he walked back in on Monday. Doug would find a woman and spend the entire weekend in bed. He needed to be Doug.

  As Ryan drove through town, he thought back to the previous Friday when he met Kayla. She’d rocked his world in one night. She’d been quiet most of the week. They hadn’t been in contact with one another since Wednesday. Maybe he could call her. She might want to meet up. He could use a good time with her again. He’d been honest with her about not wanting a relationship, just the benefits.

  He pulled into McDuffy’s. He’d start with a beer and go from there. Without liquid courage, he didn’t have the guts to ask for a booty call. He had a feeling she’d turn him down anyway. It was best to leave this simple, not cloud it up with some of the best sex he’d ever had in his life.

  He groaned just thinking about her spreading her legs and leaning over his bed. His pants got tight and he had to adjust them so he didn’t walk into the bar with a noticeable hard-on. Finding another woman to take home for the evening might be a good idea too. Get his mind off Kayla.

  As he took a seat at the bar, the attractive bartender who usually waited on him came over. “What’re you havin’ tonight?”

  “Whatever the special is.”

  She winked at him. “You got it.”

  A moment later, she slid the beer to him and went to help someone else. It didn’t take him long to drain the beverage. Not because he wanted to get drunk, but he’d been thirstier than he realized.

  “Want another?” she asked, leaning over the counter, giving him a full shot of her breasts like usual. She had a nice rack, but Kayla’s had been better.

  He nodded. And like before, the bottle was to him right away. He’d give her credit, she was good at her job.

  “Ryan,” a soft female voice said from behind him.

  He knew that voice. With the beer bottle pressed to his lips, he took a long drink before spinning around to see Abbie—the woman who had torn his heart to shreds.

  Chapter 4

  Abbie sat down on the barstool next to Ryan. “Drinking alone?”

  “It’s been a long week. I needed to let the stress out some.” He stared ahead, not wanting to make eye contact.

  “You should take some time off.”

  He rolled his eyes. She didn’t understand. Never had. People depended on him to create medications to help them. He couldn’t just take time off. “We’ve been down this road.”

  She touched his wrist. “We have. You look good.”

  Pulling his arm back¸ he glanced at her and raised an eyebrow. “What do you want?”

  “Nothing. I saw you here and simply wanted to check on you. That’s it.”

  He didn’t buy it. He’d spent a few years with this woman and knew she had an ulterior motive. “Thanks for that. I’m just peachy. As soon as I finish this beer I’m going home.”

  “Want some company?”

  Ryan set the beer down on the counter. “I’d love company. From anyone but you, Abbie.”

  “That hurts.”

  He stood. “I bet it hurts a whole lot less than what you did to me. If you’ll excuse me…” He set a ten on the bar. “I’ll be getting out of here now. Go home to Taylor.” He walked away from her without a glance back.

  There was no way in hell he was going to sit there and chit-chat with the woman he at one time thought he was going to spend the rest of his life with. The woman who’d shown him exactly why love was a waste of his time.

  Since he’d already drained two beers, he walked back to his apartment. The cool air felt nice against his skin, but his insides were burning hot.

  Entering into his apartment, Kayla flashed through his mind as though she was beckoning him. He removed his phone from the holder on his hip and did his best not to contact her. He stared at the screen and his finger went back and forth between the phone button and email.

  He pressed the phone and wanted to kick himself. What was he going to say?

  “Hello,” she answered hesitantly.

  “Kayla. It’s Ryan.”

  “Oh, hey. I hadn’t programmed your number yet. What’s up?”

  “Do you want to come over?” The line was silent a moment. “You there?”

  “Is that such a good idea?”

  “No. It’s a horrible idea.”

  She giggled. “Okay. Whe
n did you want me to come?”

  “Now.”

  “I’ll see you in a bit.” She disconnected the call.

  Ryan sucked in a deep breath. What was he going to do when she got there? He went into his kitchen, opened the fridge, and grabbed another bottle. When he finished this beer, he’d call and tell her not to come. Seeing his ex hadn’t put him in the right frame of mind. And the strong desire to sink into Kayla was clouding his judgment as well.

  * * * *

  Kayla parked her car in front of Ryan’s place. She tossed her keys in her purse and searched the console for her phone. What the heck? Where was it?

  Darn it. It was sitting on the little table by her front door. Certainly not the place it needed to be. She exited the vehicle, locked her doors, and made her way down the breezeway toward Ryan’s door.

  She knocked and the door almost immediately swung open. Only Ryan didn’t look like the incredibly handsome man he usually did. He looked…off.

  “I tried calling you to tell you I changed my mind.” He leaned against the doorjamb.

  “I forgot my phone.”

  “This isn’t a good idea. You should leave.”

  “I’m already here, so why don’t I come in for a little bit? We can talk.” Maybe he needed someone to chat with. He wasn’t right and she could smell the alcohol on his breath.

  He stepped back, allowing her to enter. She set her purse down and took a seat on the couch. An empty brown bottle sat on the coffee table alongside his phone.

  “Did you have a bad day?” she asked.

  He plopped down next to her—close. Once again, she got a strong whiff of beer on his breath. She was certain he’d had more than the one bottle. “I don’t want to talk about my day.”

  “Okay.”

  He inched closer to her. His gaze was locked on her lips, and she knew now what he wanted. She began to object, but then he captured her lips. She moaned as he gripped the back of her neck, holding her so she couldn’t get away. At first she was shocked, but then her insides betrayed her. She wanted more.

  As he pushed her back on the couch, nudging her thighs apart, she willingly let him. He cupped her breasts, kneading them. A thumb flicked over her covered nipple, but it didn’t make the sensation any less pleasurable. He stopped kissing her mouth. His lips trailed down her neck as his hands pushed her shirt up.

  She had to stop this. He wasn’t in his right mind and if she let this go on, he’d regret it. But then his warm mouth was on her belly button, and a whole new feeling flooded her. Her center grew moist and the urge to be touched took over.

  His hot breath circled her stomach and she couldn’t tell if he was going to kiss his way up to her breasts or down. She wanted him to go south.

  “Do you want me?” he asked in a husky voice.

  She opened her mouth to say ‘no’, but her body betrayed her, grinding up into him.

  “I love how honest you are. You want pleasure and aren’t afraid of taking what you want.” He unbuttoned her jeans.

  Ryan’s tongue licked her along the path of the edge of her panties. “Oh God!” she called out.

  She couldn’t take it. He was torturing her and she was going to come without ever being touched.

  As he inched her pants down, she knew she needed to put a stop to this...now. “No.”

  “No?”

  “We can’t do this. We have to stop.”

  “I don’t know if I can. I’m aching to be inside of you again. You have no idea. The one time I was with you was the best sex I have ever had. Please, give it to me again.”

  This was going to be so much harder than she’d anticipated. Though she couldn’t help but feel a little pride that she’d given him the best sex of his life. “Ryan, not like this.” He grunted and climbed off of her. “Let’s talk.”

  “Talking is the last fucking thing I want to do.” He left the room.

  Kayla buttoned her pants. Ryan returned a moment later with another beer.

  “I think you’ve had enough.”

  “I’ll determine when I’ve had enough, so to speak,” he snapped.

  “Did you have a bad week at work?”

  He sat down and took a long swig. “I can’t figure out the formula for this drug. And it’s frustrating me. I just want to help people. Find cures or things to make their lives better. But it’s not as easy as you might think. You can’t just toss ingredients in and bam, you have a cure. I wish it was that freaking simple.” He paused to take another drink. “And then there was my ex.”

  Kayla raised an eyebrow. Now they were getting somewhere.

  “She had the balls to come talk to me after what she did to me.”

  “What did she do?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  And they were back to square one. “You might feel better.”

  Ryan closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the cushion. After a few moments of him not speaking, Kayla was pretty sure he’d gone to sleep.

  She removed the beer he held loosely in his hand on his lap and set it on the table, then took the blanket that was draped on the back of the couch off and placed it over him. As quietly as she could, she slipped out to return home. She still couldn’t quite wrap her head around what had happened there tonight. But Ryan seemed to be a complicated man. And she wasn’t so sure complicated was what she wanted.

  She wanted to fall in love and have the whole happily ever after. But he’d made it clear that wasn’t for him. So why was she wasting her time with this?

  * * * *

  Ryan stared at the computer screen and read the message one more time.

  Kayla,

  I’m rather embarrassed of myself. You were right to stop us before things went too far, and I never should’ve gotten angry with you. I’d like to make it up to you. How about dinner tonight? Somewhere public.

  -R

  It was short and to the point. He didn’t think it was missing anything. She hadn’t seemed angry with him, but he’d acted like an asshole. One moment he was doing his best to get in her pants, and the next he was angry and passing out. It was best not to stop by McDuffy’s again. Not for a while. He didn’t need to be drinking alone anyway.

  He sent the message and decided to hop in the shower. He smelled like alcohol and cigarette smoke. Twenty minutes later, he emerged from the bathroom with a white towel wrapped around his waist. His hair was still dripping.

  In his bedroom, he was pulling a pair of boxers from his drawer when the sound of his phone ringing on the nightstand caught his attention. A glance showed it was his mother.

  “Hey, Mom.”

  “I didn’t hear from you much this week. I wanted to see how you were.”

  “I worked all week. Taking today off to relax a bit.” And get over this hangover.

  “I saw Kayla’s mom at the grocery story. She said you two had dinner one day this week. How did it go?”

  Fuck. What had Kayla said she wore? “Good.”

  “I’m happy to hear that. When will you be seeing her again?”

  He took a deep breath. “Tonight. Listen, Mom. I just got out of the shower. It’s not a good time. Can we talk later?”

  “That’s fine. Hope your date goes well.”

  “All right. Bye.” He ended the called and set the phone down on the nightstand. He was thirty-five years old. When was this going to end? He loved his mother, but this was his life.

  Dropping the towel on the floor, he then proceeded to dress in a pair of dark gray sweats for the time being. He raked the towel through his hair and over his chest. After he was dry, he opened up his laptop to see if Kayla had gotten his message.

  There were several new emails, but the only one he cared about reading was the one she had sent.

  No worries about last night. We all have bad days and ex’s. You don’t have to make it up to me. Enjoy your evening. We’ll chat again another time.

  -K

  Kayla didn’t want dinn
er? Well damn, he hadn’t thought about her turning him down. Double damn, he’d told his mom they were going out. It then occurred to him that he could use this to his advantage. With a grin plastered across his face, he wrote back to her.

  Did you have plans already? I kinda told my mom we were doing dinner tonight. But if you have something else going on, I understand.

  -R

  His stomach growled. Food might be good right about now. He went into the kitchen and made himself some toast, then headed back over to his laptop. Kayla had responded.

  Thought we didn’t have to really do these dinners? Oh well, looks like we’re having dinner then. I’d hate to be the one to cancel. I’d never hear the end of it. I’ll meet you at the Italian bistro on Elm Street at 6. Sound good?

  -K

  He quickly responded with a ‘yes’. Since six was still a few hours away, he wondered what he could do to kill the time. He’d promised himself he wouldn’t work this weekend. What was left to do? Maybe he’d go out shopping for a bit. Buy a new shirt for tonight. The options were endless.

  * * * *

  Kayla set her mobile phone down and sighed. She needed to break things off with Ryan. But even fake breaking up was hard. She stared across the table at her sort of friend. She didn’t know the woman well. They usually spoke while working out at the gym. This was their second time getting coffee together after their workout. Kayla just wasn’t feeling the click though yet to really open up.

  “What’s wrong?” her friend asked as she took a sip of her coffee.

  “Funny story, actually.” Maybe this would help them connect. “I’m fake seeing this guy. I thought it would be simple. Pretend to date him to get my parents off my back. But he’s a lot more complicated than I thought he would be.”