Not to mention, if he did want to settle down, I would have to tell him the bitter truth about me.
Once he heard those words, he would definitely be running for the hills.
“I don’t think continuing to hook up with Ryan is a good idea,” I finally force out, after collecting my thoughts.
“I’d just be asking to get hurt.”
“To get hurt?” Arielle looks at me questioningly before understanding dawns. She sinks into the chair next to me and grabs my hand.
“Oh, Belle. You like him, don’t you?”
I bite my lip, and she closes her eyes.
“Well, maybe he likes you too.”
I just stare at her.
“Don’t look at me like that. What’s not to love about you? You’re beautiful, you’re funny, you have a huge heart and…”
“I’m barren.” I finish, as her eyes fill with sadness.
“Isabelle…”
“Ari, he’s a great dad, a seriously great father to his son. A guy like that deserves to have ten kids. It would be doing the universe an injustice not to let him reproduce. I can’t do that for him. So even if he did like me enough to be mine, in the long run, it would never work out.”
“My offer will always stand.” Her eyes lock with mine, and my heart expands in my chest with love for my sister.
When the news was finally delivered, that my chance of bearing a child was slim to none, Arielle had jumped right in. She offered up her womb, which is hands down the sweetest thing that anyone has ever done for me.
But, in all reality, I know my sister. She has a kind heart, but she is vain as hell. She would absolutely carry my child, but her body is her temple. She would be devastated over the changes that a baby would surely cause.
I would never hurt her just for my own gain.
“I know, and while I appreciate that, you know that I would never ask that of you. It is what it is, Arielle. I’m just not destined for a relationship again. And honestly, after seeing all of the temptation that Ryan faces every fucking game, I already know that I could never live my life like that. I would be constantly wondering if my boyfriend was out banging somebody else. I already lived that with Rich. There’s no way that I can go through that again.”
“Ryan isn’t Rich.”
“No, he’s not. But you haven’t been to one of his games. You haven’t seen the kind of women that flock to him. He could have any one of them, at any given time. I would never be able to trust him. I already have issues.”
“Maybe you should just talk to him and see where he lands on all of this.”
I swallow hard.
“He already said that he didn’t want to put a label on us.”
She nods slowly.
“Alright. And then what happened?”
I squeeze my eyes shut.
“I, you know.” I can do nothing but shake my head. “We had sex almost immediately after that.”
“So, basically, he told you that he couldn’t commit, and you still gave it up.”
I groan.
“Yes. See? He told me that I was his and that he wasn’t sharing me. But he was super vague about whether or not I would be sharing him.”
“Isabelle.” Arielle’s voice turns stern. “You know better. I mean, I’m all about you hooking up, because I know that you need it. You haven’t been with anyone else since your douchebag husband. But if you have feelings for this guy, then you need to know where you stand.”
“I know.”
“So, I mean, what is the plan? You have a three day stretch off from games. Has he asked you to do anything with him? Did he make any mention of taking you on a date, anything like that?”
No. Not even close. He was super flirty on the plane, and of course, let me bury my face in his chest during takeoff and landing. But once we stepped off the plane, that was it.
He told me that he would talk to me soon, and then we went in our separate directions.
I hadn’t really given it much thought until Arielle pointed it all out.
I shake my head.
“Well, do not call him.”
“No?” I stare at her.
“No. Hell no. Don’t call him, and for the love of God, if he calls you? Do not go to his house, especially at night. Do not let yourself be his booty call, Isabelle.”
See, this is the problem here. Because even though I know that it’s wrong of me to think this way, I sort of want a booty call.
The sex was amazing, alright?
“Isabelle.” Arielle glares at me.
“Right. Alright. I get it. I won’t be a booty call.”
“For some reason, I don’t trust you.”
She hops to her feet and nods toward the door.
“C’mon. I’ll find you a table and then you can get some dinner. You need something to do to keep your mind off of that guy.”
“I know.” I agree and reach for my phone that sits on the little side table between the sitting chairs in Arielle’s office.
“Nope.” She snatches it out of my hands. “You can have it back after dinner, maybe. If I think that I can trust you more.”
I cut my eyes at her, but I don’t even bother fighting her on it.
Arielle isn’t going down without a fight, and honestly, she’s right.
I can’t be trusted not to contact Ryan first.
His magic penis has cast a spell on me, and it is only going to get me hurt.
Chapter Sixteen
Ryan
It’s only been six hours, and I’m already missing Isabelle like crazy.
I thought that a few days apart would be good for me, enough time to get my mind right, but as it turns out, the only thing that my mind wants to focus on is her.
I miss feeling her body pressed up against mine, but I think that I miss her smile, and the sound of her infectious laugh even more.
The way that she makes me feel is unlike anything that I’ve ever felt before.
To be honest, it kind of scares the shit out of me.
I’ve been determined not to let myself fall for anyone again, and I’ve worked damn hard at distancing myself from having any kind of feelings.
I’ve slept with my fair share of women since Audra, but I’ve never let my heart get involved at all. I sure as hell never let myself get so wrapped up that I went without a condom.
Isabelle has totally blindsided me.
The fact that I miss her as much as I do is alarming, and yet, no amount of trying to talk myself out of it is helping.
I tried laying down to go to sleep, but the second that my eyes closed, her face filled my head.
I tossed and turned for at least an hour, until finally getting up.
I’ve paced around my living room long enough to know that the only way that I am going to be able to sleep tonight is if she is laying next to me.
Since Isaac is here, and fast asleep in his bedroom, I can’t exactly ask her to come over and spend the night with me.
But maybe, hearing her voice will be enough.
Sighing, I grab my phone and carry it back to my bedroom.
I sink down onto my bed before dialing her number.
The phone rings, and rings.
I glance at the clock, seeing that it’s almost eleven.
She’s probably fast asleep.
I’m just about to hang up, when her groggy voice fills the line.
“Hello?” Her voice is soft and filled with sleep. My body aches at the sound, my arms longing to feel her pressed up against me, all soft and sleepy.
I’m in so deep.
“Hey baby,” I murmur, before laying back against my pillows. “I’m so sorry if I woke you.”
“Ryan, is everything ok? It’s late.”
“I know. I’m so sorry. It’s just that…” I swallow hard. “I just really missed you. I wanted to hear your voice.”
“Oh. That’s really sweet.”
“What did you do today, baby?”
I hear her moving around, likely sit
ting up in bed.
“Um, nothing really. I went and visited my sister at work and had dinner.”
“The sister that I met? Arielle?”
“Yes.” She owns a restaurant downtown.”
“Nice. Free dinner then, huh?”
She snorts.
“Yeah, right. I don’t even get a discount. She’s greedy like that.”
She giggles just enough to let me know that she’s not actually angry.
“God, it’s so good to hear your voice. I’m going to be honest, Isabelle. I’ve been laying in bed for hours now, tossing and turning, and wishing that you were here next to me.”
She’s silent.
“I was hoping that you were feeling the same way. Actually, I was hoping that you were still awake and would be missing me too. I’d come to you if I could, but Isaac is sleeping.”
Dead silence on the other end.
I almost worry that she fell back to sleep or hung up, when finally, her quiet voice questions me.
“You called, hoping that I would come over?”
“Crazy, right? I know, it’s nuts. And I’m not asking you to. I’m just missing you.”
“Oh my god,” she whispers.
“Baby? What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong?” Her voice rises slightly. “Ryan, it’s after eleven. I haven’t heard from you today, and then you call me at eleven o’clock at night, expecting me to run right over to you.”
“I’m not expecting…”
“I’m a lot of things, Ryan. A lot of things. But I am not a booty call, alright?”
“Isabelle, no!” I exclaim, before sitting upright in bed. “Baby, that’s not…”
“That is exactly what this is.” Her voice clips through the phone, and a sinking feeling fills my stomach.
“Ryan, what happened between us this weekend was a mistake. I’m sure that you have all kinds of women that would be more than willing to run right over. Please, do not call me for anything like this again.”
I can’t even get any words out before she hangs up the phone.
What a stupid fucking idiot I am.
I just made this seem like a booty call, when that’s so damn far from the truth.
Chapter Seventeen
Isabelle
I managed to make it through the entire game without looking at Ryan once.
Go me.
I actually have managed to avoid him for the entire day, since I was able to get on a later flight than he and Isaac’s.
I had debated not even showing up here in Atlanta today, but then, I realized that if I didn’t come, I wouldn’t collect a paycheck.
If I didn’t collect a paycheck, I would be stuck living with my parents forever.
That is totally not an option.
But now, as Isaac and I stand on the field after the game, I can’t help but to stare at him.
I want to hate the guy, really, I do.
Why does he have to be so damn hot?
The guys managed to pull off a win tonight, and I’m happy for them.
They all seem to be in a much better mood than they were after the last game, when they lost.
“Celebratory beers!” Brock shouts, and I notice that several of the guys shake their heads.
“No way, man. I’m hanging with my wifey tonight,” Eric Wayne tells him before wrapping his arm around Avery and smiling down at her in a way that would make even the most loved woman jealous.
“Same here. Gonna spend time with my wife and kid, Brock,” Jake Matthews pipes in.
I glance at Ryan and shrug.
“Go ahead. I’ll stay with Isaac.”
Ryan shifts uncomfortably from side to side.
“Ah, Isaac is staying with my aunt tonight.”
“Your aunt?” I question, before glancing around. I certainly didn’t see anyone claiming to be his family member at the game tonight, but then again, I spend most of the night with my eyes closed, firmly hidden behind my sunglasses.
“Yeah. I’ve got quite a bit of family here. My mom is originally from this area. Didn’t I tell you that?”
Nope.
He sure didn’t.
It just goes to show you how little I knew about the guy before I jumped into the sack with him.
“Oh.”
Well, fuck. There goes that distraction.
“Alright, have fun.” I nod at him before turning on my heel and starting back towards the tunnel. I stop to smack a kiss on Isaacs head, before making my way back to the hotel.
It’s just a quick walk through the tunnel, since the hotel is one of the few that are actually attached to the stadium.
Pretty damn convenient, if you ask me.
“Isabelle. Wait up.” I hear Ryan calling out to me, but I pretend that I don’t. I quicken my steps, but since his stride is about double that of mine, he catches me quickly.
“Isabelle.” He reaches out, grabbing onto my elbow.
I sigh before spinning around and plastering a fake smile on my face.
“Hey, Ryan. What’s up?”
“Listen, I don’t really feel comfortable just leaving you. I mean, you’re here for Isaac, and he’s with my mom. I don’t feel right about celebrating with the guys when you’ll be left by yourself.”
His expression is earnest, and honestly, it’s very kind that he is thinking of my feelings. But having him gone is actually a blessing.
“Don’t feel bad. It’s totally fine. I’m an employee. You’ve basically given me a paid night off. I’ll be just fine by myself.”
“But we didn’t even eat.”
“I’ll be fine.”
He pauses, looking conflicted, before finally glancing back up to me.
“Do you want to come with us? We’re going to get some dinner and then drinks.”
While I really don’t want to hang out alone, I definitely do not want a pity invite, which is exactly what this is.
That’s me, the pitiful booty call.
“I’m fine. Have fun.”
“But, dinner…”
I swallow.
“Look. I’m here for Isaac, and if he’s with your mom, then there is no reason for us to hang out.”
“Damn, Isabelle. I like hanging out with you.”
“Why?” I narrow my eyes at him. “I’m sure you have plenty of other booty calls on your roster. Invite one of them to dinner.”
“You’ve got it so fucking wrong.”
“I doubt it.” I shrug. “But either way, go out and enjoy your night with you friends. I’m going to grab my own dinner, and maybe read a book or something. Don’t let me dampen your fun.”
“If I stuck around the suite, would you give me a chance to explain myself?”
I roll my eyes.
“There is nothing to explain. We hooked up, it was a mistake, and now we can both move on. There, I just explained it for you.”
“Isabelle. You have it all wrong.”
“Doubtful. But either way, enjoy your night, Ryan.”
With that, I turn on one heel and hurry down the tunnel, towards the safety of my room.
The less time I spend around the guy, the better.
“I’m from Nevada.”
The man who is sitting far too close to me continues, and I just nod my head.
“How nice.”
I push my empty glass towards the bartender who nods and makes me another drink.
“I’m in business. I’m actually here to close a pretty big deal. It’s going to make me a lot of money.”
I force a smile at the man, before taking my drink and tipping it back.
He’s been chattering away at me for about the last half hour. I’ve dropped every hint imaginable that I’m not interested, but he has missed every single one.
He’s not overly pushy or anything. In fact, he’s pretty damn self-absorbed. He asked me my name, and that was about it.
Since then, he’s rattled on and on about himself, boring me nearly to death with all of the detail
s.
“It took me six months to close the deal on the copyright.” He continues, and I stare down into my drink.
“I’ve never encountered sharks like that in my life, but I stood strong. I worked my ass off to win that deal.”
“That’s great,” I mutter.
He finally stops talking long enough to look at me again.
“So, what are you. A model or something?”
I snort.
Literally, freaking, snort.
“I’m a teacher.”
“A teacher. Huh.” He glances over me before smirking. “I sure as hell never had a teacher that looked like you while I was in school.”
“Oh.”
“You wanna have sex?”
I nearly choke.
I cough hard, as the liquor that I just swallowed goes into my lungs instead of my stomach.
“That was kind of forward, huh?”
He grins again before leaning forward.
“I figured there was no need to beat around the bush. You’re interested in me, and I think you’re hot as hell. I think the two of us could have a real nice time together.”
“I…”
He leans into me, totally invading my space, and winking at me.
He starts to whisper something to me before reaching out and running his hand down my arm. I move back, out of his grasp, when I’m totally caught off guard.
Suddenly, a hand grabs my neck, and I feel fingers fist into my hair.
I’m spun on my bar stool, and then…
Ryan’s mouth clamps down onto mine.
His kiss is hot, wet, and a little hard.
His hand fists into my hair, and he nearly growls as his tongue slides into my mouth.
He pulls his mouth back from mine, leaving me sitting there, panting, as his forehead rests against mine for just a second.
“Isabelle,” he whispers, before shaking his head and pulling back.
His hand stays on my neck as he puffs out his chest and turns his attention to the man next to me.
“The only person that she’s fucking tonight, is me.”
“Ryan!”
I cannot believe he just said that.
Did he come in clutch?
Yes.
But for real.
He just announced loudly to the entire bar that we are…
You know.
“I know you.” The man stares at Ryan with wide eyes.
Hard To Fall (Sliding Home Book 3) Page 11