Elle blushed as she realized the doorbell had rung without her hearing it. She steadied herself and ran a hand over her hair to smooth it back into place before she answered the door.
When she brought the bags of food back to the kitchen counter, Ryan had found plates and silverware. He seemed unrattled, whereas Elle was a jittery mess, her body pushing her closer to him.
He carried the plates and food into the living room, and she followed with the wine, taking a large sip to cool her off. Despite his insistence that he wasn’t interested in food, Ryan ate heartily as Elle pushed the chicken and rice around her plate, too anxious to eat. She wanted this man. She got it now. That magnetic pull that made her want to surrender her soul for one more kiss.
With his mouth full, he grinned at her.
“I was a little worried you wouldn’t like Chinese. It’s not exactly a health food,” Elle said.
He shrugged and took a drink. “I eat whatever I want when I go out, but when I’m home, I eat healthy. It’s become a habit. Plus, there are lots of meals that are good for you and taste amazing.”
“Mm-hmm.” Elle wasn’t convinced.
“Tell you what…” He pointed at her with a forkful of food. “…tonight, we eat your delicious, greasy Chinese takeout, and tomorrow you let me cook for you.”
“Okay.” She relaxed a little knowing they had another date planned.
“My flowers seem to have been upstaged,” Ryan said, nodding toward the red roses in a vase next to the ones he had given her.
Crap, she had forgotten to move those.
Elle smiled. “Your flowers are wonderful. I love them.”
“Who are the roses from?” Ryan asked as they carried their plates to the kitchen.
“I’m not actually sure. There wasn’t a card. I thought they were from you until you showed up with your own flowers,” Elle said.
She hadn’t given it much thought but now wondered if they had come from Brock.
“Uh-oh, looks like I have some competition,” Ryan said as he closed the space between them and pulled her against his hard chest.
“I’m sure there was some sort of mix-up, or someone playing a practical joke,” Elle said.
He touched her dangly earring with a thumb, letting his fingers brush against her neck. She went on her tiptoes to kiss him. “Wanna go for a walk?” he asked against her mouth.
“A walk?” She leaned back to see if he was serious.
“There’s a walking trail around here, and there won’t be many warm nights left before it turns cold.”
All Elle wanted to do was kiss him some more, but she grabbed her jacket, and they headed out the door.
The path ran behind Elle’s complex and followed the forest’s edge as far as she could see. How was it she’d never noticed it before? It was getting dark out, but Ryan led her easily down the path, his hand never leaving hers.
“How did you know this trail was back here?” she asked
“I’ve run it before. It goes almost all the way to downtown. I think, when they started it a few years ago, the idea was to make a giant loop around the town, but somewhere along the way, it got forgotten.”
Ryan slowed down and led her to a bench off to the side of the path.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
“Not too bad.”
He pulled her onto his lap, enclosing her in the warmth of his body.
She nuzzled into his chest, breathing in his scent and enjoying being held so protectively. She turned to straddle him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
He slid his hands down to her hips, then slipped his cold fingers under her shirt, causing her body to shiver. He caught her mouth in a quick, chaste kiss before nipping playfully at her bottom lip. “We should probably head back,” Ryan said, running a hand through her hair.
No, she didn’t want the evening to end like all the others before, with a quick kiss and his disappearing act. Elle wriggled her butt on his lap and was rewarded by his sharp intake of breath. His hard length pressed against her.
“I like going for walks with you,” Elle said as she continued to move her hips, teasing him.
“As much as I enjoy them, too, I’m not sure you’d enjoy being the talk of the town tomorrow.” Ryan picked her up and placed her on the path then stood. They had only walked a few steps when Elle noticed a group of middle-aged women dressed in yoga pants and matching jackets making their way along the trail.
“Hello, Ryan,” a tall, blond woman in the center of the pack greeted him and then turned to Elle, assessing her with a frown.
“Hi, Maureen. Ladies.” Ryan gave a small wave as he ushered Elle away from the group.
“See you on Saturday!” Maureen called.
“Some of your water aerobics ladies, I presume?” Elle asked.
Ryan ran a hand over his chin and turned to glance at Elle before responding. “How did you know about that?”
“As you’ve pointed out, the people in this town like to talk.”
Ryan nodded, not offering up any more information.
“How did you get roped into that? I can’t picture it,” Elle asked.
He smiled and looked out over the horizon, clearly mulling over his answer for a moment. “When I started out as a trainer, I didn’t have a lot of clients. My mom pulled some strings to get me the job at the country club teaching water aerobics. I had zero experience with that type of thing, but it was steady income, so I sucked up my pride and agreed.”
“So why keep doing it now that you have the gym?” Elle asked.
“The country club has been good to me, and it reminds me how far I’ve come. Plus, I enjoy it.” He rubbed the back of his neck and flashed a conspiratorial grin. “Don’t tell anyone that last part.”
“You really love it here, don’t you? Sweetbriar, I mean,” Elle asked.
He let go of her hand then shoved his in the front pocket of his pants. “I know it doesn’t seem like much. Every small town has its quirks, but there are a lot of great things about it too. The people are loyal and caring. When I came back after my accident, they didn’t care that I was no longer a big-shot football player. They were happy to have me back, no matter what I did.”
Elle nodded thinking about her own hometown and how different it had been growing up in the city. She had always looked down on small-town living but had to admit that some things about Sweetbriar made her ache for this sense of community.
“The people here love you. You’ve done a lot of good things, but don’t sell yourself short. You would be great, and the people would love you, no matter where you lived.”
“Have you ever thought about moving to a bigger city, starting a gym somewhere else? You could help a lot more people in a larger community.” Elle purposely slowed her pace as they neared her condo.
“I have everything I want and need here,” Ryan said, pulling her into him. “Well, almost,” he added gruffly. He leaned in and kissed her, backing her against the front door of her condo.
He pulled away slowly, cursing and pulling his cell phone from his pocket. “Sorry. It’s the gym.” He held the phone up, and Elle nodded in understanding.
She opened the door as he answered the call and tried to busy herself around the kitchen, cleaning dishes and wiping down the counter, not wanting to eavesdrop, but he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her as he held the phone to his ear.
“Okay, thanks. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Ryan hung up and sighed. “The heat at Fit Club isn’t working. I’m sorry to leave, but I need to go check on it.” He brushed her hair off her shoulder and softly kissed the side of her neck. “Dinner at my place tomorrow?” he asked.
“Yes,” Elle grumbled her answer, not wanting him to leave.
He kissed her again and headed toward the door. “I’ll call you later.”
RYAN SWORE UNDER his breath as he adjusted himself and stepped out of the car. His cock was as pissed as he was at having to leave Elle’s place, but maybe it wa
s for the best. He was trying his hardest to be a gentleman and take his time with her. She deserved all the romantic shit, and he wanted to give it to her, but damn if she wasn’t making it difficult. He closed his eyes and remembered the smile on her lips as she had rubbed her butt against him. It had taken every ounce of willpower he had to move her before Maureen and the other ladies could see them. The last thing he wanted was to get her involved in gossip around town.
Sam, the maintenance guy, approached him as he entered the gym. “Sorry to interrupt your hot date, but I need you to sign off on an expense this big.” Ryan looked from Sam to Tori, who stood behind the front desk with a guilty look on her face. He shook his head at her. She couldn’t keep anything to herself.
Sam handed him a flashlight, and they headed outside where he explained the issue, and Ryan half-listened while he shined the light into the unit.
“So, we need to replace the blower motor?” Ryan asked impatiently.
San nodded as he scratched the top of his balding head.
Ryan cursed under his breath. “How long until you can get it fixed?”
“I will get the part tonight or tomorrow morning and get it running first thing.”
Ryan nodded. “Good. Thank you.”
It was the little things like this that had led him to keep up with training clients. He would lose his mind if all he did was oversee schedules and maintenance all day long. It was for that reason he had hired the best people he could find, Sam included.
“Also, we should look at doing a full maintenance check. It’s been over six months since the last one,” Sam said.
“Okay. Get it done this week. Email me a copy of the report when it’s fixed.”
“Will do.”
He extended a hand to Sam. “Thank you. Oh, and Sam, remind me to increase your spending limit.”
Sam accepted the handshake before he chuckled and nodded.
Ryan looked at his watch as he took the stairs to his office two at a time. He pulled his cell from his pocket and hovered over Elle’s name, wondering if asking to go back to her place now would look like a booty call.
He flipped on the light, and the blinking red on his office phone caught his attention. He picked up the receiver and hit the voicemail button, still looking at Elle’s name on his cell’s screen.
“Hi, Ryan. It’s Marie Smith. I’ve been following the success of Fit Club. I’m impressed with what you’ve done. I’d love to talk with you about franchising your gym. Please call me when you get a chance.”
She went on to leave two contact numbers, which Ryan didn’t bother to write down. Someone wanted to franchise Fit Club? He plopped into the chair behind his desk and leaned back, taking in the space. The office, like the rest of the gym, had been meticulously designed to be efficient and comfortable. He had carefully thought out each decision from the frosted glass on his office window to the state-of-the-art equipment throughout the gym. It didn’t sit well with him for someone to want to swoop in and capitalize on his hard work. He had worked too damn hard to give it all up now that he was finally seeing a return on his investment. He sighed and set his cell phone down on the desk. Besides, it probably wasn’t a realistic offer.
Ryan deleted the message and spent the next hour putting together a few training circuits for tomorrow’s clients. It wasn’t until he was back at his apartment that he allowed himself to call Elle.
She answered on the first ring but sounded hoarse, as if she had been sleeping.
“Did I wake you?”
“Mmm.” She rasped into the phone.
He smiled, picturing her comfortably curled up in her bed. “Go back to sleep, beautiful. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
The apartment seemed too quiet after that. He started the dishwasher and cleaned the rest of the place with a meticulous attention to detail. He checked the pantry to see what items he needed to get for tomorrow night and made a list, complete with flowers and candles. He was prepared to pull out all the stops for her. He hadn’t put this much effort into a woman since — shit — maybe ever. Perhaps it was because he knew she was leaving. No. He shook his head. The thought left him anxious and broken. There was just something about her. She was smart, funny, and she understood him better than some of his friends that he’d known for years. He couldn’t screw this up. He needed to do whatever it took to keep her.
CHAPTER TEN
ELLE STOOD WITH her dress hiked, one leg up on the firm’s bathroom sink. She drew the razor up her shin, over her knee, and along her thigh. It had been a hell of a day. After waking up late and having no time to shave her legs in the shower, she’d gotten to work and spilled coffee on her new dress. She wasn’t going to have time to go home and change before going to Ryan’s apartment, so hopefully, the Tide stick in her purse hadn’t dried up. She had twenty minutes before he was expecting her.
Done. Her legs were smooth. Or as smooth as they were going to get shaving in the ladies’ room. She gathered her things and left the building.
Elle’s phone rang as she started her car.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Elle, honey, where are you?” Diane’s voice sounded concerned over the background noise of people chatting.
“I’m just leaving work. What’s up?” Elle asked. Selfishly, she hoped nothing urgent had come up that would cause her to miss dinner at Ryan’s place.
“Your father and I are at the country club, waiting. You were supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago. Don’t tell me you forgot about dinner? We’re leaving for Italy early in the morning. We wanted to see you before we left.”
Elle slammed an open hand down on the steering wheel. She had forgotten, and now she was going to have to cancel on Ryan.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I’m on my way.”
Elle berated herself as she dialed Ryan’s number, praying he wouldn’t answer, and she could leave a message.
“Hi, gorgeous,” he drawled into the receiver.
Elle blushed, and her heart rate sped up before she remembered why she was calling. “I have bad news. I completely spaced and forgot I am having dinner with my parents. They are leaving for Italy in the morning or I’d blow them off.” She chewed on her bottom lip as she waited for his response.
“I’m disappointed I won’t get to see you tonight, but I understand.”
Elle let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. “Thank you for understanding. I’m sorry.”
He laughed into the phone. “I think you’re just afraid of my cooking.”
“Can I call you after dinner?” Elle smiled into the phone.
“Absolutely. Have fun.”
Half the town seemed to be at the country club for dinner. Elle spotted her parents at the bar, surrounded by a large group of men and women laughing and sipping on drinks. It struck Elle how happy her parents were in Sweetbriar. In Phoenix, they’d had friends that they occasionally had a dinner or night out with, but it appeared that they had made a happy life here.
“Elle, you made it.” Elle’s father wrapped her in a big hug before turning to introduce her to the group of men near him. “These are my golfing buddies — Jim, Jack, and Henry. Boys, this is my Elle.” He squeezed her shoulder. “Let me just see if I can get your mother away, and we can sit down for dinner.”
The three of them were ushered to a table as her mother and father waved and said their hellos at nearly every table they passed.
“How’s work going, shortcake?” Dad asked after they were seated at the table.
“It’s going well. I got my first solo client.”
“That’s fantastic, dear. Have you given any more thought to staying here in Sweetbriar? Clive says all your clients marvel about the work you do,” Mom asked.
Elle shrugged off the compliment. “It’s hardly anything to marvel over. I’m mostly helping people set up wills and trusts, get divorced — things that most lawyers could do in their sleep. I want to make a difference in people’s lives. I want to help those who really n
eed it.”
Elle felt like she had been giving this same speech for months, and no one seemed to get it.
“You are helping people. You and Clive helped Betty set up a will so that her daughters won’t fight over who gets that beautiful lake home of hers. You can’t imagine how much of a relief it was to her to have that settled and know her girls will be taken care of. I think you need to look a little harder at what you’re doing here in Sweetbriar. It may not be a fancy city law firm, but you’re helping people here, whether you realize it or not.”
“I remember Betty. She was very nice, but she didn’t mention any of that in our meetings.”
“Well, of course not. She didn’t want to air her dirty laundry to her lawyers.”
Elle had to admit that did make her feel a little better about the work she had done here, but she wasn’t sure that was enough.
Elle changed the subject to her parents’ Italy trip, and they chatted happily about all their plans for sightseeing over the next few weeks.
“I’m sorry we’re going to miss your big ball,” her father said as Elle hugged him good-bye.
“It’s okay. I promise I’ll come over as soon as you get back, and I’ll tell you all about it while Mom bores me with a thousand vacation photos.” Elle whispered the last bit so her mother wouldn’t hear her.
OVER THE NEXT few days, Elle and Ryan fell into a routine of texting back and forth all day long and spending time together at the gym before or after Elle’s work. They hadn’t been able to see each other in the evenings, but they’d talked every night on the phone until one of them started to drift to sleep.
Elle was enjoying being with Ryan and getting to know him but was afraid they were falling into some weird flirty friendship. Compared to their first few passionate encounters, things seemed to be going a little too slowly. She wondered where that passionate man who had pinned her against the wall in his office had gone? Their texts were suggestive, and he was always kissing her or holding her hand, but it hadn’t gone any further. Was it possible Elle was misreading the signs? Maybe he wasn’t interested in taking things any further?
Sweat (Sweetbriar Lake #1) Page 9