BRING ME YOU
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
TWELVE
THIRTEEN
FOURTEEN
FIFTEEN
SIXTEEN
SEVENTEEN
EIGHTEEN
NINETEEN
TWENTY
TWENTY-ONE
TWENTY-TWO
TWENTY-THREE
TWENTY-FOUR
TWENTY-FIVE
TWENTY-SIX
TWENTY-SEVEN
TWENTY-EIGHT
TWENTY-NINE
THIRTY
THIRTY-ONE
THIRTY-TWO
THIRTY-THREE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
BRING ME YOU
Copyright © 2014 by Ryleigh Andrews
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Cover Design by
Najla Qamber Designs
Cover Photo by
Lauren Perry, Perrywinkle Photography
Cover Models: Mike and Madison Fleming
Interior Design and Formatting by
Christine Borgford, Perfectly Publishable
Mia
Indianapolis, March 2006
A fidgety mess, Mia Devereux sat in the passenger seat of her best friend Luke’s silver Range Rover as he parked his car between a massive black Hummer and a sleek silver Cadillac. To say she felt a bit of unease about tonight was an understatement—not just because this party spoke money and lots of it. No, it was mostly due to the man sitting beside her.
A few months ago, New Year’s Day to be exact, they had discussed ending their complicated four year friends with benefits relationship to be strictly just friends. The discussion ended with both deciding that they should wait and see if this was something that they really wanted.
Mia hadn’t seen him since that day and during their time apart, she realized that she missed their friendship more than the sex. Not to say she didn’t miss that, too. She and Luke had great sex together. Hell, it was fantastic, and that was one of the reasons why it had taken them so long to get to this final ending point.
They had many endings throughout the six years she had known him. She and Luke started out as a couple and dated for about a year and a half until the one night when his ex-lover, Taylor, showed up at the door of their shared apartment, and informed him that he was the father of her six month old daughter, Kaitlyn. Mia broke things off so he could concentrate on his daughter and a few months later, Luke moved from Chicago to Indianapolis to be a part of Kaitlyn’s life. Thus began the next phase of Mia’s relationship with Luke. Over the next four years, they had an on-again/off-again sexual relationship. And, for the most part, it was off. The long distance separating them made sure of that. As difficult as that was, she didn’t let it stop Luke and Kaitlyn from becoming two of the most important people in her life.
So when Luke asked her to attend the party with him, Mia decided to extend her trip. She missed him and knew that she needed him in her life. Yet, she also needed to move on. She couldn’t stay in this limbo that they’ve been in the past few years. It wasn’t good for her.
At some point over the next week, they’d mark the end of their old relationship and their new beginnings as just best friends. At least that was the best phrase she could come up with. He was so much more than that, which was why the thought of ending the sexual facet of their relationship terrified her. She didn’t want to lose him.
Luke turned to her, his fingers wrapped around the door handle, and leveled her with his mega-watt smile. “Let’s go,” he said, opening his door.
With a nod, Mia got out of the car. She smoothed her black one-sleeved dress over her thighs and quickly secured her jacket to fight the biting chill of the early March air.
As she crossed the over-saturated grass, Mia felt her black stud and spike, suede heels start to sink into the sod. She was glad the snow had melted away but the soaked earth was going to ruin her precious shoes. She hurried over to the path. As she waited for Luke, she took a tissue from her jacket and made quick work of removing the mud and grass. She wadded up the tissue and tucked it in her clutch just as Luke met up with her on the path. Slipping her arm securely through his, Luke led the way to the house.
As they followed the path to the house, she wondered aloud why they were there. She knew it was for his job. He worked for the Indianapolis Flash, a football team in the United Football League. The UFL replaced the NFL after a multi-season strike destroyed the once-fabled league. She didn’t know the exact specifics of his job, but she did know that he was in communication and kept rising up the ranks.
“There will be lots of football players here. I need to mingle, you know,” Luke answered with a wink. He then turned to Mia, his eyes grabbing a hold of hers, making her stomach flutter a little. “And you’ll be there by my side … looking incredibly sexy," he said, moving closer to her.
“Sexy?” she asked in amazement. Awkward maybe, sexy not so much. “I am the farthest thing from sexy.”
He stopped her and brought her closer to him, holding her hips. “You are the sexiest, most beautiful woman I know,” Luke stated, his eyes bearing down on her, making her heart skip a beat. Mia wanted to reply with a witty remark but her mouth wouldn’t work or maybe that was her mind? He flustered her as he so often did. She was confused … this was not best friend behavior. Old habits were hard to break, she guessed.
Luke smiled knowingly and kissed her forehead. “Let’s head inside,” he said, grabbing her hand and leading her into the grand home.
Mia loved to watch him work a room. It always amazed her how people flocked to him. How could they not? The instant they arrived, he commanded people's attention with his demeanor and his appearance, standing tall with his dark hair and hazel eyes. He had a sparkle to him, an easy going manner, and charm—he had loads of that. Things never seemed to bother him, at least that’s what she thought because he always seemed to have a smile on his face.
About an hour later, Luke and Mia finally made their way near the bar. He led her to a rare unoccupied sofa, making sure she was comfortable.
“Would you like something to drink?” he asked as she settled down on the plush sofa.
“Sure,” she said, looking up at him.
“Jack and Coke?” he asked. She smiled up at him, happy that he remembered her favorite drink.
She nodded and watched him make his way to the bar, but lost him among all the people. Mia let out a sigh and took the time alone to reflect on how terribly she missed Luke. She felt as if a part of her didn’t function without him in her life. She missed Kaitlyn, too. She loved spoiling his little girl rotten. More than that though, she cherished the unconditional love Kaitlyn gave her. Mia loved that little girl as much as she loved anything in the world. Luke and Kaitlyn, they were her family, despite the fact they would never be related.
Her eyes searched the room for Luke and she found him shaking hands with a man who looked surprisingly familiar to her. Mia studie
d him, trying to place him. He was quite tall, almost a full head taller than Luke, who was six feet. His sun-kissed brown hair was cut short, but she could tell it was wavy. And that smile …
“No,” she muttered unbelievably to herself. Luke just shook hands with none other than Ethan Christopher, easily the most recognizable name and face in the United Football League.
The UFL was his league. He came to it right out of college and signed with the Indianapolis Flash. An amazing quarterback, he brought fans to the startup team with his daring throws and quick feet.
Mia became an avid fan of the game after Luke took her to game after game when he worked as the lead sports reporter for the local newspaper. She knew who Ethan was—she cheered for him many times while she and her friends watched games at the local bar. She never thought she would ever see him this close.
Holy crap!
“Sweets,” Luke spoke, grabbing her attention.
She looked up at Luke and an easy smile came to her face. She didn’t even notice him return from the bar, lost in her thoughts as she was. Luke was handing her the requested drink when she noticed a movement to his left. She glanced over and almost dropped the drink from her hand when her gaze met the golden eyes of Ethan.
He didn’t look like a football player right now. He had a beautiful straight nose, perfectly proportioned to his face. Just like his mouth. His lips were slightly upturned in a soft, sensual smile as he watched her. His bottom lip was a little bigger than the top and she had an insane desire to tug on it with her teeth.
Her eyes lingered on the tall, athletic body that was hidden beneath his clothes. His broad shoulders and chest were covered by a light gray dress shirt accessorized with a black tie. He matched his shirt with an even darker pair of gray dress slacks. She wondered if he had abs and pecs that would make her drool like a fool.
“Mia, I’d like you to meet Ethan Christopher,” Luke said, looking at Mia and smiling tenderly. “Ethan, this is a very dear friend of mine, Mia Devereux.”
Ethan enveloped her hand with both of his with a firm yet gentle shake. Her eyes dropped to their joined hands, liking how it looked, but liking how it felt even more.
“A pleasure to meet you, Mia," Ethan said slowly with a faint Southern accent. Sexy as hell! He gently squeezed her hand, sending a shiver through her body. Her eyes flicked to his face and back to their hands. After a long moment, he slowly released his grip and let her hand go. Her body cried, already missing the contact.
“Same here, Ethan,” she managed to squeak out.
“If you would excuse me, there is someone that I need to see,” Luke said. Mia tore her eyes from Ethan and regarded Luke who smiled at her like he had a secret. She quirked her eyebrows at his expression and his smile only grew bigger. What the heck was he up to? Before she had a chance to ask, he squeezed her arm and left.
Pain in the ass, she thought.
She wrinkled her nose at Luke’s quick departure, trying to figure out his devious mind, knowing he was up to something. But she didn’t want to dwell on that now. She was alone with Ethan Christopher! Mia felt like screaming. But she wouldn’t. She’d contain herself.
Somehow …
Her stomach did a giddy flip when she turned to regard the very sexy Ethan. Something about him captivated her. His hair … no, maybe it was his eyes. They held hers, hypnotizing her. She wasn’t star struck; she was awestruck. Probably why she couldn’t get any words to come together to form a coherent thought.
“Do you mind if I sit with you?” he asked, sparing her the task of initiating more conversation.
Snap out of it, she chastised herself.
“Oh, no, not at all,” she replied, thankful her brain finally decided to do its job.
“So, you’re one of the lucky people to know Luke?” Ethan quipped as he seated his long frame on the sofa next to her.
Mia chuckled, “You can call it that.”
He laughed at her jibe and got more comfortable, his body facing her, his legs just inches away from hers, close enough to feel the heat emanating from them.
“Let me ask this then, how long have you known Luke?”
“I met him six years ago when I moved to Chicago.”
“You’re not originally from Chicago?” he asked curiously.
“No, I’m from Michigan,” she replied, liking the way his eyes stayed on her face and not roaming all over her body.
“Whereabouts?”
“East Lansing.”
“Did you go to Michigan State?”
“I had no other choice,” she laughed. “My dad is a professor there.”
“Really?” he exclaimed, his body as animated as his voice. “What does he teach?”
“Nothing too exciting—just history,” she replied, not thinking her life was all that interesting, but Ethan seemed to think it was. The only thing remotely interesting about her was her music. Everything else was a bore.
“What period?” he asked and she was taken aback for a moment.
“Uh … Industrial Age through World War II. He’s particularly interested in World War II. My grandfather was part of the war.”
“Nothing that exciting? My major was History. I have an affinity for the History Channel.”
“You’re kidding?” Mia could chill on her couch and watch that station all day long. She did just that last weekend if she recalled correctly.
“No, I’m not. Part of my retirement plan.”
“How’s that?” she asked, re-crossing her legs towards him.
“Well, I needed a Plan B, just in case the football thing didn’t pan out. So, I figured if I majored in History, a subject I did well in, I could end up teaching high school history and coach football. So now that the football thing worked out,” he paused as she chuckled. “I still have something to fall back on after football.”
“Will you even need to fall back on anything?” she asked skeptically. His wealth wasn’t a secret. Sportscasters had a field day with his latest contract—something like one hundred plus million over five or six years. Mia couldn’t remember the specifics. Then there were all his endorsements. He had more money than she could ever dream of but when she sat next to him it didn’t appear that way. He seemed like an ordinary guy who was also a bit of a history nerd. She found that endearing.
“Oh yeah!” Ethan exclaimed. “I’ll be bored out of my mind with nothing else to do.”
“I can understand that,” she said softly, meaning it. She felt the same way about her music, history, and her writing, but had never considered becoming a teacher. She absolutely did not want to follow in her father’s footsteps.
“So, are you just in town for this party or …” he asked, leaving the ending of that sentence up to her.
He surprised her with his question. He couldn’t possibly be interested in her, could he? Come on, it’s Ethan Christopher. He could have anyone he wanted. Tonight’s party had an abundance of beautiful girls. What would he ever want with her? As a matter of fact, why was he still here by her side? He was probably just being polite until Luke returned, if he ever did. He had been gone an awful long while, Mia thought, quickly glancing around. Her eyes focused on Ethan again and she realized he was waiting for her response.
“Um, no. I have a show on Friday.”
“What kind of show?” he asked, quirking his eyebrow questioningly which she found adorable. She forgot he didn’t know.
“I’m in a band.”
“Oh, yeah?” he said, moving closer to her. “You are the …”
Mia smiled at Ethan and was taken away by the smile he gave her in return. His teeth were bright white, straight and she was slowly being hypnotized by the sparkle. Or was it just him? She knew the answer to that but she couldn’t believe that it was happening to her, tonight, with Ethan fucking Christopher.
“The singer, though I also play guitar and piano, too.”
“Multi-talented, eh?” She watched him raise his eyebrows as she thought on his question.
>
“Multi-talented? No. Maybe multi-faceted.”
“I like that response.”
She laughed. “Oh, you do?”
“Yeah, it shows you're not egotistical, but you do know your worth.”
Mia smiled. “Or I'm very conceited yet smart enough not to show it …” she paused for a moment. “But that's not the case here.”
She made him smile again. She liked doing that and, to top it off, Ethan made her smile, too. Bonus!
They kept talking, from one topic to the next. No awkward silences. They clicked. Mia wanted to know everything about him, and from his many questions, he wanted to learn about her, too.
“So, how do you feel onstage? Do you get nervous or is it second nature to you?” he asked.
“Oh, I get really nervous but I have been getting better at channeling that nervous energy. Do you know what I mean?”
He nodded knowingly. “It has gotten better for me since I first started with the Flash, that's for sure! But it is still there, especially during the high stakes games.”
“You wouldn't know it to see you play.”
“You've seen me play?” he exclaimed.
She laughed, secretly loving his lack of ego. "Of course I have! Luke has dragged me to many UFL games over the years."
Where the heck was Luke, she thought to herself again. She did a quick scan of the room and didn't see him. His disappearance concerned her a little, maybe more so, if he had left her by herself. But he didn’t and she smiled thankfully. Being with Ethan was … she sighed dreamily. It was absolutely wonderful.
“Well, I can't say that I have been to see your band.”
“Well, I would be honored if you would come to see me play sometime.” Before she could say anything else, Mia felt a tap on her shoulder and jumped in her seat.
“Hey, sweets.”
She turned to find Luke behind them. Of course, his timing sucked. Just as things were getting very interesting.
Ethan looked up at Luke. “I told you not to call me that in public.”
Mia laughed at his joke along with Luke.
“Ready to go?” Luke asked Mia.
Bring Me You Page 1