by Ryan, Kaylee
“I don’t think I want you to.”
“Good.” He places a chaste kiss to my lips. “Now, I think I promised you dinner.” Pulling away, he reaches into the picnic basket and removes paper plates and napkins and gets to work unwrapping our sandwiches and placing them, and a hefty amount of fruit, on our plates. “Oh, I almost forgot.” His arm disappears back into the basket, and he produces a bag of Garden Salsa SUNCHIPS, which are also my favorite.
“Thank you, Jase,” I say when he offers me a plate.
“Tell me about your day.” He settles back on the blanket and begins to eat, and I begin to tell him about my day. This is a side of Jase I’ve never seen before. Then again, maybe I’ve just been too blind to see. I’ve turned him down more times than I can count to protect my heart. After tonight, I don’t know if that’s possible anymore. He went beyond my wildest expectations and made this night special. He didn’t even know if I would end up here with his phone. He did all of this on the chance that tonight would work out the way he hoped it would. Not only did he convince me to have our first date, but he stole a little piece of my heart too.
“Thank you for tonight,” I say as he walks me to the door a few hours later. The stars are shining bright in the night sky. I didn’t realize how long I was here, but once we started talking, time just seemed to pass in a blur. We have more in common than I ever realized. We have the same taste in music. I also grew up watching football with my dad, making conversation easy. And tonight, there was nowhere that I would have rather been.
“When can we do it again?” he asks, stopping in his foyer.
“This is going to be hard to top.” I smile up at him.
“Is that a challenge?” he asks.
“No. I don’t need the theatrics. Just the pleasure of your company.”
“When?” Jase asks, his voice husky as he leans in close.
“Whenever you’re ready,” I confess. I had such a good time with him tonight, and I’m tired of fighting this connection we have. It’s too late anyway. My heart is already invested. I’ll just have to deal with the pain if this doesn’t work out.
“Tomorrow night?” He’s quick to ask.
“Tomorrow is the Christmas party at Lena and Stanley’s. She’d never forgive me if I missed it.”
“Shit, I forgot about that. I’ll pick you up.”
I don’t say anything to that. Instead, I think about how it’s going to look showing up at my boss’s family’s Christmas party with his best friend. Royce can be broody at times, and I don’t want me being there with Jase to cause problems.
“I’ll handle Royce,” Jase says, reading my mind. “I’ll be at your place around five thirty.” He leans in and kisses me softly. “Give me your keys. I’ll go start your car while you’re putting your coat on.”
“You don’t have to do that. It will warm up quickly.”
“I know I don’t have to. I want to.” He reaches out and runs his index finger down my cheek. “I want to take care of you.”
I don’t know what to say, so I hand him my keys, and he grins. Sliding into my coat, I let the night wash over me, considering the last few hours. It’s funny how things can change in the blink of an eye.
“All set?” he asks, coming back into the house.
“Yes.” I stare up at him as he wraps his arms around me, pulling me into a hug.
“How’d I do?” he asks.
“Not bad for a player.”
“Yeah? Well, lucky for you, my playbook is full.”
I throw my head back and laugh. “I have no doubt, Jase Andrews. Of that, I have no doubt.”
“Come on. I’ll walk you out.” He leads me to my car with his hand clasped in mine. “Text me when you get home?”
“Okay.”
“Drive safe, babe.” He kisses me one more time, just a soft press of his lips against mine before opening my door for me.
As I drive away, I glance in the rearview mirror. My face is lit with a smile, and then there’s Jase. Standing with his arms crossed over his chest, he watches me drive away. My smile grows.
What started as a favor to my boss turned into a night I will never forget.
Chapter 3
Jase
I’m fifteen minutes early. I couldn’t stand another minute staring at the clock watching as each minute slowly ticked by. I needed to see her. So, here I am. Climbing out of my SUV and making my way to her front door. I raise my hand to knock, but the door swings open before I get a chance to.
“This another play in your book? Impress me by being early?”
I smile at the beauty before me. She’s wearing a sweater, with black leggings. Her hair hangs down around her shoulders, and she literally takes my breath away. “No,” I tell her honestly. “But I wanted to give you time to put these in water, and for us to not be late.” I hand her the bouquet of flowers I’ve been holding behind my back.
Her eyes soften. “Well played.” She grins, taking the offered bouquet and smelling them. “Thank you, Jase.” She steps back. “Come on in while I put them in water.”
This is the first time I’ve ever been to her place. I should be taking this opportunity to look around to learn more about her, but I can’t tear my eyes away from her. I’ve wanted Sam for so long, and for the first time in over a year, I feel as though we might be making some progress.
“Ready?” she asks, walking toward me.
“Almost.” When she’s within reaching distance, I snake my arm around her waist and pull her into my chest. “Just need to do one thing first,” I say before my lips descend on hers. The kiss is slow and sweet, but it lights a need inside me all the same. “Now, we can go,” I say, forcing myself to pull my lips from hers.
“Yeah,” she says, “we should do that.” She tries to step out of my hold, but that won’t do.
“Do you have everything you need?” I ask.
“Yes, I just have a box by the door I need to take with us.”
“What’s in the box?”
“A poinsettia for Lena, and a bottle of bourbon for Stanley.”
“You trying to make me look bad, baby?” I ask.
She shrugs. “I still need to fill out the cards. I can add your name to them.”
“You ready for the meaning of that?”
“I don’t know,” she replies as I bend and lift the box into my arms. “When you’re ready, you let me know.” Shifting the box to one arm, I lace my fingers with hers and step outside. I wait for Sam to lock the door before guiding her to my SUV. I left it running so it would be warm. I quickly open the back door and place the box inside, before moving to open her door for her.
“You know, you don’t need to do all of this to impress me.”
“Do all of what?” I ask, confused.
“The flowers, carrying boxes, opening doors. I already agreed to go with you.”
Nodding for her to climb in the SUV, she does as I ask. Quickly, I shut the door to ward off the chill of the evening air and race around the front. Once I’m inside, I turn to look at the woman who has captured my attention. “I’m not trying to impress you, Samantha. I’m trying to treat you like you deserve to be treated. I know you don’t have a very high opinion of me, but I’m more than some dumb jock who plays on and off the field. I’m a man who desires your company. That’s it. This is me. It’s who I am. You’ll have to learn to take it or leave it.” I hate that I’m being harsh with her, but I don’t know what it’s going to take to prove to her that this is real.
Strapping on my seat belt, I back out of her drive. Neither of us speaks a word until the home of my best friend's parents, Lena and Stanley Riggins comes into our view.
“I’m sorry,” we say at the same time.
She reaches over and places her hand on my arm. “I’m sorry, Jase. I’m being unfair. This is just… surreal to me that you, Jase Andrews, want to be with me.”
“Sam, I’ve been trying to get you to go on a date with me for over a year. How is this a surpr
ise?”
She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. “I never once thought you were being serious. I thought it was just another play for you to execute. That you were simply trying to convince the girl who turns you down to say yes. I’m sorry,” she says again. “You did nothing to deserve that and to be honest, I have reason to think that way. I’ve let the fact that you’re a professional football player, or were, get to my head.”
“Why?”
“I just didn’t think that a man like you, dripping with sex appeal, would want a woman like me. I’m nothing like the models or other celebrities I’ve seen on your arm.”
“Dates. Those were dates. You’re so much more than that.” I knew she was attracted to me and her words confirm it, but I want us to be about more than that. Yes, I’m insanely attracted to her, but it’s not just her body I want. I want all of her.
She nods and holds her hand out to me. I take it, not taking my eyes off hers. “My name is Samantha Wilson, and it’s nice to meet you.”
I grin when I catch on to what she’s doing. Bending my head, I kiss the back of her hand that’s still encased in mine. “Jase Andrews, the pleasure is all mine.”
“Lord have mercy. I’m never going to survive you,” she says, fanning her face with her free hand.
I don’t even try to hold in my laughter. “Come on, you. Let’s get this party started.” Turning off the ignition, I grab the box, and together, we make our way inside.
* * *
We’ve been here twenty minutes, and Sam’s already left me. She insisted that she help Lena in the kitchen, which is why I’m standing in the living room by the fireplace. It’s the best place in the house where I have a clear view of the kitchen, as well as the room around me. I can talk to those who want to relive their football glory days by chatting with me while keeping an eye on Sam at the same time. I don’t think she’s going to disappear or try to leave without me. I just… like to watch her. She’s gorgeous, and her smile and kind, loving heart just makes her more endearing to me.
“Is there a reason your eyes are tracking my assistant like a fucking hunter?” my best friend, and Sam’s boss, Royce, says, pulling my attention away from my girl.
“She’s my date.”
“What do you mean, she’s your date?”
“I mean, I bought her flowers, and picked her up and drove her here.”
“So, she finally said yes?” He pauses, and I see it when the light bulb turns on in his head. “You better not be playing games with her. She’s been with me since I started. I’d hate to have to cut you loose to keep her.”
“Are you telling me after years of friendship, I’d get voted off the island if things don’t work out between us?”
“Yes.” There is no hesitation or remorse in his tone. “I trust her, and you know how hard that is for me with the shit ‘she who shall not be named’ did to me. I refuse to go through training a new assistant.”
“Well, my dear friend, you’re in luck. I don’t plan on us not working out.”
“Fuck me,” he grumbles. “Why her? Why did you have to insist on going after my assistant?”
“What did you do this time, Jase?” Owen, Royce’s brother, one of the four of them, joins the conversation. “The vein in his forehead looks like it’s ready to burst.”
“He’s dating Sam,” Royce says accusingly.
Owen nods. “She’s a good one. Congrats, my man.”
“See, why can’t you be more like Owen? Where is your acceptance?” I ask Royce, pretending to be offended. I’m not. Not in the slightest. He’s never known me to be serious or settle down. He does, however, know me well enough to understand that I’m a man of my word.
“What are we accepting?” Grant, another one of Royce’s brothers, asks.
“Wait,” Marshall, the youngest brother, says as he and Conrad, another brother, joins us.
“What is this, a family reunion?” I ask, giving them shit. There are five brothers in total, Royce being the oldest. As CEO, he takes his responsibility as a leader seriously. Each of his brothers also plays an important role at Riggins Enterprises, but Royce always seems to have the weight of the world on his shoulders. I miss the fun-loving guy from our college days. I know it’s not the job, but more his ex that is to blame for this new version of him.
“We want the dirt,” Marshall says, ignoring my comment.
“Spill it,” Conrad adds.
As the youngest two brothers of the clan, they’re the most outgoing as well. “Sam and I are together,” I say with a shrug, taking a drink of my beer.
“Whoa whoa whoa, you said that you were on a date, not that the two of you were together.” Royce glares at me.
“She’s mine.”
“Damn.” Grant whistles. “Pulling out the big guns, Andrews.”
Grant’s the middle brother, just four years younger than Royce and me. He and Owen, who is two years younger, hung around us the most. However, if we were here, hanging out at the lake, all five of them were around, and their parents too. Stanley and Lena Riggins built an oasis that they knew would always bring their sons home. To this day, we all still get together to hang out on the lake Stanley built when the boys were little.
“Just telling it like it is,” I reply.
“Does she know that?” Owen asks.
My eyes seek her out to find her watching me. I smile at her, and she gives me a small wave before turning back to the tray of cookies in her hands. “Yeah, she knows.”
“Son of a bitch,” Royce mutters.
“Better watch it there, big guy. He looks pissed,” Conrad says with no real warning in his tone. “Although, I think you can take him,” he tells me.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, brat.” Royce shakes his head.
“Hey, the man has been laid out by men double your size for the entirety of his career. And he’s built like a tank.”
“Hey, my men kept me guarded,” I tell him, defending my offensive linemen.
“Still, I think you’ve got this one,” Marshall agrees.
“Enough,” Royce snaps. “If you cause me to lose my assistant, I’ll be kicking your ass.”
I smirk. “If you think you can, not that we’re ever going to have to find out. She and I are together.”
“Yo, Samantha!” Conrad calls out. I watch as my girl turns her head. When she sees Conrad motioning her over, uncertainty crosses her expression. “We need you for a minute,” he calls out as she starts this way.
My heart stutters in my chest as she grows near. Once she’s within reaching distance, I step away from the wall and wrap my arms around her. “Missed you,” I whisper in her ear. Her face turns a beautiful shade of light pink, and I can’t help but wonder if her entire body is flushed as well.
“We should’ve placed bets,” Marshall mutters under his breath.
“And give Andrews our money? No thanks,” Owen chimes in.
“Sam,” Royce whines. “Please tell me it’s not true.” His voice is pleading.
“What’s not true?” she asks him.
“You and this guy?” He points to me.
“I thought he was your best friend.”
“He is.”
She glances over at me where I stand with my arm still wrapped around her waist. I give her a subtle nod. “He is a good kisser,” she says. The chaos of four laughing Riggins brothers takes over the growling of one. I squeeze her hip, hoping to convey how happy her reply made me.
“You.” Royce points his finger at me. “If you run her off, we’re going to have words, Andrews.”
“No one is going to run me off. I love my job, and I’m good at it.” My Sam gives Royce a pointed look. If she’s looking for denial, she’s not going to get it. Not from Royce, or the other four brothers. She provides administrative support to all of them, so they’re not going to say a word. They’ve stated more times than I can count how good she is at her job, how she keeps them all in line and on track. She spends most of her
time working for Royce, but the others sing her praises as well.
Surprising me, she turns her back to the Riggins brothers and gives me all her attention. “I’m going to go finish helping Lena. Save me a seat at the table.” She stands on her tiptoes, presses a kiss to the corner of my mouth, and saunters off.
“I’m going to marry her.” I don’t care who hears my declaration. I won’t stop fighting until I win her heart.
Chapter 4
Samantha
I’m walking on cloud nine. This weekend was nothing short of magical. For every time that Jase would ask me out, a new fantasy of what that would look like would appear in my head. Fantasy has nothing on reality. He’s sweet and thoughtful and attentive—all things I never imagined him to be. In fact, most of my fantasies ended up with us in his bed, or against the wall, in the shower, all sans clothes.
“Morning, Samantha,” Owen says as he walks past my desk. “Andrews treating you right?” he inquires.
“Yes.” I give him the blinding smile that I can’t seem to wipe off my face.
He nods. “You let me know if that changes,” he says, moving on down the hall to his office. That’s Owen for you. He’s the quiet, stoic one. But I have no doubt that if Jase were to treat me wrong, and Owen found out about it, he wouldn’t hesitate to throw a punch or two if necessary. It’s the quiet ones you have to worry about.
Grant, Marshall, and Conrad all arrive for the day while I’m pulling voice mails off my phone. I’ve barely got the receiver back in the cradle when Royce appears before me. “Sam,” he greets me.
“Mr. Riggins.” I give him a big cheesy smile, and the corner of his lips twitch. “What can I do for you this morning?”
“The punch list for the Idaho location was supposed to be completed yesterday. Can you follow up with the contractor and get a status for me?”
“They called late last night. He said it’s all complete and told you to call if you have any questions.” I hand him the slip of paper with the details from the voice mail. “Your ten o’clock canceled and they didn’t have a reason other than they were not ready, so I pushed them off to next month for a reschedule date.”