Layer by Layer (Riggins Brothers Book 1)

by Kaylee Ryan

  “Royce. Mr. Riggins is my father.”

  “Is that all, Royce?” she asks as she stands.

  “That’s all.”

  She nods and makes her way to the door.

  “Sawyer.” She stops to look at me. “Thank you for lunch and dessert.” I hold up the candy bar.

  “You’re welcome.” Her face is void of emotion as she exits my office.

  Setting the Snickers on my desk, I dive back into work. I take a break on the contract I was reviewing and go straight to my emails that seem to never end. Those emails turn into half a dozen phone calls that need to be made, and before I know it, Sawyer is sticking her head into my office.

  “Anything you need before I head home?”

  You. “No.” My reply is gruff even to my own ears. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” I say, my voice softer this time. I can’t keep snapping at her because she’s gorgeous. She waves and turns to leave.

  My cell phone rings, pulling me out of my thoughts. A quick glance at the screen tells me it’s Jase. I debate on answering, but he’ll just keep calling back if I don’t. “Some of us have to actually work for a living,” I say in greeting.

  “I heard that about you. Wanna know what else I heard?” he asks with amusement, and I already know what’s coming.

  My fucking brothers and their big mouths. “That you owe me an apology?”

  “Rumor has it that you’ve got a new assistant.”

  “That’s not news. You knocked up my other one, remember?”

  He chuckles. “Oh, I remember,” he replies, and I can practically hear his smirk through the phone. “I also heard that you’re enamored with her?”

  “Enamored? Who in the hell are you, and who have you been talking to?”

  “My wife.”

  “She’s not your wife yet,” I remind him.

  “She’s carrying my baby, and it’s my rock that’s on her finger. She’s my wife.”

  “Your fiancée hasn’t even met her.”

  “No, but Gail has.”

  Son of a bitch. “You know that’s not me. Not anymore.”

  “What I know is that it only takes one woman, the right woman,” he adds, “to change your life.”

  “That’s not a street I plan walking down anytime soon.”

  “Come on, man, you can’t let her control your future. She’s not worth it.”

  “Did you need something?” I ask, ignoring his words.

  “Yes. Sam wants you to come over for dinner. Friday night.”

  “What time?” I might be irritated that she left, but they are two of my favorite people.

  “Seven.”

  “What can I bring?”

  “Just your sunny disposition.” He sniggers.

  “Fuck you,” I say with zero heat, which has him laughing even louder.

  “Friday. Seven. Don’t be late,” he says, his laughter is the last thing I hear before he ends the call.

  Not able to wrap my head around work, I save the document I’m working on and close down my computer. I need food, a cold beer, and my bed. In that order.

  Chapter 7

  Sawyer

  I’m nervous. I don’t know what I was thinking when I accepted this invitation. I even ran it past Gail, needing to make sure I wasn’t breaking any kind of unwritten rules. I’m paranoid, and she told me so. Sam technically no longer works for Riggins Enterprises, and even if she did, there is nothing wrong with dinner.

  That’s why I’m standing on the front porch of what I’m sure is the largest house I’ve ever or will ever step foot in. My hand that holds the bottle of wine is sweating, and I’m afraid I might drop it. I can do this. I can have dinner with a stranger and her husband. Besides, we’ve talked on the phone so much the last two weeks that I feel as though I already know her. Shoulders back, head held high, I push the doorbell.

  I hear footsteps, and then the large wooden door opens, and a very attractive man is standing there. Not just any man. Jase Andrews. I open my mouth to speak, but no words come. I like sports, and I grew up watching football with my dad. Jase Andrews was the best quarterback the professional league has seen in a long time. That is, according to my father. He retired about a couple of years ago. The league hasn’t been the same. If Dad were here, I’m sure he would agree with me. Sadness washes over me. I miss them.

  “Hey,” Sam says, appearing next to him. I recognize her from our video chats. “Come on in.” They each step back to allow me to enter. Not that they need to. The front door is massive, and we could all three easily walk through it at the same time. “This is Jase.” She smiles up at him.

  “Future husband,” he says, offering me his hand. I quickly rub mine against my thigh before shaking his. “And this one isn’t supposed to be on her feet.” I watch as he bends and scoops her up in his arms. “This way,” he calls out, not bothering to look back to see if I’m following them.

  I push the door closed and follow their voices to a huge living room. Sam is settled on a couch that looks more like a long bed, surrounded by pillows, and next to a small table with her laptop and phone.

  “Have a seat,” she says, pointing to the various seating options around the room. I choose the small loveseat. “I’m so glad to finally meet you in person.”

  “This doesn’t feel like our first in-person meeting at all.” It doesn’t. Sam and I have been talking multiple times a day, and she has been incredible with her training. She’s made sure that I have all the little things that the guys prefer to make my job and theirs much easier. So far, the only one I’ve yet to really crack is Royce. He’s hot and cold with me at times, and I don’t understand it. The other four are friendly and pleasant all the time. Sure, they’ve had bad days and their irritation shows, but never at me. Royce, on the other hand, I don’t know if it’s me, the job, or something else entirely that has him being short and broody.

  “I know. I feel like I’ve known you forever.”

  “Do you ladies need anything?” Jase asks, stepping back into the room.

  “Sawyer? Would you like something to drink?” Sam offers.

  “No, thank you. Do you need help with anything?” I ask her before my eyes dart to Jase.

  “Nope. I ordered Italian from Sam’s favorite restaurant. It’s in the oven warming now.”

  “What are we waiting on?” she asks him.

  “Oh, I wanted to give you ladies a few minutes to chat. I’m going to go set the table.” He bends over the back of the couch, pressing his lips to hers, and saunters off to I assume the kitchen.

  “How are things going?” Sam asks.

  “Great. At least I think great.” I chuckle. “Conrad, Marshall, Grant, and Owen are a breeze. They barely need me for anything. I send them daily reminders for their schedule for the next five days each morning like you suggested, and they’ve all thanked me for it.”

  “And Royce?” she asks.

  “He’s not as easy. One minute he’s nice and friendly. The next, he’s all growly CEO. Is it just me, or is that him?”

  She smiles. “That’s Royce. He’s a complicated man, but I promise it will get easier. Don’t let him intimidate you.”

  “I told you about how he was short with me about hanging out with the others, right? I pretty much told him he couldn’t tell me what to do. I was so afraid that I was going to get fired. Gail told me not to let him walk all over me. He didn’t seem to be mad that I stood up to him, more… dismissive, I guess.”

  “Hmm,” she says.

  “Hmm? What do you mean, hmm?” I watch her closely to see if her facial expression can tell me what she’s thinking.

  The doorbell rings, taking our conversation off course. “Jase!” Sam calls out. “Babe, there’s someone at the door.”

  “I’ll get it,” he says, appearing in the doorway.

  “Are you expecting someone?” she asks him.

  “Yeah. I told Royce to stop by for dinner.” Jase grins at his wife like his idea was the best in the history of i
deas. Too bad I don’t agree with him.

  My shoulders tense, and my stomach flips. This was not part of the plan. To have dinner with my boss. The one who scolded me earlier this week for this type of thing. This isn’t good. Not good at all. “Maybe I should go.” I start to stand, and Sam holds up her hand to stop me.

  “You will do no such thing. You are a guest in my home. I invited you to be here. We’re friends. I don’t give a rat’s ass what Royce Riggins has to say about it.” Her tone of voice is what I imagine her mom voice will be like. I give her a subtle nod, and she turns to look over the back at the couch at her husband. Jase smirks at her. I have to admit it would be hard for me to be mad at him with him looking at me like that either. “You.” She points her finger at him. “I’ll deal with you later.”

  “Love you, baby.” He leans over the back of the couch and kisses her forehead. The doorbell chimes again, and he walks away to answer it.

  “I’m so sorry, Sawyer. I’ll handle Royce and my husband. You were invited here. Don’t let him make this into a big deal.”

  I don’t have time to reply before Royce and Jase are walking into the room. He’s looking at Sam, which gives me time to look at him. I’ve only ever seen him in a suit. Even on the plane, he had on dress pants and a dress shirt. So to see this side of him, his tattoos on display, I can only come to one conclusion. Royce Riggins is by far the sexiest man I’ve ever laid eyes on.

  And he’s my boss.

  He’s in a pair of well-worn denim jeans, and there are rips at the knees. His T-shirt is black and tight-fitting, and the ink that adorns his arms is on full display. I’ve only ever seen the evidence on his hands, and this… this is so much hotter. He looks nothing like CEO Royce or even plane Royce. I cross and uncross my legs to ward off the feelings seeing him does to me. I can’t be attracted to my boss. I love my new job. Sure, there has been a small amount of drama, but the actual job, I love it. I don’t want to lose it. I need to get over this feeling of… lust. That’s what it is. It’s been too long since there was a man in my life. I need to change that. Losing this job is not happening.

  “And you know Sawyer, right?” Jase asks.

  I’m not looking at him, but I can hear the smirk in his voice. My eyes are trained on Royce’s face as he turns and gets his first look at me, sitting on the loveseat staring at him. I want to fidget with my hands, but I hold his stare and offer him a smile. “Good to see you, Royce.”

  “Sawyer,” he replies, his voice gruff.

  “Well, dinner’s ready,” Jase says cheerily. “Baby, you need me to carry you?” he asks Sam.

  “No. Sawyer can help me.” Her irritation is evident.

  “Sam—” he starts, but the look she gives him shuts him up. “All right, come on, ladies. I’ll just grab everything from the kitchen. I’ll meet you in the dining room.”

  “I’ll help,” Royce mumbles as he ambles along behind him.

  “Sawyer, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know Jase was inviting him. I promise you.”

  I nod, swallowing hard. “It’s fine.”

  “It’s not fine. I don’t know what he’s up to, but I’m going to find out.”

  “I should probably go,” I say again, side-eyeing the door, ready to run.

  “No. You’re staying. You are a guest in my home. We’ve had this planned all week. If anyone is leaving, it’s Royce. Now, give me a hand, would ya?” She holds her hand out, and carefully, I help her stand from the couch.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Good. No more contractions, but I can feel my ass getting larger by the second. It’s hard for me to just sit around.”

  I chuckle. “I doubt that, but I understand. Sitting all day has got to be hard. It will all be worth it though, right?”

  “Yes.” Her eyes light up. “Helping you has been a lifesaver for me. It gives me something to focus on. Not that I’m going to need to help you for much longer. You’re a quick study,” she says as we enter the dining room.

  “What are you studying?” Jase asks.

  “Royce,” I blurt. Embarrassment washes over me. What is it about this guy that has me putting my foot in my mouth? “I mean Riggins Enterprises. Sam was talking about our training sessions,” I quickly explain.

  “She’s pretty much a sponge,” Sam chimes in. “Anything I tell her, she retains, and she’s not going to need me much longer.”

  “You seem sad about that,” Jase comments.

  What would it be like to be with a man so in tune with my emotions?

  “I am. I’ve enjoyed getting to know her, and the training helps the long days pass by.” She turns her gaze from her husband to me. “It’s a good thing we’re friends. Otherwise, I’d never get to talk to you once you’re done.”

  “I’ll keep in touch,” I assure her. Other than Hadley, I don’t have any close friends. I worked sixty hours a week for no extra pay right out of college. That didn’t leave much time for going out and socializing. The more I think about it, the more I can’t believe I put up with that position for as long as I did. I guess everything happens for a reason, and it led me here. Having dinner in Jase freaking Andrews’ house, becoming close friends with his fiancée, and rubbing elbows with the Riggins brothers… how is this my life?

  “I appreciate you helping out,” Royce speaks up.

  “Now, maybe you can quit giving Jase such a hard time.” Sam gives him a pointed look.

  “Nope.” Royce grabs the bottle of salad dressing and smothers his salad. “That’s what he gets for stealing you from me.”

  “She’s mine. She’s always been mine,” Jase says.

  “She was mine first.” Royce grins.

  “Riggins,” Jase growls, causing Royce to bust out in laughter. It’s a deep throaty sound that I feel deep in my gut. It’s a sound I’ve never heard from him, but one I would be happy to hear every single day.

  “Enough, you two.” Sam rolls her eyes, but the smile on her lips tells me she’s enjoying the show as much as I am. Well, maybe not as much as I am. I’m sure she’s not rubbing her thighs together at the sound of her former-boss’s laughter. That’s just me.

  “Thank you for having me,” I tell Sam.

  “I need girl time. My best friend, Carrie, moved to San Francisco over a year ago. I’ve missed this.”

  “I’m similar,” I say, accepting the basket of breadsticks from her. “I have my best friend, Hadley, but she’s really it. I worked so much after graduating from college, and there weren’t really many opportunities to go out and be social. When I wasn’t at work, I was doing things around the house or sleeping.” I chuckle. “I live such a wild life.”

  “We need to have a girls’ night. You can invite Hadley,” Sam says, her eyes wide with excitement. “I’ll call Jase’s sister, Logan, and invite her and a few of her friends too. It’ll be fun.”

  “No girls’ night for you,” Jase chimes in. “Bed rest, remember?”

  She turns and sticks her tongue out at him. “Fine,” she says, turning back to me. “Girls’ night in, but it could still be fun. What do you say?”

  “Sure. Just let me know when, and I’ll call Hadley and set something up.”

  “Next weekend. Here. We’ll have snacks and wine. Just because I can’t drink doesn’t mean the two of you can’t. I can live through you.”

  “Sounds good to me. I’ll call Hadley. I’m sure she’s in.” I busy myself eating my salad, lasagna, and breadstick. The food is delicious, and I keep the small talk going with Sam so I can avoid Royce. I feel his eyes on me, but then again, maybe that’s just my imagination. I’m not brave enough to look. No matter how bad I want to. I need to just get through this dinner, thank them for having me, and slip out the door.

  Chapter 8

  Royce

  She’s avoiding me. I know because I keep glancing over at her. No matter how hard I try not to, my eyes betray me and wander to her. To Sawyer. It pisses me off, and that’s an issue. It shouldn’t matter that she’s no
t looking my way. I’m even more pissed at the fact that I care. I shouldn’t care.

  “Royce.”

  Turning my head to the sound of my name, I see Sam is staring at me expectantly. “I asked how things were going in Idaho? Grant’s back, I hear.”

  “Good. We had to do some staffing changes, but we’re on the right track.”

  Sam nods. “We all knew that Tony was limited after the first few months. We just hoped we were wrong.”

  “Yeah, Scott’s taking over for him, and Grant feels good about it,” I reply.

  “No work talk,” Jase grumbles.

  “Like you don’t ever talk shop,” Sam sasses.

  “Babe, you’ve been cooped up in this house for weeks. You have company, and all you want to talk about is work?”

  Sam grins mischievously. “Fine.” She turns to look at Sawyer. “How are you doing with all that hotness around you every day?” she asks, smirking.

  “Nope. Not going there, Samantha.” Jase stands and starts clearing the table. “I’m not going to listen to you talk about the Riggins brothers like pieces of meat.”

  “Hello.” I wave my hand in the air. “Riggins brother sitting right here.”

  “Don’t you start too.” Sam gives me a stern look. It’s one I’ve seen on her many times over the years as my assistant. Usually, it’s when I’m being an ass. This time I have Jase to thank. We’re friends and men, so by proximity or the process of elimination, I’m grouped in with him.

  “Just saying.” I smirk at her, knowing that it will piss her off.

  “Sawyer, grab your wine. We’re on the move.” I watch as Sam stands, as does Sawyer. I notice she stays back, making sure Sam doesn’t need help before she follows along behind her. I also notice her ass in those jeans. Damn. I thought those skirts she wears at the office were sexy. The leggings she was wearing on the flight were hot as fuck. However, there is nothing comparable to Sawyer Gibson in a pair of tight-fitting jeans.