by Reese Ryan
“And you’re sure I can’t pay you back at least some of what you bid on me?” Tessa asked as he slowed down before turning into the driveway of the Noble Spur, her family’s ranch. “Especially since you’re commandeering the planning of our date.”
“Oh, we’re still gonna use those tickets on the fifty-yard line, for sure,” he clarified. “And there’s no way I’m leaving Dallas without my favorite steak dinner. I’m just going to add some flourishes here and there. Nothing too fancy. But you’ll enjoy the night. I promise.” He winked.
Why did that small gesture send waves of electricity down her spine and make her acutely aware of her nipples prickling with heat beneath the jacket she’d put on to ward against the chilly night air?
“Well, thank you again,” she said as he shifted his tricked out Ford Super Duty F-350 Platinum into Park. Ryan was a simple guy who didn’t sweat the details—except when it came to his truck.
“You’re welcome.” Ryan lightly gripped her elbow when she reached for the door. “Allow me. Wouldn’t want you to ruin that fancy outfit of yours.”
He hopped out of the truck and came around to her side. He opened the door and took her hand.
It wasn’t the first time Ryan had helped her out of his vehicle. But something about this time felt different. There was something in his intense green eyes. Something he wouldn’t allow himself to say. Rare for a man who normally said just about anything that popped into his head.
When she stepped down onto the truck’s side rail, Ryan released her hand. He gripped her waist and lifted her to the ground in a single deft move.
Tessa gasped in surprise, bracing her hands on his strong shoulders. His eyes scanned her once more. As if he still couldn’t believe it was really her in the sexiest, most feminine item of clothing she’d ever owned.
Heat radiated off his large body, shielding her from the chilliness of the night air and making her aware of how little space there was between them.
For a moment, the vision of Ryan’s lips crashing down on hers as he pinned her body against the truck flashed through her brain. It wasn’t an unfamiliar image. But, given their positions and the way he was looking at her right now, it felt a little too real.
Tessa took short, shallow breaths, her chest heaving. She needed to get away from Ryan Bateman before she did something stupid. Like lift on to her toes and press a hot, wet kiss to those sensual lips.
She needed to get inside and go to her room. The proper place to have ridiculously inappropriate thoughts about her best friend. With her battery-operated boyfriend buried in the nightstand drawer on standby, just in case she needed to take the edge off.
But walking away was a difficult thing to do when his mouth was mere inches from hers. And she trembled with the desire to touch him. To taste his mouth again. To trace the ridge behind the fly of his black dress pants.
“Good night.” She tossed the words over her shoulder as she turned and headed toward the house as quickly as her feet would carry her in those high-heeled silver sandals.
“Tessa.” His unusually gruff voice stopped her dead in her tracks.
She didn’t turn back to look at him. Instead, she glanced just over her shoulder. A sign that he had her full attention, even if her eyes didn’t meet his. “Yes?”
“I’m calling an audible on our date this weekend.” Ryan invoked one of his favorite football terms.
“A last-minute change?” Tessa turned slightly, her curiosity piqued.
She’d planned the perfect weekend for Ryan Bateman. What could she possibly have missed?
“I’ll pick you up on Friday afternoon, around 3:00 p.m. Pack a bag for the weekend. And don’t forget that jumpsuit.”
“We’re spending the entire weekend in Dallas?” She turned to face him fully, stunned by the hungry look on his face. When he nodded his confirmation, Tessa focused on slowing her breath as she watched the cloud her warm breath made in the air. “Why? And since when do you care what I wear?”
“Because I promised Alexis I’d make this date a big, grand gesture that would keep the reporter preoccupied and off the topic of our missing bachelor and his hundred-thousand-dollar bidder.” His words were matter of fact, signaling none of the raw, primal heat she’d seen in his eyes a moment ago.
He shut the passenger door and walked around to the driver’s side. “It doesn’t have to be that same outfit. It’s just that you looked mighty pretty tonight. Neither of us gets much of a chance to dress up. Thought it’d be nice if we took advantage of this weekend to do that.” He shrugged, as if it were the most normal request in the world.
This coming from a man who’d once stripped out of his tuxedo in the car on the way home from a mutual friend’s out-of-town wedding. He’d insisted he couldn’t stand to be in that tuxedo a moment longer.
“Fine.” Tessa shrugged, too. If it was no big deal to Ryan, then it was no big deal to her either. “I’ll pack a couple of dresses and skirts. Maybe I’ll wear the dress I’d originally picked out for tonight. Before I volunteered to be in the auction.”
After all that waxing, she should show her baby smooth legs off every chance she got. Who knew when she’d put herself through that kind of torture again?
“Sounds like you got some packing to do.” A restrained smirk lit Ryan’s eyes. He nodded toward the house. “Better get inside before you freeze out here.”
“’Night, Ryan.” Tessa turned up the path to the house, without waiting for his response, and let herself in, closing the door behind her. The slam of the heavy truck door, followed by the crunch of gravel, indicated that Ryan was turning his vehicle around in the drive and heading home to the Bateman Ranch next door.
Tessa released a long sigh, her back pressed to the door.
She’d just agreed to spend the weekend in Dallas with her best friend. Seventy-two hours of pretending she didn’t secretly lust after Ryan Bateman. Several of which would be documented by a reporter known for going after gossip.
Piece of cake. Piece of pie.
Nine
“Tessa, your chariot is here,” Tripp called to her upstairs. “Hurry up, you’re not gonna believe this.”
Tripp was definitely back to his old self. It was both a blessing and a curse, because he hadn’t stopped needling her and Ryan about their date ever since.
She inhaled deeply, then slowly released the breath as she stared at herself in the mirror one last time.
It’s just a weekend trip with a friend. Ryan and I have done this at least a dozen times before. No big deal.
Tessa lifted her bag on to her shoulder, then made her way downstairs and out front where Tripp was handing her overnight suitcase off to Ryan.
Her eyes widened as she walked closer, studying the sleek black sedan with expensive black rims.
“Is that a black on black Maybach?”
“It is.” Ryan took the bag from her and loaded it into the trunk of the Mercedes Maybach before closing it and opening the passenger door. He gestured for her to get inside. “You’ve always said you wanted to know what it was like to ride in one of these things, so—”
“You didn’t go out and buy this, did you?” Panic filled her chest. Ryan wasn’t extravagant or impulsive. And he’d already laid out a substantial chunk of change as a favor to her.
“No, of course not. You know a mud-caked pickup truck is more my style.” He leaned in and lowered his voice, so only she could hear his next words. “But I’m supposed to be going for the entire illusion here, remember? And Tess...”
“Yes?” She inhaled his clean, fresh scent, her heart racing slightly from his nearness and the intimacy of his tone.
“Smile for the camera.” Ryan nodded toward Greg Halstead who waved and snapped photographs of the two of them in front of the vehicle.
Tess deepened her smile, and she and Ryan stood together, his a
rm wrapped around her as the man clicked photos for the paper.
When Greg had gotten enough images, he shook their hands and said he’d meet them at the hotel later and at the restaurant tomorrow night to get a few more photos.
“Which hotel? And which restaurant?” Tessa turned to Ryan.
A genuine smile lit his green eyes and they sparkled in the afternoon sunlight. “If I tell you, it won’t be a surprise, now will it?”
“Smart-ass.” She folded her arms and shook her head. Ryan knew she liked surprises about as much as she liked diamondback rattlesnakes. Maybe even a little less.
“There anything I should know about you two?” Tripp stepped closer after the reporter was gone. Arms folded over his chest, his gaze shifted from Ryan to her and then back again.
“You can take the protective big brother shtick down a notch,” she teased. “I already explained everything to you. We’re doing this for the club, and for Alexis.”
She flashed her I’m-your-little-sister-and-you-love-me-no-matter-what smile. It broke him. As it had for as long as she could remember.
The edge of his mouth tugged upward in a reluctant grin. He opened his arms and hugged her goodbye before giving Ryan a one-arm bro hug and whispering something to him that she couldn’t hear.
Ryan’s expression remained neutral, but he nodded and patted her brother on the shoulder.
“We’d better get going.” Ryan helped her into the buttery, black leather seat that seemed to give her a warm hug. Then he closed her door and climbed into the driver’s seat.
“God, this car is beautiful,” she said as he pulled away from the house. “If you didn’t buy it, whose is it?
“Borrowed it from a friend.” He pulled on to the street more carefully than he did when he was driving his truck. “The guy collects cars the way other folks collect stamps or Depression-era glass. Most of the cars he wouldn’t let anyone breathe on, let alone touch. But he owed me a favor.”
Tessa sank back against the seat and ran her hand along the smooth, soft leather.
“Manners would dictate that I tell you that you shouldn’t have, but if I’m being honest, all I can think is, Where have you been all my life?” They both chuckled. “You think I can have a saddle made out of this leather?”
“For the right price, you can get just about anything.” A wide smile lit his face.
Tessa sighed. She was content. Relaxed. And Ryan seemed to be, too. There was no reason this weekend needed to be tense and awkward.
“So, what did my brother say to you when he gave you that weird bro hug goodbye?”
The muscles in Ryan’s jaw tensed and his brows furrowed. He kept his gaze on the road ahead. “This thing has an incredible sound system. I already synced it to my phone. Go ahead and play something. Your choice. Just no more ’80s boy bands. I heard enough of those at the charity auction last week.”
Tessa smirked. “You could’ve just told me it was none of my business what Tripp said.”
His wide smile returned, though he didn’t look at her. “I thought I just did.”
They both laughed, and Tessa smiled to herself. Their weekend was going to be fun. Just like every other road trip they’d ever taken together. Things would only be uncomfortable between them if she made them that way.
* * *
Ryan, Tessa and Greg Halstead headed up the stone stairs that led to the bungalow of a fancy, art-themed boutique hotel that he’d reserved. The place was an easy drive from the football stadium.
Tessa had marveled at the hotel’s main building and mused about the expense. But she was as excited as a little kid in a candy store, eager to see what was on the other side of that door. Greg requested to go in first, so he could set up his shot of Tessa stepping inside the room.
When he signaled that he was ready, Ryan inserted the key card into the lock and removed it quickly. Once the green light flashed, he opened the door for her.
Tessa’s jaw dropped, and she covered her mouth with both hands, genuinely stunned by the elegant beauty of the contemporary bungalow.
“So...what do you think?” He couldn’t shake the nervousness he felt. The genuine need to impress her was not his typical MO. So what was going on? Maybe it was the fact that her impression would be recorded for posterity.
“It’s incredible, Ryan. I don’t know what to say.” Her voice trembled with emotion. When she glanced up at him, her eyes were shiny. She wiped quickly at the corners of her eyes. “I’m being silly, I know.”
“No, you’re not.” He kissed her cheek. “That’s exactly the reaction I was hoping for.”
Ryan stepped closer and lowered his voice. “I want this to be a special weekend for you, Tess. What you did last week at the charity auction was brave, and I’m proud of you. I want this weekend to be everything the fearless woman who strutted across that stage last Saturday night deserves.”
His eyes met hers for a moment and his chest filled with warmth.
“Thanks, Rye. This place is amazing. I really appreciate everything you’ve done.” A soft smile curled the edges of her mouth, filling him with the overwhelming desire to lean down and kiss her the way he had at that Valentine’s Day party in college.
He stepped back and cleared his throat, indicating that she should step inside.
Tessa went from room to room of the two-bedroom, two-bath hotel suite, complete with two balconies. One connected to each bedroom. There was even a small kitchen island, a full-size refrigerator and a stove. The open living room boasted a ridiculously large television mounted to the wall and a fireplace in both that space and the master bedroom, which he insisted that she take. But Tessa, who could be just as stubborn as he was, wouldn’t hear of it. She directed the bellman to take her things to the slightly smaller bedroom, which was just as beautiful as its counterpart.
“I think I have all the pictures I need.” Greg gathered up his camera bag and his laptop. “I’ll work on the article tonight and select the best photos among the ones I’ve taken so far. I’ll meet you guys at the restaurant tomorrow at six-thirty to capture a few more shots.”
“Sounds good.” Ryan said goodbye to Greg and closed the door behind him, glad the man was finally gone. Something about a reporter hanging around, angling for a juicy story, felt like a million ants crawling all over his skin.
He sank on to the sofa, shrugged his boots off, and put his feet up on the coffee table. It’d been a short drive from Royal to Dallas, but mentally, he was exhausted.
Partly from making last-minute arrangements for their trip. Partly from the effort of reminding himself that no matter how much it felt like it, this wasn’t a real date. They were both just playing their parts. Making the TCC look good and diverting attention from the debacle of Gail’s bid.
“Hey.” Tess emerged from her bedroom where she’d gone to put her things away. “Is Greg gone?”
“He left a few minutes ago. Said to tell you goodbye.”
“Thank goodness.” She heaved a sigh and plopped down on the sofa beside him. “I mean, he’s a nice guy and everything. It just feels so... I don’t know...”
“Creepy? Invasive? Weird?” he offered. “Take your pick.”
“All of the above.” Tessa laughed, then leaned forward, her gaze locked on to the large bouquet of flowers in a glass vase on the table beside his feet.
“I thought these were just part of the room.” She removed the small envelope with her name on it and slid her finger beneath the flap, prying it open. “These are for me?”
“I hope you like them. They’re—”
“Peonies. My favorite flower.” She leaned forward and inhaled the flowers that resembled clouds dyed shades of light and dark pink. “They’re beautiful, Ryan. Thank you. You thought of everything, didn’t you?” Her voice trailed and her gaze softened.
“I meant it when I said you deser
ve a really special weekend. I even asked them to stock the freezer with your favorite brand of Neapolitan ice cream.”
“Seriously?” She was only wearing a hint of lip gloss in a nude shade of pink and a little eyeshadow and mascara. But she was as beautiful as he’d ever seen her. Even more so than the night of the auction when she’d worn a heavy layer of makeup that had covered her creamy brown skin. Sunlight filtered into the room, making her light brown eyes appear almost golden. “What more could I possibly ask for?”
His eyes were locked on her sensual lips. When he finally tore his gaze away from them, Tess seemed disappointed. As if she’d expected him to lean in and kiss her.
“I like the dress, by the way.”
“Really?” She stood, looking down at the heather-gray dress and the tan calf-high boots topped by knee socks. The cuff of the socks hovered just above the top of the boot, drawing his eye there and leading it up the side of her thigh where her smooth skin disappeared beneath the hem of her dress.
His body stiffened in response to her curvy silhouette and her summery citrus scent.
Fucking knee socks. Seriously? Tess was killing him.
For a moment he wondered if she was teasing him on purpose. Reminding him of the things he couldn’t have with her. The red-hot desires that would never be satisfied.
Tess seemed completely oblivious to her effect on him as she regarded the little gray dress.
Yet, all he could think of was how much he’d like to see that gray fabric pooled on the floor beside his bed.
Ryan groaned inside. This was going to be the longest seventy-two hours of his life.
Ten
“Is that a bottle of champagne?” Tessa pointed to a bottle chilling in an ice bucket on the sideboard along the wall.
She could use something cold to tamp down the heat rising in her belly under Ryan’s intense stare. It also wouldn’t be a bad idea to create some space between them. Enough to get her head together and stop fantasizing about what it would feel like to kiss her best friend again.
