But if she didn’t confirm it, maybe Ryan would give up on it. She didn’t think Riley was the kind of man who would understand even if it was right in front of him. Of all the non-committal men she’d ever met, he was the most openly against it. And she appreciated that honesty. It was what made things work well between them.
Even if a little part of her kept aching over the thought of losing him.
No, not aching. She felt like her bear would run grieving through the woods, unable to think, unable to breathe, once he was gone. But her mom had survived it, and so would she. And other men had left before.
She continued trying to build up the steel barrier inside her heart that would protect her when he decided to go back to his life in Hollywood and forget all about her.
Then Ryan spoke up again, ignoring her warning glare signaling him to shut up. He seemed unable to let his brother go unaware of how domestic he was behaving.
“I don’t know, bro. Smoothies, cleaning? Next thing you know you’ll be a housewife.”
Riley froze, his easy expression slowly fading. Ryan looked a little apologetic, but before he could move forward, Riley set the rag down on the counter and walked away from them to the back of the bar. She heard the office door swing open and shut. Then she looked over at Ryan.
“Sorry,” he said, shrugging again. “It’s just…I’ve never seen him like that. I’d hate to see him let a good thing get away. He’s more unaware and yet more hardheaded than any of us.”
“Riley and I are just…”
“Friends?” he asked sardonically, rolling up his sleeves over bulging forearms as he worked up a sweat mopping the floor.
“Having fun,” she said, sulking slightly because she knew she couldn’t fool the big man. He was the most quiet of the brothers, but maybe the most perceptive of all of them.
Quiet people often were. They took the time to listen, and when they did speak, they usually had a reason. Unlike most people.
Especially unlike loudmouths like Riley and her.
Ryan set the mop in the bucket and leaned over it, studying her with icy eyes. “Just having fun, huh?”
“Yes,” she replied, squirming slightly on her stool.
“Then I guess he shouldn’t mind if I come over and do this?” He released the mop and started toward her, and her heartbeat sped up in anticipation.
7
“Do what?” Leslie asked nervously as Ryan approached. Ryan was super-hot. All the brothers were. But at the same time, he wasn’t her type. He wasn’t loud-mouthed and obnoxious enough. He had this kind of quiet intensity that was all wrong for her.
And more importantly, her best friend Kylie was completely in love with the man, and wouldn’t ever forgive Leslie for making a move on him.
Kylie so rarely got interested in men that Leslie didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize it. She leaned back against the counter as Ryan approached, sort of wishing for a good ankle so she could make a quick getaway if she needed to.
“What are you doing?” a cold, deep voice thundered just as Ryan was leaning forward to place his hands on the bar on either side of her. Ryan grinned up at his brother, who was just coming out of the hallway, hands crossed over his chest, a cold gleam in his eye as he scanned the situation like he didn’t like it at all.
Leslie looked up at Riley, a warm thrill going through her at the anger she saw in his eyes. For her. Such possessiveness. The animal in her responded immediately, and she squirmed.
Ryan’s eyes flicked to hers, and he moved closer. Lips coming down toward her. “You’re just my type,” he said, grinning slightly.
She winced and then Riley’s huge hand was there, plucking Ryan up like he weighed nothing and shoving him back across the floor. Ryan stumbled until he hit a booth, and then sat down, putting his hands up in surrender.
“Hey, worth a shot. I mean, if you’re just having fun, or just working here, or whatever it is you two are calling it, then why can’t I take a run at Leslie? She’s just my type. Tall, curves that kill.” He eyed her slowly in a way that she didn’t quite buy, and then she studied how angry it was making Riley.
Of course. Ryan was probably doing it on purpose, assuming she wanted him to help her get Riley to come around.
But he needn’t bother, because she wasn’t expecting or wanting anything like that.
“Boys, boys,” she said, as Riley made to roll up his sleeves and head toward his brother, looking more like a feral animal defending its territory than a movie star who shouldn’t care what happens to his one-night stand. His primitive possessiveness sent a thrill through her, but she knew better than to place any hopes on it. “Come on, we still need to get the bar ready.”
Riley turned to her with a confused and somewhat disturbed stare. “But he was hitting on you. Doesn’t that bother you?”
She rolled her eyes and got off the stool to gently limp around to the other side of the bar. He ran over and moved the stool so she could sit on it comfortably there. “It’s not the first time someone has hit on me, honey. And it won’t be the last. I run a bar in a tourist town.”
Riley pursed his lips and didn’t seem to like that. From how he was acting, she would almost think he wanted commitment a little more than he was trying to pretend.
Ryan grinned and folded his hands behind his head and leaned back on them. “Hear that, Riley? She’s a free agent.”
She swore she heard a low growl from Riley, but then he turned like he was going to stomp back to the office.
Ryan’s grinned widened. “Gonna leave us alone, then?” he asked, smirking. “Suits me.”
She bit her lip and opened the cash register to count cash. She could tell Ryan was just trying to bait his brother, but it was a little disturbing that Riley didn’t seem to know that.
But at least she didn’t have to worry about trying not to betray her friend. As much as Ryan acted like he was going to come on to her, she didn’t really feel any chemistry between them.
Ryan and Kylie, however, that could be scorching, if he’d just stop ignoring her.
“If you’re needing a woman in your bed, why aren’t you going after that cute little blonde that keeps coming after you? What’s her name, Kylie?” Riley said, saying the name with a smooth intention that had Ryan bristling.
“No,” he said. “Unlike you, Riley, I don’t seek out women just to sleep with them. I’m a one-woman man. When I find the right one, I’m settling down. And she’s not it, so I’m not interested.”
This time, Leslie and Riley shared a look at Ryan’s expense. So he was aware of other people’s feelings, but not his own. Just the way he tried to ignore and brush off Kylie in a way he didn’t do with any other human seemed to be a big flashing sign to everyone else that Kylie was special.
But they let it drop, because Ryan seemed to be muttering to himself darkly.
Riley leaned over the counter to whisper so that only Leslie could hear him. “You aren’t going to let him hit on you, right?”
She raised an eyebrow carefully, took a cherry from behind the counter, and bit into it. “And what if I did? We aren’t together, right?”
Riley blinked and then his expression hardened. “Trying to make me jealous won’t work.”
“Who’s trying to make you jealous?” she said, throwing the stem away. “You seem to be forgetting that it’s you who came on to me.”
“Bullshit,” he said. “You came on to me.”
“Well, whatever. We both wanted it, it was great as a one-time thing—”
“Ha!” he retorted, taking a cherry for himself. “That’s one thing we don’t agree on. What happened between us, Les? That’s definitely too good to be a one-time thing.” He held out the cherry stem tied in a knot, winked at her, and strode away from the counter to finish taking chairs down from tables.
Damn, the man knew how to work a room.
* * *
When closing time came around, Leslie felt nervousness creep up on her again.
<
br /> The bar had been quiet, just a few friends from town, including Ryder and Janna, had stopped in. And she’d heard from a friend in a nearby town that a tourist bus was coming through soon, so she figured the break wasn’t a bad thing since it gave her a time to rest before the storm of people hit.
Everyone else had long since gone home, and she found herself alone with Riley, who was happily bantering as she showed him how to go through closing the bar.
She had to admit he’d worked really hard, digging in with both hands and doing whatever he could to make life easier on her. And his friendly personality seemed to really love talking to the people who came in, getting to know them, and quickly helping them get over the fact that he was a celebrity.
She could almost imagine how it would be if he settled here. Them working together everyday. She could actually see him enjoying it, despite the superstar world he came from.
Then again, he’d originally come from Bearstone Park. And Bearstone Park was a hard place not to fall in love with.
He was truly one of a kind. But he wasn’t hers, she acknowledged with a heavy heart. Maybe hers for now, based on how much he kept eyeing her between tasks and during their conversation.
His hot gaze would glide over her body, heating her skin and speeding up her pulse. Just his attention was enough to send her heart rate soaring.
“So,” he said, leaning on the bar in that sexy way that let him come a little too close with those long-lashed, hazel-green eyes. “Any plans tonight?”
“Just to get some rest,” she said, tossing a rag in the sink and folding her arms as she arched her back to stretch out her spine. “How about you?”
Shoot, she thought. Now he’ll think I’m asking him out. I don’t want to come across like I’m expecting something. I’m not.
But I wouldn’t mind if he handled me like he handled that cherry stem earlier. That turned me on and he knew it.
“Whatcha thinking?” he asked, resting his firm chin on his palm. “What’s going behind those big brown eyes?”
She felt heat rush over her neck and into her cheeks. “Nothing, just wondering how I’m going to shower tomorrow.”
Damn, why did her mouth keep saying stupid things when she hadn’t asked it to?
His face drew into an expression of concern that only made him look more serious and handsome, and he walked around the bar to her. “What happened? I told you that I would help with anything involving your foot. You should have told me.”
“Well,” she said. “I managed fine.” She shook her head and waved him away. “Aside from a bump on my elbow, I’m good as new. Besides, I couldn’t exactly ask you to bathe with me, could I?”
He took a step closer, closing the space and heating the air between them. Damn, he was so big. Big everywhere, she remembered, flushing at the thought of last night.
“You couldn’t?” he asked.
“No,” she said, putting a hand up on his chest as he reached her and leaned forward, crowding her on her stool. “I couldn’t.”
“Why not?” he asked, nuzzling her ear gently and whispering against it. “It’d be my pleasure, Leslie.”
She shivered but pulled away, leaning on the counter for balance. She pushed him away playfully with one hand as her heart beat a rapid dance in her chest. “Stop that, I’m not bathing with you.”
“Fine,” he said, pulling back and shrugging. “But I had a thought. What if you stayed with me up at the lodge while you’re getting better? I would have taken you there before, but I wanted to be able to take you to the doctor.”
“Why would I stay with you?” she asked, feeling honestly baffled at this turn of events.
He rubbed the back of his neck, looking uncharacteristically nervous. “I just thought it’d be easier. I’d be there to help with whatever you need.”
“Whatever I need, huh?” she asked. “Like what?”
“Getting dressed, getting showered…” He grabbed a cherry and lightly grazed the top of it with his teeth. “Getting to bed.”
“Hm,” she said. “I’m not your property, Riley. Not even for a temporary engagement.”
He bit down into the cherry and then closed his mouth and chewed slowly. Thoughtfully. He threw the stem away. “So you’ll sleep with me, but you won’t be exclusive?”
“No,” she replied instantly. Exclusivity led to romance and hopeful thoughts and other things that would break her heart when he left. She knew how to keep herself safe and that meant following certain rules. It’s not that she intended to sleep around, it’s just that she wouldn’t not sleep with someone just because of him.
It was weird, but it was one of her rules. And she would stick to it.
“You’re not my boyfriend,” she said. “You’re not making me promises.” He started to interrupt her but she held a hand up. “Not that I want you to. But you don’t have any right to demand exclusivity.”
“What about safety?” he asked. “Will you at least tell me if you’re going to have other partners while you’re with me?”
She pressed her lips together. She couldn’t actually imagine dating more than one man at a time, so she hadn’t thought about the logistics of it. But she got what he meant. Safety was important. She probably wouldn’t be with anyone else. At least, she wasn’t planning to. But he didn’t need to know that. “We’ll see how it goes.”
He stepped forward and put his hand on her shoulder. “I don’t want you sleeping with anyone else if you’re sleeping with me,” he said.
She frowned up at him impishly. “Who said I’m going to sleep with you again?” She folded her arms with a little growl. “Maybe we’ll just go to sleep.”
“Honey,” he said, leaning in so their lips were almost touching. “The last thing we’ll be doing together is sleeping. And I do mean last, because after we spend the night together, I’ll wear you out so much that all you can do is sleep. I’ll make you too tired to think of another man.”
She shrugged. “I won’t complain about that. Just as long as you understand that we don’t have any kind of arrangement. I’m not beholden to you in any way. You don’t have any claim on me.” Although it wasn’t true. After only a few days together, it felt like he already was working his way into her heart.
“Fine,” he said, pushing away and putting his hands up. “But not my brother, okay?”
She grinned. “I wasn’t going to anyway.”
He let out a long sigh of relief. “Good.”
She stood gingerly, with his help. “Well, if I’m going to stay with you for a while, I guess we better go get some of my stuff. Are you sure you don’t mind driving back and forth to the bar everyday?”
He nodded, putting an arm around her waist that held up most of her weight. “I’d be coming anyway,” he said, and a part of her warmed. “At least until your ankle is healed.” The warmth turned a bit cold.
That’s right: obligation was making him do this. She should tell him her ankle really wasn’t so bad, but he seemed to want the excuse to be next to her. And honestly, she wanted it too, for as long as it lasted.
But she was starting to think it wasn’t going to be easy to keep this a casual thing. She couldn’t help remembering his intenseness during sex, his possessive anger toward his brother, and his jealousy that seemed to leak out without him even realizing it.
No, there was more to this than either of them wanted to admit. Luckily, he seemed to have as much invested into staying in denial as she did. So she let him take her outside, feeling warm and happy against his arm. They were just going up to stay together in a mountain lodge. What could go wrong?
8
The drive was uneventful. Riley wished he knew what Leslie was thinking, but she seemed disinclined to share, and had been resting her head against the window and looking out at the snowy scenery flying by for the past few minutes.
“You feeling okay?” he asked, wondering what had happened to change her mood. Was it something he’d said or done?
&n
bsp; “Just finally feeling the tiredness, I guess,” she said, sitting up a little as if she realized she should probably be talking with him.
“Sorry if I’ve been quiet. It seems like this week has just changed everything, and it’s moving so quickly.”
“I know what you mean,” he said. “When we came here I had no idea how I was going to entertain myself in a little mountain town, but the bar makes it a lot more fun. And, to be honest…” He snuck a sideways glance at her. “You make it a lot more fun.”
“Thanks,” she said, patting his shoulder in a friendly way. He frowned. Friend wasn’t what he had in mind. Both his bear and him agreed on that.
“I think you’ll like my suite,” he said. “I’ve been staying in the penthouse, but I thought you might like something more private and away from the rest of the lodge, so I rented a cabin.”
“Like Ryder and Janna were in?” she asked.
“Sort of,” he said. “Ryder likes things to be homey. This one is nicer. The nicest we have. I kind of got the feeling that you enjoy the finer things in life.”
She winced slightly at that. “What gave it away, the shoes?”
He laughed. “Maybe. But those red soles hella turn me on.”
“Hella?” She laughed. “So Cali.”
“Yup,” he said. “Mountain boy at heart, Cali boy on loan.”
“Really?” she asked, folding her arms. “So you consider your allegiance more to here than Hollywood?”
He gulped. Whoops. Did he? That had just sort of slipped out. Damn, she made it hard to think. Just being in the car with her, knowing she was so close he could touch her, kiss her, but yet couldn’t because he was driving, drove him crazy.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I hadn’t thought about it. You shouldn’t take much of what I say too seriously. I tend to just blurt stuff out.”
“I tend to think it’s usually the truth that we blurt out,” she said, smiling slightly. “I think it’s the lies that we have to pause and think about.”
Bearlebrity: (BWWM) Paranormal BBW Bear Shifter Romance Standalone Page 6
