by Virna DePaul
It seemed that by losing the weight, Annie had changed not only outside, but inside, too.
Irritated at where his mind kept going, he punched the speed of the treadmill higher and sprinted until sweat poured off of him. Yeah, that’s right, he’d sweat Annie out of his system.
But thirty minutes later, off the treadmill and holding a barbell over his friend as Cole adjusted position on the weight bench, Ryan still had Annie at the forefront of his mind. Damn.
“Can you lift the bar a little higher?” Cole asked.
“Will do,” Ryan said, focusing on the heavy barbell. But his mind wandered to Annie yet again, and the bar slipped—just a bit, but enough to send Cole back up to a seated position, glaring at him.
“Dude. You want to tell me what—or who—you’re so distracted about? I take it it’s a girl?”
Ryan let the heavy weight settle back into the cradle and ran a hand over his face. “Yeah, you could say that.”
“Samantha? I thought you dumped her, the way you dump them all.”
The comment smarted a bit. He didn’t dump all the women he went out with—some left him when they realized he wouldn’t make a major commitment. “I didn’t dump her. It was mutual. But you’re right. I’m not seeing her anymore.” Ryan wiped sweat from his forehead and sat on the weight bench next to Cole.
“So who are you…” Understanding lit Cole’s eyes. “Ah. Is this about Annie?”
Startled, Ryan turned his gaze to meet Cole’s steady one. “How’d you know?”
Cole shrugged. “That girl means more to you than all your other friends combined. And you’ve got your Mr. Protective vibe going on. Right along with your Get Your Mind Off Her Tits one.”
Ryan glowered at him.
“It’s true,” Cole said. “Funny how they always show up hand-in-hand. The first time I saw them together was in college, when she came to visit, and you wouldn’t let any of us ask her out. You said none of us was good enough for her. But it’s been obvious for years that you don’t think you’re good enough for her. At least, not good enough to keep her, or to nail her and stay friends with her.”
“Watch your mouth,” Ryan warned.
Cole laughed. “See? There you go again. You want to protect her, and the more you want to protect her, the more you want to fuck her. But you refuse to let yourself think that way, so you torture yourself. It’s a cruel, endless cycle, dude.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Is that right? Then why don’t you tell me what’s got you so twisted up?”
Ryan couldn’t. He wouldn’t betray Annie’s confidence by telling anyone about her naughty list. But…
“She’s heading to Vegas today. Alone.”
“Why is she…” Again, that look of understanding flashed across his friend’s face. “Ah. A little tit-for-tat, maybe?”
“Huh?”
“You were in Vegas last week for the bachelor party. Maybe she’s imagining you doing all sorts of things, things she’s pissed as hell about, so she’s dishing out some payback?”
The idea stunned Ryan. It wasn’t possible. Annie didn’t play those kinds of games. Well, the old Annie wouldn’t, anyway. This new Annie hadn’t even told him she was going to Vegas.
Cole handed him a water bottle. Ryan stared at it.
“You know she lost a lot of weight recently,” he began slowly.
Nodding, Cole said, “She’s a bit on the skinny side now—I liked her with more meat on her bones. But I have to admit, she seemed different at the wedding. More confident. So she’s going to Vegas to see exactly what her new body can do for her?”
“Maybe,” Ryan grumbled. “I tried talking her out of it, but…”
For a long while, Cole simply sat, staring ahead at the hustle and bustle of the gym. Finally, he said, “When does she leave?”
“Three hours.”
“You know what they say…” Cole said.
Ryan lifted his head. “No. What do ‘they’ say?”
“If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”
“Meaning?”
“Go with her. And while you’re there, figure out what you want. If you could have her, would you want her?”
His first thought was Hell, yes. Annie was beautiful. Smart. Fun and kind. The women he dated inevitably came up short when compared to her. But the problem was, he wanted Annie for a lifetime, and the best way to make sure that happened was to keep sex out of it. “I want to be her friend.”
“But what if you can be more?”
“She’s not interested in me in any other way than friendship,” Ryan said. “She wasn’t in high school and she’s not now. She said it herself. She wants to ‘test the waters,’ and a girl who wants that is someone ready to move on at a moment’s notice. As you pointed out, that’s standard operating procedure for me. Eventually, for one of us, it wouldn’t be enough and I could lose her forever.” It wasn’t worth the risk. “Let’s talk about something else. Any news on the real estate front?”
Cole had his own place in downtown LA, but he’d been putting off selling his mother’s home in one of the surrounding suburbs. His mom had passed away three months before from breast cancer. Though he didn’t talk about it, Cole had been close to his mother, who’d raised him on her own. Cole would be grieving her loss for a long time to come, but selling her house would be an important part of him moving forward.
“Not yet,” Cole said. “I took so much time off when she—you know, when she was really sick—and right after. I can’t keep leaving things to Luke to run on his own.” He stood and turned at the sound of girlish giggles. There were a couple of young women on the treadmills, and they waved at Cole and Ryan.
Ryan smirked. “Looks like you’ve got a fan club.”
“It’s you. They want some fire-boy lovin’,” Cole said.
“No, they clearly want some biker-boy action. Wait! I think I can read their lips.” He spoke softly but with a slightly girlie tone. “Look at that one, the one with all the tats. Oh…he’s soooo dreamy. Just imagine what it would feel like to touch all that hard muscle. To feel that goatee against your skin. To ride his…bike.”
Cole snorted. “Shut the fuck up and, since you can’t seem to spot me worth a damn, I’ll spot you. I don’t want to be in a high-rise when a fire breaks out and have to worry about whether your fat ass can make it to the top floor to save me.”
Ryan grinned and got back into his workout. It would be a cold day in hell before Cole needed rescuing from anyone. He’d be the first person Ryan would want taking his back. And it wasn’t all brawn and no heart with Cole either. Every other weekend, he and his biker friends got on their bikes and did a run for one charity or another. Most of the time, it was for kids, but lately he’d been doing cancer runs. Two weeks ago, Cole and all of his tough biker friends had been wearing hot-pink ribbons for breast cancer awareness.
Cole glanced back at the girls again as he spotted for Ryan.
“Why don’t you just go over and say hello?” Ryan said.
“Nah. They’re cute, but I don’t have time to get involved right now.”
“The way they’re looking at you, they might be up for a drive-by.”
Cole chuckled. “No time for even that. You, on the other hand, have the whole weekend free.”
Ryan arched a brow. “You’re suggesting I go over there and chat them up?”
“Nope. I know you’re not interested. And something tells me you don’t have the time either.”
“Why’s that?”
Cole tossed Ryan a towel. “You’re going to have to hustle to make that flight to Vegas.”
Chapter Six
The first boarding call for Annie’s flight echoed through the San Francisco airport. All around her, people jockeyed for position, even though the flight had assigned seating.
“Oof!” Annie grunted as she bent to pick up her carry-on bag, trying to move it away from a rather oblivious group of travelers.
She’d bagged up all her clothes after she’d lost the weight and taken the bags to the local homeless shelter, then bought all new, form-fitting clothes to show off her new look. But skinny jeans meant just that—skinny. And bending over in pants that were practically painted on was proving rather difficult.
And she’d certainly shoved a lot of stuff into her carry-on bag.
But not her new toy.
That she had shoved deep into her checked bag, which presumably was somewhere in the belly of the plane. No way would she risk having airport security pull out her toy for all to see.
Her stomach clenched, and a surge of panic washed over her. Was she really going to get naughty in Vegas? Next to her, a young woman stood, latte in hand, chatting with a nearly identical woman. Both girls were in their mid-twenties and dressed in designer clothes that fit their rail-thin bodies like a glove. One of the girls was talking about how she’d gotten laid the night before and how amazing it had been.
Annie could barely remember the last time she’d gotten laid. Ryan had coaxed an orgasm easily from her last night, but that had been a favor and it’s not like they were going to do that again. Maybe sex with a stranger was exactly what she needed. No expectations. No confusing feelings. Just hot, sweaty sex solely in the name of fun.
Yep, this trip was definitely going to be a turning point in her transformation.
Last night, after coming hard to the sound of Ryan’s voice in her ears, she’d finally mustered the courage to invite him over. To offer her body to him. But he hadn’t wanted her. That had been clear from his answering silence. The poor guy had obviously been trying to think of a way to turn her down gently. God, how mortifying. She’d spent the next few hours reliving the embarrassment, resulting in a restless night’s sleep.
But that was all behind her now. She was going to go through with her plan, get over him, and not have to suffer through all of these conflicting feelings anymore.
The announcement came loudly that her group was boarding. She hefted her carry-on over her shoulder and got in line behind the two young women. In her back pocket, her cell phone buzzed. She pulled it out to see a text from Ryan.
Instantly, her mind and body went where she’d been dutifully trying to keep it from going—back to last night. With Ryan’s husky voice asking her what she was wearing and telling her to touch herself. Despite the circumstances, it had felt so natural—so right—but in the end it had taught her a lesson: the more Ryan gave, the hungrier she became. She needed to keep things between them firmly in the friend zone.
Shuffling forward as her group entered the gangway, she read his text.
Are we okay?
She hesitated only a second before answering. Sure.
Last night…
She held her breath. Waited. But when no further text came, she replied, Didn’t change anything between us.
You sure? I don’t want things to be weird.
She closed her eyes. He was feeling weird. It was obvious. And that’s how she’d known he’d feel this morning. God, she wondered if he’d had more beers after leaving her apartment last night. Had he been drunk? Had that been the only reason he’d been able to talk to her the way he had?
Won’t be, she typed. But can we lock it in the vault?
You want to pretend it didn’t happen?
It didn’t. Not between us. It was between me and Kyle and that’s how I want to keep it. OK?
If that’s what you want.
Wasn’t it what he wanted? But before she could respond, he texted again.
Can I say one thing though?
Oh God, she thought. Was he going to try to lighten the mood? Joke about how she’d sounded? Tease her about how she had acted utterly ridiculous? She braced herself.
OK
You were incredible. Sexy as hell. You’ve got more naughty in you than you think.
She couldn’t reply. She stared at the text, feeling sparks of joy and tendrils of arousal, but squashing them with determination.
You sounded as beautiful as I know you looked. Thank you for trusting me.
Thank you for trying to help me, she finally texted.
Trying? So you’re still going to Vegas?
She smiled slightly, practically hearing his frown in the words. Yes. No going back now.
I can’t convince you otherwise?
No. Now stop bothering me. ☺
I’m worried for you. Vegas can be a dangerous place.
She sighed. She got it. Ryan was a good friend—good enough that he’d forced himself to have phone sex with her, for God’s sake—and he was worried for her.
In front of her, the line moved forward and she with it until she was suddenly standing in the front of the airplane. She’d have to text back, but right now she needed to find her seat. It took several minutes of waiting behind other people as they shoved their carry-ons into the overhead bins and settled into their seats, but she finally located her window seat toward the back. Thankfully, the two chattering young women who had annoyed her earlier were seated somewhere in the front. The plane wasn’t crowded, and she was pleased to see she had several empty seats around her.
She shoved her carry-on into the overhead bin and then settled down in her seat. As the plane’s engines started, she texted Ryan back.
I adore you for caring, but this is it — Vegas. Naughty list. There’s nothing you can do to stop me.
“Maybe I can’t stop you, but I sure as hell can join you.”
Annie stiffened and gasped, jerking with disbelief when she saw Ryan standing over her, wearing a baseball cap, worn jeans, a blue Henley, and a broad smile.
“W-What are you doing here?” she choked out. Fearing she was losing her mind, she blinked several times. But no, he was still there, grinning like a mad man.
Oh shit, she thought as her cheeks flushed. He probably had an illicit image of her humping a pillow running around in his head.
He stowed his carry-on bag and plopped down in the aisle seat next to her, his muscular frame spilling over the side of the small seat.
“What are you doing here?” she exclaimed.
Ryan fiddled with the seat belt. “Like I said, I’m joining you.”
“What? Why? You can’t come with me!” Panic, worry, and irritation all fought for dominance. Why on earth was Ryan here? And what did he mean, he was joining her? Joining her how?
He finally turned to her. “Since I can’t talk you out of this crazy plan, I’m going with you as your chaperone.”
Annie’s pulse quickened more, and she could feel her breaths shortening.
“My chaperone?”
“Yep, someone has to make sure that you don’t get hurt. You don’t seem to be giving much thought to your own safety lately.”
Really? He didn’t trust her to have good judgment and keep herself safe from harm? Yeah, sure, picking up a stranger in Vegas and having a one-night stand might carry a few risks, but she’d planned ahead. Had booked a room close to the hotel’s security office. And had packed plenty of condoms.
“And how do you propose to keep me safe? Follow me around? Force-feed me? Stay in my hotel room? Run background checks on any guy I flirt with?”
“Hadn’t thought about the background checks. Sounds like a good idea.”
“Ryan!” That was a horrible idea. A terrible idea. There was no way he could come on this trip with her. He would ruin everything. She was supposed to be getting over him, not falling more in love with him, and after last night… With him sitting so close to her and the memory of his husky voice telling her to touch herself…
“Besides, I needed a break from work,” he said. “I’m off this weekend, and I can even extend my time off. It’ll be fun to hang out with you. Remember the last time we went to Vegas together?”
Did she ever. That trip had inspired the location of this one, actually. Girls had climbed all over Ryan—he’d had multiple offers of sex that weekend, and all from gorgeous, young, sexy women. Now she needed t
he same to happen for her so she could free him from her heart in that way forever.
She could not embark on this grand adventure of naughtiness in Vegas, with her best friend—the very man she was trying to get over—playing wingman.
For the first time, she noticed how fatigued and anxious he looked. She wondered if more was going on with him than he’d let on last night. She wanted to ask him. Make sure he was okay. But now really wasn’t the time.
“I’m not doing this trip to hang out and play the slots,” she said. “I’m doing this to shake things up in my life. And I’m sorry, but I don’t need you—and I really don’t want you—to be hanging out with me while I’m trying to meet a man to have fun with.”
“Too bad.” Ryan shrugged and dropped her gaze, then reached into the pocket of the seat in front of him and pulled out an in-flight magazine. “This is how I’ll be able to keep my peace of mind. You can pretend I’m your brother. If a guy’s really interested, having me around won’t stop him from coming on to you. But it will stop the assholes from trying to pick you up.”
The flight attendant asked everyone to get in their seats over the PA, and soon the airplane door would close…
“I don’t need you with me. I don’t want you to come along.” She fumed, blowing out a sharp breath, wishing it was really true. She unbuckled his seatbelt, and pointed down the aisle. “Now, get off this plane. Now.”
“Not going to happen,” he said, thumbing through the magazine as if he hadn’t noticed her outburst.
She yanked the magazine out of his hands. “Ryan Hennessey, I swear…”
He suddenly cupped her face in his hands so that her words died off.
“Listen to me, Annie,” he said. “If you insist on going forward with your ridiculous plan, I’m not going to stand in your way—hell, I’ll even help you pick out a guy for you to bang if you want—but I am going to make sure you come back home intact and unscathed.” He leaned forward and gave her a gentle, close-mouthed kiss. “You can take that to the bank.”
* * *
After they took off, Ryan tried to stretch his long legs out, which meant having to shove his feet under the seat in front of him just to keep his knees out of his face. He glanced over at Annie, who stared out the window, giving him the silent treatment. He rubbed his hands across his face, wondering again if he was making a serious mistake by following her to Vegas. In trying to protect her, would he piss her off so much that it would irreparably harm their friendship?
