Sweat (Sweetbriar Lake #1)

by Rebecca Jenshak

  He played along, swinging with her. “Finally put that together, did you?”

  She ducked her head in embarrassment. “Yeah, sorry about that.”

  He smiled, pulling her to him by their joined hands. “Don’t be. It’s refreshing to talk to someone who doesn’t know every detail of my life since birth.”

  They stood there a moment, barely breathing, studying one another, before he stepped forward, dragging her behind him.

  As Fit Club came into view Elle looked at the building then at the man who’d created it in a new light. He obviously knew what he wanted and worked hard to achieve it. She could use a little of his instinctiveness in deciding the next steps in her own life.

  “Do you have more clients tonight?”

  He checked his watch. “No, you’re my last client for the day, but I do need to do some paperwork before I go home.”

  Her heart sank a little, knowing their time together was over for now. Since they’d established there was something between them, she wanted to spend more time learning everything about him.

  He wrapped his arms around her, peering down at her with those honey-colored eyes. “But tomorrow, I’d like to take you out on a real date, no fitness torture involved. What do you say?”

  “I’d love that,” she said quickly. Too quickly. She was playing her cards a little too carelessly for her liking.

  She managed to compose herself slightly and keep her feelings inside while silently screaming for joy. Another date tomorrow night!

  “I’ll pick you up at seven. Until then…” Ryan said as he leaned in and kissed her.

  THE NEXT NIGHT, Elle paced the floor in her bedroom tossing dresses and shirts over her head in exasperation, trying to decide what to wear on her date with Ryan. She needed help. She needed an expert’s advice. She dialed quickly, feeling the panic start to rise.

  “Help! Ryan is going to be here to pick me up in thirty minutes, and I can’t decide what to wear!” she shrieked, holding her phone so Claire could see the mess of her room.

  Claire grinned, seemingly unfazed by her panic. “A real date, huh? That’s exciting. Where is he taking you?”

  She flopped onto the bed, getting more nervous by the second. “He didn’t say. Dinner somewhere.”

  “Dinner probably means The Lake House — the nicest restaurant in town. Wear a dress. Let’s see what you got.”

  She tried on two options before they decided on a blue dress with long sleeves and a boat neckline. It made her feel sexy without being too revealing for a first date.

  “Thank you. What would I do without you?” Elle said as she gave her makeup a last check in the mirror.

  “Girl, you would look phenomenal in a paper sack, but I’m happy to help,” Claire said.

  The doorbell rang, and Elle willed the butterflies in her stomach to give it a rest.

  “He’s early. I gotta go,” she whispered into the phone. She was well aware he couldn’t hear her from across the condo and on the other side of the door, but she felt exposed.

  “Have fun. Text me later,” Claire sang into the phone before hanging up.

  Elle ran a hand over her dress and walked across the condo, taking deep breaths. She forced a big smile and opened the door, stopping short as a flower-deliveryman handed her a dozen red roses. They were long-stemmed and absolutely breathtaking. It was a surprising gesture for a first date. She thanked him and closed the door, breathing in the fragrant bouquet. She dug around, not finding a card. Odd. They were beautiful and expensive-looking. They had to be from Ryan, right?

  The doorbell rang again, and Elle checked the peephole this time. Ryan was standing on the other side looking gorgeous in dark jeans and a gray V-neck sweater. He was holding a small floral arrangement in his hands. Hmm, maybe the roses weren’t from him after all. She jogged to the kitchen, placed the roses on the counter out of view, and hustled back to the door.

  “Hi,” Elle said nervously after opening. Damn. She’d wasted her perfect greeting on the flower-delivery guy.

  “Wow, Elle. You look great,” Ryan said as he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and handed her the flowers.

  “Thank you. These are beautiful.” She held the flowers to her nose and opened the door wide to allow him passage.

  “Let me put these in some water, and then we can go,” she said and moved quickly to the kitchen.

  Ryan’s gaze roamed around the condo. “Your place is great.”

  “Thanks. I can’t take credit for it. It came furnished. I’m subletting it from Amanda, Clive’s girlfriend. She’d moved in with him and hadn’t been able to get out of her lease.” Elle placed the colorful flower arrangement in a crystal vase her mother had given her as a housewarming gift then joined Ryan in the living room.

  He reached out and touched her face with the back of his fingers. She closed her eyes and leaned in. Her whole body was humming with nervous energy. He pulled her against him with a gentle hand on her waist. His mouth covered hers as he moved his hands into her hair and deepened the kiss.

  He trailed kisses from her mouth to her exposed collarbone. “We should go. I promised you dinner,” he said gruffly against her skin.

  The last thing she cared about now was dinner. She wanted to strip him down and lick every inch of his delectable body.

  She closed her eyes and pressed into him. “I’m not that hungry.”

  Ryan grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the door. “Come on before the gentleman in me is overtaken by the devil on my shoulder.”

  HE WAS SWEATING through his undershirt by the time they were situated in the car. The cool, familiarly worn leather of his old Mustang helped calm him a bit, but it was going to be a long night keeping his hands to himself.

  Elle looked like a China doll seated next to him. A perfect fucking doll. Her porcelain skin was smooth and creamy and so freaking soft to the touch. She had worn her hair down, and he wondered why she’d ever pull back such a beautiful mass of waves. The dress she had chosen clung to her curves, and the big heels were back and would be the death of him.

  He tapped a thumb on the steering wheel and looked over at Elle, giving her a tight smile. Hmm… it dawned on him that he was nervous. It was the first date he’d been on in years, and he was actually nervous. He wanted everything to go perfect. He needed it. Dating wasn’t something he did for fun. This was important. She was important.

  She ran a hand over the black leather dash. “What year?”

  “She’s a 1970.”

  She lifted an eyebrow. “She?”

  He nodded, flashing her a big smile as he pulled into The Lake House’s parking lot. It wasn’t an original date, but it was the best restaurant in town. As far as dating in Sweetbriar went, the options were limited.

  He turned off the car, leaving only silence between them. “Have you been here yet?” His voice was stilted and sounded as nervous as he felt.

  Elle nodded, looking pale. Maybe she was as nervous as he. “Once with my parents.”

  Ryan helped her from the car, getting a chance to hold her hand again. They were quiet as they walked into the restaurant. Too quiet. He needed to step up his game, or this was going to go on record as the worst date ever.

  He refused to let go of her hand as they were ushered to their seats by the hostess. He nodded in greeting to several familiar faces and noticed more than one set of eyes scope out his date. For having been in Sweetbriar for six months and working for one of the more prominent figures in town, Elle had remained an unknown. He was both proud to have her by his side, and regretful that the rest of the town was getting a look at her. He wasn’t prepared to share her with anyone, and there would be more than a few hopefuls when word got around about the new hot lawyer in town.

  Their table was located along the back wall of the restaurant that connected to an outdoor patio used during the warm weather. Past the patio, the moon shone down on the lake, providing a romantic and scenic view for the date. Not that he had noticed.

/>   “The lake looks really beautiful at night,” Elle said as she gazed out the window.

  He stared at her, unable to pry his eyes away. She looked back at him to find him staring.

  “Do I have something on my face?” She swiped at her cheeks in the most adorable way.

  He laughed softly. “The lake is beautiful at night, but I can’t seem to stop looking at you long enough to notice it.”

  “That’s quite a line,” she said and laughed nervously.

  Did she really believe he was the type of guy to feed her lines to get into her pants? “I don’t do lines,” he said, his voice sounding sterner than intended. “Tell me about work. How is it working for Clive?”

  They were interrupted by the arrival of the waiter with glasses of water and a spiel on the nightly specials. Ryan reached across the table and touched her hand.

  She looked up at him, a flush creeping up her face. She wore it well.

  “Do you know what you want, Elle?”

  The waiter stood poised, ready to take their order.

  She glimpsed at the menu for only a second before speaking. “Can I get the Harvest Salad and a bowl of vegetable soup?” she said, closing her menu and handing it to the waiter.

  “The same for me,” Ryan said, handing over his as well while studying Elle’s face. “So, you were about to tell me working with Clive?”

  She visibly relaxed as she spoke. Work seemed to be a safe topic for her. “It’s going well. The cases are a little different than I imagined, but it’s good experience. Clive is well-respected, so working for him should help open doors at other firms.”

  “Oh, are you planning on switching firms?” His body tensed as he went on alert. She isn’t staying.

  “Clive only hired me on a temporary basis. I’m looking for a firm that can hire me as an associate.”

  She twirled the straw in her water, leaning forward, elbows on the table, as if she hadn’t just dropped a bomb.

  He squeezed the tumbler in his hand until he heard a crack. He rattled the ice around, attempting to play it off as he inspected the glass. There was a small fissure, but it didn’t seem to be leaking. One less tragedy. If Elle realized what he had done, she didn’t let on.

  “Any idea where you will go?”

  “Kansas City maybe. I’m not sure. I want to work at a larger firm where I can be involved in more high-profile cases. Clive is great. I just always imagined working on cases where I can really make a difference.”

  “How much longer do we get to keep you?”

  “Clive is letting me use the ball next month to talk with other firms,” Elle said.

  “Well, that gives me a month to change your mind then.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise, but he meant it. There was no way he was going to be ready to let her go in a month.

  AS FAR AS ranking the dates Elle had been on, this one was in first place by a mile. Ryan was attentive, never once letting on that he noticed the women at the restaurant openly eyeing him. She’d noticed. She’d noticed a lot of things. For instance, he had been nervous. She hadn’t expected that.

  As he drove her home, they finally fell into comfortable conversation, and she was sad the date was ending.

  He parked the car, and Elle waited for him to come around and open her door. She was no longer surprised by this gesture and found she rather enjoyed it. He led her up the sidewalk to her front door as the wind picked up and howled through the night.

  “Thank you for tonight. I had a really good time,” she said as she turned the key in the lock.

  “Me too,” he said, stopping a few feet from the doorway.

  She opened the door and motioned inside. “Do you want to come in for a drink?”

  Ryan moved forward, closing the small gap between them. He towered over her, causing her to tilt her head to look at him.

  “I should get home,” he said before he tilted her chin up to meet his mouth. This kiss was soft and sweet, ending almost as soon as it started.

  “Good night, Elle.” He turned and disappeared into the night.

  Elle touched her lips, missing his touch already. “Night,” she called after him.

  Two hours later, she was still awake, tossing and turning in her bed, beyond frustrated. She was also beyond into Ryan. He had left her completely unsatisfied, which seemed ridiculous, considering the short time she’d known him, but now that she’d had a taste, she wanted more.

  She scrolled through her phone, considering texting him, but decided it was too soon for that type of desperation, so she called Brock instead.

  “Hello?” a giggly girl Elle didn’t recognize sang into the phone.

  She almost hung up before she double-checked she had, indeed, dialed Brock.

  “Uh… is Brock there?”

  Her mind was reeling, and she suddenly felt like throwing up.

  The cheery girl declined to answer, but after some murmuring on the other end, Brock’s voice came through the receiver.

  “Hey, Elle. How are you?”

  Elle sat up in bed and scrambled for any excuse to have called.

  “Doing well. Hey, I’m sorry to call so late, but I wanted to talk about the ball.” She couldn’t hide the cold tone in her voice. Her face went hot with humiliation and mortification. Then she said the first thing that came to mind. “I’m dating someone.” She slapped a palm to her forehead, wondering what in the world she was doing.

  She could tell she had seriously stunned him by the silence on the other end. Brock wasn’t a man often rendered speechless.

  After a moment, he cleared his throat, “That’s great. I didn’t realize you were dating. Is it serious?”

  Funny, you left that out, too. Elle decided fewer details were better. “It’s new, but even so, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to stay at my place the weekend of the ball.”

  “Of course. I understand. Well, I guess I’ll just see you there then,” he said. The following silence on the other end was excruciating.

  “Great, see you then.” Elle tried to sound as cheerful as she could while she lied through her teeth. She hung up the phone and screamed out loud at herself. “What are you doing?!” Now, if Brock brought a date, she would spend the entire night watching him with someone new. Maybe she could ask Ryan to go? She lay back down and pulled the covers over her head. Too many questions to answer tonight.

  CHAPTER NINE

  WORK WAS QUIET the following day, allowing far too much time to ponder her late-night phone call with Brock or her date with Ryan. She dragged herself home in a funk, wondering if she had blown it with both men. Ryan had barely kissed her good night before he’d run off, and Brock was dating someone else. She felt hypocritical since she, herself, was dating, but that was only because Brock wasn’t ready for them to be together. Wasn’t it? It was getting confusing, and the lines were blurring between her desire to win Brock back and her desire to move on and start a new life that included Ryan.

  She tossed her phone to the other side of the couch and promised herself she would not call Ryan. It had been awhile since she had dated, but she was almost certain she was still supposed to wait for the boy to call after the first date. Besides, he had mentioned that Wednesdays were busy days at Fit Club that often didn’t conclude until the gym closed at night. A rumble from her stomach reminded her that she’d skipped breakfast, and her salad at lunch hadn’t exactly been filling. She should order takeout and have it delivered.

  She stood just as the muffled ring of her phone rose from the other end of the couch. Her breath stalled in her throat. Was that him? She dove for the phone before it stopped its insistent peal.

  Ryan’s name flashed on the readout, and her heart exploded into a staccato rhythm. Lying stomach-down on the sofa, she touched the screen and held the phone to her ear.

  “Hello?” she said softly, forcing her voice into a calm and modulated tone.

  “How was your day?” Ryan asked over the noise of the gym in the background.
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  “It was good. How’s yours?” Elle asked, suddenly feeling herself smiling a big, goofy grin.

  “Good.” He paused, and she heard the shuffling of paper and imagined him sitting behind his desk. “I was hoping I could see you tonight. I could cook for you or take you somewhere?”

  “Actually, I was just about to order some takeout if you want to join me?” Elle said.

  “Love too. I need to wrap up a few things here. I can be there in thirty minutes,” Ryan said.

  “Perfect. See you then.” Elle hung up the phone and sprinted to her closet. She opted for jeans and a fitted V-neck t-shirt and added some large dangly earrings. She left her hair pulled back since she didn’t have time to curl it. Elle ordered from her favorite Chinese takeout place and hoped he would like it.

  She was a ball of nerves and excitement when the bell rang. Breathless, she raced to answer and swung the door inward. Still wearing his Fit Club polo shirt and gray workout pants, Ryan stood on the other side. A giant grin split his face as he held out a bottle of pinot grigio.

  “Thank you. I hope you like Chinese with your wine.”

  He entered the condo, and Elle shut the door before heading across the room. He followed her to the kitchen where she grabbed goblets from the cabinet.

  Ryan took the glasses and placed them on the counter.

  “Confession… I’m not interested in food or wine. I just couldn’t go all day without seeing you.” He trailed kisses from her ear to her collarbone.

  Elle gave her body over to him, and chills ran through her as he kissed every inch of her bare skin. She moved her hands over his arms, feeling the bulge of muscles at his biceps and trailed a vein in his arm up to his strong and broad shoulders. She grew braver with every touch and lightly scratched her nails across his back through his shirt, eliciting a small groan from him. She smiled knowing she could cause such a reaction.

  “Elle?”

  “Hmm?” Elle asked, not wanting to ruin the moment with words.

  “I think the food is here.”