The Trouble with Sexy

by Codi Gary

  “Nothing, I just hadn’t heard from you in a few days and wanted to make sure you were still coming over tonight for dinner.”

  Crap. She’d forgotten about dinner. “Yeah, of course I remembered. Can you hold on a minute?” She covered the phone with her hand and whispered, “I’m supposed to go to my parents for dinner. Will we be back before four?”

  He shook his head. “I was thinking we’d head out to the City of Rocks and take some pictures. Even if we left right now, we wouldn’t be back until almost five-thirty.”

  She bit her lip with regret. “Can we do something closer to home? I promised my parents that I’d come over.”

  “Ryan? Who are you talking to?” Her mother’s voice had taken on a shrill note.

  “Hold on, Mom.” She covered the phone again and asked, “Is that okay?”

  He shrugged. “Sure, although we could just compromise. We’ll go somewhere close to home and then I’ll go with you to your parents later. That way I can spend more time with you.”

  Ryan’s eyes widened and she whispered loudly, “You really want to go?”

  “Unless you think they’d mind.”

  She uncovered the mouth piece and said, “Mom, would it be okay to bring a friend to dinner?”

  “Who is this friend? You haven’t mentioned you had a friend.” Her mother’s voice had a disapproving tone.

  “It’s my boss, Gregg. I’ve told you about him.”

  She glanced over at Gregg and blushed when her mother whispered, “Is he handsome?”

  She lowered her voice and hissed back, “Yes.”

  “Then by all means, bring him along. You know I always make enough to feed the whole county.”

  Ryan said good-bye quietly and hung up.

  “So what were you whispering about?” Gregg asked. She turned toward him, noting the wicked gleam in his eye.

  “Nothing, just mother-daughter stuff.” She backed away from him as he reached out to her ribs. “What are you doing?”

  He wiggled his fingers. “It isn’t nice to tell lies. And I’m prepared to use torture if necessary.”

  She squealed and tried to run, but he caught her around the waist. She was laughing and gasping as he wreaked havoc on her ribs. “Handsome! She asked if you were handsome!”

  He stopped tickling her and kissed her swiftly. “There. Now was that so hard?”

  She pretended to slap at him, and he grabbed her wrist gently, bringing her palm to his mouth for a light kiss. The air around them heated up, and she reached out to bring him close so her lips could exact their own form of torture. Muffins and coffee forgotten, it would be a while before he would again care that daylight was being wasted.

  THEY PULLED UP to the large ranch house and Ryan hopped out with a nervous smile on her face. They’d had such an awesome day, and now that they were standing in front of her parents’ place, it seemed she was more nervous than Gregg. Most guys freaked about meeting parents, but he simply came around the Tahoe and took her hand in his. They walked up the steps to the porch and across the wooden planks to the whitewashed front door. Gregg was about to knock when Ryan reached out and turned the knob.

  “We don’t have to knock,” she said, pushing the door open and hollered, “Mom? Dad?”

  “In the dining room!” a merry voice called.

  Ryan led him through the entryway to a large room with a long oak table and high ceiling. Her mom appeared and held out her hand to Gregg. “I’m Brianne. One thing Ryan forgot to mention was what a good-looking man you were.”

  Ryan rolled her eyes. “No, actually I didn’t, Mom . . .”

  Her mother turned to look at her and gasped, “Ryan! You cut your hair!”

  Ryan shifted uncomfortably. “I just got a few layers.”

  Her mom looked her over, and Ryan relaxed when she smiled. “It’s very becoming,” her mother said. “Is that a new top?”

  Ryan had pulled on a purple long-sleeve blouse that bared her left shoulder. It covered everything important, but still she could hear the touch of disapproval in her mother’s tone. “Yes, my friend Gracie and I went shopping for some new clothes.”

  Her mother clucked her tongue. “Well the color is very nice on you.”

  Ryan was disappointed by her mother’s lack of enthusiasm, but her attention shifted when her dad came around the corner. “Was that my baby I heard?”

  Gregg laughed as Ryan’s face flamed. “Geez . . .”

  Ryan’s dad pulled her into a tight bear hug. She hugged him back, inhaling the cedar smell that always seemed to cling to him. She loved her parents deeply and enjoyed the close relationship they shared.

  Her father set her back from him and gave her a critical eye. He whistled low and said, “Well well, now I could have sworn you were my little girl, but I see I was mistaken. What have you done to yourself, dear heart?”

  She thought that if there was ever a time that lightning should strike and incinerate her, it was now. She glanced at Gregg, who seemed oblivious to her humiliation, and said, “I just got a haircut and put on a little makeup. Do I really look that bad?” Home ten minutes and both of her parents had already made her feel like an eight-year-old who had raided her mother’s makeup drawer.

  Her father gave her another hug and patted her back. “I think you look lovely. It was just a bit of a shock, that’s all.” He turned to eyeball Gregg. “And who might you be?”

  “I’m Gregg, sir.” He held his hand out to her dad, and she sighed in relief when her father reached out to take it.

  “Gregg, you can call me Zach.” He released Gregg’s hand quickly and asked, “So you’re Ryan’s boss?”

  Gregg nodded. “Yes sir. She’s a great asset to my studio.”

  Ryan beamed with pleasure and her dad grunted. “I suppose business is good, since you can afford to keep her?’

  Ryan ground her teeth. “Dad . . .”

  Gregg gave her a smile and said, “We do really well, sir. We have plenty of repeat clients and I run specials every month to bring in new ones.”

  Her dad stroked his square jaw. “Well why don’t we head into the living room and talk, Gregg?”

  “Absolutely, sir.”

  Ryan sent her dad a warning look as he passed, which he returned with a wink. Gregg took her hand and squeezed it, making her insides turn to goo, before following her dad out of the room.

  Once the men disappeared, Ryan turned to her mother and rolled her eyes. “Dad is so ornery.”

  Her mother laughed. “Oh, let your dad have his fun. He wouldn’t tease you so bad if you didn’t rise to the bait every time.”

  She followed her mom into the kitchen and her stomach growled at the array of smells wafting around her. “Hmm, so what’s for dinner?”

  Her mother pulled down the oven to peek at something, and shut it gently before answering, “Pot roast, mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables. Are you hungry?”

  Ryan’s stomach growled again. “Starving.” She paused before asking, “Mom, I know that you don’t really like my clothes, but do I really look that bad?”

  Her mother reached out and touched her face. “I only care that you’re happy. If you like your new clothes and you feel good about yourself, then I’m happy.” As if it was an afterthought, she pulled a wooden spoon from the drawer and slapped Ryan’s thigh.

  “Ouch! Mom! What was that for?”

  Her mother pointed the spoon under her nose and said, “That’s a warning. I see you wearing skimpy miniskirts or hooker heels, you won’t be able to sit for a week once I get through with you.”

  Ryan laughed at her mother’s stern mouth and twinkling eyes, and knew she was teasing.

  “Deal.”

  “SO MY PARENTS seemed to like you,” Ryan said as they drove back to Rock Canyon. “Especially my dad, and he hates every guy I bring home.”

  Gregg smiled in the dark and reached out for her hand. “I guess that means I’m a good one. You should probably be very, very nice to me.”

>   She slid her hand over his thigh and smiled seductively, “Oh I plan on being very, very nice to you.”

  His pants were suddenly a little tight across his lap and he grabbed her hand to stop her exploring fingers. “Want to stay over at my place tonight?”

  She brought his hand up to her mouth, running her tongue over his thumb. He felt every flick as if they were happening all along his body.

  “But I don’t have anything to sleep in,” she teased him softly.

  He pulled their linked hands away from her mouth and bit her thumb gently. “Who said we’re going to be sleeping?”

  Chapter Five

  Five days until Valentine’s Day . . .

  “I DEFINITELY THINK I’m going to do the auction on Friday,” Gracie said, running her hand over her hot pink apron with black letters that read, CALL ME CUPCAKE ONE MORE TIME . . . and had a picture of a sprinkled cupcake making an angry face.

  Ryan and Gemma looked at each other in amusement. Gracie looked between them, her eyebrow raised. “What? I think it will be fun. Plus, it’s kind of romantic.”

  Gemma laughed. “Romantic? Being bid on like an object is romantic? And possibly having to spend the entire evening with someone you can’t stand? You’re nutty.”

  “I’m sure whoever bids on me won’t be that bad.”

  “What about Eric Henderson?” Ryan smiled at the scowl Gracie shot her.

  “Okay, so there are exceptions to every rule.”

  Gemma laughed. “Seriously, what is the deal with you two?”

  Gracie made a face of disgust. “The guy is an ass.”

  Ryan gave her a little smile. “I always found him a little gruff, but still nice.”

  Gemma nodded. “Yeah, he’s always been good to me.”

  Gracie groaned. “Okay, enough about him please.” She turned to Ryan and smiled slyly. “So, how was your weekend?”

  Ryan looked down at her coffee cup with a small smile. “It was wonderful.”

  Gracie squealed. “Oh my God! Tell us!”

  Ryan’s head snapped up in shock. “I can’t!”

  “Gracie,” Gemma scolded, “she doesn’t need to share intimate details! You need to respect other people’s privacy.”

  Gracie rolled her eyes. “I’m not asking for details about that! I just want to know what they did. Last I heard was you were going on a date! Then Gregg comes in Sunday wanting breakfast for two and I just figured that everything had gone very, very well.”

  Ryan smiled dreamily. “We went to dinner at Carolina’s on Saturday, and on Sunday we went for a drive around Hagerman and Thousand Springs Resort, taking pictures. After that we went to my parents’ house for dinner.”

  “So he spent the night?” Gracie asked.

  Ryan blushed and Gracie squealed, doing a little dance in her seat. “I am so awesome! I am the queen of the cupids!”

  Gemma rolled her eyes. “What did you do?”

  Gracie gave her an incredulous look. “I took her shopping! I helped her set the bait.”

  Ryan couldn’t stop smiling. “He actually said he’s been into me for a long time but didn’t think I was into him.”

  Gracie scoffed. “That’s ridiculous. I’ve watched you two in here for months. You gave him big sappy ‘I love you’ eyes.”

  Ryan’s face flamed up in embarrassment. “I did?”

  Gracie grinned. “Yep. It’s how I figured out all the death eyes you sent me were because I’d gone out with Gregg.”

  Ryan’s face burned brighter. “I did not send you death eyes!”

  Gemma laughed. “You two are amusing and all but I’ve got to get going.”

  Gracie stood up to give her a hug. “Are you going to do the auction with me? It’s for a good cause.”

  Ryan stood up too. “What’s the cause?”

  “It’s going toward the extracurricular budget for Rock Canyon Elementary,” Gemma said. “The fourth graders want to go to Craters of the Moon for their end-of-the-year trip, but they’re short three hundred bucks, and it’s too cold to do a car wash. My son, Charlie, is really excited about it, but Gracie, I do not want to stand up there and let a bunch of men bid on me like I’m a slab of meat.” Gemma’s expression was grim as she made her point.

  “You’re just afraid Marcus Boatman will bid on you and you’ll have to spend the evening with him. Don’t worry; I have it on highest authority that Michael can top anything Marcus bids.” Gracie’s face was innocently blank, and Ryan covered her mouth to hide her grin when Gemma’s eyes narrowed.

  “Do not even think about getting all cupidy on me, Gracie. I still have those pictures of you from sophomore year. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you, Michael and I are just friends.”

  Gracie gasped in outrage. “Maybe you should tell that to him, then! And you said you’d burn those!”

  Gemma gave her an evil grin. “I lied. I knew that there would be times only blackmail would curb your outrageous behavior. And I have told him. I’ve told you, I’ve told him, I’ve told Charlie. I am not interested in Michael that way.”

  Ryan laughed, and both women gave her sheepish looks. Gemma hugged Ryan, whispering in her ear, “Don’t let her bully you. Just tell her to mind her own business.”

  Ryan whispered back, “I’m sorry, but have you met her?”

  Gemma was still laughing as she walked out the door.

  Once she was out of sight, Gracie turned to look at Ryan expectantly and said, “Okay, she’s gone. Now give me the dirty details!”

  GREGG COULDN’T WAIT to see Ryan. He’d been out with Sally Barrett again all day taking pictures of the rest of her real estate properties and was sick of driving around. Now that he knew she wanted him as much as he wanted her, it was like his whole body itched with anticipation whenever he thought about her and all he wanted was to get her back to his place and keep her close. It didn’t even have to be about sex, although being with Ryan was beyond anything he’d ever experienced. Just holding her close to him, stroking his hands down her sides as he listened to her talk about her childhood, left him with a joyous contentment.

  He climbed out of his Tahoe and walked up to the front of the studio. He saw Ryan standing inside by her desk, talking animatedly to a tall guy with short dark hair. He couldn’t see the guy’s face but saw Ryan’s big eyes twinkling, her body showcased in a long purple sweater dress with black leggings and boots. He could see the confidence vibrating from her, and wished she wouldn’t stand so close to the guy. Jealousy was a relatively new experience for him, but his whole gut burned with it as he opened the door and marched inside.

  Her eyes strayed behind the guy’s shoulder and her whole face brightened like a hundred watt light bulb, making him feel better. “Gregg! This is Chase Trepasso! He moved here from Elko a few weeks ago and is renting the store next to us. He just bought the Sandersons’ place.”

  Chase turned to him with cool gray eyes, and Gregg recognized him as the guy with the earrings who had been hitting on Ryan at Buck’s on Friday. Gregg resisted the urge to plant his fist in his pretty face.

  Chase held his hand out. “Good to meet you, Gregg.”

  Gregg took his hand reluctantly. “Yeah, likewise. Why’d you move to Rock Canyon?”

  He shrugged. “Seemed like as good a place as any. I like small towns and the scenery is nice to look at.”

  Gregg noticed that Chase looked toward Ryan when he said the last, and he stiffened. “Yeah, the area is beautiful, but there are still dangers,” he said. “You should probably ask around to see which areas to steer clear of.”

  Chase gave him an assessing look. “I’ll be sure to do that before venturing out. I’m actually here to see about hiring Ryan to take some pictures for me.”

  Ryan gave Gregg a wide smile. “Chase is a tattoo artist. He wants us to take some artistic pictures of his work to hang in his shop.”

  Gregg nodded. “Sure, we can do that. You have some models already?”

  Chase shook his head. “
Right now I just have a few, but I’m sure to have more in a couple of weeks. I just wanted to get an estimate and take a look at your work.”

  “Chase was very impressed with my outdoor shots and was thinking about going for a sexy feel to it.” Ryan looked so twinkly and bright, Gregg felt his irritation mounting, and held back a sarcastic, I’ll bet.

  He nodded his head instead, and replied, “That would definitely bring people in. Aren’t you worried you won’t get a lot of business out here? We’re kind of small town conservative.”

  Chase shrugged. “Not really. I’m far away enough from any other tattoo parlor and my work is excellent. I also illustrate and write comic books in my spare time, so I figure I’ll be okay.”

  Gregg didn’t like the interested light in Ryan’s eyes as she said, “Oh really? I love comic books! What have you done? I’d love to read them.”

  “I’ll bring you over a copy of my first comic, Destructo Boy. It’s a little rough but they get better.”

  Gregg took a step closer to Ryan and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She shot a surprised look up at him, but Gregg just ignored her as he said, “Well I’m sure you’ve got lots of unpacking to do. Just give us a call when you’re ready to shoot those photos. You can’t do better than Ryan for a photographer. She’s got a keen eye for detail.”

  Chase’s gaze flicked back and forth between them. “Well that’s good to know. It was nice to meet you, Gregg. I’ll call you a little later to set something up, Ryan.”

  Ryan smiled at Chase brightly, her best customer expression on. “It was nice to see you again, Chase.”

  RYAN LOOKED UP at Gregg from under his arm and said clearly and sarcastically, “Well that was better than you peeing on me, I guess.”

  He dropped his arm from her shoulders. “What are you talking about?”

  She let out a bark of mocking laughter. “The arm thing and you glaring at Chase all puffed up like an angry bear.”

  He scowled at her. “I wasn’t glaring at him.”

  She shook her head as she walked away from him, not knowing whether she should be amused or furious. “Um, yeah you were, but I think he just shrugged it off.”