With a sigh, Ryan rolled the cold water bottle across his face, feeling the sweat run down his back. He didn’t want to discuss his love life with his brother in this state. Come to think of it, he didn’t want to discuss what he did with Jordan with anyone. It felt too personal.
For the first time in his life, he didn’t want to brag about the fantastic sex he had with this fantastic woman, a woman who occupied his thoughts far too much anyway, whether he was sitting at his desk or waiting in line at the grocery store checkout.
But he answered his brother’s question anyway. “What do you think is going on? We sleep together.”
“Why, thank you, I didn’t gather that.” Heath’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “The only thing that surprises me is the fact that you seem to be sleeping with her a lot. That’s so unlike you.”
“Are you keeping tabs on my sexual encounters?” Ryan was torn between nervousness and anger. He stared at the label on his water bottle and began to pick at it nervously. “Do you and Hayden not have sex anymore? Why are you suddenly so obsessed with your little brother’s sex life?”
Heath was too good-natured to take the bait, but he poked Ryan in the ribs. “Come on, it’s my job as your older brother to be concerned—”
Ryan interrupted him with a snort. “Wait just a minute! Nobody needs to be concerned about me. I’m a damn happy man.”
“You’re a man of twenty-nine who shuns relationships like the devil shuns the cross. Seriously, Ryan, where did you get that attitude? Mom and Dad had a wonderful marriage. They were a shining example of people staying together and being happy in each other’s company.”
Since his brother seemed to be in the mood for serious conversation, all Ryan could do was be honest. “You fell in love with Hayden when you were a kid, Heath,” he explain tiredly, “so you don’t even know what life as a single man is like. All I can say is that the world is filled with exhausting and demanding females, and they’re all just waiting for some poor, crazy sod to put a ring on their finger.”
Heath’s eyebrows rose slowly. “And that means …?”
“That means I’m not in a hurry to change my life. I want to make sure I don’t end up falling for some bitchy flight attendant who chains me to my bed and throws the key out the window when she gets angry. You should be grateful you have Hayden.”
Heath laughed. “Well, I am grateful. But what about Jordan?”
Apart from the fact that he didn’t just enjoy sleeping with her but had also begun to appreciate her easygoing attitude, Ryan sometimes wondered if it wouldn’t be better to maintain a little more distance. Women were quick to draw the wrong conclusions from a man coming by their place three times in a row and staying overnight.
But Jordan was different from all the other women he’d met in his twenty-nine years. She wasn’t clingy, never called him, didn’t criticize and nag him when she didn’t like something he did, and wasn’t possessive at all. Sometimes, but only sometimes, he felt slightly piqued that she went right back to business after an amazing night, showing no inclination to be a little more sensitive, affectionate, or devoted to him.
He didn’t want his brother to know he was beginning to be concerned by the freedom-loving, self-sufficient ways of the woman he was sleeping with, so he tried to sound very casual. “Jordan and I get along great. We have a good time together and don’t expect anything else. It’s a perfect arrangement.”
“Are you also sleeping with other women?”
Ryan nearly laughed at that, but instead he merely asked dryly, “Are you kidding me? Do I look like a super potent stallion?”
“Are you trying to tell me in your wonderfully reserved fashion that the two of you have a lot of sex?”
“Jesus, Heath,” Ryan whined. “I don’t want to talk to you about it!”
“Since when are you so sensitive?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “She works with you. I think you should respect our privacy, you know.”
Ryan didn’t understand what was so hilarious about that, but Heath burst into guffawing laughter. Ryan wanted to put an end to this strange conversation, so he didn’t ask what was so funny.
“It’s good you’re a cop!” Heath said through his laughter.
“And what is that supposed to mean?”
His brother raised both hands in defense and shook his head. “That’s for you to find out, Sherlock.”
***
The first thing Ryan noticed on this bright Sunday afternoon was the fact that Jordan looked really hot in the fire department’s red softball uniform. The second thing he noticed was the fact that she’d showed up in the company of a blond man who seemed an intimate acquaintance: He put an arm around her shoulder, pressed a kiss to her cheek, and then went to sit in the bleachers, where families of the fire and police departments sat, ready to cheer for their respective team. Ryan saw the man sit down right behind Hayden, who had come with her two daughters to cheer for Heath, and then his sister-in-law greeted the stranger enthusiastically, practically beaming. He saw red, even though his own uniform was blue.
As he observed the handsome man, he felt an emotion churn in his gut that he hadn’t known until know, but could easily identify as jealousy.
He scowled darkly and ignored the encouraging cries of his family, who could never decide who to root for in the annual softball game between his department and Heath’s station.
He couldn’t care less about that, however, as his thoughts were fixed on the question of what had gotten into Jordan to make her invite another man to the game in which she would be playing against Ryan. Granted, they had never talked about being exclusive, but considering they’d slept together just two days ago, he thought it was really bad taste to show up here with another man!
She had to know he wouldn’t like it if she paraded her other options so blatantly in front of his face!
Or is that her tactic? he wondered in mounting confusion. He tied his shoes, glancing up into the bleachers surreptitiously, keeping an eye on the guy who was chatting and laughing with Hayden. The guy took a beer from someone and nodded.
Maybe Jordan was trying to distract Ryan so he would lose his focus and play badly. He wouldn’t put it past her to use such a tactic, and he knew the fire station would do almost anything to beat the police department for once.
Ryan was so engrossed in figuring out what the stranger’s presence meant, he almost missed his team captain’s call. He hurried to join the rest of his team in forming a circle around their captain, but he only listened half-heartedly to the pep talk, keeping up his spying on the man in the bleachers, who seemed to be having a great time. Ryan wracked his brain for a place where he might have seen the guy before.
When his team ran out onto the field, Ryan trailed behind—he just couldn’t stop wondering where he’d seen Jordan’s friend before. It was Jordan herself who managed to snap Ryan out of his dark thoughts, when she slapped him on the ass and stuck out her tongue as she passed him. Meanwhile, the stranger cheered loudly as Jordan went trotting toward the plate.
Ryan had never been as confused as he was now, he thought with an irritated shake of his head, stepping toward home plate.
“Fitzpatrick, wake up!” his captain yelled. A round of laughter answered, because Ryan wasn’t the only Fitzpatrick on the diamond today. The rest of the family in the bleachers started hollering and cheering when they heard their name, too.
Embarrassed, Ryan looked up. The rest of his team was spread across the field like they were supposed to be. It wasn’t their turn to bat. Ryan kept his head down as he hastened to take his position in the outfield, the guys from the fire station preparing to bat.
Although only a few days ago he’d been bragging to anyone willing to listen that the cops would beat the firefighters again this year, Ryan had to concede after only a few minutes that they were playing really badly—and that was probably due to his distractedness. He always noticed the ball too late, and it flew past him again and again.<
br />
But what was he supposed to do?
It wasn’t just the blond guy in the bleachers. Jordan and her dazzling appearance were enough to make him all but forget his name. Seeing her in those tight pants—which highlighted the delicious derrière they were trying to cover—made him sure he’d stumble over his own lolling tongue before the game was over. Whenever he looked into her pretty face glowing with excitement, he felt his guts churn with desire.
He was so hypnotized by the woman he’d seen naked countless times and yet couldn’t seem to get enough of that he didn’t even hear the yells and curses of his teammates. He knew they would give him hell at work, but Ryan didn’t care. He’d be the scapegoat, as long as he could continue to stare at Jordan’s wiggling ass.
When it was his turn to bat, and the pitcher was none other than Jordan, he knew he was doomed.
Her curves under that tight-fitting uniform made him so nervous he was afraid he’d embarrass himself in front of both teams and all the spectators, including his own mom. Confused and unable to keep still, he weighed the bat in his hand. Should he should miss the ball on purpose, for Jordan’s sake?
Ryan knew how much it meant to her to be accepted by the guys at the station. He didn’t care if his colleagues picked on him for losing the game, but he felt Jordan should have her chance to fully integrate into her squad. The thought of how important it was to her to impress her colleagues, and the fact that she was willing to learn to cook to achieve that, made his stomach feel all warm and strange.
And just when he’d come to the decision that he should let her strike him out, she threw the most masterful curveball he’d ever seen a person throw. He could do nothing but stare as the ball soared over home plate.
“Strike one!”
Stunned, he got into position again, saw her satisfied look, and told himself he shouldn’t make this too easy for her after all.
He was prepared for the second pitch, but his bat hit empty air, and he heard the gleeful laughter of the firemen, who cheered Jordan on in loud voices.
“Strike two!”
“Hey, Fitzpatrick,” Jordan called with a mischievous grin, throwing the ball in the air and catching it in her glove. “Are you gonna survive a third pitch?”
Normally his ambition was boundless and fierce—and that applied to the sports he liked, too—but her beaming face made him realize he really didn’t need to win this year.
Nevertheless, he had to tease her. “I’m holding back on purpose, Esposito, to keep you from crying!”
“Come on, Jordan, destroy him!” his own brother hollered from second base, where he stood punching his own glove.
The other firefighters chimed in. “Yeah, Jordan! Show little Fitzpatrick who’s boss!”
“Watch out, Fitzpatrick, or you’ll be the one crying!”
“He’s got balls and a big mouth now, but when he’s chained to his bed and needs someone to free him, he’s polite as a garden gnome!”
Inside, Ryan felt like grinning, but outside, he didn’t let on. “Come on, throw already,” he prodded Jordan. “Or are you gonna put down roots on that mound?”
Even if he had intended to hit the third pitch, he’d probably have failed, he realized, as she pitched a monster toward home plate.
“Strike three! He’s out!”
Ryan hid his triumphant mood behind a grumpy expression, so his colleagues wouldn’t kill him for letting her strike him out.
For the rest of the game, Ryan did everything he could to play like an absolute beginner, while Jordan put up a good fight. He briefly wondered how she would react if she knew he was giving it his worst for her sake. It would probably offend her, and maybe she wouldn’t speak to him for a while. It was plain to see she was extremely ambitious, too, and certainly didn’t want charity.
As Ryan sat on the bench in the last inning, waiting for his turn to bat, he glanced up at Jordan’s companion again.
Now the guy was sitting next to Ryan’s mom, hot dog in hand, chatting with her like an old friend. Ryan ground his teeth. Wasn’t it enough the dude had come with Jordan and was driving Ryan insane with his presence? Now he was sucking up to his mother!
Ryan angrily exhaled through his nose, imagining how he could beat up the guy, and then he realized where he’d seen him before. The jerk was a policeman, too! He must have been in the academy one or two years behind Ryan, because he remembered now that he’d seen him in the hallway a few times.
The fact that Jordan had brought another policeman to the game rubbed Ryan the wrong way. Her ex had been a cop, Ryan was a cop, and this new guy was a cop, too.
There was a pattern, and it irritated Ryan.
Some women were turned on by cops, and they weren’t choosy about which ones they went to bed with. They did it any chance they got. Ryan hadn’t pegged Jordan as someone who would stalk her preferred prey in such a blatant manner, but now he wasn’t so sure …
He hadn’t been able to think that through when the game ended and his brother’s department was declared the winner.
Ryan grumpily watched from his spot on the bench as the firemen congratulated each other exuberantly, Jordan somewhere in their midst, celebrating their victory. Ryan wanted to get away, but he stayed where he was and tried not to give in to the disappointment he was feeling. Jordan had only slept with him because she had a thing for cops. That was it.
To think he, of all people, would feel sexually used and exploited by a woman, and that he would feel horrible because of it …
“Hey!” Jordan approached him, beaming. She stood very close to him, so happy and excited that it felt like a stab in his chest. “Good game.”
Ryan didn’t bother to look up. “Mmm.”
She laughed and sat down on the bench, scooting closer until their sides touched. “Don’t be a sore loser,” she whispered cheerfully and hooked her arm through his, leaning her head closer to his. “Come on, Ryan, I know you were letting me win.”
“Mm-hm.”
She nodded and pressed herself even closer. “I think that was very sweet of you, even though it wasn’t necessary.”
“Okay.”
“Hey,” she whispered softly and let out a cute giggle. “Don’t be miffed now. If you want, I can come home with you and make up for it. What do you say?”
He pulled himself free and moved away from her. He ignored both the cheering people around them and her perplexed expression. “And what are you going to tell your friend if you leave with me?” he asked gloomily.
She blinked, not understanding. “My friend?”
“Yes!” Outraged, he pointed at the man who was now chatting with Heath, patting him on the shoulder as if they’d known each other for ever. “Your friend who happens to be a cop!”
“Ryan.” She laughed. “Are you jealous?”
“Of course not!” he protested angrily.
Her laughter was rich and loud, and it jangled his nerves. “Ryan Fitzpatrick is jealous! I think we should mark this on our calendars.”
He threw her a devastating look, so enraged he could hardly think straight. “Another cop, Jordan? You’re getting bored of us, I guess?”
“What are you saying?” she asked with professional calm.
“First your ex, then me, and now this guy who’s sucking up to my family! Won’t he object if you tell him you’re going home with me, to sleep with me, when you came here with him?”
Ryan stood, pulled at his hair, and kicked a pebble, which made him feel like a spiteful toddler.
Jordan, however, remained absolutely calm, seated and looking up at him. “How do you know Logan’s a cop?”
That was all she had to say?
His voice was cutting when he said, “I’ve seen him at the academy. Is that answer sufficient?”
“And you think there’s something going on between me and Logan?” Her voice sounded amused, which Ryan couldn’t understand at all.
“Why else would you bring him here?”
Jordan
spoke very deliberately. “Because he’s my brother, and the only one in my family who shows the least bit of interest in my job.”
“Oh, don’t …” Ryan paused, turned to face her, and felt his jaw drop as he processed what she’d just said. “What?”
Jordan shrugged and made a face. “The guy sucking up to your family, as you said, is my brother. So I can assure you I don’t plan on sleeping with him. But thank you for enlightening me as to what you think of me.”
When she rose, Ryan panicked. “Jordan—”
“Forget it.” Her face was unreadable, but her eyes betrayed hurt. “No need to say anything else.”
“Shit.” He wrung his hands. “Why didn’t you tell me your brother’s a cop?”
“How would I know you think it’s important?” She took a deep breath. “Just for your information, my brother Luke is a cop, too, and my dad as well. So if you see us together, don’t worry, I don’t intend to sleep with them, either.”
His throat felt tight, and he had a strange, sinking feeling. “Crap … can we please forget what I just said?”
He thought it was a good sign that her expression stayed candid, but her next words were sobering. “It wasn’t a good idea to go home with you today anyway. My shift starts early tomorrow. I’d rather go home. Alone.”
“Jordan.” He stepped very close, blocking her way, and exhaled heavily. “I’m an idiot.”
“I’ve noticed that, yes,” she sighed, sounding frustrated.
Ryan ran a hand through his hair. “I haven’t even congratulated you on your victory.”
She stared at him, wrinkled her nose thoughtfully, and then patted his cheek. “You can buy me a Guinness at O’Reary’s next week.”
“Or I could ask you out. On a date,” Ryan suggested, his palms suddenly sweaty. He waited impatiently for her answer.
“A date?”
He nodded and took another deep breath. “Yes, a date. You know: I pick you up at your place, we go see a movie or out to dinner, and then I take you home and give you a good-night kiss at your door, hoping you’ll ask me in for a cup of coffee.”
All Tied Up (The Boston Five Series #4) Page 12
