All he needed was a second chance.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Sierra checked the time on her cell phone. She and Tyler had agreed they would stay an hour and then go home. It would be just long enough to shake some hands and be seen. They were both anxious to get home and check on Billie, who had hopefully followed the doctor’s instructions.
One hour. One drink.
She’d mingled and smiled, congratulating winners and consoling the losers. This was a competitive town and even when an actor didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell in winning there was always that small hope that they might pull it out. Luckily there was enough food and free booze to soothe a million bruised egos.
The party was in full swing, with music, dancing, and loud laughter. Tyler had been cornered by the entertainment reporter they’d managed to duck earlier. Not wanting the same for herself, Sierra slipped out of the side entrance to the little terrace area where the caterer had set up a staging area. She received a few strange looks from the waiters and waitresses but no one told her she couldn’t be out there.
Leaning against the wrought iron fence, she sipped at her martini and relaxed. It was a lovely night, the breeze warm. It looked like she wasn’t going to run into Ryan tonight, which was probably a blessing. It had been hard enough to see him up on stage. He looked so handsome and sexy in his tuxedo, although she would forever prefer him in jeans and a sweatshirt. If he’d walked out dressed like that she might have run up on stage and tackled him. Thank goodness for Armani.
“Sierra.”
Sucking in an audible breath, she froze, recognizing that voice easily. A deep, smooth baritone that she’d heard in her dreams over and over until she thought she’d go mad. Her fingers tightened on the martini glass and she had to force herself to turn around slowly, show no emotion. He didn’t need to know how deeply this meeting affected her. He was probably just being polite and saying hello. He’d said they would be friends, right?
“Ryan.” She was shocked her lips could form words. “Nice job tonight. I’m sorry you weren’t nominated, too.”
He walked closer and she caught a whiff of his body wash, spicy and citrus. There was also a hint of whiskey, too. “Thank you. I can’t be nominated every year. That’s unrealistic.”
He rested his elbow on the fence, his body inches from her own. Too close. Far too close. From this distance she could reach out and touch him. That would be a mistake. With a shaking hand, she placed her glass on the table next to her.
“I didn’t expect to see you tonight. Where’s your sister?”
I can do this. I can act like it’s all fine.
“She sprained her ankle during a training session. Tyler didn’t want to come alone.”
“Her misfortune is my good luck.”
Huh? Sierra shook her head in confusion. She didn’t understand.
“I beg your pardon?”
He smiled then and reached out, placing his hand on top of hers. His flesh was warm and it stole the breath from her lungs, leaving her standing there baffled and about to faint from lack of oxygen.
“I said that I’m sorry she’s hurt but I’m glad you came.”
“Oh.”
Sierra didn’t know what to say to that. Her head hurt trying to make heads or tails out of Ryan’s words. Frankly, if she didn’t get away soon she was going to do something embarrassing like throw her body against his.
“I should go find Ty–”
His fingers tightened on hers and his smile fell. “Please don’t. I need to talk to you.”
She hesitated, wanting badly to flee but there had been something in his tone that made her stay.
“Please,” he said again, his gaze searching her face for… What? She didn’t know, but she was still having trouble breathing and her pulse had sped up far too fast. If she wasn’t careful she’d faint. “Five minutes. After that, if you want to leave I won’t try to stop you.”
“Okay. What–What did you want to talk about?”
Her stomach tumbled in her abdomen. There was fear there but there was also the tiniest bit of hope. She was a fool to nurture it. He was only going to smash it into a thousand pieces, but she couldn’t seem to extinguish the small flame inside of her that wished he felt the same way as she did.
“Us. I want to talk about us.”
“There is no us,” she replied quickly. “We made an agreement.”
Baring his teeth, Ryan growled so loudly she jumped, along with a few of the waiters milling in the background. Heads whipped around and he cleared his throat, clearly embarrassed that he’d called attention to them. He dipped his head low so that only she could hear what he had to say.
“Fuck that agreement,” he said through gritted teeth. “I fucking hate that agreement. I’ve been regretting it and I wish we’d never made it.”
The twisting in her gut had turned into a thousand butterfly wings. She was glad she was holding onto the fence because her knees had turned into jelly.
Hold your horses, missy. Find out what he wants. Is it just a booty call?
“Really? Why?’
She congratulated herself on sounding so casual when in reality she was about to jump out of her skin.
He removed his hand from hers and scraped his fingers through his hair, clipped much shorter than the last time she’d seen him.
“I just kept telling myself that it wouldn’t work. That my career would get in the way and you’d lose patience with me. I told Tyler that and he seemed to get it.”
“Tyler? You spoke to Tyler about me?”
Her sneaky brother-in-law had never said a word. Billie had to know as well.
Heads will roll.
“Right after he decked me. He said that you were missing me. Believe me, honey, that hit me right in the gut. I’d been missing you too, but I didn’t think I could make a relationship work over the long haul. I thought I’d fail.”
“I’m sorry he hit you. I just found out about that tonight.” Something Billie had said to her a few months ago stuck in Sierra’s mind. If she wanted something, she had to have the courage to go after it. Ryan had taken the first step tonight. She’d sworn that if he did, she’d take the second. “You say you’ve missed me but you thought you’d fail. How do you feel now?”
Holding her breath, she waited for his reply. It was all down to his next sentence. No pressure here.
“I want to take a chance with you, Sierra. If you’ll take a chance on me.” He held up his hands when she would have answered. “Listen to me. I’m stubborn and I get lost in my work. I’m ambitious and I’d be lying if I said that I’m not a workaholic. I’m a slob and I have no fucking clue what to do in an ice storm but…”
“But?” she prompted, tears burning the backs of her eyes. She had to blink to keep them from ruining her eye makeup.
“But damn, I’ve fallen in love with you. And if you just give me another chance, I want to prove that to you. I actually have the next two months off and I want to spend every minute with you if I can. Let’s see if this relationship has legs. My life isn’t the same without you.”
All the things Sierra had fantasized about him saying and here he was…saying them. It was almost too good to be true. There was just one thing still bothering her.
“But you sent me away early…”
He shook his head, his hands sliding up her arms and resting on her bare shoulders, sending tingles down her spine.
“I changed the schedule because of the movie, not because of you. You have no idea how hard it was to watch you leave that day.”
“I have an idea,” she murmured, a warmth filling her heart. “You want a second chance? To try? What happens at the end of two months? Do we go our separate ways again?”
She couldn’t do that. She knew herself too well now. Casual wasn’t her style.
“Absolutely not.” There was no equivocation in his tone. “We figure it out. Maybe make a movie together. I won’t take every job that comes along. I
’ll travel with you now and then and hopefully you can travel with me. We’ll work on that list of yours and mine, too. I want to make compromises for you, Sierra.”
That was more powerful than any declaration of love because he’d never made compromises for anyone before.
“I want to make compromises for you, too. I love you, Ryan, and I don’t say that lightly.”
She hadn’t intended to fall in love her first time out of the gate after her divorce but she wasn’t sorry in the least. Ryan Ward was a good man. One of the best. Her judgment hadn’t let her down.
This time she did throw herself into his arms just as she’d imagined. Their kiss started slow and gentle before turning into something sizzling hot and filled with promise. They had a future. It wasn’t going to be easy but they were both determined to make it work. No one knew better than Sierra that happily ever after was only stories. This was real life. But what a life she had to look forward to. Traveling, work, loving this man. It would be worth it.
So caught up in each other, they didn’t see Tyler slip into the terrace to tell Sierra it was time to go home. They didn’t see his grin of delight or watch him immediately text Billie, who told him to leave the two lovebirds alone.
They’d find their way home together.
I hope you enjoyed Ryan and Sierra’s happily ever after! Be on the look out for a brand new series from Olivia Jaymes – Man Trap. The first book Tempt Him will be out in September 2018. Thank you for reading And the Winner is!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Olivia Jaymes is a wife, mother, lover of sexy romance, and caffeine addict. She lives with her husband and son in central Florida and spends her days with handsome alpha males and spunky heroines.
She is currently working on a new contemporary romance series – Man Trap in addition to the ongoing Danger Incorporated series and the Cowboy Justice Association series.
Visit Olivia Jaymes at
www.OliviaJaymes.com
Other Titles by Olivia Jaymes
Danger Incorporated
Damsel In Danger
Hiding From Danger
Discarded Heart Novella (US Kindle Only)
Indecent Danger
Embracing Danger
Danger In The Night
Reunited With Danger
Window to Danger
Road to Danger
Cowboy Justice Association
Cowboy Command
Justice Healed
Cowboy Truth
Cowboy Famous
Cowboy Cool
Imperfect Justice
The Deputies
Justice Inked
Justice Reborn
Vengeful Justice
Justice Divided
Military Moguls
Champagne and Bullets
Diamonds and Revolvers
Caviar and Covert Ops
Emeralds, Rubies, and Camouflage
Midnight Blue Beach
Wicked After Midnight
Midnight Of No Return
Kiss Midnight Goodbye
The Hollywood Showmance Chronicles
A Kiss For the Cameras
Swinging From A Star
Wild on the Red Carpet
Love in the Spotlight
And the Winner Is Page 13
