Authors: Kori Roberts
Rylee had just introduced Jacob and Nick when Drew’s hand landed on her arm.
“Rylee, you got a moment?” Here it comes. Rylee stepped off to the side to speak to Drew.
“Listen,” she started before he had a chance to say anything, “I already know what you’re going to say, but this is no big deal.” She ignored the fact that it felt like a very big deal. “We’re just having a drink and talking, so there’s nothing for you to worry about.”
Drew sighed and tucked a wayward lock of hair behind her ear. “I can’t help but worry about you, sweetie. You have a tendency to go from zero to love in less than sixty seconds.
And after this whole thing with Ethan, I just don’t want you to get hurt again.” He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a tight hug.
“Now, go on and enjoy your boy toy. Just do me a favor and be careful, okay?”
“Don’t worry. I will,” she promised.
Nick watched Rylee walk away to talk to Drew, and his gaze soaked in the shapely lines of her body. She was slender, but she definitely didn’t lack any curves. The fitted blouse she wore outlined her slim back and narrow waist, and the tight, straight skirt clung nicely to her rounded hips and ass. In heels, she was only a couple of inches shorter than his six-one frame, and he guessed she was probably around five feet eight in her bare feet.
Just when he’d finally managed to beat his cock into submission, she headed back in his direction. Her hips swayed back and forth, and her blouse was unbuttoned just far enough to reveal a hint of cleavage covered in black lace. When she looked at him, her mouth curved into a sexy smile, and he was suddenly as hard as stone again.
And from the looks she was getting from way too many other men in the room, he suspected he wasn’t the only one feeling the effects of Rylee.
“Alone at last,” he murmured near Rylee’s ear as she slid past him to get to her seat.
“It appears so.” She looked up at him. “So, what are you doing for the rest of your birthday?”
You, if I’m lucky. He decided to keep that thought to himself. As much as he wanted it to happen, Nick wasn’t going to push his luck. The fact that Rylee was still sitting there with
him, instead of leaving once her friends had gone, was a miracle in and of itself, and he refused to mess things up now that he had her all alone.
“I was just going to hang out and enjoy the city for the rest of the weekend. My brother and I are going to a White Sox game on Sunday before we head back to Wisconsin.
Otherwise, I don’t have any specific plans.” Nick gave her a meaningful look. “Although, I’m hoping that might change.”
“Well, I’d love to give you a tour of the city, but I’m on call this weekend, so I need to stay close to home in case I have to work.” Rylee looked apologetic, her words filled with regret.
“I understand. I know how it is to work on weekends.” Nick tried not to sound as disappointed as he felt. “So, what kind of work do you do?”
A slow smile spread across Rylee’s face. “I work for a hotel.”
“Really?” Nick began to laugh, suddenly understanding her glowing endorsement of the hotel earlier. “It wouldn’t happen to be this hotel, would it?”
“Maybe.” Her laughter joined his. “What about you? What is it that you do up in Wisconsin?”
Nick paused as the bartender placed a fresh bowl of bar nuts in front of them. He was grateful for the interruption, because it gave him a chance to think about his response.
He loved his work. It was something he’d been doing since he was a kid. He really didn’t know how to do anything else, had never wanted to do anything else. Thankfully, he was damn good at it, and the money he made was decent.
Despite all of that, Nick knew Rylee was probably used to dating men much older than him, with pockets much deeper than his. And he couldn’t help but wonder what she would think about how he earned his living. Nick wasn’t exactly sure what Rylee did at the hotel, but he suspected it was something important. And the last thing he wanted was for her to think that he was just another kid who didn’t have his shit together, with no real job or focus in life.
Rylee still looked at him questioningly, and Nick realized that he hadn’t answered her question.
“I work with dogs.” In spite of his reservations about what she would think, Nick couldn’t stop the grin that stretched his face. He loved working with the animals. “My brother and I have a training facility up there, and we breed and train dogs.”
“Oh, yeah?” Rylee smiled, her expression filled with genuine interest. “Somehow, when I think of Wisconsin, I don’t picture dog breeding.”
“Most people don’t.” He laughed. “But, trust me; the only four-legged animals you’ll see on our land are of the canine variety.”
“Wow, I guess you would have to really like dogs to have a job like that.”
“Oh,” Nick clutched his chest, “please don’t wound me by telling me that the most beautiful woman in the room is a cat lover.” His theatrical display had the desired effect as Rylee began to laugh.
“Hey, I’m an equal opportunity lover of cats and dogs. I’ve just never spent a lot of time around either.” She shrugged. “My father was a musician. We traveled a lot and moved even more when I was a kid. It’s hard to have pets when you’re on the road all the time.”
“So, did you ever travel to Wisconsin?” Nick asked.
Rylee seemed to think about it for a moment. “You know, I think Wisconsin is one of the few states that I’ve never visited.” She chuckled in embarrassment. “And it’s one of the closest.”
“Well, I think we should fix that,” Nick told her. “You’re more than welcome to visit me in Wisconsin anytime. I’m sure my dogs would love you.” “Thanks…I’ll keep that in mind.” God, he wanted to kiss her so badly. Wanted to hold, and touch, and… At some point, Nick realized that he’d begun to lean closer and closer to Rylee, their mouths separated by less than an inch of space. All he had to do was pucker, and they’d be kissing.
“So, when is your brother getting here?” Rylee’s warm, sweet breath feathered across his face.
“Good question.” Nick reluctantly pulled his gaze away from her and looked down at his watch. He was shocked to see how much time had passed. It had been two hours since he’d met Rylee, and nearly three hours since he’d last spoken to Noah, so he figured his brother would be arriving soon. Regardless, he wasn’t going to worry about it at the moment.
“I’m sure he’ll be here soon,” Nick told her. “Besides, I’m enjoying my birthday just fine right here.”
Before Rylee could respond, a hand landed on Nick’s shoulder. “Here you are. Sorry it took me so long to get here.” He turned around and looked into familiar hazel eyes.
“Hey, you made it. We were just talking about you.” Nick saw Noah zoom in on Rylee, watched his eyes go wide in shock. Yeah, he knew the feeling. He made the introductions.
“Hi, Rylee.” Noah reached past him to shake Rylee’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Same here, Noah.” She smiled warmly, shaking his hand.
“Do you mind if I steal Nick away for a minute?” Noah asked her.
“Not at all.” She smiled.
Nick looked at Rylee. “Sorry. I’ll be right back, okay?” When she nodded, he walked away to speak to his brother.
“She’s beautiful,” Noah said approvingly, his gaze wandering back to where Rylee sat.
He gave Nick a knowing smile. “So, I guess this means I’m going solo tonight.”
Nick’s gaze followed Noah’s back to the bar. “If I’m lucky, you will.” “That’s cool,” Noah said. “I saw a club down the street on my way here that I think I’ll go and check out.”
“Well, enjoy yourself, because I plan to.” Nick walked back to the bar, and Noah followed behind him. When he got there, Rylee was gone. “What the hell…” Nick looked around the crowded room, but couldn’t see that red head anywhere. “Hey” — he tried to catch the bartender’s attention — “The lady sitting here? Where did she go?”
“You mean Rylee? She left, man,” he said distractedly, as he continued to make drinks.
Nick stood there in shock, trying to figure out what went wrong. He would have sworn that Rylee was into him as much as he was into her, and he couldn’t believe that she would just leave without saying good-bye.
“Damn, Nick. Sorry about that,” Noah said. “Hey, don’t sweat it. You can come to the club with me.”
Nick sighed as disappointment weighed heavily on him. “Nah, it’s cool. You go enjoy yourself. I’m gonna hang out here for a little while.”
“Then I’m staying, too.” Noah’s voice was adamant. “This is your birthday, Nick. If anybody’s supposed to have fun this weekend, it’s you.”
“Don’t worry about me.” Nick found a smile for him. “I’ll be fine. Go have some fun.”
Noah still stood there, the look on his face letting Nick know he was unconvinced. “It’s cool…really,” Nick finally said.
Noah sighed and nodded reluctantly. He gave Nick a brief hug. “Happy Birthday, bro.
If you change your mind, call me, and I’ll let you know where to find me,” he said, before he headed off.
Nick waited until Noah left before he blew out an agitated breath. He couldn’t help feeling seriously played as he tried to figure out how in the hell he’d managed to misread Rylee’s signals so badly. Finally, he just shook his head. Who the fuck was he kidding, anyway? He never really stood a chance with a woman like Rylee anyway. He should just be happy that she even bothered to kill a couple hours of her time with him to begin with.
“Hey, is your name Nick?” He turned at the sound of the bartender’s voice.
“What?”
“You…are you Nick?” he said again. At Nick’s nod, he pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket.
“I almost forgot. Rylee left this for you.” Nick reached across the bar and grabbed the paper. The message inside was short and simple: Room , minutes.
“Oh, hell yeah!” His face split into a huge grin. “Happy Birthday to me!”
He’s not coming. Rylee paced around the room and cast glances at the clock on the wall. She’d left Nick in the restaurant downstairs almost a half hour ago, and she hadn’t heard from him since then.
She threw herself on the couch. This was such a stupid ass idea. What in the hell was she thinking to try and pick up some guy in the hotel where she worked? She was the hotel manager, for God’s sake! She knew better than to mix business with pleasure; knew hotel guests were off limits. In fact, she talked to the staff about that exact thing all the time. And look at her, practically handing out pussy at the bar — and to a kid of all people!
Rylee groaned and rolled onto her stomach, her eyes tightly closed, her face buried in the cushions. She let the silence of the empty room soothe her as she wondered for the thousandth time how a supposedly intelligent woman could be so successful in her professional life, but completely incompetent when it came to her personal relationships.
She was embarrassed to admit that ending her engagement with Ethan a month ago was probably the smartest decision she’d made in her personal life in nearly a decade. And now that she was single once again, Rylee knew that she needed to spend some time focusing on herself and figuring out exactly what she wanted in her life, instead of considering a relationship with someone else so soon. Especially someone like Nick.
Hell, she barely understood men her own age, the last thing she needed was to start something with a man nearly half her age. No matter how good he looked, or how much he turned her on, or how wet she got at just the thought of him.
It was just that Nick had seemed so different, so sincere, so… “Jesus,” she muttered out loud, feeling completely disgusted with herself. “I am so pathetic.”
She needed to have her fucking head examined, carrying on about some guy, who was probably sitting back right now, laughing with his equally as fine brother, about how he had this older woman thinking that he was actually interested in her.
It was said there was no fool like an old fool, and she was certainly proving that theory correct. Apparently, when it came to sex, men weren’t the only ones who allowed their genitals to dictate their common sense.
Rylee jumped off the couch. She needed to get out of here. Go for a walk. Take a drive.
Buy new batteries for her vibrator. Anything to help distract her from the overwhelming embarrassment, disappointment, and need she felt at the moment.
She grabbed her purse, snatched the door open…and came face-to-face with the person she was trying to forget.
*
Nick’s hand froze in midair when the door he was about to knock on suddenly swung open. Rylee stood there, her expression a mixture of surprise, irritation, and excitement.
She’d changed her clothes and now wore a pair of jeans that molded to her long, toned legs, and a fitted T-shirt that showed just a peek of her smooth, flat belly.
They stared at each other for what felt like forever. “You’re late,” she finally said. “I’m sorry,” he started. “I didn’t know —”
“Shut up,” she interrupted, grabbing him by the shirt and pulling him into her room.
The door had barely closed before she was all over him, her mouth finding his, her tongue teasing, probing, seeking entry; her taste hot and sweet exploding on his tongue.
He groaned deeply, leaning against the door for support. One hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her tightly against him; the other held onto that glorious red hair, tilting her head just enough to deepen the kiss. His tongue slid into her mouth, tangled with hers, took the kiss from wanting and needy to urgent and demanding in the span of a heartbeat.
Rylee made sweet whimpering sounds that sent chills through him. “Fuck. Rylee…” He shuddered. His hands moved down her spine and slid into the back of her jeans to cup that fine ass. He kneaded the rounded globes before he lifted her off the floor to grind his thick, hard shaft against her pussy.
“Nick!” Rylee cried out, “God…please.” Her long legs locked around his waist, and she gyrated against him.
Nick’s mind tried to convince him to take this slow, to savor the moment. But his body wasn’t having any of it. His cock was heavy and aching, ready to explode at any second with need. Rylee’s soft, warm body wrapped around him like a blanket; her full, luscious lips kissed a path up his neck. Her teeth nibbled along his jaw until she reached his ear, and her tongue darted inside before she sucked the lobe into her mouth.