Getting His Way: Sapphire Falls Book Seven (24 page)

“We do have a lot in common,” she said. He’d mentioned it the other day, and she had to admit he had a point. They were both people who met other people’s needs and got a lot of satisfaction from that.

“Tess?”

“Yeah?”

“I’d really like to have a normal conversation that makes sense, but with you lying there like that, in your running clothes, I’m having a hard time keeping my eyes on safe subjects, not to mention my thoughts.”

Tess looked down. She was stretched out in the grass, in a pair of short running shorts and a fitted top that left her stomach bare. Because it was hot. And wind resistance. She certainly hadn’t thought about them being
sexy.

She was also sweaty with no makeup on and her hair up.

But Bryan was now letting his gaze roam over her, and he definitely seemed to like what he saw.

“Really?” she asked. “This is a turn-on?”

“My two greatest passions together?” he asked. “Oh yeah.”

She sat up the rest of the way. “Your
two
passions?”

“Running,” he said.

Yeah, she knew that one.

“And you.”

That one was a little harder to believe. Especially considering they hadn’t had sex, or even talked about it, since he’d discovered she was a runner.

She’d assumed he’d gone into coach mode, and that had shut off any boyfriend stuff. He’d been all in on the coaching. She’d been okay with that. She saw him for her workouts, her meals and all the festival activities he was helping her with.

The fun run—the obstacle course set up with running in between stations with other fun activities and learning centers—now had a few additional stations, including a hula-hoop stop, a chicken-dance station and an entire section where contestants had to use crutches for part of the course and a wheelchair for another section. They’d put those in to increase awareness about the physical challenges people faced when they need those devices to move.

The whole course was also now handicap accessible, with ramps in place and volunteers willing to help anyone who couldn’t propel themselves. There were two boys they knew of from Sapphire Falls and one from nearby Chance who would need partners to push them and help with activities. Tucker’s boys, Henry, David and Charlie, had volunteered to be their partners.

So Tess and Bryan had been spending a lot of time together, but they’d been busy and focused on other things. Hearing that he was turned on now and having trouble with appropriate thoughts seemed odd.

“Me?” she finally asked. “I’m a
passion
?”

“More so every day.”

“Because I’m running and you know it started because of you and your ego is puffed up about it?” she asked.

He shook his head and then stopped. “Yeah. Okay, my ego is puffed up about it,” he admitted. “But you’ve always done that to me.”

She grimaced.

“No, it’s good. Great even. Do you know what it does for a teenage guy to have someone think he’s amazing? You told me that for so long, I believed it. You gave me this huge head—that I needed to talk to athletes and kick their asses and think I had something to say that mattered. You’re the reason
so
many people can do the great things they do—you helped me push them.”

She opened her mouth but nothing came out. That was all…wow.

“
But
,” he went on. “Seeing you every day, spending all this time with you, has made me want you even more than your sweet smile and gorgeous breasts did before.”

She looked down at her chest. “Gorgeous?”

He groaned. “Girl, you’re killing me.”

Well, that only seemed fair. He’d been trying to kill her with the running for a week now.

She got up slowly, trying for sexy, though the cramp in her hamstring and the resultant grimace and limp probably ruined it. Then there were her neon purple and green shoes with her blue socks.

But this was Bryan. The man who had, amazingly, become even more the object of all of her affection and lusty thoughts over the past few weeks.

“Do you think of that night on my couch?” she asked as she approached where he was sitting.

“Every damned time I see you,” he said, his voice gruff.

“We were sitting on that couch two nights ago when we were going over the list for the pie-eating contest.”

There was also going to be a salad-eating contest because some parents thought that sent a better message to the kids. Not surprisingly, they only had three contestants signed up for the salad. The tavern-eating contest was more popular with eight contestants. The loose-meat sandwiches were a local favorite, and the current record was ten sandwiches in fifteen minutes.

But the pie was definitely the most competitive with fifteen contestants, including the reigning king, Jason Gilmore, the local boy turned doctor extraordinaire who had moved to California to be with the love of his life. Everyone missed him, but Jason and Tara made a point of making it back to Sapphire Falls a few times a year, and Jason had declared he’d never miss a festival.

“We
were
sitting on the couch just the other night,” Bryan acknowledged.

“And you made no move.”

“My hand is getting sore from all the
moving
I’ve been doing,” he told her, his voice dropping lower as she stepped up on the step just below where he sat.

She moved between his knees. Tess felt her pulse quicken. “You’ve been doing
that
and thinking of me?”

Bryan put his hands on her hips and drew her closer. “It’s not like that’s a brand-new thing, Tess.”

She looked at him skeptically. “Come on.”

“I have loved these curves,” he said, running his hands over her hips and around to her butt. “And that sweet smile and that easy blush and those eyes that light up for me, for a very long time.”

Her breath was coming a little faster now. “I thought you were a breast man.”

“Oh, honey, my fantasies about your breasts are
really
naughty.”

Her eyes widened. “Tell me.”

He laughed. “No way. That will start something we can’t finish.”

She leaned in. “Then let’s finish it. You haven’t even talked about sex in a week.”

“Because you’ve been tired and we’ve been busy.”

“So we’re
not
going to have sex? Because I’m leaving?” she asked. She had to tamp down the thought—and urge to say out loud—that she could stay.

No. That was exactly what she’d been afraid would happen if she got involved with him.

And she did feel involved.

They hadn’t slept together, but between festival stuff and the coaching, she felt closer to him than she ever had.

She’d always liked him, knew him better than anyone because she paid attention to him—lots of attention. But now the things she knew and observed were things he shared with her and let her in on.

Turned out that having a real relationship with a guy was even better than stalking him.

Who knew?

“We are going to have sex,” Bryan finally said. “I am going to make love to you all night long. I’m going to give you so much fantasy fulfillment you’ll have to get a much bigger diary.”

Tess swallowed, her body going hot and melty. “When?”

He shook his head in wonder. “Damn, you wanting me like this does amazing things to me.”

“I’ve wanted you for a long time.”

“I didn’t know you really knew what you wanted from me though.”

“Oh, I know what I want. The biggest fantasy involves the shower. Just so you know. And I happen to need a shower right now. Just so you know.”

He let out a quick breath. “Showers are a little tough. My ankle is unpredictable at times, even on dry, even ground.”

She nodded. “I was thinking about that. I’m going to order a tub bench.”

She didn’t care if they were standing or not. She just wanted to see Bryan naked and wet, steam rising around him.

He gave a choked laugh. “Those aren’t really built for that.”

“If we get the heavy-duty one, they hold up to four hundred pounds.”

“You researched this?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“That might hold our weight,” he said. “But they’re not really made for movement.”

She sighed. She liked the idea of
movement
with Bryan. “I’ll be gentle.”

His fingers gripped her butt a little tighter and he pulled her in until he could kiss—and quickly lick—her stomach just above the top of her shorts.

She sucked in a breath.

“I want to spread you out on my bed where I have plenty of room to do
that
, all over your body, all night long,” he told her.

She looked down and took in the sight of his mouth on her skin. “Okay, fine.” She gave in. “But there better not be flowers or jazz or champagne involved.”

He grinned up at her. “It’ll be your first time. You don’t want
any
romance?”

She took his face in her hands. “Most people lost their virginity in the backseat of a car or camping at the river in sleeping bags when they were still teenagers. I had fantasies of losing mine in the bed of your truck. I don’t need romance.”

He nodded. “Okay. Got it.”

She straightened, accepting the fact she was showering alone again. But that didn’t mean his
thoughts
couldn’t be with her.

“I’m glad I thought to get the waterproof version when I shopped online.” She stepped back and watched Bryan try to get his mouth to work.

“Online shopping?”

She smiled and moved around him, heading for the front door. “Well, it’s not like there’s a sex shop in York or something,” she said. “You could run in to someone you know on the sidewalk. How embarrassing if you had one of those bags in hand.”

She pulled the screen door open and stepped through.

“Tess!” Bryan called after her. “You better not get yourself off in that shower without me.”

“You’re free to come watch.”

She could hear his groan from several feet away. But, unfortunately, he never joined her. In spite of the fact she left the bathroom door open. Instead, she found her breakfast on the counter with a note that read
, “I’m getting you a rose for every time you tease me like that from here on.”

She sighed and picked up her bowl of quinoa and strawberries.

Damn him. He always got his way.

* * *

“So she’s going to Colorado?” Ty asked as Bryan refilled his iced tea.

“Yep.” Bryan coughed and turned away before his best friend caught the look on his face. He had never felt this crazy sensation of being torn right down the middle. He wanted Tess to go to Colorado. She wanted it. She’d worked for it. And truthfully, she deserved it. She was good. He could keep pushing her here to a point, but the next step was really to go up against other runners—some at her level and some who were better. That was how an athlete got better—by being challenged.

“I can’t believe she kept this a secret,” Ty said. “It’s crazy that she’s been
training
all this time and none of us knew.”

“We knew she ran,” Hailey said. “But I guess we assumed it was just a little jogging. We had no idea she was this serious.”

Bryan swung back. “Right?” he said. “I mean Ty never stops talking about his training.”

“Hey,” Ty protested.

Hailey gave her husband a look. “He’s right. It’s a part of everything—how you eat, drink, sleep—”

“But she’s not trying for a world championship,” Ty said. “Is she?” he asked Bryan.

Well…that was something that had been bothering him. “Right now it’s a series of half marathons.”

“She’s going to work up to halves?” Ty asked.

Bryan decided he needed to talk out his concern. “I don’t know.”

“So halves might be as far as she wants to go?” Ty asked.

There were runners who specialized in halves. “She’s strong at that distance,” Bryan said.

“Maybe she’ll stay there. Or at least for a while.” Ty lifted his glass of iced tea.

Bryan leaned a hip on the custom built counter behind the bar. It was the perfect height for him to mix drinks and fill orders when he was in his chair. He didn’t work in his wheelchair much anymore, but it was nice to have the option. And it worked well for leaning against even when he was out of the chair.

“Here’s the thing,” he said. “I don’t think she’s really a runner.”

Ty and Hailey both lifted eyebrows.

“You just said she’s a strong runner at thirteen,” Ty said.

“She can do the work. Her times are good. She’s trained her body. She’s a
runner
,” Bryan said. “But she’s not a racer. She’s not competitive enough.”

“You didn’t tell her that did you?” Hailey asked.

“No,” he admitted. “But maybe I should.”

Besides Hailey and Ty’s reaction, he heard a cough come from the end of the bar. From Peyton Wells.

Bryan glanced at her. She was pretending to study her beer, but he included her when he said, “You know Tess. She’s all about everyone else. She runs this town—no offense,” he said to Hailey.