Authors: Rhyannon Byrd
Making His Move
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Copyright © 2014 Rhyannon Byrd
This eBook is a work of fiction. Any references to actual events, persons, or locales are used fictitiously. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Cover credit: Steph’s Cover Designs
Formatting:
eBook Format
*This eBook is meant for readers 18+ due to mature content.
Contents
Chapter One
F
ortune cookies could be such a bitch.
Then again, so could best friends. Especially ones who were determined to make you go for your dreams, no matter how much of a loser you felt like for even having them.
As a heartfelt sigh slipped past her lips, Sophie Ward slumped back against the padded booth in her favorite Chinese restaurant in downtown San Diego, the remnants of her crumbled cookie forgotten as she looked across the table at her best friend, Natalie Richards. Nat’s red hair shone bright beneath the paper lantern light suspended above their booth, her dark eyes narrowed with determination. “I mean it, Soph. I am done with your waffling bullshit. You need to make your move before one of those leeches in your lab manages to sink their claws into him.”
“Leeches are suckers, not clawers,” she murmured with a smirk.
Nat didn’t even crack a smile. “You know what I mean, smart ass. You need to stop dreaming, and start
doing
.”
With a frustrated groan, she lowered her gaze back to the wrinkled fortune she’d dropped on the table.
Today is the day to take what you want
.
Sophie would have loved to have the courage to do just that, and she probably would have, if she looked like Nat. Like a freaking forties starlet. Instead, she was tiny to the point of petite, with boring brown hair and brown eyes and stupid freckles on her pale, impish nose. She looked like...like, well, like the nerdy scientist that she was. A pixie-sized tomboy with a brain. Whereas the object of her intense, frustrating, angst-ridden office crush was the most rugged, masculine, insanely sexy-assed man she’d ever seen or met or even read about. Chris Riley did it for her in so many ways it wasn’t even funny — and yet, despite the lust that probably glazed her eyes whenever she looked at him, they were that dreaded B-word:
buddies
. The kind who sat in the twenty-fifth floor employee café together at the world-renowned Blackwood Research Institute — where she worked in one of the specialized labs and he held the prestigious position of Chief of Security — talking sports and movies while they shared their morning and afternoon coffee breaks.
Considering the number of times they’d sat at one of the café’s tables near its wall of windows and just chatted in the four months since he’d taken the position at the institute, the guy had had more than enough opportunities to take his shot with Sophie if he was interested. Which meant that he wasn’t. Not even a little. Not even on a subatomic level. Hell, he’d never even tried to meet up with her outside of work. The only reason he had her phone number was because he sometimes texted her if he was going to be late or miss his coffee break.
Reaching for her diet cola, she took a long swallow, wishing like crazy it were an oversized margarita instead. But she had to be back in her lab in the next twenty minutes, which meant there would be no “liquid courage” for her today.
Setting her glass back down, she glared at Natalie. “Why are you so determined I make a fool of myself, anyway? I mean, aren’t you the same woman who sat here for the last half-hour complaining about all the cheating guys you watch traipsing in and out of Manolo’s every week?”
Going to San Diego State during the day for her business degree, Natalie worked nights at the popular Del Mar restaurant as a bartender to pay the bills. She was kickass at her job, but her faith in healthy, committed relationships was rapidly dwindling thanks to the things she witnessed there on a regular basis. So for the moment, Nat had sworn off men and was glad to be single. But for some hare-brained reason, the instant Sophie had read her fortune out loud, Nat had decided it was a “sign” that Sophie’s own personal life needed a swift kick in the backside. And her best friend knew precisely who had been playing front and center in Sophie’s fantasies.
Crossing her arms on the table, Nat leaned forward and answered the question. “I’ll tell you why I’m so determined, Soph. Because I don’t think that’s what would happen if you asked Chris Riley out on a date. I think that sexy stud would jump at the chance to go out with you.”
Sophie snorted. “And you think this bizarre piece of nonsense why?”
Nat slammed her palms down on the table so loudly that it made Sophie and just about everyone else in the restaurant jump. “Because it’s not nonsense! Chris Riley isn’t like that asshole group of jocks you went to school with. Yeah, they acted like jerks and made shitty comments about you, but that’s because they were intimidated as hell by you, Soph. The issues were theirs, not yours. Chris is a grown man and he’s your friend. And just because you can’t see what a cute piece of ass you are doesn’t mean that he can’t!”
Oh, man. It was crazy, how badly she wanted to believe that. But it wasn’t true. Despite what Nat had said about the jerks she’d had trouble with at school, it was just one of those fundamental rules in the battle between the sexes. Guys like Chris Riley were never attracted to girls like her. The hunky ex-jock never fell for the geeky smart chick unless it was in some blockbuster rom-com that gave women unrealistic expectations and dreams.
And yet, she knew there was more to Chris than just a gorgeous face, killer body and successful career. More than anything in the world, she wished he could see that there was
more
to her, as well. That beneath her quirky exterior was a hot-blooded woman who needed him so badly it was slowly driving her insane.
She drummed her short nails on the table and lifted an eyebrow. “If that were true, guys would be beating my door down, Nat. I wouldn’t be two years without a single date.”
Natalie cocked her head to the side, the look in her eyes as soft as it was apologetic. “As much as I hate to say it, Soph, that’s not really their fault these days. It’s yours. Guys, even the gorgeous ones, don’t like to be shot down. And you don’t exactly put the message out there that you’re available.”
She flinched, both hating and loving that her best friend understood her so well. “I’m not a bitch.”
“I know that, honey.” Nat gave her a wry grin. “But you
are
gun-shy when it comes to hot, alpha males.”
Lifting her chin, she said, “I have lots of hot guy friends at work.” Including Chris — which sucked — since she wanted so much more with him.
“That’s different. You’re as sweet as pie when thinking some drool-worthy hunk wants nothing more than to pal around with you. But the second he shows even a glimmer of interest, you freak.”
Knowing damn well that Nat was right, Sophie lowered her head and started to bang it softly against the table. “I’m an idiot,” she groaned, wincing as a bit of the damn fortune cookie jammed into her forehead.
“You’re not an idiot,” Natalie protested, looking as if she were trying hard not to laugh as Sophie lifted her head and started brushing cookie bits off her face. “You’re adorable, Soph. And you’re going to get your cute little ass back to the lab and ask this guy out once and for all.” Waving her hand at the white slip of paper nestled among the crumbled pieces of cookie, she added, “That fortune is fate, Sophie Ward. Your scientist’s mind might not like it, but you can’t argue with it. Just give in and let it do its work.”
God, she hated fortune cookies. But...if she were completely honest with herself, she hated the idea of never taking a chance on Chris Riley even more. Though the idea of asking him out scared the hell out of her. Rejection was going to be so freaking humiliating. But, who knew? If it came to that, maybe she’d simply perish from embarrassment. Weirder things had been known to happen.
“Okay,” she croaked, a breathless scrape of laughter bubbling up from her chest as she wondered if everyone in the restaurant could hear the furious pounding of her heart.
“Ohmygod!” Natalie shouted, her excited squeal making Sophie want to cover her ears. Her best friend clapped her hands together like a giddy toddler. “You’ll do it? You swear?”
“Yes.” She was so nervous she could barely breathe, but she forced a crooked smile on to her lips, determined not to be a lily-livered wuss and to see this through. “I’m probably going to wring your neck later for talking me into this insanity,” she grumbled, closing her eyes as she dropped her head back down on the table and rolled it from side to side. “But I’ll do it.”
Chapter Two
W
hat in God’s name had she been thinking? There was no way in hell she could ask Chris Riley out on a date. She’d been a fool to even consider it!
Kneeling in the middle of the hallway that led to her lab, surrounded by the embarrassing mess of her dropped paperwork, Sophie struggled to get a grip on her stupid emotions and not cry. But it wasn’t easy. Damn it, she should have known better than to get her hopes up. This wasn’t a freaking movie! This was reality, hard and simple, and it was never going to have some unrealistic fairy tale ending. She’d
known
that, and yet, she’d actually let Nat’s pep talk get the better of her there for a bit. She’d talked herself into going through with her friend’s crazy idea, and had held on to her courage for the majority of the afternoon, waiting for the right time to make her move. But instead of going after what she wanted, Sophie had been given an eye-opening, hope-crushing dose of reality.
Three hours after parting ways with Natalie and heading back to her lab, her phone had buzzed with a text message, and she’d bitten her lip when she’d seen that it was from Chris, letting her know he had grabbed them a table in the café. Both excited and outrageously nervous, she’d scooped up the folders of lab results she’d been studying and made her way over to the far side of the twenty-fifth floor.
By the time she came through the café’s swinging doorway, her boxy lab coat swishing against her knees, Chris was already sitting at one of the tables by the far wall of windows, wearing his reading glasses as he looked over a thick report. Despite her nerves and frantic pulse, a small smile had tugged at the corner of her mouth as she drank in the sight of him. Yeah, he was sexy as freaking sin when he came into work in the morning after taking a run out on Coronado, dressed in nothing more than sweaty shorts and a T-shirt. If she showed up at just the right time, she would sit in her car with a dumbstruck look on her face, practically drooling as she watched him head into the building, knowing he was on his way up to his office, where he had a private bathroom that included a shower. But he was gorgeous in his business clothes, as well. She loved both looks: the sexiness of the intellectual and the dangerous intensity of the badass. And beneath those incredible looks, he was just a kickass kind of guy. Smart. Funny. Protective. He was the kind of man who would break up a domestic dispute without hesitation, kick the shit out of the asshole, and then gently comfort the wife until she felt safe. Sophie was well aware that they didn’t make many like him these days, which was just another reason why he seemed so out of her league.
In so many ways, it seemed impossible that a guy like Chris was still single. But just because he wasn’t attached to some gorgeous blonde or redhead with mile-long legs at the moment didn’t mean he would stay that way. As she’d walked into the café, she’d known that if she didn’t go ahead and make her move, it might be the last time she had a chance to. Some other woman could scoop him up and claim him at any moment. And while he would most likely turn Sophie down — even if all she asked him for was one brief, incredible night — at least she’d have given it a shot. At least she wouldn’t go through the rest of her life wondering
what if
. So she’d decided that just once, she’d do the crazy thing, and hopefully have an incredible memory to cherish.
She didn’t let herself think about how a single wicked night of debauchery might affect their friendship. In truth, there wasn’t room in her frazzled mind for anything but what she was about to do.
The moment he’d caught sight of her, he’d lifted his coffee mug to his lips, the sunlight streaming through the windows catching on the silver ring and bracelet he wore on his left hand. They were simple but beautiful, reminding her that there were more sides to this man than the respected professional he was at work. She’d heard that he’d played football in college, before going into security, and that he still surfed at the weekends up in La Jolla. That was a sight she would pay to see: Chris in a skintight wetsuit, wet hair tousled by the wind and the sea, while he smiled and laughed out on the water. She got a little lightheaded just thinking about it.
When she’d reached him, she’d almost smiled at the sight of a steaming cup of coffee already waiting for her on the table. Drawing in a deep breath, her throat tight with emotion, she’d looked at him and somehow managed to say, “Riley, I need to talk to you.”
His brows had knitted with concern at the wobbly sound of her voice. “What’s up?”
“I wanted to… I mean, I just — ” She’d broken off, fidgeted, and licked her bottom lip. “Wow, do I sound stupid or what? I hadn’t realized it would be this difficult.”
With a frown on his sexy mouth, he’d reached out and grasped the shaky hand that wasn’t clutching her paperwork to her chest, giving her fingers a gentle squeeze. The V between his tawny brows had drawn deeper. “Talk to me, Soph. What’s wrong?”
She’d been on the verge of just blurting it out, when disaster had struck and Lila Carne had strolled up to the table. Sophie had immediately pulled her hand from his grip, curling both arms around her file folders, holding on to them like they were a lifeline. A lot of uncomfortable flirting had followed — all from Lila, while Sophie just stood there feeling ill — and she’d realized what a mistake she was making. Hell, what did she know about men, anyway? She should have spent less time studying and more time getting laid while she was at school. Maybe then she wouldn’t be so freaking clueless when it came to dating. And the opposite sex. And pretty much everything to do with life outside of her lab.
Almost positive she was turning an interesting shade of green, she’d mumbled, “I need to go.”
At her low words, Chris had started to push back from the table. “Wait. What did you want to talk to me about?”
“Nothing,” she’d said, stepping back, her momentary burst of courage completely deserting her. “I, um, I just have somewhere that I need to be. Sorry for bothering you.”
“What? You weren’t bother — ”
She’d turned and hurried away before he was finished, his voice drowned out by the roar of her pulse as it thrashed in her ears. She somehow made it out of the café and into the wide hallway without running, but then she’d stumbled into one of the institute’s potted ferns that lined the sides of the corridor, since she hadn’t been paying attention to where she was walking. When she’d scrambled to keep from falling on her face and reached for the wall, everything in her arms — phone and files — had gone crashing to the floor.
So here she was, seconds later, still kneeling on the floor like an idiot, cursing under her breath as her face turned red with embarrassment. Her phone dinged, and she picked it up, finding a text from Nat.
How’d it go? Give me some good news!
Sophie closed her eyes, knocking the phone against her forehead a few times as she bitched herself out for being such a pathetic dork. Then she lowered the phone, which had gone back to its home page, and pulled up her messaging screen again.
Bombed! Lila came in and started flirting w/ him. I never should have tried to ask him out! Stupid idea! I blame YOU!!!
Sophie punched in the response while fighting back the hot rush of tears, her frustration getting the better of her. She hated crying, but there was no stopping herself at the moment. She’d been bottling up too many emotions for too long, and the bastards had chosen
now
to make their break for it. Ingrates!
When a familiar pair of big, shiny brown dress shoes suddenly came into her field of vision, she wanted to let go and bellow her silent curses out loud. Great! This was all she needed: Chris finding her on her knees in the middle of the hallway looking like a klutz, surrounded by all her crap. She couldn’t have appeared more pitiful if she’d tried.
From the edge of her vision, she saw him crouch down beside her, his mouthwatering scent filling her head as she sucked in a shaky breath. Then his warm fingers curled under her chin, bringing her face toward him. “You okay, Soph?”
“Fine,” she murmured, jerking her chin away so that she could reach over and grab up another handful of papers. God, it was going to take her forever to sort this mess out.
“Here, honey. Let me help you.”
The deep, warm cadence of his husky voice made her eyes prick with a fresh wave of tears. This was ridiculous. She was turning into some kind of emotional wreck! “Really, I’ve got it,” she snapped. “But thanks anyway.”
Voice tight, he demanded, “What the hell, Soph? Did I do something to upset you?”
She gave a hard swallow and reached for more of her papers. “No. I just don’t want to keep you.” And then, before she could stop herself, she added, “Isn’t Lila waiting for you?”
She glanced over at him just in time to catch something dark and frustrated flash in his eyes. “No, she’s not,” he replied in a clipped tone that she’d never heard from him before.
“Oh.”
She tried to glance away again, but it was impossible when he was looking right at her with so much piercing intensity. Voice low, he said, “If you’d stuck around long enough, instead of running off, you would have heard me explain to Lila that I’m not interested in going out with her.”
“You’re not?” she asked in a baffled voice.
His brows drew together again, and he seemed to be working something out in his head as he studied her. “I’m not, Soph. If that were the case, I would have asked her out the first time she came on to me. But I never have.”
She was surprised to hear herself say, “I’m not sure dating you is what Lila has in mind.”
His lashes lowered a little more, making it difficult to read the look in his eyes. But his voice was huskier when he said, “You’re probably right. But I’m not interested in fucking her, either.”
She actually gulped, her body temp probably spiking at least ten degrees at the sound of him saying that particular F-word. And the way he was watching her with that focused, narrow gaze was making her pulse race like a little rabbit trying to flee for its life.
“You’re staring, Riley. Do I, um, have ink on my face or something?” It might have seemed a strange question for most people, but it was depressing, how many times Sophie got home at the end of the day to find that she’d smudged ink or graphite over her cheeks or chin.
He suddenly laughed, the low sound doing dangerous things to her insides. “No, honey. You don’t have ink on your face.”
“Then why are you looking at me like...
that
?”
It seemed to take forever before he said anything. And in truth, he didn’t break the tension by speaking, but by action. The corner of his gorgeous mouth started to kick up in a sinful grin as he collected the rest of her paperwork, took the bundle gripped in her hands, then stuffed the papers into the outside pocket on the leather bag he had slung over one of his broad shoulders. Before she could ask why he’d put her things in
his
bag, he reached down and snagged her wrist, pulling her to her feet as he stood.
Oh...wow
. The current of energy — of
need
— that slammed into her with his touch was breathtaking. She swayed a little, and his slightly callused thumb moved over the skittering pulse in her wrist. “Riley?” she questioned breathlessly, though she didn’t have a clue what exactly she was asking.
He tugged on her arm, sending her stumbling after him. “Come on,” he drawled in his deliciously deep voice, leading her toward the empty row of elevators at the end of corridor. Her lab and his office were both on this floor, which prompted her to ask, “Why are we taking the elevator?”
Shifting the grip he had on her wrist so that he was now holding her hand, he reached over with his free hand and hit the down button. With his attention on the blinking numbers over the elevator doors, he said, “We can ride down together.”
The only reason to take the elevator down was if they were leaving, and she still had two and a half hours of work left to get through. But instead of arguing, she found herself silently following him on to the empty elevator when the doors finally pinged open.
As the doors slid closed, Chris opened the control panel and pressed a series of buttons. A quiet beep followed, and the elevator stayed still while the doors remained closed. They were trapped inside, but they weren’t moving. With her lower lip caught in her teeth, Sophie tugged her hand from his much larger one and put a little breathing room between them. Pressing her back against the far side of the elevator, she tried to sound as normal as possible, as she asked, “Is there something wrong, Riley?”
“Don’t you think it’s about time you started doing as I asked the first time we ever met and called me Chris?” he asked in a rough tone that never failed to make her panties ridiculously damp, the lines of his face drawn tight with a keen, physical tension. “And, yeah, there’s definitely something wrong.”
“What is it?” She sounded completely baffled again, which was exactly how she felt at the moment.