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Authors: Cheryl Douglas

Tags: #Romance, #Contemporary, #Family, #next generation, #nashville nights, #cheryl douglas, #short story, #holiday, #novella

Holiday Homecoming (9 page)

BOOK: Holiday Homecoming
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“Yeah, my dad
worked as Titan’s head of security for years before my older
brother, Mike, took over the job. Ryan and I have grown up
together.”

“That’s nice.”
Gayle smiled. “I’m a flight attendant, so I rarely have time to
make those kinds of connections. My parents have both passed, but
my sister and her family live here in Nashville. They invited me
for Christmas, and I managed to get the day off, so I thought, why
not?”

“We all need a
little R&R now and again. Well, I should be getting home. Happy
holidays, Gayle. It was nice meeting you,” Brianna said, waving a
hand as she turned to walk down the driveway. “I’ll see you later,
Ry.”

“It was nice
meeting you too,” Gayle called after her, tugging a little on
Ryan’s arm.

A warm,
willing, half-naked woman was trying to lure him inside, but Ryan
couldn’t think past the woman trying to get away. “I just wanna
make sure she gets home okay,” he said, hooking a thumb over his
shoulder. “I shouldn’t be too long.”

“No problem,”
Gayle said, placing a chaste kiss on his lips. “I’ll be here when
you get back.”

That’s the
part he dreaded. He jogged to catch up with Brianna, and when he
finally fell into step beside her, he asked, “Hey, why didn’t you
wait for me?”

She stuck her
hands in the pockets of her jacket and pulled the cashmere scarf up
to cover her mouth. “I’m not blind, Ry. I saw what she was wearing.
I knew you’d take one look at her and forget all about me.”

She had no
idea how wrong she was. Even a half-naked woman with lust in her
eyes and a cocktail in her hand couldn’t compete with the soft
curves Brianna hid under layers of winter wear. “My friends and
family come first, you know that.”

She smiled as
she linked her arm through his. “I know. That’s one of the things I
love about you. No matter what, I can always count on you.” She
leaned her head on his shoulder. “Did I tell you that Jared called
me yesterday? He wants me to go out with him on New Year’s
Eve.”

Ryan tensed as
she mentioned the man who had pursued Brianna for the past year.
They dated casually, but Ryan could tell by the look in the other
man’s eye whenever he saw them together that he wanted more,
much
more. Ryan hated him the first time he saw him at
Brianna’s parents’ house, and that feeling only intensified as his
own feelings for her began to evolve. “Did you tell him to go to
hell?”

Brianna
laughed. “Why would I do that? He’s my friend.”

“Friend with
benefits?” Okay, where had that question come from? He had no right
to ask, and she certainly wasn’t obligated to answer. If she was
sleeping with someone else, he definitely didn’t want to know. “You
know what? Forget I asked. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.
Since when have you been shy about asking whether I’m getting any
action?” She laughed. “Hell, you’re the one who tells me that if a
guy hasn’t tried to get me into bed by the fourth date, it’s
because he’s gay. You can relax. Jared’s tried and succeeded. Are
you happy now?”

Happy?
He was supposed to be happy that she was sleeping with someone
else? Was she insane? He stopped in his tracks and shoved his hands
into his pockets. “Why the hell are you wastin’ your time with that
guy? We both know he’s not good enough for you.”

Brianna raised
her chin and looked him in the eye. “Who are you to tell me that? I
like him. He likes me. We’re both single. If we want to have sex,
we will.”

Ryan fisted
his hands inside his pockets. He wanted to hit something, and he
knew if Jared Ross were here now, it would be him. “We both know
you’re not the kind of girl to engage in casual sex, Bri. It has to
mean something for you to hit the sheets with some dude.”

“It does mean
something to me. Jared’s a great guy. He’s important to me.”

Ryan felt the
cold wrap around him, chilling him from the inside out. “How
important?” If she told him she was falling in love with him, Ryan
feared he may lose his breakfast all over the sidewalk.

“I don’t know
yet.” She shrugged. “I guess time will tell, right?”

“That’s it.
That’s all you’re gonna give me?” He threw his hands up in the air,
knowing he was acting irrational, but not caring. “‘Time will
tell?’ What the hell does that even mean? Time will tell if you’re
in love with the guy… if you’re gonna marry him… have his babies?
What the hell is time gonna tell exactly?”

She started
walking down the street toward her apartment complex. “You must
have had more to drink than I thought. You’re acting like a crazy
person.”

He was crazy,
about her
. “Damn it, don’t walk away from me!” he shouted,
jogging to catch up. “I’m not finished talkin’ about this.”

“Too bad. I
am. From now on, consider Jared off-limits.”

She couldn’t
do that. How was he supposed to know whether that loser was making
inroads if she planned to keep him in the dark? “Bri,” he said,
tugging on her coat sleeve. “Don’t do that. Don’t shut me out. You
know how much I care about you. I just don’t wanna see you get
hurt.”

She smiled as
she stood on the toes of her high-heeled boots to press a kiss to
his cheek. “You’re so sweet.” She patted her gloved hands against
his chest. “But I don’t know who’s worse, you or my brothers. Y’all
have to accept the fact that I’m not a little girl. You don’t have
to protect me from the bullies on the playground anymore.”

If Aiden knew
what he was thinking right now, Ryan would be the one who required
protection. “I’m always gonna want to protect you,” he said, barely
able to resist the lure of her full, glossy lips.

She always put
flavored lip gloss on to protect her lips from the elements. She
told him cherry was yummy, but when he jokingly pleaded for a
taste, she pushed him away.
Again
.

“I know that.”
She laid her head on his chest and his arms enfolded her. “You’re
one of the best friends I’ve ever had, Ry. I don’t know what I’d do
without you.”

“I feel the
same way.” He shifted, praying she wasn’t able to feel just how
much he
needed
her.

 

 

Ryan walked
back to his house, rehearsing his speech to the woman who was no
doubt lying naked between his crisp sheets by now, primed and ready
to pick up where they’d left off three months earlier.

There was no
reason he shouldn’t sleep with Gayle, especially now that he knew
Brianna was sleeping with that loser. But every time he took
another woman to bed or even closed his eyes to indulge in a
passionate kiss, he saw Brianna’s face. He wanted to caress her
curves and sink into her hot, tight little body. He didn’t know how
it happened. When did he decide he wanted his best friend to become
his lover?

Before he had
a chance to cross the threshold, the buxom redhead pressed a cold
beer into his hands. The sun had barely crossed the horizon. He
didn’t need a drink. He needed someone to help him understand what
was happening to him.

“You look
tired,” she said, sneaking in behind him to massage his shoulders
after slipping his leather jacket off and hanging it on the wrought
iron banister at the foot of the stairs. “I know just want you need
before you turn in.”

He closed his
eyes against the wave of sensation as she worked to loosen his
tense muscles. “That feels great,” he said, grabbing her wrist.
“But we need to talk.”

“Uh-oh,” she
said, stepping in front of him. “You’re not mad that I just showed
up, are you? You said I could stop by whenever I was in town.”

“I’m not mad.”
He took her hand and led her up the few steps to the family room.
His modern luxury townhome boasted too much space for a single guy,
but it offered several spare bedrooms where his friends could sleep
off the party.

He set the
beer bottle down on the coffee table and tugged on her hand until
she sat beside him.

“You and
Brianna aren’t dating, are you?” When he didn’t respond right away,
she said, “She didn’t seem bothered that I was here, so I just
assumed…”

“No, we’re
not.” Ryan couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a girlfriend.
For years, women drifted in and out of his life. He never stopped
to ponder why they never felt compelled to stay because he never
wanted them to get too comfortable. But that was then, before he
realized he was on the verge of losing the best thing that ever
happened to him. He was smart enough to realize a good thing when
he had it.

“But you’d
like to be?”

Ryan had been
told he had a convincing poker face, but apparently when it came to
Brianna, he wore his emotions for all to see. “What makes you say
that?”

“A guy hasn’t
looked at me the way you looked at her in a really long time…” She
tucked her bare legs up under her. “But I haven’t forgotten what
that’s like.”

The old Ryan
would have been mesmerized by the long legs brushing up against his
hand, but he couldn’t think past Brianna to even consider what
Gayle was offering.

“But the way I
see it, you have a problem, my friend.”

“Oh yeah,
what’s that?”

“I saw you
looking at her that way, but…”

As someone who
made it a point to speak his mind, regardless of the fallout, he
had little respect for people who were afraid to do the same. “But
what? Just spit it out already.”

“She’s
obviously not that into you.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I’m
sorry if that’s not what you want to hear, but it’s pretty obvious.
If she was, she would’ve taken one look at me, and the claws
would’ve come out. That didn’t happen…”

Ryan didn’t
want to accept the harsh truth, but Gayle was right. The fact that
he hadn’t seen it himself only proved that he was delusional.
“Means she just thinks of me as a friend.” It shouldn’t surprise
him. He introduced Brianna to dozens of women over the years, and
she was always sweet, never jealous or petty. Not once had she
reacted the way he had when she mentioned Jared.

“I’m sorry if
you’re disappointed,” Gayle said quietly. “I didn’t mean to hurt
your feelings.”

“No, it’s
okay.” It wasn’t, but he didn’t intend to burden her with his
problems. “Listen, I didn’t get any sleep last night, and I’m wiped
out. Why don’t you take one of the guest rooms and we can grab a
few hours of shut eye?” Not that he expected sleep to come easily
with Brianna on his mind.

“Knowing what
you know now, you still don’t want to…” She glanced down at the
pink, lacy negligee and tried to pull the sheer robe closed. “Wow,
this is really embarrassing.”

“Please, don’t
be offended,” he said, resting a hand on her calf. He should have
felt something. A gorgeous woman was offering herself to him, no
strings attached, yet he felt…
nothing
. It scared him to
think this may be what he had to look forward to if he couldn’t
come to terms with his feelings for Brianna. “You’re a great girl.
I’ve just got a lot goin’ on right now.”

“My sister and
her family live nearby. I didn’t really feel like doing the whole
Santa thing this morning, but I’m thinking that may not be such a
bad idea, after all.”

“You don’t
have to go, Gayle. I meant what I said. You’re more than welcome to
stay.”

“Thanks, but I
get the feeling you’d rather be alone.” He stood and she reached up
to hug him. “I hope everything works out for you, Ryan. You’re one
of the good guys.”

Chapter
Nine

Alisa awoke to
the unfamiliar sound of a baby crying. She smiled as she pulled up
her T-shirt and positioned the baby at her breast. Stroking his
soft cheek, she said a silent prayer of thanks that her dream came
true last night. Her baby was born safe and healthy, surrounded by
people who loved him. She couldn’t have asked for more.

“Good morning,
beautiful,” Liam said, stepping into the room before closing the
door behind him.

“Where were
you?”

Liam lay down
beside her on the bed, brushing the downy soft hair on the top of
his son’s head. “I went home to pick up a few things. I thought you
might like a change of clothes, and I knew the baby would need some
of his things if we’re staying here tonight.”

“You don’t
mind staying here, do you?”

“Of course
not.” He kissed her lips tenderly before he said, “Whatever makes
you happy, sweetheart. You know that.” He reached into his pocket
and withdrew a small wrapped box.

“What’s
that?”

“Your
Christmas present.”

“Oh no, I left
yours at home.” Alisa shifted the baby to the other breast and
watched with satisfaction while he latched on.

“I have
everything I need right here.” He nuzzled her neck, kissing the
sensitive skin behind her ear.

Alisa knew it
was going to be the longest six weeks of their lives as they waited
for the green light to resume their
normal activities.
Even
in her last trimester, she couldn’t resist the lure of the sexy man
cozying up next to her. “Stop that,” she whispered. “You know it
drives me crazy when you kiss me like that.”

Liam chuckled.
“Just giving you something to think about.”

“Believe me,
I’ll think of little else for the next forty-two days.” Alisa
smirked when she saw she wasn’t the only one affected by his
teasing.

“Oh, I think
our son will command a fair share of your attention.”

Alisa settled
the baby on her shoulder and patted his back. “Okay, I’m dying to
know, what do you have there?”

Liam pulled
the foil lid off the box and turned it over. A leather box tumbled
to the mattress between them and he picked it up. “I had this made
for you. I hope you like it.”

After all this
time, Alisa couldn’t believe her husband still had doubts. Didn’t
he know he already gave her everything she ever needed and more
than she ever dared to hope for? “I’m sure I’ll love it. Now open
the box, the suspense is killing me.”

BOOK: Holiday Homecoming
6.39Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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