Game On (6 page)

She laughed. “I didn’t say that! I just
thought it was a little strange, especially since he told me he hasn’t
introduced his parents to a girl since high school.”

Ryan got a sinking feeling in the pit of
his stomach. There was no way to put a positive spin on this. A man didn’t
invite a woman to meet his parents unless he thought the relationship had
potential. “If I were you, I’d just tell him the truth. You think it’s too
soon.” He knew he was being selfish, thinking about what was best for him, but
he couldn’t sit by and do nothing while she got in deeper with this guy.

“No, I’ll go. I’m sure it’ll be fine.” She
slipped her phone into her purse. “Did you ever find out what was bothering
your brother?”

“You’re not gonna believe this.” He raked a
hand over his face. “Erika broke up with him tonight.”

Brianna’s mouth fell open. “You can’t be
serious. They’ve been together… forever. They’re perfect for each other.”

“I thought so too. I guess Erika doesn’t
feel that way anymore.”

She sank down in an armchair. “Oh poor
Evan. He must be devastated.”

“Yeah, he was a wreck. I put him in a cab
and sent him home. Told him I’d handle things here.”

“Did he say what happened?”

“They’ve been havin’ a hard time ever since
he took over as president of Titan. He worked a lot before, but now it’s just
out of control. He might as well sleep in his goddamn office.”

Brianna nodded. “I know. He’s there when I
get there and when I leave. And I thought I put in long hours.”

Ryan knew Brianna worked more than her fair
share of overtime, but she never asked to be compensated. He intended to ensure
her next bonus would allow her to put a down payment on the condo she’d had her
eye on. “It’s bound to take a toll on a relationship after a while, right? I
mean, no woman wants to feel as though she’s always second to her man’s
career.”

“Yeah.” She looked down at her hands,
almost as though she was afraid to look him in the eye. “That’s why I’m not so
sure about this thing with Clint. I mean, I like him and everything, but he’s
going to be traveling all over the world, meeting beautiful women in every
city. Am I crazy to think a guy like that would even want to remain faithful to
a girl like me?”

“A girl like you? What the hell is that
supposed to mean?” Ryan sat down on the coffee table in front of Brianna,
bracing his hands on his knees. “You’re beautiful, smart, sexy… that guy would
be damn lucky to have you
.” Hell, I would be damn lucky to have you.

“I don’t know. I just have to wonder if I’m
setting myself up for another let down.”

He reached for her hand, prompting her to
look him in the eye. “What are you talkin’ about, Bri?”

“I just want a kind, decent guy who loves
me.” She sighed. “That shouldn’t be so hard to find, yet every guy I meet feels
like the wrong one.”

Ryan wanted to tell her there was a very
good reason for that, because the right guy was sitting in front of her,
praying for her to notice him, but it was too soon to make that kind of
declaration. She’d never said or done anything to indicate to him the
attraction was mutual. Except for that one kiss they’d shared years ago. He
knew it wasn’t the alcohol causing him to hallucinate that night. She gave as
good as she got, in spite of her claim that the beer was to blame.

“Honey, you just have to follow your heart,
trust your instincts…” He grinned when she smiled at him. “That sounded like a
dumb-ass cliché, didn’t it?”

She threw her head back and laughed.
“That’s why I love you, Ry.” She reached over to hug him. “No matter how bad I
feel, you always make me feel better.”

He closed his eyes as he inhaled her scent.
He’d bought her that perfume for her birthday last year. Another reminder that
the years were slipping away and they were no closer to the kind of
relationship he wanted them to have. If anything, they were growing further
apart with a new obstacle in their path. “I love you too, Bri.” He only prayed
that one day she would realize that he loved her the way she needed to be loved:
with his whole heart.

***

Ryan walked into Erika’s veterinary clinic
the next morning, hoping she wouldn’t turn a pit bull on him for sticking his
nose where it didn’t belong. He’d always had a good relationship with his
brother’s girlfriend, but he knew questioning her about their break-up so soon was
crossing the line.

“Can I help you?”

Ryan gave the attractive man in a white lab
coat and scrubs a once-over. He was probably the
other man
his brother
had been referring to last night. “I’m lookin’ for Erika Carlton.”

He raked a hand through his cropped blond
hair and leaned on the filing cabinet as he stared Ryan down. “Are you a friend
of hers?”

“Yeah.” Ryan wanted to ask why he thought it
was any of his business, but he didn’t feel up to picking a fight before he’d had
his first cup of coffee.

A pretty brunette Ryan recognized from the
last time he’d visited the clinic with his brother came out of one of the exam
rooms. She smiled when she saw him. “Hey, I remember you. You’re Evan’s
brother, right?”

“That’s right, and you’re…” He snapped his
fingers and pretended he had a clue who she was.

“Tamara.”

He grinned. “That’s right. How could I
forget?”

“Are you here to see Dr. Carlton?”

“If she’s not too busy.”

“She is,” the guy in the lab coat said,
giving the receptionist a meaningful look. “She’s tending to that terrier with
the obstruction.”

“But I was just in there-”

“Ryan, what are you doing here?” Erika
stood in the doorway that separated the veterinary clinic from the doggie
daycare and grooming facility. “If Evan asked you to come-”

“He doesn’t even know I’m here. I was
hopin’ we could talk for a minute.” Ryan’s heart went out to her. Her green
eyes were swollen as though she’d been crying all night, and she looked
exhausted, despite the fact it wasn’t even nine a.m.

“Sure,” she said, sighing. “But I only have
a few minutes.” She glanced at the watch Evan had given her for her last
birthday. It was a diamond Rolex she’d insisted was too expensive and impractical
for her line of work.

If Ryan didn’t miss his guess, she’d been
hoping for a smaller box containing one big diamond and a promise of forever
that never came.

“I have an appointment soon.”

“No problem,” he said, following her down
the hall. “This won’t take long.”

Once inside the small, cluttered office,
she pointed to a coffee maker on top of the filing cabinet. “Help yourself.”

“Thanks,” he said, reaching for a stack of
paper cups. “Can I get you one?”

She shook her head before pressing her
fingertips to her temples and wincing. “I’ve already had three, not that it
helps.”

Ryan set the coffee on a small table and
reached for her. She didn’t hesitate to step into his waiting arms. He stroked
her hair as she sobbed softly on his shoulder. “You wanna talk about it? People
tell me I’m a pretty good listener.”

She tried to pull away, but he held her
tighter. If he’d ever met a woman in need of comfort, it was her. “It’s okay,”
he said, quietly. “We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

“Oh, Ry,” she said, sniffling. “What’s the
use? It’s not gonna change anything. It’s over. That’s just the way it has to
be.”

“It’s obvious this isn’t what you want, and
I know it’s not what Evan wants. Can’t you find a way to work it out?” He led
her to the small sofa tucked away in a corner. Pushing aside a homemade throw
covered in pet hair, he encouraged her to sit down before claiming the seat
beside her. “You can’t throw away five years just because he was a jackass to
you on your birthday.”

She laughed through a sob as she reached
for a tissue from a box on the coffee table. “It’s not just that. It’s
everything. There’s no place for me in his life anymore.”

“That’s not true.”

She looked at him a long time, daring him
to contradict her again. “Isn’t it? You know better than anyone how much time
he spends at the office. He doesn’t have time for a life outside of Titan
anymore, and he sure as hell doesn’t have time for me.”

“Erika, you have to know how much he loves
you.”

Her lips tightened, as though she was making
a valiant attempt to control a tremor. “Not as much as he loves his work.”

Ryan placed a hand on her shoulder, wishing
he could deny her claim, but he knew she was right. Evan was obsessed with
taking Titan to new heights and nothing, not even the woman he loved, could
stand in his way. “I know he’s been busy lately…”

She leaned back and closed her eyes.
“That’s an understatement.”

“Maybe this will be the wake-up call my
brother needs. Could be he’ll realize you’re more important than puttin’ his
stamp on the country music industry.”

She opened one eye to look at him and a
tear slipped down her cheek. “You don’t really believe that.” When he didn’t
respond, she sighed. “I love you for caring, but you can’t say or do anything
to fix this. There’s no point prolonging the inevitable any longer. If Evan and
I both just accept that it’s time to go our separate ways, maybe we can start
to heal, to think about moving on with our lives.”

Ryan knew he shouldn’t ask, but
self-restraint had never been his strong suit. “Does this have somethin’ to do
with your co-worker? The guy I saw out in the lobby?”

“You mean Jeff?”

“Is that his name?”

“Yeah.” She balled the tissue in her fist.
“We’re just friends.”

“But he wants more?” Ryan knew his type. He
wouldn’t hesitate to use Erika’s vulnerable state to his advantage.

“He’s never crossed any lines, if that’s
what you’re asking.” She looked up, her eyes meeting Ryan’s. “Neither have I.
Just for the record, I’ve always been faithful to your brother.”

“I know,” he said, gripping her knee. “You
don’t even have to say that.”

She looked at Ryan’s hand before she said,
“I’m gonna miss you guys so much. Evan and I were together so long, y’all felt
like family to me.”

Ryan leaned back and slung an arm over her
shoulder, drawing her into his side. “You ever need anything, you don’t
hesitate to call me, okay?”

She rested her head on his shoulder and
sniffled. “Thanks, Ry. Being an only child, you always kind of felt like a
brother to me.”

Ryan chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.
“Yeah, and you’re like the daughter my mama would have gladly traded me for.”

“Liar.” She slapped his leg. “But I will miss
your parents.” She looked up at him, her eyes shining. “Tell them I love them,
okay? Tell them I’m sorry things had to turn out this way.”

“You could tell them yourself. Just because
Evan’s not a part of your life anymore doesn’t mean we can’t be.”

“I think it’s best if we keep our distance
for a while. It’ll just make it harder to move on if I stay in touch with his
family.”

“You’re sure this is what you want?” he
asked, kissing the top of her head.

“Of course it’s not what I want. I want
things to be the way they used to be when I mattered to him. But since that’s
not gonna happen, this is the way it has to be.”

Ryan knew his brother was at the office.
He’d seen his car parked in his reserved spot near the main doors. He was
dreading this conversation, but if he could help Evan and Erika find their way
back to each other, he had to try.

Evan slammed the phone down and glared at
him. “I was just tryin’ to call you. Where the hell have you been? We have a
meetin’ with a client in half an hour, and he’s thinkin’ about jumpin’ ship. We
need to strategize.”

“I just came from seein’ Erika.”

“You did? What did she say?” He propped his
elbows on the desk and dropped his head into his hands. “I’ve been tryin’ to
call her for hours. She won’t take my calls. Just tell me what she said.” In a
rare moment of weakness, he said, “Please tell me it’s not too late.”

Ryan sat down across from him and folded
his hands in front of him. “It will be if you don’t make some changes.”

He sighed. “If you’re talkin’ about my
workload-”

“You were right about that Jeff guy. He
wants her.” Ryan knew that bit of information would get his brother’s attention
faster than another lecture about finding a healthy balance in his life.

“She didn’t… they’re not…” He rubbed his
eyes with the heels of his hands. “I can’t even say it. I can’t even think
about her bein ’with someone else, Ry. She’s
mine
.”

“Not anymore she’s not.” Ryan knew it was
harsh, but subtlety had never been the best approach with Evan. Sometimes he
needed a shot between the eyes, and lucky for him, Ryan didn’t mind being the
one to deliver the blow, when need be. “If you don’t do something, fast, that
dude’s gonna take advantage of the fact she’s still reelin’ from your break-up,
and he’s gonna find a way to get her into bed. We both know if that happens, it
really will be over for you two.”