Life Over Love (11 page)

The way she said whatever popped into her head, her pride
, temper, vulnerability, lack of guile, sense of humor, all intrigued him. Everything seemed to contradict itself, he felt comfortable, like they’d been close friends for years. Sounds predictable, even a little boring, and right?  But at the same time he sensed that she would never cease to surprise him, as if she never did the same thing twice, the same way, and that could be fun.

He liked open direct people, and most women that he knew n
ever just laid it all out there. He didn’t have to know her personally to see that Brianna was her most authentic self, it was evident seeing her with her children or at her job.  He covered the hand she’d laid on his chest, rubbing her soft skin absentmindedly with his thumb, while he thought about what was happening.

She smiled because even though she barely knew him
, she could see the struggle to put into words what he really wanted to say, and she guessed that rarely ever happened, because he seemed a little unnerved.

He swallowed hard and kissed her temple.
She really made him laugh when she said “well, I seriously almost had my first one night stand.”  Brianna was silly tired and giggling she snuggled deeper into his arms. He reluctantly sat all the way up and was relieved when she scooted over and sat on her side of the bed hugging her knees.  Looking at her legs reminded him how perfect they had felt while wrapped around his waist, and he almost bumped his head on the low door frame in his haste to leave.

He said something about having to get up early and rushed out to his squad car. He thought about her saying that he’d almost been her first one night stand and laughed loudly to himself. Putting the car in reverse he said aloud
“Baby the night isn’t over yet,” and for his own good, sped out of the parking lot.

He went straight
home to test that cold shower theory, it would’ve done the trick, if he could erase the image of her writhing beneath him from his brain, but there she was, every single time he closed his eyes, even to blink.

For the first time in his life he cursed his easily accessible, sexually explicit, mental rolodex
, also known as every man’s brain. Finally giving up, he got out of the shower. Not even bothering to towel off, just threw it over his shoulder, and went to the kitchen to grab a cold beer.

Still thinking about the day’s events Ryker took a long swig of his
beer, thinking that no other woman had affected him so. He wasn’t one to back down from a challenge he wanted to see where things with her would lead. Chuckling to himself because he knew exactly where things would lead, or would’ve led had he stayed in that room five more minutes.

Ryker put the rest of the unfinished beer back in the fridge and he stopped short when he saw the smiley face picture. He’d hung it on
the fridge when he’d first gotten home. “Man, those two girls are something else.” He spoke a loud while also wondering for the second time that night exactly what he’d gotten himself into.

Brianna was thankful for small miracles when she double checked her schedule and saw that she was off work for
not one, but the next two days. She still needed to shop for Christmas.

16

S
he was still more than a little worried after hearing the news that Mike had been carrying a gun on his way to drop off the kids.  She hadn’t slept well that night partly due to the worry, but mostly due to the want. She was astounded by her animalistic reaction to Ryker.

Ok, so yeah, she knew she’d found him attractive ever since he’d gone through her line, but this, this was something else altogether. She could not stop thinking about him and how she’d come this close to
sleeping with him right down the hall from the kids. Brianna was appalled and shocked at her behavior! She was beside herself waiting for Dominique to get there so they could talk. 

Dominique rushed right over, eager to find out what had Brianna so excited. She listened to Brianna’s version of last
night’s events. She loved seeing her friend so animated, and was truly sorry to rain on her parade.

It was impossible to be the owner
of the area’s most successful beauty shop and not know the intimate details of the town’s most sought after playboy. Add that to the fact that his old partner was once her husband, and she felt it her duty as a friend to be honest. Sure she loved him like a brother and he was her twin’s godfather, but she didn’t want to see Brianna hurt again.

Dominiqu
e waited for the appropriate opening to interject with some plain old fashioned common sense, but there was none. Brianna talked about Ryker and the way the night had played out, and Dominique started to question that they were both thinking of the same guy. Come to think of it, it was unlike him to even get involve with a single mother. 

The Ryker she knew had gotten married a couple of times, just to see what all the fuss was about.  He never lead them on though, quite the contrary, he was always up front with them, always stating how he’d never actually been one hundred percent invested in any
relationship, and that he didn’t think he was even capable of truly loving any one woman.

  He let them know up front that he was just looking to have a little fun and if they didn’t like that then
well, there was the door.  That’s the way he lived acquiring more his pretty doormats, that all secretly harbored the hopes that he would change, and he assuaged his guilt by saying they knew what they’d signed up for from the beginning.

Yes he was a total donkey’s butt in that aspect, but he was always infuriatingly
self-controlled. Ryker never lost his temper, or ever argued with any woman. That’s probably why his marriages ended the way they did, with the women going around behind his back, because he was apathetic where they were concerned, and they felt they didn’t matter enough for him to even bother fussing about anything.

When he’d found out about the affairs each time, he simply filed for divorce, and
mailed them their copies, both times the women had no idea they were still living with their ex-husband, then he told ‘em to pack it up and stayed out of sight until he saw the tail lights.

The moment Brianna stopped to take
a much needed breath, Dominique jumped in. She grabbed Brianna’s hands across the island’s counter top.  Asking her to sit. Brianna obeyed and looked imploringly at her friend. “Girl I know all about Officer Ryker Danner.”  Brianna deflated and flopped back against the counter. “You’ve slept with him?”  Dominique howled with laughter “No, no way, I don’t
know
him, know him, but my husband was his partner, so yeah, you could say we were close, small world huh?”

Brianna was confused, she thought there
should’ve been an ex in there somewhere.  When she asked about it Dominique patted her hand explaining, “I didn’t have enough time to make him an ex honey, he went and got hisself shot.”  Brianna’s audible gasp had Dominique comforting her. “Well I guess that explains why you’re not on the hunt for ex-husband number four.”  Brianna joked trying to lighten the mood, Dominique clicked her tongue loudly, “who says I’m not!? I’m still ticked at that jerk for leaving me, but enough of my personal drama, girl, you got to know who you’re dealing with where Rykers concerned.”

“
He may be the godfather of my twins, but he is the very definition of a ladies man, and he’s never been known to be satisfied with just one woman.” Brianna shrugged her shoulders, feigning indifference, before saying “Maybe that’s what I need, I’m not looking to ever get married again anyways, I’m finally living again Dominique, I don’t want to ever be in love again like some dumb school girl. That girl is gone, and she took her naïve heart with her.” Dominique had gotten to know her well in their short time together, and the only other time she’d seen such a determined look about her was when she discussed how she’d left Mike. They dished some more about Ryker, and when she left Dominique actually felt sorry for Ryker, thinking this time he may have met his match.

Ryker spent his entire day off  wishing he were at work, so that he could concentrate on something else besides the trio of beauties he had spent the previous evening with. Brianna with her long hair and
short shapely legs. Her innocent stare, as if she had no idea what she was doing to him.

He thought that even if he spent a hundred years trying to learn what made her tick, he would never know everything that made her who she is.  He was baffled that he wanted to take the time to try.

He thought about the two beautiful little kids, and how they had accepted him in as a friend without crying or acting out for attention from their mother. A true testament to how well adjusted and secure they were in knowing that they held their momma’s heart, and God knows they had probably witnessed plenty that would render most kids untrusting even suspicious.

He banged his head against the punching bag
in the gym and rested for a minute. Dude what you so worked up about are. I haven’t seen you this distracted since---.” Aiden took a gulp of water shrugging before going on. “Since well, since ever?” Ryker finished mopping up the sweat from his brow, and flicked the end of his towel towards his brother sending the water bottle flying. “Shut up.”

Throwing his hands up Aiden exclaimed “Dude!” Ryker flicked the towel again, thankful for the distraction, this time
he left a welt on Aiden’s shoulder. “Ahhhh, what’s your deal?!”  Aiden was the younger of the two, but he was the fastest, before Ryker could move out of harm’s way, Aiden had him pinned to the lockers, relentlessly pounding with his middle knuckle. Over and over he punched him that way, an action they’d named froggin’ when they were kids.

Ryker sucked in air through his teeth, when his arm felt like raw hamburger meat he gave in. “Time out, man time out!”  Aiden licked his knuckle like a true ten year old, and jabbed him one last time. Ryker rolled his arm and leaned in
conspiratorially. “Yeah?” asked Aiden expectantly, and Ryker seeing the perfect opportunity, flicked his wrist backwards and up, effectively froggin’ his brother right in the junk. Aiden went down with an “Oomph” while Ryker laughed all the way to the showers.

He’d left the Gym with every intention of going straight home, but instead of taking that left at the stop sign, he turned right, and turned into Brianna’s apartment. He didn’t know why he’d fought it in the first place
, he should have just come right over first thing this morning. He could’ve stood there grinning like a doofus way earlier. That and his arm wouldn’t be throbbing.

At first he thought maybe she wasn’t home, but then noticed the radio on and something cooking on the stove. He stopped mid knock when she walked into the kitchen. She had her hair up knotted high in two messy pig tails, the
oversized night shirt she wore had slipped completely off her shoulder and the hem just covered the top of her thighs. She was so immersed in her book with her head down that she never looked up, even as she reached into the fridge for a soda.

She almost jumped out of her skin when she caught a glimpse of Ryker standing with his arm up at the door.
Brianna dropped the soda can causing it spu wildly around the little kitchen. She was busy hopping around trying to catch the mini aluminum bottle rocket when she saw that her book was drenched, she screamed while trying to rescue it.

Brianna darted to the sink and started dabbing at the soak pages with a towel before it was completely ruined. She yelled over her shoulder for Ryker to “Come in already before the upstairs neighbor call
s 911.” His mind screamed a warning to turn around and get the heck outta, but other parts of his body were begging him to stay. He stepped through the door way with a conciliatory look on his face. He rubbed his chin and looked around the soda stained walls and wet tiles.

He lifted his brows and that’s how he looked
when she turned around, like some sexy model in a men’s fitness magazine, and he was standing there in her kitchen. It was no surprise to her that she found the sight of his flexing muscles under the gym shirt somewhat enticing, or that the sweat pants managed to look every bit as sexy as the uniform pants she’d seen him in up until now. Of course he worked out on his days off she thought, guys don’t just morph into the Wolverine once they reach maturity, and they have to work for a chest like that.

It was her turn to stand frozen in admiration, but with her it was obvious by the flushed cheeks, that she’d been ogling. He put his hand on his hips, mocking offense, as if he didn’t appreciate her treating him like some piece of meat.
Realizing she was too busy with her musings to notice his teasing he laughed loud and hard. He even bent down, resting his hand on one knee, while holding his aching gut with the other, much like she’d done when he’d busted his butt the night before.

His laughter at her expense brought her back to the here and now and she playfully threw the ruined copy of the Notebook. It smack landed with a loud
whack upside his face. That had surprised him, but he still would’ve kept laughing had it not been for the wide eyed look of shock on her face that he could see above both her hands that covered her mouth.