“You can’t go to a Mexican restaurant without having a margarita, especially with chips and salsa. It’d be a sin not to.”
He snorts, covering an apple slice in peanut butter. “If you say so.”
“Hey! You’re taking it all.” I push his hand with mine.
“I’m twice your size, I need to eat more.”
I scoff, then roll my eyes. “Oh please. You wish.”
He smirks, then backs away to let me get some more.
“So, Distant Diva…” I grin. “It wasn’t so bad hanging out with me last night, was it?”
Or pressing your dick into me…but I don’t think he’s ready for that conversation yet.
“You’re alright when you aren’t being all…”
“All what?” I press.
“Gossip Girl.”
“What?” I screech. “I’m not a teenager! If you’re going to compare me to a TV show at least have the decency to pick a good one.”
Ryan crosses his arms with a laugh. “Okay, fine. What TV show are you?”
It takes me only a few seconds to think before I respond. “Sex and the City. And according to the BuzzFeed quiz I took on “Which Sex and the City Character are you,” I got Carrie. So there ya go,” I say smugly before taking a drink of my water.
“I have no idea what that means.”
I laugh as I swallow, but it comes out as more of an embarrassing snort-choking.
“That was adorable.” Ryan grins.
I’m still trying to recover when I notice the faint flush of his cheeks.
“Carrie’s the star of the show,” I tell him once I can breathe again.
“Oh God, then I’m not even surprised.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” I remark before continuing, “She’s a fashion icon, which clearly I’m not at the moment, but on a good day, then yes.”
“Well of course,” he mocks.
“Carrie loves to have fun but can be serious and work hard when she has to. She loves love but is better at being a friend than in a relationship.”
“Now that—” He points at me with his bottle. “I can relate to that.”
The intense way he’s looking at me gives me the confidence to say what’s been on the tip of my tongue since I woke up.
“Well, considering the way you were all snuggled up to me this morning, my guess is you really want to be in a relationship, but as you said, you’re married to your job.”
I wait impatiently as he processes my words, neither of us speak as our eyes lock. My breathing grows rapid as my heart flutters.
“If I was snuggled up to you it was only because I was looking for body heat.”
“Oh really?” I gasp, offensively.
“Yes, really.” He taps his knuckles on the coffee table before standing. “Don’t read into it, Kendall. If I crossed a line while I was sleeping, I apologize, but it wasn’t on purpose.”
He walks away before I can respond, which is actually for the best because I’m speechless. He can lie to himself all he wants but I know he’s attracted to me. Years of us bantering and getting into heated arguments over stupid shit tells me the electricity I feel isn’t one-sided. Sure I’ve pretended I wasn’t into him, especially in front of Cami, but that was only because I couldn’t face rejection. I knew Ryan wasn’t ready for a relationship, especially with a needy woman like me. It’s time we both stop pretending there’s nothing between us and go for it.
“I’m gonna change and clean up,” he calls out from the other room. “Be back in a bit.”
“Okay.”
I’m completely bored out of my mind and wish I’d brought more things to do. I grab my sketchbook and pencils and draw until Ryan returns.
After an hour, I start to get worried and decide to put on another layer of clothes before searching for him. I don’t want things to stay awkward between us and I hope that tension dissolves.
“Hey Ryan?” I ask outside his bedroom.
“Come in,” he says, which I wasn’t expecting. I thought he’d come to the door.
Slowly, I turn the knob and peek inside. He throws on a sweatshirt, but I still manage to get a glimpse of his bare chest.
“Sorry I’ve been gone a while. Trying to clean up with limited water and looking for clothes with a flashlight took some time.”
I’m not sure how much of that is true, considering how eager he was to get away from me earlier.
“Oh, that’s fine. I’m bored and wanted to see if you could grab the Christmas decorations. I figure since there isn’t much else to do, we could make the best of the daylight and decorate while we can.”
“Sure, we’ll need some flashlights since most of it is in the basement.”
I suck in my lower lip as I watch him walk across the room. “Or you could just bring it all upstairs for me, and I could help from there?”
He shakes his head with a chuckle. “That’s the only reason you wanted me to come.”
“Well…” I stall, then shrug. “Not the only reason.”
Chapter Eight
Ryan
The moment she speaks, I stiffen and contemplate asking her what she meant. Considering how awkward things got downstairs when she mentioned our sleeping situation, I’m sure I know what she was referring to. It’s no secret there’s an attraction between us, but getting involved with Kendall Montgomery would be equally good and bad.
Good because there’s no denying she’s gorgeous. I’d devour and have her for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Bad because she’s my sister’s best friend, and if either of us caught feelings, it’d only end badly. I’m not in the position to have a relationship or give her the attention she deserves. Not to mention, I can’t think of anything we have in common besides being from wealthy families.
Kendall couldn’t be happy with someone who’d only give her a few hours of themselves a week. She’s an all or nothing kind of woman. It’s why most health care professionals end up marrying people in the same industry. We understand the dedication, long shifts, and exhaustion after working a double.
However, it’s not like I haven’t thought about it a time or two. Especially now when she’s dropping obvious hints, but I can’t allow myself to go there. Not when it could end with her getting hurt.
After she brought up fucking for fun last night combined with how we woke up this morning, I needed space. The best I could do was walk away so I didn’t stumble over my words. The truth is I do remember moving to lay closer to her in the middle of the night. As I fell asleep, I must’ve snuggled closer to feel her warmth, then held on.
I haven’t been that comfortable sleeping with someone in years.
It was hard not to move closer to her when she stirred awake. I wondered if she’d reciprocate and lean into me, but it was like she couldn’t get away fast enough. Mixed feelings swirled as we went on about our morning, but then the moment she brought it up, I denied it.
Knowing I need to grab the decorations, I grasp my flashlight and move toward the basement. She waits by the door as I go down the steps. Kendall reminds me she brought some décor but wants all the extras that are stored down here.