4. Ryan
Chapter 4
Ryan
T hat kiss stayed with me all day, which was crazy because, at first, I thought it was just for show. But it wasn’t just anything. That kiss shook me to my core, turned me on immediately, and the only thing my mind focused on was kissing her more and deeper. Taking that kiss to the next level. It hadn’t mattered to me that Jane Moon was our audience. If Torey hadn’t pulled back, I’d have her pressed up against the brick wall in the alley, screaming my name.
I spent most of the afternoon and early evening thinking about that kiss, wondering if having dinner at her place was a good idea. We’d be alone, free to explore our connection without interruption. But despite my reservations, I found myself on Torey’s doorstep at five minutes to seven, waiting anxiously for her to answer. If she didn’t answer, it was the perfect excuse to call the whole thing off.
So, of course, she opened the door seconds later, looking good enough to devour whole. “Hey Ryan.” Torey stepped back and waved me inside. “This is weird. Right?”
I stopped and turned to face her. “We can stop whatever this is right here before it gets started.”
“No,” she replied and waved me off. “It’s just odd because I’ve known you most of my life, but we’ve never spent time together like this. It’ll pass, I’m sure.” She flashed a bright smile. “Come on, I’m in the kitchen. What’s in the bag?”
It was my turn to feel uncertain as I held up the paper bag. “It’s beer. I remember how you felt after you and Nix stole that bottle of wine, and you said you were never drinking wine again. I wasn’t sure if it was still true, but I brought a six-pack of Lover’s Amber Ale.” It was a special brew just for the holiday, and suddenly, I felt like a fool for bringing it.
Torey stared at me with a blank expression, but her smile grew until she lunged at me and wrapped me in a hug. “It’s my favorite and it’s always hard to come by this time of year. Thanks, Ry.”
The feel of her against me was too good, and when she pulled back, there was relief and disappointment.
“Honestly, Krista was inside, and I chickened out.” She hugged me again before she stilled and stepped back. “Sorry. I keep invading your space.”
“Don’t be.” I liked having her close to me. She smelt good and felt better, and I wanted more. “This is different, but not bad different.”
“Agreed,” she grinned. “You’re an excellent hugger.”
I smiled rather than reminding her that she was doing all of the hugging. “What’s for dinner?”
Torey inhaled deeply and let it out slowly, her blue gaze focused on me. “It’s different, but if you keep an open mind, I promise it will be delicious.”
I gave a sharp nod. “Okay. I trust you.”
Her eyes brightened, and her shoulders relaxed. She cracked open two beers before she made two plates and brought them to the kitchen table. “Bean puree, roasted vegetables, and grilled steak to go along with a fresh loaf of rustic-style garlic bread.”
It was odd-looking, but the smells coming from the plate were delicious. “Wow, this looks and smells incredible, Tor.”
“Good, that’s what I was going for.” She raised her beer bottle. “To a good meal with an old yet new friend.”
We tapped our bottles together, and I was oddly touched by the ceremony of her toast. It wasn’t something we did often on missions or on leave, but I appreciated the effort. “Cheers.”
She took a few bites, eyeing me nervously between each one before she set down her fork and folded her hands in her lap. “So, the Matchmaking Brigade is back in action, and they’re competing on who can match the most young people.” She recounted what she overheard in a slightly panicked manner. “Because there are stakes, each woman will be relentless in pursuing all the singles in town…unless we pretend to be a couple.” Her eyes widened as if something just occurred to her. “Shit, unless you’re looking to be matched. Sorry, it just never occurred to me. My bad.”
It was cute that she was worried, so I lifted a hand and shook my head. “I don’t. You’re good.” It was early days, and I was still hopeful that PT would work and have me back in the field well before summer. “I have my reasons.”
“Right. Okay. So we’re doing this?”
I nodded slowly. “We are, but it’ll only work if we’re mission ready.”
Her dark brows dipped in confusion. “What does that mean exactly?”
“If we’re going to pretend to be a couple, then we need to act like a couple and know each other.” Truthfully, I was curious about who Torey was as a woman. We grew up together, but we weren’t friends; she was always my kid sister’s best friend.
Now she was my girlfriend.
My fake girlfriend.
“Okay.” She sipped from her beer bottle. “Tell me about the Army. Who’s your best friend?”
Her question surprised me. I didn’t know what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t that question. “We call him Crazy Boy, but his name is Jared. He’s a mixed-race dude with green eyes and an insane love of Metallica. Brave and crazy son of a bitch. The guy can fix anything out in the field too. He’s a good dude to have your back any time, any where. We’ve been friends since the day we arrived in the Army.”
“That’s cool. Where is he now?”
“On another mission.” Without me, but I kept that part to myself.
“So what are you doing here?” She leaned in close. “Are you undercover?”
A slow smile spread across my face. “I’m not a cop, Torey.”
“Right.”
“You saw why I’m back, I was shot.”
She gasped. “But you’re all right? No fragments swimming around in there?”
“None,” I assured her.
Torey relaxed and her face lit up with a smile as she told me about baking bread and social media for a few companies in Holiday Grove. “Nix wants to make me a partner, but the bakery is hers, and it would feel weird to join in. Right?”
“Not if you’re doing work worthy of a partner. Don’t sell yourself short.”
“I won’t,” she promised and studied me again. “Okay, so you can’t talk about your super-secret government work, but what do you do in between missions? Do you stay at whatever base is close or do you travel and have adventures?”
This was one of my favorite topics, and I leaned in close, smiling. “I love travel adventures.”
Her eyes lit with excitement. “Tell me everything!”
That’s exactly what I did. I shared stories about my adventures in Athens, Rome, Barcelona, Berlin, and Paris. We laughed and drank as we got reacquainted. Hell, it was one of the best dates I’d had in years. I hadn’t laughed or talked with a woman so much in too long.
“If not for the bombs and bullets, I’d be jealous.” She tilted her head to the side. “I’m glad you’re all right, Ry.”
“Me too.” By the time dinner and dessert were over, three and a half hours had passed. It was late, and I needed to get home, but I’d had about two too many beers to drive.
Torey walked me to the front door, placing her delicate hands on my chest. “I would offer to let you stay, but after that kiss earlier, I think it might be a bad idea.”
I liked that she was straightforward, honest about her reasons. “Yeah, you're probably right.”
Her smile returned. “Noah is going to drive you home. He’s the local rideshare. Seventeen, in need of money to help him get out of town, so he’s also motivated. You’ll be safe.”
I grunted and she laughed.
“Look at the happy couple.” Molly and Jane walked side by side across the street, their gaze a little too focused on us.
“Nosy,” Torey grumbled and gripped my shirt in her fists. “I know what I said earlier, but I need you to lay a proper goodbye kiss on me, Ryan, and I need you to sell it.”
My heart thudded against my chest, but I simply smiled. “Yes, ma’am.” I pulled her so close that our shoulders and hips touched. My lips descended on hers in a fiery kiss that caught me off guard again. Her lips were soft and pillowy, her tongue wet and pliant. She moaned and melted into the kiss, which was hot as hell.
I swallowed down her every moan and pressed her against the house with my body as I pressed my hips against hers. She pushed back and flicked her tongue against mine with another moan. Torey pulled back eventually, wide-eyed and breathless. “Damn.”
“Too much?”
She nodded and then shook her head before her forehead fell against my chest. “It was too much in the best possible way. Now get out of here before I forget this is fake.”
I knew exactly how she felt, which was why I wore a smile as young Noah pulled up to take me home, where I thought about nothing but Torey for the rest of the night.
It was safe to say that I’d developed a small—tiny, really—crush on my sister’s best friend.