Chapter 20
twenty
the black sheep
H alf of Ryan looked forward to going to work. That half wanted to see Elissa so bad it would be embarrassing if he admitted it to anyone. That half was downright panting at the idea of collecting even more spank bank material for his imagination.
The other half of Ryan was as nervous as the first time he ever asked out a girl in eighth grade. Sweaty palms, racing heart, and a cock that wouldn’t behave no matter how many times he jerked off in the shower.
Maybe she had merely missed the phone number he’d dropped into her bag when she wasn’t looking. Or she had chosen not to call. Which would be worse?
The morning flew by as he fielded questions, answered the phones, and went over Val’s checklist. It wasn’t a difficult job, but it demanded attention to detail and prompt replies, two things he’d struggled with all his life.
His ADHD brain could focus when it wanted.
Unfortunately, property management details did not give enough happy brain chemicals to make it easy in this case.
Ryan was more than ready for lunch when it rolled around.
He’d brought a sandwich today, unwilling to take any chance of missing Elissa’s visit, and ate it on the bench in front of the office. The sun warmed his face and his soul.
February was one of his favorite months. Between the generally excellent weather for riding and the Tucson Rodeo, it flew by. But this year, who knew?
Sandwich long gone, he lounged on the bench, waiting for his afternoon visitor.
A familiar sedan pulled in and parked in a visitor spot.
His heart raced in anticipation, only to be rewarded when the door opened and Elissa’s petite figure stepped out of the vehicle.
Today, she wore a black skirt with a gauzy overlay.
Although the gauzy part came to mid-calf, the opaque skirt was a few inches above her knees, giving him the impression that the half-hidden skin was something scandalous, something he wasn’t supposed to see.
Scattered across the fabric, blue polka-dots perfectly matched her royal blue, sleeveless V-neck shirt, which hinted at the swell of her breasts.
Ryan suppressed the urge to whistle in appreciation. Instead, he refocused his attention on her car. Anything to quell the hunger her presence sparked. He glanced around—no one else was nearby—and adjusted his hardening cock.
Focus on the car, asshole, not the woman.
In the dark parking lot of Nopalitos, he’d paid little attention to anything other than the battery.
The BMW with faded dark blue paint had to be at least fifteen years old.
Accountants made decent money, but she may have had to take out loans, making an old, mostly reliable vehicle a better fit.
It seemed to be in good shape otherwise, and he heard no concerning squeals as it drove past. In his examination of her car, his gaze inadvertently landed on the trunk as she bent over to retrieve something from it.
Her round ass had him hard again, goddammit.
He adjusted himself again, but the movement drew her attention to him. A smile twitched up the corners of her lips, and she shifted so the swell of her breasts became full-on cleavage. He got a clear view of her black lace bra and suppressed a groan as he rose off the bench.
Think boring thoughts. Math, basketball stats, inventory lists.
Finally certain he wouldn’t embarrass himself, he approached her and waved. Her sparkling eyes were even more blue today, mirroring the color of her shirt.
“Need any help?” he asked as she pulled out a folding cart.
“No, I’m fine.”
Ryan fought the desire to offer his hand in greeting, afraid what his reaction to even this simple, everyday touch would be.
“Okay. I’ll show you to the file room.”
He turned around and led her to the building, holding the door open for her and her little cart. Elissa paused in the reception area while he passed her.
“Ms. Wright is here for the files. I’ll be back as soon as I help her,” he told his cousin, who manned the phones during his lunch break.
She looked over at Elissa and a knowing grin spread over her face. This would not be good for him.
“Sure thing, Ryan, but leave the door open at least three inches.” Her eyes darted between Ryan and Elissa, and she waggled her eyebrows suggestively at her older cousin.
“Trinity, we’re not teenagers anymore. I’m helping Ms. Wright with the file boxes Val and I put together last week.”
“Sure you are, cuz. Sure.”
“Whatever.” He led her through the open office and into the hall. Trinity’s soft laugh followed them. He glanced back. “Do you work with your family, Ms. Wright?”
The color had risen in her cheeks again, painting them a lovely pink. Her skin was so responsive. He’d love… Nope, keep your brain out of the gutter .
“Oh, God, no,” Elissa said with a chuckle. “Don’t get me wrong, I love my brother and sister and my parents, but we’d be at each other’s throats if we had to work together.”
Her smile returned. He needed it to stay.
“Then count yourself lucky.” He gave her the full DeMarco smile. “This way.”
He continued past the break room and to the file room where he’d spent a good chunk of last week. The boxes were on a table right next to the door, which Ryan left open. More than three inches.
“This is everything?”
“As far as I know. If anything is missing, I’m only a phone call away.”
He kept the smile plastered on his face. Now wasn’t a bad time to find out if she was ignoring him or just hadn’t seen the phone number. Half the office was at lunch, and the hall was empty. He grabbed the first box and placed it on the cart.
“I’m sorry?—”
“About that phone?—”
They spoke at the same time. Her eyes widened and her cheeks turned an even deeper shade of pink, highlighting her freckles. Fuck him. He loved this look for her.
“Please, ladies first,” he said gruffly.
“What makes you think I’m a lady?” She was downright red now.
He wasn’t gonna touch that with a ten-foot pole. “Fine, I’ll go first. I’m sorry I gave you my number unsolicited. I felt a connection during the break and didn’t want to lose the chance to talk to you again. I’ll keep this professional whether you call or not. Promise.”
She wouldn’t meet his eyes. Shit. Oh well, win some, lose some.
“I tried,” she said in a quiet voice. She cleared her throat and finally met his gaze. “I must have deleted ten messages in the last week. I-I have this little tendency to overthink things, and, well, it was turned up to eleven this week.”
Oh. A small spark of hope took root in his soul.
“I get it. My problem is the exact opposite. ADHD usually has me leaping, then looking. One of the reasons why I said what I said at the Sandpiper. Most of the time, I live to regret my mistakes.”
“So far, you’ve lived to regret all your mistakes, I think.”
“True.”
She laughed and leaned back against the filing cabinet she stood next to and looked him up and down.
“Okay, I have a question I’ve been dying to ask. You don’t have to tell me, but who, exactly, were you expecting to meet that day? You’d obviously forgotten her name.”
“Someone my mother was trying to set up with my brother. He wanted Mom off his case, and I wanted to do anything to appease my parents other than work here, so I agreed to take her out.”
“Did you try again?”
“No. I texted and said she didn’t want to date an asshole like me.”
She tapped a finger on her lips as her smile widened. “Do you know how I described you to my friend?”
He shook his head.
“Jerk-Ryan.”
Not as bad as he expected. Most of the women he knew would’ve called him something much worse. Asshole or fuckwit were perennial favorites.
“But my friend called you something NSFW.”
Ah. There you go.
“I wanted to call and apologize that night,” he said. “But…”
“You realized you’d been on the wrong date.”
He nodded. Elissa pressed her lips together and twisted them to the side in an effort to think through her options. It was damn cute.
“Okay, I’ll accept your apology,” she said after a moment. “But on two conditions.”
Ryan couldn’t keep the smile from creeping up. “Name them.”
“First, why did you want to avoid working here?”
“I’m the black sheep. Zero interest in the family business.
My dad thinks I’m wasting my life and told me he’d cut me off from the trust fund my grandparents set up if I didn’t clean up my act.
Working here was one way, but I thought if I could bring home someone more to their liking, I could get them off my back. ”
“So, you asking me to be arm candy was a compliment?”
“No, it was a dick move. I don’t always think through the consequences. What’s the second condition?”
“Take me on another date.”