Taming the Playboy (3 page)

Ryan belly laughed.  “You don’t give yourself enough credit.  And I think you give me way too much.  Don’t count out a serious relationship someday.  If Mark Moretti can do it, anyone can.”

Chapter 4

“OK, do two more reps and you are done.  See?  Not so bad.  You’re even smiling.”  Ryan snapped his towel at his new client and she blushed.

“If I get to work out with you every time, I will be fit before you know it.”  She grabbed her water bottle.  “I enjoyed it, Ryan.  Thank you.”

She stepped in to hug him so he opened his arms and gave her a tight squeeze.  Nothing. She was hot and he was hoping his body would respond.  He watched her walk to the locker room and growled. “Grrrr. Nothing.”

“What’s up with you?”  Caleb stopped the treadmill.  “You have been totally vacant for about a week.  You ok?”

“Shit, dude.  I don’t know.  I met this girl and she’s got me totally wrecked.  I am screwed.”  Ryan threw Caleb a towel and shook his head.

Caleb stood there with his jaw dropped.  “I’m sorry.  What?”

“Don’t be a douche, C.  You heard me.”

“No.  I don’t think I did.  There is a woman?  One woman?”

Ryan glared at him. “I am not a fucking robot.  Yes.  There is one woman.  And I am freaking the fuck out so I would appreciate it if you stopped looking at me like I lost my damn mind and help me!”

Caleb threw his head back and laughed.  Really laughed.  The angrier Ryan became, the more Caleb laughed.  “This is too good, West.  I guess it must be serious since you haven’t made one comment about the size of her chest or the curve of her ass. Those are usually the first things I hear about.Does anyone know?”

“Hell no. And they won’t know because you are going to keep your Irish mouth shut. And the size of her tits are for me to know. You got it?”

Kevin jogged past them and met his client at the door.  “Layla Barringer.  How are you beautiful?”

Layla hugged Kevin and rolled her eyes as he whispered something in her ear.  Ryan’s body straightened.  Caleb looked from Ryan, to Kevin, and back to Ryan.  “No way man.  Seriously?  Please tell me it is not Sophie’s sister.”

Ryan walked toward Layla with a grin on his face.  Her face lit up when she saw him.  She stepped out of Kevin’s grip and into Ryan’s arms.  “What are you doing here?”

She mumbled into his chest.  “Kevin offered me some training sessions.  If I am going to blend in this beautiful city, I figured I better take him up on them.”

Ryan shook his head and pulled her tighter.  “You could never just blend in.  You have to know that.  But why didn’t you ask me, Lay?”

She stepped back and looked him in the eyes.  Her brown eyes sizzled and Ryan’s stomach jumped.  “I wanted to be able to concentrate.  And there is something about being with you that makes it hard to do that.”

Kevin pulled her out of his arms.  “Come on Layla.  We have some work to do.”

Caleb walked to Ryan and smacked him on the side of his head.  “You are so screwed man.”

****

“Dude, grab me a beer while you’re up.”  Mark yelled to Ryan as he walked out of the living room.

“Yes master.  Anyone else need anything?”  Ryan looked around the room at all his friends.  Only Layla looked up and smiled.  He laughed and walked to the kitchen.

Game night at Moretti’s.  It had been a tradition since they were young.  In middle school, game night meant board games and slumber parties and lots of soda.  In high school, it was sneaking beers and texting girls and sneaking out after midnight to hook up.  Now it meant once a month baseball or football games on the flat screen with dates and wives and soon to be families.  Despite all the changes life had offered, the Moretti gang always made sure their once a month tradition remained a priority.

Ryan nudged the fridge closed with his foot and set the beers on the counter.  He jumped when he saw Layla standing there.  It had been a week since he had seen her and his brain screamed at him to touch her.  She smiled and rubbed against him as she walked past him into the dark dining room. She nodded her head to the empty room and he practically ran to meet her.

“Shhh.”  She pulled his face to hers and crushed her lips against his.  He pulled her up against him, instantly hard.  She wrapped her legs around his waist.  Her core ground against his jeans and she bit his lip.

“Fuck, Layla.  Let’s go upstairs.”  He whispered against her lips. 

“We can’t.  They will notice we’re gone.”  She ran her hands under his shirt and smiled as his muscles jumped beneath her fingers.  “But if you want to hang afterwards, I will figure out a way to get you up there.”

“Screw afterwards.”  His fingers dove into her.  “Next time you wear a skirt with no panties, you will be spanked, Ms. Barringer.” 

She closed her eyes and buried her head in his shoulder.  His fingers pumped into her, drenched by her desire.  He pinched her nipple and she moaned into his shirt.  She fumbled to get his fly open but his fingers were magic and she stopped as the first pull of her orgasm began to build.  “Shit.  Shit.  Shit.  I want you inside me.  Now Ryan.  Please.  I want you to come with me.  Please Ryan.”

Mark’s voice rang out from the living room.  “West.  Where the hell are you?  I’m parched.” 

Layla whimpered and bit Ryan’s shoulder.

They heard footsteps in the kitchen and Caleb cleared his throat.  “I got it Mark.  He’s in the bathroom.  Stop your bitching.”

“Thank Christ.”  Ryan unbuttoned his shorts and rubbed his hardened length between her folds.  “Caleb knows.  Relax.  He’s got it.”

As he ran himself through her wetness, she groaned.  He circled her clit with the head and she instantly crumbled.  Her legs shook and her head fell back.  She tried to stay quiet but a groan snuck through her lips.  He crushed his mouth to hers.  Caleb continued to bang around the kitchen, trying to cover their noise.

Ryan was panting.  “We have to stop.  I don’t have a condom.”  He tried to set her down on the floor.

She reached into the back pocket of her skirt.  “I never start something I can’t finish Mr. West.  You have ten seconds to burry yourself in me.”

He ripped the condom open with his teeth and slid it on in record time.  He carried her to the dining room table and set her down.  His strokes were frantic.  “I never want to stop fucking you.  God you are hot.”

“What the hell are you doing in there, C?  Stop with all the noise.  The sox are on damnit.”  Mark’s voice yelled out from the living room once more.

“Can I help you?”  Sophie’s voice was closer.

“Come here Soph.”  Caleb grabbed her and hugged her.  There was whispering.

“I don’t care if all of them walk in here.”  Ryan grunted against Layla’s lips.  “There is no way in hell I can stop now.”

Layla panted.  “Don’t you dare stop.  I am so close.” 

Layla began frantically chewing on her bottom lip.  Her breaths came faster.  Ryan could feel her core heating.  Her orgasm ripped through her, spasms clenched Ryan and pushed him over the edge.  His body shuttered and he closed his eyes.  “Fuck.”

A minute later, their eyes met and they both smiled.  Layla pushed him off her and straightened her skirt.  On her tip toes, she nibbled at the sensitive flesh behind his ear.  “That was amazing.  I expect an encore performance in a few hours.”  She giggled.

Ryan grabbed her arm as she walked by.  “Can I take you out tomorrow night?”

Layla stopped.  “I thought you didn’t do dates.”

Waving his arms around the empty room, Ryan laughed.  “We just screwed on my best friend’s dining room table while everyone is sitting in the next room.  You’ve got me doing all kinds of shit I don’t do.”

“Hurry up in that bathroom, West.  It’s the seventh inning stretch.”  Caleb popped the top of a beer can.  “Marco is on his feet.”  He whispered around the corner.

Layla ran to Caleb.  “Thank you Caleb.  You aren’t such a douche bag after all.”

Ryan and Caleb both laughed as she ran into the living room and sat back down.

****

Layla and Ryan walked hand in hand along the pier.  Her purple sundress blew in the early evening wind.  The sun was setting and the sky was painted with pinks and oranges and yellows.  It was breathtaking.  But Ryan’s eyes remained fixed on her.  She smiled at other couples as they passed.  She picked up a toy a child had dropped.  She even patted the head of a straggly dog.

He stopped and turned her to face him.  “You are amazing, Layla.  Thank you for coming out with me tonight.”  His lips met hers, slowly and gently.  He kissed her mouth, then her jaw and her neck. 

He nibbled at her ear and she giggled.  “Why, Mr. West.  If I didn’t know better, I would think you were coming on to me.”

He laughed and pulled her into a hug.  “Not tonight baby.  We did things totally backwards.  Don’t get me wrong.  I have enjoyed every second of this more than you will ever know.  But tonight, I just want to kiss you goodnight and hold you and look at how beautiful you are.  I have dessert at the house.  I want to sit on the back porch with you in my lap and feed it to you.  I want you to stay with me tonight.”

She melted into him. “You are so different than I imagined you would be.  You are so different from the Ryan I see when you are with your friends.  It is refreshing.”

Tugging her toward the car, he laughed.  “Don’t be too impressed.  A new day starts at Midnight, darling.  All bets are off then.”

They laughed and talked on the way to Ryan’s house.  He was so at ease with her.  Their conversation flowed smoothly and his heart pounded in his chest.  He had made fun of mark when he talked about feeling like this.
  He had been sure to fight this feeling his whole life.  But this was new.  No one had ever made him weak kneed.  No one had ever pleased him the way she did.  Their bodies fit together perfectly.  His hands knew every spot she loved.  He knew every curve of her face.  They even knew what the other was thinking.  He had known her such a short time and she had stormed into his life like a hurricane.  There was no turning back.  He would keep his feelings hidden.  The thought of losing her terrified him.  But the thought of a relationship, commitment and all the romantic shit he had shied away from his whole life scared him even more.

“Where did you go?  You were a million miles from here.”  Layla smiled as they curled up together on the couch.  “Everything ok?”

His smile told her everything she needed to know.  But he said it anyway.  “I am better than OK.  I am happy, Lay.  God that sounds totally sappy.  Sorry.”  His laugh was contagious. “Now that I have made a fool of myself, I might as well ask.  Are you happy?”

She smiled.  “I am very happy.” 

Chapter 5

Ryan woke up with his arms and legs wrapped around Layla.  She was so beautiful and he smiled that she was his. This was the third night in a row she had spent at his house.  Mark had started asking questions about what she was doing at night and she had told him she was going out with a friend.  Ryan knew he would need to come clean.  He didn’t like that they were hiding their relationship.  Relationship?  He tried that word on for size.  Sigh.  Yes, relationship.  She was stealing his heart despite his best efforts to prevent it.

“Lay, I have to get up for work.  Stay as long as you want.”  Ryan whispered in her ear and kissed her forehead. 

He showered in no time and threw on his basketball shorts and Red Sox cap.  She stirred when he sat on the edge of the bed to tie his tennis shoes.  Her hands roamed up his back and tugged him down onto the mattress.  “You have to leave so soon?”  She rolled on top of him, straddling his legs.  “It’s too early to leave this bed.  I don’t think you have gotten the proper good morning yet.”
 

Ryan laughed as he rolled her onto her back, climbing on top of her and taking back the control.  “You are going to be the death of me woman.  But, I can’t think of a better way to go.”

He tugged his shorts off and buried himself in her.  They smiled and moaned and lost themselves for a few more minutes.  Today was the day he was going to tell his buddies.  He was ready.

****

Work dragged on all morning.  They had double booked his training slots and by the end of what turned into an eleven hour day, Ryan was exhausted.  The business at the gym had almost doubled after the article about him ran.  His personal training spots were full for the next two weeks.  He had cleared an extra day to work with a few of his celebrity clients. 

He thought about Layla all day.  She meant so much in such a short time.  He was done fighting it.  He needed to let her know that she meant something to him.  He wasn’t the marrying kind.  And he didn’t plan on ever taking that road.  But a committed relationship with her seemed to sit well with him.  After years of shallow relationships and friends with benefits, he felt ready to commit to something.  And he believed in them
as a couple. 

The sun was starting to set as he drove to Mark and Sophie’s new house.  His mind was racing.  He knew Mark would be protective of Layla.  Their relationship had become rock solid in the short time since he had flown her out to California to surprise Sophie at Molly’s wedding.  So much had changed since.  Layla had helped Mark go through a tough time that was spurred on by a very jealous Caleb and a huge misunderstanding.  In the end, Sophie and Mark had found their way back to each other and Layla had become a permanent fixture in Mark and Sophie’s new home.  She would soon be his sister in law.  Ryan wondered if Mark would be supportive or angry.  Sighing, he knew it would be the latter.  His playboy status would be the breaking point for Mark

He took a deep breath and knocked.  A minute later the door flew open.  “Hey man, come in.  This is a surprise.  Everything ok?”  Mark led Ryan into the kitchen and handed him a beer.

Ryan looked out the back doors and saw Sophie and Layla swimming in the pool.  He smiled. “Yes.  Everything is fine.  I just needed a minute to talk with you if you’ve got it.”
 

“I always have time.  What’s up?”  Mark took a seat on the barstool next to him.

Ryan looked Mark right in the eye.  “I’ve met somebody.”

Mark’s beer can slipped from
his hand.  “What?”  They both grabbed some paper towels from the counter.

“Really with the dramatics?  Nice touch with the can slipping out of your hands. Why is this so shocking to everyone?”

Mark laughed.  “Do I really need to answer that?”

“No. I guess not.  Just don’t bust my balls when I tell you the rest.”

Mark sat back down.  “Well, now you’ve got my attention.”

Ryan paced the kitchen floor.  Why was he so nervous?  One more glance out at the pool and he was ready.  “It started out as just a one time thing.  I helped her take some stuff up to her new place and we hooked up.  It was off the charts.  Man, it was.. I will spare you the details. Of course, I was sure it would end there.  You know me, man.  No repeat hookups.  But she is so hot.  And I started to actually think about her. Then we reconnected the night you guys took me out to celebrate the magazine article.  We hooked up a few other times and now we have seen each other almost everyday.  She has spent this whole week at my place.”

Mark’s jaw dropped.  “You let a woman in your house?  To spend the night?”

Ryan laughed so loud that Sophie and Layla turned around and looked at him.  “Dude, I can’t help myself.  I have started having all those pussy emotions that you and Rich always talk about.  I have turned into a chick.  I am so screwed.”  He ran his hands through his hair.

“My little boy is growing up.  Sophie, get in here.”  Mark yelled as the back door slid open.  “Ryan has lost his damn mind.”

“No!”  Ryan tried to stop Mark but it was too late.  “I wasn’t done.  Shit.  Come on in.  You are going to hear it eventually.”

“What’s happening?”  Layla followed Sophie into the house. 

Mark stood up, cleared his throat and with a dramatic sweep of his arms, he said,  “Ryan has met someone.”

“Shut up!” Sophie ran to him and gave him a hug.  “When can we meet her?”

Ryan started pacing again.  He looked at Layla and she blushed.  She actually blushed.  There may have been a few times he thought she had blushed before but this was different.  She was nervous. He hadn’t seen this side of his confident and sexy bed buddy.  She walked to him and wrapped her towel more tightly around her.  He looked down at her and she smiled. The room got quiet.

“No.”  Mark stood up from the bar stool.  “No no no no no.  No way.”

Sophie looked at Mark, then back to Layla and Ryan.  “What am I missing?”

“Marco, don’t kill me.  You know I didn’t plan this shit.  It just happened and now I don’t want it to stop.”  Ryan kept his eyes glued to Layla.

“Oh for the love of God.  We are adults.  We aren’t getting married.  We just don’t want to hide it anymore.”  Layla’s eyes shot daggers at Mark.  She threw her arms around Ryan and he leaned down to kiss her.  The kiss was deep and loaded with passion.  It went on for what seemed like hours as Mark and Sophie stared. 

“Holy shit.”  Sophie watched as Layla led Ryan up the stairs.

****

After rummaging through Mark’s dresser for something to wear to sleep, Ryan climbed into Layla’s bed to watch television.   Her room smelled like her, warm vanilla and sunshine.  He chuckled remembering Mark’s reaction.  He was determined to prove he was worthy of her.

He put his arm around Layla and she buried her face into his chest.  They sat in silence.  He had never met someone he could just be quiet with.  It was refreshing.  When they talked, they connected.  But when they sat quietly, Ryan could feel his stress and worry disappear.  He was at peace with her.  She was home to him.  She was his body’s other half.

“I need to tell you something.  I know we agreed this would just be fun.  But, Lay, I really like you.”  Ryan held his breath.

Her eyes went wide with surprise.  She smiled at him.  “I really like you too.”

He let out the breath he had been holding.  “It seems early to feel this way.  I haven’t done the relationship thing before.  But I would like to see where this goes.”

She kissed him.  The kiss was slow and tender.  He felt like his heart could explode.  “I would love to see where this goes.  I’m not looking for forever.  I know you aren’t either.  But I think about you a lot during the day.  That hasn’t happened to me before.”

Ryan laughed.  “I think about you too.”  He pulled her into his lap.  A few strands of hair fell from her ponytail and he swept them behind her ear.  “You know that photo shoot I did for the magazine?  Well, the gym wants me to do a shoot to be one of the faces of the franchise.  I have to be in Boston on Tuesday.”

Layla squealed.  “Ryan, that’s fantastic.  You deserve it!  You work hard and God knows you are the hottest man I have ever seen. This is so great.”

Ryan just grinned.  “Come with me.  Come see my old stomping ground. And honestly, I have gotten used to sleeping next to you every night.  I’m not sure if this old sap can actually still sleep alone.”

“I wish I could.  I have a third interview Tuesday.  I really want this job.  And I am almost positive they are going to offer it to me.  This interview is with the president of the company.  I can’t miss it.”  She sighed.

“Fine.  But you have to promise me that I can take you out to Boston someday for a Sox game.  Maybe you can meet Jacoby.”
 

“That would be a dream come true.  You know I am marring him, right?”

Ryan tickled her and she screamed.  “Lay, I will fight him to the death for you.”