The Trouble with Sexy Read online

  Mike recovered enough to joke. “I think I covered it with ‘Damn.’”

  Gracie and Ryan walked toward the bar, and Gregg’s eyes were drawn to the shy smile on Ryan’s made-up face. Why was she dressed like that? And why was she wearing all that makeup? Gracie was waving to get Eric Henderson’s attention, and when Eric approached them, Mike elbowed Gregg in the ribs. “You want to go over and say hi?”

  What Gregg wanted was to live in a universe that did not leave him feeling like all the air had been sucked out of the atmosphere. When had Ryan started hanging with Gracie? There was only one way he was going to get any answers, and that was to talk to her. He sucked down the rest of his beer and walked toward Ryan and Gracie, Mike close on his heels. Before the two men rounded the bar, though, a tall guy with spiky hair and earrings approached the two women. It was immediately apparent that Ryan was his object of interest. Gregg’s eyebrows slashed in irritation as he watched the guy put money on the bar, obviously paying for Ryan and Gracie’s drinks. “Do you know that guy?” Gregg didn’t even recognize his own voice, it sounded so dark and gravelly.

  Mike shook his head and said, “Nope. He’s probably just in town for the night, slumming it with us hicks.”

  Gregg scowled as Ryan’s cheeks flushed with color and she smiled sweetly at the stranger. He watched her glossy lips as she took a sip of her drink, and he wondered if the gloss was flavored.

  Mike pushed him forward and asked, “So are we going to go over and talk to them or can I get another beer?”

  Gregg moved again, oblivious to everyone he brushed past except the alluring redheaded angel currently inhabiting Ryan’s body.

  RYAN WAS ENJOYING Chase Trepasso’s attention. She’d been horrified when she recognized him as the man in the shop who had caught her staring that morning, but after a few minutes of conversation, she realized that Chase didn’t recognize her. He’d introduced himself, bought them drinks, and given both her and Gracie his card. Jagged Rock Tattoo Parlor had been written in rough script with his name, number, and the shop address on it. He’d asked them what they did, and after listening politely to Gracie, turned to her. “What about you?”

  She wasn’t sure if she should’ve been pleased or irritated he didn’t recognize her, considering there weren’t very many redheads running around town. “I’m a photographer. I work in the studio next door to your shop.”

  “Really? I’ve been thinking of hiring a photographer to take pictures of some of my work. Maybe I could come by your studio for a price quote?” Chase was leaning on the bar next to her, and Ryan felt giddy as she looked up into his cool gray eyes. She’d dated guys before, but never had one actually come up to her with the exclusive purpose of getting to know her. Most of the time they needed help with an assignment and thought she was funny or that under her frumpy clothes there was really a wild woman waiting to rock their world.

  It was quite flattering to have such a good-looking guy taking such an interest in her, and her smile widened as she said, “Of course. I could show you my portfolio and give you a list of packages. I’m usually in the studio Monday through Friday until five, and sometimes Saturday, depending on the schedule and appointments, so if you want to set something up, I’d be happy to help.” Ryan didn’t know if it was the way he was looking at her, but she surprised herself when she added flirtatiously, “Anything you need, you just let me know.”

  “Maybe you could give me your number. That way I could call you and make sure you’re available.” He was so close to her now that she got a good whiff of Irish soap, and started to lose her nerve. Chase had the look of a bad boy, and she wasn’t quite sure she wanted to encourage him. She wanted to meet a nice man who was looking for a wife, not a hot tattoo artist looking for a fling.

  She felt Gracie’s elbow dig into her ribs and she made a split second decision, reaching into her purse for a business card and handing it to him. “Here. Now you can call me and I’ll schedule a time for us to talk.”

  He leaned close to her, and there was no missing the suggestive tone as he said, “I look forward to it.” Then he stepped back from her with a wink and said, “You ladies enjoy the rest of your night. I’ve got a lot more networking to do. No better place to advertise a tattoo parlor than a bar with a bunch of drunk people.”

  The girls laughed, and Ryan watched him move through the crowd. She turned to Gracie with wide eyes when she lost sight of him and asked, “He was hitting on me, right? I’m not making it up in my head?”

  Gracie smiled at her and confirmed, “Oh yeah. That was a definite come on. He barely looked at me.” Her smile turned into a frown and she continued, “I think I should be insulted. My hotness at least warrants a glance.”

  Ryan laughed at her new friend and squeezed her arm. “I’m pretty sure he glanced at you. Besides, you have no one to blame but yourself. You did too good a job on me.”

  Gracie appeared to ponder this. “You’re right. I did too good a job. Cover up some, and put your hair back into that prison guard bun.”

  Ryan was still laughing when Mike came up behind Gracie and gave her a smacking kiss on the cheek. Mike, Gracie, and Gracie’s best friend Gemma had been close friends since high school and still did almost everything together. Ryan smiled as Gracie slipped her arm around Mike’s waist and said, “Michael, what do you think you’re doing? You’re going to scare away all my potential conquests.”

  Mike rolled his eyes. “I think you’ve already conquested everyone in this bar.”

  Gracie fluttered her eyes at him. “Not you.”

  Ryan laughed along with Mike, who turned to her and gave her a thumbs-up. “You look awesome, Ryan. Did you do something different with your hair?”

  Ryan felt her cheeks flame with shy pleasure. “Thanks. Yeah, I got it cut. And Gracie took me shopping.”

  Ryan noticed Gregg standing a little behind Mike. His eyes were focused so intently on her face that she felt the red on her cheeks spread to her hairline. Why was he just staring at her like that, saying nothing?

  WHY AM I just standing here staring? Say something, you idiot!

  Gregg shook himself from his mesmerized state and said, “You look beautiful.”

  He watched Ryan’s eyes widen. “Thank you,” she said.

  “Michael, why don’t we go dance?” Gracie nudged Mike, who kept grinning.

  “Naw, I think I’m good here . . . yow!”

  Gracie grabbed hold of his ear, smiling at Ryan. “We’ll see you guys later.”

  Standing just at the edge of the bar, the sounds of the crowd were loud, but Gregg hardly heard them. He was too busy concentrating on Ryan’s pouty lips. He realized they were moving, and he blurted, “What?”

  She gave him a curious expression and repeated, “Are you sure it’s not too much?” He swallowed. Hard. “No, not at all. I mean, I think you always look great but . . .”

  Her eyes looked wary. “But what?”

  He tried to find the words, and finally just asked, “Why the change?”

  Her chin lifted up a notch. “Why not?”

  He didn’t have an answer for her yet. He could tell by the stiff line of her shoulders that she was feeling defensive. He knew she didn’t take criticism well and that the smallest comment could get her dander up quicker than a dog could tree a cat. Now, her disgruntled look made him smile and relax. No matter how much makeup she was wearing or how different her clothes were, she was still Ryan. She was still the girl who had a secret comic book stash in her desk that he’d found by accident while looking for a pen. She was still the same Ryan whose knees started to shake when she reached the top step on the step stool, and instead usually just waited for him to get whatever she needed from the top shelf. No matter what she did to her outsides, she was still quirky, funny Ryan on the inside.

  Gregg reached out to run his hand down her cheek, trailing his fingers over her neck and shoulders. He slid it down to take her hand and commanded softly, “Dance with me.”

&n
bsp; RYAN LET GREGG lead her out onto Buck’s crowded floor and slip the hand he held up behind his neck. He released it and slid both hands over her sides to meet at her lower back, pulling her in close to his body. He opened his hands to press her chest and lower stomach against him and slipped his leg between hers. Their bodies swayed to the beat of a Brooks & Dunn song and he couldn’t seem to stop staring at her.

  She cleared her throat and said, “You don’t like it, do you?”

  He shook his head. “That’s not it. You just don’t look like yourself. It’s a little jarring, but I’ll get used to it.”

  As far as compliments, it was definitely lacking in romance. “Gee, great.”

  His mouth tilted up in a small smile. “I just mean it’s a difference, but I like it. I do. Now can you quit being so crabby with me and smile?”

  She stuck her tongue out at him, and she felt his body stiffen. She watched his eyes darken as he stared at her mouth, and she pulled her tongue back in self-consciously. She was about to ask him what was wrong now, but when his lips descended toward her mouth, she froze. Gregg was going to kiss her. Feeling like her heart was going to explode from her chest, she caught her breath. His mouth had barely settled on hers with tender pressure when a voice broke the spell.

  “Excuse me, Gregg, but I’d like to cut in.”

  Ryan pulled back in Gregg’s arms to see Billy Montaigne standing behind Gregg’s shoulder, his white cowboy hat tilted up, showing his wide grin. Billy’s lean frame was covered by a loud button-up shirt and tight jeans, and Ryan almost scowled at the poor guy for his crappy timing.

  Ryan waited for Gregg to tell Billy to get lost, and was disappointed when he stepped back and told her, “It’s up to you.”

  Why would Gregg just step aside? If he was really interested in her, he wouldn’t just step aside for some other guy. And now he’d left it up to her, and Billy was looking at her so sweetly, she didn’t want to hurt his feelings, even if he was as dense as a brick.

  She smiled in what she hoped was a friendly manner and said, “Sure, I’d love to.”

  Gregg stepped back farther, and Billy stepped in to wrap his skinny arms around her. He held her respectfully, but Ryan’s eyes followed Gregg hungrily as he made his way back toward the bar. Ryan tried to concentrate on what Billy was yammering about, but her thoughts were so absorbed with Gregg that it was hard to keep up. Gregg had told her she was beautiful. He’d asked her to dance. He’d even kissed her in the middle of a crowded dance floor. Then given her up to another guy without protest.

  She’d wanted to get a good man’s attention. But the only good man she really wanted had walked away from her without a backward glance.

  THROUGHOUT THE REST of the night, Gregg couldn’t get another dance in with Ryan, and he was past losing his patience.

  He felt Gracie lean over and ask, “So are you going to stand here all night festering, or are you gonna do something about that big old torch you’re carrying for her?”

  Without answering her, Gregg marched onto the dance floor. He should have told Billy when he asked to cut in to get lost, but he didn’t want Ryan to think he was a possessive jerk. Now, as he watched Wayne Coulter’s hands trying to cop a feel of Ryan’s rear end, he wished he’d run the kid off, and told any other man that came tapping at his shoulder to take a hike too. Maybe if he had, he wouldn’t be watching Wayne Coulter’s hand creeping down Ryan’s back. If that hand crept any farther south, he was going to end up with a stub.

  He tapped Wayne on the shoulder firmly and said, “Hey, Wayne, I’d like to cut in.”

  Wayne, who was never quite a gentleman even when he was sober, snarled, “Back off, we’re busy.”

  Gregg felt his blood boil and tapped him harder. “Look Wayne—”

  Wayne turned around again and gave him another ornery glare. “Look, Gregg, I don’t want to tell you again. Get lost.”

  Wayne’s hand drifted down onto Ryan’s butt, and she grabbed his hand, yanking it back up to her waist. “Please keep your hands on my waist.”

  Wayne gave her a drunken grin. “Sure, sweet thang. How ’bout a kiss, then?”

  Gregg’s vision blurred into a bright red, and without a second thought, he pulled Wayne around to face him and let his fist fly. Wayne crashed to the floor and Gregg stood over him, breathing hard. The whole bar was silent, and Gregg’s harsh tone was a boom in the quiet of the crowd: “You need to learn some manners, Wayne.”

  When he lifted his gaze and caught Ryan watching him with a horrified gaze, he didn’t know who was more surprised by his actions, Ryan or himself.

  RYAN DIDN’T KNOW whether to be grateful or angry. She was handling the drunk just fine without Gregg, but somehow the thought of him stepping in to defend her honor was . . . well, exciting.

  Gracie pushed through the crowd, stopping when she reached Ryan’s side. She took in Gregg standing over the prone Wayne, and her lips kicked up into a smirk. “Are you causing bar fights now?”

  Ryan looked at Gracie in surprise, but started laughing when she saw her amusement. “Apparently.”

  Gracie slipped her arm through hers and squeezed. “That just means you’ve definitely achieved your goal.”

  Ryan blushed, pleased with Gracie’s words if not with the situation. It had been fun to dance and be told how good she looked, but it hadn’t been the same as when Gregg held her so briefly. Every nerve in her body had felt alive in his arms.

  Mike came up behind Gracie, and they all gulped when Eric Henderson pushed his way through the crowd angrily. Eric was Buck’s son and handled the bar most nights, since his dad was semiretired. He looked from Gregg to Wayne and grunted. Looking around the bar, he hollered, “Who brought Wayne?”

  Wayne’s brother Walter came forward, looking scared. “We came together, Eric.”

  Eric nodded toward Wayne. “Get him up and out of my bar. And when he wakes up, let him know that this is the last time. He causes any more problems and he’ll have to get shit-faced somewhere else. This isn’t the first time I’ve had to throw him out. If your brother can’t handle his liquor, he should stop drinking.”

  Walter swallowed hard, nodding at the much larger man. “Sure, Eric.”

  Mike came forward to help Walter lift Wayne up and drag him outside. Eric turned his dark, intense gaze on Gregg, who stared back at the brawny bald man with the tree-trunk-sized, tattoo-covered arms. Ryan was afraid that Eric was going to throw Gregg out too when Eric asked, “I’m assuming you had a reason to lay out Wayne?”

  Gregg looked Ryan’s way and said, “He was being grabby with Ryan.”

  Eric looked toward Ryan and Gracie, shaking his head. His gaze focused on Gracie and he snorted. “I’m surprised you didn’t start this. It seems like anytime there’s trouble in my bar, you’re behind it.”

  Gracie glared and started to open her mouth, but he’d already turned back into the crowd toward the bar, and the music started up again. Gracie turned to Ryan with a dark scowl. “I really hate that guy.”

  Ryan laughed at Gracie’s expression, but her laughter died when she caught Gregg watching her with an intensity so out of character with his usual easygoing manner. Gregg broke the spell by clearing his throat.

  “It’s late. I think I’ll call it a night.”

  Gracie protested. “Oh come on, it’s not even midnight.”

  Gregg smiled ruefully. “I have to get up early. It was great to see you, Gracie. This was fun.” He looked at Ryan with a heavy expression. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, see you.”

  Gregg turned away from her to walk toward the exit, stopping when he met Mike at the door. She watched the two men say good-bye and her eyes followed his broad back as he disappeared outside.

  Gracie nudged Ryan with her elbow. “Well? Aren’t you going to go after him?”

  Ryan looked over at Gracie, nibbling on her lip. “Why would I?”

  Gracie rolled her eyes. “Oh please. You were all pissed at me for not ca
lling him, and your eyes follow him everywhere he goes. You are totally into him.”

  Ryan tried to form a denial. “No I’m not. He’s a good-looking guy, but we’re just—” She stopped and turned embarrassed eyes toward the floor. “Is it really that obvious?”

  Gracie made an exasperated noise. “About as obvious as the way the man watches you. He is crazy for you, Ryan.” She gave Ryan a little push toward the door. “Seriously, the puppy dog stares are painful to watch. Go get him now, before I take all your sexy points away. And remember, attitude is sexy.”

  Ryan smiled nervously at Gracie’s prodding and moved away from her to walk outside.

  The cold air hit her like a ton of bricks and she shivered violently, searching the dark parking lot for Gregg’s Tahoe. Her eyes finally caught movement in the second row and she started toward him.

  “Gregg, wait.”

  He turned toward the sound of her voice, his face shadowed in the dim light. She walked carefully, afraid of tripping in her new boots. When she was a few feet away she stopped, wrapping her arms around herself. “I wanted to say thank-you. You didn’t have to step in like that, but I appreciate the gesture.”

  Gregg’s expression was guarded. “The guy was all over you. I didn’t like it.”

  Her breath caught a little. “Why?”

  Gregg gave a snort. “Because you told him to stop and he didn’t. He needed to learn a little lesson in how to treat a lady.”

  She stepped forward. “Is that it? You were just being the good guy?”

  He shrugged. “That’s me. Just another knight in shining armor.” He noticed her shivers and shook his head. “Why don’t you go back inside and have fun? Enjoy your new look.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Really? You wouldn’t mind?”

  He gave a growl. “Of course not.”

  “Hmmm. All right then. See you tomorrow.” She turned to walk away, heard him curse behind her and turned back, ready to unleash her temper about his mixed signals. But she never got a word out.

  Suddenly, his rock hard arms were around her and his mouth had slammed down on hers. She reached up behind his neck and made a soft sound as his tongue swept out over her lips. She pressed herself against him as he slipped his tongue inside her mouth, mating with hers. His fingers kneaded into the small of her back and she felt his hard length pressed against her abdomen. He pulled back a little, softening his kiss and nibbling at her full bottom lip. Her stomach felt like a thousand moths were flying around inside, and when his mouth slipped along her chin to kiss the pulse at her neck, she let her head fall to the side to give him better access.