see."
"Darn it, Ryan. Stop talking in riddles."
His eyes softened and he reached in to cup her face in a light, fleeting touch that made her pulse jump into overdrive. "Take her home, Tim," he said to her driver as he shut the door.
CK jabbed at the window control as the sedan pulled sedately away from the curb. The glass glided down at half the rate she needed it to. Ryan was almost to his car!
"What did he see?" she shouted at him as they passed.
He paused, half in and half out of his Porsche.
"Innocence! It's written all over you!" He slammed his door and sped away, sirens screaming in the distance.
* * *
He was an ass.
Ryan pushed the weights up slowly, welcoming the way they made his pecs burn. He'd never regretted turning his third guest room into a gym. A hard workout was one of the best ways he knew to burn off frustration, other than sex. Or a bar fight.
As he finished his set, he tried not to think about last night, instead letting the occasional comments from his friends flow around him. The five of them had been together since they were nineteen and not much had changed about any of them. Brad was as flashy as ever and always on the make, Jackson the cool-headed philosopher of the group, Ajax lived in another dimension as far as Ryan could tell, and Todd had always been the observant, sensitive one, especially after losing his wife to cancer two years ago.
Their friendship meant a lot to him, just like CK's did. Guilt dug at him. He couldn't believe how close he'd come to getting her thrown in jail.
Since when had The Bait Shop gone illegal? Friendly women encouraging heavy drinking and giving the occasional lap dance, sure, but a prostitution ring? In Brooklyn?
His stomach twisted at the thought of CK getting hurt. That surprise had been unpleasant enough, until the crazy girl had texted him at midnight thanking him for everything she'd learned and asking when the next lesson was!
She'd turned out to be tougher to derail than he'd expected. Thank God, that morning a new strategy had come to him—one that would scare the hell out of her without putting her in danger. His friends being at loose ends while they burned off vacation days had been the catalyst for the idea.
Tonight he planned to put them to good use.
"I can't believe you want us to meet CK," Todd said between breaths as he pounded away on the treadmill. "The girl you put your life on hold for...who you never told you were rich...and who's mysteriously never available to get together when we're in town."
"The smart one," Jackson said from the nautilus, his dark skin gleaming with sweat. "Ajax thinks she's an alien."
"You can never tell, man," Ajax said from the corner where he'd dragged in a chair from the game room. "They shape-shift."
Ryan grunted as he settled the weights and sat up. "She's been working too hard, lately. Just want to show her a good time." And let the rest play out naturally.
"Why would we want to subject ourselves to an intelligent woman all night?" Brad asked, his arms bulging as he curled a heavy dumbbell.
"One you've said we wouldn't like because she's different," Jackson said.
"Which means ugly," Brad added.
"A bizarre and twisted change for you." Todd punched buttons on the treadmill. "On both counts." He gave Ryan a speculative look through the reflection of his glasses.
The urge to defend CK to his friends pounced on Ryan's chest and sat down with a heavy thud. "She's cute," he insisted. "But shy. Sometimes a little stubborn."
Jackson grinned at him. "And the only woman who hasn't slept with you."
Anger itched across his shoulders. "It's not like that."
"Love's a beautiful thing, man." Ajax turned the page on his comic book.
"I'm not asking you losers to propose, just meet her. Have a few drinks. No big deal. Jeez, I have VIP at Crazy Tom's. You should be jumping at the chance."
Ryan wiped off his face with a towel and tried to get the flash of temper burning in his gut
"Darn it, Ryan. Stop talking in riddles."
His eyes softened and he reached in to cup her face in a light, fleeting touch that made her pulse jump into overdrive. "Take her home, Tim," he said to her driver as he shut the door.
CK jabbed at the window control as the sedan pulled sedately away from the curb. The glass glided down at half the rate she needed it to. Ryan was almost to his car!
"What did he see?" she shouted at him as they passed.
He paused, half in and half out of his Porsche.
"Innocence! It's written all over you!" He slammed his door and sped away, sirens screaming in the distance.
* * *
He was an ass.
Ryan pushed the weights up slowly, welcoming the way they made his pecs burn. He'd never regretted turning his third guest room into a gym. A hard workout was one of the best ways he knew to burn off frustration, other than sex. Or a bar fight.
As he finished his set, he tried not to think about last night, instead letting the occasional comments from his friends flow around him. The five of them had been together since they were nineteen and not much had changed about any of them. Brad was as flashy as ever and always on the make, Jackson the cool-headed philosopher of the group, Ajax lived in another dimension as far as Ryan could tell, and Todd had always been the observant, sensitive one, especially after losing his wife to cancer two years ago.
Their friendship meant a lot to him, just like CK's did. Guilt dug at him. He couldn't believe how close he'd come to getting her thrown in jail.
Since when had The Bait Shop gone illegal? Friendly women encouraging heavy drinking and giving the occasional lap dance, sure, but a prostitution ring? In Brooklyn?
His stomach twisted at the thought of CK getting hurt. That surprise had been unpleasant enough, until the crazy girl had texted him at midnight thanking him for everything she'd learned and asking when the next lesson was!
She'd turned out to be tougher to derail than he'd expected. Thank God, that morning a new strategy had come to him—one that would scare the hell out of her without putting her in danger. His friends being at loose ends while they burned off vacation days had been the catalyst for the idea.
Tonight he planned to put them to good use.
"I can't believe you want us to meet CK," Todd said between breaths as he pounded away on the treadmill. "The girl you put your life on hold for...who you never told you were rich...and who's mysteriously never available to get together when we're in town."
"The smart one," Jackson said from the nautilus, his dark skin gleaming with sweat. "Ajax thinks she's an alien."
"You can never tell, man," Ajax said from the corner where he'd dragged in a chair from the game room. "They shape-shift."
Ryan grunted as he settled the weights and sat up. "She's been working too hard, lately. Just want to show her a good time." And let the rest play out naturally.
"Why would we want to subject ourselves to an intelligent woman all night?" Brad asked, his arms bulging as he curled a heavy dumbbell.
"One you've said we wouldn't like because she's different," Jackson said.
"Which means ugly," Brad added.
"A bizarre and twisted change for you." Todd punched buttons on the treadmill. "On both counts." He gave Ryan a speculative look through the reflection of his glasses.
The urge to defend CK to his friends pounced on Ryan's chest and sat down with a heavy thud. "She's cute," he insisted. "But shy. Sometimes a little stubborn."
Jackson grinned at him. "And the only woman who hasn't slept with you."
Anger itched across his shoulders. "It's not like that."
"Love's a beautiful thing, man." Ajax turned the page on his comic book.
"I'm not asking you losers to propose, just meet her. Have a few drinks. No big deal. Jeez, I have VIP at Crazy Tom's. You should be jumping at the chance."
Ryan wiped off his face with a towel and tried to get the flash of temper burning in his gut
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