Chapter Five
Ryan insisted on escorting her home. At the entrance to her apartment building, he kissed her on the cheek before leaving in the cab with Caleb. Once again, he confused her with his behavior. He was unpredictable, still mesmerizing. Drat it! She shoved him from her mind, going through her usual pre-bed routine.
Three hours later, she roamed her apartment unable to sleep because her thoughts ran around a track with no finish line in sight. Ryan. The club. The hundred and one things on her to-do list.
And secrets. God, those secrets kept beating her over the head with a pointy stick.
Exasperated, she grabbed a notepad and pen. If she couldn’t sleep at least she’d manage a jump-start on the things she needed to do during the coming weeks. Her pen flew across the page, bullet points and ideas filling the white space.
Then her mind drifted in Ryan’s direction and the way they’d first met. Fate, Ryan had called it, and she—the woman with stars in her eyes—had agreed with every word. Yeah, it had all started at the pub. She’d been sitting alone, pondering her next move.
“Surely it can’t be that bad?” a male voice had broken through her reverie.
Julia’s head had jerked up, ready to tell the guy to piss off. Her sharp words died when her first glance stole her breath. Tall, with dark, slicked back hair and laughing blue eyes, he stood before her full of confidence. A black T-shirt stretched across his muscular chest. Blue jeans, faded at the stress points, completed his casual outfit. Bemused, she let her gaze linger before raising her eyes to meet his cocky grin.
“You have no idea.” Julia snorted when a tingle of acute anticipation struck her hard—the beginning thrill of the ritual dance between male and female. Curse her randy hormones. One glance at his confident face made her suspect the way her night would end. Amusement filled her as she imagined Susan’s disapproving reaction. So, shoot her. She found a man with self-confidence sexy.
“I’m Ryan and this is Caleb. Can we buy you a drink?”
Her gaze slid to the second man, who stood beside his friend. They were a similar height and build, but Caleb’s black hair was longer, a leather band holding it off his face in a ponytail. Two cuties. Maybe she would hold the loneliness at bay.
“Thanks, I’d enjoy that. I’ll have a glass of Pinot Gris.” She indicated the vacant chairs at her table. “I’m Julia. Have a seat.”
“You are alone, right?” Caleb’s deep voice stroked across her like delicate fingertips, and she suppressed a moan as desire sped through her body, danced through her veins and coalesced into a spark of promise in her sex.
“As of tonight,” she confirmed. “My boyfriend and I had a disagreement about his proclivity for chatting up other women. I don’t like to share.”
Ryan’s dark brows rose. “Never?”
“Ryan, I’ll grab the drinks. You want a beer?”
“Please.” Ryan never took his gaze off her. She’d always believed pale blue eyes cold. His glowed with intimacy and secrets and a hint of cockiness, and she barely resisted the urge to squirm as he directed that power on her. “You never share?”
She hesitated. She’d never stressed about sleeping with a man on the first date—not if it seemed right. Tonight, her gut was telling her this man was a good catch. His friend too. Julia took a leap of faith and played along. She didn’t have to leave the pub with them.
“I might, under the right circumstances.” She thought about playing coy, but that wasn’t her. Most men seemed to appreciate her straight approach. “We’re talking about a threesome, right? You’re both good looking,” she continued, not giving him a chance to respond. “Why don’t you find a girl each? Why are you willing to share?”
“Because we noticed you at the same time,” Caleb said, setting three drinks on the table. “We’re only in town for tonight.”
“Is that a line?”
“No,” Ryan said. “It’s the truth. If you’re interested in sex, we’re your men.”
“Or you can choose one of us,” Caleb said, settling on the chair beside her.
A startled laugh came from Julia. “Don’t you believe in sugarcoating the truth? A little light flirtation first?”
“We can flirt if you like, but the truth is we saw you and wanted you,” Ryan said.
“What if I say no? Will you leave me alone again? Hit on another woman?”
“Nah,” Caleb said.
“We’ll stay for as long as you then go home.” Ryan sipped his beer, and fascinated, she watched his throat move when he swallowed. “We can do without sex.”
Her gaze drifted from one man to the other, inquisitiveness raising questions. Some men were precious when it came to questions about their manhood.
“What?” Caleb asked.
