The proof?Crashing into Shane McDermit and a glassful of orange juice that she could still smell on her skin.
“As soon as you get into bed with Ryan, you can take everything off,” Lisa said.
“Ryan likes me the way I am.”
When Lisa stayed quiet, Krista frowned at what her sister was so clearly thinking—that Ryan saw Krista as one of the guys, too. Doubt echoed in the silence. If he really did like her the way she was, they’d have started a relationship weeks ago.
Damn.
Krista sighed, wishing she had an ounce of her sister’s confidence with men.
Well, not men—just one man, really.
Ryan Dubois.
She’d been in love with him for almost a year. Newly single after her five-year relationship with Eric had finally fizzled out, she’d started working at the gym and had instantly clicked with Ryan. He’d shown her around, guided her through her first days. They’d taken lunch together then discovered they had so much in common that they quickly became friends.
Good friends. The best of friends!
Ryan confided in her all the time, especially these past few months as he dealt with the messy fallout of his parents’ divorce. He’d supported his mother through her depression, and his personal life had taken such a battering recently that Krista was only too happy to be there for him.
You’re my rock, Krista. How many times had he said that to her recently?I don’t know what I’d do without you.
They’d been skirting around a relationship for months—and a few weeks ago, they’d even kissed on her couch, until Lisa had walked in with a guy she’d met at a bar.
Then fate had struck, and there hadn’t been any more kisses after that. Granny had passed away, and Krista’s life had become just as hectic as Ryan’s. She’d had to deal with her grief, help her mom and Lisa through theirs, as well as sort through Granny’s belongings and all the unpleasant paperwork that came with death. Ryan’s mom had still needed a lot of attention, too, so he’d said they should wait for a better time before they started anything.
And that was exactly why Krista had suggested this mini vacation to Banff. When the center announced that they needed volunteers to support the athletes taking part in today’s bike ride, Krista had signed herself and Ryan up. She’d then suggested that they spend the rest of the week in the Rockies. Together, alone. It was just what they needed to kick-start their relationship, exploring the trails—and each other.
Or rather, that had been the plan until Ryan had invited their co-workers to join them. Which meant they’d gotten separate rooms too, so as “not to spark gossip” and make things “awkward” in the group.
“All you’ve got to do, Kris, is bend over right under his nose,” Lisa was saying on the phone now. “It works every time.”
“If I bend over, half my butt will be on display.” For god’s sake, why was she even contemplating this ridiculous seduction plan? “These capri pants are so tight.”
“They’re supposed to be tight. They make your ass look great, and Ryan’s gonna love it, trust me.”
Trust Lisa?
Oh no.
Now, Krista really did feel desperate.
But the other night, when Ryan had come over to watch a movie, they’d almost kissed again, and Krista knew in her heart that now was theright timethey’d both been waiting for.
Ryan’s mom was finally getting professional help with her depression, and the drama of his parents’ divorce was slowly being pushed to the past. And as for Krista, she still missed Granny, but at least the old apartment had been cleared out now, the sale had gone through, and she was no longer faced with daily reminders of her loss. Finally, she could move on with her life too—with Ryan by her side.
“Are you sure this’ll work?” Krista asked, readjusting the lace panties out of her crotch for the hundredth time. “It feels kinda...prehistoric.”
“Are you kidding me?” Lisa snorted. “If you think men are no longer into lace underwear, you most certainly need to get laid immediately.”
Yeah...that would be nice...
It had been a very long time since Krista had been intimate with anyone. The kiss she’d shared with Ryan all those weeks ago had been the closest thing she’d had to bedroom action since Eric, and even the love life she’d shared with him, though sweet and comfortable, had never been...exciting.
“You and Ryan have been dancing around each other long enough,” Lisa continued. “It’s time to get down to business.”
Lisa was two years younger than Krista, but in terms of notches on the bedpost, she was twenty years older. The heights of Lisa’s wild love life weren’t something Krista had ever wanted to aspire to. Picking up guys in bars, sleeping around, and “getting bored” if a man stayed too long? For sure, her party-girl sister was having a lot of fun sowing her wild oats, but all too often she ignored the warning signs that such a lifestyle could, and usually did, end in tears.
