Page 32 of Curveball

Because I had plans.

I also had a very bad habit of comparing every man to Walker. That man used to set my body on fire. Jesus, he still could. The other night at the winery was proof that the connection was still lying dormant beneath the surface, waiting to be unleashed—but I think Walker and I both knew that we could never go there again. We were different people now; there was too much history and hurt between us. Friends was a better and safer option for us both.

Ryan was the first man since my divorce that I’d felt this attracted to, and I was determined to make this work, because hell, I needed to get laid. I needed to be touched by a man again. It had been far too long, and my vibrating boyfriend that lived in my nightstand wasn't cutting it.

After ordering a bottle of wine and placing our orders, we drifted into our usual conversation around the Guyer project we were both a part of. "You were right about opening up that other wall in the kitchen at the Guyers’ place, makes it look at least double the size now," Ryan said before our server made his way back over to our table with our wine. He served Ryan a small taste, and after Ryan nodded his approval, he poured us each a glass.

"Oh, I know, right? I'm so glad they agreed. I think showing them the Propp project I did last year was what convinced them. That house had a very similar layout." I shrugged, "I'll try to keep them on budget elsewhere, but that wall just had to go." I smiled, taking a small sip of wine.

Ryan nodded. "You're really talented."

Again, not being able to take a compliment, I could feel the heat from the small blush creeping up my cheeks, and I quickly changed the subject. "That custom vent hood will look great now. Before, I was worried it would look too large in the space. It should be coming in any day now."

"I look forward to seeing it." Ryan cleared his throat, and his dark gaze softened when he reached across the table for my hand. "Enough about work. Tell me more about your family, since I didn't grow up in Forest Park."

I glanced down at where our hands met. "Well, you already know how large it is, and all their names. My parents own JLK Ranch, which sells cattle for beef, and we breed Longhorns. My older brother, Grayson, is being groomed to eventually take over as CFO, but he also works the ranch. He's a cowboy in a suit. My younger sister, Aria, is a track star and an Olympic athlete, as I'm sure you’re aware. She retired from running this year and is working on creating her own shoe line. Then there are the twins, the babies of the family. Nate is a professional first baseman who plays for the Chicago Cobras, and Nolan is a professional reiner and horse trainer. So essentially, everyone but me and Grayson is insanely gifted athletically."

Ryan chuckled and gave my hand a small squeeze. I liked the feel of his hand in mine. "You’re insanely gifted in other ways, but yes, that is quite the roster of accomplished athletes in your family."

"I know, a bunch of freaks," I scoffed. Our salads were placed in front of us, forcing our hands to separate, and I immediately missed the warmth.

He took a bite of salad before he spoke again. "But I will say, I've seen your older brother, and that dude is massive. Could kick my ass. And you ride horses, do yoga, and run. I think your entire family is athletically gifted." He threw me a wink.

I laughed. "Okay, fair enough." I paused, debating whether I should broach this next subject, which I'd been wanting to ask him about. I took a sip of wine for courage. "So, we've talked about my divorce and my daughter, but we haven't really talked about yours."

The look on Ryan's face suggested he’d been waiting for this topic to come up. "Yeah… I don't love talking about it, but it’s the same sad old cheating tale. I caught her fucking around with my now ex-business partner and best friend.

“When I first started my general contracting business, I partnered up with my best friend. He focused more on the marketing and business development side of things, and I did everything else." He scrubbed a hand across his jaw, sadness in his dark eyes. "They always got along really well, which I thought was great because we were around each other all the time. I did find it odd that he never really seemed interested in dating anyone. I mean, he was young and a good-looking guy, and he got the attention from women. I chalked it up to him just being focused on the business; we were busy. I had a big project in another town about two hours away that I got through a family friend, so I was out of town a lot, and he stayed back to handle the office, plus he didn't have any job-site responsibilities. I felt bad that I was gone several weekends in a row, so I wanted to surprise my wife, and I drove home one night to find them fucking in our bed." Ryan let out a defeated breath. I could tell the story brought back the pain and betrayal as if it were fresh again. I reached out for his hand, intertwining our fingers, and gently stroked my thumb across his.

"I'm really sorry, Ryan, that’s so messed up. Do they still live in Forest Park?" I asked curiously.

He shook his head. "Nah, after I punched him in the face, dissolved our partnership, and divorced her, they hightailed it out of town. I haven't seen or spoken to them since. It's been almost six years now." He let out a sad laugh, "Funny thing is, I don't miss her… I miss my friend."

I gave him a sad smile. "As terribly painful as I know all of that was, at least they showed their true colors early on. Y'all didn't have any children to make it messy."

Ryan nodded in agreement. "Yeah, thank God for that. Anyway, let's talk about Hadley, she's a way better topic." He squeezed my hand with a smile.

We spent the rest of our dinner talking about everything except our exes.

Why was it such a turn-on to watch a guy back out of a parking space, one hand spinning the wheel, the other firmly placed on my thigh? I wore a shorter pale blue summer dress, and Ryan’s fingers seemed to have a mind of their own as they skimmed the hem, slowly dragging it higher up my thigh. He edged his way up my thigh before his fingers drifted back down, further away from where I was aching for him to touch.

He was driving me crazy, and I wanted him.

His eyes were solely focused on the road, as if he was oblivious to what he was currently doing to me. "Hey, want to come back to my house for a nightcap? Or do you need to be home?"

I shook my head. "My brother’s staying over, I could go for a nightcap." My voice came out low, seductive, unrecognizable.

Ryan's mouth tilted up slightly in a sexy smirk—we were both on the same page as to where this night was going to go.

We barely made it through the door. Ryan pushed me against the wall in his foyer, hands exploring, and our mouths collided. He grabbed me by my hair, tilting my head back as he kissed his way down my neck. When I opened my eyes, the man was on his knees in front of me, and what a delicious sight it was. His dark brown hair was tousled, and his dark eyes burned with pure desire. "I want to taste you, sweetheart," his deep voice growled.

All I could do was nod eagerly; it had been so long.

Ryan slowly slipped my panties down my legs, helping me out of them as he kissed up my inner thigh, making the process all the more torturous. He shoved my dress up around my waist, grabbed one of my legs, and threw it over his shoulder, and literally dove the fuck in. Ryan was a man starved, and honestly, the feeling was mutual. I dropped my head back against the wall. "Fuck, Ryan, that feels so good."

He slowly ran his tongue from back to front before sucking my clit into his mouth. I arched off the wall on a gasp. "Oh my God!" I could feel him smirk against me as he then dipped a finger in and continued to work me over with his mouth. It felt incredible, but I couldn't quite get there. I wasn't feeling the slow pressure build up from my spine, ready to be released. And I needed to get off. I hadn't been touched by another man in over two years, and this sexy man was on his knees for me as I shamelessly rode his face. I closed my eyes, trying to focus.

That was a mistake.