Jake gave her a brief smile before closing the office door, leaving Anna alone to process what had happened. She still felt bad that her relationship with Ryan had caused an issue at the pub, but was so relieved that Jake didn’t seem at all fazed by it.
A few minutes later the door to the office opened once again, and Ryan looked in. When he saw Anna standing by the couch, he came all the way into the office and strode over to her, pulling her into his arms without saying a word. They stood there, locked in each other’s arms, for several moments. Slowly, Anna could feel their heartbeats synchronizing, as a peaceful sense of stability and comfort flooded her veins.
Eventually, Ryan pulled away slightly, before looking down at her, an apologetic expression on his handsome face. “Sweetheart, I am so sorry for Tracy. She’s fucking nuts if she thinks it’s okay to speak to you that way.”
“It’s fine, honestly. Jake and I talked, and I feel alright about it all. I get that she’s just jealous. It did hurt to hear her say the things she said, and I felt weird about it, about us, for a moment, but I’m over it now, I swear.”
“Anna, don’t you dare feel weird about us. Something that feels so goddamn right can’t possibly be wrong. We did nothing wrong. You hear me?”
Anna sighed, letting the strength of Ryan’s conviction wash over her. She knew he was right. Their feelings for each other were not wrong, even if the fact that they worked together seemed awkward.
“I hear you. I want to apologize again for making things awkward tonight, but I won’t. Because you’re right, we—I—did nothing wrong. I won’t feel bad about her jealousy.”
Ryan’s smile was full of warmth and pride and infused her with a confidence she had not felt in a very long time. Slowly, she was learning to stand her ground and not hide behind shame and fear. Emboldened by this new sense of self, Anna pushed Ryan backward until he fell against the small couch. He looked at her with curiosity, smoldering heat growing in his eyes. She straddled his lap, subtly grinding against his cock to tease him. Even if they couldn’t take things any further right now, she needed him to feel the depths of her desire and trust in him. Anna knew Ryan would never intentionally put her in a situation that could be negative, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t tempt him.
She leaned in to press an open-mouthed kiss to the side of his neck. His answering groan confirmed she was on the right track with her seduction. As her lips moved slowly up toward his face, his hands tightened on her hips, as if he had to hold back from taking her right then and there. She reached his mouth and continued to tease, not landing right on his lips but pressing light kisses to the corners, top and bottom. With a growl, Ryan reached his limit of patience and grabbed her head, holding her gently but lovingly in place as he ravaged her mouth. The tables had turned, and Anna knew she was no longer in control; he was, and she happily gave in to his seductive power.
As their tongues danced together, Anna’s hands snuck under Ryan’s shirt to caress the muscles of his back. When he bit down gently on her lower lip she answered with a light scratch of her nails. She was about to rip off his shirt when a noise outside the office broke through the sexual haze.
“Ohmygod. Ryan, we can’t do this here!” Anna gasped, mortified as she realized just how close she had come to getting naked in the office. And she thought the confrontation with Tracy had been awkward.
“Don’t worry, the door is locked. But you’re right, I can’t do everything I want to do with people just outside the door,” Ryan said, then looked at her with a wicked gleam in his eyes. “You would make far too much noise.”
She slapped away his hands with a laugh as he gently squeezed her breasts. “We’ll see who’s making too much noise later, big guy. Come on, we had better get back to work.”
Anna stood up, pulling him in for one last kiss before taking his hand and confidently walking back out to the bar. She noticed Tracy out of the corner of her eye, but thankfully the other woman didn’t say a word. Ryan’s hand in hers, and Jake’s smile when he saw the two of them, was all the reassurance she needed. And when Ryan squeezed her hand and pressed a kiss to the side of her head in full view of Tracy and the other pub staff, she knew he was by her side, no matter what.
Chapter 11
The rest of the evening passed by uneventfully. Tracy went home early without so much as another glance toward either Ryan or Anna. Callie came by for a drink and decided to stay on and chat with Anna as she poured sleeves of beer behind the bar.
Ryan watched the two women laughing together with a strange feeling in his chest. Seeing the two women he cared about, one as a friend—and one as something more— getting along so well, did something inside his heart. Something strange but not unwelcome. He had already been getting glimpses of a future with Anna, but every day it was becoming more and more clear. Seeing Anna and Callie together, he could imagine camping in the summer with Jake and Callie, barbecues with kids running around.
Kids?Now that idea made Ryan quite literally stumble in his tracks. Never in his life had he considered starting a family. Ever. Yet, with Anna fitting so seamlessly into his life and his friendships, he could see that crazy idea becoming a reality.
Jake must have noticed the look of shock on his best friend’s face. He gently shoved Ryan by the shoulder before leaning in to speak in a low voice so he wouldn’t be overheard. “Dude. What the hell? You look like you’re lost in Lalaland.”
Ryan startled out of his reverie and became aware of the happy chaos surrounding him at the bar.
“What? Oh. Shit. Sorry, I was just thinking about…” His eyes flickered over to Anna, unable to put words to his feelings.
“Yeah, man, I know what you were thinking about,” Jake replied. Then he looked meaningfully over at their two women. One blond, one brunette, both beautiful. “We are fucking lucky. You get that now, right?”
Lucky was one way to describe it. Ryan sighed. “Yeah, I get it.”
Although he appreciated how lucky he was to have met Anna, deep inside his mind his old fears battled to be heard. He still didn’t trust himself not to screw up somehow and hurt her. Ryan knew that he could only ignore his inner demons for so long before they would begin to consume him. And no words of trust and love from Anna or anyone else could fully eradicate it. No, this was one war he had to wage himself.
* * *
After the pub closed for the evening, Anna sagged into a booth across from Callie. Ryan and Jake were right behind her with a pitcher of beer and four glasses. As she sat there, surrounded by people she knew she could genuinely call friends, Anna marveled at how her life had turned around in such a short time.
Was it really a matter of only a few weeks ago that she was essentially trapped in Sacramento with Tim, fearful of his mood and always wondering what he would do next? Now, instead of fear and uncertainty, she felt security.
Ryan’s arm was slung casually over her shoulders, his fingertips lightly brushing her arm. As he was engrossed in a conversation with Jake, his actions seemed unconscious, or automatic. The idea that it was comfortable and easy for him to show casual affection without needing anything in return was another welcome experience for Anna. She snuggled into his arms, content to be held in his safe embrace.
Across the table, Anna could see Callie looking at the two of them with a satisfied smile on her face. When Callie realized she was looking at her, she slid around the booth to be closer. Leaning in, Callie spoke softly into Anna’s ear.
“You’re so good for him, Anna. The difference is incredible. Gone is the cocky flirt who just wanted to sleep with every woman that came in here. He’s not only serious about you but he’s settled into his role as a real partner in the bar as well. It’s like he’s grown up in a hurry, for the best possible reason.”
