AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It’s time to get out of these clothes and into sweatpants.
Bending down, I start to unzip my boots, but I hear a low groan behind me. Spinning around, I find Ryan standing in the doorway, his heated eyes on me.
“Why are you watching me?”
“Because I can,” he says simply.
Rolling my eyes, I walk past him and into the pink bedroom, making sure the door is closed behind me before I start undressing. He definitely doesn’t get the privilege of seeing all of this.
Taking my boots off, I peel down my tights, and shimmy off my skirt, before stepping into a pair of comfy sweatpants. I replace my sweater with a long-sleeved t-shirt, and then shove my feet into my fuzzy slippers.
When I reemerge in the kitchen, I find Ryan leaning against the counter, a steaming mug of coffee in hand. His eyes take in my new outfit and his lips turn up, fighting a smile.
“What? Is there something wrong with this?” I ask, waving a hand down my body.
“Not at all, sweetheart. It only makes me want to look at you more so I can try and catch a glimpse of that sexy body you’re hiding under there.”
I don’t even know how to respond to that.
“Let me make you a mug. How do you take your coffee?”
“Cream and a little sugar,” I tell him, taking a seat at the small, round kitchen table. “Why aren’t you in uniform?” I ask, trying to distract myself from him being here, alone with me.
“Would you prefer if I was?” He smiles, his perfect smile. “I didn’t think you’d respond well to me if I showed up in it, though. I thought we could talk as friends.”
“We’re friends?”
“Are we not?”
“I don’t know. I wouldn’t say we are.”
Ryan just smiles, and I watch him as he makes my coffee. He adds the perfect amount of both cream and sugar that I like, and then saunters over and places it in front of me before taking the seat across from me.
“Don’t you need a notebook or something?” I ask.
“Yes. But if you’re more comfortable just talking to me, that’s fine.”
My brows furrow. “How is that fine? It doesn’t seem very official. Aren’t you the sheriff?”
“I have a good memory.” He smirks.
“Fine.” I sigh, taking a sip of coffee. The hot liquid flows down my throat, and gives my brain the jolt it needs to focus on telling Ryan what happened. “We were having a good time catching up–Ally, Courtney, and I. And after a few drinks, and a couple of shots, a song I like came on, and I dragged them up to dance. Then some dick thought it was okay to snake his sleazy arm around my waist, call me ‘baby,’ and tell me it looked like I needed a man like him to take care of me by the way I was dancing.” Ryan’s jaw clenches, and he grips the mug in front of him a little tighter, the blue in his eyes turning to ice.
“I told him to fuck off, but he kept saying shit to me. Then some other asshole comes up to us, thinking he’s helping in defending me, but he only made it worse. The first guy thought that he was my boyfriend coming to my defense, and he told him he should keep a tighter leash on me, or something like that. I tried to walk away at this point, but then he grabbed my arm.”
“He touched you again?” Ryan asks through clenched teeth.
“Yeah. And that’s when the other guy pushed him away and punched him in the face. But that only seemed to anger the guy more, and he charged at him, knocking him to the ground. Then he started punching him in the face over and over again.” A shiver racks my body and I hold the hot mug close to my face. “That sound.”
“It’s okay. Everything’s fine now,” he says, trying to soothe me.
“I know,” I say defensively, eyeing him over the rim of my mug. “I can handle myself. I’ve been doing it a lot lately.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing.” Looking away, I pick a spot on the wall behind him, and study it.
“Hey,” he says, trying to get me to look at him. “Ashley.” His smooth voice floats over me like I’m submerging into a warm bath, and my eyes have no choice but to drift back to his.
