Katee Robert - In Bed with Mr. Wrong

He was messing with her, just like he had been from the beginning. He had to be. But she couldn’t stop herself from saying, “But you think I’m mousy.” Even as the words came out of her mouth, she cursed herself for giving him that much.

Ryan set the book down and pushed to his feet. He actually seemed pained as he skirted the edge of the coffee table and came to stand before her. “I swear to God, Bri, I’m sorry that I ever said that. You’re the furthest thing from mousy.”

Childhood instinct demanded she lash out before he saw just how badly those earlier words had hurt her, but Bri forced it down for the first time in her life. She couldn’t keep striking out at him blindly just to keep him from getting too close. Like it or not, he was already there.

But that didn’t mean he felt the same way. She licked her lips. “You seemed pretty convinced it was the truth that first night.”

“I lied.”

While she was still trying to process that bombshell, he reached out and traced her bottom lip with his thumb. She went still, waiting for the inevitable follow-through. He would kiss her and it would be all over.

Ryan surprised her, though. He took a large step back. “How do you feel about Scrabble?”

Not taking advantage of that silently offered kiss might have been a mistake, but Ryan wasn’t about to give in to how badly he wanted her. Not when she hadn’t figured out her issues and he couldn’t be sure she wouldn’t toss him aside immediately afterward so she could retreat behind her emotional walls. He guided her back to the spot on the couch she’d just occupied, picked up the fallen tea mug and plate of sandwiches, and retreated to the kitchen.

While he went to work throwing together another sandwich for her, she looked over her shoulder at him. “You don’t have to do that.”

“Sure I do. You dumped half your tea on the other one. Can’t have you passing out halfway through our game.”

Her eyebrows rose. “Scrabble.”

“Scrabble. Monopoly. Cards. We don’t have a lot in the way of options, but I figured you’d want a change in pace from the reading.” Ryan gave her a grin that had gotten him out of loads of trouble as a kid. “Though I could definitely get on board with some more Dmitri and Savannah.”

“No, thank you.”

“So a game it is, then.” When she still hesitated, he pushed his advantage. “It’s got to be better than locking yourself in the room alone, right?”

She smiled a little, as if that was exactly what she’d been planning on doing before he headed her off at the pass. “It’s a tempting offer.”

“I’ll throw in dinner tonight, too.” He lifted the plate with her new sandwich. “I promise not to bite.” No matter how much you want me to.

A blush spread across her cheeks, signaling that her mind had gone the same place his did. He didn’t call her on it, though. Instead he grabbed the board game and sat down, pausing long enough to pass over her plate.

He started setting up the game, but the majority of his attention stayed on her as she took her first bite. “I promise to go easy on you. You know, in favor of us continuing to get along without fighting.”

“You’ll go easy on me?” Her faint smile turning into the real thing. “Promise?”

He decided he liked this little hint of arrogance she’d showed. He mixed up the letter tiles. “Want to make this interesting?”

“Don’t you dare say we’ll turn this into strip Scrabble.”

Well, now that she mentioned it, that wasn’t a terrible idea. No, Flannery. You’re supposed to be behaving yourself, remember? That means clothing stays in place . “I was thinking something more along the lines of a wager.”

“A bet?” If anything, her smile spread wider. “Winner takes all?”

She really wasn’t helping his self-control saying things like that with a sparkle in her eyes, because now all he could think about was taking her . He cleared his throat. “I was thinking of something a little less dramatic. If I win, you tell me about your childhood.”

Bri flinched, her teasing disappearing as if it’d never been. “I don’t see the point.”

In their earlier conversation, he’d seen a sliver of what she’d been hiding. It was clear she wasn’t giving up more than that tiny bit of information without a fight. “That’s what I want if I win. Your turn.”

“This is juvenile.”

“Maybe. Stop stalling and pick something.”

“I don’t even know.” Her face flamed again, showing her lie more clearly than anything else could have.

Ryan leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. He waited as she shifted, becoming more twitchy as the seconds ticked past. When she looked over her shoulder toward the hallway, he said, “Anything you want.”

She closed her eyes for a brief moment and then opened them, her shoulders going back as if she were stepping onto a battlefield. Maybe she thought she was. “I want a kiss.”

Because of the effort it had obviously taken her to say the words out loud, he didn’t laugh. He held out a hand and shook hers firmly. “Deal. If you win, I think I can make that happen.”

“ If I win.” This time her laugh was significantly more carefree. “Ryan, you’re playing Scrabble with a librarian who thinks a fun Friday night is curling up with some tea and a new book. You don’t stand a chance.”

He definitely liked this cocky side of her. And since they weren’t yelling at each other, this was a step in the right direction. “I guess we’ll see. Ladies first.”

…

“…and with the triple word score, that brings me up to forty-six points.”

Bri stared at the columns of numbers on her score sheets and couldn’t believe it. She was down to her last four tiles and Ryan was beating her by a truly embarrassing amount. It was her own hubris at fault. She assumed that her history of reading would give her an edge—she hadn’t stopped to consider his reading history. Maybe it was time to acknowledge that she’d been an ass for letting her issues color her perception of him. This man was more than just the wild boy who’d burned down the high school and set her blood on fire. Realizing that wouldn’t change their past interactions much, but it did affect their future ones.

Particularly the one where she lost this game and was forced to open up all sorts of old scars she didn’t want to deal with.

They said time healed all wounds. They lied. The only way she’d gotten past her abandonment issues was to create a life for herself where she was as safe as possible, full of people who weren’t going anywhere. The fact that Avery and Drew were the only people on that list was kind of sad, but she was okay with it. Once those two made her their own, she couldn’t have gotten away if she wanted to. And in that realization, there was a level of security and safety she hadn’t expected to find.

There was neither of those things with Ryan. He loved to travel and hated Wellingford—for what she was increasingly forced to admit were legitimate reasons—so he’d never be content to put down the roots she so desperately craved. He might not be the wild child she’d originally pegged him for, but that didn’t change that he was guaranteed to leave. Just like every other person in her life had left.

“Bri.”

She blinked and looked up. “Yes?”

Though he grinned, his blue eyes were kind. “Are you going to go, or just stare at the board?”

“Just considering my best move.” And admitting there was no way to come back from this. She put an O next to an available G . “Go. Three points.”