Katee Robert - In Bed with Mr. Wrong

She could do this. There would be plenty of other people around. There was no reason she even had to exchange words with him.

Satisfied she had the situation well under control, she grabbed the massive collection of balloons filling her tiny car and climbed out. Snow crunched under her boots, and she slipped. She grabbed the top of her car with her free hand, but there was no stopping her downward momentum. She slid right down the side and landed on the ground, clutching the balloons in a death grip. “Crap.”

Maybe no one had seen?

“You’re doing that thing again—the one where you personify the librarian cliché.”

She closed her eyes, wishing she could just melt into the surrounding snow. It would be her terrible luck that the one person she wanted to avoid was the one who saw her make a spectacle of herself. Embarrassment heated her as she struggled to her feet, smacking the bobbing balloons out of her face. And there Ryan was, leaning against the wall of Chilly’s with his arms crossed over his chest, looking particularly attractive with his dark jeans, boots, and thick green coat.

She shook off her skirt and glared. “I don’t think you should be throwing stones. An Army coat? Really?”

“Air Force.”

She knew that. Drew never stopped bragging about how his little brother had made it through one of the toughest boot camps any of the military branches had to offer, or how he was a genuine hero—the man who saved other heroes.

That didn’t mean she was going to stand here and let him look down on her for preferring to spend her time surrounded by books rather than out in the world going on adventures. “Same difference.”

“Still sticking with that same song and dance, I see.”

“Why would I suddenly change my tune?”

“I could think of a few reasons.”

She tried to fight down a blush as a vivid memory of exactly why swept through her mind. But she refused to be that woman, the one who had sex with a man and then suddenly fell all over herself to become whatever it was he wanted. “That’s so strange. I can’t think of a single thing. Have you burned anything down recently?”

His mouth tightened, but she was saved from whatever he was about to say by Avery appearing in the doorway. “What are you doing standing out in the cold? Get your ass in here.” She glanced over and did a double take when she saw Ryan. “Uh, unless you want to stay outside. In that case, carry on.”

She thanked God for the opportunity to escape without looking like she was escaping. “I was just on my way in.” She gathered the balloons more firmly in her hand and followed Avery inside, leaving Ryan to brood in peace alone.

“Sorry I interrupted.”

“Don’t be. There was nothing to interrupt.” It tasted like a lie, but she wasn’t going to let the encounter with him set the tone for the rest of the party. She smiled at Avery. “Happy birthday, by the way.”

“I suppose.”

She stopped walking and looked at her friend. There were dark circles under her brown eyes and her skin was unnaturally pale. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Except my yé-ye just made his usual pointed comments about how I’m the last person in the family who can carry on the honor of procreating and keeping our heritage going, if only I’d stop being so stubborn and settle down with a nice Chinese man.” It all came out in a single breath, and she actually sagged against the wall as if it’d taken all her strength to say it. “And I’m twenty-six. That’s a whole year closer to twenty-eight. I feel like I’m running out of time.”

She should have seen this coming. It was bad enough that Avery’s mother had been diagnosed with uterine cancer at twenty-eight, but her older sister, Alexis, had, too. Every birthday was like a ticking time bomb for Avery, counting down the days until she had to get a hysterectomy. Bri let the balloons go and hugged her friend. “It’s going to be okay. Your grandpa can jump off a cliff, because your worth isn’t tied up in making pure-blooded Chinese babies for him. Even saying that sounds so wrong.”

She laughed. “Yeah, I know. And to be honest, I’m less worried about making him happy than, you know, actually making the babies. I want some.”

It was a totally understandable desire—one Bri shared. “We’ll figure it out.”

Drew appeared in the doorway leading into the rest of the bar. “What are you two doing hiding in the hallway? Is this one of those girl bonding moments?” He glanced between them and brightened. “Or are you going to make out? Because I can get on board with that.”

“You’re a pig.” Avery let go of Bri and straightened her spine. Typical of her to show only a moment of weakness before charging on with life.

“Oink.” He met Bri’s gaze as Avery walked past, and she recognized the concern there he’d never let their friend see. Drew was great at distracting people with his dirty jokes and wry humor, but his carefree attitude masked a lot of things.

After the revelation with Ryan and his family’s past last night, she couldn’t help but wonder what else she didn’t know about Drew.

“What’s Avery’s problem?”

As if the thought of Ryan had conjured the man himself, his voice washed over her body, all warm, and deep, and decadent. Bri spun around, hating that he’d managed to sneak through the door and surprise her. Did he have to look so… God, there weren’t words for what he looked like.

He crossed the distance between them, worry written over his face. “Is she okay?”

Right. He wasn’t as affected by her presence as she was by his. Better to remember that if she was going to keep her panties where they belonged—something made more difficult by the way he seemed to care about Avery as much as his brother did, at least in his own way. She squared her shoulders and grabbed the balloons within easy reach. “She’ll be fine. She’s just going through a rough patch.”

Before he could ask her anything else to weaken her resolve, she hurried through the door and followed Drew and Avery into the bar.

…

She was afraid to be alone with him. He couldn’t decide if that counted as a victory or a defeat, so Ryan snatched up the rest of the balloons and walked into Chilly’s main room. He’d waited outside because he knew it was only a matter of time before his favorite little librarian showed up, though they’d been interrupted before things could get interesting. That was fine. He had all evening to push Bri’s buttons. He could be patient.

He searched for a chair, pleased to find the only open one sandwiched between Drew and Bri. She looked horrified when he settled into the seat beside her, purposely brushing against her side as he made himself comfortable. Good.

Avery’s dad waved from his place at the head of the table. “Hey, Ryan. Destroy anything since you’ve been back in town?”

Ryan sighed, and as everyone at the table laughed and laughed, he officially regretted coming home. His frustration peaked when he glanced at Bri. Her eyebrows were raised and a smirk twisted up one side of her lips. Of course she would sit there looking so damn superior—the entire room wasn’t laughing at her .

He reached under the table and squeezed her thigh. “Actually, yeah. I’ve been burning up some panties lately.”

Avery’s dad looked stunned, and her grandparents glared, but everyone else laughed. Everyone except Bri, who blushed a deep red and smacked his hand away. Good. She should know what it meant to be a resident of Wellingford. It wasn’t always a positive experience. He nodded at Avery’s sister, who sat across the table. “Hey, Alexis.”

“Hey.” She didn’t look much happier than Avery.