Page 6 of Pulled Away

Once our breathing slows down, Ryan rolls onto his back and I scoot closer when he straightens his arm in invitation. Resting my head in the crook of his arm, I trail my fingers over his abdomen, tracing every line and ridge.

Lying together like this is as natural as breathing. I’ve had sexual partners before I met Ryan, the last being the boyfriend I had in college who dumped me when I dropped out to look after Mom. But all those sexual encounters? They pale in comparison to this. Sex with Ryan is more than just physical. It starts way before the actual act. It’s there in the way he looks at me with a profound acceptance of everything I am. The things he does for me without having to ask him; that come to him as naturally as breathing. It shows a level of care and consideration I’ve never before experienced. It’s the way he talks to me and listens to me that shows me he respects me and values my opinion. There’s a multitude of things that leave me in a perpetual state of want and need for him.

“I guess we should get going.”

He yawns, but his fingers don’t stop playing with my hair. We have a busy day ahead with shopping and cleaning to get the apartment ready for Hadley, so I know we should get up, but I’m comfortable and not in the mood to move just yet.

“Are you excited to see her?” I ask, looking up at him.

“I am. Before she left, we saw each other almost every day, so we’ll have years’ worth of catching up to do. The circumstances suck, but it is what it is, and I can’t wait for the two of you to meet,” he says, his eyes sparkling. “I know you and Hadley are going to hit it off.”

I hope so. She’s important to Ryan, so I want her to like me.

“Finally! I thought you were going to bail on us.”

“Sorry.” Furrowing my brow, I grimace at Rose while bumping Piper with my hip. She grumbles, sliding deeper into the booth. The entire gang is already here, and I hate being late, but it was beyond my control. I had bought the bedding, but we still needed curtains and odds and ends. After shopping, we cleaned the apartment from top to bottom, hung up curtains, made up the bed, and stocked the cupboards with necessities. “It took a lot longer to get the apartment ready than I thought it would.”

By the sounds of it, Hadley is a good friend of Ryan’s and I wanted to do everything I could to make her feel welcome.

“Why are you fixing the apartment? Did Ryan finally decide to rent it out?” she asks while pouring me a glass of margarita. “Speaking of. Where is my brother? I thought he was joining us?”

“He’s gone to pick up his friend. She’s staying in the apartment while she’s in town, so he’ll drop her off and join us after.”

I offered to accompany him to the airport, but he insisted I worked too hard and needed this time to let my hair down with my friends.

“Hadley?” I nod, taking the glass from her. “Hadley’s staying in the apartment?”

“Yes. Why?” I frown at the scowl on her face.

“I’m not her greatest fan.”

“Why?”

“Maybe it was because I was the annoying younger sister, but I always felt like she thought she was better than everyone else.”

“Huh,” I mutter, surprised. Ryan’s not the type of person who surrounds himself with negativity. He prefers to see the good in people and avoids drama, so he took it hard when he found out about Quinn’s affair. He’d been friends with both Quinn and Bailey for years and was a groomsman at their wedding. To say he was disappointed in Quinn when he stepped out on his marriage was an understatement.

“It’s been many years. Maybe she’s changed,” Maya says, her eyes on the stage.

“Doubtful,” Rose mutters.

“So, who are we listening to tonight?” I ask to change the subject. I prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt and form my own opinions. Following Maya’s line of sight, I see the entertainment for the night setting up.

“Some or other indie rock band,” she says, taking a sip of her beer.

“Are they any good?”

“I guess we’ll find out.” She shrugs. “I haven’t listened to them and neither has Nate.”

“Really?” I ask, surprised. Nathan always has a potential new band audition before allowing them to play in his bar. And he always asks Maya to listen as well. It’s their thing.

“Cassie heavily recommended them.” She grimaces, her thumb scratching absently at one of her cuticles.

“That girl needs a reality check. She struts around like she owns this place,” Piper says, drumming her fingers on the table.

“She’s not that bad.”

“No, Maya. She is. You’re too nice to say anything, but just because she’s been dating Nathan for a hot second doesn’t mean that she owns this place. It also doesn’t mean she can treat you like you’re nothing. Like you’re just another employee.”

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