Page 12 of The Trouble with Sexy (Rock Canyon, Idaho 0.50)

He shrugged. “I just thought maybe you were shy.”

“I’m not that shy! You’re just that intimidating.”

He leaned down and kissed her nose. “Flattery will get you everywhere, sweetheart.” He gave her another lingering kiss, and whispered, “You should probably go find Gracie before I change my mind about taking you home. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She felt bereft as she watched him get into his car and pull away, but didn’t have the nerve to stop him. She wrapped her arms around herself and realized she was still wearing his jacket. Bringing the warm fabric up to her nose, she breathed him in with a smile, and with a lightened step went back inside to find Gracie.

Chapter Three

Seven days until Valentine’s Day . . .

“SERIOUSLY, WHY DIDN’T you let him take you home? Gregg is a sexy beast.”

Ryan shook her head at her new friend’s description. “It’s hard to explain.”

Gracie raised her perfectly plucked eyebrow. “Try me.”

Ryan hadn’t slept well last night and needed coffee in a bad way when she left the house. She’d walked into The Local Bean early to grab some coffee before her first appointment, and saw Gracie sitting down with a pretty brunette Ryan recognized as Gracie’s best friend Gemma Carlson, the object of Mike’s unrequited love. Gemma was a single mother who’d had her son at nineteen, and although speculation ran like a mountain spring all over town, no one knew for sure who the father was. One rumor said he was a random guy she’d met on the Internet, and another said that Travis Bowers, country music’s hottest bachelor, had done the deed and dumped her right after.

Despite what most of the older generation described as a major transgression, Gemma worked hard for her community and loved her son and her business, the little used bookstore next to the coffee shop, Chloe’s Book Nook. Ryan felt instantly at ease with Gemma when Gracie had invited her to join them, until Gracie brought up the Gregg situation.

Ryan glanced at Gemma, who attempted a rescue. “Gracie, it’s probably very personal. Ryan doesn’t have to tell you just because you’re nosy.”

Ryan shot Gemma a grateful smile, which Gracie waved off. “I hate to break it to you, but I’m your friend now. And I know you haven’t had very many girlfriends so let me tell you the first rule of friendship.” She took a sip of her coffee, pausing for dramatic effect. “All girls are nosy. Eventually I will pry all secrets from you. It’s futile to resist.”

Gemma laughed at her. “I still have some secrets you don’t know about.”

Gracie narrowed her eyes at Gemma. “I’ll deal with you later.” She turned her attention back to Ryan. “Seriously, it took a huge set of balls to ask me for help yesterday. I respect that. Maybe if you tell me why you’re so freaked out by Gregg, I can help you.”

Ryan looked from Gemma’s reassuring smile to Gracie’s eager one. She thought about continuing to protest her right to privacy, but why bother? It didn’t take a lifelong friendship to realize that Gracie would just pester her until she gave in and spilled her guts. “Okay, well I told you yesterday about how my last couple of relationships hadn’t gone so well?” Gracie nodded, and Ryan continued, “Well, I think maybe I’m just not good in bed.”

Gracie shook her head and snorted. “You dated Doug Dooly. No one can enjoy sex with that selfish pig.”

Gemma grinned at her. “Didn’t you go out with Doug?”

Gracie glared at her. “Yeah, when I was eighteen and crazy. No offense, you didn’t know better when you went out with him. Doug has the sensitivity of a gnat and I’d be surprised if he cared about anything more than getting drunk and getting off.”

Gemma gasped. “Gracie!”

Gracie shrugged off Gemma’s horror and Ryan hid a grin. Gracie was outrageous and said basically everything that came to her mind, but Ryan already adored her. Every misconception she’d had about the pretty blonde made her think that Gracie probably wasn’t the first person she’d misjudged, if Ryan’s ex-boyfriends were any indication.

“I’m just saying that all Doug cares about is Doug, and if I had to guess, I’d bet your other boyfriends were the same. I mean seriously, if you don’t enjoy sex, how are you supposed to be good at it?”

Ryan thought about that for a minute and realized Gracie was right. Majority of the time, she didn’t even orgasm during sex, she was so busy trying to make the guy she was with happy. In fact she never remembered having one orgasm with Doug, mainly because he was pretty quick on the draw. She bit her lip to hold back a laugh but Gracie caught her look. “Hey, what’s the laugh about?”

Ryan shook her head. “Nothing, I was just thinking.”

Gracie watched her for a minute, as i

f weighing whether to press for the joke. She must have decided to just let it go because she pointed her finger at Ryan. “You just need to relax and let nature take its course. I highly doubt Gregg’s the type of guy to leave a girl hanging. He’s one of the good ones.”

Ryan felt her stomach tighten with a little twist of jealousy. “Can I ask you something?”

Gracie smiled and volunteered, “No, I never slept with Gregg.”

Gemma rolled her eyes and Ryan blushed. “No, that’s not it. Why did you blow Gregg off after your date?”

Gracie’s smile dimmed a little and her eyes clouded. She sat back with a sigh and replied, “I just knew we weren’t a good fit. I mean, Gregg is hot, don’t get me wrong, but he needs someone like . . . well like you. I would have just run roughshod over him and ruined him for any other decent girls.”

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