Read Game For Love: All The Right Moves (Kindle Worlds Novella) Online
Authors: Marquita Valentine
Game For Love: All The Right Moves (Kindle Worlds Novella) (10 page)
In his opinion, it was a win-win. She could bring Bluebelle and every design she had with
her, while he played for his dream team.
The doorman touched his cap. “Ms. Mitchell beat you home, sir.”
Damn it.
He handed the flowers to Larry. “Thanks. Please take these to your wife and say they’re from you.”
“She’d like it better if I said they were from you,” Larry said with a big grin.
Ryan clapped the man on the shoulder. “Whatever makes her happy.”
Double
-checking to make sure the engagement ring he’d had made for Ashley was securely in his pocket, he set off in the direction of the elevators and took the first available one to his floor.
Victory
, like the first time he won the Super Bowl, flowed through him. He was assured a victory tonight. There was no way he could lose.
As soon as he explained all the reasons why she should come to Dallas with him, he’d tell her he was in love
, and then ask her to marry him.
It was foolproof.
The doors opened, and he stepped inside his apartment, but the lovely, happy woman he was used to seeing stood there with determination in her eyes.
“I don’t want to date you anymore,” she said.
“Me either,” he replied, and her blue eyes widened.
“Good. I’ve
had a nice time getting to know you, but… but it’s over.”
He blinked. “Excuse me?”
“You knew from the start that I didn’t date football players, but I made an
exception
for you.”
Gunner wandered in and sat down beside her. Automatically, she stroked his head. “I realize that, and
I know how hard it was for you,” he said, choosing his words with care.
She nodded, biting her bottom lip. There were tears in her
eyes, and he had no idea why… unless, she had already heard about Dallas. “Then I hope you can understand why I can no longer see you. Being with you was—is more than I can handle right now.”
“No, I can’t understand. I don’t understand a damn thing,” he shouted,
losing his composure. “Did someone tell you about Dallas?”
“Is it true?”
“Yes, it’s true. Dallas is my dream.” And so was she. All he had to do was recite the stupid speech he’d prepared and show her the ring. His mind went blank. Reaching into his pocket, he went to grab it, but she brushed past him before he knew what was happening.
He turned, reaching for her, but Gunner thought it was a game and got all tangled up in his legs. Ryan had to grab the nearest piece of furniture to keep from falling on his ass.
“Don’t call or text me. I told you I don’t date football players and you—you reminded me why I should never break my own rule.” The doors to the elevator doors closed, but not before he saw the tears running down her splotchy face.
“What the hell just happened?” he asked Gunner.
Ryan immediately called Ashley, but she sent his call to voice mail. The second call was to her brother, Rhett, to let him know what had happened.
“What did you do to her?” Rhett growled into the phone.
“I have no idea. I had the flowers, the ring, and the speech.”
“And?”
“And the flowers went to Mrs. Larry, while the ring stayed in my pocket, and I completely blanked on the speech,” Ryan admitted.
“That’s your problem, right there,” another voice
said. “You gave our sister’s flowers to another woman.”
“Hey, Will,” he intoned.
“What’s up, buddy? Rhett’s got you on speaker,” he said pleasantly. “Ready for us to kick your ass?”
Ryan would like to see them try. “I’d rather look my best when I ask your sister to marry me.”
“That’s really thoughtful of you,” Will said.
“But it still doesn’t get you out of it,” Rhett pointed out.
Ryan exhaled. “Look, I just wanted to give you guys a head’s up and to ask if y’all can find out what went wrong. She was waiting for me, and she knew about Dallas.” Oh hell. “Did either one of you tell her? Or anyone else?”
“No,” Rhett said.
Silence from Will.
“Who did you tell, Will?” Ryan asked.
“No one important.”
“Oh shit. You did not tell that asshole after I kicked him out
of my apartment,” Rhett shouted.
Will snorted.
“Of course not.”
“Oh, sorry.”
“I told Dean before you kicked him out.”
“
Damn it, Will,” Ryan bit out. “It was supposed to be a secret.”
“I wanted to rub it into Dean’s face,” Will said, his voice all apologetic. “
It felt damn good to let him know you were dating Ash, and that she was still waiting around on him to come back, like he thought.”
Ryan exhaled
, rubbing the back of his neck. “That explains it.”
“Sorry, bro.”
“Don’t worry about. I’ll go talk to Ashley.” He ended their call and started for the parking garage.
“Turner.”
Ryan blinked at the blond-haired man limping toward him. “What the hell happened to you?”
“Crazy ex-girlfriend.” He
smirked, and Ryan wanted to punch him, but it looked like someone had done enough damage. And that someone, he suspected, was Ashley, because her brothers hadn’t had a chance to find Dean. Yet.
“She wanted to get back together, once she learned I was back in town, but,”
he shrugged, and then winced a little, “I turned her down. Word to the wise,
brah
… stay away from redheads named Ashley.”
Ryan nodded and started to walk by Dean, without respo
nding to his asinine taunting. Reconsidering, he decided he did have something else to say.
“Hey Dean,” he called
out, and the guy turned around.
Dean took a look at Ryan’s face and paled. “Shit. Not again.”
Ashley sat in the
love seat, with Bluebelle curled up beside her.
Her eyes felt
puffy, and her throat was raw from crying for the past hour. There was no one she could talk to about it, no one who would listen.
Over the past few years, she’d made Dean and then her business her world. Only Bluebelle and Ryan had encouraged her to come out of it and fully embrace life.
Her phone buzzed, and she glanced at the screen. It was her best friend, Laurie. She hadn’t spoken to her since she’d left on a month-long trip with her new husband. Only, instead of being giddy to talk to her friend, Ashley wanted to ignore her call. But… she answered it anyway, before it went to voice mail. “Hi, Laurie.”
“Hey Ash! I’m back from my honeymoon.”
“That’s great. I missed you.”
“Missed you, too, doll. When can we get together?”
“Whenever you want,” Ashley said.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Laurie made a tsking sound.
“You are such a liar.”
“I know.”
“Have your brothers kicked his ass yet?” Laurie asked.
Bluebell
e raised her head, and then took off for the back gate. She only did when company came calling. Or strangers. “I swear… if Dean is back.”
“Oh my God.
That asshat came to your house?”
Ashley stomped across the yard. “Yes.”
“I hope you told him off.”
“I punched him in the nose and then accidentally on purpose shut the car door on his leg. Twice.”
“Heck, yeah,” Laurie crowed. “Let the ginger loose.”
With a laugh, Ashley stopped just shy of the gate. “Let me go. I need to see who’s here.”
“Okay. Love you. Call me. Bye.” Laurie ended their call.
“Did you really do all that to him, sweetness?”
Her breath caught in her throat. “Ryan?”
“Open the gate
, and let’s talk.”
“I told you I don’t want to date you anymore.”
“And I agreed with you.” He reached over her tall fence, fumbling for the lock at the top, and unlocking it on the second try. The gate swung open, revealing his sexy face and body. “I want more.”
He stepped in her yard and closed the gate. She stepped back
, looking for another exit.
“Please, Ashley, hear me out.”
“Why, so you can tell me all the reasons why you’re going to Dallas without me?” She turned away and started for the house.
He caught her by the arm and tugged her to him. “No.” He lifted her chin. His dark eyes were tender and loving. Wait, that couldn’t be right.
If he felt the way he looked right now, there would be no way he’d be leaving her.
“I want to tell you all the
reasons why you are going to Dallas with me, but right now, I can only think of two,” he admitted with a sheepish grin.
“And those are?”
“I love you, Ashley Margaret Mitchell, and I want you to be my wife.” Getting down on one knee, he held up a diamond ring.
“You love me?”
she asked, all breathless.
“Yes.”
“And you want to marry me?”
“Hell yes.” He stood up. “That’s why I don’t want to date you anymore. I want to make you mine and take you off the playing field.”
“Ryan?”
“Yeah?”
She gave him a tremulous smile. “I have two replies for you.”
“
And those are?”
“I love you, Ryan Shea Turner, and I would be honored to be your wife.”
Ryan picked her up and spun her around. “My
wife
.”
Laughing, she kissed
him, and he stopped spinning them. “Thank you.”
“For what?” he asked, kissing her forehead.
“For making me a part of your dreams.”
Thank you for reading ALL THE RIGHT MOVES, if you enjoyed Ryan and Ashley’s story, please consider leaving a review. And if you’d like to read more of my books, please visit my
Amazon Author page
Stay up-to-date with Marquita!
The Deception (coming July 2014)
The Confession (coming August 2014)
Thank you to Autumn Hull, Andrea Thompson, Amanda Clark, Cynthia
Shepp, Olivia Kelly, and Carly Phillips for every single bit of y’all’s help getting ALL THE RIGHT MOVES ready for readers. I know I couldn’t have done it without you guys.
As always, thank you to my family for putting up with
my during deadlines and to my readers for supporting me.
Lastly, a ginormous thank you to Bella Andre for allowing me to write in her Game For Love world. This has been so muc
h fun!
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, Marquita Valentine, writes sexy heroes that make you swoon and sassy heroines that make you laugh. She's the author of the bestselling contemporary romance series, Holland Springs, and the new adult romance series, Boys of the South.
Marquita met her husband aka Hot Builder at Sonic when they were in high school. She suggests this location to all of her single friends in search of a good man--and if that doesn't work, they can console themselves with cheesy tatertots. She lives in North Carolina in a very, very small town with Hot Builder and their two children.
You can email her at
[email protected]
or contact her on her website
www.marquitavalentine.com
