In Bed with Mr. Wrong (14 page)

But how was he supposed to fight for her when she was so busy fighting
him
? He rubbed his chest. There was only one right answer to that. He had to convince
her he wasn’t like the string of people in her life who’d left. He
wouldn’t
walk away, not while he still had the breath to argue. “You’re an ass—even if you
might be right.”

“I’m your older brother. It goes with the territory.” Drew finally looked at him.
“What are you going to do?”

“First, I need to get back to base and find out what’s going on. Once I have that
settled, I’ll figure something out.” Because his brother was right. He’d never lost
his mind over a woman before, and he’d be damned before he let her walk away without
a fight.

Chapter Eighteen

Bri spent the next twenty-four hours in a fugue. She had no illusions about what she
was doing, but she couldn’t bring herself to stop. Nothing interested her—not her
books, not her library, not even the kids she made an effort to smile at despite how
terrible she felt. All she wanted to do was curl in bed and sleep until her chest
stopped hurting.

She picked up a book from the shelving cart and set it back down without opening it.
God, what was happening to her? She couldn’t possibly have had her heart broken by
a man she barely knew.

But no matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise, she couldn’t lie to
herself. She knew Ryan. She felt for the kid he used to be—the child who had sought
refuge from his horrible father in the middle of books, just like she had. The teenager
who’d accidentally set fire to his school while saving a kitten. She felt for the
man he’d become, too, but even more than that, she felt for the common thread between
them she couldn’t ignore.

It didn’t matter. No matter which way things played out between them, it’d never work
in the long run. It couldn’t.

So why was she having such a difficult time convincing herself she shouldn’t track
him down?

The phone in her hand rang, startling a scream out of her. Bri pressed her hand to
her chest and stared at the caller ID. Avery. Again. Her best friend had been calling
ever since Drew took Ryan to the airport. She hadn’t been ready to talk then, and
she sure as heck wasn’t ready now. With a sigh, she pressed the ignore button and
set the phone aside.

“It’s rude to ignore your best friend’s calls.”

Bri screamed for the second time. “What the hell, Avery? Are you trying to give me
a heart attack?”

She hopped onto the counter next to Bri and swung her long legs out. “That depends.
How long are you planning on avoiding me? Because I’d hate to have to take drastic
measures. I mean, I’m in a library right now. That’s pretty drastic.”

“I haven’t decided if I’m angry at you for the cabin thing. I need time.”

Avery rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. If you don’t know if you’re mad, you’re not.”

“That’s not how real life works.” In reality she’d let a man who could very well have
been her Prince Charming walk away without a fight. The very thought, no matter how
absurd, made her want to cry.

“Will it make it any better to know that Drew and I spent three hours picking through
the damn place, making sure we found all the condoms we’d stashed? Because that was
a giant pain in the ass. Also, informative. You guys used quite a few of them.”

Bri wanted to shake her friend, mostly so she didn’t have to consider the implications.
Had they counted the missing condoms? “Are you even listening to yourself? You stranded
me in the middle of nowhere with a strange man for
three days
.”

“Now you’re just being dramatic. It’s not like we picked up a hitchhiker and threw
you two together. It’s Ryan. And you two were pretty damn cozy when you were crashing
his Suburban into a stoplight.”

She realized it didn’t matter what she said—Avery wouldn’t listen. Bri vowed right
then and there she’d get some sort of revenge on the Twosome, no matter how long it
took.

“Speaking of Ryan, what the hell happened? You two went from being cuddled up in a
very naked way to icy silence that managed to make even
me
uncomfortable.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Ever.

“Bullshit. Obviously something isn’t right and, if I know you—and I do—then it’s going
to eat you up until you figure it out.”

She kind of hated Avery for knowing her so well. Bri crossed her arms over her chest
and forced herself to meet her best friend’s gaze. “What’s your point?”

“My point is, hashing it out with me will help.” She motioned. “So, hash it out.”

As much as she wanted to be left alone to nurse her wounds, Avery had a point. “Would
you like something to drink?”

“Don’t suppose you have beer stashed somewhere around here?” She laughed when Bri
sent her a look. “Didn’t think so. Tea would be great.”

She led the way into the little back room she’d converted into a break room when she
took over as head librarian. Mrs. Cleaver had used it to stash her in-progress knitting
projects, but Bri bought a comfy little chair and a table for her automatic teapot.
Going through the motions of filling the teapot and setting out mugs calmed her nerves.
By the time she turned around, she was as ready as she’d ever be to have this conversation.
She took a deep breath. “He left.”

Sympathy bloomed in Avery’s dark eyes. “Sweetie, it’s not forever.”

“Knowing that doesn’t make it any easier. He’s running off to take over for a guy
who might have
died
.” Who
did
die for all she knew. Her brain wanted to point out that this had been coming since
the moment she met him, but she’d somehow convinced herself it would work out—right
up until the moment it came time for him to say good-bye. “Even if we try to make
something work, he’ll always leave. Maybe even for good.”

“Well, you can’t do anything about the last bit, but if you’re not willing to follow
him to the ends of the earth, maybe you should give him a reason to stick around.
He’s been looking for one ever since he left.”

“What are you talking about? He’s not going to settle here.” In Wellingford, Bri had
found a real home, and she wasn’t sure she could bear the thought of leaving. Even
for Ryan. The fact that she’d considered it in the first place was a token of how
deep her feelings for him went.

“He had a rough time of it growing up with his asshat of a father. He and Drew had
to fend for themselves for the most part, so they got into more than their fair share
of trouble. The whole burning-down-the-high-school mess only capped things off.” Avery
shrugged. “But the long and short of it is that Ryan needed time to find his own identity
and some peace, but when he’s ready to put down roots again, this is where he’ll come.”

Hope blossomed, made all the more terrible for how potent it was. Bri ruthlessly crushed
it. “You’re wrong.”

“I’m not.” She kicked out her heels again. “Maybe he just needs the right reason to
make him ready.”

Her friend was saying all the things she desperately wanted to hear, but Bri couldn’t
bring herself to believe it. “He’s avoided this place for ten years. That isn’t something
you just set aside. Plus, he loves being a pararescuer. I could never ask him to choose
between me and a career he loves.”

“Then don’t.”

“You are
not
helping.”

“Well, I guess that depends on what kind of help you’re after. Do you want the truth,
or for someone to pat you on the ass and tell you that you’re right and Ryan’s a big,
bad asshole? I love the man, but I can go either way if it’s what you need.”

Bri gripped her mug tighter. “I can’t believe you just said that.”

“What’s the problem? That I gave you the option, or the fact that there
is
an option?”

Anger broke through the calm she’d fought so hard to maintain ever since Ryan left.
Her hand shook so much, hot tea splashed over her fingers. “I think you should leave.”

“I think that means we’re choosing option one, so here goes. You’re not weak, Bri—you
never were—but you’re scared shitless and that’s going to make you miss the chance
of a lifetime. I saw the way Ryan looked at you. He’s head-over-heels in love with
you, and unless I miss my guess, you’re well on your way there, too.”

No. Absolutely not. “
Get out
.”

“I’m sorry to have to be the one to say it, but I love you too much to sit back and
let you hide from happiness.” Avery’s voice never wavered as she stood and walked
slowly toward the door leading into the main room of the library. “Maybe you need
to sit down and think about the stakes. Because I’d commit bodily harm to have a chance
at what you’re throwing away—a life with a loving partner. If you’re not willing to
fight for your happiness, why should anyone else?”

“That’s not fair! There are other things to consider.”

“Maybe you’re right.” She paused at the door. “But I wouldn’t consider them for too
long. Ryan’s hopping on a flight and shipping out to destination unknown tomorrow.”

“What? He’s deploying?” Bri ran after her and threw open the main door, but her friend
was already walking down the sidewalk. Panicking, she raced back into the break room
and scrambled for her phone. She dialed Drew’s number from memory and nearly sobbed
with relief when he answered.

“Flannery.”

“When is Ryan flying overseas?”

For once, he didn’t make a smart-ass comment. “Tomorrow morning. He thinks he’ll be
gone a few months, but it’s hard to tell since everything is all hush-hush.”

An unknown number of months in enemy territory where another pararescuer had already
been hurt—or worse. What if something happened to him and she never said the words
pushing so desperately at her lips? Bri was already grabbing her keys and shoving
her feet into her boots when she said, “What airport is he flying out of? Or is he
going directly from Moody Air Force Base?”

“Actually, no. He’s flying commercial to Germany departing out of Nashville. From
there, I have no idea.”

Nashville. She glanced at the clock as she headed for the main doors. There was probably
a flight that would get her to Atlanta tonight. If she rented a car, she could drive
to Nashville and be there by morning. “Hold on a second.”

“Sure, I’ve got all day.”

Ignoring his sarcasm, she hurried to the nearest computer and brought up a search
of flights leaving Williamsport. Sure enough, there was one heading to Atlanta in
three hours. “I need a ride to the airport.”

…

Ryan dialed again, cursing when the call went straight to voice mail.

This is Brianne Nave. Please leave a message with your name and number and I’ll get
back to you as soon as possible.

He’d already called her three times, so it was entirely possible she was ignoring
him on purpose. Fuck. “Bri, it’s Ryan again. I’m leaving and… Shit, I don’t even know
what to say. I never should have walked away from you with things like they were,
and I’m sorry. I would have called before now, but things have been insane with us
going wheels up. The truth is, I care about you more than I know how to say. I know
that’s going to freak you out and I’m sorry for that, too, but it needs to be said.
You brought something into my life I didn’t even know I was missing, and I’ll be damned
before I let you go without a fight. I’m… I’m going to call you when I get to Frankfurt
in roughly twenty hours. If you don’t answer or your phone’s shut off, then I’ll take
a hint, but I really hope we have a chance…to talk.”

The phone beeped, cutting him off before he could embarrass himself anymore.

“Dude, put your phone away before you call that poor chick for the fourth time in
three hours. You’re already bordering on stalker territory as it is.”

He turned with a sigh to Jackson. The PJ’s blond hair shone in the stark light of
the airport as they strode through the terminal toward Concourse C. His eyes, however,
were sympathetic. “There will be plenty of time to get it right, Flannery. She’d be
a damn fool not to see what a catch you are.”

“Aw, Jacks, are you sweet on me?” The joking he usually found such joy in fell flat
against the rock settling in his stomach. What if Bri finally answered and said she
didn’t want anything to do with him? How the fuck was he supposed to go on with his
life knowing what he was missing?

“As if you have to do is ask.” Jacks grinned. “So this girl stole your heart? She’s
a fast worker.”

Thinking back to their first date, to the kiss that flamed out of control, he smiled.
“You have no idea.”

“Yeah? Maybe someday I’ll meet a woman who blows me away like that.”

“If you’re lucky.” Or cursed. He wasn’t sure at this point.

“Uh, Flannery.” Jacks eyes went wide. “I don’t suppose she’s about yea tall”—he held
up his hand at chest height—“with a penchant for skirts and sexy secretary glasses?”

He followed his friend’s gaze and stopped cold. Bri stood talking to a gate agent,
her hands moving wildly, though he was too far away to hear her words. The gate agent
shook his head, and she wilted for a second before throwing back her shoulders and
marching to the next gate. “What the hell is she doing?”

“Well, genius, it seems like she’s looking for someone.” Jacks pushed him forward
a few steps. “I can’t imagine who.”

Ryan hitched his backpack higher and starting moving again, picking up his pace until
he was damn near running. Bri had already finished with the second agent, and she
was heading across the open space to the next cluster of gates. “Bri.” She didn’t
pause, didn’t seem to hear him. “
Bri
!”

She turned a slow circle, as if she wasn’t quite sure what she was looking for. Then
she caught sight of him and sprinted in his direction. He caught her halfway, yanking
her into his arms, as if by holding her he could actually wrap his mind around the
fact that she was
here
.

Her breath came in harsh pants. “I didn’t think I was going to find you before you
left.”

“I’ve been calling. I left you a message.”

Bri clung to him. “My phone’s dead. I flew into Atlanta last night and was in such
a hurry that I forgot my charger and then when I was driving there wasn’t anywhere
open late enough to stop and buy one and—”

He kissed her, trying to communicate everything he’d left in that last message. When
he finally came up for air, she blinked. “Wow.”