Part 8 (1/2)

”A horror movie.”

He shot her a surprised look. ”Seriously? You want to watch a horror movie?”

”Love them.” Not really, but maybe if she was scared enough, she could forget about all the d.a.m.n tingles taking over her cells one by one.

”I thought you were into indie comedies in high school?”

Warmth spread through her at his remembering something so small about her. He was right. She'd loved movies like Clerks and Muriel's Wedding, and even more, the fact that the sc.r.a.ppy filmmakers had followed their vision and found such success. She'd hoped for even a fraction of success like that for herself one day. She still did.

”Don't worry,” she teased, ”I won't tell anyone if you need to cover your eyes during the scary scenes.”

”Nothing like knowing my friend has my back,” he teased back as he started scrolling through the available movies. ”How about this?” Halloween was up on the flat-screen. ”It's a cla.s.sic.” He grinned and added, ”This first one was practically indie.”

”Sounds great.” She curled her feet up under her and pulled a blanket draped over the arm of the couch onto her lap, even though sitting so close to Ryan already had her feeling way too hot and bothered to need it.

Having only ever seen a handful of horror movies, mostly through her closed eyelids and the hand she couldn't help but keep over her eyes, she knew enough to expect fairly immediate blood and gore. Instead, Halloween opened with a teenage couple getting hot and heavy on a couch.

Vicki clutched the blanket tightly in her fists as she tried to keep her breathing slow and even while the kiss grew hotter and hotter. Her heart felt like it was going to pound out of her chest by the time the teenagers pulled apart and headed upstairs to the girl's bedroom.

Thank G.o.d, she thought as she let herself relax back into the cus.h.i.+ons. Maybe, if she was really lucky, one of the teenagers would be slashed in the next scene.

Normally, she would have been dreading seeing the crazy little brother wield the large kitchen knife, but anything was better than continuing to watch two kids, who were her and Ryan's age when they met, making out and grinding against each other. Yes, she was totally prepared for- ”Oh my G.o.d!”

The little boy on the screen plunged the knife into his sister and Vicki couldn't stop herself from leaping into Ryan's arms and burying her head on his chest.

Chapter Nine.

Ryan immediately clicked off the TV. His hands stroked down her back and even though somewhere in the back of her mind she knew what a bad idea it was to get this close to him, she couldn't even think of moving from his lap while her heart was still pounding so hard and she couldn't get the picture of spurting blood out of her head.

”It's okay, Vicki,” he said in a gentle voice. ”It's just a dumb movie. It isn't real.”

”I know,” she said, but her voice was shaking as she confessed, ”I've only ever watched the Chucky movies, with the doll who comes alive.” Those movies had been scary, but nothing like the slas.h.i.+ng they'd just witnessed.

”We could have watched something else. Just because I'm a guy doesn't mean I can't hack a chick flick every once in a while.”

By then, her fear had receded enough for her to feel a little idiotic. ”I don't know what I was think-”

She should have known better than to lift her head and look at him instead of moving off his lap first, but between her fading horror and rising arousal, her brain wasn't functioning quite right. Unfortunately, with his mouth so close that she could practically taste the red wine on his lips, it was too late to get that thinking done.

Ryan's hands stilled on her back and his arms tightened around her. She couldn't look away from his eyes, which were growing darker by the second. All she needed to do was lean forward the barest amount and her lips would be on his and she could kiss him the way she'd been dying to kiss him for half her life...and not just because they were putting on a show for someone else.

Only, just as Vicki was about to close the gap between them, her brain finally clicked into overdrive with all the reasons why not, most of which started and ended with a crystal-clear vision of Ryan trying to be kind while helping her off his lap...and away from his mouth. He'd search so hard for the right words to tell her that while he was flattered by her attention, he valued their friends.h.i.+p too much to do anything to jeopardize it.

And she'd be left feeling like the fool she'd been to actually convince herself it had been okay to give in to temptation.

Moving as quickly as her suddenly clumsy limbs could manage, she s.h.i.+fted off Ryan's lap. ”You know what? I've got a big day tomorrow and you've got to pitch, so we should probably just head to bed.” She stood up, then concentrated on folding the blanket into a perfect rectangle.

She was laying the blanket over the arm of the couch when Ryan also stood and said, ”You're right, we should probably skip the movie tonight.”

Vicki forced back disappointment that he also clearly wanted to get away from her.

It was for the best. She wouldn't risk their friends.h.i.+p. Especially not now, when they were finally together again after years on different sides of the world.

She was halfway up the stairs to the guest bedroom with Ryan a step behind her, when he asked, ”Any chance you'll be able to make the game tomorrow?”

If it had been anyone else she was inappropriately l.u.s.ting after, she would have said no out of self-preservation. However, not only did she not want to let Ryan down, but she also really wanted to see him play again.

She smiled at him as she put her hand on her doork.n.o.b. ”I wouldn't miss it.”

He smiled back, but it didn't erase that dark intensity in his eyes. ”Great.” He paused, and she could have sworn he was fighting with himself over something before he finally said, ”Good night, Vicki.”

After she stepped into her room and closed the door behind her, she sagged against it and put her head in her hands. She'd called Ryan to help her out of a sticky situation with James. Only, she was starting to feel like she'd walked into an even stickier one with Ryan.

One where her nearly unstoppable fantasies of being more than a friend ran the risk of breaking apart the friends.h.i.+p she'd always held so dear.

Ryan felt like h.e.l.l the next morning. Two nights of practically no sleep combined with a hard-on that wouldn't quit had him out on the beach at first light, trying to run off what felt like a hangover. He was pitching today and knew better than to push himself too hard, but after his run, he went straight to his home gym anyway.

He could still feel Vicki's warm breath on his lips from last night when she'd leapt into his arms and the way her soft curves had pressed against his groin and chest as she let him soothe away her fears. Despite how much the movie had frightened her, he couldn't find it in himself to regret the fact that he'd been able to hold her for a few incredible moments because of it.

Sweet Lord, he'd never wanted to kiss anyone the way he wanted to kiss her. And he'd almost convinced himself that it would be okay to give in to the powerful urge, when she'd scrambled off his lap and practically run up the stairs to her bedroom to get away from him.

He'd offered her his guest room because she needed a friend to help her out.

He'd never forgive himself if she thought he expected any kind of s.e.xual payment for the favor, but the way he was acting with her, he wouldn't blame her for thinking that.

Added to that were his worries about how quickly she seemed to want to chuck in their ”relations.h.i.+p.” As soon as he finished his workout, he was going to call Rafe to push for more information on James.

Hard rock music pounded as he worked with the machines before moving to the free weights. But even though he was frustrated as h.e.l.l by an arousal that had absolutely no outlet where Vicki was concerned, he wasn't stupid enough to push himself past the twinge in his right shoulder. He grabbed a clean towel from the shelf against the wall and wiped off his face as he headed down into the kitchen.

Vicki looked up from behind the blender she'd just turned off. ”Want to share my fruit smoothie?”

”Sounds great. Thanks.” He absentmindedly rubbed his shoulder as he grabbed an ice pack from the freezer to put on it. ”You sleep okay?”

”How could I not in that bed?”

Her smile seemed just a little too bright, but then again, he was a grumpy-and h.o.r.n.y-b.a.s.t.a.r.d today.

”Is your arm hurting?” She slid a full gla.s.s over to him and he drank from it gratefully.

He shrugged. ”I always ice down after a workout.”