Double Coverage (34 page)

“Soo…are you ready for tomorrow and Monday?”

“What’s Monday?” Ryker asked, confusion etching his face.

“The practice photo shoot. Didn’t your agent call you?” Ryker shook his head no and Ashlin sighed. “C.C. Morris wants to do some practice shots on Monday to make sure her vision is met.” Ashlin said in a dramatic voice, making Ryker laugh. “It’s an all-day photo shoot, so she can test out different styles on us. We will be modeling her fall line and then, of course, her bedroom line.”

Ryker nodded, since he couldn’t really think of an appropriate response. Ever since he found out Ashlin was his Ashley from when he was a kid, he couldn’t get over the fact that he was going to have to be practically naked with her…again. But this time, she would be a mature woman, not a young teenager seeking love.

“Are you going to be okay with this?” Ashlin asked, as if reading his mind.

“Yeah, why not? I’m excited about the clothing line.”

“And the bedroom line…”

Ryker shrugged as he positioned his body up against the side of Ashlin’s car. She joined him.

“I mean, it’s going to be a little awkward. When I didn’t realize it was you, I was pumped because, let’s be honest, you’re fucking hot, but now that I know I will be practically naked with my Ashley, I don’t know…it just seems awkward.”

“I wouldn’t describe it as awkward, more like meant to be.”

“Maybe,” Ryker said with a sigh. Hannah’s face kept flashing through his mind, which bothered him because he pretty much blew her off tonight and he wanted to keep it that way. Maybe it was for the best if he cut ties now and possibly pursued a relationship with Ashlin, but he knew he couldn’t. Hannah was his forbidden fruit that he needed, he craved, and that he wanted. Hannah was it for him, he knew it, deep in his gut he knew he and Hannah were meant to be, but thanks to Hannah’s frosty exterior, he’d made no leeway whatsoever. She was still practically engaged to Douche McGee and he was soon to be “engaged” by the media to Ashlin. It seemed like, instead of Hannah and Ryker getting closer, they were being torn apart, inch by agonizing inch.

“You really like her, don’t you?” Ashlin asked, with concern in her eyes.

“Who?” Ryker asked, even though he knew exactly who Ashlin was talking about. He was just trying to buy himself some time from answering her question.

“You know exactly who I’m talking about.”

Ryker sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t want to Ash. She is slowly tearing me apart inside by staying with that moron and not giving me the time of day, but damn it if I can’t stop thinking about her.”

“Is it worth it, Ryker? It seems like she’s serious about this other guy. Maybe you should let her go.”

“I want to believe she’s worth it, but I can’t be sure.”

Ashlin kicked a rock that was on the sidewalk and they both watched it tumble across the cement and land in a planter.

“Can I be honest with you?” Ashlin asked, as she turned toward him.

“Always, doll. What’s on your mind?”

Ashlin took a deep breath, like she was gathering all the courage she had to approach him. “When I heard I would be modeling with you, I got really excited. I flew out here so I could be with you and work with you and around your schedule. I don’t ever do that, but I wanted to make sure that there would be nothing to stop you from taking the job.”

“I like you Ryker, I miss you and I…I want to be with you again.” Ryker was taken aback. He knew Ashlin was flirting with him tonight, but he never thought she was actually serious. “But I don’t want to get in the way of your happiness and if Hannah is just that, then I want to make sure I don’t deter her from finally making the connection you so desperately want with her.”

“Ashlin…”

“Let me finish.” She held up her hand and then continued. “I will back down, but if there is any inkling that you might have feelings for me, I want you to explore them. I miss you and you are the sole reason I am here today. I love you Ryker and I always have.”

“I love you too, doll,” Ryker said, as he pulled her in for a hug.

Jesus, what was he supposed to say? Russell the love Muscle was screaming to be let out and take Ashlin up on her offer, but his heart was telling him otherwise. His body felt like it was being ripped in two. Was he really ever going to be with Hannah? Did he really have a chance? If he did, he didn’t want to mess it up by screwing around with Ashlin. Plus he didn’t want to lead her on either; that wouldn’t be fair to her. He wasn’t a dick like Mason.

“I just don’t know. I have to think about it, I don’t want to mess up our friendship.”

“You could never do that,” she said, while burying her head in his shoulder. “I lost you once, I don’t want to lose you again and I don’t want to ruin anything for you.”

“What would you ruin for me?”

She pulled her head back and looked Ryker in his eyes, piercing him with her light pools of green. “Ryker, do you realize how sexual these pictures are going to be, how kinky?”

“It’s just some lingerie…”

Ashlin laughed. “It’s lingerie, but it’s very revealing. They want us to act out scenes to capture the true essence of what C.C. wants to get from her lingerie, the feeling. I have seen some of the ideas and it’s intense. I don’t want this to ruin anything with you and Hannah.”

Ryker hugged Ashlin tight from being touched by her concern. “I appreciate the thought, doll, but right now Hannah and I are non-existent and I’ve been looking forward to modeling with C.C, Morris, even if I have to shed my clothes for some of the shots. Don’t worry about it. We’re in this together.”

“You sure? Hannah might not understand.”

“Fuck it.”

Ashlin smiled and snuggled closer, making Ryker feel warm for the first time in a very long time. He wasn’t sure if it was because an old friend loved him or if it was because a gorgeous woman was hugging him, but whatever it was, he liked it. It was much better than the coldness that was radiating off of Hannah. Why would he want to be with someone who was cold and distant from him when he had a warm and caring person on the sidelines, waiting for him? He had some serious thinking to do and he planned on using all the organs in his body to make an executive decision.

Chapter 17

Mason paced back and forth in his living room. His bare feet dragged across the plush tan carpet that covered his apartment, but the feeling of the soft carpet on his bare feet didn’t register in his brain. It had been an hour since he left the bar. Piper was not supposed to be that far behind him when he left, so what was taking her so long? He really hoped she hadn’t changed her mind because that would absolutely crush him.

Watching Jax put his hands all over Piper’s body during the night was pure torture. Thank God Brooke was there to ease some of the pain that was roaring through his body. Not that he liked her, but it was easier to watch Piper make him jealous when he was doing the same to her. He knew the whole night was some kind of fucked up madness, from taking Piper in the back room, to fighting, to turning each other into insanely scary green-eyed monsters. If he was honest with himself, he couldn’t believe that Piper actually agreed to come over to his place, so her not being here really didn’t surprise him at all. It wasn’t the first time she said she would meet up with him, but then never showed.

It was midnight and he had a game tomorrow. He needed to get some sleep if he wanted to be somewhat coherent during the game. He went to his bathroom to brush his teeth and get ready for bed. As he brushed his teeth, he stared at his reflection in the mirror. He looked…pathetic. Even more pathetic then when Brooke left him and that was a dark time in his life. He had lines around his eyes that he never noticed before and his scruff was growing to a possible beard length, which was not like him. Was he really letting a woman affect him this much?

He spit out the toothpaste that foamed around his tongue and rinsed his mouth. He splashed some water on his face and then dried off, not bothering to hang his towel back up. He tore his shirt off and threw it in the hamper. He was just about to pull his mesh shorts off when there was a light knock on his door. He almost thought he imagined the sound, but then he heard it again. He took off for the front door and held his breath while he opened it up.

“Hey,” Piper said, as she looked at him through her eyelashes.

“Hey, come in.” She hesitated for a second, making Mason’s heart plummet, but then she moved forward and stood in his entryway.

He shut the door, locked it, and then grabbed her hand, guiding her into the living room to sit on the couch. She looked nervous, but there was also a bit of excitement in her eyes. There was a slight sparkle to them that sent his pulse to sprinting pace.

“Do you want anything to drink?” Mason felt awkward. He didn’t quite know what he was going to say to her. He wanted her with him and the only way he could get her in his place was if he threatened to bring Brooke home. Once Piper showed up, he didn’t really know what he was going to do with her that didn’t require them both getting naked.

“I’m okay, thanks though.”

They just stared at each other in the middle of the living room, her sitting on the couch and him standing above her. She looked more pale than usual. She had the creamiest skin that Mason loved indulging in, but right now, it looked more ghostly white. Her foot was fidgeting and he hoped that her nervous tendencies and ghostly complexion weren’t signs of something bad to come.

Mason sat next to Piper on the couch and pulled her hands into his. “Why did you come, Piper? Why didn’t you go home with Jax?”

She shrugged her shoulders and refused to make eye contact with him, so he placed his finger under her chin and forced her to look him in the eyes.

“Why are you here?”

Water lined her eyes, but she blinked back her tears. “I don’t really know. All I know is that I didn’t want to be anywhere else tonight. Not after what happened in the bar. I wanted to be the only girl in your home tonight.” Piper sighed and then got off the couch to pace the room. “Why did you have to be such a dick tonight? Do you know what you did to me?”

“What I did to you? Oh, I’m sorry, I was under the impression you actually knew how to play pool and didn’t need some douche bag feeling you up the whole night.”

“That’s my boyfriend! At least I’m actually attached to him, unlike you, who teeter totters between flimsy whores and slutty ex-girlfriends.” Piper stuck her head up in defiance and her hair fell around her shoulders, making her look even more beautiful than usual, but then what she said registered in his head.

He shot off the couch as well and went toward her. “I haven’t been with anyone since you, so don’t shoot off shit that you don’t know.”

“You’re telling me you have not been with Brooke at all?”

“No, not since we first fucked.”

“Eloquent,” Piper said with a huff. “But you have fucked her.”

“What kind of question is that? Of course I have, she was engaged to me. Do I really look like someone who would wait until marriage?”

“I mean, since you met me.”

Mason went still for a second. He replayed images of him screwing Brooke when she came to his place to surprise him. Piper and he were barely speaking then, but when he was screwing Brooke, he thought of Piper the whole time.

“I knew it!” Piper shouted.

“What the fuck!” Mason shot back. “Why the hell are you mad at me when you have been fucking dickweed for…how long now?”

Shock registered across Piper’s face and then anger replaced it. “Like I said, he’s my boyfriend.”

“Fucking say that again and I’m going to lose it on you,” Mason gritted out. “What, am I supposed to be celibate until you decide that you’re going to be a whore for the night and cheat on your boyfriend?” The minute the words left his mouth, he knew he was wrong.

Piper’s hand met Mason’s face in a huge slap. “You fuckhead! How dare you call me that?” Tears welled up in her eyes. Mason tried to quickly recover by pulling her into his arms. She fought him, punching his chest and trying to tear herself away, but he wouldn’t allow it.

“I’m sorry,” he tried to say, but she wouldn’t calm down enough to hear him. So, instead of talking, he grabbed her around the waist, threw her over his shoulder, and walked her down the hallway toward his bedroom.

“Let go of me!”

“Shut the hell up, woman. God, the neighbors are going to think I’m abusing you.”

“Let. Me. Go!!”

Mason flung her on his bed and then shut his bedroom door, making sure to lock it.

Piper sat up and looked around the room, taking in her surroundings. She finally realized she was in his bedroom and put her hands on her hips.

“You really think I’m going to have sex with you, after what you said about me? You’re fucking insane, you know that?”

“Just shut the hell up for one damn second.” Mason pinched the bridge of his nose. “God, I just wanted you to relax for a minute while I compose myself.” Piper crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a look that said, “Well, explain.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything. For tonight, for sleeping with Brooke, even though we weren’t together, for blowing up on you and making things difficult for you with Jax, even though I hate him. But you have to understand, you’re all I think about. I can’t get you out of my head and I don’t want to. I won’t even try. You have ingrained yourself in my body and my soul and all I want is you. When I see that you’re with someone else or pushing me away, it makes me beyond angry and I lash out. It’s not the most mature way of handling things, but that’s how I work.”