Forever Entangled (8 page)

“I was teaching him how to be a gentleman. But, here, you gotta see this.” Ryan smiled as he pulled out his cell phone.

Warmth flooded Sienna’s heart as she watched Ryan absently pat her dog as he pulled up something on his phone. Not only had he remembered her favorite dinner, dessert, and wine, he’d also gotten her dog dinner.

Sienna now wished she had taken advantage of the bathroom incident, consequences be damned. A man who did this had to have some feelings for her. She just hoped if she decided to put her heart on the line she’d survive if he left her standing alone again.

“Look at this. It’s got to be a record or something.” Ryan handed her his phone and Sienna broke out laughing at the picture of Hooch staring at the burgers with a lone strand of drool hanging a good two feet from his jowl. And if she thought her heart was his before, it was definitely all in now.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Sienna woke with something wet dripping on her face. She didn’t want it to be morning, so she nuzzled her head against the warm pillow. The pillow groaned and the dripping continued.

Sienna opened her eyes and blinked. Her head was in Ryan’s lap. His arm was wrapped around her shoulder and his other hand was resting on her head. Hooch stood over her, prancing in place, which sent drops of drool falling from his jowls.

“I think he needs to go out. But I didn’t want to wake you up,” Ryan said quietly. He ran his hand over her head in a soothing way that made her long to close her eyes and snuggle closer.

“Were you up all night?” Sienna reluctantly sat up.

“Not all. I got enough sleep. What’s on our schedule for the day? Breakfast at the café?” Ryan asked as he stretched.

“You want to take me? To the café? You know everyone in town will be betting on our marriage date by noon, right?” Sienna asked in surprise.

Ryan cringed. “So maybe not the café, but I did spend the night with you. I should get a good morning kiss, at least.” Ryan snaked his arm out, and Sienna let out a surprised gasp as he pulled her down into his lap and placed his lips on hers. This time it was different. It was softer, more romantic. He took his time savoring her and by the time he let her up, Sienna was happily dazed.

Ryan sent her a slow smile that had her wanting to strip naked and leap on him. She was contemplating the idea when he slapped her on the ass. “Come on, Sleeping Beauty. Let’s get breakfast. I just got a text from Dad that said Detective Braxton wants to meet with you.”

Ryan grabbed the box of garbage bags and a roll of duct tape and headed outside with Hooch while Sienna got dressed. Even though nothing happened the night before, he felt more alive than ever. When he woke from a night of sex with whichever woman he was seeing at that time, it never left him feeling as good as waking with Sienna snuggled up to him with his arms wrapped around her.

It was just because it was different, he told himself. It wasn’t what he was used to. Ryan smiled. But he could definitely get used to it. He opened the tailgate and pulled out bag after bag and taped them together as Hooch roamed his kingdom.

“Come on, Hooch,” Ryan called as the front door opened. Sienna stepped out in a sundress, carrying a suit jacket over her arm.

“What are you doing?” she asked, closing the door.

“We’re all ready for you,” Ryan grunted, as he helped Hooch into the plastic covered back of his SUV.

“You’re taking Hooch with us?” Sienna asked in wonder while Ryan closed the door on Hooch’s happy, slobbering doggy face.

“Of course. I don’t want anything to happen to the big . . . thing.”

Ryan moved to the bottom step but was almost unprepared for the woman who hurtled herself into his arms. She had jumped halfway down the steps, and he had caught her. He dropped the duct tape and stumbled back but didn’t bother asking why she had done that when she wrapped her legs around his waist, ran her fingers through his short dark hair, and stuck her tongue into his mouth. Instead, he grabbed her ass with one hand and wrapped his other around her back, keeping her tight against him as their tongues spoke to each other.

“Someone’s coming,” Ryan whispered against her lips. His shaft was pressing against a very warm spot, and both of them were flushed and breathing heavily.

The way Sienna jumped off and hid behind him, Ryan thought it was someone dangerous. He had his gun drawn by the time he turned around and aimed it at his father’s smug face.

“What the hell, Dad?” Ryan asked as he put his gun away.

Cole’s smile grew. “I just wanted to check on Sienna on the way to work.”

Ryan felt Sienna poke her head over his shoulder. “Thank you, Mr. Parker. We were just heading to meet with Detective Braxton.”

“Yeah, that’s what it looked like you were doing.” Cole chuckled. Ryan thought about giving his father the middle finger, but he had a feeling his dad would still whoop him for disrespect even if he was retiring soon. “Well, call me if you need anything. I think I’m going to get some breakfast at the café. See you kids later.”

Sienna let her head drop against Ryan’s back as Cole drove off. In five minutes, the whole town would know what happened. He didn’t suddenly decide to go to the café instead of work. Nope, Cole had an inside scoop on the newest bet being placed in Keeneston.

“I can’t believe we got busted making out like horny teenagers by your dad,” she groaned against Ryan’s shirt. How did he smell so good?

“At least he came when he did. Five minutes later and we’d have been naked.”

Sienna didn’t know if that was a threat or a promise. Hooch woofed from the back of the SUV, and Sienna forced herself to take a step back. She was a smart, educated woman. She worked with sexy famous men all day long, and she’d never lost control like she did with Ryan. She needed to take charge of her body and her mind.

“We better meet with the detective.” Sienna took a deep breath and got into the car. She could do this. It was just a matter of mind over body. If there was anything she was a master of, it was the mind.

“What are you doing?” Ryan asked skeptically when he started the car.

“Getting my mind focused.”

“What?” Ryan snickered.

“I’m doing an exercise I teach my players to be focused and ready for a game,” Sienna told him as she took another deep breath.

“I was that good, huh?”

Sienna’s response was cut off by Hooch’s happy woofing when Ryan started driving toward Lexington.

*     *     *

Ryan and Sienna sat quietly in the meeting room at the police station as they waited for Detective Braxton. He was focusing on the number of cracks in the tile floor so he wouldn’t focus on the feeling of Sienna’s legs wrapped around his waist. He needed to get in the game. Maybe Sienna could teach them him those focus techniques she was doing in the car. Because whatever that was, it seemed to work. She sat next to him, holding Hooch’s leash and making sure not even their shoulders brushed.

“Dear Lord, you brought the buffalo with you!” Detective Braxton froze in place as Hooch stared. A pool of slobber had formed on the tile where his head had been resting.

“Agent Parker, Dr. Ashton, thank you for coming in,” Detective Braxton recovered. “I know the team’s season is gearing up, and I was hoping you could let me know if anyone is acting differently. A little too nosey or a little distant.”

Sienna nodded her head. “I’ll do whatever I can as long as it doesn’t violate my doctor-patient confidentiality.”

“And how have you been doing? Has anyone approached you or made you uneasy?” Detective Braxton asked as she shot Hooch a sideways glance.

“That’s my fault.” Ryan felt as if he was a rookie. “There was a break-in while she was at the stadium yesterday. I meant to call you.”

Ryan saw Braxton’s jaw tighten while she fought to rip into him for such a mistake. “Start at the beginning,” she ordered.

Ryan told her about Hooch, the computer, and Sienna’s information being accessed.

“Nothing else was taken?”

Sienna shook her head.

“And nothing else happened last night?” the detective asked. Ryan looked to Sienna and saw her blush. So did Braxton, and by the eye roll she gave Ryan, he now knew she understood why he forgot to call it in.

“Nothing that would help you. Have you found anything?” Ryan asked.

“The neighbor saw a man in black clothes with his face covered in a black ski mask enter the house. She called 9-1-1 as well. She didn’t see a car and couldn’t even guess at the intruder’s height. The preliminary forensics has come back, and we have fibers, but no prints or DNA. But now we know we have our next target.”

“Me? We don’t know he’s after me. Maybe he was just checking to see if I heard anything.”

A knock at the door stopped Braxton from answering. “The sister is here,” a uniform said.

Braxton looked grim as she nodded. “Malik’s sister is here, and I need to talk to her. Keep an eye on her,” she ordered Ryan. “And next time, call me when someone breaks in. Let’s just hope it doesn’t get worse.”

Sienna stood from the uncomfortable chair and shook the detective’s hand. Was she really the next target? She’d been scared about the break-in, but it hadn’t seemed malicious. Nothing was destroyed and there was no threat, but she wasn’t law enforcement. Maybe they knew something she didn’t.

“I need to check in at the office. It shouldn’t take long. The team’s activities have been cancelled today. Tomorrow there is a full practice, and then they are going as a team to Malik’s visitation.”

Ryan opened the car door for her and took Hooch’s leash. “No problem. I wouldn’t mind snooping around some.”

“And you think they’ll tell you something they wouldn’t tell me?” Sienna scoffed. “These guys tell me everything. You’re just a stranger to them.”

“We’ll see.” Ryan sent her a wink, and Sienna rolled her eyes.

The trip to the stadium didn’t take long, and before she knew it she was standing at the elevator with Hooch on one side and Ryan on the other. The doors opened and Janice looked up from her desk.

“I see you took my advice.” She glanced quickly at Ryan and sent Sienna a wink. “Here are your messages.”

Sienna refused to look at Ryan. Janice’s face darkened as she blushed and when she became short of breath, Sienna knew Ryan had given her that smile again.

“Crap. My dad wants to see me. Is he in his office?” Sienna asked the flustered secretary. “Earth to Janice.”

“What?”

“My dad, where is he?” Sienna asked again.

Janice just pointed down the hall, and Sienna slapped her hand against Ryan’s chest. “Stop flustering our secretary. Bring that smile down a couple watts."

“Sorry,” Ryan told her, but he didn’t sound sorry at all. “So, let’s go see your dad. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him.”

Sienna shook her head. “Oh, no. I am not prepared to explain your presence to my dad.”

“Sweetheart, by now the whole town knows I was at your house this morning.” Sienna tried to ignore the way her body reacted when he called her sweetheart, but it was hard.

“Well, are you ready to answer those questions to my
dad
? You know, the one with the tendency to meet my dates at the door with a whole football team of men ready to squash them if they hurt me?”

Sienna smirked when Ryan lost a little of his color, but then he smiled and she tried not to get lost in his hazel eyes. Today they were a little greener than brown. “So, we’re dating, huh?”

“Um . . . um,” Sienna sputtered.

Ryan leaned forward and pressed his lips to her ear. “And just think, I left you speechless, and I haven’t even touched you yet. Wait until I get you naked.” Ryan stood up and winked. “I’ll meet you in your office.”

Sienna continued to try to form words as Ryan sauntered down the hall.

“Sienna, was that Ryan Parker?”

Sienna turned and saw her father striding down the hall in his uniform of jeans, worn cowboy boots, and a polo shirt with Ashton Farm embroidered on the pocket.

“Yes. He’s in town helping Mr. Parker get ready for retirement and asked if he could come meet the team.”

Her father, Will, had been an NFL quarterback before taking over the family farm and now focused on racing and training thoroughbreds. Her brother, Carter, had inherited their father’s square jaw and brown hair, along with his height. Sienna had inherited her mother’s green eyes and curves. She also got her height, or lack thereof, from her mother. Which was probably the reason behind her love of high heels. Although, she’d been told that was inherited from her mother as well.

“That’s nice to let him come with you. So, you two resolved whatever it was . . .” Will made some kind of motion with his hands.

“Ew, stop asking about my love life.” Sienna’s nose wrinkled and then she felt like running in the other direction when her father’s eyes narrowed.

“Love life? So that’s what happened between you two? I’ll kill him. I knew that boy was trouble since the time he kissed you when you were six.”

“No, Dad, that’s not what happened. What happened is none of your business. Tell me again why I agreed to work for you.” Sienna let out a long breath and suddenly felt very tired.

“Sienna, I’m glad I caught you here.” Her father’s eyes narrowed at the sound of Seth’s voice interrupting them.

“Good morning, Seth. Dad, this is Seth Hayes; he's an agent for some of our players. Seth, this is my father, Will Ashton, one of the Thoroughbreds’ owners.” Sienna watched as her father turned hard and shook Seth’s hand until Seth cringed. Only then did her dad smile.

“It’s nice to see you again, sir. We’ve met a couple times with my players,” Seth tried to say with a smile as he shook out his hand.

Her father didn’t bother to respond but instead pulled out his ringing phone. “It’s Cole. I need to talk to him.”

“No, Dad!” Sienna tried to call out after him, but he had already disappeared behind his office door.