In Bed with Mr. Wrong
Other Books by Katee Robert
Come Undone series
Sanctify series
In Bed with
Mr. Wrong
an Out of Uniform novel
Katee Robert
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product
of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events,
locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2014 by Katee Robert. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce,
distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary
rights, please contact the Publisher.
Entangled Publishing, LLC
2614 South Timberline Road
Suite 109
Fort Collins, CO 80525
Visit our website at
www.entangledpublishing.com
.
Brazen is an imprint of Entangled Publishing, LLC. For more information on our titles,
visit
www.brazenbooks.com
.
Edited by Heather Howland and Liz Pelletier
Cover design by Heather Howland
ISBN 978-1-62266-353-8
Manufactured in the United States of America
First Edition January 2014
To Heather Howland, editor extraordinaire.
Chapter One
“Why did I let you convince me to do this?” Brianne Nave grabbed the shirt she’d discarded
two minutes ago and held it up to her body as she looked in the mirror. It was the
same plain pink shirt it’d been the first time she considered it.
Her best friend, Avery, laughed on the other end of the phone line. “Because you’re
the best friend a girl can have?”
Which was the same argument she and their other best friend, Drew, had used to convince
Bri to agree to this blind date in the first place. Drew’s brother was back in town
for a few weeks on leave, and they were worried he’d spend the whole time holed up
doing…whatever it was they thought he’d do. They hadn’t exactly been clear on that.
She threw the shirt back on the bed and started to reach for the other shirt she’d
considered, only to realize it was also pink. She’d been waffling between two nearly
identical shirts for the last fifteen minutes. “I can’t do this.”
“Sure you can.”
“Avery, I haven’t been on a date in…” God, she couldn’t remember the last time. Maybe
once in college?
“That’s exactly why you need this. There was never a better time to get back on that
horse—or a better guy. Ryan’s a total sweetie.”
She knew that. She knew all about him. Drew and Avery had said nothing but good things
about Ryan since she met them a little over a year ago. He was a real-life hero, to
hear them tell of it. A god among men. Throw in a brother as attractive as Drew, and
she wasn’t worried about him being a dud.
No, she was worried about him thinking
she
was a dud.
Hating the insecurity trying to take root in her stomach, she walked to Mr. Smith’s
fish tank and dropped in a few flakes of the fish food he liked so much.
I’ll only be gone a few hours
. Not nearly long enough for him to get lonely. “But—”
“It’s too late to worry about it now. He’s already on his way. So just take a deep
breath, let go of whatever neurosis is circling that busy brain of yours, and have
a good time.”
Easier said than done. “He’s leaving in two weeks.” She dropped onto her mattress
and reached for her boots. They were cute, not sexy, but she’d rather sacrifice a
little style than end the night in an ER because she slipped on ice.
Besides, she didn’t exactly own any shoes that could be considered sexy.
“You have to start somewhere. It’s not like he’s flying to the moon. Long-distance
relationships work all the time.”
“You sound like you’re already planning the wedding.” Avery did that, though. She
skipped adding two plus two and jumped straight to four. Drew, the town’s sheriff
and most eligible bachelor, wasn’t much better.
“There can’t be a wedding at all unless you actually go on a date.” She knew exactly
what to say to cut right through Bri’s arguments. Because Bri wanted that life—the
husband, the kids, the white picket fence, the
roots
—on a foundational level. She’d just never been courageous enough to take that first
step.
Hadn’t her childhood taught her better than to expect permanence? Nothing was ever
concrete. Life took people away—forever, in the case of her parents. She’d gone through
three foster homes before she finally landed in one that stuck, and while she’d never
been abused, there never seemed to be enough food to go around, never enough clothes
to keep warm, always bigger kids who wouldn’t hesitate to hurt her if she didn’t hand
over whatever it was they wanted at the time.
Back then, it was convenient to think that someday a Prince Charming would come along
and they’d live happily ever after, but she’d learned a long time ago that fairytales
only existed in books.
A rumble of an engine had her rushing through her small house to the front window
to peer through the sheer curtains. An SUV stood at the end of her walkway and the
man getting out of the driver’s seat could only be described as
perfect
. And women thought Drew was handsome? “Oh my God, Avery, you didn’t tell me he was
gorgeous.”
“Don’t be gross. Ryan’s like a brother to me.”
She took in his square jaw and short dark hair and—oh Lord—those shoulders. He looked
like Clark Kent without the glasses… “You set me up with Superman.”
“I’m not hearing this.”
“He’s here early. Who shows up for a blind date early?” Bri looked down at her boring
maxi skirt and sensible boots. She should have dressed in something racier, something
that would make a man like
that
stand up and take notice. As it was, she’d be lucky if he didn’t ask to have pizza
delivered to avoid being seen with her at any of the restaurants in town.
Unfortunately, she’d probably already killed the ability to do “racier.” She shot
a guilty look at the empty Oreo package visible through the doorway to the kitchen.
When her neighbor Marcy’s cat had gone missing, she’d invited the poor woman over
to comfort her. She’d been so busy chatting, she’d eaten half the package herself.
Maybe there was still time to change.
“He’s a solider. They take that punctual stuff pretty seriously.”
He was already halfway up the walk—and answering the door in her bra might be racy,
but it wasn’t the kind of racy she wanted to aim for. She hurried into her bedroom
and threw on the closest pink shirt. “Hair up or down?” Surely there was a hair band
in this room somewhere?
“You’re stressing yourself out. I can hear it.”
“I have to go.” For better or worse, she had to open the door when he knocked. Bri
moved back into the living room, shuffling to the window, needing another look at
him. He was just as gorgeous now as he’d been the first time. Crap.
“Relax and have fun! I’ll call you tomorrow.”
She hung up her phone and realized she was sitting here, staring out the window, like
some kind of freak. Bri dropped the curtain and backed up so quickly, she almost tripped
over her end table.
Oh God, this is going to be a disaster
.
At least he hadn’t seen her watching him. She hoped. Even knowing he was a few steps
away from the door, she still jumped when he pounded on it. “You can do this. It’s
just one date. It doesn’t matter if he’s gorgeous. He’s a nice guy.” Taking a deep
breath that did absolutely nothing to fortify her, she opened the door.
Drew’s brother really did look like Superman. He had that amazing almost-too-perfect-to-be-real
face going for him, and his eyes were the clear blue of a winter’s day—far better
than her murky-ocean color. He towered over her, the sheer size difference making
her wonder what it would be like to be wrapped up in his arms.
She realized she was drinking him in like a cool glass of water on a summer’s day.
He, however, didn’t seem to be feeling the same overwhelming awe she was. He had an
odd look on his face, as if he didn’t know what to make of her.
Her stomach tied itself in knots as the truth hit her like a bucket of icy water.
She’d seen the very same expression on the faces of her first foster parents. They’d
tried to tough it out, but their determination only lasted six months. That he might
be judging her just as quickly hurt more than she dared admit.
“Ryan.” He held out his hand, apparently deciding that shaking was better than…whatever
the alternative on dates was. A kiss on the cheek? A hug?
She took his hand, wishing she didn’t notice how warm it was despite their breath
ghosting across the air between them. “Bri.”
“Nice to meet you.” He didn’t smile, just continued looking at her with that odd look
on his face.
“You, too.” God, she must
really
not be what he’d expected. Had Drew painted him a picture of a sexy librarian, complete
with pencil skirt and thigh-high stockings? Even on her best day, she couldn’t measure
up to those kinds of expectations.
Maybe it was best she didn’t know what he’d told Ryan.
She swallowed hard, hating the way her throat had tightened. “I just need to grab
my purse.” And try to convince herself that she could do this. A minute alone to shore
up the barriers she’d built to protect herself would have to be enough.
It’s just a favor to your friends
, she reminded herself while ducking into her living room.
When the night is over, I’ll never have to see him again.
Ryan cleared his throat behind her. “I’m sorry. I think I’ve gotten this off to the
wrong start.”
Here it comes.
“What do you have to be sorry for? It’s obvious you were expecting something else.”
She wasn’t even close to being in this man’s league, and they both knew it.
“Not so fast—you’re jumping to conclusions.”
“Maybe you’re right.” He wasn’t, though, and all her childhood defense mechanisms
rose to the surface, demanding she lash out before he could hurt her further. She
faced him, forced herself to smile, and went for the one thing that might level the
playing field. The only black mark on his stellar record. “Let’s get something straight,
okay? This is just dinner. I have no intention of embarking on any kind of building-burning—or
burning of any kind—with you.”
His mouth went tight. “I see the Wellingford gossip mill is still running in full
force.”
She blinked. Okay, so it might have been a low blow, but all she’d meant was to poke
at him a bit. The venom in his voice wasn’t on par with her comment. Did he hate this
town or something? “Um…it’s not every day someone burns down the high school on graduation
day.”
“It was ten years ago. They need to move on. Then again, nothing worth talking about
ever happens here.” He stepped back. “Maybe this was a mistake. Why don’t I just take
off and we’ll forget this ever happened?”
Was he implying a date with her wouldn’t be worth talking about, either? Bri may not
be like whatever kind of woman he usually spent time around, but she wasn’t chopped
liver. Whatever Avery’s and Drew’s reasons for setting them up—and she
would
be having a conversation with Avery about this—she’d agreed to this date as a favor,
and she was damn well going to see it through. She huffed and lifted her chin. “No.
I agreed to take you out on this date, and that’s what I’m going to do. It would be
a shame for you to have to sit at home by yourself and do whatever it is lonely, attractive
men like you do.”
…
The last thing Ryan Flannery planned on when he came back to visit his family was
being browbeaten by his big brother into a blind date. All he’d been looking for was
a break from the Air Force—and the intense training he’d gone through for the last
five and a half months—for two weeks. Then he’d hit the ground running, and start
gearing up for his next deployment. He should have known a trip back to Wellingford
would be anything but restful, but the siren call of home had been too much to resist
after so long away.
Looking at the woman standing across from him, her chin raised and blue eyes flashing
behind those sexy secretary glasses, he had to admit that coming back might have been
a mistake. A muscle ticked in his jaw. She thought he was lonely? “I’m more than capable
of keeping myself entertained.”
Bri brushed past him, her gaze on the street. “Do you think so? I think your brother
has the right idea of it—a man whose idea of a good time is burning things to the
ground shouldn’t be left to his own devices. You’re a menace to society.”
She sounded so prim and proper, he wanted to muss up her straight dark hair and undo
a few buttons on her shirt just to see what she’d do. That thought gave him all the
ammunition he needed. “You wouldn’t know a good time if it bit you in the ass.”
“Excuse me?” Her back went so ramrod straight, it was like he could see the stick
up her ass. Ryan’s gaze dropped to where her hips curved, and he frowned at the long
skirt. The fall of the fabric indicated there was something there worth grabbing,
but he couldn’t be sure. “What were your plans tonight—hanging out with your thirteen
cats and knitting them mittens?”
She gasped. “I don’t have cats. They’re evil creatures. I have a perfectly nice fish
named Mr. Smith.”
“How mundane. Let me guess. A goldfish?” He closed the door behind him and pressed
a hand to the small of her back, guiding her down the stairs and toward his Suburban.
It was difficult not to follow the perfect line of her spine with his palm, no matter
how aggravating he found her.
“Don’t be insulting. He’s a betta fish.”
Because that makes a world of difference. Ryan snorted. “No wonder you haven’t had
a date in the fourteen months my brother’s known you. I bet you talk to your fish,
too, don’t you?”
She half turned to glare, the move dragging his hand over her back, though she didn’t
seem to notice. “Fish need companionship, same as any other animal. He likes it when
I read to him.”
“I’ll bet he does.” He opened the passenger door and waited for her to climb into
the seat, which she did with a huff. By the time he made it around to the driver’s
side, her body language had chilled the inside of the car more than the weather.
He started the Suburban and took a second to let the truth sink in. His brother had
well and truly screwed him. Drew had gone on and on about the beautiful—but shy—new
librarian who’d just moved to Pennsylvania all the way from California and didn’t
know many people in town, and needed someone to show her a good time. Ryan had figured
there were worse things to do on leave than take out a sweet, pretty girl.
Turned out Drew was only half-right.
She thought he was a charity case. Hell, she practically clobbered him with it, despite
the fact that
he
was the one doing the favor here. Worse, she jumped at the first opportunity to shove
his past down his throat—or an exaggerated version of it that didn’t take into account
little things like the truth. And why should she be worried about the truth? No one
else in this town was.