Her idea of the perfect spouse meant a professional man with a degree who wore dress shirts and ties and went into the office every day. She’d bragged about him when he studied information systems, but when she found out he’d left college, she hadn’t been pleased. She hadn’t understood his passion for his work, and for a few days they hadn’t spoken after he told her. Then out of the blue, she called and said she could work with it.
By contrast, Shawna hadn’t batted an eye when he told her about his career choice. She hadn’t judged him for being a college dropout. In fact, she’d been curious about his work and asked him questions about the types of machinery he used and the process involved from the blueprint to the finished product.
“I’m not rethinking my career. I came out here to think about my life and my future, and I wanted to do that without any distractions.”
Her brow wrinkled with concern and she pouted. “Your life and your future are our life and our future. I can help. Aren’t you happy to see me?”
A perfect example of why he needed to get away. She suffocated him, and he felt cornered by her desire for marriage.
Now he felt like a pile of horse dung. Holly had a way of manipulating him with guilt. He knew she did it, yet he allowed it to happen. “Of course I am,” he lied. “I’ve been thinking about you.” Though not in the way she thought.
“Good,” she said with a sigh. “For a minute, I thought you didn’t want to see me.” She laughed as if the very idea was ridiculous.
Now would be the time to broach the topic of their relationship, but he chickened out. She’d come all this way to see him, and he didn’t have the guts to tell her that he’d met someone. And what about his brother’s advice? Was he throwing away his future?
“I’ve been worried about you, Pooky Wooky.” She walked over and circled her arms around his neck, while at the same time Ryan tried not to wince at the pet name. When his friends had found out about it, they’d ragged him mercilessly for months.
His mind shifted gears to Shawna. Sexy, curvy Shawna. It had been hard as hell to leave her this morning, but the promise to meet up again sustained him. He couldn’t wait to climb into bed with her one more time and run his tongue along the curve of her hip, suck those dark brown nipples—which he’d come to think of as his own—into his mouth to savor and enjoy while she gasped with pleasure.
“Ooh, you do miss me, don’t you?” Holly reached down and covered his hard-on.
He laughed uneasily and pulled his pelvis away from her. “Whoa, let’s slow down for a minute. I don’t have any condoms, so we can’t do anything.” A boldfaced lie because he’d bought a new pack. He hadn’t used them all, but he’d put in a good effort to get rid of as many as he could with Shawna. “Are you hungry? I was about to go eat.”
Holly’s mouth puckered into another pout. She rubbed his chest. “I’d rather stay here with you, but I can’t let my man starve. Let’s go put food in your tummy. Then I’ll be your dessert.” She rose up on her toes and gave him a quick peck on the mouth.
Ryan swallowed down his discomfort and followed her out the door. He didn’t know what to do yet, but he knew he had to think of something fast.
****
Shawna sat in the lobby of the hotel waiting for Ryan. Maybe she’d misunderstood the arrangement. Were they supposed to meet here and walk to brunch together, or was she supposed to meet him at his brother’s apartment?
She tried calling him, but his phone rang several times before going to voice mail. She sent him a text and then went into the hotel restaurant to get something to eat. The menu items looked delicious, but she didn’t have much of an appetite.
While a string quartet played soft music in the background, she sat in the lavishly decorated dining room, worried that she’d misread Ryan. They’d been getting along so well. Surely it hadn’t all been pretense on his part.
She’d hoped they could stay in touch, that their romance wouldn’t be reduced to a two-night tryst that didn’t have a future. True, he lived in Oklahoma and she in South Carolina, but they could continue to see each other if they wanted to make it work.
She’d wait a little while longer. Maybe she’d simply misunderstood, or something had come up. He’d respond to one of her messages eventually.