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Chapter Five
Ayla had been shocked when the front desk had called to announce Bill Regan as her visitor. His rejection earlier not only stung, but plain hurt. He had looked so horrified when she kissed him that she had been unable to stop herself from running, ignoring the sound of his voice calling her name. Upset, she had come home, submerged herself first into a pint of Baskin Robbins chocolate and peanut butter ice cream, and then a long hot bath. She had just settled in with a good book and a plate of chocolate frosted cupcakes when the phone rang. There really wasn’t time to change from her pjs, but she had run a comb through her long, blonde hair. Regan looked around at the lush surroundings. The spacious living room was color coordinated in peach and ivory, the furniture finely crafted in a shiny dark wood. Pretty, expensive looking knickknacks, thick, soft pale peach carpet. He was out of his element, he realized sadly. This girl really was a princess. “I was, um, rather surprised you were here. I didn’t know you knew where I lived,” she said, her soft voice bringing him back to the present. “It was on your check,” he answered awkwardly, forcing himself to look at her. Her gaze on him was steady, through the black and all. Ayla bit her lower lip. This was so not going as she had hoped. The good-looking, big man was clearly uncomfortable. Any dream she had had of tearing his clothes off had vanished a few hours before because of that impulsive kiss. “Look,” he said awkwardly, shoving his hands in his pocket, “about this afternoon-” “I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I just-it was one those moments-” “No, don’t apologize,” he blurted, “You had the nerve to do what I couldn’t.” Ayla stopped mid sentence and looked at him. Was he? He was! He was blushing! Suddenly, she grinned. “Oh, I think you could, Bill Regan,” she laughed, making his blood warm a bit. “You just wouldn’t. You’re too much of a gentleman.” Regan just smiled uncomfortably, unsure how to answer that. “So now,” she grinned mischievously, “what are you going to do?” Regan wanted to run. He was in over his head, the beautiful blonde knew how to play this game, and he didn’t. “Well, I-” he sighed. “I haven’t got a clue.” “Then it’s a good thing I do,” she grinned, and for the second time in a matter of hours, Regan found the blonde girl stepping up to him. This time he didn’t flinch or pull away as she pressed herself up against him. Hesitantly, he slipped his arms around her waist to bring her closer. Her lips were soft, and he tasted chocolate, but shyness fell way as the kiss became more urgent, and he found one hand cupping the back of her head as their tongues met. Regan reluctantly pulled back, staring into her ocean blue eyes, which opened slowly and he wondered if he was drowning. Her lips curved into a seductive smile as her fingertips gently touched his freshly shaved jaw. Then she was kissing him again, and Regan pulled her close to him, their bodies pressing against each other. The second time, she was the one to pull away, and Regan drank in her flushed skin and full lips. His rough fingers traced the line of her jaw, marveling at the softness of her skin. He hadn’t noticed the faint scar on her lower lip until now, a small line that was just a lighter shade of pink, or the three little freckles on the bridge of her nose. Wide blue eyes stared back at him, and Regan wasn’t sure what the look in them was. “Wow,” she murmured, slowly pulling away from his embrace. He just nodded. She ran one hand through her long hair, which was now a bit disheveled from Regan. “I wasn’t expecting that.” “What were you expecting?” he asked suspiciously. She gave him another of those sexy smiles. “Not that,” but she didn’t elaborate. There was an awkward moment and Regan realized she had pushed him up against the wall. She was stronger than he realized, and that thought turned him on. “So, uh, where does this leave us?” Smooth Regan, he thought, real smooth. Impress her with your witty repartee. Dan sure didn’t get it from my side of the family. Ayla bit her lower lip again and Regan really wanted to kiss those beautiful lips a second time. She ran her hand through her hair again. “Will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?” she asked. Regan blinked twice as she stepped back just a bit. “Um, yeah. Okay.” “Do you-” both hands rested on her lower back and she suddenly looked very vulnerable, “do you want to stay for a while?” “Uh, okay.” Damn, he thought, isn’t that how things always get out of hand in the movies? “You want a drink?” she asked. “Beer?” “Sure.” Beer is good, he thought, I can talk about beer. He watched her head into the kitchen, which was huge and full of shiny appliances that Regan had no understanding about. Reaching into the fridge, she pulled out two beers and returned, handing him one. He noted a plate of chocolate frosted cupcakes on the table, and two empty wrappers. Gracefully, she sunk onto the sofa, crossing one leg under her and motioned him to sit. He sat at the opposite end of the couch, and took a swig of his beer. Dan hadn’t told him what to do once he was here. “Relax,” she smiled at him with a twinkle in her eye. “I’m not going to get you drunk and take advantage of you. Unless you want me to,” she added cheekily and Regan almost choked on his beer. He gave her a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry about this afternoon,” he said. “You just caught me by such surprise.” “You looked horrified,” she replied. He shook his head. “No. Absolutely not. Just stunned,” he managed a smile. “Good,” she chuckled. “My ego doesn’t react too well to men being sickened by me kissing them.” “Hence that?” he pointed to the cupcakes. She grinned. “Guilty as charged.” “Sorry about that,” he murmured. “Cupcakes, huh?” She shook her head. “I just love cupcakes. And stop apologizing to me for things you have no control over. I don’t run around kissing every hot guy I come across.” Hot guy? Me? Regan thought. “That’s good to know,” he smiled and she saw the old Regan, her riding instructor resurfacing. “This is a nice place,” he said, glancing around. She shrugged. “I guess. It keeps my parents placated. It’s part of their bribe.” “Bribe?” “Yeah. See we used to be poor,” she took a swig of beer. Regan noted her eyes suddenly darkened at the memories. “So poor that there were nights we didn’t eat dinner, and the utilities got shut off more than once. Then Daddy hit it big in the stocks and overnight, we were rich. Thought all our problems would go way, but then Mom caught Dad getting it on with his new secretary. They got divorced, and tried to buy me off.” She sighed. “The joys of suddenly having everything you’ve ever wanted and having no clue whatsoever what to do about it.” Regan thought she looked very young suddenly. “Daddy’s also scared I know exactly how illegally he made his millions,” she giggled. “And Mom was doing her tennis instructor. She moved to England, married some rich guy over there, but she got half of dad’s everything by playing the grieved wife. They moved back not too long ago, so she could play the grand dame of society. I think she’s friends with your partner’s wife.” Regan shook his head. Too complex. But it explained why she wasn’t comfortable with her monetary status, and was always fighting the social system. “Money definitely doesn’t solve problems,” she sighed,
“especially when you’re surrounded by thieves and liars. What about you? Got any family skeletons?” she teased. Regan sipped his beer. “Not really. I was uh, raised in an orphanage.” “Really?” she sat up, interested. “Yeah. Our parents died in car accident, so my sister and I were placed there. She ran off as soon as she turned eighteen, and married some guy. Always said she’d come back for me but didn’t. When I turned seventeen I hit the road. Didn’t know a thing about the world, just horses. I convinced Matthew Wheeler to let me take care of his horses. He gave me a job and I got my life set up pretty well,” he said with a touch of pride. “And your nephew?” Ayla was smiling at him as she reached for a cupcake and took a bite. Regan grinned. “I found Dan when he was fifteen. My sister never contacted me to tell me about her marriage or son. She died a year before I found Dan. Her husband was killed in action. Dan got in with a bad crowd, and the social worker assigned to him finally tracked me down. I took custody of him. Turns out my sister had tried to find me, but the orphanage wouldn’t tell her where I had gone.” “Wow,” she said with an impressed smile, “and he’s the dark haired kid right? From those pictures of the club?” “One of the dark haired boys. Usually the one clowning with Mart, the blonde guy.” “That’s great, that you helped him turn his life around.” Regan liked the way her admiration made him feel. And damn if she wasn’t incredibly sexy, sitting next to him in her pajamas eating a cupcake with a bit of frosting on her lips. “So where are they now? I forget, Virginia?” She had picked up the plate and offered him a cupcake. Regan declined, but she took a few bites as he talked. Beer and cupcakes together didn’t appeal to him. “Well, Jim-the redheaded boy, he has the school I mentioned, out in Vermont. Brian’s with him, taking on the medical duties. Mart went too, as Jim’s co-Administrator, and Professor of Agriculture and Nutrition. Diana, Mart’s wife, teaches Art and provides some motherly influence.” “Trixie and Honey are-detectives?” she was trying to remember. Regan nodded. “Belden Wheeler Detective Agency. They’re around sometimes. Since they’ve only been open less than a year, business is a bit slow. Trixie is always complaining about being bored.” “Jim was supposed to marry Trixie right?” Regan nodded again, sipping his beer. She was good at remembering this stuff. “We all thought he would. She hasn’t forgiven him and probably never will. Honey, however, maintains some sort of relationship with Brian.” “Wow. It’s amazing they stayed friends all these years.” “They’re good kids. Trixie and Jim don’t let their issues affect them as a group, but since they’re split in two, location wise, the get-togethers are few and far between. It’s almost impossible for them all to be gone from the school at once, and even at Christmas time, the roads are pretty hazardous to try and get down there to them.” “That must be hard on their families here.” “It is,” Regan admitted, taking another drink of beer, “especially on Trixie’s parents. They have two sons down there.” “I was an only child,” she said wistfully, setting her beer down. “I always wanted siblings. Mother had a hard time with me, and once Daddy made the millions, they decided they didn’t want any more children. They would have interfered with the extracurricular activities,” she said dryly. Regan half smiled at her. Did she have any clue how lovely she was? It was so tempting to lean over and kiss the bit of chocolate from her lips that she seemed unaware of. “I wish I had known my sister was only a couple hours away from me all that time. And that I had known Danny as a boy.” “It still makes you sad,” she murmured. He nodded slowly, sipping his beer when he realized she was moving, and suddenly crawling toward him. “I’ve never met a man like you,” she murmured, touching his face gently. Regan couldn’t think of any words to say, but closed his eyes and kissed her back when their lips came together. Her tongue slipped into his mouth and he fumbled to set his beer down as she practically climbed into his lap. When her warms hands were suddenly unbuttoning his shirt, he reached up and caught her wrists gently with his big hands. “Ayla, stop,” he said gently. Her cerulean blue eyes were hurt. “Why?” she asked. Regan gently pushed her off of him, onto the couch, released her wrists so he could hold her hands. “Listen to me, pretty girl,” he said softly. “I’m an old fashioned kind of guy. I don’t jump into bed with every beautiful woman I meet, and we haven’t even been on a date. I like to take things slow, build up to it. Anything really good is worth waiting for,” he murmured. “God you know how to turn a woman on,” she giggled, leaning her forehead against his. “You must think I’m some kind of slut.” “Not at all,” he kissed the tip of her nose. He could still smell the light floral fragrance from her bubble bath, and taste the chocolate from the cupcake she had eaten. “Good, because I’m not. I’ve only been with four men,” she blurted out. “I don’t sleep around.” “You don’t have to justify anything to me Ayla,” he touched her face lightly. “I just want to take things slow. I don’t believe in going zero to sixty.” He shifted her so she was half in his lap, curled up against him. He got a glimpse of her bare toes, painted in a deep pink with a silver toe ring. Sexy, he thought. Ayla nodded. “I understand. And I feel kinda foolish for trying that on you.” “Don’t. I’m incredibly flattered. I’ve never had a beautiful woman want me like that.” “You think I’m beautiful?” she asked, genuinely surprised. “Hell yes,” he laughed, “I thought so the moment we met.” “But I’m-I’m a big girl,” she said. “Big guys always like the petite little things.” “Not me,” he said firmly. “I don’t like worrying I’m going to physically hurt a woman. And it hurts to bend down to kiss them when they’re short. You have beautiful legs, and everything else to go with it,” he said gently. “And when you smile the whole world lights up around you. I love the fact you’re so tall, and solid. You’re everything a woman should be.” “Stop turning me on,” she giggled. Regan kissed her lightly. “Then I think I should I go.” Ayla nodded reluctantly, and her eyes followed him when he left. Giddy from his presence, she laughed to herself as she spun in circles around the room. Bill Regan liked her. *** In his truck, Regan stared at the wheel. What was he doing, hooking up with a girl like her? Because you like her. For the first time in years, you found someone that’s more than just a pretty face or a reminder of the past, a little voice said. Joan hadn’t worked out. They had just grown into different people. And the women Tom tried to set him up with just weren’t his type and didn’t understand his love of horses. But Ayla. She was different. And she not only interested him, she captivated him.
Author Notes
-a huge thank you to my editors, Robin and Kate! Any mistakes are mine.
-While I do share with Ayla a fondness for cupcakes, I do not eat them by the plateful. Tempting though.
-Word Count, 2,642
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