Game on by Cheryl Douglas Page A

who’ll buy it,
Spencer. I want to know what the hell you think you’re doin’ with my sister.”
    Ryan couldn’t believe Evan had sold him
out, but who else could it have been? Brianna wouldn’t have openly shared this
information with her brother, so it had to be Evan. “Come in, and close the
door behind you.” He gestured to the chair across from him. “Just shut up and
listen, before you start readin’ me the riot act.”
    They had been friends their whole lives.
There was little Ryan wouldn’t say to Aiden, but when it came to the man’s baby
sister, he knew he had to tread lightly. “I told you not too long ago about
that night my buddy brought her to a party…”
    “Yeah, you said you had too much to drink,
and you guys kissed.” Aiden sat down, leaning forward as though he was poised
to strike at the slightest provocation. “I suggested you talk to her about it,
so you could move on. I take it you didn’t take my advice?”
    Ryan considered his options and chose his
next words carefully. “I’ve had feelings for Bri for a long time, man. Since
long before that night.”
    “What the hell are you talkin’ about?”
Aiden sat back, staring at him quizzically, as though he was half-expecting the
punch line to come next. “You and Bri? Come on, you’re messin’ with me.”
    “No, I’m not.” Ryan braced his elbows on
his desk and leaned forward. “I’m dead serious.”
    “Are you tellin’ me you two have…”
    Aiden couldn’t seem to get the words out,
and Ryan was grateful because discussing that with Brianna’s brother
would definitely cross the line. “No, we haven’t. I wanna take it slow.” Ryan
smiled when Aiden looked skeptical. “I know this is a new approach for me, but
Bri’s special. I don’t wanna screw this up.”
    “So, she knows how you feel about her?”
    “Not exactly. She knows I’m attracted to her,
but neither one of us wants to make a mistake that could cost us our
friendship.”
    “You’ve got a lot of friends, Ry.”
    “Yeah, but none like Brianna.” Ryan looked
at Aiden a long time, hoping he could express his feelings in a way his friend
would understand. “She gets me, in a way no other woman ever has. You know what
I mean?”
    A slow smile spread across Aiden’s face.
“Yeah, I know what you mean. I’ve got dozens of guys in my life who’d take a
hit for me, who’d have my back in a fight, but Sela’s the first person I call
when I need someone to talk to.”
    “That’s just it,” Ryan said, sighing. “It’s
always been that way for me and Bri.” He held up his Blackberry, flashing his
contact list. “She’s number one on my speed dial, the first person I think to
call when I need to vent or laugh or celebrate…”
    “So how come you’re just figurin’ this out
now?” Aiden asked, crossing his booted foot over his knee. “You said that
incident at the party happened a few years ago.”
    Ryan leaned back in his swivel chair,
knowing it was time to admit the truth to himself and his friend. “This may
come as a surprise to you, but I’m a shallow, self-centered, egotistical son of
a bitch.”
    Aiden threw his head back and laughed. “You
think that’s news?”
    The two men smiled before Ryan said, “I
thought I had to get all this craziness out of my system before settlin’ down
with just one woman, ya know?”
    “And you think you’ve got it all out of
your system? You think Bri’s the one for you?”
    “How would you feel if I said I thought she
was?” Ryan held his breath, waiting. He loved Brianna’s family like his own,
and he wanted their approval even more than he realized.
    “You’ve got a reputation, Ry. Granted,
you’ve earned it, but if you promise me you’d never do anything to hurt my
sister, I’ll believe you.”
    “I swear to you,” Ryan said, holding up his
right hand. “If she decides to give this thing a chance, she’ll be the only
woman in my life. I’d never do anything to hurt or embarrass