Three and Out

  “Is that right? Then why do you keep letting me in every day when I show up?”

  Silence met them in the car. She was right, why did he keep letting her in? Technically, he could take care of himself; it would be hard as hell, especially on crutches, but he could do it. He would most likely beat his head with his crutches to end his misery, but damn it, he would be able to do it. Maybe he just kept letting her in because it was easier; he didn’t have to work as hard. He chalked it up to that, because if he thought about the other reason, of actually enjoying her company…that would go against everything he promised himself the minute she walked away from him.

  Clearing his throat, he said, “You can just drop me off here, we’re close enough to the house.”

  “I’m not going to drop you off on the corner. Are you insane?”

  “Just drop me off here!” Mason shouted, slowly losing control of his emotions. He didn’t want Piper near him; he couldn’t handle it…not with her asking questions, not with her actually giving a shit about him. He couldn’t handle it; he would lose the Piper-free barrier he’d put up around his heart if he stayed near her any longer.

  “I’m not going to pull over,” she shot back.

  Losing his mind, Mason grabbed ahold of the steering wheel and brought her car to the sidewalk, making her scream and slam on the brakes.

  “Are you fucking insane?” she asked as she held onto the steering wheel.

  Not answering her, Mason got out of the vehicle, grabbed his crutches and started walking away from her, turning his back on the life he once wanted. Anger seared through him as he crutched his way to Jake and Lexi’s house.

  He was mad at himself for letting her back in his life; even if it was a small part of his life, he’d let her in. He let her take care of him, and he hated that he found himself depending on her to stop by…that he looked forward to having her come over. He tried to tell himself that he was just lonely, but if he thought about it, he was lonely for her, for her soft caresses, her exotic scent, and the way she could make him feel like he was floating on air. She was an addiction that he was having one hell of a time kicking.

  Mason didn’t pay attention to the outside world as he made it back to Jake and Lexi’s house. It wasn’t until he spotted Piper’s car parked in the driveway that he realized she must have sped past him.

  “Motherfucker,” he mumbled, as he worked his way to the front door where Piper was sitting, waiting for him with her arms crossed, making her breasts look more delectable than ever. Damn devil woman.

  “You done having a hissy fit and almost trying to kill us?” she asked in a snarky tone.

  “Nope, you’re still here.”

  “I’m not leaving Mason; you need my help, and don’t even deny it.”

  “I don’t want your help,” he responded, as he unlocked Jake and Lexi’s house. He didn’t even try to fight her not to come in, because only having one working leg put him at a disadvantage, and he didn’t feel like injuring himself any more while trying to get rid of her.

  “I know you don’t want it, but you need it. I know I’m not your favorite person in the world,” Mason guffawed. “But…let’s be honest, you don’t have anyone else right now. You need me, and frankly…I need you.”

  Her words caught Mason off guard as he took up residence on the couch. She needed him? That was new information to him. Last thing he knew, she needed another man. The thought of her needing him tore at the walls blocking her away. She needed him…that was all he wanted, to be needed. After all the bullshit he’d been through with Brooke and Piper, all he wanted was to be needed, and with those few simple words, she gutted him.

  Trying not to show the way she affected him, he nonchalantly said, “You need me? For what?”

  “I know that you really don’t care, but I’ve had to move back in with my parents. I don’t want to get into it, but it’s just not a good situation. Coming here, helping you, has been the saving grace in my life recently,” she admitted solemnly.

  Mason gritted his teeth as he tried to contain the expletives that wanted to escape from his mouth. He didn’t want to feel bad for her, but damn it, with the way she looked at him with those silver eyes of hers and the sadness that surrounded them, he could feel himself falling apart, wanting to help her.

  “Sometimes you get what you deserve,” Mason said without thinking, but happy with himself for not giving in.

  “I guess you’re right.” She got up and went to the kitchen. “I’ll make you a big batch of spaghetti tonight so you have it for the weekend. Jake and Lexi get back on Sunday night, right?” Mason nodded. “Alright, I have two boxes of noodles, so that should get you through the weekend. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything, and then I will be out of here.” She turned around to the kitchen, but called over her shoulder, “For what it’s worth, Mason, I appreciate you opening that door every day, you really made my days brighter.”

  “Fuck me,” Mason muttered, as he tossed his head on a throw pillow and turned on the TV to Sports Center.

  **Ryker**

  “Hand me the oven mitts,” Hannah said as she opened the oven, letting a deliciously scented breeze of lasagna out of the oven. Ryker invited her over for dinner, but the only concession was, she had to cook. They hadn’t seen each other since the night she spent after the cheeseburgers, because Ryker had practice and he wanted to really think about what he was getting himself into, but it was the night before his game and he really wanted to “carbo load,” at least that was what he told Hannah.

  Willingly, she came over and started cooking away in his kitchen. She had to bring over a couple of her kitchen supplies, because he didn’t have much to cook with, but she didn’t mind. Watching her float around in his kitchen was heaven. She fit in his home, in his life, and slowly, he was starting to realize that, even though she hurt him, he could not deny himself any longer. He was done fighting; he needed her in order to breathe, to move, to be.

  “Here,” he said, as he stared at her cute cherub face with her hair tied up into a bun on the top of her head. She was wearing her normal Hannah clothes this time and minimal makeup. She’d donned a pair of leggings, red Keds, and a striped navy blue, off the shoulder sweater. She was comfortable and fucking huggable.

  “What are you looking at?” Hannah said as her face blushed.

  “Just you,” he answered honestly.

  “Well, stop, you’re making me nervous,” she said, as she took out the lasagna and put it on top of the stove. He watched her check the top and then smile, pleased with her cooking abilities. “It just has to cool off and gel and then we can dig in. It will probably be about ten to fifteen minutes.”

  She turned around and faced him as she put the oven mitts on the counter. “What shall we do?”

  Ryker knew what Russell the Love Muscle wanted to do, but Ryker wasn’t quite ready for that. Instead, he pulled Hannah to the couch and said, “Let’s talk.”

  They sat across from each other on the couch, both angling their bodies so they were facing each other. Ryker put his arm along the back of the couch and played with Hannah’s sweater.

  “I like you like this, comfortable and cute.”

  “So you’ve told me. I guess I’m just the kind of girl who can’t pull off the sexy look,” Hannah said, while picking imaginary lint off of her leggings.

  Lifting her chin so she was looking Ryker in the eyes, he said, “You know that’s not the truth. You are the sexiest woman I know, but what’s special about you is that you don’t need the fancy make-up or designer clothes to be sexy; all you need is you.”

  “You really think that?” she asked self-consciously. If it was any other girl, Ryker would have thought she was fishing for compliments, but not Hannah; she was sincere and she never lied, ever.

  “Yes, I really think that. You know that I thought that the moment I saw you. By far the sexiest, smartest, most beautiful soul I’ve ever met. You should know that by now.”

  Noddin
g her head, she said, “I was just so lost back then, Ryker. I was lost in Todd, in making us work, in wanting to move forward with him; I lost myself along the way and I pushed you away.” She grabbed his hand and spoke into his eyes. “I don’t think I can tell you how sorry I am. I can’t believe I treated you so terribly.”

  Right there, at that moment, all the resentment and anger that had built up from Hannah’s past actions dissipated, and he parted ways with the wall that blocked him from moving forward. She was so sincere, so honest, that all Ryker wanted to do was move forward now.

  Ryker moved his hand to her cheek and brought her closer. “I forgive you, Hannah, I really do, and all I want is to move forward; will you do that with me? Move forward, maybe see where this will take us?” he asked, while waving between the two of them.

  A tear pricked her eye as she nodded her head with an endearing smile on her face. “I would love that.”

  “Just you and me,” Ryker said, as he brought her even closer, so their lips were only inches apart.

  “You and me,” Hannah repeated, as she put her hands on his cheeks.

  Licking his lips, Ryker leaned in and was about to touch her magnificent lips again when there was a knock on his door.

  “Ah, hell,” Ryker said, angry that someone was disturbing his precious moment with Hannah.

  Giving Hannah a light peck on the nose, Ryker said, “Hold that thought; I’ll be right back.”

  Reluctantly leaving Hannah hanging on the couch, Ryker went to the front door and was surprised that the door opened before he could even get to it. In came a distraught Ashlin with her hair all askew, her clothes on inside out, and her eyes looking hazy. She was hammered.

  “Ryker!” she slurred, as she tossed her arms around his neck and hung on to him like he was the last thing keeping her from floating into the dark abyss.

  “Did you drive here?” Ryker asked, worried that she could have harmed someone in her drunken state.

  “No, but can you pay the taxi driver…pah-wease,” she said in her drunk voice.

  Rolling his eyes, he set Ashlin down in the entryway of his home, jogged out to the cab, threw some cash at the driver, and jogged back. He thought he was pretty quick, but apparently not quick enough, because when he walked in, Ashlin was on the floor, now only wearing her lingerie, and Hannah was standing in the hallway, looking down at her.

  “Ashlin, where the hell are your clothes?” Ryker asked as he went to his couch, grabbed a blanket, and tossed it at her so she could cover up.

  “In your umbrella stand…” she said, pointing to her apparently new dresser.

  Not bothering to ask why her clothes were in his umbrella stand, Ryker said, “What are you doing here and why are you so drunk?” Ryker looked up at Hannah, who looked stunned, and he sent her an apologetic smile.

  Ashlin laid the blanket on the ground and started rolling herself up like a burrito while she was talking. “He doesn’t want me,” she said, while looking up at Hannah, making Ryker’s gut twist. “He doesn’t want to just fuck; he wants a relationship, but I can’t give him that.”

  The stricken look on Hannah’s face made panic set in Ryker’s belly. She quickly grabbed her purse, and said, “I think I should go. It looks like you two have some talking to do…”

  Before she could get anywhere near the door, Ryker stopped her and gripped her shoulders, forcing her to look him in the eyes. “Look at me,” Ryker said sternly. She looked up, and that was when Ryker noticed her eyes were watering. “She’s not talking about me, Hannah. She’s talking about Jesse.” Looking down at Ashlin, who was petting her own head now and laughing, Ryker said, “Tell her, tell her you’re not talking about me; tell her there is nothing between us, Ashlin,” Ryker demanded, nudging her with his foot to get her attention.

  Ashlin looked up at the mention of her name and smiled, “Nah, Ryker and I only fucked once.”

  Fucking Ashlin.

  Hannah stiffened, but stood in place.

  “He’s right, though,” Ashlin continued, as she now started rolling back and forth on the ground in her human tortilla. “It’s all about Jesse. He doesn’t want anything to do with me. He doesn’t want to just fuck.”

  Ryker pulled Hannah’s eyes off of Ashlin and made her look at him. “Let me get her into a guest bedroom so she can pass out, and then we’ll have dinner, okay?” She looked unsure, which made Ryker nervous; he didn’t want to chase after her anymore. He was so close. “Hannah, do you hear me? Give me a couple of minutes; I’ll be right back.” Nodding slowly, Ryker brought her lips to his and gently gave her a kiss, just letting her know she was the one he wanted, no one else. “Can you cut the lasagna and pour the wine? I’ll be right down.” Once again, she nodded and turned away from him.

  Still feeling uneasy, but wanting to get back to Hannah as soon as possible, Ryker grabbed Ashlin off the ground, threw her over his shoulder and took her to the downstairs bedroom, as far away from his room as possible.

  She mumbled a bunch of gibberish as he carried her, occasionally smacking him in the ass and yelling, “Yahoo!” at the top of her lungs.

  Ryker plopped her on the bed, shoved her under the covers, grabbed a glass of water and a trash can, and gave them to her.

  “You’re really fucking with my life right now, Ash.”

  “At least someone is fucking…”

  “I’m not even going to go through this with you again. We talked last night; Jesse wants a relationship…if you want to be with him, you’re going to have to give him that.”

  “You know I can’t.” Ashlin said feebly, making Ryker feel bad for her. She was not much of a relationship person, given the fact that everyone who ever was supposed to love her had walked away. She wouldn’t put herself in that kind of position again. Ryker got it, but he also felt bad for his friend, because she was missing out on a good thing by living in the past.

  “I know, sweetie.” Ryker bent over and kissed her forehead. “But maybe Jesse might be the exception. Don’t worry about that now, just get some sleep. If you need anything, get it yourself; I’m with Hannah tonight,” Ryker said jokingly, but kind of meaning it.

  He got off the bed and was about to shut the door when Ashlin called out to him, “I’m happy for you, Ryker. She’s perfect for you.”

  “I know,” Ryker replied, as he shut the door.

  **Hannah**

  She didn’t think she could breathe; her mind was running a mile a minute the second Ashlin rolled into Ryker’s house and then stripped off her clothes, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do. She couldn’t be jealous; she shouldn’t be jealous. She was never with Ryker, ever, so whatever he did on his own time was his business. That was what she kept telling herself, but she couldn’t help but feel pained from the knowledge that Ryker and Ashlin had been together intimately.

  Knowing that she needed to believe Ryker, believe in what he said, and that he was just being a good friend and helping out Ashlin, Hannah cut the lasagna and placed it on two plates with a little side salad, and then poured some wine for the both of them. She set the plates and glasses at the table and took a seat. She waited patiently for Ryker to come back, trying not to bog down her mind with thoughts of what Ryker and Ashlin were doing in the other room.

  Jogging into the room, Ryker stopped in his tracks when he saw Hannah sitting at the table with dinner laid out and wine poured. Relief crossed his face as he walked toward her. He was wearing jeans and a light blue T-shirt, very un-Ryker-like, given his sense of style, but Hannah liked his dressed down appearance.

  His eyes flashed her a smile, letting her know he was happy that she was still at his house. Even though she felt uneasy about everything between her and Ryker, the way he was looking at her relieved some of the aching feeling that was gnawing at the pit of her stomach.

  “You stayed,” he said breathlessly, as he reached her seat.

  “You told me to,” Hannah said, as he knelt down in front of her.

&nbsp
; Grabbing her hands in his, Ryker brought them up to his lips and gently kissed them. “Thank you. I was afraid you were going to leave while I was taking care of Ashlin. I was afraid I was going to have to start my chase again.”

  “Chase?” Hannah asked, not quite understanding what Ryker was saying.

  Nodding his head slightly, he said, “Yes. Ever since I met you, I’ve been chasing after you, trying to keep you in one place, and I feel like I finally was able to do that, tonight. Then Ashlin came over and fucked everything up.”

  “Does she come over often?” Hannah knew she should stay away from the question and try to enjoy the rest of the night they had together, but she couldn’t help herself. She had to know.

  “Depends.” Ryker shifted in his spot, as he considered what to say. “We grew up together, Hannah. We were each other’s safety blankets in the shitty world we were living in. We had rough childhoods, which I won’t go into, and unfortunately, we lost touch, but when we found each other again, it was like finding that safe spot again, finding home again.”

  Hannah tried not to feel hurt by the fact that Ryker thought Ashlin was his home, because she hadn’t even given him a chance to call her his home, but it still sent a pang of jealousy through her body.

  He continued, “We’ve been through a lot together and have spent a lot of time together, especially since what happened between you and me; she was there for me.”

  “So, she hates me then,” Hannah said, as she looked down into her hands, feeling like an idiot for how she treated Ryker.

  “Not at all,” Ryker lifted her chin so she was forced to look at him. “She’s happy that you’re back in my life, and she thinks you’re perfect for me.”

  “How can she think that? She doesn’t even know me.”

  “But she knows me,” Ryker countered. “She knows the effect you have on me, how you make me feel. She knows you through me and is supportive. Believe me when I say this, you have nothing to worry about when it comes to Ashlin. She’s only a sister to me, I promise.”