Layla Read online

  I smiled. “That’s true.” I opened the door and we walked inside. “But I made plans tonight. I’m sorry.”

  “With who?” Cassie asked with a smile. “Is it that gorgeous boss of yours?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yes, it’s with Kyle.”

  “So you guys are dating now?” Janet asked excitedly.

  “No, we aren’t,” I said quickly. “He has season tickets to the Yankees and they are playing the Giants tonight. He invited me along.”

  “And you expect us to believe that?” Cassie asked. “How’s he in bed?”

  I glared at her. “Nothing is going on between us.”

  “Well, something should,” Janet said. “He’s a catch. I’d date him if I met him first.”

  “Well, he’s all yours if you want him,” I said.

  “You know you like him,” Janet said.

  I ignored her. “I saw John again last night.”

  “What?” Cassie said, almost dropping the bottle of wine. “Where?”

  “Kyle and I were having drinks when he walked inside the bar,” I explained.

  “I hate that asshole,” Janet snapped. “What the hell did he do? Did he say something to you?”

  “No. I asked Kyle to take me home. I hoped if John thought Kyle was my boyfriend, he’d leave me alone.”

  “Did he?” Cassie asked.

  “He didn’t talk to me and I don’t think he followed me here. Kyle spent the night just in case.”

  “Wow,” Janet said. “You told him?”

  “No,” I said quickly. “I asked him to do it with no questions asked.”

  “He must really like you,” Cassie said. “He had no idea what he was getting into.”

  I shrugged. “He cares about me as a friend.”

  “Yeah okay,” Cassie said as she opened the refrigerator. “What the hell is all of this?”

  “All of what?” I asked.

  “Why is there food in here—that isn’t expired?”

  Janet’s mouth dropped. “Let me see.” She looked inside then turned back to me. “Wow. Someone’s really making a life change.”

  “Kyle bought those.”

  Cassie and Janet both looked at each other, silently communicating.

  Janet stared me down. “I understand that you aren’t looking for a relationship right now. That relationship with John was horrible and heartbreaking. But Kyle seems like a real catch. Give him a chance, Layla.”

  “No,” I said. “He’s my boss and my friend. I don’t want anything else.”

  “So you wouldn’t mind if I dated him?” Janet asked.

  “Why would I?’ I said with a straight face.

  “Really?” she said.

  “Go for it,” I said. “I don’t care.”

  “Why don’t you like him?” Cassie asked.

  “I do. He’s just not—my type.”

  “Then what is your type?” Janet snapped. “Wife-beating assholes?”

  “That wasn’t funny,” I said.

  “I wasn’t trying to be,” Janet said. “Cassie and I both like this guy. Don’t be stupid and let him get away.”

  “You met him one time!” I snapped.

  “And he already has our approval,” Cassie said. “So he’s obviously a good guy.”

  “Tell us one thing about him you don’t like,” Janet said.

  I shook my head.

  “You can’t think of anything,” Janet said.

  “I can think of plenty of things.”

  “Then tell us,” Cassie said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

  “Well…he kept stalking me even after I said no.”

  “That’s romantic,” Janet said.

  I rolled my eyes. “He bought me groceries even when I asked him not to.”

  Janet just shook her head.

  “He…”

  “Face it,” Cassie said. “The guy is perfect.”

  “No guy is perfect,” I said. “I’m sure he’s hiding something.”

  “Not every guy is psycho like John,” Cassie said.

  “And Jared wasn’t but he didn’t want me,” I said bitterly. “I just don’t attract the good guys.”

  “I think you’re just being paranoid,” Janet said as she touched me on the arm. “Give this guy a chance. If not, you’ll lose your turn. Some other girl will pick him up. Don’t keep him hanging for too long.”

  “I appreciate your concern,” I said to them. “But I can take care of my own love life.”

  “We just want you to be happy,” Cassie said.

  “You’re both single and you’re happy,” I snapped.

  “But we aren’t getting over a horrible relationship,” Janet reminded me. “We’re looking for guys like Kyle. You have him, Layla. He’s sitting right in front of you.”

  There was a knock on the door.

  “That’s him,” I said happily, glad this conversation was over.

  Janet opened the door. “Hey, Kyle.”

  “Hi…I wasn’t expecting you two to be here.” He stepped inside then placed his hands in his pockets. He wore dark jeans and a Yankees jersey.

  “It’s wine night,” Cassie explained. “But Layla would rather hang out with you.”

  “I apologize for ruining your plans,” he said.

  Janet touched him on the shoulder. “It’s quite alright. You two have fun.”

  When my friends were standing behind him, they both glared at me, silently threatening me. They shut the door and disappeared.

  “Am I interrupting anything?’ he asked.

  “No,” I said quickly. “Are you ready to go?”

  He stared at me for a moment, looking at my shirt and hat. “Even though you’re wearing my competitor’s merch, you look really adorable right now.”

  “Adorable?” No one had ever called me that in my life, not even my dad.

  “Yeah. I like the sporty outfit.”

  “Well, we’re going to a baseball game, not a fancy dinner.”

  He smiled. “Well, I like it. I think you should dress like that more often.”

  “I think I will. It’s very comfortable.”

  Kyle put his hands in pockets while he sighed. “Well, this is awkward.”

  “What?”

  “I’m clearly a Yankees fan and you’re clearly a Giants fan…”

  I shrugged. “I don’t care.”

  “You’re going to be the only Giants fan there.”

  “Oh well.”

  He laughed. “As long you’re okay with that.”

  “I support my team no matter what. If people mess with me, I’ll take them out.”

  “I believe you. Just don’t give me a black eye. I have a meeting tomorrow.”

  “Then don’t push me.”

  Kyle opened the door. “Let’s head out.”

  We left the apartment and took a cab to the stadium. It was packed with people marching into the stands. Kyle and I walked into the crowd but kept getting separated. He grabbed my hand and pulled me forward until we reached the front gate. After he handed over our tickets, we hit the concession stand.

  “What would you like?” he asked, standing very close to me. Guys pushed through the crowd and a few bumped my shoulder. I ignored them. Kyle moved slightly, taking the slight hits from people as they walked by, protecting me. I was going to make a rude comment about it but I decided not to. He was just trying to be a nice guy.

  “I’m buying,” I said.

  “What?” he said with a laugh. “I invited you. Let me pay.”

  “No. You offered me an awesome seat. We are literally three rows back. Let me get you something. That’s fair.”

  “Nope.”

  “I owe you for groceries anyway.”

  “We haven’t gotten paid yet.”

  “I have a credit card.”

  He shook his head. “I understand you pretty well and I can see what’s going to happen. I’m going to say no, you’re going to get mad. I’m going to say no and you’re going to start
yelling at me. Let’s just avoid that. You’re an alpha and I’m an alpha. We are going to have to take turns.”

  “I’m an alpha?”

  “You didn’t notice that? It’s your way or no way. It’s really annoying.”

  I glared at him. “I understand the feeling.”

  “So, just let me get the snacks. You can get mine next time.”

  I sighed, deciding to just let it go. “Okay.”

  He smiled. “I’m so glad that went well. I was expecting you to pull your hair then hold your breath.”

  “I’m not two.”

  “That’s debatable.”

  I pushed him lightly, smiling.

  He nudged my shoulder with his gently. “So, what are you going to get?”

  “I’m afraid you’ll judge me.”

  “Are you going to get a tofu hotdog and vegan chips or something?”

  “No…”

  “Then we’re good.”

  “I wanted to get a chili dog with extra onions, a bag of chips, animal crackers, crackerjacks, and Pepsi.”

  “Damn.” He started laughing. “Where do you put it?”

  I touched my stomach. “Right here.”

  “Well, it doesn’t show.”

  “So, you aren’t judging me?”

  “No. That’s really hot, actually.”

  “What?” I asked, surprised. “Really?”

  “Whenever we have catering at work, most of the girls don’t eat anything because they are starving themselves. I end up taking a lot of it home. It’s nice to be around a girl that doesn’t care about superficial stuff like that.”

  “Well, I pay for it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m not skinny.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Yeah you are. You’re perfect.”

  “You haven’t seen me naked so you don’t know what my belly or my ass looks like.”

  Kyle. “You could always show me…”

  I glared at him.

  He nudged my shoulder again. “You know I’m kidding. But I don’t believe that. I’ve only seen you in your clothes, but I can tell your body is definitely…sexy.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest and looked at the menu, not really looking at anything. I didn’t feel awkward or uncomfortable by his words. I didn’t know how I felt. I’ve never been complimented like that before. No one ever said I was outright ugly, but they didn’t compliment me either. John and I used to have sex, but I never felt like he was particularly fascinated with my body.

  “I’m sorry. I did it again,” he said.

  “What?”

  “I made you uncomfortable.”

  “No, you didn’t.”

  “Good. It’s hard to compliment a girl without sounding totally perverted.”

  “You aren’t perverted?” I teased.

  He smiled. “I’m not always a gentleman, let’s put it that way.” Kyle approached the counter and ordered our food, which cost almost fifty dollars. We carried our food to our seats.

  “I can’t believe how close we are!” I looked around, seeing the dugout and the field.

  “Can’t complain,” he said as he opened his chips.

  “This is so awesome.” I took out my phone and took a picture. “I’ll show Cassie and Janet next time I see them.”

  “You’re welcome to come with me next time, even if the Giants don’t play.”

  “Really?”

  He nodded. “I like spending time with you.” He leaned back and ate his chips, like his words weren’t incredibly affectionate and sweet.

  “Who do you normally come with?”

  “My friends. Since I only have two tickets, they get competitive about it. If I take one friend, the others get mad. Which is why having you makes my life easier.”

  I laughed. “What about bros before hos?”

  “You aren’t a ho.” He ate his chili dog while I ate mine.

  The game started and everyone filed into their seats. When I looked around, I realized I was the only person wearing a Giants jersey. I was surrounded in a sea of blue.

  Kyle caught the look. “You feel a little awkward, huh?”

  “No,” I said quickly.

  “Okay.”

  The Giants scored and I stood up and clapped. A few people behind me booed. I didn’t care. When the refs called stupid fouls, I screamed and yelled, throwing a fit.

  Kyle clapped when his team scored and laughed whenever I got too invested in the game. “You’re really into this, huh?”

  “It’s not just a game. It’s more than that,” I said.

  “Wow. I think you might be the coolest chick ever.”

  I laughed. “I don’t know about that.”

  “My sister is really awesome, but if her husband wanted to watch the game instead of playing with the kids, she always got pissed.”

  “Well, her husband should play with the kids and watch the game at the same time. Two birds with one stone.”

  He chewed his crackerjacks and watched the game.

  “Why don’t you take him? He’s family. Your friends can’t get mad.”

  “He passed away,” he said simply.

  “Oh.” Now I felt like a total bitch. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

  He patted my hand with his and left it there. “Don’t worry about it.”

  I didn’t pull my hand away because I thought it would be insensitive. He grabbed it and brought it to his thigh, holding it in his grasp. Kyle acted like this was perfectly normal. I was too scared to move so I let him be.

  The innings flew by until they were tied in overtime.

  “The Giants better win,” I said. “Come on, come on.”

  “No, the Yankees better win. I really don’t want to run a half marathon. I never should have agreed to that.”

  I pulled my hand away and leaned forward, too invested in the game to be affectionate. Kyle seemed just as tense, rubbing his chin. The Giants were up and they needed just one more run. There was a man on third. When Pablo Sandoval hit the home run, I jumped up and screamed, knowing the victory was mine.

  “Damn,” he said.

  I jumped around, doing my victory dance. I turned around and yelled, “Go Giants!”

  The Yankees fans rolled their eyes and ignored me.

  I kept dancing.

  Kyle leaned back and watched me, a smile on his face. “I guess I should start running.”

  “You. Are. A. Loser.” I put an L on my forehead and stuck my tongue out at him.

  He stood up and then grabbed me, holding me to his chest. “Okay, okay. I get it.”

  “You’re a sore loser, aren’t you?”

  “I guess you could say that.” His hand moved to my lower back and he kept it there. “Let’s get out of here and beat the crowd.”

  We left the stands, his arm around my waist the entire time, until we reached a cab a few blocks away.

  “Pizza and beer?” he asked.

  “I don’t think I can eat anymore junk food,” I said, touching my stomach.

  “Wanna come back to my place? I’ll cook.”

  “Ooh. I’m not going to say no to that.”

  Kyle gave the driver his address.

  We drove a few blocks away from mine and arrived at the building. It was a much nicer building than mine and it was in a better area. We walked inside then reached his apartment on the twelfth floor.

  When we walked inside, I noticed all the dark colors. His chairs were leather and his floors were a cherry dark wood. He had a few pictures up. The apartment was clean, spotless, actually.

  “You have a nice place,” I said.

  “Thank you.” He washed his hands then opened the refrigerator. “Is there anything you particularly dislike?” he asked.

  “Nope.”

  “This will be easy.”

  He started working in the kitchen while I moved to the living room.

  “Would you like some wine?” he asked.

  “I’ll just have water.”r />
  “Dang,” he said with a smile. “I was hoping you would sing for me.”

  “Not gonna happen,” I said with a laugh.

  He handed me the water then kept working in the kitchen. When the smell drifted to my nose, my mouth salivated.

  “What are you making?” I asked.

  “Vegetarian pizza.”

  “Really? It smells good. I thought you hated vegetarianism.”

  “No. I just don’t like processed food in replacement of meat and healthy protein. I love fruits and vegetables. I make a shake every morning.”

  “Oh.”

  He smiled. “Surprised?”

  “I guess not. You have a really nice body.”

  Kyle stared at me, his grin growing wider. “Let’s talk about that some more.”

  My cheeks reddened when I realized what I just said. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

  “Uh, huh. And you haven’t even seen me naked.”

  This conversation was going south. “When will dinner be ready?” I asked, trying to change the subject.

  “It’s ready now.”

  “Thank god.”

  I jumped up and moved to the table.

  He served me the plate and sat down across from me.

  As soon as I took a bite, I was impressed. “Did you make this from scratch?”

  “Yep.”

  “Wow. A man with hidden talents.”

  “Many hidden talents.” He winked at me while he continued to eat.

  I rolled my eyes.

  We ate quietly, enjoying the silence. We each ate half the pizza so there were no leftovers. I leaned back and touched my stomach. “I need to start exercising more.”

  “I thought you ran in the morning with Janet?”

  “We haven’t been going lately.”

  “Why?”

  I shrugged. “We’re both lazy bitches.”

  He laughed. “You can come with me. I usually go right after work.”

  “I already spend enough time with you as it is.”

  “Well, at least we get along. If we can overcome our different preferences for baseball teams, we can get through anything.” He grabbed the dirty plates and placed them in the sink.

  “Well, I should get going. It’s getting late,” I said.

  He leaned against the counter and looked at me. “Yeah.”

  “Thank you for taking me to the game, buying me a buffet of food, and making dinner for me.”

  “Of course,” he said with a smile. “You can be very lovely company when you try.”

  “I guess you remind me to use my manners.”