The Recruit(72)

‘Cheers, I’d like that.’ Jaz smiled weakly at him. He would make sure she was okay. ‘Ryan, I…’ She reached for his hand, wanting to tell him just how much he’d come to mean to her. She didn’t quite understand it much yet herself but just being near him caused her heart to pound. He made her feel safe and adored at the same time. Her fingers slid over his wrist, causing a tingling sensation throughout her body. ‘I am so glad you came to The Ring that day. I…’

Someone knocked at the door.

‘You expecting company?’ Jaz asked curiously, drawing her hand back quickly. A woman perhaps? Oh, why did that thought make her stomach turn?

Ryan frowned. ‘No.’ He went to his door and opened it.

‘Steph, what are you doing here?’ Jaz heard him say excitedly. She leaned back on the couch to see who he was talking to. Ryan was hugging a tall, blonde girl who looked amazing in skinny jeans, high heels and a fancy short leather jacket. Wow, she was beautiful and she was hugging Ryan with gusto. How could Jaz ever compete with that, and the girl was closer to his age. She felt dizzy.

Jaz stood up quickly, suddenly she felt like she shouldn’t be here. She slipped off Ryan’s jacket, folded it neatly over the chair, and picked up her wet hoodie. They were coming into the lounge. Happy laughter and mocking tones filled the air and she got the feeling they knew each other well.

Jaz stood and waited like a wet sock, wanting to be any place but here as Ryan entered with his arm around the girl. Jaz wondered if maybe she should have hidden. She felt like a twit, standing half wet in her school clothes.

‘Sorry, Ryan. I didn’t know you had company,’ said the girl.

It wasn’t said in a nasty way that Minka might have, instead the girl sounded interested and apologetic.

‘It’s okay, Steph, this is Jaz. She’s from The Ring where I’ve been working out.’

‘Hi.’ Jaz smiled and waved, but she really wanted to run off like a frightened rabbit.

Steph ran her deep brown eyes over her uniform then raised an eyebrow to Ryan, which he didn’t see.

Jaz glanced to Ryan, hoping he’d tell her who this lady was. He must have caught her questioning look as he cleared his throat and added, ‘Jaz, this is my little sister I was telling you about,’ he said nodding to Steph.

Oh, thank God.

His little sister was still a few years older than Jaz. ‘I can see the similarities now.’ Now that she’d stopped her overactive mind and took the time to look at Steph and not think of her as the competition. ‘You both have the same smiles and eyes.’ Well, they came from great breeding stock, what a gorgeous family. ‘Nice to meet you, Steph.’

‘You too, Jasmine. I don’t get to meet many of Ryan’s friends.’ She said nudging Ryan in the ribs. ‘He keeps to himself a lot,’ she said. ‘So you work at this gym place?’

‘Yeah, I keep it going when the boss is away. It’s a second home for me and I like to train.’

‘And kick my butt. Seriously Sis, you do not want to meet Jaz in a dark alley. Don’t let her innocent face trick you, she can hold her own with the best of them.’ Steph raised her eyebrows at Ryan’s praising words. She glanced between them as Jaz felt heat rising in her cheeks.

Jaz realised she was wringing her hoodie in her nervous hands; soon she’d end up leaving a pile of water on Ryan’s carpet. ‘Um, well you’ll wanna catch up and I better get back to The Ring before Pax thinks I was run over. Catch ya later.’

Steph raised her hand, ‘Bye, Jaz.’ Then started to take her jacket off.

Ryan moved to walk her to the door, but Jaz stopped him by holding up her hand. It nearly met his chest. She was glad she hadn’t touched him, she was scared of how her body would react and that Steph would notice. Girls noticed things like that better than the guys.

‘I know my way out, Ryan.’

She’d taken a few steps when Ryan grabbed her hand. ‘Hey Jaz? We’ll talk later,’ he said, shooting her a look that said he hadn’t forgotten she was trying to tell him something before Steph arrived. ‘Okay?’

Jaz shrugged and pulled away. She was at the door when he called out her name again.

‘Jaz.’

Pausing, she glanced back to see him smiling.

‘Maybe take the gate this time,’ he laughed. ‘There’s a release button on the side of it.’

Jaz felt her cheeks glow. ‘Sure.’

She opened the door just as she heard Steph’s quiet voice. ‘Ryan, why do you have a schoolgirl in your house? I mean she’s gorgeous and I’ve been waiting for you to introduce me to someone special…but did you not notice the uniform?’