Layer by Layer (Riggins Brothers Book 1) Read online

  Layer by Layer

  The Riggins Brothers #1

  Kaylee Ryan

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Epilogue Royce

  Epilogue Sawyer

  Thank you

  More from Kaylee

  Acknowledgments

  Copyright © 2020 Kaylee Ryan

  All Rights Reserved.

  This book may not be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Kaylee Ryan, except for the use of brief quotations in articles and or reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, events, locations, businesses and plot are products of the author’s imagination and meant to be used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events throughout the story are purely coincidental. The author acknowledges trademark owners and trademarked status of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication and use of these trademarks are not authorized, sponsored or associated by or with the trademark owners.

  The following story contains sexual situations and strong language. It is intended for adult readers.

  Cover Design: Lori Jackson Design

  Cover Photography: Alfred Liebl

  Cover Model: Mike Chabot

  Editing: Hot Tree Editing

  Proofreading: Deaton Author Services

  Paperback Formatting: Integrity Formatting

  Prologue

  Royce

  The best thing about traveling first class is that you get to board first. Well, that’s not the only good thing about it, but today, that’s my favorite part. I’ve been in San Francisco for a week, and I’m exhausted and ready to go home. Unfortunately, there were no direct flights, which means this is the second plane I’ve had to board today. Hence the early boarding. Shoving my carry-on overhead, I take my seat near the window, stretch out my legs, and close my eyes. This plane can’t take off fast enough for my liking. The company jet was undergoing maintenance. Just routine but essential for safety. I’m not opposed to purchasing another so this doesn’t happen again. I can hear my brothers now as they laugh and call me spoiled.

  They’re not wrong.

  As CEO of Riggins Enterprises, I have a fully packed schedule, and delays for things such as commercial flights can’t be tolerated. Besides, my brothers are just as spoiled as I am. They just don’t have the pressure on them, the future of the company on their shoulders. Owen, who is two years younger than me, is the only one who comes close as CFO. The financials are in his hands. Our younger three brothers all play a role in the company as well, but the stress, the worry, that’s all on me.

  I feel someone take the seat next to me, but I keep my eyes closed and block out whoever it might be. I just want this plane in the air and landing in Nashville as soon as possible. The hustle and bustle of the other passengers boarding fills my ears, and while it’s annoying, that means we are one step closer to taking off.

  Several minutes later, I hear a female voice ask, “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “N-No, thank you,” a soft feminine voice replies. The voice is angelic and intriguing enough to get me to open my eyes and turn to look at my seatmate. Green eyes, wide with visible fear, capture mine. “I’m sorry if I woke you.”

  “You didn’t.” I keep my reply short. I’m not sure if she’s a chatty Kathy, but I don’t need that on this flight. I just want to sleep through it and get home.

  “I’m nervous,” she says, holding her hand out in front of her. My eyes watch as a slight tremble appears.

  “First time?” I find myself asking. Why I’m not sure. I’m not a man who takes on casual conversation. No, I’m usually in my office or at home on my computer working. There is always so much to do. Running a multi-billion-dollar company doesn’t leave much time for casual anything.

  Sadly.

  I allow my eyes time to rake over her. She’s gorgeous. Not in that “she could be a supermodel” way. No, she’s naturally beautiful. From my first impression, I’d say she’s one of those women who has no idea that she turns heads wherever she goes.

  “No.” Her reply is shaky. “Just not a fan of flying or heights for that matter.”

  I nod, acknowledging her statement and close my eyes again. Surely, we should be taking off soon. It will be late by the time we land. I won’t be going into the office; however, I know I’ll have a hundred new emails to deal with, and I want to get started on reviewing the construction contracts that this trip was for.

  We’re building a new facility in San Francisco, and this trip was to interview construction companies. I need to follow up with references and get the contract started, so we can proceed with the build.

  “Do you fly a lot?” she asks. The tremble in her voice seems to be getting worse.

  “Often enough. My job requires it,” I reply, but I’m not sure she actually heard me. Glancing down at the arm of the seat, I see her fingers gripping it so tight, her knuckles are white. The plane hasn’t moved. “What about you? Traveling for work?” I’m not sure why I’m engaging her in conversation. Something about her fear pulls at me, and if a little idle chitchat can soothe her fear, then I can handle that. Besides, I have a feeling she’s going to keep talking whether my eyes are closed or not.

  “N-No. I actually got fired from my job.”

  “Oh, yeah?” I ask like I’m interested when I’m anything but.

  “It was a mix of me telling them to take the job and shove it and being fired.” She turns those wide green eyes toward me. Her chest rises and falls, a tell-tale sign of her anxiety.

  “Which was it?”

  “I quit, but it was made clear that my refusal to do what was asked would result in my termination.” Slowly, she exhales, trying to gather her wits.

  “Insubordination.” I’ve dealt with a few of those myself. Disrespect in the workplace isn’t tolerable.

  “S-Something like that.” She leans back against her seat and turns her body toward me. “I hate this,” she says quietly.

  “What’s your name?” I ask to keep her talking—anything to keep her mind off what’s about to happen.

  “Sa—” She doesn’t get to finish before the flight attendant comes over the speaker, telling us to fasten our seat belts. “Oh, God,” the blonde beauty whimpers. Her leg begins to bounce up and down as she fumbles with her seat belt.

  This is hard to watch. She’s terrified. Reaching over, I grab her belt and make sure she’s buckled in. “Just breathe,” I whisper.

  “Sir, you need to fasten your seat belt,” the flight attendant scolds me.

  Fighting the urge to roll my eyes, I quickly strap in. “Hey.” My neighbor turns to look at me, her green eyes misty from tears, from fear. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to calm her down. She bites down on her bottom lip, her teeth sinking in deep.

  “I really hate this.”

  “Why didn’t you drive?”

  “I start a new
job next week and needed the extra time to get settled in my new apartment.”

  The plane begins to taxi down the runway, and if I thought her breathing was accelerated before, I was wrong. Her chest is rapidly rising and falling with each strangled breath. At a loss about what to do, I reach out and cradle her cheek in the palm of my hand. Her skin is warm and clammy from fear. “Look at me.” My voice is soft as I try to comfort her. “Just watch me,” I tell her again as she rests her head against the seat. I go to move my hand, but she places hers on top of mine. Maybe she needs the connection. It’s a small price to pay to help her stay calm. I’ve never seen someone with this kind of fear. I just need to get her through the takeoff, and once we level out, she’ll be fine.

  “Talk to me,” she whispers. “Please.”

  Fuck. I don’t make small talk. That’s not who I am. Think, Riggins, think. “Is this your first time going to Nashville?” I ask her.

  “Yes. I’ve heard it’s a fun city to live in.”

  “A new job, huh?”

  “Yes. I hate starting over, but this job was the best option,” she says, and her breathing is starting to slow. “To be honest, I wanted to be as far away from Seattle as I could get.”

  “Sounds like a story.”

  “One I won’t bore you with.”

  “So, new job, new city. Do you have any friends or relatives in Nashville?” I ask, wanting to keep her talking. She’s starting to calm.

  “My best friend, Hadley, and her fiancé moved there about a year ago.”

  The plane begins to take off, and she sucks in a breath. I can see her panic coming back in spades. “Hey, hey, look at me.” I tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Keep your eyes on me. That’s it,” I praise her. “What’s your name?”

  “S-Sawyer.”

  “Nice to meet you, Sawyer. I’m Royce.”

  “Sexy name for a sexy guy,” she says. Her eyes widen like she can’t believe those words left her mouth.

  I give her what I’m told is my panty-melting grin. “You think I’m sexy?”

  Those bright green eyes roll back in her head, but there is a small tilt to her lips, and she’s not freaking out. The plane levels out, and I find that I don’t want to pull away from her. That’s not me. That’s not the guy I am—not anymore—so I force myself to drop my hand to my lap. I keep my head turned and my eyes on her.

  “Hey.” She smiles. “Thank you for that.”

  “You all right?”

  “Yeah. I’m just… really afraid of heights. Planes specifically.”

  “Is there a reason?” I ask, and realize that I’m interested in her reply. I want to know the root of the fear I just witnessed.

  “You mean other than flying through the air at Mach speed in a tin can?”

  A chuckle escapes me before I can stop it. “Come on now, it’s safer than driving. Look at all the car accidents each year versus the number of plane crashes.”

  “Can we not?” she whispers.

  “Why are you whispering?”

  “You’re not supposed to talk like that.” She gives me a disapproving look.

  “Like what?”

  “You know what you just said.”

  “That there are more car accidents than plane accidents.”

  “That!” She reaches out and places her hand over my mouth. Her scent wraps around me, and her skin is the softest I’ve ever felt. “The plane gods might hear you and think it’s a good idea.”

  Carefully, I wrap my hand around her small wrist. The contrast to her smooth, delicate skin against mine covered in ink is apparent. “There are no plane gods, and this plane isn’t going down. I fly all the time. You have nothing to worry about.”

  Her eyes show me she’s not buying what I’m selling. “Are you saying you’re going to protect me, Royce?” she asks.

  Is it me or is her voice suddenly huskier? Sexier? “I won’t let anything happen to you.” The words are meant to be teasing, but something shifts inside me. For the first time in a long time, I feel… something. I just can’t describe what it is.

  “Have you always lived in Nashville?”

  “Yes. Well, except while in college. I went to Ohio State. When I graduated, I came home and then took over the family business soon after.”

  “What do you do for fun?”

  I pause as I think about her question. It’s been way too long since I’ve done something just for the fun of it. “I work a lot.”

  “Surely you take time for you?”

  I notice that her breathing is almost back to normal, and she looks like she’s relaxing. I’m not a fan of all the small talk, but I don’t mind it with her. Besides, it’s keeping her from a panic attack. It’s for the greater good of her and everyone on board that I keep her calm. “Music. That’s one of the best parts of living in Nashville. I used to go out and listen to live bands a lot in college, and I used to be somewhat of a movie buff. I also spend a lot of time at my family’s lake with my brothers.”

  “Am I being punked?” She tilts her head up and then looks over her shoulder.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Did Hadley put you up to this?”

  “Hadley? Your best friend? I don’t even know a Hadley. Are you feeling okay?”

  I’m watching her intently, and that’s how I see it. The way her face transforms with the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen. The fear from earlier washes away as happiness takes over. Her smile pulls the breath from my lungs as I look at her. “That’s my thing. Music and movies. That’s why I started looking for new jobs in Nashville. Well, that and I missed my best friend, but the music scene is on point. Had has sent me some videos when she and her fiancé, Derek, have been out, and I’ve never been so jealous.”

  “Nashville is a good time,” I say, nodding. “As long as you’re a country music fan?”

  “I’m a fan,” she assures me. “Especially the older stuff, you know like Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings. I grew up listening to those guys with my grandpa.” Her eyes soften. “I miss him.”

  “What about your parents?” I find myself asking. “Siblings?”

  “No siblings and my parents are gone too. They passed away in a car accident about three years ago. They were coming home from a weekend getaway from Vegas. They were two miles from home. Hit head-on by a drunk driver.”

  “I’m sorry.” I don’t tell her that my theory of being safer in the air is even more justified. I don’t want to hurt her like that. Besides, something tells me that she knows all too well the dangers of both. Fear is a real thing.

  She nods just the slightest bit and gives me a watery smile. “What about you? Parents? Siblings?”

  “Yes. My parents have been married for thirty-four years, and I have four younger brothers.”

  “Four?” Her eyes widen. “Your poor mother.”

  “Hey, we weren’t that bad.” She gives me a look that tells me we both know I’m full of shit, and I’m surprised when a laugh escapes my lips. “Fine, we were that bad, but it was a good time growing up. My parents made time for us, and we always had someone to play with or a lookout when we were getting into trouble.”

  “Five rowdy boys. Your mother is a saint.”

  “That she is.” I smile at her, and she returns it easily. Her eyes no longer hold fear, but laughter, and for some odd reason, I want to puff my chest out because I did that. I eased her fears. It’s been way too long since I’ve felt… anything, and here she is a beautiful stranger, pulling out of me what I thought was locked away a long time ago. This day couldn’t get any weirder.

  “I’m sorry about earlier. Thank you for helping me. I’m embarrassed you saw me like that.”

  With a mind of its own, my hand reaches out and cradles her cheek for the second time. Her skin is soft and warm against the palm of my hand. “We all have fears, Sawyer.”

  “Oh, yeah?” she murmurs. “I bet you’re not afraid of anything.”

  I’m afraid of many things. Not
once have I ever been compelled to speak them aloud, other than to my brothers. Until now. “I have fears,” I say before I can think better of it.

  “You?” Her voice is soft. “I can’t imagine that you’d be afraid of anything.”

  “Lots of things.” I search my mind for something that I’m willing to share. “When I was nine, my two younger brothers and I were playing on our grandparents’ farm. The middle brother decided it would be cool to toss his stuffed monkey that he took everywhere into the trunk of an old car. He was five at the time, and my other brother, who was with us, was seven. Anyway, as the older brother, it was my job to rescue the damn monkey. I climbed into the trunk to retrieve it. The weather was starting to get bad, and I was irritated. I knew that Grandma would be mad if we stayed out in the storm. So, I was in the trunk, my hands wrapped around the monkey, when suddenly it shut me in. I’ll spare you the details, but the car was old, the trunk was huge, and it had been sitting out in that field longer than I had been alive. There were bugs, and it felt as though I was in there for hours.”

  “You’re afraid of the dark?”

  “Confined spaces.”

  “Like this plane?”

  “No. I can see other people. The area is large enough that I don’t feel enclosed. But yeah, I don’t particularly care for any situation where I feel trapped.” I drop my hand from her cheek because it’s too intimate. I’m two seconds away from leaning in and pressing my lips to hers. That’s not me. I don’t kiss strangers on planes, but Sawyer, if given the chance, she could be the exception to my every rule.

  The remainder of the flight is spent giving her my full attention. I’m no longer tired, and instead of wishing the flight would land, I want more time with her. All too soon, we’ve landed, and we’re exiting the plane. “You need a ride?” I find myself offering.