Time Can Change Everything

Parking her truck in the driveway of her friends house, she cut the engine and just sat there for a moment. Getting off a forty-eight hour shift had left her exhausted. Running a hand through her hair, she let out a deep breath before grabbing her bag off the floor of the passengers seat and getting out and slamming the door before setting the alarm. Walking to the front door she could hear people talking inside as she put her key in the screen door and unlocked it and walked inside. The one to greet her was Radar which brought a smile to her face. Kneeling down, she petted him and when he laid down on his back, she rubbed his belly.

“Brynn?” Tyler yelled from the kitchen. “Are you hungry?”

“Starving,” Brynn said walking into the kitchen. Her sunglasses were knocked off the top of her head when someone hugged her. Once the person let her go, she picked her sunglasses on put them on the counter before realizing it was Emily. “Emily. What are you doing here?”

“Kyle's team is on a road trip and LA is one of the stops and so I thought I would come out here for a surprise visit,” Emily laughed. “Are you surprised?”

“Well I would be if I wasn't so tired,” Brynn laughed. “How long are you in town for?”

“They play tonight and I fly back to Vancouver tomorrow morning.”

“So why don't you invite Kyle over?” Brynn asked.

“Already done, he'll here soon. With one of his teammates. This one seems to be really into you.”

“I think I'm going to take a shower and get a nap in. I'll be up in a few hours.” Brynn said as she went to leave the kitchen but as she went to leave, she saw heard the front door open as she walked past it and up the stairs, Radar right on her heels. She already knew who the teammate was and she was not about to embarrass herself again, like the night of Emily's wedding.

It had been seven months since he told her that they wouldn't go up to her hotel room in Vancouver for a good time. She had wanted to and she had thought he did as well, but apparently sometime after leaving the party and getting to the hotel where she had been worked up by the way his hand had slid under her dress and had come within inches of her panties, but never crossed the line while in the cab. She had wanted him to, oh did she want him to, but when they finally got to her hotel he had changed his mind. So she was alone wondering what she had done to be rejected by him. And after all these months he was in her home and she just wanted to scream at him at the same time she wanted to lock them in her bedroom to show him what he had missed that night.

Closing the door to her bedroom, she stripped out of her blue scrubs and walked into the bathroom that was connected to her bedroom. Feeling the water run over her body, the drama from the day was leaving her. Having to deal with the woman that she found sleeping with her boyfriend sometimes made her want to change job locations, but she knew it wouldn't happen. The commute was too good from home to work that she didn't want to give that up. When the water started to run cold, Brynn turned the water off and stepped out of the shower and dried off before walking into her room and putting on a sports bra and running shorts before climbing into bed where Radar was already at. She wanted to spend time with Emily and she would, but she was in no shape for it without some sleep first.

Glancing at the digital clock across the room, Brynn noticed that it had gotten dark since coming home. Hearing her phone go off, she reached towards the bedside table and went to answer it but she missed the call. She'd just have to call Tyler back. Closing her eyes, she just wanted to go back to sleep, but then she heard the alert signaling she had a new voicemail. Sitting up, she noticed for the first time that Radar wasn't in the bed with her, instead he was actually in his own dog bed that he hardly ever slept in. Shaking her head at the dog, she called her voicemail to see what it was that Tyler wanted.

Once again, he had forgotten something and wanted her to bring it to him. He had been working with the Los Angeles Kings for the past two years and yet he still managed to forget things that he would need after he got to work. Tossing the covers off her bed, she changed into a denim skirt that fell mid-thigh. Making her way over to her closet, she grabbed her gray spaghetti strapped shirt and pulled in on over her head before grabbing her black Los Angeles Kings sweatshirt and putting it on. After she was dressed she slipped on her black flip flops and grabbed her phone and bag before heading downstairs. That's where she found Radar laying on the couch, stretched out.

“Radar, come on.” Brynn called patting her tanned legs to get him off the couch. Walking into the kitchen she opened the back door before running to the alarm pad by the front door. Apparently Tyler didn't forget to set it this time. Punching in the code, the alarm was off and she went into the backyard where she filled up the storage container that Tyler started using as Radar's water supply. Once it was filled to capacity, she watched as he walked up to it and started drinking and then put his front paws into it. Rolling her eyes, she waked back into the house and closed and locked the back door. Making sure she had everything she needed, she set the alarm and walked out of the house and locked the door.

With a sigh she started the truck and then turned it off. Leaving her bag inside the car she grabbed her keys and went back into the house. Running upstairs she walked into Tyler's room and grabbed the bag with the Kings logo on it before heading downstairs and out the door. She heard Radar barking that he wanted to be let inside, but if she did that she knew that she'd come home to a destroyed house. Setting the alarm once again, she locked the house up and made her way to her truck and opened the back door and slammed the door before getting into the driver's seat and starting it up once again. Pulling out of the driveway, she waved to one of the neighbors she was always friendly with and then she was off heading towards Staples Center.

The traffic was horrible, but she was glad that the guard working was one that she was familiar with. Rolling down the window, she smiled at him as she handed him her ID to get inside the underground parking. “Did Tyler forget something again?” John asked, a smile on his face as he looked over the ID out of protocol.

“Yeah, he woke me up by calling after I fell asleep after a forty-eight hour shift. He's worse than a teenager when it comes to remembering things he needs.”

“At least he has a good friend to help him out,” John said handing her the ID card back. “Have a great day, Brynn.”

With a smile and a small wave, Brynn waited for a moment and then drove past and into the underground parking garage. Just like every time before she parked near the visitors entrance towards the locker rooms and waited a moment before grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder before grabbing Tyler's and walking towards the entrance. She knew that there was a chance that the man she hadn't been able to get out of her mind for the past seven months was in the building somewhere and she'd prefer it if she didn't have a run in with him. Being humiliated once was more than enough for her. Making her way to where she usually found Tyler, she didn't see him anywhere, she she grabbed a pen and a piece of paper and left a note in his little office and left the bag under his desk.

Making her way out of Staples Center, Brynn passed by the visitors locker room just as he was coming out. She kept walking, hoping that he didn't recognize her. Unfortunately for her, she was not that lucky. “Brynn? Brynn Scott?”

Biting down on her lip, she let out a sigh, knowing that she should have kept walking and not answered to her name being called. Turning around, she took off her sunglasses and placed them on the top of her head and looked into his brown eyes. “Hi.”

“I'm not sure if you remember me, but I'm-”

“Ryan Kesler. Yes I remember who you are.”

There were so many times that she had thought about what she wanted to say to him if she ever got the chance to, but now all that came to mind was how disappointed she was that night in Vancouver. She believed that there really was a connection between them. A connection that she hadn't felt since the beginning of her doomed relationship with the man who broke her heart.

“Oh, I wasn't sure since its been awhile since-”

“Since you rejected me in front of my hotel after turning me on at the reception of my friend's wedding and in the cab ride to the hotel?” Bringing up the memories, was not something she wanted to do, but it had to be done, she didn't need someone like him to stomp all over her again. He had his chance and that ship had sailed seven months ago.

“I couldn't take advantage of you like that,” Ryan told her as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his dress pants. “I had just broken up with my girlfriend and I guess I couldn't see myself having sex with you to try and forget about her.”

“You said that you'd be in touch, that it wouldn't be too long until I heard from you. I've been over my ex for months now and yet this is the first time I've heard from you. I know you could have gotten my number or email from Emily. So why should I believe anything you have to say?”

“Brynn, you have no idea what you were doing to me,” Ryan stated. “I have never felt so close to someone after only knowing them for less than a day.”

Brynn looked into his eyes and she could tell by looking at him, that he wasn't lying to her. Ryan was being honest and she really wished he wasn't. More than anything she wanted him to lie so she had a good reason to just walk away and never think about how one man could hurt her so bad when she had barely known him.

“Okay.” Brynn said before taking her sunglasses off her head and starting to walk back to her truck.

“Brynn, please wait.” Ryan called out to her, moving towards her.

Sighing, she turned around once more and was surprised to him so close to her. One hand went to her hip, bringing her closer while his other hand went to her hair as his lips touched hers. Feeling his lips on hers sent a fire through her body. It took her a minute to figure out what exactly was happening between them, but once she did, she kissed him back. One of her hands went to the side of his face and moved to his hair while her other hand gripped the outside of his dress shirt. As soon as it started, the kiss ended, leaving both of them breathless. “Do you have a game tonight?”

“No, it was just practice. Tomorrow is the game.” Ryan whispered as his lips found her neck.

“Why don't you come over and watch a movie with me.” Brynn suggested, as she broke away from Ryan, a smirk playing on her face as she walked down the hallway and towards her truck. Not long after she started walking, she felt an arm around her shoulder.

The ride to the house was quiet, neither of them said anything. Ryan had placed his hand on the arm rest and for a moment, Brynn had thought that he might move his hand onto her leg, but then again she was glad that he didn't. If he had, she might not have been able to control her hormones and find the closest hotel and suggest getting a room. But she behaved herself as much as she didn't want to. Parking her truck in the driveway, Ryan grabbed his bag and caught up with her as she walked into the house and disarmed the security system.

“You have a dog?” Ryan asked.

“A Siberian Husky. That is Radar, not much of a watch dog though. He'd lick you to death before attacking, but when he senses I'm in danger he'll look at me before going all protective on me. He doesn't seem to like the dog park though, so we stopped going and I'm blabbing, sorry.”

“Your cute when you go off like that.”

“So movie in the living room or the bedroom?” Brynn asked. “I'm warning you now though, the TV down here is a lot better than the one upstairs.”

“Show me your room.” Ryan requested.

“Fine, but if you complain about the size of the TV screen then you can take a walk.” Brynn told him as she walked up the stairs with Ryan behind her.

The moment she closed the door she dropped her bag on the floor where he dropped his overnight bag that he had brought with him. Crawling on the bed, she laid down and laughed when Ryan jumped on the bed and hovered over her with his hands on each side of her head.

Brynn moaned in his mouth as Ryan's hands moved down her body. It was just as explosive, just as tempting as earlier, but this time she wanted more. There were no words to describe how he set her on fire, just thoughts, feelings. She clawed at his shoulders, pressing closer to him, needing to be a part of him. Grunting, he pulled away slightly, stripping off his shirt before lifting her sweatshirt above her head and tossed them both off the side of the bed Soon her shirt followed the trend. Shivering as the cold hair made contact with her bra covered torso, she pulled him down over her once more, her legs wrapping around his waist, kissing him hungrily once more.

Moving his lips from hers down her neck, Brynn ran her hand through his hair. As his lips continued to explore her body, she felt her need for him growing. It was like an all consuming fire, she needed desperately. As if sensing her thoughts, his kisses moved away from her her neck before making a trail of lingering kissed down her neck before tracing the cup of her bra. She panted, her heels pressing into the small of his back, her hands tugging desperately at his hair. Ryan let out a teasing laugh before biting her nipple through the fabric.

A breathy moan escaped her throat, his fingers tracing the straps of her bra before tugging it undone. hurriedly, she pulled it off, bringing his head back down to her breasts. His unshaven cheeks scratched at her tender flesh teasingly, heightening her senses even more. Ryan's fingers drifted lower, tracing the waistband of her skirt before dipping in slowly.

Waking up later that evening, Brynn found Ryan's eyes on her. “You feel okay?” he asked as she kissed the top of her head.

“Sore,” she told him giving him a tired smile. “I didn't realize-”

Ryan cut her off by claiming her lips in another kiss. Her lips were bruised from earlier and she was sore from the activity that soon followed the kissing, but she was still worried now that he would just leave now that he had gotten some. “I wanna tell you something.”

Those five words made Brynn's stomach drop. She already knew how this was going to end, and she could feel the tears sting her eyes. “Thank you.”

“I don't understand.” Brynn said, sitting up with the sheet wrapped around her. She turned to look at him for an explanation.

“I know that he hurt you and yet you took a chance with me,” Ryan elaborated. “I just wanted you to know that I won't hurt you like him. It won't be like the fist time. I know this because time changes everything and I know I'm falling for you.”

Brynn never thought she would hear those words from him. She wrapped her arms around his neck before kissing him softly. “I think I'm falling for you too.”