Free She's the One: COunting on Love, Book 1 by Erin Nicholas

share those opinions and feelings. “I’m telling you who I am. That’s why Emma and I couldn’t work. She needs people to be there all the time for her and I’m not that guy.”
    Amanda nodded. “Makes sense.”
    Ryan didn’t say anything more. But there was a niggle of doubt as he thought about Amanda’s words. He didn’t know if it made sense. It was just how he was. He’d been raised by an incredibly independent woman who expected him to be incredibly independent too. It was what he knew. He wasn’t sure how to handle people who needed him. It wasn’t that he didn’t care. If someone needed him to pick them up from the airport, move a heavy dresser or get drunk with them because they were pissed at their boss, he’d be there. But if he had to know when someone needed flowers to cheer them up, or that he needed to show up for something even though they didn’t tell him to be there, or to remember something like the first time they’d eaten at a restaurant together, he pretty much sucked.
    And then there was his need for quiet.
    He’d grown up in a house fourteen miles from the nearest small town. His mother was a spiritual person. She loved nature, she loved meditating, she loved just being , as she put it.
    Ryan loved running around and getting dirty with his friends, swimming in the pond, climbing trees and pretending to wage and win battles with everything from swords to guns made from sticks.
    But he also had an appreciation for quiet and peace and…just being.
    There was no low setting on Emma, and frankly, she exhausted him sometimes.
    Then there was Amanda. If tonight was any indication, she could also wear him out. But he suspected that Amanda appreciated quiet. Or that she could if she ever let herself have any. She was outgoing and friendly. As a grad school instructor and physical therapist, she could hardly be shy. She had to interact with people all day every day, and these people needed to be encouraged and coached and even pushed sometimes.
    But she was definitely not exuberant or boisterous or perky or any of the other adjectives used to describe Emma. Nor was she pushy or bossy or direct like Isabelle.
    She was serious, though. Determined. Focused. There was something about her that made him think that Amanda Dixon would love meditation. If she didn’t already do it, she absolutely should.
    He pulled up in front of the Britton Hotel in the semicircular drive and got out of the car.
    “I’ll only be a minute,” he told the valet who came forward.
    The man nodded as he opened the car door for Amanda. Ryan moved in right away though. If Amanda forgot what she was wearing and swung her legs out of the car wrong, the guy would get an eyeful.
    Ryan took her hand to help her out and keep her upright when she wobbled slightly on her heels. He hid his smile. He didn’t know if it was the unusual amount of alcohol in her system or the unusual height of the heels, but she was at risk of falling on her face.
    They didn’t talk as they stepped onto the elevator and ascended to the twenty-first floor. Amanda dug the key card from her purse and handed it to him, and Ryan opened the door and gestured for her to precede him. He stepped in, hoping she’d kick the shoes off first so she would be steadier on her feet. But the first thing she did when the door shut behind him was press close and kiss him. With those heels still on, she could meet his lips easily.
    Without thinking, Ryan took her chin in one hand, holding her still as he thoroughly tasted her.
    He finally lifted his head, loving the look of dazed pleasure on her face. “Good night, Amanda.”
    She blinked. Then frowned. “‘Good night’? You’re leaving?”
    “Yes.” This wasn’t at all how he’d expected the night to end either, but he was pretty good at recognizing when it was time to move on. Like whenever things got complicated.
    “But I thought you wanted a night with me?” She looked adorably confused.
    “I did.” He