“I had a good time with you last night,” he says.
“So did I,” I instantly proclaim. Ryder laughs silently, his body shaking with the effort.
“I’m glad. Maybe we can do it again. What about tonight?” he asks as he nibbles on the side of my neck. My core instantly tightens in response, and I lean further back into him with an almost desperate moan.
“So responsive,” he murmurs in approval.
“Oh, yuck! Get a room, you two!” Tee huffs as she walks in. Ryder sighs regretfully and steps away. The fact that I instantly miss him annoys and confuses me.
“So are you two dating now or what?” she asks bluntly. Ryder sighs again, while I blush like crazy.
“Oh, still haven’t had that conversation yet, have you? Awkward.” Tee says cheerfully.
“We've only had one date,” I blurt out. It feels like I’m playing down this weird connection Ryder and I have, but the truth of it is, we’ve only had one official date. I guess hanging out together and getting to know each other in his apartment counts, but still.
I watch as Ryder stares at me, a thoughtful expression on his face.
“So? Its different rules here, you two are currently living together. At least until we find a place,” Tee adds. She slathers butter and vegemite on a piece of toast and takes a huge bite.
I ignore her comments and change the subject. “Are we job hunting today?”
“We don’t need too. Chase rang and offered us jobs at his club. We start this weekend,” she says with a grin.
“Really?” I'm not sure if I want to do bar work again, but something is better than nothing for the time being. I decide to hand out my résumés looking for office work as well.
“Yeah. Awesome having fancy connections, isn’t it?” She grins, before walking out of the kitchen and into the hall. I shake my head.
“Lexi, about before…” Ryder starts.
“Ryder, it’s okay,” I assure him.
“Let’s go out tonight, alright?” he demands more than asks.
“Alright,” I agree.
I just hope I know what I’m getting myself into.
*****
Ryder takes me out to dinner, and then a movie. We’re having a really wonderful night. There's no awkwardness, but I guess living together you get to know people pretty fast. Ryder has been such a gentleman all night, too. Opening doors, pulling out my chair for me, and he's so attentive. It’s such a breath of fresh air to find a man like this. Who doesn’t want a bad boy, tattooed musician who is tough on the outside, but sweet and gentle on the inside? I can only imagine how wild he would be in bed. The thought makes me squeeze my thighs together. The movie comes to an end, and we head out to his truck. He opens my door and holds his hand out to help me in. My heart melts.
“You are so sweet, you know that?” I praise him.
“Are you sure I just don’t want an up close view of your gorgeous ass?” he teases.
I giggle and shake my head. He walks around and gets into the driver’s side.
“I’d love to stay out all night with you, darlin’, but the band is waiting for me, so I gotta drop you off and then head out to play,” he says with an apologetic smile.
“No worries, thank you for taking me out. Your company is exceptional,” I tell him.
“Exceptional? I’ll have to try harder next time,” he says with a chuckle.
We pull into the car park for his apartment and he walks me up the stairs and to the door.
*****
The next night is Tee’s cousin’s birthday. She and Ryder guilt trip me into going, and when I see Ryder is bringing his guitar, I'm definitely intrigued.
“You are just as hot as I was told!” a beautiful dark haired girl beams at me. Her skin is like flawless porcelain, a milky cream color. Her almond shaped dark eyes are twinkling as she takes me in.
“I’m Sasha,” she introduces herself, pulling me in for a hug.
“Nice to meet you, Sasha. Tee has told me so much about you,” I tell her with a warm smile. She's dressed in a red wrap around dress and sandals, and she smells like peaches.
“Oh, I bet she has,” she smirks. “Okay, I want to thank you for a few things. First of all, thank you for keeping an eye on my cousin while she was overseas. We all felt better knowing she always had someone with her. Also, I’m loving the fact that Ryder can’t keep his eyes off of you. He deserves a good woman, and from what I've heard about you, you're the best. Tee has good judgment, if she likes you so much then you must be awesome!” she says, her words rushed.
“Um, you’re welcome?” I say awkwardly.
“Oh, you are just adorable,” she muses to herself.
“Sasha, leave her alone,” Ryder says in an amused tone. He walks up to Sasha and wraps his arm around her shoulder affectionately.
“You can’t hog her, Ryder!” Sasha huffs. Tee walks over and jumps on Ryder’s back. “What’s going on here, people?” she calls out cheerfully. Jet walks over, shaking his head at his cousin’s antics. I had awkwardly wished him happy birthday earlier, which was weird seeing as I've never met him before. He's a total sweetheart though, and instantly made me feel welcome. Jet, the youngest in Ryder's band, turns twenty-two today. The other band members aren’t here though; they're having a separate celebration for Jet tonight, and this is only for family.