“He can’t be that bad,” I say defensively.
“No, you’re right. He’s not that bad at all. It’s just that my cousin has never been interested in relationships. So, if you’re looking for that with him, I wouldn’t even bother. But Ryder is an amazing man, in fact, I doubt you'll ever find a better one. Just be careful, alright, Lexi?” she says seriously, her eyes locked with mine.
“It’s just dinner. It'll be fine. You sure you’re okay with this, though?” I ask her.
“Yeah, you’re both adults. I’ll leave that to the both of you. Besides, no one can ever say I’m a c**k block,” she adds with a cheeky grin.
I roll my eyes and glance at myself in the mirror. I’m wearing a tight black dress with a sweetheart neckline, tightened in the middle with a thin red belt. Studded black pumps adorn my feet, and my hair is curly and wild, my fringe pinned to the side with a diamond skull clip; black cat eyeliner with a white shimmer in the inner corners of my eye, and bright fire engine red lips. I pick up my black skull bag and I’m ready to go.
“Where is he taking you?” Tee cuts into my musings.
“No idea. He just said dinner,” I say, shrugging. I’m nervous as hell. This is my first date in such a long time, it’s not even funny. I reapply my lipstick, and take a deep breath. I hope I’m not overdressed. A knock on the door startles me, but I recover quickly and pull it open, coming face to face with a gorgeous Ryder. He’s wearing a black shirt, folded up to his wrists, displaying his colorful tattoos. He’s also wearing dark, snug jeans, which are riding low on his hips. I gulp. His stormy gray eyes are sparkling as he takes in my reaction. My eyebrows rise when I see he is holding out a single red rose for me. I smile, taking it.
“There are no words for how stunning you look, Lexi, and I write songs,” he whispers, his gaze raking over me.
“I knew you had game, Ryder!” Tee calls out, laughing. Oh shit, I forgot she was here. Ryder cringes at her voice. Mood killer much?
“Let’s get out of here,” he says, taking me by the hand. I stop him for a moment to put my rose in water, and then we head out, calling out goodbye to Tee. He opens the door of his truck for me, and I hop in, mumbling a thank you. When Ryder stops the truck in front of a lake, I blink in confusion. Ryder takes in my expression and chuckles.
“Don’t move a muscle,” he says, giving me a wink. He walks around the car and opens my door, lifting me out of the truck. I can’t help but bury my face into his neck, inhaling his scent, a hint of spicy cologne, and he smells so good that I can’t help the small sigh that escapes my mouth. He puts me down, and pulls out a blanket and some bags filled with food and drink. I smile and shake my head, the man really has thought of everything. I take the blanket from him so he can carry the rest of the stuff and he leads me down a path to a spot just in front of the lake. The view is stunning, the lake lit up by the moon, and we get a perfect sighting of the stars. Ryder lays the warm blanket on the ground, laughing when I kick off my heels.
“I guess I was a little over dressed,” I say with a shy smile.
“No, you look perfect.”
I swallow hard. He is so charming. Ryder sets up all of the food, which turns out to be Chinese from one of my favourite restaurants.
“How did you know I love the food there?” I ask with a small frown.
“I did my research,” he says with a smug look. He pulls out a flask filled with coffee, and two bottles of water. We eat our food while talking, getting to know each other. Ryder tells me about his childhood, his family and about his band. I tell him all about my mother, and my own childhood. I almost moan when Ryder pulls out my favourite dessert in the whole world, a chocolate lava-cake from a posh restaurant called ‘Revere’ and I haven’t had one in three years, since I left Perth. My mouth waters, and Ryder gives me a full on belly laugh.
“How did you…” I stop and remember that I told Tee about this dessert one night in Ireland when I had a huge craving for it.
“I can’t believe she remembered that! I can’t believe you went all the way to Revere just to get it for me! That’s really sweet, Ryder,” I say softly. I lean forward, and gently touch my lips to his. He lets out a deep sigh, before wrapping his arm around my neck and pulling me closer, his lips capturing mine in a deeper kiss. I pull back and exhale deeply, before giving him a lopsided smile. Then I grab my dessert and dig in. I moan loudly.
“This is the best dessert ever. It’s like an orgasm in your mouth!” I say in between bites. Ryder makes a choking sound, putting down his own dessert.
“It’s pretty amazing, but I just tasted your lips, and I have to say they beat this chocolate thing hands down,” Ryder says, his eyes locked on my lips. My tongue peeps out and licks my full bottom lip, and I hear Ryder suck in a breath.
“Lexi?” he says in a strained tone.
“Yeah?” I say, taking the last bite of my dessert.
“Kiss me,” he demands. I oblige, all but jumping on him, fusing my lips to his. My dress rides up my thighs as Ryder runs his hands up and down the back of one. Ryder finally pulls away, panting. I can feel his arousal through his jeans, the outline of his thickness evident. I gulp at his large size. I glance up at him to see him staring at me quizzically, his breathing slowly evening out.
“We just made out for a long ass time, and your lipstick is still perfect,” he says randomly.