“Good morning, beautiful.”
“Morning, handsome.”
He kissed me again. “Did you sleep well?”
“Mmmhmm. I always do when I’m in your arms.”
“Did I say anything?”
“Nope.”
“Good. Let’s get moving. Today is the day we take life by the balls,” he said.
“By the balls, huh?”
“That’s right. You’ve made me realize that I need to live my life, and I’m trying. I’m trying to get past what happened all those years ago. I’ll always blame myself, but I want to be the best I can for you.”
“You are the best for me, but if you want to prove it…” I snickered.
“Yeah. I’ll prove it. Let’s go.”
“Go where?” I really just wanted to stay in bed and make love all morning, but I knew we had to meet everyone for breakfast soon.
“Shower with me. We’ll conserve water.” He stood, bringing me with him.
My legs were around his waist as he walked us into the bathroom. I felt his morning excitement, and I shifted so his tip rubbed against me. Before I knew it, he spun. I was pressed against the wall next to the shower.
Reaching in, he turned on the shower. “We don’t have a lot of time, so get naked and get in.” He set me down and moved the white shower curtain.
As quickly as I could, I stripped down and got in. Ryker was right behind me. Literally. With his hand between my shoulder blades, he gently pushed me forward. I was bent at the waist and felt completely exposed.
“Ryker?” What was he doing? Then I felt his lips on my spine. He trailed kisses down toward where I needed him, and between him and the warm water, I felt as if I would combust.
“Relax. I’ve got you. You’re mine in here.”
First one finger then two entered me. I pushed back, trying to get him to go deeper. I loved his hands, but I wanted him. A moan escaped me as he removed his fingers and replaced them with his hardness.
“This will be fast, baby. I hope that’s okay.”
I clenched around him. He put his index finger on my most sensitive spot and moved in a way that made me lose myself in him. His touch was almost rhythmic, but with Ryker, I wouldn’t expect less.
“Ah… my snare. I love my snare.” Ryker’s voice reverberated in the water.
He picked up his pace as my hand went to the wall to steady myself. He groaned and stilled as he firmly gripped my hips. I saw stars and my legs became weak as we both exploded around each other. Thankfully, Ryker had a good grasp on me as he held me close.
With ragged breath, he said, “You’re incredible.”
I turned. His hair was wet and full of waves. My fingers couldn’t help playing with his hair. I grabbed the small bottle of hotel shampoo and washed it. He did the same for me.
Our shower took longer than expected. I tried to quickly dry my hair and get dressed. The shark tooth necklace was the last thing I put on. Ryker was tying his shoes when he saw me put it on. His expression made me realize how much the necklace meant to him. As he sauntered over to me, my body reacted as it always did—with anticipation. He kissed the tooth resting on my chest.
He grabbed my hand. “Ready?”
“Yeah, I’m ready.”
Max and Tyf were standing outside of our room.
“Great, you guys are ready,” Tyf said. “Max here is starving, and he’s driving me crazy.”
With a roll of my eyes, I said, “We can’t have that now, can we?”
We all laughed—well, except for Max. He was grumpy and complaining about needing coffee, and he shot Tyf a look
She snickered, “Look babe, I can’t help that you take longer getting ready than I do. If you didn’t have to make yourself so pretty, you could have had some of the coffee I made.”
Max shook his head. “If my girlfriend didn’t drink it all, I would have had coffee.”
Tyf waved her hand to dismiss him. “Pfft, whatever.”
We all chuckled.
The other guys were already at the restaurant getting us a table for seven.
Ryker looked at Max and shook his head. “I’ll drive. Get in.”
We drove a couple blocks to the diner. Max swung the door open and scanned the restaurant. Jake popped up, and we headed his way. It was pretty crowded for a weekday morning, but everyone there looked retired, so it was probably their “hang out.”
The waitress came over to see if we wanted coffee and juice. Since we were running behind, we went ahead and placed our entire order. I excused myself to the ladies’ room to wash my hands. My skin prickled, and I got the feeling someone was watching me. I assumed it was my imagination, so I didn’t bother scoping people out.
On my way back to the table, the same sensation hit me, so I decided to look around. Most of the tables were filled with older gentleman playing cards rather than eating. For some reason, I just couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched. I turned and saw a blond woman behind the counter. I could have sworn her eyes shifted away from me. Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me. I shook it off and returned to my seat. Tim was talking about how excited he was to meet Blanco Diablo. Max ran down the list of songs.
I had no idea what possessed me, but I said, “Ryker has a great voice.”
Silence.
“No, I don’t. Faith just thinks I do because she loves me.” Ryker’s voice was brusque.
I shifted in my seat. I shouldn’t have said anything.
“You can sing?” Tyf asked.
Ryker sipped his coffee. His eyes told her to drop it. “I need a smoke.”
Shit. I needed to apologize. “I’ll be right back.”
When I made it outside, Ryker was walking down the sidewalk, smoking. I put my hand on his arm. His eyes were like daggers, which made me move my hand.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m not really sure why I did, but your voice is so good.”
He stopped walking and looked at me. “You’re right.”
My eyebrows rose. “I am?” My tone was hopeful.
“Yeah, you are. You shouldn’t have said anything. If I wanted them to know, then I would’ve told them. Now I need to explain why I didn’t. Did you ever think that what I tell you is for your ears only?”
As my chin quivered, my eyes teared up. “I didn’t think of that.”
He put out his cigarette in an outside ashtray. “I know you didn’t. In the future, don’t spout off about things that don’t concern you.” He turned and walked back to the restaurant.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and texted Max not to mention singing to Ryker and to make sure no one else did. After I hit send, I prayed that he got it.
Back in the restaurant, I made my way to our table. The waitress had brought our food, so everyone was occupied with breakfast. I looked at Max. His eyes shifted to his phone and back to me. He winked. I understood that to mean he got my text. Thank God.
We paid the bill. It was time for them to head over to the bar to practice. Tyf and I decided to do some shopping instead of going with them. Thankfully, there were some cute shops near the diner, and we didn’t need a car. I’d never driven Ryker’s car, and I highly doubted he’d let me.
Max kissed Tyf good-bye, and she told him to text her when they were done. He gave me a peck on the cheek and got in the passenger’s side of Ryker’s car. Ryker looked at me over the roof of his car.
I stood on the sidewalk and waited. My lips began to move, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to cry or say, “See ya later.” Before I knew it, he was in front of me and pulling me into a hug.
“I overreacted. You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m on edge, that’s all. Singing reminds me of a different time, but that isn’t your fault,” he said.
“I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m so sorry. You’re not mad, right?”
“No. Are you?”
I shook my head. “No.”
He tilted my head back. “Still love me?”
“Always.”
“Good. Now go shop. I’ll call you when we’re done.” He got in his car and took off.
“Yay! Girl time! There are some really cool boutiques here.” Tyf acted as if nothing had happened.
I was relieved about that. “How do you know what’s around here?”
“I asked this woman when you were in the ladies’ room. She walked by the table and looked really put together, kinda trendy, ya know?”
I nodded. She was describing the woman who I thought had been looking at me. “Yeah, I saw her too. Did she look familiar to you?”
Tyf popped a Tic-Tac in her mouth. “Nope.” She offered me one, and I declined.
Our first stop was a cute sportswear store, but most of the merchandise seemed to be for older customers. The next store was more our speed. Tyf grabbed things off the shelves as if the store was having a trunk sale and we needed to snatch it before someone else did.
Not only did she grab garments for herself, she tossed some to me too. The sales person showed us where the dressing rooms were, and we tried things on. Tyf had given me a really cute orange top and white Capri pants. They looked good and were super affordable. Score! The clerk must have realized we were on a mission, because she brought us things quicker than we could try them on. By the time we had at least four outfits each, my phone rang. It was Ryker. What time was it?
I pushed the answer button. “Hi! What are you doing?”
He chuckled. “I take it you’re having fun?
“Yes! Tyf and I found this great place, and we were just about to check out and go to another store. How’s practice?”
“It’s over.”
I flipped my phone over so I could see the time. It was twelve fifteen. “Wow! We’ve been in this store a long time!” My voice sounded giddy. I was so happy and relaxed. I gathered up what I wanted and walked toward the cash register.
“What’s the name of the store? We’ll come pick you up.”
I scanned the store for the name, but I couldn’t find it. I looked at the tags on the clothes. “My Heart’s Desire.”
“Am I?”
As I handed the clerk my card, I laughed. “No. I mean, yes, you are, but the store is called My Heart’s Desire.”
“I knew what you meant. I just like when you get flustered.”
“Pfft, whatever.” The clerk handed me the slip, and I signed it. “Hey, I need to go. I’m being rude to my nice sales lady. Tyf is checking out, and then we’ll meet you guys outside.”
“Sounds great. Love you.”
“Love you too.” I tossed the phone in my purse and waited for Tyf.
We got done before the guys showed up, so we went outside to wait. It was so peaceful. The streets were lined with light-colored trees, and the magnolias were beautiful. Then I heard the roar of Ryker’s car before he pulled up. He popped the trunk, we tossed in our bags, and the four of us went back to the hotel.
In our room, I showed Ryker all my outfits. He wanted me to try them on, but I told him I didn’t feel like changing. My thoughts weren’t on modeling; they were on him.
“How are you doing? Are you okay being back here?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. I’m sorry I snapped at you. I’m just on edge.”
“No apology needed. That was all my fault. I wasn’t thinking.”
His eyebrows shot up and down. “Let’s nap before we go to dinner.”
“Nap? Is that code for something?”
“Well, now that you mention it.” He jumped at me and tossed me on the mattress. “We’ll nap in a little while.” His smile could light up a room.
I smiled back. “Yeah, okay.”
We made love all afternoon and never slept. Not that I minded. We had to shower separately though. We’d never make it to dinner if we showered together.
My new orange and white outfit looked really good, and we headed over to a restaurant Tyf heard of from the “trendy” woman. It was some sort of fusion place that served southern, Asian, and Italian fare. It seemed weird, but why not do something different?
Once we arrived, we sat down with everyone the waitress came over, and we placed our orders.
Max looked at my necklace. “Did you get that today?”
“No. Ryker gave it to me a few days ago.” I prayed that would be enough of an explanation.
Ryker chimed in, “It was Jimmy’s.”
I took in a deep breath. Max and Tyf just nodded. The waitress brought us our drinks.
After she walked away, Ryker said, “We can talk about him. It’s okay. I may go visit him and my dad while I’m here. You know, at the cemetery.” He looked toward me. “Will you go with me?”
I kissed his tattoo. “Yes, definitely.”
The sound of a plate breaking caught my attention. I couldn’t believe it, but the “trendy” woman was there. Using the ladies’ room as an excuse, I left the table. She watched me with wide eyes.
I approached her. “Excuse me, but do I know you?”
Her eyes went to my necklace, and she gasped. Okay, maybe a plastic shark tooth necklace wasn’t normal jewelry for a woman to wear, but I loved it. Then I realized her eyes were glassing over. What was up with her?
Her voice shook as she said, “That man you’re with… is his name… Ryker?”
The woman wasn’t groupie material, so I guessed that maybe he knew her from when he lived here. “Yes, it is. And you are?”
The lines surrounding her eyes deepened. The look on her face made my heart still.
Then it hit me. “Are you his mother?”
She nodded slightly, as if she wasn’t sure herself.
Holy shit! Now what do I do? He was going to freak out. I couldn’t just take her over to him. “What do you want?”
“I want to talk to him. Can you please tell him I am here?”
“I’ll ask him if he wants to see you.” My heart was about to pop out of my ribs.
She nodded. “I’ll be at the table in the corner. Please tell him it’s important.”
My legs shook as I walked back to my table. Everyone was laughing until they saw me.
Ryker got up and grabbed my hands. “Babe, what’s wrong? You look like you saw a ghost. Are you okay?”
I shook my head.
Max stood. “Did something happen in the ladies’ room?”
“Not exactly.”
The worry in my gorgeous boyfriend’s eyes sickened me. His hand went to my cheek. “Faith, what is it?”
“Your mom is here.”
His eyes were no longer worried. They were empty.
“What did you just say?” No way did Faith say my mom is here.
My girl’s eyes filled with tears. She was serious.
“Faith?”
She swallowed hard. “The woman from this morning…” Her eyes darted to Tyf. “The trendy one.”
I was totally confused. I looked at Tyf and back at Faith. I held her upper arms. “Faith, where is she?”
She nodded toward the corner of the restaurant. Very quietly, she said, “She noticed my necklace and asked me about you.”
I released her arms and slowly turned. Goose bumps rose on my skin, and fury grew in my head. My eyes landed on the women in question. Fuck me. It is her. She looked older, but I had no doubt that it was her. Our eyes locked until I felt Faith’s hand on my back.
“Ryker, she wants to talk to you.”
I sat down. “Too bad. I’m not going over there.” After motioning to the waitress, I ordered a beer. Then I continued talking about our gig the next night.
Max interrupted me. “Don’t you think you should find out what she wants?”
The rest of the guys didn’t say a word. They looked completely confused, but in some odd way understood not to ask any questions. At one point, Jake appeared as if he was going to say something, but Max gave him a look as he shook his head.
“No. I knew I shouldn’t have come here. Maybe it’s good that Michael came. If I need to bai
l, at least he’s here.” My beer appeared, and I chugged it. All the times I came back before, I just went to the cemetery and left. “Shit.” I tossed my napkin on the table and grabbed Faith’s hand. “Come on. Let’s go.”
I stood, and Faith trailed behind me. Not that she really had a choice. I wasn’t letting go of her hand. Crossing the restaurant to get to my mother was like walking through an unending tunnel. I was starting to feel claustrophobic, and the restaurant was wide open. We reached her table, and my mother just looked at me. She gave me a shy smile and asked us to sit. I pulled out a chair for Faith, and I sat next to her, never releasing her hand.
“Hello, Ryker.”
“Mom.” That was all she was getting. She didn’t even deserve that title.
She looked at Faith, and I cringed. “And you are?”
“She’s my girlfriend. This is Faith, and anything you need to say to me, you can say in front of her.”
“Hello, Faith. That’s a really pretty name.”
Before Faith could respond, I said, “What do you want? How did you even know I was here?”
“I didn’t. I saw you this morning, and then when I saw her, I mean Faith, I noticed her necklace.”
“Okay. Again, what do you want?”
She cleared her throat. “I have something to tell you, and you aren’t going to like it.”
I chortled. “No kidding. What a shock.”
Faith glanced at me, but I ignored her. She was nicer than I was and probably wanted me to give the woman a chance.
“Well, go ahead,” I said. “Spit it out so I can get back to my friends.” Yes, you bitch, I have friends and a life, no thanks to you.
To say she was squirming would be an understatement. She still wasn’t explaining herself, though. I had had enough.
I started to get up when she blurted, “When your dad died, he wasn’t alone in the car.”
I sat back down. “Okay. So?” It was like pulling fucking teeth.
“My sister was in the car with him. You were only two years old, so I don’t expect you to remember her.”
“So my aunt was in the car with my dad. Why?”
She shook her head and rubbed her temples. “My sister wasn’t your aunt.”
I’d entered the Twilight Zone. “Your sister wasn’t my aunt?”
Ryker Page 20