Ryder Steel: Rockstar Romance

by Thia Finn

  Finally, I looked back up at Ryder. His bearded chin, his perfect lips, his kind eyes all held my gaze. “I guess I’m not used to being part of this crowd. I’m usually the person on the fringes doing my thing with a camera. Now, I’m in the middle of it all. It’s a little overwhelming.”

  He pulled me into him. “Don’t worry, sugar. I got you.”

  After that he kept me close the entire party.

  In my heart, I knew this was all a huge lie. I was scared shitless. Here I stood with stunning women staring at the one thing they wanted—Ryder Steel. The question I should have asked him is what did he want?

  RYDER

  My entourage, minus Chandler and KeeMac, finally made it back to the hotel with bodyguards and a few extra women in tow. Joel didn’t disappoint when it came to claiming his perfect woman. I stepped out turning to help a quiet G’Anna. Her silence lasted through the party, and she stayed pinned to my side listening as I made my way around the room visiting with the crowd. These parties were necessary because we had nothing without our fans who won contests and the sponsors who conducted them. We learned long ago to happily endure them.

  When the elevator doors shut, I wrapped her in my arms and pulled her flush against me. Sparks of lust shot through me as I ignored the rest of the elevator passengers. Family understood me, and maybe they knew my fierce need to share, the excitement with someone after all this time.

  I never considered she might not like the idea of others knowing we were seeing each other. Maybe that’s why she shut down tonight. I supposed I should’ve discussed it before I latched on to her at the party. Knowing all the reporters who stood around drinking our booze like I did, they took pictures on the sly. The two of us might be top billing on their media feeds before they sped off to the next party.

  “You okay?” I whispered in her ear and then nuzzled her neck.

  A soft noise of pleasure responded before she swallowed. My lips moved back to her ear, and I ran my tongue up the rim from top to bottom before taking the petite lobe between my teeth for a tug to the edge. Her body responded with a shudder that I felt run down the length of her torso pinned against me. Definitely one of her pleasure points. I needed to remember that.

  She lifted to my ear, whispering, “People are all around us.”

  A smile formed on my lips as I continued assaulting her senses with delicate kisses under her ear and down her neck until I reached the curve. Here, I bit and dropped soothing kisses.

  “Ding, ding.” The chime for our floor sounded causing us to move apart.

  “I should go to my room tonight.”

  “This is your room, sugar. Your stuff’s already moved, remember?” I pulled the keycard from my billfold. “We should have gotten you a key of your own, but since we’re leaving it the morning, guess you don’t need one.”

  As the door opened, I turned back to her. “Do you not want to stay here?” If she said no, I started preparing the reasons why she should change her mind. I held it open so she could walk in first. She looked at it and then moved through the entrance. Thank God.

  “What I don’t want to do is impose. Chandler said this was your family time, and with me here… I might be in the way.” Her face dropped as she finished her comment.

  “I promise you this, the two of them will be in their room, doing, uh… well, you know what they’ll be doing. We won’t see them until morning, and if I hear them, I’ll make them get their own room at the next stop.” I hoped my lighthearted comment removed her apprehension from staying in our suite. I wanted her here, but maybe she didn’t understand the hints I’d dropped all evening. Certainly, she felt it on the ride up.

  She turned and pierced me with warmth from those deep brown eyes. “The real question is, do you want me here? I mean, you’re not simply trying to be nice to include me in the lavish rooms you share?”

  “Lavish rooms, huh?” I stepped into her and pulled her into my arms. “I’d want to share the No-Tell Motel with you right now.” I dropped my lips to hers and kissed her hard. Our lips, teeth, and tongues tangled for control. My arms tightened around her, and my hands slid down to her fine-for- squeezing ass.

  With a cheek in each hand, I ground her against my growing length and a deep moan worked its way up her throat and into my mouth setting off another round of plumping and grinding. Breaking away from her lips, I bit down on the opposite neck from before. Nips and licks that might have left marks ran from below her ear to her collarbone. Her head lolled back allowing me better access to the tender skin of her throat, and I assaulted it with equal passion back up to her swollen red lips.

  Sucking her lower lip into my mouth, I ran my tongue across the soft flesh. Damn, this woman started a fire inside me that wasn’t going away anytime soon, until the door swung back hard enough to crash into the wall behind it. We broke apart in time to see Chandler’s legs wrapped around the tall body of her lover’s as he slammed her into the wall and kicked the door closed. He ground against her, and I felt sure it would have been actual sex if clothes didn’t block the way.

  “Uh-hmm,” I let out. “Go to your fucking room for that, please.”

  Chandler dropped her legs from his waist, and he stood her on her feet. “Oh, sorry, Ryder. We didn’t know you were still awake.” If circumstances of our lives had been different, this would have been a great father-daughter moment, one we could laugh at later on in life. Since we were still in an infant stage, my reaction to their lust for each other still bothered me.

  “You have a room. We’d appreciate it if you’d use it.” Trying not to sound like a total buzzkill for them, I added, “Or we can go to another room if y’all need us to.”

  “No, not necessary.” Chandler took KeeMac’s hand and dragged him to their room shutting the door but not before we heard his loud laughter and “busted.”

  G’Anna looked at me. “Was he talking about them or us?” And she started laughing, too.

  “Dammit, this whole dad thing can be annoying at times.” I smiled at her because we both knew I loved every minute of having my daughter with me.

  “Don’t suppose you want to make our way into my room and pick up where we left off, do you?” My eyebrow cocked up as I asked.

  “You know what? I’m kinda tired, and we do have to get up early in the morning.” Knowing my face held disappointment, she added, “Maybe we should save it for another time.”

  I sucked in a deep breath and let it out. “I guess you’re right, but I am going to hold you to ‘another time.’” I walked over to the door where her luggage waited inside and opened it. “Goodnight, sugar.” I bent and gave her an easy kiss. Fuck, I wanted more.

  She slid through the doorway and turned grabbing the side of the door. “Goodnight, Ryder Steel.”

  I stood looking at the white panel separating me from what I wanted. In another time, I would have kicked that son of a bitch down and taken what I wanted, but now, I’m a different man. Hell, I’ve been a different man for a long time. Women didn’t affect me this way anymore, so what changed when G’Anna walked onto this scene?

  Walking to the bedroom that held my empty bed, my head needed to wrap around this situation. Did I want her in my bed because it was easy? No, nothing about her would be easy. No, instinct told me the beautiful woman behind the wall came into my life for more than easy. The real question that plagued me now was, am I ready for her?

  G’ANNA

  The departure date in three days highlighted the saved email I read on my phone as I sat back during take-off. When I snuck out of the suite this morning, I considered waking Ryder to say goodbye, but I knew we’d be seeing each other soon, so I let them all sleep. My flight left early, and I had no idea when they would take off. I should have taken Chandler up on the flights to and from Boston but business called.

  Resting my head back, I glanced at the man seated next to me. His even breathing told me he slept through the take-off. Lucky him. I could never do it.

  I finished look
ing at the itinerary for the tour. The band wanted me to travel the entire tour taking pictures, but my busy schedule said otherwise. Trudy would hold down the fort while I enjoyed shooting in several European locations.

  I wanted to capture scenery and places I’d never visited before. I hoped there would be time for it. I pulled up my notes app and looked over the places I considered as a must-see. Finding the right moment to escape the bands would be the key.

  Would Ryder be interested in coming with me on some of my side trips? I hoped so, but maybe he felt like he needed to be with Chandler to sightsee. They could discover the world together. What better way to get to know each other? Who wouldn’t want that with their long-lost parent?

  A ding from my phone startled me back to reality, never having gotten used to the idea that messages were now acceptable on flights.

  It read, “Call me.” I didn’t recognize the number attached to it, so I deleted the brief note.

  The ding happened again within a few minutes. “Call me, please.” I stared at the same number from our area code. Maybe Trudy got a new number for some reason, so I typed out, “In the air. Talk later.” No reply came. I decided it must have been her.

  As my chair leaned back, I closed my eyes thinking about the past weekend. My time with Ryder rattled my brain first. What a strange weekend it was with him. Hanging around with celebrities in relaxed atmospheres as we’d been in happened all the time. I took the opportunity to shoot picture after picture. Having a photo pass to backstage, I enjoyed taking candid shots. Nothing like this weekend had ever been on my radar. Experiencing the behind-the-scene situations gave me a whole new perspective.

  I admitted to myself that some of it I enjoyed, some of it disgusted me, and some of it freaked me out. Rolling with the band might not be a life I could take on a full-time basis. The best part came from the intimacy I shared with Ryder. Remembering the scratches from his beard on my face and neck, I felt the heat running up my face.

  That man kissed me senseless more than once. I’d never experienced kisses that caused me to lose all thought. My mind disintegrated with his lips on me. It didn’t matter if my lips, ear, or neck were the recipient of those little nips he took from my skin. My ability to think sprouted wings when the warmth from his tongue wielded licks against the sensitive spots on my neck.

  I’d had more than one long-term relationship in my years. This would probably not be one, though. As the tour ran its course, so would our chance at a relationship. His life consisted of wherever the band took him. My life followed a pattern—shooting, editing, selling.

  Most of my band work happened in Austin. People referred to it as the live music capital of the South. Flying off to venues all over the world wasn’t necessary when I could catch so many of the greatest bands in my hometown. I knew enough about every venue that choosing spots to shoot from became second nature to me.

  Steel played most of the venues over the twenty plus years they’d been together. Even though lots of them had changed names over the years, little else had changed. Living in the city also helped me meet the owners and managers which gave me an advantage in most cases. They allowed me backstage, entrance without a ticket, and access to the holding rooms.

  The difference between Ryder and me was he traveled constantly, and I usually stayed in one place. Since Ryder shared their story with me, I understood why they needed to have this time allowed to them during the tour. Chandler truly wanted me to record their reuniting, so I agreed to travel with them. After the weekend I now flew home from, the tour took on a whole new perspective.

  I woke to the plane preparing to land, and the flight attendant tapping me on the shoulder. “Sorry to wake you, but you were sleeping pretty hard, and you need to bring your seat back up.” I punched the button and looked out the uncovered window in my row surprised I’d slept that long. My fingers ran around my mouth to make sure drool hadn’t dripped down my chin.

  After disembarking, I collected my bags and car, I took off for the studio. Trudy’s text said there were things I needed to deal with so I bypassed going home. When I looked at my phone, that same number had left one that I didn’t bother to look up. I needed to block that number, so no more landed in my inbox.

  The quiet of the studio scared me since it was usually nonstop controlled chaos. Trudy sat behind her desk with paperwork piled all over it. She looked up as I stepped in front of it. “Oh, hey. Didn’t hear the door open.”

  “Let’s get a bell or something for the door. You need to know when someone comes in. I never realized you didn’t hear it.” I wanted to rant about this because of the safety but held off for now.

  “I don’t know if I could stand that noise all day.”

  “Not that many people come and go, but I’d like you to know when they do.”

  “Thanks, boss. I appreciate you looking out for me after all this time.” She gave me a little smirk.

  “What’s going on to have you so focused on one thing?”

  “Trying to get all of your details lined out for the trip. I know you like a clean schedule to work from.”

  “Yeah, that’d be great. I hope the band doesn’t have other ideas. You know I like to be flexible to work around them.”

  “Right. I talked to the people over at 13 Recordings this morning to get any last-minute changes.”

  One reason I loved this girl, she always took care of the little details. “Great. Thanks for handling all of that. I hope there’s not too many.”

  “No, very few actually which surprised me. I guess when you’re dealing with a mega-band like Steel, plans are pretty much etched in stone. Can’t have any snafus with thousands of tickets sold.”

  “That’s true. All of the venues will be sold out if they aren’t already.”

  “Yeah, I looked online, and most are, so tons of fans will make it interesting for trying to get some of the types of photos I know you like to do. Price of playing huge venues.”

  I headed to my office as I spoke. “The best thing about them, though, is the large stage they can work with for setting up special effects and various levels. Gives me new perspectives to work with.”

  My phone rang from the number I needed to block. “Hello. Who is this?”

  “Nice way to greet me, sugar.” The soft drawl coming over the speaker made my lady bits stand up and take notice. Damn, I needed to get laid if all it took was hearing his voice.

  “Oh, hello. I didn’t know it was you.” I sank into my comfy leather desk chair with a smile on my face.

  “I tried catching you before you left. Why didn’t you wake me?”

  I felt my stomach drop from the guilt. “I knew you needed some restful sleep with the tour about to launch. It’s going to be a long four months for the band.”

  “We’re used to it. I wish you’d have let me kiss you goodbye, but you’re right, it was probably for the best.”

  “Oh?” His comment surprised me. Did he not want me hanging around?

  “Yeah, if you’d have come into my dark bedroom and started kissing me, I’d probably have pulled you in and rolled until you were under me. All sorts of dirty things come to mind when I consider what I want to do to your luscious body.”

  “Uh… oh, okay.” Did I mention my lady bits had already stood up and taken notice? Yeah, now they shifted to high alert. “Well… I guess I’m sorry I didn’t stop then.”

  “Great answer, sugar. Sounds like we’re on the same page.” He chuckled. “It’s going to happen so be prepared.”

  I swallowed hard as I considered his idea of dirty things. Damn, I needed to visit with BOB.

  RYDER

  Our band of misfits, young and old, almost filled the jet. How did my life evolve to this? All we wanted to do was play music, and now we had a whole new generation of musicians traveling with us.

  “Hey, Ryder,” Chandler called as she and KeeMac made their way toward me. Looking at my beautiful daughter, a sense of pride welled up deep inside me. I had no ri
ght to feel this way. She’d had to work so hard to get to me. She’d lived an easy life, but for some reason, it seemed like her childhood lacked in some ways.

  Thinking about all I’d missed sent fountains of guilt pouring over me. I should have been more diligent in finding her mother. I should have been a better boyfriend and never allowed Lainey to drive home alone that night. I should have been sitting beside her when she saw the test results. God, I hated myself for letting the years slip through my fingers.

  “Ryder…” she put her hand on mine, “… what’s wrong?”

  “It’s nothing, baby girl.” I took her small hand in mine wondering how it felt holding it when she was truly a baby girl.

  She leaned over to speak softly, “You look so sad like you’ve lost your best friend.”

  Kissing the back of her hand, I murmured, “When you’re with me, I’m never sad.” I tried deflecting her comments, but she saw right through my attempts.

  “You know you can tell me anything. I feel like we’ve been through hell already, so everything else has to be heaven, right?”

  How did I get this lucky? “Little girl, I love the woman you’ve become. My only wish is I could take some credit for it.”

  She met my face with a soft smile. “The good thing is we have the rest of our lives to mold each other into a great family, and that’s going to be so much longer than the first twenty-one years.”

  I nodded at her. Luckiest fucker alive.

  The jet settled out at thirty thousand feet when the attendant came out with beverages. They never offered me alcohol, but the others drank around me. It used to bother me, but now it feels like another lifetime ago. Nothing about drinking appealed to me anymore.

  “Hey, I thought that pretty little photographer would be on the ride over with us,” Joel called from across the aisle.

  “Thought so, too, but she had other plans for today. Had to get back sooner than we all wanted to roll out.” I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, but Chandler came aboard with other plans for me.