Only With You

by Alexander, Monica

  Ryder was just staring at me with wide eyes, eyebrows raised.

  “Damn, that was actually good,” I muttered to myself, writing down what I’d just said.

  After a few minutes of silence, except for the furious scribbling of my pen on paper, I closed my notebook and looked up at Ryder. He’d been watching me quietly the whole time.

  I reached out and took his hand in mine. “You okay?”

  He nodded. “I think I’m sort of in shock a little. I mean, I’ve seen you perform that song a few times now, and it always felt like you were singing it to me, but you really were, weren’t you?”

  “Yeah, I was.”

  “That’s so cool.”

  “Well, you’re pretty special, in case you haven’t figured it out yet,” I told him, as I lifted the lid off of the plate in front of me, eager to see what it was. I was starving.

  Chapter Twenty

  Ryder

  I was going to marry this girl one day. She just didn’t know it yet, and I had to bite my tongue from blurting it out on the spot. I don’t even know if she realized what she did to me, but I knew I’d never want anyone but her. God, I was a lucky guy.

  “This looks delicious,” Sydney said, eyeing the steak, mashed potatoes and sautéed zucchini on the plate in front of her.

  I’d worked with the maître d’ at a restaurant Elisa had recommended and ordered Syd’s favorites. I’d wanted to go all out for her and make this first date the best one she’d ever had. But I think she beat me to it with the fact that she’d written a song about me during the date.

  I sat staring at her as she dug in to her food and make a little moaning noise. “This is so good.”

  When I didn’t say anything she looked up at me. “You okay?”

  Without visibly shaking my head, and pulled myself out of the zone I’d drifted into and smiled. “I’m great.”

  “Okay weirdo,” she said as she took another bite. “This is so good.”

  “Champagne?” I offered, reaching for the bottle in the bucket next to the table.

  I wasn’t really a fan of champagne, nor was I thirsty, but it was something to keep my hands busy, because I was about two seconds from yanking Syd away from the table and dragging her into the bedroom so I could kiss her until we had to leave to meet up with Elisa and the guys from Westside.

  “Definitely.”

  After I filled our glasses, I figured it would probably be best if I started eating. I was in danger of looking like a moron if I just continued to sit there and stare at Sydney, but watching her eat was sort of an aphrodisiac. Her chewing and swallowing motions were mesmerizing, not to mention the way her dark hair flowed over her bare shoulders in soft waves. Although there was crème brule for dessert, I was about to offer myself up. Lucky for me she’d probably accept.

  In order to take my mind off of all the things I wanted to do to her, I shoved a forkful of potatoes into my mouth, chewed and swallowed. Then I asked her about the fan signing event. She talked animatedly about the people she’d met and some of the funny things they’d said to her, which allowed me to pull back from the thoughts invading my mind. She got so passionate when she talked about her fans that she could talk forever. And I was grateful, because with where my head was at that night, I was in danger of blurting out something I couldn’t take back, and the last thing I wanted to do was freak her out.

  When we’d both finished with our main courses, I left her out on the terrace to go get the dessert from the refrigerator in the suite. When I turned around, I jumped and almost dropped the glass dish since she was standing right behind me, leaning against the kitchen island.

  “Hi,” she said, biting her lip.

  “I was going to bring dessert out to you,” I told her, and her tongue darted out of her mouth to touch her top lip.

  “I figured I’d join you,” she said and pulled herself up so she was sitting on top of the island.

  I raised an eyebrow, and she crooked her finger, beckoning me closer. In about two seconds, I was closing the distance between us only to realize the dish of crème brule was still in my hands. Not sure what to do with it, I set it next to her on the counter.

  Looking down at it, she unceremoniously dug her finger into the dish and brought it up to her mouth, sucking the creamy sweetness off for a few seconds. And that was all it took to take me from half-mast where I’d been practically all day to fully erect. Watching her do that was better than porn. And I should know. Jake liked porn, so I saw and heard more of it than I really felt was necessary.

  Sydney pulled her finger out of her mouth then and dipped it back into the dessert. “This is delicious. You need to try some.”

  When she lifted her finger again, she brought it to my lips. I opened and then let my lips close around her finger, sucking gently as she dropped her head back and moaned. Not able to hold back a second longer, I pushed her knees apart and stepped up to the island, as close as I could get. She was about three inches higher than I needed her to be, but it didn’t stop me from wrapping an arm around the back of her waist, pulling her to me and kissing her deeply.

  Her legs wrapped around me, holding me against her, pressing my erection against the hard wood front of the island. Her hands wove into my hair, holding my lips against hers, as our tongues writhed and tangled with each other, our breath getting more and more shallow.

  “If you don’t stop I’m going to have you for dessert,” I threatened.

  Her hand chose that moment to rake down my chest, which although it was covered by a t-shirt, made me shiver as if her nails were directly against my skin.

  “That’s kind of the idea,” she said, and before she could get another word in, I lifted her from the counter and made it only as far as the couch before I deposited her onto the cushions.

  Lying there with the skirt of her dress around her waist only ignited the need I felt deep in my gut. I made quick work of undoing the button and zipper on my jeans and yanking them, along with my boxers, down around my ankles. Then I reached forward and slid her black lace panties down just enough to give me room.

  This was one of those moments where the need to go hard and fast were taking over. Just the look of desire shining in Syd’s eyes told me the last thing she wanted was slow and tender. She’d initiated this with her deliriously good crème brule seduction techniques, and I planned to deliver. Without another thought, I pulled out the condom I’d stashed in my jacket pocket, for just in case reasons like this, and pulled her to the edge of the couch, closing the distance between us.

  * * *

  An hour later, Syd stood in front of me, and my arms were around her waist as we rode downstairs in the elevator.

  “My legs feel like jelly,” she commented, making me feel not only a swell of pride for the multiple orgasms I’d given her, but because it was a hedonistic high that she’d have the reminder of what we’d done throughout the night when we had to be ‘just friends’.

  “Good,” I said playfully, making her laugh.

  I was in a good mood despite the fact that we were going to go out so she could be seen with Dillon. I was empathetic, which was amazing considering how I’d been feeling just twenty-four hours before. Had it really been only a day ago that I’d been debating whether or not I could do this with her? It was amazing how much could happen to make me completely change my mindset in such a short period of time, but after our talk the night before and the fact that she had her team working on a break-up, coupled with the way I knew she felt about me, I just couldn’t be upset about it. I knew Syd didn’t want to spend time with Dillon over me, and now that we’d decided to hold off on going public anyway, I knew whether Dillon was around or not, I still wouldn’t be able to treat her like a normal girlfriend in public. And I needed to get used to that.

  The doors of the elevator dinged, and I stepped back, putting distance between us. Sydney had told Bert, one of her security guys, that we’d meet him downstairs. I was grateful for the three minutes alone with
her but knew he’d be standing outside the doors once the elevator reached the ground floor. And there he was.

  “Hi Bert,” Sydney said cheerfully, and the giant, burly blond, ex-Army Ranger nodded at her.

  “Good evening, Miss Chase.”

  We followed him out to the Town Car waiting by the back entrance of the hotel. It was pulled as close to the entrance as it could get, and I soon saw why. A cluster of female fans were gathered about twenty-five feet away, and mixed in with them were members of a paparazzi with their telephoto lenses aimed and ready to fire off any shots they could get. The yelling and cheering started the second we emerged outside, and I saw several flashes go off, but I wasn’t sure if they could capture anything print-worthy from the fact that the car was essentially blocking us. Sydney had ducked down the second we walked outside and was in the car in under two seconds.

  Then we were driving away, and although they swarmed our car, no one got any shots off where they could actually see us since the windows were too dark. I was honestly surprised it had taken everyone that long to figure out where Sydney was staying. Of course we were only in the city for two more day before it was off to Boston, so I figured it didn’t really matter. Syd didn’t seem affected by it. She just took my hand in the car and smiled at me as we navigated toward the restaurant in midtown.

  We entered the restaurant through a back alley and the kitchen, coming out in the dining area. Bert took a seat at the bar where he could keep an eye on things but still give Sydney her privacy, and the restaurant manager who’d greeted us at the back door and showed us the way into the restaurant, then led us to a banquet in a far corner where Elisa, Dillon, Van, Phillip and Camden where already seated. Elisa jumped up when she saw us and hugged me.

  “Don’t fight it, but you need to sit next to me,” she said, as the guys rose and took turns hugging Sydney.

  “Why?”

  “Because there’s speculation online that everything isn’t okay with Syd and Dillon, and they think you’re to blame. They know she didn’t go to the concert tonight, and we think someone in the hotel tipped them off that you’re staying with her. When they saw you guys leave together tonight, it sort of didn’t help.”

  “It just happened!” I couldn’t help but exclaim. “How did it get up there so fast?”

  Elisa shrugged. “Twitter, Instagram. I don’t know. Word spreads fast these days. You put your hand on Sydney’s lower back when she was getting into the car, and it didn’t go unnoticed.”

  I hadn’t even realized I was doing that. It was completely subconscious.

  “Everything okay?” Syd asked, coming over to us, so Elisa filled her in on the situation.

  “Do they know who I am?” I asked, not sure I was ready for this.

  Elisa shook her head. “No, I don’t think they do, but it doesn’t matter.”

  I was mildly confused. “But I’ve been photographed with her before, and it’s never caused an issue. Why now?”

  “Because you’re not Dillon,” Elisa said simply. “After the pictures of him and his girlfriend surfaced, break-up rumors have been running rampant, and the press would love to catch either him or Syd in a compromising position. They’d honestly love to show her as the bad guy instead of the victim like she usually is. Either way, it won’t be good, and I’d rather do what we can to keep the negative press at bay.”

  “Got it,” I said in understanding.

  “So, what’s the plan?” Syd asked.

  Elisa took a deep breath. “Here’s what I’m thinking. You sit with Dillon, act like you’re together, then you’ll leave together and go back to the hotel. Thankfully we’re all staying at the same place. Use the front entrance – here and at the hotel. Then Ryder and I will go back with Van, Phillip and Camden. We’ll hang out in the hotel bar for a little while, and Ryder and I will leave together so it looks like we’re together. Then he’ll go to your room, and I’ll go to Van’s. It should be enough to throw them off this trail they’re trying desperately to follow. We’re not going to let them get the shots they want.”

  I wondered if anyone else found this plan to be just the slightest bit ridiculous, but Elisa was dead-serious, and Sydney was nodding in agreement.

  “Okay, that’s cool with me,” she said.

  “Awesome,” Elisa responded. “Ryder, are you cool with it?”

  Apparently I had a fake relationship of my own now.

  All I could do was I laugh. “Yeah, sure. Whatever,” I said, knowing going with the flow was going to be easier than anything else.

  I figured I was just a pawn at that point, and to get through the night, I’d do what I had to do. I didn’t want to hurt Sydney’s reputation or cause her to be seen in a negative light. And I figured it was a small sacrifice in the end.

  “Good deal. Now everyone know their roles?” Elisa asked, and I felt like the three of us should put her hands in the middle and yell ‘Go Team Sydney’ since it felt like the huddle before a big play in a game.

  Sydney and I both nodded.

  “Cool. Syd, go be happy with Dillon, and you,” she said as she hooked her arm through mine, “come with me, boyfriend.”

  “Fantastic,” I said as I slid into the booth next to her.

  Then I was introduced to the guys from Westside who all seemed pretty cool I had to admit. They actually seemed like normal guys.

  Van leaned over Elisa after a few minutes. “Just so we’re clear, she’s staying in my room tonight,” he said jovially, and I threw my hands up in mock surrender.

  “Yeah, I think that was outlined in the game plan,” I told him. “And don’t worry, I’ve got my own plans with my actual girlfriend.”

  He smiled. “Good man.” Then he stuck his fist out so I could bump it.

  Soon we were ordering drinks, and aside from the fact that Syd was about as far away from me as she could get, the night turned out to be fun. I even realized that I really liked Dillon. He was a nice guy, really genuine, and he was funny. Ironically enough, I had the most in common with him, and a part of me sort of thought that if I’d have met him under different circumstances, we would have been friends. And maybe we would be now that I didn’t really have anything against him. It was obvious to me that despite the manufactured chemistry he tried to produce when he put his arm around Syd and leaned in close to her, he definitely wasn’t into her.

  When we were ready to leave, Dillon and Sydney left holding hands, and I was only mildly discomforted by it, but only because it meant we’d be separated for a little longer. Bert followed them out, and the rest of us took Westside’s limo back to the hotel and camped out in the bar for half an hour. Elisa sat curled up next to me, seemingly satisfied with how the night had gone as she scrolled through her phone showing me pictures from some of the gossip websites that showcased all of us at the restaurant, laughing and joking, my arm around Elisa’s shoulders where she’d told me to put it. I wondered if she’d known we were being photographed at the time.

  Then there were pictures of Sydney and Dillon leaving the restaurant together and then arriving back at the hotel, looking very much like a couple to anyone who didn’t know better. By the time I headed upstairs, feeling just a little buzzed, I felt like the night had been fairly successful in terms of throwing off the paparazzi. Of course, I had a beautiful girl waiting for me in my bed who I hadn’t been allowed to touch for several hours. That was about to change, so it probably didn’t hurt my good mood.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Sydney

  After the craziness of dodging the paparazzi in New York, things quieted down after we left the city and the tour continued as we traveled to Boston, then down to Pittsburgh and out to Cleveland. And each day with Ryder got a little sweeter but at the same time the knowledge that he was leaving on Sunday before we left for Indianapolis made our time together bittersweet.

  It was hot when we pulled into Cleveland the day before the concert, and after being on the tour bus for so many hours, I was looking for
ward to stretching out in my hotel room and working on the song I’d started a few days earlier. I’d been meshing lyrics with chords on my guitar earlier in the day, but something wasn’t quite right, and I needed to work through it.

  Sensing this, Ryder told me he was going to go down to the gym and run for a bit on the treadmill. After the craziness in New York, we’d been laying low and just staying in when I wasn’t performing, but before he left he told me he was taking me out that night. We figured in a smaller city, we could find some hole in the wall pizza place and make a date of it.

  He’d kissed my forehead and headed out of the room while I’d shamelessly watched him until he disappeared out the door. I imagined I’d never tire of looking at him. An hour later he came back into the room, his face flushed, which I initially thought was from his workout, but I soon realized it was something else entirely. I also noticed his left knee was cut, and there was a trail of blood running down into his white sock, staining part of the top edge.

  “What happened?” I asked, setting my guitar next to me.

  He leaned against the kitchen counter and appraised me. “Now I know how you feel,” he said.

  “About what?”

  “Getting attacked by the paparazzi.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, my eyes narrowing before my gaze shifted down to his knee again. If anyone had hurt him, I’d make sure they never sold another picture. That was unacceptable.

  He gestured toward the door. “I was on the freaking treadmill, and this guy comes and gets on the one next to me. No big deal until he starts talking to me.”

  “What did he say?”

  Ryder took a deep breath. “He said, ‘You’re Ryder Thompson, right?’ and I said, ‘Yeah, I am,’ before I could even think about how he knew my name. Then he busts out with ‘What’s it like to fuck Sydney Chase?’.”