Once Danni and I were in the SUV, John climbed behind the driver’s seat and started the engine. “Good morning ladies,” he said in his deep voice. “I hope you slept well.”
“We did, thanks,” I said to him. “Hey, I’m sorry you had to stay out here all night. I should have invited you guys in.”
John chuckled and smiled. “No worries miss. It’s part of my job.”
“Sleeping outside a girl’s house that your boss happens to want to bang?” Danni asked, laughing. I rolled my eyes and laughed too.
He laughed. “If that’s what Ryder wants me to do, then yes.”
“Well, still, I don’t like it. If you have to be here again tonight you are coming inside and sleeping on the pull out couch, got it?” I said. “Ryder will just have to be mad at me.”
I saw him smiling in the rearview mirror. “Got it, miss.”
“Can I at least buy you a cup of coffee on the way to the diner as a thank you for taking care of us last night?” I asked.
“Oh, that’s not necessary,” he said.
“Really, it’s my pleasure. Besides, coffee’s on Ryder this morning,” I said, holding out the money he gave me yesterday. “Order whatever you want.”
I saw John trying to suppress another smile. “Yes ma’am. Let me punch in the nearest Starbucks in the GPS-”
“You don’t need to, I’ll tell you where to go,” I said, and we pulled out of my driveway and onto the road.
After we stopped and got coffee, John dropped me and Danni off at Deuce’s, telling us he would be back to get us at two o’clock. There were a few people with cameras there too so he thankfully escorted us to the door. Once we were inside, Deuce was putting on his apron and gave Danni and me a smile. “Good morning girls,” he said.
“Morning Deuce,” I said, hanging my bag on the hook by the door.
“How was your night last night, Miss Everleigh?” he asked me, smiling.
“Probably not as adventurous as you might think, big guy,” I said, tying my apron on. “I don’t want to talk about it anyway. We are probably going to have a busy day today because of all the damn cameras.”
“You are right about that. Okay everyone, gather around,” Deuce called out, and me, Danni, and the other waitresses and cooks came walking out and we joined in a circle. I felt everyone’s eyes on me and I was beginning to get uncomfortable. “We all know that today will more than likely be a busy day, given that we have a celebrity in town that is linked to one of our girls,” he said, giving me a nudge. “However, this is a good publicity opportunity for the diner and I want you all on your best behavior, understood? I don’t want anyone talking to Everleigh or Danni about all of this and I don’t want anyone talking about this band all day long. It’s nice that they came here, but remember that we are a diner and we need to focus on our customers, not who one of our waitresses may be dating, you got it?”
Everyone grumbled in agreement, and as I looked up I could see Leslie Anderson staring at me. She was one of the waitresses here and always seemed to be in some imaginary competition with me. Now that the focus was on me because of Ryder being in town, I could tell she was seething. I blinked a few times and sighed, ready to start the day.
After a very exhausting shift, it was finally two o’clock and I was beyond ready to get out of here. Just like I thought, the diner was packed out today with people wanting to get a glimpse of Ryder Matthews’ new love interest. Half of the people that came in just wanted to eat at the diner where a famous rocker had been just a day ago, and the other half were fans of Bad Blooded Rebel. They either wanted to congratulate me on snagging one of music’s most eligible bachelors or to silently glare at me with jealousy. I didn’t let it get to me today because despite it being a hectic day, I made a small fortune in tips.
As I walked to the back to clock out and get my things, I was tired and worn out but floating on a cloud knowing I had made a nice chunk of money to put in the bank. I stepped out back while Danni was finishing up and pulled out my cell phone. I knew that John was picking us up but I promised Ryder I’d text him once I was off work. I clicked on the screen on my phone and there was already a message from Ryder. I couldn’t hide my smile as I opened it.
R: hope u had a good day…I’m guessing u were a little busy
E: wow, u must be psychic, how did u know?
R: look up from ur phone and find out, gorgeous
At that moment, my head snapped up and I looked around the corner of the building. My heart skipped a beat when I saw Ryder pressed up against the side of the black SUV holding a beautiful bouquet of white calla lilies. He was wearing dark wash faded jeans, a tight white KISS tee shirt, and he surprisingly had his hair messy and slightly flipped up in the front instead of his usually faux hawk. He looked mouth watering. I broke into a smile as he walked toward me with John in tow. “Hey there,” he said, and once he reached me he leaned in and kissed my cheek. My breath caught…God he smelled incredible.
“Hey yourself,” I said. I looked at the flowers and smiled. “It was nice of you buy flowers for John.”
He flashed a sexy smile at me. “Lilies really aren’t his favorite,” he joked. “For you, gorgeous.”
My cheeks felt hot. “These are beautiful, Ryder. Thank you,” I said, and I leaned in and kissed his cheek. I leaned in and inhaled the scent of the flowers and I moaned. “Where did you find fresh lilies like this?”
“I don’t know how well you know your town, Everleigh, but there are a few flower shops around here,” he laughed. “Beau thought you would like roses but I took a chance that you weren’t a rose girl.”
“You would be correct on that,” I said. “Roses are beautiful, but I’m a total sucker for calla lilies.”
“Glad I took a chance then,” he said, smiling.
“So am I,” I replied.
He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me into his body. He was hard and lean and felt so good against me. A memory from my dream suddenly flashed in my mind and I shivered. “What’s wrong? Are you cold?” he asked.
“N-no, I was just thinking about something.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Really? Like what?”
I sighed. I didn’t want to go into my dream right now, but I didn’t want to lie to him. I decided to go with the truth…at least half of it. “I kind of had a dream about you last night.”
Both of his eyebrows shot up. “You did?” he asked. “Now you have to tell me about it.”
Out of the corner of my eye I noticed movement and when I turned my head I saw Danni rushing toward us. “Hey guys, we may want to get a move on. I heard a customer inside say she saw Ryder out here with you and I’m guessing people will start swarming back here any second with cell phones in hand.”
Ryder groaned and released me. We all quickly got into the SUV and John climbed into the driver’s seat. Just as he started the engine and locked the doors, about twenty people came running toward the car. Thankfully, John pulled away and out into traffic in plenty of time before anyone started smacking or rocking the car. I looked at Ryder and he looked frustrated. “Is it like this all the time?” I asked.
He nodded. “Pretty much. I am used to it, but I know you aren’t.”
“Ryder, it’s okay. It’s all part of the life, right?” I asked.
He smiled at me and took my hand. I was sitting across from him and he pulled my arm and guided me beside him. “Right. At least there weren’t reporters this time though, those bastards are worse than excited fans. Okay, enough about camera whores. How was your day at work?” he said, nuzzling his nose into my hair. I suddenly felt embarrassed…I must smell like greasy hamburgers.
“Uh, it was good. I made pretty good tips today,” I said proudly.
“Awesome. What about you Danni?” he asked, his lips leaving kisses against my hair. I shivered.
Danni smiled at both of us. “It was good. I made pretty good tips today, but not as good as Everleigh. Everyone just wanted to get a peek at Ryd
er’s new girlfriend,” she said.
“Danni, I’m not his girlfriend,” I said, frustrated. I swear I think I said that phrase a million times today.
“Not yet anyway,” he said, his fingers running up and down my arm. He moved his mouth from my hair down to my ear and my breath caught as I felt his hot tongue graze my ear.
Heat flushed my face. He was trying to pull me into a full on make out session right in front of my friend. Danni laughed. “Okay, you two, I’m going to put my headphones in and text Beau. I’ll give you two a minute so you can suck face,” she laughed, and climbed in the back seat facing the rear window.
As soon as her headphones were in her ears and the music was blaring, Ryder grabbed my chin gently and turned my face to his. “You look really fucking hot in that apron, Everleigh,” he said, smiling.
“Ryder, don’t. I am not making out with you with my best friend in the car,” I breathed, trying my hardest to be tough. Feeling his warm, cinnamon breath on my lips was making it very hard to do that.
“Hey, she’s got her back turned and her headphones in. We have a few minutes,” he murmured, a sexy grin on his face.
“I don’t know…” I said, my breathing increasing as he ran his fingers along my jaw line.
“Stop worrying about who might be watching and just go with it. In this moment, right now, do you want to kiss me?”
I nodded and breathlessly said, “Yes.”
“Good, because I’ve been dying to kiss these lips since last night,” he said, and before I took another ragged breath his lips found mine. I couldn’t stop the moan that escaped me as his tongue slowly slid past my lips and touched mine. I heard him groan into my mouth and I was suddenly feeling damp in places I had forgotten existed until last night. Ryder had awakened feelings in me that I thought were long gone.
There was something different about this kiss. Of all the times we kissed yesterday they all felt either careful, like he was testing the waters, or hungry and filled with blinding passion. This kiss, however, had me balling my hands into fists to keep me from climbing on top of his lap and straddling him. He was slow and torturous with his kisses, like he was drawing out the experience. This was romantic. Every time our tongues would touch, it felt like we were on the verge of something that I had never experienced before and it was amazing.
He knew what he was doing to me because my body was giving me away. I shifted in my seat, trying to get any kind of relief from the intense pleasure he was giving me just from a little kiss. His hand grazed down my arm and I gasped loudly when he moved his thumb past my nipple which was rock hard from what he was doing to me.
The world dissolved around us. Nothing mattered in that moment but Ryder and me. I wrapped my arm around his neck and held his head close to mine, not wanting to put any space between us. The hand that was touching all over had roamed down to my leg and in one swift movement he tugged my leg up over his and hooked it around his hips. I was about to lie back on the seat and pull him on top of me when I felt a tap on my arm. Startled, I broke away from Ryder’s lips and turned my head, my face flushed. “Yeah?” I asked.
I looked up and saw Danni smiling at me. “We’re here.”
I looked out the window. “We’re at the hotel. I thought we were going to my house,” I said.
“We are, but Beau asked me to drop Danni off here today. Jude and Kris sent some of the guys out last night to buy a Playstation 3 and some video games and they’ve been playing on it all day. Beau got bored and wanted to hang with Danni,” Ryder said.
“Okay, well, have fun, girl. Call me later, okay?” I said, giving her a quick hug.
“I will. You have fun with Ryder today. Try and make it back to your house with your clothes on,” she joked, and I blushed.
“Okay, and you try to make it home tonight without getting knocked up,” I said, and Ryder smiled.
“Shut up bitch,” she laughed, and she quickly hopped out of the car and walked into the hotel.
Chapter 6
Ryder
As soon as Danni disappeared into the hotel, John started the SUV and we pulled out of the parking lot and began making our way to Everleigh’s house. I pulled Everleigh tighter against me. “So, can we pick up where we left off?” I asked, grinning.
Her cheeks were still pink from blushing. “Actually, can we stop for a second? Maybe take a breather?”
I took a deep breath and choked down my groan of displeasure. “Sure,” I said, and I scooted back slightly.
“I don’t want you to be mad at me or anything, Ryder. It’s just that this is all happening so fast for me.”
For me it wasn’t happening fast enough. “I know, it’s okay,” I lied, wanting nothing more than to lay her down on the seats and roam my hands all over her body. “I’m not mad at you.”
“I hope not. I don’t want you to think I don’t love kissing you because I do. It’s just I’m not the type of girl that makes out with someone she barely knows and you are making me forget that. You make me want to leave that girl in the dust and that scares me,” she admitted.
I shifted around to try and make my hard on go away, but it was no use. Hearing her admit that she wanted me so much that she would throw caution to the wind had me hard enough to drive nails into the wall. “You don’t have to be scared with me, Everleigh. The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but I understand why you are cautious. Only time will tell, I guess,” I said.
“Thanks for understanding. I just need a minute to catch my breath. We are going to my house and you are meeting my dad for the first time. I don’t you to meet him with my lip gloss on your mouth and my face all scratchy from your chin stubble,” she said, and I smiled at her.
“You’re right. I’ll be a good boy from here on out,” I said, and I scooted a little further away from her and tried to think of anything I could to make my dick soft. “Can I at least hold your hand?” I asked, grinning at her.
She smiled. “Of course you can,” she said, and I laced my fingers with hers. We rode the rest of the way to her house in silence and when we finally pulled into her driveway, I felt her tense up. Luckily, the reporters seemed to either have given up or Kip and Nate ran them off because they were nowhere in sight.
“Hey, Everleigh, are you all right? You seem nervous,” I asked. Hopefully she wasn’t embarrassed by her house because now that I looked at it out the windows it was really a cute little place. It reminded me of my house when I was a kid.
“I’m fine,” she said quietly.
“No you aren’t. Tell me,” I said, squeezing her hand.
After a moment, she looked up into my eyes. “It’s just…I am nervous about you meeting my dad.”
“Why? Do you think he won’t like me or something?” I asked, and for the first time ever I actually worried about gaining someone’s approval. I didn’t know Everleigh too well yet, but I already knew that her dad was the most important person in the world to her. If her dad hated me, then Everleigh might push me away and I really felt like this was the start of something good in my life.
She shook her head. “Oh no, my dad is going to love you. He used to play guitar in high school before he joined the army.”
“Then what is it?” I asked, tracing my thumb across the back of her delicate hand.
She bit her lip and sighed. “I am afraid of how you’ll feel when you meet him. I’m worried that you seeing him sick and helpless will drudge up all the pain of losing your own father to cancer,” she said, and my heart skipped a beat. “I just don’t want you to be sad.”
In that moment, I’m pretty sure I fell completely head over heels in love with her. This girl is going through losing her dad and she’s worried about me being upset by old memories? Wow. “I’m fine. Don’t even worry about me. This is your dad, Everleigh, not mine. I lost my dad a long time ago, and even though it still hurts that he’s not here, you are my concern right now. I’m just glad that I get to meet him while there’s still time,” I said, and I
reached up and wiped a tear that had fallen down her cheek. “So, are you ready to do this?” I asked her.
She nodded her head and forced a smile. “Okay, let’s do it.” I opened the door and climbed out. I turned and then helped her out of the SUV and she took my hand and with a deep breath she led me into her house. As soon as we walked in the front door, I immediately felt at ease. The house was so quaint and cozy and I instantly missed home. “Trish? Are you here?”
A short lady who looked to be about in her forties with bright red hair came walking out from the back of the house. “Right here, Everleigh,” she said and when her eyes landed on me, she smiled. “Oh, well, I didn’t know you were bringing home company,” she said, grinning.
“Trish, this is my friend Ryder Matthews,” she said, squeezing my hand. “Ryder, this Trisha Cramer, my dad’s nurse.”
I placed my free hand in hers and shook it gently. “It’s nice to meet you, Trish.”
Trisha smiled and looked at Everleigh before her eyes darted back to me. “Pleasure’s all mine, Ryder.”
“So, how is he doing?” Everleigh asked Trish.
“He’s doing good so far today. I just got him to eat a whole bowl of soup.”
Everleigh’s face lit up. “Really? Oh, that’s great!” she said happily. “Is he awake right now?”
She nodded. “He’s watching television in the den,” Trish said. “I’m going to start on dinner in here so you and your friend can visit with Max. It was nice meeting you, Ryder,” she said, walking off toward the kitchen.
Rebel (Bad Blooded Rebel Series) Page 8
