Love Redeemed

by Tich Brewster

  “Hanson, Ryder.” He squeezed Cassie’s hand in an attempt to quiet her fears about the expense. He had plenty of money and if he chose to spend it on her then he would. Case closed.

  “Right this way,” the young woman said. She led them to the back of the restaurant, to a private booth. “Your waiter will be out shortly.”

  “Thank you.” He pulled out Cassie’s chair, scooting her to the table once she sat. “I’m glad you decided to go out with me.”

  “Me too.” A blush was spreading along her cheeks, she could feel the heat. Looking over the menu was a nightmare. She had no clue what any of the dishes consisted of. “What are you eating?”

  “I haven’t decided yet.” He glanced over the top of his menu at her. Her big saucer eyes amused him. He knew perfectly well what he’d be eating but he wasn’t telling.

  A waiter dressed in a tux approached their table. Ryder ordered for the two of them without even consulting her. “We’ll start with the French Cheese Platter and Bordeaux. Then we’ll have a Filet Mignon and the Osso Bucco à la Bourguignonne.”

  The waiter nodded, turned on his heel and left. Cassie wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or upset that he just ordered for her without asking what she wanted.

  He smiled. “Don’t worry. You’ll like it.”

  Dinner was surprisingly good. Cassie had heard of Filet Mignon but she’d never actually eaten it. She would have to figure out how to make it. It was nearly orgasmic to the taste buds.

  The movie was spectacular, just like she knew it would be. Ryder even got into the whole romantic comedy. At one point she caught him wiping a tear from his eye. Of course, he claimed that he had an eyelash fall into his eye. She gave him an exaggerated eye roll.

  Ryder pulled in behind Cassie’s car. “Thank you,” she said.

  He looked at her, confused. “For what?”

  “For tonight, dinner was fabulous and the movie was wonderful.” She was thoroughly pleased with the night’s events.

  Ryder hopped out, meeting her at the front of his car. He hooked his fingers in her belt loops, tugging her close. “I had a wonderful time.” He pressed his forehead to hers. If he could freeze time and stay in this moment for eternity, he would.

  As he leaned on the hood of his car Cassie turned in his arms. It had been way too long since she’d felt this kind of peace, this feeling of belonging. She gazed up at the stars. Each clumped together to form a picture, to tell a story.

  “You know,” he rested his chin on her shoulder. “Tonight has been absolutely perfect. I don’t want this night to end.”

  “Dance with me.”

  Ryder wasn’t sure what to think of her demand. “Huh?” He looked around. “Dance to what exactly?”

  She dug her cell phone out of her purse. Scrolling through the playlist, she settled on a slow song. “Dance with me.” She spun around, holding her arms open in invitation.

  Ryder didn’t hesitate. He embraced her, rocking to the rhythm of the song. This night; the dinner, the movie, now the dancing, it was all so perfect. Cassie was perfect.

  The stars shone down on them with their twinkling eyes. Crickets chirped their encouragement in the background.

  A car full of teenagers drove by. One of the boys whistled at them. They laughed and continued their dancing until the song ended.

  He walked her to the door, placing a large palm on the frame while she fished for her keys. “Cassie, I’ve been having a blast with you.” He gently pinched her chin. She gazed into his eyes.

  “Me too.” She licked her lips, drawing his attention to their plumpness. “I’ll cook you dinner tomorrow after work.”

  He dipped his head down to hers, kissing her. He broke the kiss but didn’t remove his lips from hers. “Sounds good.” He kissed her again then pulled away. “I’ll see you then, Cass.”

  He watched her cross the threshold and then waved goodbye.

  Cassie curled up on the couch with Ryder, leaning her head on his shoulder. He had shocked her earlier by offering to help her wash dishes. That was a nice surprise and she didn’t refuse the help. They worked side by side, he washed and she rinsed. Something about it warmed her heart.

  She gazed up into his eyes. So many times over the years she longed for the day she could stare into his dazzling hazel eyes again. Now, here he was in the flesh.

  He reached over and took her hand in his. It was so much smaller than his, more delicate. Bringing their clasped hands to his mouth, he placed tiny kisses on each of her knuckles.

  She sighed and closed her eyes. “I’ve missed this.”

  “Me too.” That wasn’t a lie. Cassie often occupied his mind while he toured the world. Missing her was most likely the reason that he sought female companions while on the road.

  He rested his feet on the coffee table, content for the first time in ages. Music was his life, his passion, but nothing made him feel as complete as he did with Cassie in his arms. He inhaled the scent of her hair as he stared blankly at the television. Neither one of them was really interested in the movie but both pretended to be watching.

  “Are you actually watching this?” he finally asked.

  She shook her head. “No, I was just enjoying this moment.” She looked up. His smoldering eyes lit a fire in the pit of her stomach. Glancing at his lips, she tilted her head.

  This was playing with fire but she decided days ago that she’d gladly play with the scorching flames. Burn if she must. She needed to complete this bliss that she felt deep within. Her body craved his touch, his kiss, his body.

  He leaned toward her, his lips so close yet so far away. He paused then leaned closer, their noses touching. Her heart beat so fast and hard she was afraid it might rip through her chest at any moment. The wait was driving her insane. Was he going to kiss her or what?

  The feel of his breath across her lips triggered those butterflies in her belly. Now they fluttered around, her belly quivering delightfully. She watched as he licked his lips. The movement of his tongue gliding over his lower lip made her toes curl in anticipation.

  He noted how her eyes followed his tongue, lingering on his moist lips. The spark in her eyes didn’t just excite him physically. It reached in to his very core and keyed open a door that he didn’t even know existed.

  Years ago he knew he loved Cassie, he had never stopped, but this feeling that he felt at this very moment was beyond anything he had ever felt before. This love went deeper than he could have ever imagined.

  Cassie couldn’t take much more of this. If he didn’t kiss her soon, she’d combust. She slid her hand up his chest, his neck, and into his hair. His silky strands falling between each finger. “Please, kiss me,” she whispered.

  He didn’t move a muscle. The sound of her begging only kindled the fire within him. Her fingers twirled in his hair. It took everything he had not to give in and kiss her just then.

  She ran her fingers through his hair again, grabbing a handful and giving a firm but gentle tug. “I said kiss me,” she spoke with heated passion.

  He licked his lips one more time before pressing them to hers. The touch of his lips elicited a moan from her. She melted into him, turning slightly for better access. Goose bumps broke out on her arms and shivers rippled across her belly. If this were a movie, fireworks would explode in the air around them.

  Ryder’s tongue darted out, demanding entrance. Without hesitation she opened for him, granting him access to what he sought. His tongue glided alongside hers, tangling and dancing about. His hand held the back of her head, holding her in place.

  Cassie sat up slowly, without breaking their kiss, and seductively crawled on top of his lap. Her slow rocking movements brought his free hand up to her waist. Sweat beaded on his upper lip and forehead. This was definitely the most intense kiss he had ever had.

  Ryder was the first to pull away, surprising Cassie. Breathing heavily he said, “I can’t believe I’m going to say this but,” he paused, unsure how to word what he needed to sa
y. “I think we should slow this down a bit.”

  Stunned, Cassie removed herself from his lap. He had been attempting to get her into his bed just the other night, was known as the womanizing rock star, and now he wanted to slow things down? Was it her? Now that he had her, he didn’t want her? A horrific pain stabbed at her heart. She turned her head so he wouldn’t see the humiliation and hurt on her face.

  She placed her cool hands on her cheeks hoping to ease the burning redness. Tears sprang forth and she blew out a long breath to keep from crying. There was no way she was going to make an idiot out of herself. Not tonight and not with him.

  If she so much as blinked, these darn tears would fall. She stood and left the room quietly. As soon as she was out of sight she wiped at her eyes, angry with herself for letting her heart lead her when she should have been listening to what her brain had been instructing her to do.

  This was exactly the reaction Ryder wanted to avoid. What he should have done was stopped their kiss before it went that far. Heck, he wasn’t one hundred percent sure that slowing things down was the best decision. It certainly wasn’t what he wanted.

  What he had wanted was to continue their kissing, eventually ending up in her bed. It had been there at the last minute when his brain took over and he ended their heated kiss. The reasoning behind this decision was not to push her away. No, it was actually to protect what they have going on in this budding relationship.

  He stood. Should he go to her? He started to go but stopped. He took another step only to stop again. Running his hands through his hair, he wished he had one of those magic eight balls to answer all of his questions.

  Just as he decided to throw caution to the wind and go to her, she stepped into the room. A saddened look on her face showed the pain his statement had caused. When her hormones had time to settle, she’d thank him for stopping their passion before they rushed into old habits. The only evidence that she’d even shed a tear was the small mascara streak by her left eye.

  “Cass, I…” he began but was cut off by her holding up a hand.

  “I’m really tired.” She faked a yawn. “I think we should just say good night. I’ll see you tomorrow. Okay?”

  Ryder had plenty of time to kill before Cassie got off of work. He drove to the music store downtown. He needed new strings for his guitar. The building wasn’t large but they had a nice selection of instruments.

  He strolled to the guitar section and browsed for a bit. In the far corner he found a small boy, about seven or eight years old, admiring the acoustic guitars. “Hey there.”

  “Hi,” the boy said barely glancing in his direction.

  “Do you play?” He figured that he didn’t own one judging by the way the kid was nearly drooling on himself admiring them.

  “No, but someday I’m going to be a rock star.” The excitement in the little boy reminded Ryder so much of himself when he was younger.

  He smiled at the boy’s enthusiasm. “I bet you’ll make a great rock star.”

  This time the boy did look at Ryder, a smile spread from ear to ear. “You really think so?”

  “Yeah, I do. You want to know why?” The boy nodded his head. “Because you remind me so much of myself when I was your age.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes,” Ryder answered, kneeling down to the boy’s eye level.

  “Wow, are you a rock star?” He looked Ryder over. “You look like a rock star.” The boy was in awe of the man standing in front of him.

  “Yes, I am.” Ryder pulled out his cell phone, scrolled through his music player until his album appeared. He showed the boy the list of songs and pointed to the cover art above. “See that picture of this album?”

  The boy leaned closer for a better look. “Yeah.” He pointed to one of the four men on the photo. “Hey, that’s you.”

  “That’s right. I’m Ryder Hanson,” he said with a wide smile.

  The boy’s excitement grew. This would be something he could tell his friends about. “Really?”

  Ryder nodded. “What’s your name?”

  The boy stood straight. “I’m Lucas.”

  “Well Lucas, how about I show you a cord or two?” Ryder picked up an acoustic guitar, strummed the strings and crinkled his brows. “Hear that?” Lucas nodded. “It needs tuned in a bad way.”

  He plucked the strings, making adjustments as needed. When he was finished, he strummed the strings again. Much better. He sat the guitar on the boy’s lap. “See these? Those are what you call a fret.”

  He helped Lucas with his fingers. “Now strum the strings with the other hand.” Ryder helped him hold his fingers in place.

  Lucas used his thumb like Ryder showed him and strummed the strings. “That was awesome.”

  “You, little man, just played a G chord.” Ryder put the guitar back on the rack and looked around. In the corner was a Yamaha. He picked it up, tuned it, and strummed a few chords.

  Lucas stared in awe of the man in front of him. “Wow, you’re good.”

  Ryder laughed. “So, do you have a guitar at home?”

  “No.” The boy’s shoulders fell. “Momma doesn’t know how to play anything at all.”

  Ryder noticed the change in the boy’s attitude. “Speaking of your momma, is she with you?”

  “No, I’m with my grandpa. He had to pick up some groceries next door and let me come here.” Lucas watched Ryder finger the strings, his eyes brightening.

  “Do you come here often?” Ryder saw the fire in the boy’s eyes every time he looked at the guitar.

  Lucas nodded. “I like to look. Grandpa usually brings me here every weekend. One of these days I’m gonna buy one and learn to play.” He pointed to the guitar in Ryder’s hand.

  “Follow me.” Ryder walked the boy up to the front counter.

  A second later, a graying man appeared. “Something I can do for you?”

  Ryder placed the Yamaha on the counter and pointed to the boy. “I’m buying this for this young man here. We need a good hard case to go with it.”

  “Yes sir.” The graying man disappeared for a moment, returning with a case.

  Ryder paid the bill and handed the boy his new toy. “You take good care of this. You hear me?”

  “Yes sir.” Lucas beamed up at Ryder. “Thank you.”

  “You bet. Now go have a seat and wait for your grandpa.” Ryder waved at the boy and left.

  He had gotten so involved with Lucas that he forgot the reason he stopped there in the first place, new strings. Oh well, tomorrow was another day. He would stop by in the morning and get what he needed.

  He crawled into his car and left to pick up something special for Cassie.

  Cassie opened the front door. Ryder stood on her porch with a silly grin on his face and a hand behind his back. “What do you have?”

  “What makes you think I have something?” he asked with a flirty roll of his eyes. She reached for the hand hidden behind his back. He sidestepped.

  “Come on, you know I hate this game.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Just hand it over.” When he raised an eyebrow she said, “Please.”

  “That’s better.” He stepped closer and handed her a bouquet of flowers. “Hey there, beautiful.” Then he kissed her lips softly.

  “They’re so pretty.” She tugged on his arm, pulling him over the threshold then went to the kitchen for a vase. In the cabinet above the sink she found her purple tinted vase. She filled it with water and set the flowers carefully inside. It had been a long time since she’d had someone bring her flowers, not counting the other day. She set the vase on the countertop and admired it for a moment. “You thirsty?”

  “Yeah,” he answered from the other room.

  She poured two glasses of iced tea dropping a slice of lemon into each glass. When she entered the living room Ryder was sitting on the sofa, thumbing through one of her novels. He saw her approach and closed the book.

  She glanced at the cover and groaned internally. Heat rushed i
nto her face. Ryder chuckled and she turned her head away. Could things possibly get any more embarrassing? She couldn’t believe that he’d actually chuckle at her. Mortified, she handed him a glass and reached for the book.

  “Someone’s a naughty girl,” he teased. He thumbed through the pages and then handed her the book, opened to a really steamy scene.

  “You weren’t supposed to see that.” She glanced down at the page he had opened it to. She could feel the heat in her neck and face burning hotter, darkening the blush. “Just pretend that you didn’t see that.”

  He chuckled, yet again, and drank his tea. “See what?”

  “Good boy.” She hid the book at the back of her bookshelf on the very top. She ignored the smirk on his face as she made her way to the sofa. The glass was starting to make her hands cold. She set it down on the coffee table. “I think it’s time we talk.”

  “I agree.” He turned so that he was facing her. She had grown more beautiful in her adult years. He kissed her lips, her nose, and her forehead. “I love you.”

  A tear escaped her eye, streaming down her cheek and dripping to the collar of her shirt. “You shouldn’t say stuff like that.”

  A confused look crossed his eyes. “But it’s the truth.”

  “It was also the truth years ago but that didn’t stop you from leaving me.” Now a steady stream of tears ran from both eyes. This was harder than she thought it would be but they needed to have this discussion.

  He wiped at her tears and tilted her head so that he could look into her beautiful blue eyes. “I do love you.”

  “But don’t say it. This is hard enough without the L word. I can’t go through that kind of pain again.” She wiped her runny nose on the inside collar of her shirt. “Allie told me about the call from your manager. They want you back next week to record the next album and plan the tour.”

  Now he was getting somewhere. All of her earlier weirdness was starting to make sense. “Yes, he did.”

  “So don’t say that you love me.” It was getting harder by the minute to talk. Her emotions were running out of control. “Last time,” she sniffled, “you just left me.”