Chapter 7
Lexi
I wake up to the magical sound of Ryder strumming on his guitar, playing the introduction to ‘Under the Bridge’, by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I practically swoon when I hear him sing the start of the first verse.
He's so talented, I can’t help but listen in awe until he finishes the song. I'm blown away by this man. When the song finishes, I casually walk out.
“Morning,” I say as I step into the kitchen in search of coffee.
“Morning, darlin’, sorry if I woke you,” he says as he puts his guitar down.
“Are you crazy? I’d love to wake up to that every morning,” I respond, pouring my coffee. I realize how that must have sounded, so I instantly backtrack, “I mean… you are very talented, and…”
“I get it, Lexi,” Ryder interrupts. He stands up and walks over to me, and I gulp at the sight of him bare-chested, wearing nothing but a pair of black boxer shorts. Oh my. The taut lines of his ripped abs are something I’d definitely like to explore with my tongue.
“Is this okay?” he asks huskily as he stands behind me and grips my hips with his fingers, kissing the back of my exposed neck at the same time. I inhale sharply and nod. Oh yes, it's more than okay.
“I had a good time with you last night,” he says.
“So did I,” I instantly proclaim. Ryder laughs silently, his body shaking with the effort.
“I’m glad. Maybe we can do it again. What about tonight?” he asks as he nibbles on the side of my neck. My core instantly tightens in response, and I lean further back into him with an almost desperate moan.
“So responsive,” he murmurs in approval.
“Oh, yuck! Get a room, you two!” Tee huffs as she walks in. Ryder sighs regretfully and steps away. The fact that I instantly miss him annoys and confuses me.
“So are you two dating now or what?” she asks bluntly. Ryder sighs again, while I blush like crazy.
“Oh, still haven’t had that conversation yet, have you? Awkward.” Tee says cheerfully.
“We've only had one date,” I blurt out. It feels like I’m playing down this weird connection Ryder and I have, but the truth of it is, we’ve only had one official date. I guess hanging out together and getting to know each other in his apartment counts, but still.
I watch as Ryder stares at me, a thoughtful expression on his face.
“So? Its different rules here, you two are currently living together. At least until we find a place,” Tee adds. She slathers butter and vegemite on a piece of toast and takes a huge bite.
I ignore her comments and change the subject. “Are we job hunting today?”
“We don’t need too. Chase rang and offered us jobs at his club. We start this weekend,” she says with a grin.
“Really?” I'm not sure if I want to do bar work again, but something is better than nothing for the time being. I decide to hand out my résumés looking for office work as well.
“Yeah. Awesome having fancy connections, isn’t it?” She grins, before walking out of the kitchen and into the hall. I shake my head.
“Lexi, about before…” Ryder starts.
“Ryder, it’s okay,” I assure him.
“Let’s go out tonight, alright?” he demands more than asks.
“Alright,” I agree.
I just hope I know what I’m getting myself into.
*****
Ryder takes me out to dinner, and then a movie. We’re having a really wonderful night. There's no awkwardness, but I guess living together you get to know people pretty fast. Ryder has been such a gentleman all night, too. Opening doors, pulling out my chair for me, and he's so attentive. It’s such a breath of fresh air to find a man like this. Who doesn’t want a bad boy, tattooed musician who is tough on the outside, but sweet and gentle on the inside? I can only imagine how wild he would be in bed. The thought makes me squeeze my thighs together. The movie comes to an end, and we head out to his truck. He opens my door and holds his hand out to help me in. My heart melts.
“You are so sweet, you know that?” I praise him.
“Are you sure I just don’t want an up close view of your gorgeous ass?” he teases.
I giggle and shake my head. He walks around and gets into the driver’s side.
“I’d love to stay out all night with you, darlin’, but the band is waiting for me, so I gotta drop you off and then head out to play,” he says with an apologetic smile.
“No worries, thank you for taking me out. Your company is exceptional,” I tell him.
“Exceptional? I’ll have to try harder next time,” he says with a chuckle.
We pull into the car park for his apartment and he walks me up the stairs and to the door.
*****
The next night is Tee’s cousin’s birthday. She and Ryder guilt trip me into going, and when I see Ryder is bringing his guitar, I'm definitely intrigued.
“You are just as hot as I was told!” a beautiful dark haired girl beams at me. Her skin is like flawless porcelain, a milky cream color. Her almond shaped dark eyes are twinkling as she takes me in.
“I’m Sasha,” she introduces herself, pulling me in for a hug.
“Nice to meet you, Sasha. Tee has told me so much about you,” I tell her with a warm smile. She's dressed in a red wrap around dress and sandals, and she smells like peaches.
“Oh, I bet she has,” she smirks. “Okay, I want to thank you for a few things. First of all, thank you for keeping an eye on my cousin while she was overseas. We all felt better knowing she always had someone with her. Also, I’m loving the fact that Ryder can’t keep his eyes off of you. He deserves a good woman, and from what I've heard about you, you're the best. Tee has good judgment, if she likes you so much then you must be awesome!” she says, her words rushed.
“Um, you’re welcome?” I say awkwardly.
“Oh, you are just adorable,” she muses to herself.
“Sasha, leave her alone,” Ryder says in an amused tone. He walks up to Sasha and wraps his arm around her shoulder affectionately.
“You can’t hog her, Ryder!” Sasha huffs. Tee walks over and jumps on Ryder’s back. “What’s going on here, people?” she calls out cheerfully. Jet walks over, shaking his head at his cousin’s antics. I had awkwardly wished him happy birthday earlier, which was weird seeing as I've never met him before. He's a total sweetheart though, and instantly made me feel welcome. Jet, the youngest in Ryder's band, turns twenty-two today. The other band members aren’t here though; they're having a separate celebration for Jet tonight, and this is only for family.
Jet’s father Finn walks over and leans his arm on Jet’s shoulder. If Finn is any indication to go by, Jet will remain a handsome man throughout his life, even in older age. Finn looks at Jet with such affection, such love. Tee told me Finn’s wife Elena refused to come tonight because of some kind of family drama. I find myself feeling slightly protective of Jet, although I have no idea why. I blush when I notice Jet blatantly checking me out, and staring at my chest rather than my face. Ryder notices and elbows Jet in the stomach.
“At least be subtle, son,” Finn adds with a chuckle.
“Dad!” Jet chastises, his face looking slightly flushed. Finn just grins, unrepentant. Jet’s dad is really lovable. I meet Ryder’s parents who are both lovely. Ryder is a spitting image of his father, with his chocolate brown hair and soulful gray eyes. I notice Ryder’s mother watching me thoughtfully, but Tee comes and grabs me before I can ponder it further.
“You alright? We’re a lot to take in. And half the family isn’t even here, my parents included,” Tee says dryly.
“I’m fine, your family is wonderful, Tee,” I tell her honestly. She just huffs in return. We both pile our plates high with delicious food, and sit down to enjoy our meal. Sasha and Ryder join us.
“You okay, Lexi?” Ryder asks me.
“I’m fine, you guys don’t need to worry about me,” I tell them with a chuckle. I take a huge bite of banana bread and groan, it tastes really good. I notice Ryder’s eyes are on me, watching my every movement. I purposely nibble in the bottom corner of my lip, my lip twitching when I see his eyes narrow heatedly.
“Oh my god! The sexual tension between the two of them is intense!” Sasha announces loudly. I cringe, and put down my slice.
“Try living with the two of them!” Tee says, taking a bite of her own food. I watch as Ryder palms his face in exasperation.
“Yeah, why didn’t you come stay with me, Tee?” Sasha pouts. Tee stares at her, passing a silent message between them, before both of them burst out laughing.
“Good call,” Sasha says suddenly, and then they both start laughing again.
Ryder shrugs. “Just smile and nod, Lexi, that’s what I usually do.”
One of Ryder’s little cousins comes running to him and sits on his lap. She must be about five, with a mop of dark curls and wide curious eyes.
“Hey, Kiara, how are you doing, baby girl?” Ryder asks her gently.
“I’m hungry, Ry,” she pouts.
“Here, love, eat some of my food,” Ryder tells her, passing her some from his plate. I’ve noticed that most of Ryder’s cousins are female; it must really drive him insane being as protective as he is. I purse my lips to stop myself from grinning and continue to watch Ryder treat this little girl like a princess. Tee and Sasha are both watching me knowingly. Tee looks thoughtful, and Sasha gives me a thumbs up. I shake my head at them and continue to enjoy my food.
About an hour later, Ryder pulls out his guitar, and I watch as he sings different songs with different family members. There is so much talent in his family, it’s insane. I love the fact that music brings them together, makes them closer. When I see Ryder staring at me, a question in his eyes, I quickly shake my head no. I’m not going to sing in front of all these people. Ryder nods back at me, respecting my choice.
I sit back and enjoy the music.
*****
“This is the perfect apartment!” I all but squeal at Tee. I love it. It’s modern, in a great neighbourhood, and fully furnished. The rent is a little steep, but considering all the other places we've seen, we could care less. The apartment has all white walls with one red feature wall, and all the tabletops are black marble. I love my bathroom, with its bright yellow walls and a huge bathtub. The lounge room has plush black carpet, and a comfy looking red leather couch. It’s just... us.
They tell us the apartment will be ours in three days, and we can’t wait. We head out to a bar for a few drinks to celebrate. The closest bar happens to be, from the looks of things, a biker bar. We walk in and eye the battered red leather stools and the old pool tables. We both glance at each other and shrug, hell, we’ve been to worse places. We take a seat and Tee orders two tequila shots and two vodka sunrises. What can I say, the girl knows what I like. I see Tee eyeing a cute guy, who kind of looks like Jax Teller from Sons of Anarchy. I can’t blame her, the man is fine. No way near as sexy as Ryder, but sexy enough. I nudge Tee when she stares at him without blinking for a few moments.
“Woman! We are not here for that!” I mock chastise. She shakes her head and downs her shot, not bothering with the salt or the lime.
“I know, but come on. That is grade-A ass right there,” she says, giggling. I shake my head at her, downing my own shot. I stick the lime in my mouth, sucking out the bitter goodness. Tee nudges me with her elbow, and I glance over to see why. Jax Teller is walking over to us; a grin on his masculine, perfect face, his blue eyes twinkling. He takes a seat next to Tee and gives us both a smile. Tee turns on her charm, giving him a flirty smile.
“What are you two doing at a bar like this?” he asks, signalling the bartender for another drink. The bartender walks over and pours him what looks like a scotch.
Tee frowns. “What the hell kind of a pick-up line is that?” she blurts out. Jax Teller laughs, his whole body shaking with the effort.
“I heard you were feisty,” he says, approval in his tone. He looks over at me.
“And you must be the lovely Lexi,” he says, nodding his head in greeting.
“I’m afraid you have us at a disadvantage,” I reply, earning me another laugh.
“I’m Kade. It’s funny you picked this bar, this is my bar. I’m here all the time,” he states.
“Wait,” Tee says, frowning. “Kade, as in…”
“Your new brother in law,” he says, interrupting her sentence. He looks pretty pleased with himself, too.
“How did you know who we were? Stalker much?” Tee huffs at him, turning off her charm, since he's both Chase’s brother, and taken by Nikki.
“You kind of look like Layla, if you squint your eyes and turn your head sideways,” he says to Tee. “Minus the tattoos and piercings, of course, and Layla told me about you, Lexi. Honey colored hair, amber eyes and those lips, wow,” he says to me. I blush, clearing my throat.
“And she's shy! That’s just f*cking adorable,” he says with a deep chuckle. I take a sip of my vodka sunrise. “Can I get you two a drink?” he asks.
“Sure, tequila please,” Tee tells him. Kade orders us two tequila shots.
“How’s Nikki?” Tee asks him. Kade’s eyes brighten. “She’s good. You’ll have to come by and visit us.” The bartender places the shots in front of us, and we both gulp them down.
“We shall,” Tee says, slamming down the shot glass. Kade stands up. “Wanna play some pool? Don’t expect any family treatment, though,” he says, laughing at his own joke.
“You know, Kade, you were so hot until you opened your mouth,” Tee says, rolling her eyes.
“I’ll play a game of pool with you!” I say, standing up. Kade takes in my outfit and frowns.
“Looks like I’m gonna be getting into a couple of fights,” he says under his breath. I glance down at what I’m wearing, denim frayed shorts and a checkered buttoned shirt. Not too slutty, I don’t think. Kade leads us to the table and racks up the balls. It’s not long before the men start to circle.
“Hey, Kade, who are these gorgeous ladies?” a rough looking man asks.
“They’re family,” Kade snaps, the look in his eyes sending a clear message.
“More? F*cking hell. Can I come to your next family function?” the dude says.
Kade ignores him and turns to me. “You wanna break, Lexi?”
“No, you go ahead,” I tell him, standing up and choosing a cue. After Kade breaks I lean over the table to play my shot. When I hear Kade curse, I glance up from my shot. There are a couple of more men staring, watching Tee and me.
“You girls are gonna be the death of me, I swear,” Kade says to himself.
“Why, you scared of a few bikers, bro?” Tee challenges.
Kade smirks. “If I was, I wouldn’t come to this bar, sweetheart. I do have a pool table at home, and I co-own Steele, I could always drink there.”
“Then why do you come here?” I ask curiously.
Kade pins me with his pale blue eyes. “This is my spot,” is all he says.
“You’re weird,” Tee says randomly.
“How about we make a bet?” he asks, his eyes twinkling.
Tee instantly stands up. “We’re in!”
Kade pulls out his phone from his pocket, “I’m gonna call James, he’s gonna love this,” he says, punching the numbers on the touch screen.
*****