Only With You (27 page)

Damn, I hadn’t thought of that.

“Yeah, probably. I really don’t w
ant to make Dillon look bad, especially after the negative press of him fighting with Meredith, his girlfriend. If I don’t go, then I’m sure more rumors will fly.”

“Then we’ll go,” he offered, and I really wanted to hug him.

“You’re sure?”

It was such a
departure from his angry demeanor from the night before.

“Yeah, I’m good with it. It’ll be a group of people, so it won’t be so awkward.
And it won’t be at a club, so I won’t hate it. But just know that you’re going home with me.”

I laughed. “There’s no one else I’d rather go home with.”

“Good answer,” he said, beaming at me.

Damn, with the way we were acting, it was a wondering everyone at the shoot couldn’t see right through us. I could imagine how obviously in love we looked. I knew it was radiating off of
me, and I could see it coming off of Ryder in waves too. We’d be lucky if people didn’t figure us out before it was okay to tell them.

* * *

That night while I was at the signing for my fans, Ryder was back at the hotel suite getting things ready for our date. When we’d parted ways after the photo shoot, he’d had a gleam in his eye that made me wonder what he had planned. He’d been talking to Elisa during most of the afternoon, and something told me it had to do with him wanting to make things perfect.

I was over-the-top excited, and
I would venture to guess that my mood made the meet-and-greet more exciting for my fans. From what I’d been told, they’d been lined up since the night before, and we’d had to turn people away. I’d only be signing autographs for an hour and a half, so that limited the amount of people I could meet. I hated to do it, but I also knew that if we didn’t put any parameters around the event, I could be there for nine hours with a cramped hand when it was all said and done.

As the event wound down, I started to get even more
anxious, and I was sure my smile was wider than usual as I said hello to the three middle-school aged girls who were standing in front of me.

“
We’re going to the Westside concert tonight,” one of them said, her braces gleaming when she smiled widely.

“Are you? That’ll be fun,” I said as I signed a poster she’d brought with her.

“You’re going, right?” her friend asked, and I looked up and met her gaze.

“Definitely. I wouldn’t miss it.”

The three girls beamed at me. “We just love that you’re dating Dillon. You guys are like the perfect couple,” the first girl said, and her friends nodded vigorously.

Oh man, they were going to be
so disappointed in a few weeks.

“He’s
, like, so hot,” the third girl gushed.

I smiled at them, not sure how to respond. Dillon was way too old for them, but I remembered being in middle school and dreaming about what it would be like to kiss Justin Timberlake, so I didn’t really have any room to talk.

“It was so nice to meet you guys,” I said when I’d finished signing the things they’d brought. One of my handlers started to guide them away from the table. “Have fun at the concert tonight.”

Th
ey grinned at me. “Kiss Dillon for us,” one of them said, and I just shook my head.

“You guys are too much,” I said as I waved goodbye to them.

As soon as I finished with the meet-and-greet, Elisa, who was the point person for the event, along with my security team, hustled me out a back entrance and into a waiting car. I rode back to the hotel with just Bert and Pablo since Elisa had to stay and wrap things up at the venue. I told her I’d see her later that night after the concert.

Then I texted Ryder to let him know I was on my way. He sent back a happy face and told me to knock and not use my key. Thankfully I didn’t need to change. I was wearing a gray strapless dress that was casual, but it had a little sparkle to it that made it sexy and nighttime appropriate.

Pausing outside my hotel suite forty-five minutes later, because the traffic had been a complete bitch getting back uptown, I smiled and knocked. I looked back at Pablo who was standing by the elevator. Either he or Bert would be there whenever I was in my suite. I used to wonder if they got bored, but whenever I asked, they told me no. I figured it was just part of their job standing stock still and waiting for something that would, hopefully, never happen.

My stomach made a little flip, as I heard the door
opening, and I turned my attention back to it. Then standing before me was Ryder dressed in jeans, a white t-shirt and a black blazer, and looking hot as hell. He grinned widely at me, as he reached out his hand and pulled me into the suite, closing the door behind me.

He pulled me into a kiss, his arms wrapping protectively around me, his familiar scent washing over me. I inhaled deeply as I ran my hands up to his shoulders.

“Hi,” he said, pulling back to look at me.

I pouted and tried to pull him back for another kiss, but he just shook his head. “If we get started, you know we won’t stop, and the wonderful dinner that’s waiting for you out on the terrace will get cold.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “The terrace?”

Our suite had an amazing brick terrace that allowed us to have privacy but still be outside. A part of me felt like eating out there might just be better than going to a restaurant. It definitely had the potential to be more romantic.

“Yeah,” he said, smirking at me. “Come see.”

He led me through the suite to the terrace and my jaw fell open. In the time I’d been gone, he’d strung lights through the trees in each corner, and he’d set up a table in the middle with
candles and flowers. A covered dish sat at each place setting. Soft music that sounded like Jack Johnson was playing from his iPod that was sitting next to a bucket of champagne to the right of the table.

I looked up at
him. “Do you know how many times I’ve dreamed of having dinner on a rooftop? No one has ever done something like this before. This is amazing, Ry.”

He smiled. “Apparently, you’ve just been dating the wrong guys.”

“Obviously,” I agreed, making him laugh.

“Come sit,” he said, tugging on my hand.

Then he pulled out my chair for me and walked around the table to sit across from me.

“I don’t want you to leave,” I blurted out then, realizing how at home I felt with him.

And he’d only been with me for three days. Just the thought of him leaving in a week had my stomach suddenly in knots.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he said, obviously not getting where my head was at.

“But you will in a few days.”

He reached across the table and took my hand like he’d been talking about doing earlier in the day. “I know, and
it’s seven days. I’m not looking forward to it either, but it is what it is.”

“I know. I’ll miss you.”

He chuckled. “Don’t miss me yet. I’m still here. And it’ll only be six weeks until I can visit again.”

“Six weeks!” I groaned. “That’s practically a lifetime.”

He shook his head. “Such a diva.”

“Hey! Not cool.”

He just grinned at me. “We’ll talk every day. We can Face Time. We’ll make it work.”

He was trying to be so positive, and I loved him for it.

“I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get all heavy and ruin the night. This is a really nice thing you did,” I said, trying to smooth things over. “I had no idea you were so romantic.”

He squeezed my hand. “I never have been before, but I like doing things that make you smile. I just want you to be happy, Syd.”

My eyes filled with happy tears, and I used the hand that wasn’t holding his to fan them away. “You make me happy just by being here and being you,” I told him. Then I froze and looked away for a second.

“What’s wrong?” Ryder asked, picking up on the shift in my demeanor.

I looked back at him, and he was watching me closely. Then understanding dawned on his face. He’d seen that look before. He let go of my hand and walked into the suite, returning seconds later with my notebook and a pen.

“Here, write it down before you forget.”

I shook my head, setting the notebook down next to my plate. “No, it’s okay. I can do it later.”

Damn, but the melody was already forming in my mind, and I heard what could be the opening lines.

“Write it down, Syd,” he encouraged.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Trust me. I know how your brain works, and when a song idea hits you, if you don’t get it written down, the lyrics are going to torture you until you do.”

He was so right. “Okay. Just give me a minute.”

“Gladly.”

Then he leaned forward to see what I was writing. I covered my notebook with my hand.

“No peaking,” I chastised him.

“Just tell me. Is it about me?
Are you going to call it
Ryder is Awesome
?”

I looked up at him through my lashes and met his expectant gaze. Then I nodded.

“Yes!” he said, punching the air with his fist. “Finally!”

“
Hey, don’t get too excited. It’s about you, but I’m not using that title.”

“It’s a good title.”

“Ha! Yeah right. I might use your name in the title, but that’s it,” I said, shrugging

He smiled. “I’d be amendable to that.”

“Hey what did you mean by finally?” I asked a few seconds later, as I looked up from my notebook.

He ginned at me.
“Well, you write all these songs about the guys in your life, but you’ve never written one about me. I’m just glad to join the club.”

“I’ve written songs about you,” I told him, not meeting his gaze.

“You have?”

“Yeah, I have.”

“Which ones?” he asked eagerly, and I looked up to see him leaning forward on his elbows.

“Some you’ve never heard, especially ones I wrote in the past six months, but
Only With You
is about you.”

He looked stunned for a few seconds. “No, it’s not.”

“Yeah, it is. I wrote it about us, about our friendship.”

“But it’s a love song,” he reminded me.

“Yeah, I know. I thought about that recently, which sort of made me realize that I probably had feelings for you long before I admitted them to myself. I didn’t want to think about you in that way since I knew I couldn’t have you, but on some subconscious level, I think you were the guy I always wanted.”

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 real
ly 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, an
d 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 ex
claim. “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 f
igured 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.