He nodded, pushing open the door. “I don’t think it will be a problem. One of the perks of being a rock star, baby. Phoebe’s race? You ready to watch the hellion in her prime zone? Chick is scary as fuck.” He was dead serious, which only made me laugh harder.
We were all separated outside, the fairy lights illuminating the pool and outdoor patio next to the entertainment area. It was beautiful out here. I think it was my favorite place out of the whole house. Flicking my feet through the water and sipping on my glass of wine, Phoebe came to take a seat next to me, with Indie on her tail.
“Hey!” She kicked off her flip-flops.
“Hey,” I answered both of them, tying my long hair into a messy knot on the top of my head. It was dark out, but the neon lights gleaming from inside the pool, and the fairy lights that were hanging over the trees, lit up the area like a beacon. The guys were all sitting around the outdoor table on the patio, laughing together, and my heart swelled. The last time I had this pictured, Becca would have been there in the middle of them all. I looked to Indie, who was watching me closely. She nodded her head in understanding and pulled me under her arm. “She will be happy, wherever she is. You know that, right?”
I nodded to Indie before smiling at Phoebe. “I’m so glad Ryder found someone who can bring his not-so-boring side out.”
She laughed, taking a sip of her drink. “I like to bring out a lot more than that.” She winked, removing her cover-up and tying her hair into a high ponytail before diving into the pool. Her head popped out, and she wiped the water from her face. “Come on, girls.” She nudged her head and I looked down to the sundress I was wearing, which was covering my pastel pink strapless bikini, which, by the way, showed a little less than the average bikini. Glancing at the table, I noticed all the boys distracted with their banter, so I shrugged, dusting off my dress.
I looked at Indie. “Get in the pool.”
She smiled. “Don’t have to tell me twice.”
The guys’ conversation got a little louder, and Phoebe looked toward the door briefly before looking back at Indie and me. “Come on, hurry up.”
Indie shimmied out of her dress and dove into the pool in her blood red skimpy bikini. She looked damn fine too; it wasn’t fair. The girl ate way too many donuts to be that toned.
I laughed, pulling the straps down on my dress and looking at Phoebe. “All right, since you asked so nicely.” I dropped the dress off my body and bent over to pick it up off the concrete floor, throwing it toward the sun chairs that sat on the edge of the grass. When I turned back around to dive in the pool, all the guys had stopped talking and all their eyes were on me.
I sighed. “What are you all doing? It’s not like any of you idiots haven’t seen my body before. Aside from Rellik,” I whispered absently, before continuing, “and the biker who is standing there.” I quickly dove into the pool, kicking off the ground and resurfacing to the top of the water, wiping off my face. I smiled at Phoebe, who had a mischievous smirk on her face, while Indie sipped her drink on the edge of the pool with a knowing glint in her eye and a grin playing on the corner of her mouth.
“What?” I asked them both, at the exact moment arms wrapped around my waist from behind and twisted my body in his arms.
“Ryker!” I scolded him, resting my hands on his hard shoulders. “You scared the shit out of me.”
He was wearing his board shorts with no shirt on and a cap flipped backwards. He ran his tongue over his lip ring, pulling my face to his and biting down on my ear, which sent a flash of electricity zooming straight between my thighs. “Don’t tease me, princess. I’m not a little boy anymore. I will destroy you in seconds.” My eyes widened and he laughed, spinning me back around so my back was to his front and pulled me in closer to his hard body.
“Relax,” his husky whisper growled into my ear. “I’ll follow your rules.” His smile pressed against my shoulder blade and my eyes slowly shut. “For now,” he ended. I pulled my lip into my mouth, biting down in an attempt to control my raging hormones. Peeling my eyes open, I found Indie chuckling to herself in the corner, waggling her eyebrows. I rolled my eyes and turned in Ryker’s grip to face him again, wrapping my arms around his neck. His gaze dropped to my lips before coming back to my eyes. I tilted my head and smiled. “I’m not a little girl anymore either, Ryker. You may have been my first, but you weren’t my only.”
His arm tightened around my waist, pulling me into him more before he reached down, gripping his hands around my thighs. I followed his lead, wrapping my legs around his waist. His jaw clenched, though I could see the smile in his eyes. “You done playing hard to get?”
I shrugged, ignoring the flight of butterflies that had been released in my stomach. Every touch he skimmed over me left a trail of fire in its wake. Our chemistry was still uncontrollable, and as much as I was going to fight him at his every turn—because we both needed it, the pull—in this very second, I felt like letting go.
I dropped my head down, gently skimming my lips over his, my heart beating rapidly in my chest. “Maybe I’ll play,” I whispered against his lips, and before I could blink, his hand was wrapped around the back of my neck, pulling my lips to his. His kisses were still the same: demanding, dominant, and compelling. All without being too much. I raked my hands through his hair, pulling him into my lips more as I ran my tongue across his. A light moan slipped from my lips when he pulled my bottom one into his mouth and he stilled, his hard bulge pressing up against my entrance that—thankfully—was covered by my bikini bottoms.
I pulled back and smiled. “That was some kiss. Not bad.”
His eyes narrowed before he chuckled. “Remember what happened last time you said that, princess? You couldn’t walk for days.”
Shaking my head, I laughed while untangling myself from him. “That was from spraining my ankle.”
He scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, sure.”
I smiled, swimming away from him and running my hands through the water until I reached the other end of the pool where Indie was. She handed me my drink with a smile. “What was that?” Her bright red hair was tied into a bow knot on the top of her head. Indie looked the same, only older, not sure wiser though. She was still a party animal and could drink anyone under the table. She had a tattooed sleeve on her left arm that had a bit to do with us growing up and a lot to do with Becca. All the colors were woven around to a pin-up girl on her upper arm. She had a few other tattoos scattered over herself too, including two bows that sat under her ass cheeks, on each upper thigh. All that ink on a body that was chiseled for a goddess? Yeah, Indie was still the queen.
“That was… I’m not sure what I’m doing. He wants to come back to Hollywood and help me clean out the apartment though.”
“That a good idea?” she asked, with a cocked brow.
“Continue,” I said, pushing my drink around in my glass with my straw, and running my eyes over Ryker, who was now out of the pool and walking his sinful body back to the guys. I tilted my head, pulling the straw into my mouth while taking a large sip of my gin and tonic. Indie’s voice came back into earshot as she slapped my shoulder and laughed. “Bry!” She followed my stare and smiled. “Nothing much has changed there then, only he got bigger.”
“Mmmm,” I answered, still watching him. When he turned and saw me looking, he winked at me with a knowing smile. Damn it. “Sorry. You were saying that him coming was a bad idea?”
She laughed. “Him coming is definitely not a bad idea, as long as it’s down your throat.”
“Indie!”
“Okay, sorry, you gave that one to me on a silver platter. I just don’t know if that’s a good idea considering the circumstances surrounding Todd. It would be more low-key if we go back and take Nikos.”
As much as I wanted Ryker to come with us, she made a valid point. He had been through enough.
“Do you have to testify?” Indie asked, peering down at me. “For, you know, what Todd did to you being the reason for Ryker
and him getting into it.”
“I don’t know. I don’t think so. Dad made me take pictures of the bruises on my thighs the night they took Ryker in. He said it makes a good case, because the bruising was already discoloring a little, showing the age. That, and when you check the properties of a photo, it will show you the exact date we took it.”
I guess I didn’t put too much thought into whether or not I’d have to testify. Of course I would if I had to; I’d do whatever I could to help the case. I needed to tell Ryker he needs to stay here while I go back, so I placed my drink on the concrete and pushed myself out of the pool. Standing, I picked my drink back up and my brain spun out, the trees whirling around me.
I looked down to Indie and laughed. “What the hell did she put in these drinks?”
Indie shrugged. “Absinthe.”
“Of course she did.”
I began walking toward the table where all the guys were, picking up my dress on the way and squeezing the excess water out of my hair. Ryker’s jaw flexed, his eyes scanning over my body while he sat back in his chair with his legs spread out. He smiled slowly as I slipped the dress over my head and took a seat next to Leo. Leo’s golden blond hair had grown a little longer than it was when we were teenagers. He wore it in a man bun nowadays, and his tanned skin still accentuated his bright blue eyes. His beard sat prominent on his face too. Leo was hot. Becca would be kicking herself from wherever she is, no doubt.
“Hey, princess,” Leo mumbled, shifting over for me.
“Hey.”
“You okay?” he asked, with one eyebrow raised, and I chuckled.
“I’m okay.”
“Princess, meet Frost. He was inside with me,” Ryker said, gesturing toward the biker who was sitting next to him. He was massive, had dirty blond hair, and had a rough exterior to what I’m assuming was a young face. When he smirked, I almost blushed. Under all that serious façade he was pretty handsome.
I smiled. “Nice to meet you, and the names Bryleigh, not Princess. These idiots have obviously forgotten I can play ball better than them.”
“You play ball?” Frost and Rellik both asked in shock.
I shrugged casually. “I’m not bad, I guess, but I haven’t played in a while.”
Ryker pipped in, “Her dad was supposed to get drafted when he was younger to play for the NBA. He chose the political road instead. He coached us on the side when we were at school too.”
Rellik smiled. “And I’m curious. How’d you get the nickname princess?”
I looked pointedly at Ryker. “How do you think?”
Rellik laughed slightly just as Phoebe walked back outside, dropping her phone onto the table and taking a seat on Ryder’s lap.
“You okay, baby?” he asked her.
I pulled my eyes away from their private conversation.
“Yeah, that was Nettie. She’s coming to the race tomorrow.”
Rellik’s head snapped to Phoebe. “She’s coming?”
Phoebe narrowed her eyes. “Yes. And you’re to stay ten feet away from her or I will fuck you up. Capiche?”
Frost threw his head back and laughed. “You’re definitely Blake’s sister.”
Rellik chuckled, shaking his head around the rim of his beer. “Oh, she’s not only Blake’s sister. She’s a sister to all of them.”
Frost laughed again. “Good luck then, Ryder.”
Indie came up to the table, squeezing the excess water from her hair. “Hey, move over.”
I moved my chair over so she could take a seat next to me. She laughed, pulling her eyes away from mine slowly aaand… there we go; she’d noticed the biker.
Her head cocked to the side. “Hi. I’m Indie.”
I groaned under my breath, looking at Leo for help. His jaw clenched tightly before he shrugged and picked up his drink.
“Frost,” he answered her, keeping his eyes on hers.
“Frost? Why Frost?” She asked.
He laughed, leaning forward. “If I told you that, I’d have to either kill you, or make you my old lady.” He winked, picking up his drink and throwing it back.
That piqued Indie’s interest and I groaned again, this time looking at Ryker with pleading eyes. He laughed at my expression and shrugged. These men were useless. As long as their exchange was out in public, what’s the worst that could happen? Indie and her smartass mouth would probably get her into trouble no doubt, but hopefully Leo would keep an eye on her.
I pushed up from my seat and picked up my phone. “I’ll see you in the morning.” I kissed the top of Indie’s head and began walking through the doors that led into the sitting room before hitting the stairs that went to the second level. Walking into the master bedroom, I dropped my phone onto the bed and pulled the Guns N’ Roses shirt out, slipping into the bathroom. Locking the door—then checking multiple times that it was indeed locked—I pressed on the little Siri box to turn on the shower and washed up in record time.
Wrapping the towel around my body, I quickly searched for my shirt through the thick condensation that was filling the room. Wiping the mirror with the towel, I pulled my hair down from the bun I had on the top of my head and began drying my body. My cheeks were red from the scrubbing, and my muscles throbbed from the relaxing trickles of hot water. Slipping on my boy shorts and my shirt, I placed the towel in the washing basket before pulling open the door. Stepping out, the cold air zapped over me, causing shivers to break out over my flesh.
Ryker’s head was cocked as he ran his eyes over every inch of my body. “You kept the shirt?” he asked, shock evident in his tone, but his smirk proved he was also impressed.
I nodded, walking toward the bed and sinking down on my back next to him. “I did.” I turned my head to him before propping up on my side and resting my head on my hand.
“You need to stay here when Indie and I go back.” Here goes.
“No. Not happening.”
“Ryker—”
“No, I’m serious. I’m not letting you go through that shit on your own.”
Sighing, I shuffled words around in my head. “You can’t come, because you will attract more attention. We can take Nikos. I have a life back there, and although I don’t want to go back, reality is slowly seeping back in and I need to figure out what I’m doing. I’m thinking of going back to the manor until I figure out the rest.”
“Back to San Diego?” he asked, his arms that were resting under his head flexing in his sudden movement.
My eyes flicked back to his. I nodded my head. “Yeah. Do you know when your trial is starting?”
“Next week. It’s looking good though. You won’t even have to testify, because that’s not what they’re trying to prove. Patricia said I’ll get charged with voluntary manslaughter, but because she’s Patricia Louis, I will more than likely walk away with probation and probably have to attend anger management classes, and I won’t be able to leave the state for two years.”
“Shit,” I whispered, wiping my forehead with my hand. “He wasn’t worth all this.”
Ryker wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me on top so I was straddling him. “You make it worth it. We weren’t planning any tours for a couple years anyway. We’re working on an album right now.”
“Really?” I asked, intrigued.
He raised his eyebrows with a smirk. “Yep.”
“Can I hear something?” I always loved hearing Ryker play and sing.
He laughed, shaking his head. “No, you can wait.” I pouted and his eyes narrowed. “Don’t pout, baby.”
Flinging my leg off him, I pulled the covers back and climbed in-between the cotton sheets. “Stay on your side.”
He laughed. “And if I don’t?”
I paused, trying to find the right words to use but coming up short. Shit.
The morning light beamed through the glass windows and I shoved Ryker’s arm.
“What?” His mumbled, sleep-induced groan was the same as I remembered.
“Shut the curtains.?
?? I ripped the blanket up over my face and he groaned again, pulling them back toward his side.
“Ryker!” I moaned again. “Shut the curtains.”
“You do it.”
My brain hurt from him.
He hurt my brain.
“I don’t know how! It took me an hour to figure out your stupid Siri box in the shower. Get. Up.”
He didn’t move, so with all the strength I could muster, I gripped onto the blanket and began rolling myself up in it. I was in the middle of laughing when the bed disappeared from under me and I dropped to the floor with a plonk. Luckily I was wrapped like a burrito inside the blanket.
“Fuck.” Ryker shot off the bed and looked down at me from above. “You okay?”
I clawed at the top of the burrito-rolled blanket, pushing it down so my eyes popped out from underneath. I nodded silently, trying to get past how he could look so damn good literally two seconds after waking. His short hair was a mess, his tattoo-covered muscles tensed at every movement, and, fuck, he was only wearing his white Calvin Klein briefs. I was doomed.
His smile widened. “Stop checking me out.”
My cheeks reddened from under the covers as he climbed off the bed, pushing his arms underneath my body, lifting me off the ground, and throwing me back onto the bed. He walked over to the wall, flipping open a little box that sat discreetly beside the windows before pushing a button, and the blinds dropped over the windows. I propped myself up onto my elbows and laughed.
“See? I would have never been able to figure that out.”
He smiled, walking back toward the bed. The room was now dark, with the daylight fighting to shimmer through the blinds. He pulled the covers off me, climbing back into bed, and I paused momentarily at what this might mean. Things between Ryker and me were always smooth and easygoing; it was so easy to slip back into sync with him.
“Ryker?” I asked.
His arm was covering his eyes, the blanket sprawled out over his waist but his impressive body still on full display for me. “Mmm?” he growled, not moving.