Ryder. “Yeah, if that works out for you, Peri, let me know,” he added, “Our manager tried for years and before we fired his ass. He never did quite manage it.”
The group caught an elevator to their floor and went to their rooms. They didn’t have much time to kill before Peri’s first reminder text would come through.
When Peri opened her door, she heard the shower going again. She couldn’t imagine why Ryan hadn’t gone back to his room. She sat down at the small café-style table and pulled out her phone to check email. The shower turned off, the door opened and out walked a very naked guitar player.
“Whoa! What the hell, Ryan? This is not your room! Put on some damn clothes, please.” Peri really couldn’t help but stare. She knew after getting a closer look last night that his sculpted body was to die for. His legs were long and lean, just a perfect amount of muscle tone. His abs were enticing, cut to perfection, and begging for a lick. His pecs beautifully painted in symmetrical tats. Before the view caused her an embarrassing drool problem, she made herself turn away but not before he spun around to give her a view of his perfect ass. My God , she thought, Did he have to have an ass that was made to sink heels into?
“Oh, shit! Sorry Peri. I didn’t know you were back. I left my clothes out here.” His voice sounded strange.
Finally joining her at the table, he stared at her before she looked up. “What?”
“Uh, why am I in your room and not my own?”
“It’s obviously not what you think, Ryan. Carter dumped you on my couch last night because you were making a nuisance of yourself at the bar. They were afraid you were going to need help, so he brought you here for me to babysit. When you started barfing, you made a huge mess all over your clothes, so I put you in the shower and sort of undressed you. When I turned on the cold water, you came alive some, and I left you there to get yourself cleaned up.”
“Yeah, but I woke up in your bed?”
She looked up and saw the sheepish look on his face knowing he had no idea what went on once he was dumped in her room. “Yeah, when I woke up, you were asleep on the other pillow in that king-sized bed. Nothing happened. You were asleep so I left you there. No harm, no foul.” She would never tell him what he’d actually been doing when she woke with his hands on her. As far as she was concerned, no one would ever know.
“I don’t know what to say here, Peri. I’m so sorry you had to deal with my dumb ass. I thought I could blow this off and move on but it’s a hell of a lot harder than it looks. I’ve never been on the receiving end of a relationship that didn’t work out.”
Peri glared at him, wondering how many times he had been in love. “Oh yeah, Ryan. Broken lots of hearts, have you?”
“Uh, that would be a ‘hell no.’ I mean, I dated girls in my teens, but I’ve never been in love before. Or, at least, I thought I was in love with her. Now, I don’t know,” he confessed, looking away.
“It’s going to be fine, Ryan. You’ll get over it and be a stronger person for it. We all need to get our heart broken a few times before we find ‘the one,’ so we know what ‘the one’ is supposed to feel like.”
He turned and looked at her. She’d never seen him like this, so she didn’t know how to read his expression. “So, what about you? Have you found ‘the one’?”
“Apparently not,” she huffed, her tone a bit more melancholy that she intended, not wanting to go there. She avoided meeting his gaze again, even though he was watching her intently, waiting for more. “You should probably take your stuff back to your room or get something to eat. We are heading out for sound check in a bit.”
Peri didn’t like the way Ryan continued to sit for longer than necessary, silently studying her, but she fidgeted with her phone and pretended she didn’t notice, unsure of what he was thinking. She was sure she
The group caught an elevator to their floor and went to their rooms. They didn’t have much time to kill before Peri’s first reminder text would come through.
When Peri opened her door, she heard the shower going again. She couldn’t imagine why Ryan hadn’t gone back to his room. She sat down at the small café-style table and pulled out her phone to check email. The shower turned off, the door opened and out walked a very naked guitar player.
“Whoa! What the hell, Ryan? This is not your room! Put on some damn clothes, please.” Peri really couldn’t help but stare. She knew after getting a closer look last night that his sculpted body was to die for. His legs were long and lean, just a perfect amount of muscle tone. His abs were enticing, cut to perfection, and begging for a lick. His pecs beautifully painted in symmetrical tats. Before the view caused her an embarrassing drool problem, she made herself turn away but not before he spun around to give her a view of his perfect ass. My God , she thought, Did he have to have an ass that was made to sink heels into?
“Oh, shit! Sorry Peri. I didn’t know you were back. I left my clothes out here.” His voice sounded strange.
Finally joining her at the table, he stared at her before she looked up. “What?”
“Uh, why am I in your room and not my own?”
“It’s obviously not what you think, Ryan. Carter dumped you on my couch last night because you were making a nuisance of yourself at the bar. They were afraid you were going to need help, so he brought you here for me to babysit. When you started barfing, you made a huge mess all over your clothes, so I put you in the shower and sort of undressed you. When I turned on the cold water, you came alive some, and I left you there to get yourself cleaned up.”
“Yeah, but I woke up in your bed?”
She looked up and saw the sheepish look on his face knowing he had no idea what went on once he was dumped in her room. “Yeah, when I woke up, you were asleep on the other pillow in that king-sized bed. Nothing happened. You were asleep so I left you there. No harm, no foul.” She would never tell him what he’d actually been doing when she woke with his hands on her. As far as she was concerned, no one would ever know.
“I don’t know what to say here, Peri. I’m so sorry you had to deal with my dumb ass. I thought I could blow this off and move on but it’s a hell of a lot harder than it looks. I’ve never been on the receiving end of a relationship that didn’t work out.”
Peri glared at him, wondering how many times he had been in love. “Oh yeah, Ryan. Broken lots of hearts, have you?”
“Uh, that would be a ‘hell no.’ I mean, I dated girls in my teens, but I’ve never been in love before. Or, at least, I thought I was in love with her. Now, I don’t know,” he confessed, looking away.
“It’s going to be fine, Ryan. You’ll get over it and be a stronger person for it. We all need to get our heart broken a few times before we find ‘the one,’ so we know what ‘the one’ is supposed to feel like.”
He turned and looked at her. She’d never seen him like this, so she didn’t know how to read his expression. “So, what about you? Have you found ‘the one’?”
“Apparently not,” she huffed, her tone a bit more melancholy that she intended, not wanting to go there. She avoided meeting his gaze again, even though he was watching her intently, waiting for more. “You should probably take your stuff back to your room or get something to eat. We are heading out for sound check in a bit.”
Peri didn’t like the way Ryan continued to sit for longer than necessary, silently studying her, but she fidgeted with her phone and pretended she didn’t notice, unsure of what he was thinking. She was sure she
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