hand.
Ryker's lips feather over my cheek as he speaks into my ear. "Wanna go out to the patio? It's cooler and quieter out there."
I nod as he snatches up my free hand. Carefully holding my drink steady, I walk behind Ryker as we weave through the crowd and make our way outside. An overpowering mixture of sweat, cologne and deodorant assault my sense. The minute we step out onto the deck, cold air prickles my skin. I’m grateful for the smell of the clean night air. There are several couples strewn about sitting on chairs and around a few small tables, but we find an empty bench to sit. It's small so I'm practically in Ryker's lap, not that I'm complaining at all.
I want to ask Ryker why he acted so strange when I mentioned his dad, but I feel like maybe that isn't a conversation for our first date. I've always been told that I'm a little pushy. Okay, I’ve actually been told I’m a lot pushy - on numerous occasions, in fact. And usually it’s when a guy is breaking it off with me. I like Ryker too much to risk pushing him away the first time we go out.
A breeze kicks up and I shiver, my teeth chattering involuntarily.
“Okay, this time I’m not taking no for an answer.” He peels off his jacket and drapes it over my shoulders. After setting my drink down near my feet, I tug the jacket tightly over my chest, enjoying the warmth. Plus, it smells like Ryker and that causes my head to spin.
“You weren’t kidding about the whole gentleman thing, were you?” I ask , gripping the edges of the jacket.
“ Not at all.” I notice little goosebumps rising on his arm muscles, but he doesn’t seem fazed. He takes a sip of his soda and then glances over at me. "Has Star made a decision about joining the band?" He places his cup of soda in his lap, one hand curled around it.
"I don't think so."
"I really hope she decides to." He bumps his shoulder into mine. "Maybe you can give her a little nudge in the right direction."
His words catch me off guard, and it makes me wonder if possibly I've misread this whole situation. The first night we met , Ryker had come over to talk to Star, not me. Now he's buttering me up in an effort to get Star in his band? This doesn't sit right with me. I scoot away from him, my body going rigid.
"What Star does is up to her. I'm not going to play matchmaker for you, Ryker." My hands are shaking. The ground beneath my feet jumps as the drums beat from inside the club. The couple on the other side of us giggles. A cool breeze kisses my skin.
"Matchmaker? What?"His brows knit together in a look of confusion.
"Look, I get it okay. You're a musician, Star's a musician. It makes sense that you would be attracted to her."
Ryker reaches out, his hand circling my wrist. "Whoa. Wait a second. Is that what you think? That I like Star?"
I shr ug. "I don't know. Do you?"
"If I liked Star, I would've asked her out, not you. I don't play games, Lola. And I'm not asking you to play matchmaker."
I know I should just let it go. I mean, what girl starts an argument with a guy on their first date? But I think I really like Ryker, and I need to know where he stands on this. I need to know that he's not attracted to Star at all. The last thing I want to do is set myself up to be hurt. "Then why do you want Star in your band so badly? Why did you even seek her out the other night? Correct me if I'm wrong, but most guys don't go out of their way to talk to a girl unless they think she's hot."
"Lola." He releases my wrist and drops his hand on my thigh. It feels warm and good. "The truth is that when I heard Star play the other night I was completely taken with her."
My stomach tightens. Maybe I shouldn't have asked him this.
"But not the way you're thinking. I was just taken by her talent." He sighs. "Look, Beckett is kind of a control freak. The guys and I are sick of it. We've been talking about finding another singer, someone who can round him out. Someone who can take some of the pressure off of
Ryker's lips feather over my cheek as he speaks into my ear. "Wanna go out to the patio? It's cooler and quieter out there."
I nod as he snatches up my free hand. Carefully holding my drink steady, I walk behind Ryker as we weave through the crowd and make our way outside. An overpowering mixture of sweat, cologne and deodorant assault my sense. The minute we step out onto the deck, cold air prickles my skin. I’m grateful for the smell of the clean night air. There are several couples strewn about sitting on chairs and around a few small tables, but we find an empty bench to sit. It's small so I'm practically in Ryker's lap, not that I'm complaining at all.
I want to ask Ryker why he acted so strange when I mentioned his dad, but I feel like maybe that isn't a conversation for our first date. I've always been told that I'm a little pushy. Okay, I’ve actually been told I’m a lot pushy - on numerous occasions, in fact. And usually it’s when a guy is breaking it off with me. I like Ryker too much to risk pushing him away the first time we go out.
A breeze kicks up and I shiver, my teeth chattering involuntarily.
“Okay, this time I’m not taking no for an answer.” He peels off his jacket and drapes it over my shoulders. After setting my drink down near my feet, I tug the jacket tightly over my chest, enjoying the warmth. Plus, it smells like Ryker and that causes my head to spin.
“You weren’t kidding about the whole gentleman thing, were you?” I ask , gripping the edges of the jacket.
“ Not at all.” I notice little goosebumps rising on his arm muscles, but he doesn’t seem fazed. He takes a sip of his soda and then glances over at me. "Has Star made a decision about joining the band?" He places his cup of soda in his lap, one hand curled around it.
"I don't think so."
"I really hope she decides to." He bumps his shoulder into mine. "Maybe you can give her a little nudge in the right direction."
His words catch me off guard, and it makes me wonder if possibly I've misread this whole situation. The first night we met , Ryker had come over to talk to Star, not me. Now he's buttering me up in an effort to get Star in his band? This doesn't sit right with me. I scoot away from him, my body going rigid.
"What Star does is up to her. I'm not going to play matchmaker for you, Ryker." My hands are shaking. The ground beneath my feet jumps as the drums beat from inside the club. The couple on the other side of us giggles. A cool breeze kisses my skin.
"Matchmaker? What?"His brows knit together in a look of confusion.
"Look, I get it okay. You're a musician, Star's a musician. It makes sense that you would be attracted to her."
Ryker reaches out, his hand circling my wrist. "Whoa. Wait a second. Is that what you think? That I like Star?"
I shr ug. "I don't know. Do you?"
"If I liked Star, I would've asked her out, not you. I don't play games, Lola. And I'm not asking you to play matchmaker."
I know I should just let it go. I mean, what girl starts an argument with a guy on their first date? But I think I really like Ryker, and I need to know where he stands on this. I need to know that he's not attracted to Star at all. The last thing I want to do is set myself up to be hurt. "Then why do you want Star in your band so badly? Why did you even seek her out the other night? Correct me if I'm wrong, but most guys don't go out of their way to talk to a girl unless they think she's hot."
"Lola." He releases my wrist and drops his hand on my thigh. It feels warm and good. "The truth is that when I heard Star play the other night I was completely taken with her."
My stomach tightens. Maybe I shouldn't have asked him this.
"But not the way you're thinking. I was just taken by her talent." He sighs. "Look, Beckett is kind of a control freak. The guys and I are sick of it. We've been talking about finding another singer, someone who can round him out. Someone who can take some of the pressure off of
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