His Distraction (Assured Distraction Book 2) (4 page)

Hayden stared at Ryan for a few minutes before he continued. “Yeah, she did. My grandparents weren’t able to help her too much, but they did what they could. They kept me so my mom could finish high school and work at the grocery store in our town. My grandpa gave me my first guitar when I was ten. He always loved music and he could play some, too. It was great when he would play for us. When he figured out I was able to pick up music by ear and wanted to learn, he bought me this old Gibson at the pawn shop and taught me all he knew. I got lucky that our school’s band director loved guitar, too. He kinda’ picked up where my grandpa left off teaching me. I can play the hell out of this thing now. Just wait ‘til you hear me.”

Ryan again had to laugh. This kid’s positive attitude and confidence in his skills were great to witness. He knew those two things would get the kid a long way in the industry if he didn’t burn out before he made it big. “Get the damn thing out and let’s hear what you got.”

Tuning a little on the old guitar, Hayden launched into Assured Distraction’s newest releases,
Fuel to the Fire
. The upbeat tempo of the rock song had several spots with acoustic guitar solos and Ryan watched the kid work the strings and was shocked by the sweet sound the kid could produce. He was right; he could play the hell out of the guitar, and he rocked the song. Next, he transitioned into a ballad, and his voice was smooth and deep but more than that, he had a unique sound. After a few cover songs, he played something Ryan didn’t recognize, and it had all the makings of a hit song.

“Wow, I’m blown away, kid. I’m glad you listened to your mom and friends when they told you that you could play and sing. Let me send a message to the rest of the band and get my guitar, we’ll play some together.”

Walking back in with his own Gibson, he sat down opposite Hayden and the two started playing some cover songs they both knew. The two cousins were able to feed off of each other’s melodies.

Gunner threw the door open like he owned the place, a smirk already on his face. “What’s wrong, fucker? You need help remembering how to walk like a man now that Krissy’s finally put your balls in a jar?”

“Nothing’s wrong, dickhead. I just needed y’all to quit playing with yourselves and get your lazy asses over here and act like musicians for a minute.” Pissed faces glared back at Ryan in response. “What? I needed y’all to get here, and it couldn’t wait.”

“We dropped everything and ran over here. What is so damn important for us to come immediately? I was in the middle of something that could have led to coming.” Gunner, the grown man with the mind of a sixteen-year-old boy, smirked.

“I want to introduce you to my cousin, Hayden. He popped in for a surprise visit.”

All eyes were on Hayden now, and he stared back at them equal parts nervousness and fascination to be in the same room with these rising stars in rock music. He knew the band from the radio, but he had no idea their presence would feel so much larger-than-life in person. Their well-muscled bodies and wild hair made for impressive-looking company, but the array of colorful tats covering their skin rounded out the rocker image. They all very much looked like they were born and bred rock gods. To the small-town kid that hadn’t experienced seasoned, successful musicians, the look of these two was a bit staggering.

He stood, all the same, good manners instilled in him his entire life, and shook hands with both of Ryan’s bandmates as he introduced them.

Hayden tried to find his voice before he finally managed a clear greeting. “Uh, it’s great to meet you guys. I’ve been a fan for a long time.”

The two gave him a quick head nod, not wanting to make it an awkward introduction for him, and then turned to Ryan for the next part of the story.

“Okay, asshat, so where’s the fire?” Carter finally asked Ryan.

“Well, Hayden rolled into town last night looking for a job. The kid’s good - damn good on guitar and vocals. I wanted the band to have a chance to hear him before we try to hook him up with Cash or anything at the studio.” Ryan knew the kid had skills worth their time.

“Well, all right. Let’s hear what ya’ got, kid.” Gunner seemed all for it.

Hayden and Ryan started playing a few of the band’s newer songs, and the rest of them were in awe of the way Hayden picked them up but still put his spin on them which gave their music a fresh new sound. Ryan let Hayden play several of his songs of his own and backed him up. With only a few songs out of the way, Carter and Gunner both decided they needed to ramp-up the sound, so they joined the two playing. Luckily, Ryan had extra guitars so Carter could play and Gunner never went anywhere without some sticks in his truck.

Gunner stood when the doorbell sounded returning with several pizza boxes and beer. “Good idea I had, huh?”

“Dude, how’d you get beer delivered?” Carter asked as he popped one open.

“I have my sources,” Gunner smirked. “When you order pizza from the same place long enough, you don’t even have to tell them what to bring, just how many.” The group continued only taking a break to eat or when needed.

When a song came together, it was videoed on Gunner’s phone in the off chance they needed to let someone else listen to it. The laughter rang out from the group when they picked up or added a riff or beat to their music in a way they never played it before.

“Well, what do y’all think?” Ryan asked the other two members.

“Dude, this is some of the best jamming we’ve done in a while,” Gunner added between songs that didn’t flow together as many of them did.

Carter spoke up. “That was fucking awesome. You have mad skills on guitar, but your playing doesn’t come close to what you can do with your voice. Where did you learn to play and sing?

“Most of what I know my grandpa taught me. We sang together for most of my life so I guess you could say, he taught me how to sing and play. My music teacher in high school helped me with guitar after my grandpa. The teacher taught me all I know about how to read and write music.”

Ryan was glad to hear Hayden’s back stories because he knew they helped Hayden get where he was in life. Ryan could tell from Hayden’s demeanor he was excited to tell them.

“Well, Dude, I think you did your grandpa and teacher proud tonight with us because I think you have a real future in the music business. I hope Cash sees it that way, too.”

The group was in consensus, and all started speaking at the same time throwing out ideas as to what they thought would be good for the kid to work toward. It was all a lot for Hayden to digest at once but he listened to everything they had to say.

“You got any more songs that you know we might consider using? We’re always looking for more music that plays into our style, and I would say everything you’ve played is adaptable to something Assured Distraction would consider.” Ryan asked Hayden when the talk died down some. Ryan’s question sparked another round of music.

By midnight, they all decided to call it a night and head back to their homes. Gunner told them all goodbye then turned and gave a puzzled look at Ryan. “Hey, Ryan, where’s Krissy? I would have thought you’d be making animal noises with her all night.” When Ryan looked at Gunner, his face said it all. “Oh, Fuck. What did you do now, dumbass?”

“Fucking hell! Where’s my phone? Call it, someone, please?” Carter called it but there was no sound in the room. “Shit, shit, shit! It’s got to be here somewhere because I texted y’all from it before I started playing.” He remembered it was in the bedroom where he kept his instruments and ran to retrieve it. “Damn thing’s dead, naturally.

“Here, use mine.” Gunner offered and Ryan walked out the front door to speak to her privately.

“Do you know what that’s about, Hayden?” Carter asked.

“No clue. He never even mentioned having a girlfriend.”

“Yeah, that seems to be part of the problem right now,” Gunner added. “If I ever had a girlfriend, and that’s a
big
if for me, she would have to be unforgettable.”

Ryan’s face looked like someone kicked him while he was down when he walked back in the door. “She won’t talk to me and sent a message to leave her alone. I need to go over there and see if I can do some damn damage control.”

“Krissy, honey, please open the damn door. I don’t want to break the son-of-a-bitch down, but you know I will if I have to. Please, let me explain.” Ryan stood outside her door banging on it for over fifteen minutes.

“I said, leave-me-the-fuck-alone! You are an ASSHOLE, Ryan Powell, and I don’t want to see your face.” Krissy sat on her couch with her feet curled under her drinking red wine. The dress he paid dearly for now bundled around her thighs. The beautiful sparkly shoes lay askew by the wall as though they flew in a fit of anger.

“Kitten, please! I fucked up; I know that. But I can’t apologize if you won’t let me in? Baby, come on! I’ve missed you so much, I’ve barely seen you in two months, and it’s killing me not to hold you right now. I need to touch you and say how sorry I am and explain what happened. Call Gunner and ask him. He was there, and can explain what happened. Baby… come on, please? You know I wouldn’t do something like this on purpose.”

Ryan used his key sliding it into the lock on her front door barely seeing her move to the bedroom. He heard her lock it behind her.

“NO RYAN! Enough! Get out! Leave me alone! I’m sick of your bullshit excuses! Go away!”

“This is the last time I’m asking you to open this motherfucking door, Krissy!” He yelled it louder than before and pounded it with both fists and his full strength.

“And I said to get the fuck out of my apartment. Just leave, Ryan.”

With one smooth kick to the doorknob, the door frame splintered taking one of the hinges with it. He knew the cheap lock would never keep him out. He stomped through the doorway to find her backing up the bed toward the headboard. He heard her scream, and the neighbors banged on the wall behind her head.

“Are you happy? Now you’ve pissed off my neighbors, and they will probably call the cops!”

“I don’t give a flying fuck what they do. You and I are going to talk.” His muscular biceps bulged, and his t-shirt stretched tight across his chest, expanding with every angry breath escaping from being trapped in his chest while she kept him out.

“I have nothing to say to you. And if this was your attempt to smooth things over after standing your girlfriend up, you suck at it. Now go away!” He wondered if the pillow she pulled up in front of her was a defensive shield from him.

The bell rang at the front door, followed by the apartment manager knocking and calling out to her. Ryan never took his eyes off Krissy as crawled off the bed and made her way through the living room to answer it.

“Is everything alright in there? The neighbors said someone was screaming, followed by a loud crash like someone was breaking in.” Ryan watched the old man peak around Krissy trying to see into the room. He was happy she kept her foot on the bottom of the door preventing him from entering. The complex was small and the manager knew everyone well.

“It’s fine. My boyfriend and I were having a disagreement.”

“Krissy, it’s extremely late. We cannot have this kind of noise. You signed a noise clause in your lease contract. If it happens again, you’ll have to move out. Consider this your warning. You and your roommate will receive an eviction notice the next time.”

“That’s not fair, though. My roommate has nothing to do with this. She’s not even here.”

“Doesn’t matter. If you go, she goes.” He turned around and walked away, leaving Krissy fuming.

“Dumb ass men! I’ve had all the shit I’m taking for one night. Leave me alone. You’ve done enough damage for one night.” He watched her expression change with each word.

“I don’t want to leave until we’ve settled this little tiff, Kitten.” He tried to wrap his arms around her since his anger had died down quickly once he laid eyes on her.

“Little tiff, my ass! I’m sick of your shit, Ryan! Get the fuck out! I am too pissed at you right now to even consider reconciling at this point. I just want you out of here.”

Reluctantly, he nodded. “I’ll go. But we’ll talk in the morning when we’ve both calmed down. And I’ll be over to fix the door tomorrow.” Staring out the door, he turned and looked at her for a long time as though he was expecting more from her but wouldn’t look at him as she slammed the door.

He drove toward his apartment feeling deflated and angry with himself for getting so caught up in the band stuff that he forgot her. He normally would never do something like that. She had been a major priority in his life since they met, but now she wouldn’t even listen to his explanation, which was all he had to offer her. He knew this was only going to add to the tension about his leaving on tour so soon.

He hadn’t even had a chance to mention to her that Hayden had shown up and was staying with him. Not that it had any effect on her, but he was excited about it and wanted Krissy to meet the kid. When he opened his apartment door, Hayden was passed out on the couch. He must have been exhausted, probably got no sleep the night before in his truck. They would talk in the morning. He grabbed his now charged phone and stared at the screen. She hadn’t replied to any of his messages. He hated even more than she wasn’t sleeping cuddled next to him, so he decided to at least shoot her a text to let her know he was thinking about her.

R: Kitten, I’m so sorry about what happened tonight. You know I would never forget you on purpose. Some unexpected things came up tonite I want to tell you about it. I just want to say I love you and sweet dreams. I miss having you in my arms.

After a few minutes, a response finally came.

K: I’m fucking pissed. You’re leaving me. You forgot me tonite and you busted in like a crazy person causing problems. LEAVE ME ALONE!

Wow, that was not the response he was hoping for from her. She was truly angry this time. They had had little arguments before, but she usually came around pretty quickly. He was going to have to do something spectacular this time. Lying in bed alone, he felt so tired but knew he wasn’t going to sleep anytime soon worrying about the situation he had caused. It gave him time to think of ways to make it up to her. Of course, these scenarios usually ended horizontally with some sizzling, hot sex that set things right between them. But in his mind, deep down, he didn’t think that was going to fix things this time.

He thought maybe something shiny would have to be involved, maybe from an aqua blue box. She loved anything from Tiffany’s, so he would make a quick trip over to the Dominion and pick out something special for her in the morning. Once he’d decided on a plan for the morning, he rolled over hoping he could drift off to sleep but missed having her luscious body to pull into him. Her scent was on the pillow as he wrapped his arms around it, but it wasn’t the same as smelling it on the special spot below her ear that he loved to nuzzle. That always drove her wild and sent goose bumps all over her body. But all it did tonight for him was cause him a raging hard on
. Nothing like trying to go to sleep with a monster case of blue balls.
He thought to himself as he rolled over.

Hayden woke up looking for some strong coffee he made himself. He never liked drinking that cheap crap from the stop-and-rob on the corner, and he couldn’t afford those fancy coffee stores on every block in this city. Digging around in Ryan’s kitchen, he found all he needed to make a pot. He looked forward to a few minutes to wake-up and to enjoy a quiet morning. He waited for the machine’s beep to alert him it was complete. The covered patio off the living room was inviting, and he decided he liked the weather Austin offered in the mornings. The patio overlooked the courtyard where a large crystal-blue swimming pool reflected the morning sunlight. He figured he would have time before summer was over to find out just how great a pool in the Hill Country could be, and if there was a pool, there would be girls. If there were girls, there would be bikinis. Living in Austin was looking better by the minute. Before he could drag up a chair and give that some more thought, Ryan walked out of his bedroom looking rough.

“Mornin’,” Hayden said him, but only received a grunt in return. So, his cousin wasn’t much of a morning person. He could live with that because his mother certainly wasn’t either.
Maybe it was genetic.
He sat down and propped his feet up on the low railing.

Ryan joined him with a cup of the steaming beverage. Hayden smiled when he saw Ryan take his first sip. It must be stronger than Ryan usually made.

“What, too strong for you?”

“No, I need it this morning after the little sleep I had.”

Ryan’s phone chimed where he left it in his bedroom. Hayden guessed he was hoping it was Krissy.

“Fuuuuck!” His cousin groaned, walking back out on the patio staring at the screen.

“Everything okay?” Hayden was hesitant to say anything now.

“Yeah, it’s our manager, Cash He wants us in a damn meeting this morning at ten. He sure as hell knows better than to call a meeting at the last fucking minute like this. I had things to do this morning. I need to go up to Tiffany’s and get Krissy something.”

“Is there anything I can do to help you out? I mean, I would love to go to the studio with you, but if there’s something you need to have done, I can do it for you.”

“I may have to take you up on that if Cash plans to keep us there for long. How good are you at buying suck-up gifts?” Hayden stared at Ryan giving him a brief smirk. “Don’t say anything. I know I’m pussy-whipped.”

Hayden threw his hands up in a defensive gesture and gave him a goofy grin. “Hey, no judgments here, man.”

When Ryan walked into the studio, Cash was the only one there, and he had KeeMac and Chandler on Facetime on his laptop. Ryan didn’t know how the situation with the two of them had turned out when she flew off to find her grandparents, but they both looked fine on the screen. He knew Carter and Gunner wouldn’t make it on time and often thought that the two would be late to their funerals if partying and women were another option.

He wasn’t surprised to see Cash’s PA, Peri, there, though. She was being promoted from PA and fill-in receptionist when needed, to working full-time with Cash. She had been his PA full-time before they moved from California but she agreed to fill in as the receptionist if she could make the move to the smaller Austin label with Cash, too. It was a good move for her though because she was now able to prove how valuable she was to the company and Cash. Peri had earned her promotion. She made sure things were done correctly and tried to be attentive to everyone in the band. She did a great job when they were on tour before, helping Chandler with her wardrobe and getting used to dressing the part for the meet-and-greets, and then sorting things out with her family tragedy.