His Distraction (Assured Distraction Book 2) (8 page)

With a short layover in Atlanta, they finally climbed off the plane at ten o’clock on the next morning at Heathrow. They were all exhausted from more than ten hours on the plane, which had been a struggle for everyone except Ryan. He drank himself unconscious and woke with another hangover; his only saving grace was that it wasn’t as bad as the last time. His head hurt, and he felt like shit: body, mind, and heart.

His phone started chiming as soon as he turned off airplane mode, instantly spiking his hopes that it was Krissy finally trying to reach him. He watched his screen light up and noticed that Hayden called while they were still in the air. He would call him back later. Whatever the kid needed couldn’t be all that important.

The band would meet up with Steel in the afternoon at the hotel. They didn’t have their first London show until the following night, so they had some time to recover from the trip and the jet lag. They would be on buses for most of their stops through Europe, so the group decided they better enjoy the comforts of a hotel for the couple of nights they had them.

“I need to meet with all of you briefly, and then you can do whatever you want,” Peri told them as they walked into the lobby. They grumbled to themselves, but all agreed to see her in her room shortly.

Peri caught the same elevator as Ryan and looked him over carefully wondering how he was faring. “Ryan, how you doing, big guy?”

Ryan’s long blond hair was pulled back in a leather strap. When he let it down, like Krissy always liked it, the thick hair hung to his shoulders. Keeping it tied back allowed Peri to see the stubble growing on his face, and she could admire what all of the fans saw in him. He had beautiful, deep sapphire, blue eyes with lashes feathering across his cheeks when he blinked, the kind of lashes women paid dearly. It seemed as though he kept a permanent tan, too. She wondered how he pulled that off since vanity didn’t seem to be his thing, and she couldn’t imagine him the type to use a tanning bed or spray tan. No, his sexy, divine features were definitely from good genes. Ryan, like most of the guys in the band, obviously took care of himself because she knew without a doubt his abs were rock hard and ripped.

The one thing they all did was hit the gym regularly, so whenever they pulled off their shirts on stage, the beaded sweat would work its way down their bodies through the planes and cuts of muscle in such as a way to drive the up-close females wild. These guys knew how to use their male sex appeal to their full advantage. Peri witnessed the move many times from backstage. Ryan’s body always appeared drool-worthy, in her opinion, but she had to keep those to herself now that she was their manager.

“I’m alright, Peri. Not great, but I’ll live. Krissy wants a break, and I’ll give her one. But when I get back home, it’s on. We will get this shit straightened out.” He never looked up at her while he spoke. “Thanks for asking. I appreciate that you care enough about all of us to want to keep up.”

“Oh, Ryan, it’s not just that. I do care about you all. Not only because I’m your manager but because I’m your friend.” She stepped in front of him and pulled him in for a hug, and he let himself slump into her soft body. She doubted he would turn down a hug from right now, no matter who was offering because surely he needed the contact to remember he was human. Maybe she needed the human contact just as much if she was truthful with herself. Even though she had yet to share the news of her break-up with Sawyer, she still felt the need for a solid, strong hug. She was sure her decisions with Sawyer were the right ones, but she still felt lonely and hugging this friend wouldn’t hurt either of them at this point.

When he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her lush body against him, he found himself enjoying the close contact. She was soft in all the right places and seemed to be okay with the tight embrace. Her fragrance was different from Krissy’s, and he was glad for that. The beautiful scent of a woman was always a major turn-on for him, and Peri didn’t disappoint. Hers was a hypnotic scent that he found almost intoxicating, somewhat sweet but also spicy with a hint of musk that pulled him in. Whatever she wore, he liked it. In fact, he found himself liking it a bit too much and abruptly let her go. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to get carried away there. It’s just that you smell so good.”

“Oh, no problem. I thought you might be in need of a good hug, and the scent is called ‘Hypnotic.’ I’ve been wearing it a while now.” She didn’t know why she told him this. He didn’t ask. Sometimes her brain let her mouth rattle on and say stupid stuff. She’d felt something in the close contact too, and it had left her brain a bit addled. If she examined the moment more closely, she might even say there was some electricity between them during that hug, but no, she couldn’t even consider letting things go there. The elevator doors opened a minute later, and they went their separate ways in search of their rooms.

Peri’s room was crowded with the band a short time later so they could quickly get back to their rooms and get settled. “So, let me say, the best thing you can do for yourself is to stay awake until at least seven tonight.” The entire group gave a collective moan at the suggestion.

“Shit, Peri, that’s a long damn time from now. Most of us have been awake for over twenty hours and crammed into airplane seats, car seats, van seats, and airport terminal seats.” KeeMac spoke up for the band.

“I know that seems outrageous for me to say, but you’ll sleep better tonight. Also, it will help you all get acclimated to the new time zone more quickly and be ready for the schedule tomorrow. Do some sight-seeing, eat English food, and have fun. Hell, ride a double-decker bus and see the city. The concierge can hook you up with any of the excursion stuff.”

“If we are going to do that, then you’ll have to go, too,” Chandler informed her. “We don’t want to leave you behind.”

“I have some work to do today, but I can go for a while. I’ve never been to London, and I would love to see something of the city before we take off.” She felt the pull to be part of their band family but didn’t want them to feel like they had to include her in everything.

“Great,” Carter jumped up. “Let’s do this. I suggest we start with the nearest pub and work our way through a list of them.” He was at the door before they all stood up.

“You crazy fucker, it’s only eleven in the morning here.” Gunner was right behind him.

KeeMac wrapped his arms around Chandler and gave her a look that was sure to melt the panties off any woman who dared stare long enough. He pulled her in close and whispered something in her ear that all but made her glow red. “Um, guys, I think Chandler and I will, uh, catch up with y’all after lunch sometime. Text us where you’re eating or in a couple of hours.” The pair clung to each other as they turned left through Peri’s door and headed down the hall to their room.

“Yeah, that’s the last damn time we’ll see those two until probably tomorrow at breakfast. Maybe.” Gunner remarked when he stepped into the elevator.

Peri laughed with the rest of the group, except Ryan, whose eyes had turned a darker blue just before she watched them close until the elevator came to a stop at the ground floor. Peri was sure no one else noticed Ryan’s little private moment of pain, but she thought how she’d never seen a man in such agony over a woman and certainly not one as undeserving of it as Krissy. It endeared Ryan to her a little more, seeing how much heart he had in him to give.

Peri lined up transportation for the group herself instead of relying on the hotel services, opting for the private services offered added discretion and security. It wasn’t long before they began to zigzag through the city. Each time they got on or off the small bus, she sat next to Ryan and tried to make small talk but sadly she did most of the talking.

Finally stopping for lunch, she made her way inside the little pub toward the restroom when a strong hand grabbed her upper arm and swung her around. “What the hell?” she yelled trying to jerk her arm away from the assaulter.

“Sorry, it’s just me,” Ryan announced as he let go. “Look Peri, I know you’re tryin’ real hard to make me feel better, but stop, okay? I don’t need a personal comedian to take care of me. I’m fine.”

Peri looked into his eyes that were dark again when he looked straight at her. She knew most girls would have fallen over themselves to be the recipient of that look.

“I know that, Ryan. I’m not trying to.”

“Yes, you are and stop, please. I’m going outside to return Hayden’s call he made while we were on the plane. Order me anything, and a beer, please.” He waited for her nod then turned and strode out the door.

As he walked away, she was at a loss as to what she could do to help him. Maybe the guys could talk to him better than she could. The ever-present tense, sullen expression on his face was not him. Women found him irresistible on stage, and she couldn’t deny the appeal. The guy was seriously hot, normally. She knew this new, badass scowl would probably get him noticed, just as well, but it was more of the unapproachable, brooding rocker vibe: still sexy, in its own way. Peri knew him well enough to recognize that this wasn’t his true personality shining through right now. She wondered if maybe she could suggest Carter and Gunner take him out tonight, if they were still standing that many hours from now, and maybe get Ryan to blow off some steam.

“Hey Peri,” Chandler greeted her as she arrived back at the table just as KeeMac was ordering a round of pints for everyone.

“Oh, hey. I didn’t think we would see you both again.”

“Gunner texted and told us where to meet you guys. We want to do some sightseeing, too.” Gunner laughed at Chandler’s comment.

“Too, huh? As in, ‘when we aren’t breaking the hotel bed,’ you want to do some sightseeing?” Everyone including the two lovers laughed out loud.

“Prick,” KeeMac responded.

“Not to worry, KeeMac. We aren’t going to let you get ‘a-head’ in that department. Right Carter? We’re going out tonight to find some sweet British lasses. I’ve been dying to find out how my name will sound screamed in that fucking sexy accent.”

“Please, Gunner. First, ‘lass’ is the wrong country! And, second, we do not need to hear about your man-whorish ways over our meal. That visual is too much.” Peri tried her best to look angry, but she knew them both too well.

“Did I say ‘sweet British lass’? Oh, sorry, what I meant was sweet British
asses
.” A collective groan carried over the table before tableware flew in his direction.

“This is such bullshit!” Peri sighed when she heard the first words that came out of Ryan’s mouth when he reached the table. “Y’all are not going to fucking believe what she’s done now.”

The entire group looked at him, waiting for him to speak as if they were afraid to make any more sudden sounds or movements to escalate his anger.

“She moved her sorry ass into my apartment! When Hayden got home from the studio last night, she was cooking them fucking dinner like the two of them were playing house or something. Who the fuck does she think she is? She tells me our relationship is over, waits until I’m gone and can’t do anything to stop her, and she pulls this shit.”

“But didn’t you tell her she could move in while we were gone?” Peri reminded him.

“That was before she told me to fuck off, and that she wouldn’t wait around for me while I was gone. What the hell do I do now, call the police? Tell them she’s fucking trespassing and to get her ass out of my house? Man, fuck that. I don’t need this shit right now!” He finally sat down with the others. Peri was worried even more when he dropped his head in his hands.

He looked up abruptly and continued to rant. “I can’t ask Hayden to deal with all of this shit. He did say she was planning to be gone before we got back.” He took a deep breath and shook his head. “She’s making me so angry even though I don’t want to be. Maybe I should fly home and deal with this shit.”

A collective “NO” came from the group. “Look, maybe she’ll find a decent place to live, and move by the time we get back if you just let her stay there and have some damn time to get her shit sorted. She’s not going to hurt anything by living there. Hell, she’s a fucking neat freak. Let her stay and don’t worry about it. The place will probably be cleaner than you ever kept it.” KeeMac tried to reason with him.

Peri watched as Ryan sat back in his chair picked up the pint of dark beer and let out a loud huff. She hated him having to concede to Krissy’s conniving tactics, much less letting her get away with taking advantage of him and the entire situation. Peri knew Krissy would hurdled any form of anger at him through the texts she sent. “I guess it will be fine. I hope she doesn’t plan on bringing some dick in there to sleep in my fucking house. That will
not
be okay. I’m going to call her and Hayden back. That point is non-negotiable.”