4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Scarlett

"Scarlett, can I have some more chocolate milk?" Charlie asked.

He had a brown milk mustache over his lips, and it was adorable. Charlie was very much an old soul, but he still managed to remind me that he was a little boy.

"Sure, buddy," I said, pouring him some more of the chocolate goodness.

"When is Ryder coming back?" Isaac asks, walking into the kitchen.

I stifle my laugh and stop myself from rolling my eyes at the mention of Ryder. I would love to say never, but that would be selfish on my part. These boys idolized Ryder, and I would never do anything to hurt them.

"I'm not sure. He never really gave me a specific time," I said, placing the milk carton back inside of the refrigerator.

Stepping out of the kitchen, I pulled out my cell phone to call Jenna. Tonight, I was off my shift, but I wanted to check in with her about Ryder.

After the phone rang several times, she finally answered.

"Hey," she said, sounding a little breathless. I forgot it was evening, and she had two young kids to take care of. Being single, I tended to forget that people had other obligations once their jobs were over.

"Hi, I'm sorry to bother you at home," I said, feeling guilty now.

"No problem, what's up?" Jenna asked. I could hear her kids in the background.

"Well, Ryder Raven showed up here this morning, unannounced to see the boys. I asked him to come back this evening, but he hasn't shown up yet," I told her.

"Oh, he had mentioned he wanted to spend more time mentoring the boys. I can have Travis give him a call if you want," she offered.

"No, that's alright. I just wanted to let you know what was going on," I stated.

Maybe I was making too big of a deal out of this whole ordeal.

"Are you sure?" Jenna asked again.

"Yes, I'm sure," I said.

We ended our call, and I sat down on the living room couch. The rest of the boys were out back playing with Allison, and I hoped that Ryder stayed true to his word. If he let them down, I would hunt him down and hurt him myself.

Taking a few moments to text my roommate, Jen, I enjoyed a few minutes to myself before I went to stand and return to the kitchen where I had left the boys.

Suddenly, the roar of an engine caught my attention. It wasn't lost on me that my heart did a little skip, and my head jerked to the side, glancing out the window facing the street.

Isaac and Charlie came rushing out of the kitchen, almost knocking me back onto the couch as they raced past me and to the front door.

I could hear the boys outside yelling and shouting as they bound into the house.

Thankfully, I had managed to find time in my day to shower and dress in a pair of tight, denim jeans, and a red flowing shirt. My hair was swept to the side in a french braid, and I had on a light layer of foundation and mascara. I was sure I looked like a completely different person today. Ryder probably wouldn't even notice me.

The front door opened and in walked the boys with Ryder smiling and laughing with them.

"Scarlett, Ryder Raven is here again," Lucas cheered, his face beaming with happiness.

"I know, that's wonderful," I said, trying my best to put on a smile.

Allison walked in and smiled brightly. She was happily married to a police officer. I knew she thought Ryder was a hottie too, but she just smirked at me.

"So, what are you here for?" Ethan asked Ryder, never taking his eyes away from him.

"Well, I was hoping to talk with you guys before this weekend's races. I really wanted to get to know you all before inviting you to join me as my racing team," Ryder said.

I walked them into the living room where we all sat around the many couches in the room. If Ryder was bothered by our mismatched furniture, he didn't show any disdain. He sat down and placed his helmet on the floor beside him.

I noticed he was wearing black biker boots, a charcoal gray t-shirt, and dark jeans. His dark shades were pushed up over his black hair.

I wasn't sure how you could make basic jeans and a t-shirt look like a million dollars, but Ryder sure did.

I tried to keep my eyes trained on the kids and not Ryder and his skin-tight shirt that definitely displayed those rock-solid abs, but clearly, I wasn't doing a very good job.

"What do you think, Scarlett?" I heard Christian ask.

I had been so lost in Skyler, that I hadn't heard what he had said.

"What," I asked.

Allison gave me a knowing glance, and I nudged her leg with my knee.

Christian just rolled his eyes as he opened his mouth to ask me the question, I hadn't heard the first time. "I was asking you what you thought about Ryder letting me ride on his motorcycle," Christian repeated.

My head almost spun in circles as I turned my gaze on the young teen who had obviously lost his mind.

"Christian, we will talk about that later," I say, narrowing my eyes on him.

Turning to Ryder, I held my composure. "While I appreciate you wanting to spend time with the boys, please run ideas by me when it concerns their safety and riding on your motorcycle," I say, my voice ice cold.

The boys all look at me with wide eyes, and they can tell I'm pissed. Allison just smiles and falls back into the couch cushions.

Ryder stares at me for a moment, before leaning forward, his hands placed on his knees. "If you had been listening, Christian asked me about riding the bike. I told him to ask you first," he said, his tone matching mine but filled with more cockiness than I could ever muster.

We sat there, having a stare off as the room grew silent.

"I think the boys are just really excited about having a celebrity around," Allison broke in, busting the tension bubble.

Nodding his head, Ryder seemed to appreciate Allison's interruption. "If it is ok with you ladies, I would like to talk with the boys before it gets too late," Ryder offered.

I didn't get a chance to respond, because Allison pinched my leg before she raced me to speak first. "That is wonderful, Scarlett and I will be in the kitchen," she said, pulling me off the couch and then dragging me down the hall.

Once we were out of the room, I swatted Allison's arm away.

"What are you doing?" I asked her. "One of us should be in there monitoring them."

Laughing, Allison just shook her head at me. "You are so dense sometimes," she mused.

Shocked, my mouth dropped open at her insult. "What?"

"You heard me," she stated, crossing her arms across her chest. "You and Ryder have some serious sexual tension going on," she giggled.

You are out of your mind," I said, rolling my eyes. That was a ludicrous idea. "He came here this morning with some cheap bimbo on the back of his bike. Trust me, he is not into me," I said, and I couldn't help the sting from my own words. That girl had more plastic and shine than his fancy motorcycle.

"Regardless, that boy in there would make for a great night," she said, licking her lips.

I burst out laughing, and tears sprang to my eyes. "You are married," I chastised her playfully.

"Doesn't mean I'm dead," she chuckled. "Look, I get that your last boyfriend really did a number on you. I'm not saying to go date Ryder. It's clear he is wild, reckless, and a playboy. He would make for a great night," she sighed.

Slapping her arm, I feigned offense as I contemplated her words. While I was sure Ryder would be great in bed, I wasn't the type of girl who even considered one night with a guy. I had allowed one guy to break my heart once before, and I wasn't about to let it happen again with some cocky and arrogant tool on a bike.

"You go have all the fantasies about him you want, I am clocking out and going home," I said, hugging my insane friend.

"Trust me. I will have loads of fantasies about him," she called after me.

I went down the hall and stopped by the living room to tell the boys goodbye. Not one of them even blinked an eye in my direction. They were so in awe of Ryder.

Opening the door, I could hear Ryder telling them a wild story involving racing his motorcycle and almost crashing. Shaking my head, I hurried down the walkway to my little Honda Civic. All I wanted to do was go home and forget about Ryder Raven, but something told me that was much easier said than done.