Disillusioned Love Page 11

  “Why don’t you guys head on to bed. I’ll clean up.” Riana offered as she stood. “We have a big day tomorrow, you’ll need your rest.”

  “Oh yeah?” Derek asked as he reached his arms above his head and stretched as he stood from the table.

  A mischievous grin slowly took over Riana’s face. “Indeed.” Her eyes jumped from Sam to Lexi then to the guys. “I’m going to teach you guys how to ride.” Sam and Lexi giggled.

  “I’m game.” Alex declared with a puff of his chest. “Just...umm, give me a horse a bit smaller than Adonis, okay?”

  Everyone laughed and Riana nudged his shoulder. “Adonis is the biggest horse I have, and he’s mine.” She winked. “You’ll definitely get someone smaller. No go on, all of you, and get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Chapter Ten

  Ridin’

  After a quick shower Matthew settled in to watch some TV in his room before he tried to get some sleep. As he flipped through the channels he heard a hesitant knock at his door. He hollered for them to enter. “Oh good, it is your room.” Alex laughed as he entered and shut the door. “This place is so enormous I wasn’t sure I had the right one.” Alex grinned at Matt then took three long, quick strides and threw himself into Matt’s bed. “Whatcha’ watching?”

  “Nothing yet.” Matt laughed as he flipped through the channels. “What’s up?” Alex leaned back against three pillows and the mahogany headboard, took a deep breath then slowly exhaled.

  “I’m…” He stopped and Matt could tell he was contemplating how to continue. “I’m thinking… maybe coming here wasn’t the best idea.” Matthew could feel his jaw drop but he was helpless to stop it.

  “Alex, you seem happier now than you’ve been in weeks.” He gushed.

  “I know, Matt. That’s it, though. I mean, I’m really… confused.” Alex looked over at Matthew. He half expected Matt to laugh at him. Matthew knew he needed a friend to confide in, so he knew better than to belittle his feelings.

  “About Riana?” Matthew didn’t have to phrase it as a question. Alex nodded.

  “There’s just…” He sighed. “I’m conflicted. I know we’re friends, right? She’s probably one of my best friends, save for you and Derek. And I know she’s with Ryan.” Matthew almost smiled at how Alex said Ryan’s name; as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. “And maybe…” Alex huffed and rolled his eyes. “Maybe I should process more how I feel about the breakup with Kim. But being with Riana, being around her, I just don’t care about any of that. All these logical reasons not to feel things and yet…” Alex trailed off. It was apparent there were definitely some strong feelings taking a hold of him.

  “She’s a very lovable person Alex.” Matt assured. Alex nodded silently. “She’s always been easy to love. That’s just who she is. Even when she was younger, when she was so angry; I could still tell she had this sweet, loving nature below her tough shell. It’s pretty amazing when you think about it. Knowing how hard things were for her; from her family life, her volatile relationships, to being assaulted so young, to the legal issues afterwards. She was put through so much more than anyone her age should have had to go through. Yet, she took it all and just...ran with it. She’s owned her past and turned it into something… magnificent.” Matthew seemed to forgot Alex was next to him as he spoke of Riana and her past. He slipped back into moments of when he would read her letters and wish there was something he could do for her.

  “She’s magnificent.” Alex’s simple proclamation reminded Matthew he wasn’t alone.

  “She is, I totally agree Alex.” Matt supported. “I think you’re right though when you said maybe you need to take some more time to process how things ended with Kim. There’s got to be some left over stuff there you need to deal with. If you really care about Riana, you’ll support her in her relationship with Ryan.” Alex didn’t attempt to hide the disgust on his face as he groaned. Matt laughed a little and pushed Alex’s shoulder. “I know, but I’m serious. Don’t make things harder for her. She’ll figure things out on her own, and however it plays out is exactly how it’s supposed to okay?”

  “Wow Matthew, when did you turn into your mom?” Alex teased. Matt rolled his eyes at him and grinned. Alex leaned back again. “She doesn’t make it easy you know. She held my hand as she brought me to my room.” He said. A slight blush crept into his cheeks, hidden behind his dark complexion.

  Matt’s grin grew. “I know. We all saw.”

  “It surprised me, but it felt good. Really good. Right.” He sighed. Then groaned again. “This will surely drive me insane.” He scooted over and dropped his feet to the floor. “I’m gonna head to bed. Thanks Matt.”

  “No problem buddy. Remember, it’ll all play out. Just enjoy being here.” Alex nodded and left. Matthew shook his head once the door was closed. “Poor Alex.” He murmured.

  Thursday August 24, 2006

  Riana planned to get up early to make the guys breakfast before they headed out for the day, but when she shut off her alarm at 6am she thought she heard music down the hall, possibly from the kitchen. She lazily dropped her feet to the cool floor and stretched through a large yawn. She hurried to her bathroom, brushed her hair and teeth then went to investigate.

  As she opened her bedroom door, it became apparent there was definitely music being played in the kitchen, and it smelt of waffles and bacon. “Who the hell is up this early?” She grumbled. Mornings had never been her strong suit and she was dumbfounded by those deemed “morning people.” As she got closer to the kitchen she realized it was The Temptations that flowed out of the kitchen surround sound system, but she still heard voices that didn’t belong to the track. She tiptoed to the end of the hall and peeked around the wall. The image that greeted her was too cute to ignore.

  Matthew was at the stove. He cooked bacon as he swung his small hips to the beat. Alex mixed waffle batter as he sang. Alex turned to Matthew, and Matthew turned to Alex and they sang into the spatula as a shared microphone. A little dance together and Riana simply couldn’t help herself.

  She jumped around the corner just in time to join them in the chorus. She surprised them, but they didn’t miss a beat. As the bridge played Matthew grabbed Ri around the waist and danced with her in the middle of the kitchen. She threw her head back and laughed. Matt passed her to Alex as the next verse started. Riana was acutely aware how Alex’s grip on her waist was a bit tighter than Matthew’s, and she felt her skin light on fire underneath his hands as he sang. His playful, dark eyes locked on hers. The music faded from Riana’s ears and she felt a blush take over her face. The sound of Alex singing had always ignited her, but to have him sing directly to her was more than she could take. She turned away from him before she did something she wasn’t sure she’d regret.

  “This smells delicious.” Riana complimented as she sat down at the kitchen island. Matthew turned down the music a little bit as The Four Tops started.

  “We didn’t wake you did we?” Matt asked.

  “No.” Riana laughed. “I was actually going to get up early to make everyone breakfast, but you apparently beat me to it.” She grinned. “What are you guys doing up so early anyway?”

  “Well, you know how jet lag is. Our bodies still think we’re on New York time, and it’s 9am there now. We’ve been up for a while actually.” Matt explained. Riana nodded.

  “Why don’t you go get Sam and Lexi up.” Alex offered. “Everything should be done in about ten minutes.”

  Riana hopped off her barstool. “Aye aye!” She laughed, then scampered down the hallway and up the stairs, unable to remove the smile from her face. She slowly opened Lexi’s bedroom door and peeked inside. Lexi was still burrowed into her blanket. Riana flung the door open and leapt onto Lexi’s bed. “Come on Lexi, get up!” Riana squealed. Lexi groaned and buried her head under her pillow. “Lexi….” Riana called in a sing-song voice as she curled up against Lexi’s body. “You gotta get up. Matt and Alex made us breakfast.”

/>   Lexi stirred beside Riana and mumbled under the pillow, “He made breakfast? You should really marry that man.” Riana knew Lexi was teasing her. Ri wasn’t exactly a homemaker, and cooking definitely wasn’t a strong suite of hers. Riana still didn’t find the joke funny, given her development of conflicting emotions.

  “LEXI!” She yelled. “Not funny.” She mumbled with a pout.

  Lexi finally sat up and rubbed her eyes. “I know, I’m just teasing sweetie.” She slowly shuffled to her bathroom, but just as she closed the door she stuck her head out and said, “Still a valid suggestion though!”

  “Argh!” Riana groaned as she threw herself back on the bed. “I hate you!” She yelled through laughter. She hollered at Lexi that she was going to get Sam up then made her way back down the hallway to Sam’s room.

  She knocked lightly then eased the door open. She didn’t see her. “Samantha?” She called.

  “In here!” Sam yelled from her closet. “Just getting dressed.”

  “Perfect, the guys are just about done cooking breakfast. I have a feeling we should hurry if we want any chance of getting any.” She laughed, then hurried back downstairs.

  As they strolled through the stables Riana pointed out some of her best horses for trail riding. Alex tried to pay attention, but found the way Riana’s jeans hugged her curves distracting.

  “Typically Lexi takes Chester and Sam takes Lilo.” Ri explained as she rubbed each of the said horses noses. “Go ahead and tack up ladies.” She walked a little further down as Lexi and Sam grabbed their horses.

  Riana stopped in front of the stall that held a palomino Quarter horse and she smiled. “Matt, I think Sonny would be a great fit for you. She’s super sweet and mellow.” Matthew stopped at Sonny’s stall and reached up to pet her forehead.

  “Let’s see…” Riana pondered as she walked out of the barn and stood by an outside corral. “Here’s Daisy, Aphrodite and Ringo…”

  Alex couldn’t help but chuckle. “Ringo?”

  Riana turned towards him, her eyes danced playfully as she laughed. “Yep. I named him that because he has bigger ears than most Quarters.”

  Derek walked over to the fence and spoke to Ringo in his best English accent. “Hi, I’m Ringo. I’m Ringo and I play the drums.” Ringo appeared to nod as he walked towards Derek.

  “Alright, D, he’s yours.” Riana laughed. Alex sighed at the sound, he absolutely adored her laugh. Riana opened up the gate and grabbed Ringo by his halter and led him into the stable to be tacked. She tied Ringo to a ring on the wall, then escorted Alex over to the stall next to Adonis. Inside stood a tall, lean, white Arabian horse with bright, large, dark eyes. “Alex, this is Adonis’ best friend Apollo.” She smiled shyly at Alex, and hoped he realized why she picked Apollo for him. Alex knew; he was able to read her better than almost anyone, save for Lexi and Sam. He felt it fit, as he considered her one of his best friends as well.

  It quickly became apparent that Derek, Matthew and Alex weren’t exactly cowboys. The start of their ride was delayed by the fact they weren’t able to tack up their own horses; Riana, Sam and Lexi had to do it for them. Riana yelled at them to pay attention as she didn’t want to have to be the one to always help them if they wanted to go out for a ride.

  After the horses were tacked up the women grabbed two sets of reins each and led the guys’ horses, as well as theirs, out of the barn so they could all mount and be on their way. It was embarrassingly amusing, how easily the ladies were able to mount their horses while the guys looked like hopping fools as they tried to finagle their feet in the stirrups and the rest of their bodies hoisted into the saddle. Even Riana, with Adonis the massive Friesian, managed fairly easily once she utilized a small step outside. Of course, she had to then tease the guys. “Hey guys, you can use the step if you need to.” Her eyes smiled as she laughed. Alex stuck his tongue out at her before he put everything he had into launching himself into Apollo’s saddle. He succeeded, but not without some pain. He took a deep breath and awaited Riana’s directions.

  It wasn’t that Derek, Matthew and Alex hadn’t even ridden before, it just wasn’t a regular occurrence. Riana made sure to arrange the group so there was a more experienced rider behind or in front of the guys, just in case. As they slowly moseyed away from the house it was apparent Riana didn’t typically take Adonis out for such leisurely rides. He seemed antsy. He pranced around as a request that Riana let him go. They rode in silence for a while and got used to their horses. As they became more comfortable they broke apart the line, and gathered side by side. Alex pulled Apollo up to Adonis and grinned over at Riana. “Having fun?” She asked.

  Alex pretended to ponder for a moment. “Yeah.” He eyed Riana. “Could be more fun if we raced.” He teased.

  She threw her head back and laughed heartily. “No, Alex, you don’t want to race.” She assured with a few more chuckles. “Adonis would own Apollo. I might emasculate you.” Adonis seemed to sense the conversation as he started to dance around again.

  “Alright.” Riana conceded. “How about if Adonis and I lead you and Apollo into a trot first? See how you manage?” Alex shook his head slightly and felt highly underestimated. He nodded though and readjusted in the saddle. Riana’s eyes held the slightest bit of an evil twinkle as she seemed to settle deeper into Adonis’ back before she gave him a quick kick.

  Adonis responded instantly and sped up. Apollo followed suit without any encouragement from Alex. Alex tried desperately to find a rhythm with Apollo like Riana had with Adonis. He almost laughed at the irony; he was a drummer, it should have been easy to find a rhythm. Eventually he was sure he found the right rhythm as the jostle of the trot became less painful, so he gave Apollo a slight kick to get closer to Adonis. Alex pulled up by Riana and grinned foolishly. “You got it?” She asked.

  Alex nodded. “Yep. Let’s go.” Riana shook her head at him, eased back on Adonis and brought him back to a walk. Alex did the same with Apollo as the rest of the group caught up. Alex and Riana looked back and couldn’t prevent the laughter that followed. The look on Matthew’s face as Sonny trotted was one of absolute panic. They both found it utterly hilarious. “Awww, Matt. Too much to handle?” Alex teased. Matthew shot him the finger then grasped the reins quickly as he and the others pulled up next to Alex and Riana.

  “It’s been awhile.” Matthew explained. “I’m sure I’ll find the groove.”

  Chapter Eleven

  I Know You See It

  Riana was wonderfully amused as she watched the guys attempt to get comfortable with the horses. Derek appeared to be a natural; the pairing of him and Ringo was a match made in heaven. He laughed and carried on with Lexi as they rode side by side. Matthew seemed nervous with Sonny, but Sonny being the sweet girls she was, didn’t react to his nerves and simply kept pace next to Lilo. “Matt, honey, you have to trust Sonny.” Riana called. “She won’t let anything bad happen to you.” He nodded apprehensively. Riana smiled softly. “I promise!”

  They carried on, and played around with different gaits. Riana was drawn to watch Alex; his broad shoulders, strong arms, his hair tousled by the wind and his hips. Once he found a nice rhythm it was difficult for Riana to keep her eyes off the natural rocking motion of his hips as he eased off the saddle then back into it with the gait of Apollo. She bit her lip. The image incredibly sex; therefore frustrating. She was sure it would drive her out of her mind. She gave Adonis a quick kick and looped back around to Lexi’s side as she and Derek laughed together.

  “Looking good D!” Riana hollered. He grinned over at her. “Seems you’re quite the natural.” She caught Lexi’s eye and nodded her head to the side. A silent, yet understood gesture for Lexi to follow Riana away from the group for a moment.

  “What’s up lady?” Lexi asked once they were out of earshot of everyone else. Alex ran circles around Matthew and teased him relentlessly. Derek slowly followed behind and laughed at them. Samantha tried to reassure Matthew that Sonny would stay steady des
pite Alex’s antics.

  “Oh you know, checking out Alex, being overcome with naughty thoughts. The usual.” Riana grimaced. Lexi laughed gaily at her.

  “He is looking pretty good isn’t he?” She teased.

  Riana grabbed her vertical labret between her teeth and nodded. “He’s looking damn good. Too good.” She sighed. “I can’t be thinking like this Lexi. He’s too important to me.” Riana paused. “Ryan is too important to me.” As she looked over at Lexi she couldn’t help but feel that as her best friend, Lexi could have at least attempted to hide how she felt about Ryan. However, the exasperated look on Lexi’s face was easily understood.

  “Ri, let me ask you a simple question.” Riana knew Lexi’s “simple questions” were never simple. Riana evened her face and awaited the challenge. “Why haven’t you ever invited Ryan here?”

  Riana quickly responded with her standard reason. “Lexi, you know why I don’t share this place with many people. I don’t want the judgment, or the change in treatment because of the money.”

  “Then why did you invite the guys?” Lexi asked quickly.

  “Um, if I remember correctly it was you who practically begged me to invite them.” Riana countered as she narrowed her eyes.