They deserve this!
Declan rushes forward and ushers us all toward the exit. The girls scream, all chanting and taking pictures. The guys wave as Declan continues with his team, moving us all along the airport, out to a waiting Hummer. All the while, Ryan keeps hold of my hand, never letting go.
It’s wild to think that not so long ago, we could hardly stand each other, and then he was insistent on keeping us a secret. Now, here he is, openly showing everyone that we’re together. It stirs something deep inside me, seeing him go from guarded and distant to unafraid to let the world know I’m by his side.
I glance into the array of screaming girls as they follow us to the car. They all have their cell phones out, and I’m sure some are filming or live-streaming, when one girl in particular catches my attention. She’s taking pictures with a digital camera with a long lens. It’s not weird. It just looks odd because everyone in this day and age uses their cell, not an actual camera unless you’re the media, but she’s way too young to be a paparazzi. I shrug it off as Ryan pulls me toward the Hummer, and I slide in with Ryan following behind me. The others are already in the car, laughing and smiling jovially as he closes the door.
“Oh my God, that was crazy,” Lunar announces.
“That was fucking epic,” Danger replies.
“We haven’t had a crowd like that since we were on tour with Staked and12GAUGE-Slayed, and let’s be honest, the crowds were only ever there for Colter Slade. Now they’re fucking here for us, only us, guys,” Nate chimes.
“Yeah, gotta admit, that was pretty fucking cool,” Ryan says, and I squeeze his hand. He leans into my side, sliding his hand up my thigh and resting our joined hands on top.
“Right, let’s get to the hotel. We can debrief and settle in,” Oliver says.
We all nod as the car takes off, and the screaming girls yell at the car from a safe distance.
Chapter Seventeen
TILLIE
When we arrive at the hotel, Oliver has booked the band, himself, and me into the Penthouse Suite.
As we walk into the room, my eyes widen—the place is massive.
The main open area is a living room with a giant couch, a sparkling black grand piano, and a bar area. To the right is a kitchen, and off to the left are some rooms, which I’m assuming are the bedrooms and bathrooms. The windows are floor-to-ceiling and frame the city skyline perfectly, letting the bright blue day shine through. It’s impressive, and I can only imagine the nighttime view from up here. I’m sure it’s going to be breathtaking. The city lights below, the starry sky above—yep, that’s going to be incredible.
“Okay, everyone, the hotel manager said there are five bedrooms, and there are seven of us staying in here. Obviously, Danger and Lunar will share a room, so that still leaves us one bedroom short,” Oliver says.
“Tillie and I can share a room,” Ryan offers, and I glance at him with a smile.
“Right, that settles that then. Let’s get our rooms set up, shall we?” Oliver declares, and everyone looks at Ryan and me with sly smirks, but no one says anything as we grab our luggage and all head off to claim our rooms.
Ryan and I grab the last room at the end of the hall. The large king-sized bed sits in the middle of the floor with its pristine white sheets and duvet. There’s a small two-seater loveseat and an ensuite off to the left. To the right is an expansive wall-heightwindow that looks out in the opposite direction of the living room. It’s a beautiful room, no doubt about it.
I move to the glass and look down at the city street, which seems so tiny from this high up.
Ryan moves in behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and nuzzling his nose into my neck.
“Well, now I get to have you all to myself.” He lifts his head, pulls back, and turns me to face him while raising his eyebrow. “What’s wrong?”
I exhale, swallowing hard. “What are we?”
Ryan cracks his neck to the side. “I thought this talk was coming.”
I crease my brows together. My sister’s words are eating at me a little. The thought of Ryan being loose with women weighs heavily on my mind. “I just need to know if we’re exclusive.”
He leans his forehead against mine. “Yeah, baby, we’re exclusive. We have been from the moment you stepped into the boardroom back in LA.”
“Okay, so does this mean…” I pause, wanting to choose my words carefully.
“You’re my girlfriend, Tillie, and I want everyone to know it. Especially you! I know in the beginning I asked to keep us a secret, but I quickly realized that’s the last thing I want.”
I can’t help the massive smile that sweeps across my face as I lunge forward and crash my lips to his. There’s no controlling my body as my hands reach out, ripping his shirt apart. His buttons pop off in quick succession, and he chuckles into my mouth, shuffling out of his shirt.
Ryan backs me up against the window, his stomach rippling with tension as his body presses against me. My hands run up and down his biceps as he makes quick work of the buttons on my blouse, more careful with mine than I was with his. All thewhile, our tongues strive for each other, making sure to dance in an endless rhythm as we frantically make out.
