Page 3 of Ryder

It would have been nice to know I was about to be greeted by a Greek God. I would have at least showered.

“Scarlett, I want to introduce you and the boys to Ryder Raven. He is one of our newest members of our MA Enterprises racing team. I wanted to bring him by All Our Children to meet the boys,” Travis said.

I flashed him a smile and extended my hand, praying I did not have any leftover food on me.

“It’s nice to meet you, Ryder,” I stated, a slight blush tinting my cheeks.

Ryder offered a slight smirk as he raised his dark glasses and pushed them to the top of his head. Even that simple act had me weak in the knees.

Stop it, Scarlett.I chastised myself.

I knew better than to fall victim to a nice smile and charm. I had burned once before, and I was not about to get played again.

“Hey boys, come here and meet someone,” Travis shouted into All Our Children.

A thundering of feet came rushing toward the entry, where we were all crammed into the foyer. I heard shouts of excitement as they noticed the man standing around them.

And, I wasn’t talking about Travis. They had once been starstruck by his popularity, but now, he was old news to them. However, Ryder Raven was quickly becoming a legend. Hell, even I knew who he was.

His face was all over the gossip magazines, and he had been linked to pretty much every starlet in Hollywood since he moved to California a few months ago. Not that I was keeping track or anything. The boys just talked about him a lot.

I stepped back, allowing the boys to meet their newest idol. Ryder was eating up the attention, and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. Grabbing Jenna by the elbow, I pulled her over to me.

“Why didn’t you tell me that Ryder Raven was coming over?” I asked her.

Smiling, Jenna just shook her head. “If I had told you, I know you wouldn't have been able to keep the secret. I wanted to surprise the boys, but it seems like you were surprised, too,” she mused.

“Well, a little heads up would have been nice,” I sighed.

Before either one of us could say anything else, another man walked through the front door. This guy had Raven black hair, dreamy eyes, and was head to toe dressed in leather.

Was this some type of biker model day that I wasn’t aware of? I mean, damn.

Glaring at Jenna, now I was pissed. Here I was, standing near male perfection, and I looked like I had just crawled out of a dumpster.

Noticing my disdain, Jenna now looked at me with real sympathy. Mouthing, sorry, she turned to the new man in the house.

“Axel, we are happy to have you here at The House,” she stated, introducing the man.

“Thank you for having me. The guys at the club are excited to help out,” he stated.

As I listened, I couldn’t help but feel like someone was watching me. As my eyes roamed the room, they landed on Ryder’s. He was watching me with amusement in his eyes. I was sure he thought I must look more like the cleaning lady than the person running this establishment.

Travis cleared his throat and then looked at me. I wanted to die. To crawl into a corner and just hide away.

“Please forgive me, Scarlett,” Travis said, finally noticing my presence. “Guys, this is Scarlett. She helps run All Our Children and occasionally works at Future Leaders. She’s been a huge saving grace since Jenna stepped down,” Travis said, looking lovingly at his wife. “Scarlett, this is Ryder Raven and his brother from Hollow Cove, Kentucky, Axel Raven.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” I say, my cheeks blushing.

Jenna has made me sound way more important than I am. Honestly, when I came to Future Leaders looking for a position, I was looking for something in their marketing department. However, the day I went in for my interview, a few boys from All Our Children had been on a tour of the company, and I had fallen in love with them and the story behind All Our Children. While I do have a degree in counseling and English, I never dreamed I would be working here today. In all honesty, I never imagined my life would have turned out the way it was. I had made plans once. I had dreamed of a life with a man who I thought adored me as much as I had cared for him, but like everything else in my life, it had all come crashing down on me.

I noticed Jenna giving me a strange look, and I realized I was so lost in my thoughts, I hadn’t seen the guys trying to greet me.

Both guys extended their hands to me, but it was when I touched Ryder that I felt such a powerful electric shock. It was like a magnetic pull that lured me into him. His eyes widened as I looked up at him.

Feeling beyond mortified, I quickly retracted my hand and placed it at my side. Looking away, I struggled for anything else to keep my attention without seeming rude.

“We are thankful for you letting us into your organization,” Ryder begins, and I can feel him staring at me. “Axel is part of a motorcycle club, and the members love to help out with great charities and causes. When I told them that Travis had worked closely with All Our Children, they wanted to find a way to help out, too. So, Axel is out here to see what the boys need. He’s going to be here for a few days with me. I’m just excited to get to know you and this group better,” Ryder finished.

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