Page 16 of More Than a Spark

Ryder hitched up onto a barstool and winced, then adjusted himself.

I peered at him. He seemed…in pain? “You okay?” I stepped closer to him and placed a hand on his back.

“Yeah, just maybe my jeans are a little tight.” A sharp chuckle erupted from him. “Hopefully they stretch out a little.” He flicked a peek at me. “You know how it is when you just wash them.”

I glanced at his jeans and the obvious bulge filling them out at the top of his thighs. No way…He’s not…He can’t be. “Yeah, I know how it is.” I shifted my attention to Simone. “Can we get two beers please?” I had to be seeing things. Or maybe he just got a random boner. Guys did that.

“Sure thing.” Simone filled two tall, frosty beer glasses from the tap, then set them in front of us. “And who is your friend?” Propping her forearm across the bar, she gave him a coy grin.

“Oh, this is Ryder. He just moved back down here from Flagstaff.” I glanced at Ryder, then focused on her. She was beautiful. Would Ryder be interested in her? My heart faltered. “Ryder, this is Jeremy’s sister, Simone.”

“Oh, is it? Nice to meet you, Simone.” He held his hand above the bar, and she shook it. “You do look a lot like your brother. I met him last night at the band house.”

With a soft giggle, she said, “Oh, you did?” She glanced out toward the seating area, where the rest of the guys had pushed tables together. “Are you a new band wife then?” She straightened.

“Oh, no,” Ryder said with a soft laugh. “I’m an old friend of Milo’s. We’ve known each other since what, fourth grade?” He sipped his beer, watching her from over the edge of the glass.

“Oh, I see.” She twisted her lips. “Anyways, I should probably go get their orders.” She ticked her head toward the guys. “They get antsy if they don’t think they have enough time to eat before they play.” She threw me a look. “Are you joining them?”

“Yeah, in a minute.” I drank my beer, letting the cool bubbles slide down my throat, then turned to face Ryder. I didn’t want to say this, but I should. “So, she’s single.” I ran my fingers up and down the condensation of my glass, my heart aching.

“Yeah?” He glanced toward the band wives tables, where Simone was now taking orders. “She’s pretty, but I don’t know if she’s into me.” He pursed his lips.

“She probably thinks you’re queer.” I freed a soft snicker, then sipped more beer.

“What?” As he scoffed a chuckle, he raised a brow. “Why would she think that?”

With a shoulder shrug, I said, “Because all of us are queer and it’s sort of a given that everyone thinks we don’t hang out with anyone who’s straight.” I pressed my lips together. “You should probably let her know you’re straight if you want to hit on her.” There, I’d done my good deed for the night. The ache in my chest grew and I stared at the black veins in the bar top. Maybe this was a bad idea. It felt like the night was backfiring on me already.

He held his glass to his lips a moment, then set it down. “Look, she’s pretty and all, but I’m not here to hook up with someone tonight.” He wrapped his hand around the back of my neck and pulled me to him, pressing his forehead to mine. “I’m here to see you play and to hang out with you.” He freed me.

With my eyes widening, my gaze met his. Now I felt like a real jerk inviting Archer. “B-but you know I invited Archer tonight.”

“Yeah, I know.” He flashed a half smile, then drank his beer. “I want to make sure this Archer guy is good enough for my best friend.” He dipped his gaze to my bare midriff. “And with you looking like that, he better not get too handsy.” He bit his lower lip. “I mean, he needs to respect you.”

“What are you, my older brother?” I scoffed a laugh. This could get interesting.

“No, but you need to be treated right, Milo.” His grin waned. “You deserve the world.”

If only that world included him. “Yeah, okay.” I took a hard swallow and glanced at the band wives table. “Anyways, lets go get you introduced to everyone.”

“Sure.” He slid off his barstool and grabbed his beer. “I can’t wait to meet them.”

As I walked toward the guys, all laughing and drinking, Ryder’s hand warmed my lower back. It sort of felt like we were together as more than friends. I felt safe with him at my side. I stopped at the table. “Hey, guys, meet Ryder. I’m sure you’ve all heard about him already.” There was no way word hadn’t gotten around.

“Hi.” Ryder waved at them all, then each one stood up and gave him a friendly greeting with handshakes and side-hugs.

I took a chair next to Cash at the end of the table and when Ryder was done, he dropped into the chair next to mine.

“They all seem like nice guys.” Ryder tipped his beer to them and drank it down.

“They are.” Cash leaned over the table on his forearms. “They took me in like I was a long-lost family member.” With a smirk, he sucked from a straw in a green drink.

“Yeah, I could see that.” Ryder shook his head and huffed. “Sometimes I think queer people are way easier to get along with than straight people.” He faced me, his brows wrinkling. “Guess I’ve always thought that.”

Cash propped his cheek in his palm and studied Ryder. “Really. So, did you find some queens to hang out with up there in lumber land?”

With his brows snapping up, Ryder chuckled, then said, “I did. I uh, a buddy I hung out with at the station was gay.” He toyed with the napkin in front of him on the table. “I don’t know if I’d call him a queen though.”

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