Chapter 18 - Surprise

Keegan’s POV

The past few weeks had been crazy. Ryder had been on the road for most of it playing away games, so it was just Faith and I at the house. Now that I was living there, their housekeeper was no longer required to spend the night in the main house with Faith. We were closer than ever since my little run-in with her mother, and the more time I was with her, the more I was starting to think of her as my little sister as well.

A car from a service picked her up, took her to school and brought her home while I was at work, and in the evenings and on the weekends, we hung out watching movies together, going shopping and just having fun. She even asked to come to my Grams’ house as well. Those two had really hit it off. My Grams loved having someone around with whom she could practise her sign language. Faith always wore her cochlear implant but was happy to help Grams brush off the cobwebs.

Part of me was glad that Ryder was on the road because it was more time to think about what had nearly happened in my Grams’ kitchen. I had almost let him kiss me. What the hell was I thinking? I couldn’t deny that I was attracted to him. If I weren’t, I wouldn’t have stripped for him and tried to get him to sleep with me when I was drunk. If it had learned anything from being a bartender, alcohol didn’t make you do crazy stuff for no reason. It removed your inhibitions and assisted you in doing things you wanted to but never dared to act on when you were sober. But I was confused. This was a fake relationship. Once it was over, Ryder would have his new contract, and he could go back to his man-whoring ways. I didn’t want to get caught up in whatever this was, just to have it bite me in the ass. This time apart was good to reset and put everything back the way it was.

He got in late last night after Faith and I had gone to bed, and I was out the door before he woke up. I had work, and then I was meeting him at the game tonight. If he had waited for me to get home and ready, he would have been running late. Instead, Faith and I headed in a little later, just before the game started. From what I understood, she didn’t often come to the games, but Mackenna was busy tonight, so it was nice to have company.

While we were cheering on Ryder, I couldn’t help but wonder if he had been with someone on the road. We weren’t in a real relationship, and I had given him permission as long as he was discreet, but the thought of it was driving me crazy. I decided not to dwell on it because I really would have to have myself committed to the looney bin if I didn’t stop. When halftime came, instead of watching the halftime show and studying the LA Girls, wondering which of them Ryder had slept with, I decided to indulge in some junk food.

I was searching in my bag for my purse as I walked when I ran into a very solid chest and would have landed flat on my ass if a pair of strong arms didn’t snake around my waist, holding me up.

I steadied my feet, thinking that whoever it was would let go, but they didn’t. “I am so sorry I should have watched where I was going.”

“No need to apologise, Miss Marshall. I love helping damsels in distress.” A rich, heavily accented, male voice told me.

My stomach was doing somersaults as I realised whose arms I was in. Glancing up, my eyes connected with a pair of dark brown, almost black eyes that seemed like they would drill right down into your soul if you stared at them long enough. His cologne was almost intoxicating, and the stubble on his face made him look even dark and mysterious when combined with his Russian accent. His age was a hard one to guess as he looked to be in his early thirties, but the way he acted and talked, it felt like he was years older. It was also a man that I never thought I would see again, Viktor Komarov. What the hell was he doing here?

“Mr Komarov.” I replied, wriggling out of his grasp, “What are you doing here?”

He smiled at me, showing off his perfectly straight, white teeth. “I was back in town, and one of my friends happens to own the Los Angeles Lakers. He’s been on me for years to come and watch a game, so I thought it was about time that I took him up on the offer. I was up in his private suite enjoying the game, and low and behold, there you were in the crowd. What brings you here tonight?”

“I’m seeing one of the players.” I advised him, still trying to figure out the odds of us running into each other again in a city this large, “I’m here with his little sister to support him tonight, speaking of which she’s waiting on me to bring snacks, so I better get going.”

He stepped aside to allow me to pass, “Of course, maybe we will run into each other when the game is over.”

As I walked away, I couldn’t help to think about what he said and wonder if that was a suggestion or a promise. I tried to push my feelings to the side and focus on my task, and that was plenty of salty and sweet snacks to keep Faith and me going for the second half. The Lakers won by a landslide, and Faith and I screamed ourselves hoarse when the final buzzer rang out. The Lakers were victorious yet again. They were on a winning streak four-game winning streak.
Faith and I had the service car bring us here, which meant we were waiting outside the change rooms for Ryder to get changed and finish up with any reporters inside and then he was going to drive us back to the house. Normally they would go out and celebrate the win, but after two weeks away, everybody was tired and just wanted to get home.

I was leaning against the cold concrete wall, scrolling through my phone as I waited. About twenty minutes later, I heard loud laughter approaching and out walked Ryder, but he wasn’t alone. There with him was Viktor and another somewhat older gentleman. This guy was like a bad smell that I couldn’t shake. I assumed that the other man he was with was the team's owner.

Ryder introduced me to the owner, Mr Wayne Richards, who warmly shook my hand, “It’s great to finally meet the girl that seems to have tamed our boy’s wild ways.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Mr Richards,” I responded, giving him my biggest smile. I mean, it was why I was here, wasn’t it, to help impress his boss.

“Pleasure allow me to introduce a good friend of mine, Viktor Komarov.” He advised me, “I was just giving him a tour of the locker room.”

“We’ve already met.” Viktor informed his friend, “I am a client of her father’s. He introduced us at his office a little while ago, and we ran into each other again at halftime. I was hoping to run into you again, Keegan. I wanted to see if I could organise a meeting with you. I hear from your father that you work in a financial institution here in LA. I was hoping to find a bank in town to do business with and thought you could give me the low down on the one you work for. Maybe give me a realistic view of them instead of what they like to show people. I’m here for the next week if that works for you.”

I was speechless, unsure how to respond when Ryder took care of that for me. “I’m really sorry, but unfortunately, Keegan and I are going out of town tomorrow and won’t be back until next weekend.”

My jaw almost hit the floor. What the hell was he talking about? This was all news to me. “We are?”

“Yes.” Ryder confirmed, “It was going to be a surprise but given we have the next week off, some of the guys thought we would take our woman on a trip to Mexico to unwind. It's been a long few weeks.”

Mexico? For a whole week. How could he book this without talking to me first? I didn’t sit on my backside all day. I had work to think about. How was I supposed to get the time off with so little notice? I couldn’t exactly ask any of these questions as we were supposed to be in a loving relationship, and the tone I was going to be asking any of these questions in was anything but loving.

“Oh my god Ryder.” I gushed with fake enthusiasm, leaping into his arms and hugging him. Hoping that this would also get it into Viktor’s head that I wasn’t available. “That sounds amazing.”

Mr Richards seemed happy with our interaction with each other, “Well, Viktor and I have a dinner to get to. Enjoy your trip. Ryder, not too much, though. I need you boys in top shape for next weekend. Faith, it was lovely to see you again.”

“Of course, sir.” Ryder confirmed, not letting me out of his arms, “And Viktor, it was a pleasure.”

I watched and waited until the two of them were out of sight before I shoved away from Ryder. “Seriously, I can’t go on any trip. I have work on Monday.”

“That’s all sorted. I’ve been planning this with the guys for the last week. Mackenna talked to your boss and got you the time off work, and I had a messenger pick up your passport from your Grams. The boys and I have had a long couple of weeks and just want to unwind, and it would be suss if you didn’t join us.”

Crap, there was no way out of this. Ryder and I would be stuck in a hotel for an entire week in close quarters. I assumed that he got us separate rooms in a suite, but it wasn’t as big as the house, nor did I have work to escape to during the week. He had left me with no escape from this trip, but I had to come up with some way to make it work.

“Why doesn’t Faith come with us?” I queried, “I’m sure you’ll be hanging out with the boys a bit. I could use someone to keep me company, and she has been working so hard at school. Plus you've just gotten back so it doesn't seem fair to leave her behind.”

Ryder raised his eyebrow at me as if he knew what I was trying to do. “Of course. We are taking a private plane, and there just happens to be an extra seat or two.”

Faith squealed with excitement at the thought of going on a trip and spent the entire trip home talking non-stop about what she wanted to do while we were there and what she was going to pack. Me, on the other hand? All I could think about was how I would get through this week without complicating things more than they already were.