Free Razing Ryker (Dissonance Book 1) by Jordanna James Page B

shoulders, pull him close, and press her forehead to his. “I love you. More than anyone. And I think you’re an amazing man and an incredible friend.”
    “And good looking,” he reminded her. “Don’t forget good looking.”
    “Godlike. It’s stunning and distracting. Women swoon at your feet.”
    “Thank you.”
    “But you’re being an asshole.” He growled in annoyance and she shook him, bouncing his head against hers. “Stop being a dick and see it from her side. We all need jobs. No one can afford to be without work. You’re taking this opportunity, she’s taking hers. If you want to keep speaking to her you have to let this slide. You don’t have to be happy for her, but maybe don’t be a dick about it either. Neutral. Switzerland. Everybody loves Switzerland.”
    “They do have great chocolate,” he agreed glumly.
    She tossed him back from her, returning to her warm up. “Took you long enough to tell me you were sleeping with her.”
    He blinked. “I hadn’t realized I had.”
    “Give me a break. I know you. I knew you were fucking her the second you fist bumped her in the bar.”
    “How?!”
    The door to the studio swung open, a middle aged man dressed in workout gear smiling to them all as he stepped inside. Greer stood quickly, swatting at Cameron to get his ass in gear.
    “Because I’m magic,” she told him. “Never forget it.”
    “Hello, everyone! I’m Bryant, Ryker’s choreographer,” the man addressed the room brightly. He lifted a slim CD case, waving it in the air. “I have Ryker’s song selections here. Great stuff. A good mix of his classic songs with some of his contemporary. There’s already choreography built around a lot of this, but since not all of it is mine we’ll be revamping a lot of it.”
    The small crowd of six dancers – two men and four women – chuckled, relaxing into the easy atmosphere the man created. Greer glanced around to take stock of who had arrived.
    Cara from Surrendered wasn’t a surprise since Cameron had just been telling him about Samantha sliding into her spot. Mia, another member of the Rendezvous ensemble, stood at the edge of the crowd making three of them from their show. Only one other guy was there, dark haired and olive skinned looking like the polar opposite of Cameron with his brown hair and fair skin. Next to him was a girl about as tall as Greer and Mia with black hair and ebony skin. Greer couldn’t remember her name but she knew her by reputation. She’d been a star ballerina as a kid but she’d grown too tall, too broad, and the culture forgot about her. She had a solid spot in Incidental Intersection and Greer very much doubted that she’d given it up the way Cara had let her spot slip away.
    “I’m glad you had a chance to meet Ryker at your auditions because he won’t be with us today, but he’ll be here tomorrow and hopefully every day afterward. Personally, I’m hoping he’s working on a surprise for us. He’s left an optional slot in the production.” The man winked with a smile. “Who knows what he may fill with it.”
    He made his way to a small sound system in the corner and put the CD inside. He tucked a remote control into his pocket and spun around to face the mirror.
    “Let’s begin!”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
    Ryker strode down the hallway of the building listening to the sound of his own song building the closer he came to the studio. It was one of his older works. One he wrote when he was fifteen and excited about driving fast cars, kissing pretty girls, and playing Xbox with his dad. He smiled now thinking about the way he’d felt when he wrote that entire album. He was still with Disney then, still a child star and recently recovered from the transition from little boy to young man. It wasn’t long after the concert Grant was so focused on, the one at Christmas in Washington. There’d been snow on the ground. Worship songs on the radio. His mother had been alive.
    His smile faded and his step