Reverb (Trojan Book 2)

by S. M. West

  I’m out of my depth and stick close to Jared. He doesn’t let go of my hand and introduces me to everyone.

  Some I vaguely recognize, not for their music careers but for their other passions like politics or humanitarian efforts. Like I said, I’m out of my element.

  And then there are the fans. I’m not sure who decides who gets access to events like this, but men and women alike strive for the attention of the famous.

  Jared is the center attraction and even though I am on his arm, I’ve been bumped and jostled out of the way just so they can get to him.

  Working the room, we finally arrive at the place where we started more than two hours ago, and I excuse myself to go to the ladies’ room.

  “Want me to come with you?” he whispers in my ear, and I shiver.

  “No, I’ll be okay. Thanks.”

  I wade through the crowd and have to stand in line for my turn. Easily thirty minutes later, if not more, Jared isn’t where I left him.

  It takes a while to find him and when I do, my stomach is in a tangle. Women flank his sides, all of them gorgeous, sexy, and ravenous for the man. He isn’t indulging—in fact, every few seconds he glances around the room.

  On his third sweep, our gazes lock and something hot and, dare I say, arrogant, swims in the depths of those amber eyes. With no words for those around him, he prowls toward me, parting the crowd like Moses did the Red Sea.

  There’s this visceral, poetic torment about him that wasn’t there before, when I knew him as a boy. I mean, Jared was always raw, didn’t know how to do polished, and he never held back. But this is different and new, the shift only happening while I was gone.

  He appears tortured.

  “We’re leaving.” A large hand wraps around my waist, securing my hip, and his fingers sink into my flesh.

  “You okay?”

  I sense his struggle. He’s wrestling with something, as if suddenly awkward in his own skin. Or maybe it isn’t him he’s uncomfortable with, but this party, these people.

  “I will be.” His voice is low and gravelly, and I recognize his desire to flee.

  He guides us to the door, and the elevator ride down a few floors to our suite is quiet. Our hotel room is dark, and once the door closes, he’s on me.

  His large, hard body presses my back into the wall, his forearm resting on either side of my head. He has me caged in, and the sinful heat of him makes me dizzy.

  “Eva.” His tongue darts out, licking his bottom lip, and his smoldering gaze lingers on my mouth. “I’m going to kiss you.”

  He isn’t asking, and I’m unable to find the words, only nodding, my gaze never leaving his full, wet lips. His mouth crashes onto mine the instant I’ve given consent.

  Even in anticipation of the kiss, a sharp intake of breath fills my lungs followed by my soft moan. He grunts, hands moving to grip my waist and the back of my neck, tightening. I let his scent, leather and spice, wash over me as his lips mold against mine.

  My head tilts to one side, wanting more, and he opens his mouth wider. He reaches out with his tongue, touching mine, and I don’t hesitate to lick across his lips before delving back into his mouth.

  He tastes so good. Masculine and minty. Grinding into me, his hard erection presses into my stomach, and he kisses me again and again.

  My hand grasps the back of his neck, pulling him closer, wrapping a leg around the back of his muscular thigh. A long, suffering moan slips from him, sliding down my throat, as he punctuates his arousal into me.

  Face heating, I shamelessly rub against him, needy and throbbing for him, and my heart pounds faster.

  “Eva, I don’t deserve you.” His mouth never leaves mine as he speaks. “I’m too tarnished. If your dad thought I wasn’t good enough for you when we were kids…”

  He rips away from me. His wounded stare bruises as he turns on his heel and stalks further into the suite. Bereft and lost, his words and withdrawal are a jagged slice to my heart.

  24

  Secrets are dangerous

  JARED

  “Don’t say that.” Her voice is soft and raspy, and the heat of her advancing on me warms my back. “What my father thinks doesn’t matter. It’s what I think.”

  “But you don’t know the half of it. I was messed up as a kid, dabbled with drugs and illegal shit.” I’m not telling her anything she doesn’t already know. “But my life…if anything, becoming famous only led to more of that shit.”

  I didn’t like the idea of hurting her, but my filth can’t be hidden. The party, and how uncomfortable she was even if she said nothing, only made that more apparent.

  “You’re a rock star.” She steps in front of me, her swollen lips curving into a brilliant smile. “Your dream came true.”

  Her fingers run gently over my temple and down to my jaw. She shines from every pore and it should comfort me, but bitter irony burns my gut, difficult, if not impossible, to smother.

  The only dream I ever had was her.

  “No, I’m nothing.” I brush an errant curl behind her ear. The overwhelming urge to taste her again, have all of her, nearly bowls me over, and I break away.

  “How can you say that? I saw all those people tonight. You were their sun. All of them drawn to you, orbiting around you.” She oozes wonder but there’s also a touch of melancholy.

  “I’m undeserving of the opportunity my fame afforded me. Shit, I’m undeserving of you.”

  Tonight was too loud, too many people, too much, and it wasn’t good for me. And instead of keeping my distance, I took what I wanted. Kissed her and—no surprise—she was fucking exceptional.

  “We were lucky, and it was about time since none of us had easy childhoods. Right place, right time, and Trojan exploded, almost overnight.” I run my fingers through my hair, and she hangs on my every word, a troubled expression setting in.

  “Excess, debauchery, and destruction became my life. I was like a devil, feeding off the frenzy, the fans, money, fame, and the women.”

  She flinches and I grimace, tossing my jacket onto the chair. I start unbuttoning my shirt, tearing it off. Everything feels too tight.

  “Eva, I was numb to it all. I died the day you took your last breath. For so long, there was nothing to me. Fuck, even now, having you here…” my voice cracks, words lodged, swollen in my throat.

  I strain to breathe past the emotions I’m failing to keep under wraps, buried in the darkest part of me.

  “Jared, we both were numb. You weren’t the only one. The boy I love, he’s still in here.” She rests her hand against my now-bare chest. “Come on, I’m not naïve enough to think you lived like a monk. If you want to tell me about it, I’m all ears. But don’t feel you have to confess what you feel are sins. I meant what I said on the plane. You don’t have to be sorry for living your life.”

  I snort, biting back my anger. “No, that kid is gone. Dead.”

  She no longer knows me. Secrets are dangerous, and no matter the nasty things I’ve done, she has a right to know. And there is one thing she may never be able to forgive or get past.

  “Don’t say that. I wasn’t here to see your rise to fame, to cheer you on, but I know you. I know your soul.”

  “I’m a soulless asshole.” The air thins, too hard to breathe. I could lose her before I have her even if it is the right thing to do.

  “Jared, stop.”

  “Stop what? It’s the truth.”

  “No, that isn’t the truth. You want to know what truth I see?” She steps into my body, angling her head back to look at me.

  I avert my eyes, and she gently pushes at my chest until I meet her gaze. Fierce chocolate pools burn into me.

  “To me, you are always the calm and the storm. The perfect balance and through it all, you’ve always got me, protecting me. You make me want to do better.”

  “You make me want to be a better person.” My voice is husky.

  “We make each other better.”

  I didn’t know how not to care
for her, to want her, and her words crack me open. The walls close in, inching closer and closer. The air thick and dense, a force—the one always there between us—crackles, alive with electricity.

  We’re at that point, the one just before explosion, on the brink of insanity, and while I should walk away because there’s so much still to say, so much she doesn’t know that could change everything, I simply can’t. I can no longer resist.

  Eva flattens her hands on my chest and leans in, tracing the tip of her tongue over my bottom lip. I quake, feeling it to my soul.

  “Kiss me like time doesn’t exist.”

  Her demand sends my head spinning and goosebumps puckering along my flesh. All I can think about is tasting her. I grasp her waist, and her hands slip behind my head, fingers threading into my hair.

  Inching closer, I let her invade my doubts, eradicate my shame as her breath coasts over my mouth. “Give me your lips.”

  My mouth meets hers. So, so soft and warm. Her taste and smell are heavenly, and my eyes flutter closed. Eliminating the final, infinitesimal distance between us, I draw her in. My tongue slides into her mouth again, running along hers, and I can’t get enough.

  I suck on her tongue as she presses harder against my body, and my hands round to her ass, hoisting her into my arms. Her toned, slender legs wrap around me.

  Heaven.

  Moving to the bed, I bend my knees and sit, and she settles into my lap, kissing me endlessly. So fucking good. Her fingernails dig into my scalp, and I groan against her mouth.

  My heart pounds in my chest and I gaze down at Eva, the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen.

  “Do you remember us? Sneaking off to grab moments alone whenever we could?” I’m unable to contain my sexy grin at the memories. “Always wanting to get lost in each other. How fucking perfect we fit together? Me inside you.”

  She nods shyly, big warm brown eyes filled with trust and love. Even unworthy of her adoration, I feel like a fucking king.

  Eva looking at me the way she is right now is a greater high than any music award, any sold-out concert, or any number-one hit. And forget about drugs—not even close. Right now, her look is everything.

  Without words, she raises her arms above her head, and I remove her dress and she’s in a tiny matching bra and panty set.

  Shifting, her hot core slides and rubs against my hard, throbbing erection. A groan of need slips past my lips.

  Now skin against skin, the sticky heat between us further stirs my need and desire for her.

  “Eva, I want to go slow, to savor this,” I mumble, my lips against hers. “But I don’t know if I can.”

  She moans, pressing her mouth into mine, sealing my words with our tongues and teeth.

  A vibration builds at the base of my spine, needy with anticipation, and in some unspoken agreement, we get to our feet, both of us fumbling to remove our remaining clothes.

  I grab a condom from my bag, and when I turn back, her pert tits are still covered by a lacy black bra. She brings her hands behind her back as if to remove it, and I grab her by the waist, bringing her onto my lap again.

  My fingers pull the cups down, and her sweet mounds spill from the fabric. Her nipples, a dusky shade of pink, instantly tighten into perfect little peaks as the cool air hits her flesh.

  “So fucking sexy.” I flick one hard bud with a finger and she gasps, eyes widening as she arches her back, begging for more.

  My lips cover one, taking her breast deep into my mouth and sucking, licking, and nipping. Wild, her body jerks and fingers dig into my head. I’m relentless, feeding off her chanting of my name.

  “Yes, Jared, please! Oh God, Jared.”

  Blood burns, pumping hot through my veins, and the craving to have her grows tenfold. Her core is hot, shamelessly rubbing against my stomach, chasing friction, and I intend to give her what she needs.

  I flip her onto her back and hover above as my fingers slip between her legs. “Fuck, yes.”

  Slick and ready for me, she rocks into my hand and I push two fingers inside of her.

  She pants, “Jared.”

  My gaze travels the length of her body, bronze skin, flush and toned, writhing with pleasure. I’m mesmerized where my fingers thrust in and out, palm grinding against her clit.

  She rewards me with encouraging moans, jaw slack and mouth open. I lean forward, our hot chests sliding against each other as I suck her lower lip into my mouth, needing to taste her bliss.

  Coaxing her to climax, I watch, enthralled, as she explodes beneath me.

  Lying on the bed, she’s wrung out with her eyes closed. I slide onto my knees, and position her legs over each shoulder, opening her to me.

  “Fuck, Eva, you’ve got the prettiest pussy.” I lower my head toward her core.

  Eyes never waver from hers as my mouth languidly trails a path to where we both want me most.

  In a stupor, she lifts her head, watching my tongue lap at her core. She gasps and the taste of her explodes on my tongue. She is the best thing I’ve ever tasted. Tart, salty, and all Eva.

  I bury my face in her pussy, licking and kissing and sucking every inch of her. She starts to squirm, wriggling away, and I widen her thighs, my hands holding her in place so I can savor all of her.

  Her legs tremble underneath my hands, and the noises she makes nearly drive me mad. Her breathy sighs, gasps, and moans cause my cock to swell and ache, wedged between my stomach and the mattress.

  Still not ready to give in, wanting to bring her to ecstasy once more, I bury my tongue inside her, and she cries out. Her pussy flutters against my mouth and feeds my desire to have all of her, to somehow erase our time apart or get back what we lost.

  Eva shouts my name, pulls at my hair, and comes on my tongue. Once her body unclenches, she rolls into me as I climb onto the bed.

  Her lips tenderly kiss along my collarbone. “It’s my turn now.”

  Her loving hands glide along my body as she moves down the bed, nabbing the square foil in the process. Slipping the edge of the condom packet between her teeth, she winks and straddles me.

  I chuckle and still when the glorious heat of her swollen core glides over the ridge of my throbbing cock. Back and forth she moves while tearing open the foil.

  She wraps her tiny hand around my girth, thumb gliding over my wet crown once, then twice before she puts on the condom. Then she inches up, pressing my tip to her warm entrance.

  “Fuuuck, Eva.”

  She slowly sinks onto me, pausing to give her body time to stretch. My dick pulses, going deep inside her, and I could cry.

  “You feel so fucking good,” I moan, eyes rolling back into my head.

  Between her swivels and strokes, I tug at her hair, wrapping it around my fist and bringing her face to mine.

  “Eva, you were made for me.” I kiss her thoroughly, thrusting upward to punctuate my meaning, working myself deeper inside of her. “A perfect fucking fit.”

  Our kisses shift and deepen as she rides me, and we pick up pace. Both of us chasing, clenching, and soaring as we cry out each other’s names.

  A wave of emotion crashes over me. I shatter, spilling inside of her. She holds my gaze and I pull her to me, into another deep, soul-stealing kiss.

  We clean up and get back into bed. My eyes fall shut, and the warmth of her breath against my neck comforts me, lulling me to sleep. I drift into a deep dream where Eva and I were always together and always would be.

  With a towel around my waist, I saunter into the bedroom where I’d left Eva sleeping and find her sprawled on the bed in leggings and a blouse.

  Her legs are at a comfortable distance apart, arms to her sides, palms up, and her face is…her face is as serene as the sky, cloudless and blue on a bright, sunny day.

  If her chest wasn’t rising and falling with each breath, or her dark lashes lightly fluttering once in a while, I’d think she was dead.

  Slowly, her fingers and then her toes start to move. She wiggles them and then her
eyes blink open. She rolls to one side of the bed, gaze landing on me, and she smiles.

  “Good morning.” Her fingers loosely comb through her gorgeous hair, and she straightens her clothes.

  “Hey, you okay?” I push back a wet strand falling onto my forehead.

  “Yes, much better now. I just needed some calm.” She comes to me and plants a soft, sweet kiss on my lips. “How are you feeling?”

  “Ah, I’m okay.” I scratch at the back of my neck, wanting to ask but unsure if I should.

  “Are you sure?” She bends her head to the side.

  “Would you…ah, would you mind teaching me that?” I point to the bed where she just lay.

  “To meditate?”

  “Yeah. Is that what you were doing?” She nods, and I stroll over to my clothes, dropping the towel. “Is it hard? It just seems like something I could benefit from. Every time you do it, you’re even calmer than before, if that’s even possible.”

  “It isn’t hard. Come here.” She stretches out her hand and I pull on my T-shirt and pants before taking her hand.

  She guides me to the bed, instructing me to lie in a comfortable position. For the next twenty minutes or so, her voice is soft and undulating, almost hypnotic as she leads me in a relaxation exercise where I focus on my breathing.

  My thoughts are to be acknowledged but neither dissected nor engaged. Like leaves on the surface of a lake, I’m to take note and quietly watch them float by. That is all.

  It’s so simple but also tricky because I’m training myself to shut everything out. The mind that is constantly running is being asked to stop. To still. She takes me within myself where it’s only me, my breathing, and my positive intent.

  Meditation works, and I find myself calmer, more focused as we check out of the hotel, I go to a short meeting, and then we grab some lunch. Our flight leaves at three in the afternoon and we’re back in LA at a little after six in the evening.

  The limo and driver are waiting on the tarmac when we get off the plane. Our luggage is placed in the trunk, and we slide into the back seat.