She unwrapped it quickly and took a huge bite, her mouth rejoicing at its savory goodness, the sauce and cheese indecently rich. “How’d you know I live for these?”
“Read your Facebook page, where I also found out you like to eat after work.”
A morsel fell from her mouth. She couldn’t believe he’d taken time to look at her boring details. Her heart sang then stammered. She wanted to believe what he’d done meant something other than he’d planned a hell of a date. Given what she’d gone through with Andy and Max, she wasn’t eager to embrace hope again and get shot down.
After licking the morsel off her thigh, he chomped on his sandwich then passed a beer to her and took his own.
He gulped his brew without taking a breath in between swallows. If his plan had been to calm down, the booze didn’t affect his rigid cock. He was ready for her and possibly hurting but intended to wait for relief.
Bewildered as to why, she sipped her drink, wanting to get to know him, the man inside, as she had with Max and Andy. “This is awesome.” She lifted the sandwich. “Can I ask you something?”
His chewing stopped. He licked sauce off his finger and tongued cheese hanging over the bun.
“Is that a no?”
He looked at her. “Will you get mad if I don’t answer whatever you ask?”
“I’ll back off, I swear.”
His shoulders relaxed. “Shoot.”
She gestured to the city beneath them. “Are you from here? Like born and raised? I’m from Provo, originally.” She told him her past as she had the others. Catching her breath, she leaned closer. “So, are you?”
“Am I what?” He chewed his bite. “I forgot the question. Fuck, how did you live through such craziness and come out sane?”
“Define sane.” She gestured to their nudity and the surroundings.
He laughed, spitting out his beer. “Sorry.” He ran his hand across his mouth. “I thought you’d like dining au naturel under the stars. It’s different. And I like looking at you.”
Tonight, he had all the right words. “Same for me with you, and I do like this. It’s oddly relaxing yet it’s not.” She touched her damp pussy and his stiffened dick.
His smile broadened. “I’m glad you finally have a chance to live like the rest of us. Ready for cupcakes? The store-bought kind?”
Another fave. “Where were you born?”
He gave her three Hostess cupcakes, taking five for himself. “Not too far from here.”
His answer was better than the chocolate cake or the cream surprise inside. She licked it off her lips. “What city?”
He finished his first cupcake and unwrapped the second. “Glendale, according to my birth certificate.”
She didn’t understand. “Your parents didn’t tell you where? You had to look it up?”
“I doubt my father knows I exist.” Devlin bit into the cupcake, focusing on the food rather than her. “I have my mother’s last name.”
“Does she still live in Glendale?”
His gaze jumped to her then slid past, a troubled look on his face.
“Hey, I shouldn’t have asked.” She touched his hand. “I won’t anymore, promise.”
“It’s okay.” He curled his fingers around hers. “I’m not used to talking about her.”
“You don’t have to now.”
“You’ll be disappointed if I don’t, right?”
She wanted to lie but couldn’t. “Tell me what you can.”
“There isn’t much to reveal. My mom put me in foster care when I was five. Told me she was coming back in a couple of days. I kept waiting for weeks, months, then years but…”
Oh no. He’d been so small and helpless. “I’m sorry.” She hugged him.
“It’s okay.” He patted her back. “Long time ago.”
But still haunting him, explaining why he fled commitment. She wouldn’t have run toward it either, afraid the new person she loved would do the same as the first and abandon her. “Were your foster parents good to you?”
“Which ones?”
She eased back. “How many did you have?”
He bit into her cupcake, chewed and swallowed. “Six couples before I was ten. From there on I had one placement in a group home where I stayed until I reached eighteen and they showed me the door.”
Her youth hadn’t been ideal, but her parents had never told her to leave even if they’d wanted to. Locking her in her room was more their style. “You had to survive on your own?”
“If you mean work, yeah. I got a job right away in construction. Had to. The band didn’t take off for years.”
She touched a whitish scar on his forearm. “Did you get this on a job?”
“Uh-huh. A little advice. Never point a nail gun at yourself while your finger’s on the trigger.”
Poor baby. She kissed the jagged skin.
He made a pleased sound. “Feels nice.”
Talking did too. “Does your mom still live in Glendale?”
He lifted his shoulders.
Jacquie gripped his wrist. “You don’t know where she is?”
A veil passed over his eyes, closing off the real Devlin. “I can see you feel bad about what happened with her, but there’s no need. She contacted me when the band first hit. Told me she wanted to reconnect.” He tossed empty wrappers in the basket. “I met her at the racetrack, her preferred location. She told me she was broke and needed funds. If I agreed to help this one time, she’d never bother me again. Said having a kid was a mistake, but it all worked out well. As I recall, she laughed at that point.” He finished his next cupcake. “I had my accountant cut a check for half a mil and hire a guardian to dole out the cash for her living expenses. Not men, booze, drugs, or gambling.”
Jacquie wasn’t certain she would have been as kind. “Did she at least thank you?”
“Not unless you call trashing me on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media showing appreciation. My web people blocked her from every platform. Thus far, she’s stayed in her yard and I stay in mine. It’s for the best.”
His face showed no emotion, but he’d tightened his fist.
At this point, she felt leaving his past behind was the wisest choice, unless he wanted to bring it up. “I’m full, but still hungry.” She stroked his fingers. “How about you?”
His smile made him look younger—a boy again—so did the mischief dancing in his eyes, the Devlin she knew. He’d turned off his unpleasant feelings as he would a switch, a talent she didn’t have. But then, she’d never been in foster care, unwanted and alone. “Want to play? Please.”
“Always, but like I said, no rubbers here.”
“We could feast on each other as a second dessert.”
“We could, but…” He pulled his phone from his pocket and checked the time. “We have to be at our next location in an hour. No telling how heavy traffic will be.” He grabbed his clothes.
She pulled hers closer. “Where are we going?”
“Someplace you’ve never been.”
* * *
Since Jacquie had been few places, except for business trips with Bree, she figured Devlin would take her to a trendy LA club where tees and jeans were acceptable.
The chauffeur drove them to John Wayne airport, Devlin’s staff whisking them through security, him holding her passport.
She tapped it. “How’d you get that?”
“Bree took it from your desk drawer and gave it to me.”
Bree knew where they were going and hadn’t told her? Jacquie wasn’t certain she liked being the last to know. However, his people treating her like royalty wasn’t bad, while the private jet…
Sleeker than an eagle and larger than she would have guessed, the plane waited for them on the Tarmac, the flight crew standing near the boarding ramp.
Devlin shook the captain’s hand and inclined his head in greeting to the others.
The stewardesses kept glancing at Jacquie, both women near her mother’s age. If they disapproved
of her being with Devlin or him having so much dough in his twenties, they didn’t show it.
The large interior beat anything Jacquie and Bree had flown in, everything soft beige and white.
Devlin hurried her past numerous leather chairs and sofas toward the back. There he stopped at the double doors.
She looked over her shoulder. The stewardesses prepared something she couldn’t identify from this distance. “Do you own this baby or did you rent it for the night?”
“It’s mine. An investment. The band uses it when we have to tour overseas.”
Must be nice.
He opened the double doors.
She gripped the jamb, needing something to hang onto. A king-size bed monopolized the space, its comforter gold-and-white, same as the pillowcases. A circular fixture took up the entire ceiling, its light drizzling on the bed. Roses, and what smelled like jasmine, overflowed numerous vases. “I take it you keep the rubbers in here?”
“Bingo.” He pulled her inside, closed the door, and pulled her onto the bed.
Kissing, they rolled across it, tugging at each other’s clothes, her landing on top, their breaths joining.
An intercom crackled. “Mr. Howe, we’ll be taking off shortly.”
“Damn.” He lifted her off him. “We need to buckle up.”
She didn’t want to leave. “Can we come back?”
“As soon as we hit cruising altitude.” He pulled her to the nearest chair in the cabin area, sat next to her, and put on his safety belt.
The blond stewardess with the most wrinkles hurried to them. “Anything to drink before we depart?”
Jacquie ordered white wine, Devlin a Heineken. Once the woman was too far to eavesdrop, Jacquie leaned into him. “Where are we going? Will we have enough time to play before we get there?”
“If we don’t, I’ll have them drive this baby around until we’re finished.”
Laughing, she punched his arm. “Seriously. How long will we be in the air?”
“Enough for me to do you good and then some.” He settled his hand between her legs.
Holding the drinks, the stewardess rushed toward them.
Like the good boy he could be, Devlin stopped fondling Jacquie and took the drinks. “Thanks.”
Liftoff was smoother than she recalled from her and Bree’s flights, Dominant Men’s favorite hits pumping over the sound system. Devlin tapped his foot. She bobbed her shoulders. They played with each other’s fingers.
He gave her a chaste kiss and glanced out her window, the city glittering beneath them, darkness ahead.
Dinging sounded. The captain’s voice came on. “We have clear weather to our destination. You can take off your seatbelts and move around.”
Within seconds, Devlin had her naked and on the mattress, arms above her head, a pillowcase tying her wrists, the other case blindfolding her. His tenderness and gentle exploration during their late night picnic forgotten.
Sheathed, he mounted her and pumped forcibly—though not in a hurtful way—to show her who was boss.
She’d never had a doubt.
After a particularly zealous thrust, he nipped her lower lip.
She gasped.
He pushed his tongue into her mouth, quieting the sound. Having filled her completely, he rubbed her clit.
She jerked and panted.
He didn’t slow or soften the fuck, taking her as a Dom would and as she liked, loving his wild side. Perspiration coated their skin, their musk filling the room.
Tortured sounds burst from him, lust coloring them. He groaned and slowed, then speeded up.
She knew him well enough to recognize him fighting climax.
Jacquie tried, but his size and weight imprisoned her, affording no chance to escape his touch.
He played her well, driving her to the crest and dragging her over it.
His muted shout quivered her lips. Her panting drove her chest into his.
The plane banked, the ride still smooth, their walloping hearts going crazy, the same as her pussy.
He rolled off her—his cock slipping out—and lay at her side.
She pushed her blindfold up and used her teeth to remove the bonds.
“Sorry.” He lifted his hand. It plopped down. “I should be tending you.”
“Rest. I’ll tell the captain you want him to park this thing somewhere and not disturb us.” She scooted toward the mattress edge.
Devlin pulled her back and held her against him. “You’re not going anywhere like that.”
“You mean naked?” She rubbed against him. “I doubt he’d notice. He has his eye on the blond stewardess.”
Devlin sniggered. “She’s old enough to be his grandma.”
“Bet she’s experienced from the mile-high club.” Jacquie ran her fingers down his side, his complexion an even bronze, no tan lines. “Don’t you think?”
He looked at her, his lids drooping, features relaxed, warmth and something else in his eyes. The gaze you’d give a friend, especially one who’d turned out to be more than you expected. “Maybe.”
“What about you?” She stroked his cheek.
“What about me?”
“Did you ever do the mile-high thing?”
“I just did.” He caressed her, his face buried in her neck.
Embraced and desired, she drifted. He snored.
Several dings sounded, the time uncertain.
The captain spoke, “We’re approaching our destination, Mr. Howe. We’ll land in ten minutes.”
Chapter 12
Devlin’s life as a rock star never included working hard to wow a woman. It simply happened. The wealth, perks, and luxury accommodations spoke for themselves. He’d simply had to pay for stuff then reap the rewards when babes fell into his bed, eager to do whatever the hell he wanted to keep him happy.
Not one had asked about his past as Jacquie had. He bet those other women wouldn’t have cared if Susan Smith had been his mother. She’d drowned her two sons, hoping their deaths would clear the way for her to pursue a guy who didn’t want any kids, including hers.
If Devlin had faced such annihilation, he suspected Jacquie would have felt worse than he did, forgetting about the crappy past she’d lived.
Groupies and fans saw his money and the so-called power he had, never him. Fellow performers were too into themselves to bother finding out who he was as a person or a man. They talked about themselves nonstop, which had been fine. Kept the encounter superficial and spared him from having to share anything in his life.
Revealing himself to Jacquie proved less painful than he’d believed. His desire to impress her kept building, though not because he sought to outdo Max and Andy. Nothing compared to her awe when he’d told her he read romances she liked and how thunderstruck she’d been when seeing the picnic he’d set up.
Those moments had etched themselves into his memory and he needed to make more, not wanting to consider why.
Once his crew had sped them through the airport with minimal inconvenience, he held her on his lap, the chauffeur driving them to their destination.
Jacquie suckled Devlin’s neck lightly, careful not to mark him.
He didn’t care if she did. Smelling her pleasantly scented hair, indulging in her warmth and softness made him amenable to anything.
She sucked his chin and settled her mouth on his ear. “Where are we going?”
“This place I own.”
“Hmm.” She pressed her cheek to his and finger-combed his hair. “Another investment?”
“Uh-uh.” The moment he saw the locale, he had fallen in love. “I bought this for me. Couldn’t help myself even though my financial advisor said I should purchase stocks instead.”
“Good for you.” She hugged him. “You deserve to be happy.”
Too much emotion threatened to break free. Stuffing it back down, he cupped her pussy, wanting to focus on sex.
She eased back and searched his face.
He would have bet she was tryin
g to read his soul. Wasn’t happening. He hid his feelings, especially from himself. “What?”
“Is tonight making you happy?”
If he were any more pleased or comfortable, he’d gush about his dreams for the band and those needs she’d brought to the forefront and kept satisfying. “Are you?”
She stroked his jaw. “Do you even have to ask?”
He might have thrown the question back at her, but couldn’t. “No. And yes, I am.”
Delight brightened her lovely features.
The driver slowed and entered the retreat.
Jacquie gripped Devlin’s thigh and craned her neck to catch the view bathed in moonlight.
The Spanish-style house wasn’t particularly large, which he liked. Made it cozy. A home he’d wanted as a boy. However, the view—and what he could do here without anyone intruding on his dream world—was what made this place special.
Once they stopped, Devlin spoke to his chauffeur. “Is everything set up in back?”
“Yes sir. Exactly as you ordered.”
Excited, he helped Jacquie from the vehicle and clasped her hand. “Follow me.”
He ran toward the area behind the house.
She panted. “You’re going too fast! I can’t keep up!”
“Sorry.” Unable to slow, he tugged her, urging more speed.
They reached the beach in record time, the waves gentle, as he’d hoped, the damp breeze blowing their hair back. Moonlight sparkled off the undulating Pacific, a spectacular scene only nature could create.
Grinning, he hugged Jacquie then stepped back. “Get naked.”
“What?”
“Ditch your clothes.”
She glanced at the sand he’d had his crew clean to perfection then regarded the house. “We’re making love out here?”
Not yet, but they would. He dropped his tee on the beach, sat, and tugged his boots. “You surf, right?”
“Huh? No.”
“Not a biggie.” He tossed his boots and socks aside. “I’ll teach you. It’ll be fun.” He removed his leather cuff and stripped his jeans off in record time. On his feet, he hurried her clothes off.
She ignored her nudity to stare at his erect cock pointing at her cunt. “Won’t the water be cold?”
Domination: Surrender Book Two Page 19