Still Her (Turn it Up Book 2)

by Natalie Parker

  “Maybe, but we live according to our state of mind, and we’ve never felt famous, regardless of the successes we’ve both had. Part of it is a choice, to keep things simple and down to earth, and part of it is because we truly feel that way,” I counter.

  “Well I must say it’s a good way to be, and one of the reasons I love working with Turn it Up so much. It hasn’t gone to their heads.”

  We relax into a light conversation for a while, and I’m thankful to see a different side of Eli, as opposed to the hot-shot image that he’s always impressed upon me. When Cyndi comes out to offer us one last drink, I look at my watch and realize we’re less than forty minutes away from landing. I politely ask for a refill before grabbing my carry-on and heading to the lavatory to freshen up and change.

  Jack and I have this unofficial tradition: when I join him out on tour, I show up in a dress. I did that the first time, he loved it and it just stuck. I set my make-up bag down on the sink and take a look in the mirror. My zip hoodie is open, but one thing I didn’t realize was that the V of my t-shirt had taken a serious dip, showing off my cleavage. I’d worn a push-up bra today, because, well, I’m seeing Jack for the first time in two weeks, and… you get the idea. But I’m unnerved, because it’s now I realize that the perv out there probably got a good gander when I fell asleep and he got up to grab my Kindle off the floor. Wonderful. I take solace in the idea that I’m not his type, and try to put it out of my head as I dig through my bag for my clothes.

  The lavatory is small, but not the matchbox I’ve had to cram myself into on commercial flights. There’s a little more room making it easy to change into the slinky olive-green tank dress and gold t-strap sandals I brought along. Once I’ve changed, I freshen my makeup and shake my hair out of its tie.

  When I emerge out of the bathroom, Eli’s head comes up from his computer. His eyes land on me as I make my way back to my seat. Thankfully he doesn’t look at me the way he looked at Cyndi, with pure lust and desire, but the look he’s giving me is one of intrigue. Like he’s fascinated. Maybe his mind is boggled at the idea of me actually looking hot. Jerk.

  “Don’t you look lovely,” he muses as I sit down in the seat.

  “Oh,” I say, downplaying my look, “it’s just something I do for Jack whenever I meet him out on tour.” I turn my attention to fastening my seatbelt.

  “Lucky Jack,” he murmurs, letting his gaze linger for just a second longer before turning back to his computer.

  I’m not sure how to take that, but I only have twenty minutes to worry about it before we touch down in L.A. and we part ways. I feel a chill all of a sudden, and I convince myself it’s from the cool conditioned air of the jet. None the less, I pull my jacket back on for the rest of the flight.

  4

  Jack

  The SUV I’m riding in the back of pulls up to the tarmac of the private airport, just as the staircase door of Eli’s jet is lowering. I unclick my seatbelt and open my door before the driver even puts the thing in Park. And there she is, wearing a pretty dark green dress and a smile brighter than the afternoon sunshine on her gorgeous face. I hurry over to her as she makes her way down the steps and into my waiting arms, like something you’d see in a movie. I wrap both my arms completely around her and pull her off the second-to-last step as her arms go around my neck. I put my face into her neck to breathe her in for a second before moving my head back around to kiss her.

  “Beautiful,” I say between kisses. “You’re so beautiful.” I feel her smile against my lips as she kisses me right back. Our mouths finally detach so that we can deepen our hug for a moment, before I reluctantly pull away slightly to shake hands with Eli, who has just reached the bottom of the steps.

  “Jack,” he holds his hands out to the sides in a casual but enthusiastic greeting, before extending one of them forward to meet mine. “Great to see you, man.”

  “Eli, thank you,” I say, looking him in the eyes so he can see the sincerity in mine. He waves me off.

  “Please, it was my pleasure. Besides, it was no trouble.” He shrugs, putting his hands in his pockets as a flight attendant comes down the steps with Trooper and Penny in tow, and on their respective leashes. I squat down to let them maul me as she hands the leashes over to Maze. I give them pets and scratches and a quick wrestle, before standing and putting my arm back around Mayzie’s waist, ready to guide her to the vehicle.

  I thank Eli one last time before he quickly reminds me of the appearance we need to make at Elements after the show tonight, and that he’ll text Ron the address of tomorrow’s photo shoot. He then turns and heads for a black town car that’s idling just ahead of our SUV, the attendant falling into step beside him. I turn back to Mayzie and plant another kiss on her as the driver loads her luggage into the cargo area of the SUV. I open the back door and help the dogs to climb into the third row, before Mayzie and I slide into the back seat. As we get rolling, I lean into her, nuzzling and kissing her neck as the dogs take turns peeking their heads over the back of our seat, and sticking their faces out the open window in the back. Her arm goes around me, and I raise my head to kiss her lips a couple more times, before leaning back to ask how she is.

  “So how was it? Better flight than usual?”

  “Yeah,” she sounds hesitant, and a little bit pensive. “It was nice.” Her other arm goes up behind her to stroke Trooper, who has his head hanging over her shoulder, the motion instinctual.

  “Did something happen?” I ask, trying to decipher her expression.

  “It was fine. I was only subjected to one unsavory sight of Eli hitting on the flight attendant,” she says cynically. “But actually, I’m a little worried about Trooper. He growled at him,” her voice sounds concerned and her eyebrows draw together as she looks at me for a reaction.

  “What?” I ask in disbelief. “He never growls.”

  “I know, but he did at Eli,” she shakes her head, clearly having a hard time believing it herself. She tells me about how she fell asleep reading and woke up to Trooper growling at Eli, and saw him squatting down close to them. I have to say, a red flag goes up. Dogs have a sense of human beings and their intentions, and I can’t help but wonder if Trooper felt the need to protect Mayzie from something. I feel an immediate pull of gratitude towards our dog and reach over the back of the seat to show him I’m grateful by petting his head and scratching his ears. I don’t say what I’m thinking to Mayzie, not wanting to alarm her. Instead, I let us focus on reuniting, but my eyes have been opened a little wider…

  MAYZIE

  The vehicle pulls around the back of the arena where the guys are playing tonight, and I’m greeted by the familiar sight of tour busses and Mack trucks with trailers, forming a small colony in the venue’s sprawling back parking lot. The SUV comes to a stop at the end of the line of tour buses, and Jack and I get out to retrieve my suitcase and the dogs from the back. We each take a leash, and Phil, one of the head roadies, walks up to take my suitcase as Jack directs the way to the bus we’ll be calling home for the next three months. I thank Phil as we follow him, enjoying the feel of the warm balmy air on my skin. As we pass one of the buses that houses the crew, Kelly the band’s assistant approaches, wearing her signature black crew t-shirt and ripped jeans. With her short spiky black hair, nose piercing and neck tattoo, she appears sort of badass scary. It could not be farther from the truth. She’s one of the sweetest and friendliest people you could ever meet.

  “Hi Mayzie,” she greets me cheerfully with a hug, which I return full force. “Welcome back to the road,” she says, stepping back. “Can I get you anything?”

  “Actually, would you mind walking the dogs while we get her settled in?” interrupts Jack.

  “Of course!” she agrees, reaching out for the leashes. The dogs happily follow her as she walks away, and Jack leads me to the bus we share with Matt. The band gets two buses this time around, and there are several more designated to the road managers and crew. We approach a monstrous black and silver
bus near the end of the line, and Jack, holding my hand, leads us up the small steps.

  “Oh wow,” I exclaim as I take in the luxury of the bus’s interior. It’s like the inside of Eli’s jet but with more space and a different color scheme. The front lounge area has the perfect combination of creams mixed with light brown shades. It looks airy yet warm, making for what is sure to be a comfortable atmosphere for the long trip ahead of us. Beyond that is a spacious kitchenette with a booth table and sleek appliances. One bathroom and a few bunks come after that, one of which is larger than the rest, which is apparently where Matt is set up. And at the very back, Jack lets us into our bedroom. There, I see the bed that Jack showed me on video chat, in real life. The bed is neatly made with the pillows all piled at the head. There are dark wood cabinets, cubbies, and drawers lining the side walls, and a flat screen TV up in the corner over my shoulder. In the back corner is the adjoining bathroom with shower, giving us everything we need between cities.

  I look around, taking it all in, picturing us living our day-to-day in here, and giving myself a moment to get it right in my head as Jack steps up behind me, wrapping his arms around me. I bring my hands up to rub the hair on his forearms and close my eyes, loving the feeling of being wrapped up in him.

  “Did you do that?” I ask, nodding with a grin at the bed and the fact that it’s made. If Jack has one flaw, it’s that he doesn’t make the bed. That’s always my job. I can’t stand trying to climb into a messy bed at night, trying to straighten out the sheets and get comfortable.

  “Yeah, just for you.” Jack lowers his chin to my shoulder. “I had to welcome you to our temporary home properly.” He plants a tender kiss on my cheek.

  “It is so hot when you make the bed,” I say, turning my head to look back at him and widening my eyes.

  “Is my girl turned on?” He asks, searching my face for signs of arousal. I smile and arch my eyebrow at him. He gently turns me and brings his hands up to my face, stroking my cheeks with his thumbs, the look in his eyes going slightly solemn. “I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how much I’ve missed you.”

  “I missed you.” I bring my hands up to hold on to his wrists. He nods, and kisses me, deep. His lips are soft but solid against mine as he turns his head to take me in deeper. When he gently pulls away, we’re both breathless.

  “I’ve got a little over an hour before sound check…” he hints. “Do you…?” He leaves the question open, knowing I’ll know what he’s asking.

  I nod and place my hands on his shoulders, standing up on my toes to kiss his neck. I am absolutely not hating this idea. When Jack and I got married, I broke up with my vibrator so it’s been a long two weeks. Not that Jack and I don’t know how to be creative over the phone, but you know. He tips his head back with a groan, before a look of realization comes over him. “Hang on,” he whispers, stepping just a foot away from me.

  He reaches behind him to pull his grey t-shirt off over his head and reaches for a remote that’s lying on a nearby side table. He presses a button that makes a small beep and the solid blinds hanging in the windows of either side of the room start to lower with a soft whirring sound. Little by little, the room is shrouded in darkness, but the blinds leave a thin crack where the light shines through on either side of the room so that we can still faintly see each other. The darkness makes the tattoos on his arms and chest stand out in stark contrast against the alabaster of his skin as he unfastens his jeans. I keep my eyes on him as I hook my thumbs in the straps of my dress and slowly peel it down. I push it down until it drops to my feet, leaving me in nothing but my matching black lace bra and panties, at the same time I see him step out of his pants. He steps forward and grabs me by my hips, pulling me into a kiss and holding me close against his body. When I feel the smooth skin of his warm cock brush against the skin of my belly, I get a sense of excitement that originates in my abdomen and mushroom-clouds up through my chest. Our hands glide over each other’s skin while our kiss deepens into a sensual dance between our lips and our tongues, stroking and caressing, our heads turning with the movements. Without breaking it, Jack reaches behind me to unhook my bra, delicately pulling the straps down my shoulders and letting it fall to the floor.

  Our breathing picks up and our temperatures get warmer, releasing our pheromones into the space around us which come together to create the most exquisite scent of vanilla and peonies wrapped in worn leather.

  Jack slow dances us over to the bed, keeping his lips on mine before he gently lowers me to the mattress and comes down to kneel over me. Holding himself up on his hands, he leans down and lets his mouth travel from mine, down my neck to the hollow of my throat, to my chest. He slides over to my side, his mouth coming down over my breast, circling my areola with his tongue. I feel an immediate swelling and pulsing down in my sex, and a guttural groan forms in the back of my throat, coming out of my mouth on a tortured breath.

  His mouth continues its journey down my abdomen, and across to my left hip where he takes the lace of my panties in his teeth and starts working them down. He kisses his way across my stomach, breathing heavily against my skin, until he gets to my other side. He repeats the same motion, drawing the material down my hip. When my panties have reached my mid-thigh, he nips at the middle to pull them slowly down to my knees. My eyes have begun to adjust to the darkness in the room, and watching him perform the act is so sexy and primal, it makes my arousal climb. When the material reaches my calves, Jack grabs them, pulling them the rest of the way off. He returns his mouth to my body, reaching its final destination between my legs. He maneuvers his shoulders under my legs and brings his hands up to caress my thighs as he flattens his tongue against my folds, running it up my crevice from bottom to top. The front strands of his hair tickle against my skin, heightening every sensation. My hands go into my hair as his tongue continues to rub against my clit, drawing blood from the rest of my body and bringing it rushing to my core. I start to pant and roll my hips almost involuntarily.

  “Oh my God,” the words come out of me in a strangled whisper.

  “Oh baby, you are burning so hot for me,” Jack exhales heavily against my skin. More moans and cries escape my mouth as Jack pushes his tongue inside me and starts thrusting in a slow but steady rhythm.

  My hands come down to either side of my hips on the mattress to hold on to the comforter for dear life. I’m being pushed swiftly up to my peak and I’m losing my grip on my control. Jack lets go of my thighs and threads both of his hands with mine like he’s trying to anchor me. He groans against me, causing the most insane vibration to send a wave rippling through me.

  “Jack…” I whisper in warning.

  I’m so close, and I need him inside me. I have nothing against oral orgasms, but I crave the kind I get when I’m full with Jack inside me, and he knows this, which is why a hint of irritation has crept into my moans and gasps when he keeps going.

  “JACK!” I release his name on a desperate cry into the room. I’m past the point of caring if the walls are soundproof. He’s back on top of me in a heartbeat, his face hovering over mine.

  “Okay, okay…” he whispers. “Shhh… I’ve got you baby,” he shifts his hips so that the head of his massive cock is resting heavy against my clit, applying the slightest amount of pressure. “That what you want, sweetheart?”

  I give him a frantic nod, kissing him.

  “Me too… I want you so bad,” he whispers before pushing inside me. My walls are snug around him but he glides easily through my wetness. I let out a shuddery moan as he lets out a ragged exhale. He continues to push inside in one long stroke, his body traveling up mine. When he’s bottomed out, he holds us there, giving us both a chance to regain control. “God, you feel so good. I missed you so much,” his words come out in a stream of hurried whispers against my lips as he draws himself out to halfway before stroking back inside. He holds his position once again before starting to stroke steadily in and out. My hands grip his back, and I bring my knee
s up to his hips to take him deeper.

  We thrust and rock together, touching as much of each other as we can. We get lost in the heat, the friction, the emotion. The chain around his neck dangles over me, the cross dancing across my skin as we move.

  Our rhythm gets harder, faster, a little more at a time. The pressure is stirring and building in my core. I feel it compressing and expanding, threatening to explode. Jack is moaning along with me as he nips at my neck, my jaw, my lips. The room is filled with the sounds of our movements, competing with the hum of the air conditioning that fails to keep the sweat off our bodies.

  Already completely seated deep inside me, Jack snaps his hips, pushing the threshold, leading me to grunt and bite down on his shoulder. His response is a hiss intermingled with a heavy moan.

  “Oh my God, Jack, it feels so good.” So good. I don’t want to ever stop.

  “Fucking amazing,” he growls into my neck.

  “I’m close…” I whimper out, beginning to see stars.

  “I’m there too, baby. Let it happen…” he breathes into my cheek, picking up his pace, helping us both chase it. His mouth comes back down on mine, his tongue plunging in deep, and that does it. I shatter. Wave after wave washes over me as we swallow each other’s cries of ecstasy. I writhe and arch underneath him as he goes rigid, thrusting hard and sharp before drawing us out long and slow.

  When every last tremor and flutter has waned, he rests on top of me, his body melding into mine. It feels so comforting and sweet. I wrap my arms around his neck, and he lets out a contented sigh. We stay this way for a while, still and quiet, until Jack shifts off of me so that my lungs can finally fully expand when I breathe, but stays close with his arm across me. He smiles sweetly, showing me his right dimple in the darkness, as we stare at each other, saying everything and nothing all at once.