I sighed, and my hands curled into fists as I imagined knocking a few teeth out of his artificially perfect smile. “Look, Dirk, I’m tired of repeating myself. I’m not fucking interested. Now get the hell out of my dressing room. I have a show to do. And if you’re here when I get back, I’ll have you thrown out of the hotel.”
Dirk’s expression slipped for a moment, and I got a glimpse of the anger simmering beneath the surface. The asshole really hated being told no. A second later, his congenial attitude was back, and he shrugged with a rueful smile. “I had to try. If you change your mind…”
“I won’t,” I snapped.
He turned around and opened the door, but he was blocked from leaving by someone standing in the hall, just outside the room. Suddenly, Dirk’s whole demeanor shifted into the cocky movie star with ridiculous swagger. “Muffin,” he crooned as he leaned his shoulder against the door. “It’s great to see you. I’ve missed you.”
His position revealed the identity of the person he was trying to schmooze. I spotted the emerald blouse I’d purchased earlier that day first. Then I looked up to see my Anna standing there, the blood drained from her face and her eyes wide with shock. My gaze bounced back and forth between them for a second. Was this…?
“Dirk,” she rasped. “What are you doing here?” The tremble in her voice confirmed my suspicion, and rage like I’d never felt washed over me.
“I came to offer Julian here a job, but if I can convince you to come home with me, it’ll be a two-for-one special. Come on, muffin. Stop running from our attraction. You know you want me.”
Anna’s face screwed up in disgust, and I practically flew across the room to pull her inside and push her behind me. “Back off, Carlson,” I snarled as I stepped into his space. I was at least six inches taller than him—despite the lifts in his shoes—and had a good fifty pounds on him. He squared his shoulders and tried to make himself as big as possible. His attempt at being intimidating would have been laughable. If I’d been remotely amused about the situation.
His practiced expression fell away, and he glared at me with malice. “Don’t tell me to back off my girl, asshole.”
Shit. That was just the wrong thing to say to me. The possession roaring in my chest sent a shot straight to my fist, and on instinct, it smashed into his jaw with a right hook. Dirk’s head flew back and smacked into the door behind him. He cried out like a pussy and cupped his face. “You asshole! You’ll be—”
He broke off when I grabbed his shirt and twisted it, holding him still while I growled a low warning. “Anna is mine, motherfucker. If I ever see you near her again, you’ll be visiting your Hollywood plastic surgeon for facial reconstruction. Understood?”
Dirk looked as though he was going to argue but must have recognized the dead seriousness in my eyes and tone because he nodded instead. I released the fabric and took a step back. “Get out,” I barked.
He quickly scurried out but threw one last jab over his shoulder. “I’m gonna sue you for everything you’ve got, Storm. Then we’ll see who muffin goes running to.”
I took a step in his direction, intent on kicking his ass, but a tug on my arm stopped me. I spun around and pulled Anna into my arms, holding her tight as though she might disappear. After a minute, my heart rate began to slow, and I lifted her dimpled chin with a finger. “Are you alright?” My eyes scanned her face, looking for any sign of distress, but she was gazing up at me with a soft smile.
“I’m perfect.”
I raised a brow in wordless curiosity.
She chuckled, and her arms around my torso gave me a brief squeeze. “I hated seeing that pig, Dirk, again. But”—her eyes dropped to my chest, and her cheeks flamed though her smile was coy—”watching you get all territorial over me was incredibly sexy.”
“Is that so?” I purred as my hands dropped to palm her ass. With a minute amount of pressure, I pressed her body against mine. My erection was pressed into her stomach, and she shifted restlessly. I wanted to shove her up against the wall and bury myself deep inside her, but I had a show in ten minutes. If she’d still been upset or scared, I wouldn’t have considered leaving her. But she appeared to be just fine, and I didn’t want to disappoint the audience. And although I probably had enough time for a quick fuck, I knew it would never be enough.
I groaned and brushed my lips over hers for a hasty kiss. “I have to go.” I grabbed the bag she’d dropped on the floor and took her hand, heading out of the room. “I have the perfect spot for you to watch—” Another tug had me stopping once again and turning to look at her with concern. Instead of finding her in distress, she was beaming at me with a beautiful smile.
“Your sexy caveman tactics aside, there’s another reason I’m happy.”
I closed the distance between us and gazed down into her twinkling emerald eyes. The audience could wait. “Tell me,” I encouraged with a matching smile.
“I heard what you said to Dirk. Turning him down for that job, not just because he’s a horrible person, but because you want to stay here and settle down. You told him this is where you belong.”
I nodded slowly, not sure why she seemed surprised. “I told you that before, sweetheart.”
“You did, but I couldn't help wondering if you’d still feel that way if a golden opportunity presented itself. You’d really choose me over fame and fortune?”
Maybe I should have felt hurt that she hadn’t trusted me. However, my heart softened, and I gently cupped her face. She was asking in all honesty because she didn’t recognize her own value. I promised myself that I would spend the rest of my life convincing her that she was worth it. That I would do anything, give up anything, be anyone, if that was what it took to keep her by my side. “Of course. It didn’t even cross my mind to accept his offer, sweetheart. The one thing I know without a doubt is that I belong wherever you are.”
Tears welled in her eyes, and she sniffed, but her blinding smile told me that I didn’t need to worry over her tears. That didn’t mean I liked to see her cry, though. “Don’t cry, Anna,” I begged as I used my thumbs to wipe away the moisture leaking from her green orbs.
“Happy tears,” she assured me with a laugh.
I frowned. “You’re still crying, and I don’t like it.”
She laughed and gave me a quick hug, then patted my ass and winked at me. “Get going, Mr. Storm. You’ve got a show to do, and then you need to take me home and spend the night making love to me.”
I snapped my feet together and gave her a quick salute. “Yes, ma’am!” I grabbed her hand and dragged her with me to the door that opened into my private box with a perfect view of the stage, muttering, “Let’s get this over with.” She laughed again, and the musical sound soothed my soul, filling it with joy.
After the final encore, the curtain fell, and I eagerly accepted the towel a stagehand had trotted out to give me. The last couple of tricks took a lot of strength and balance; it was one of the reasons I kept myself in such good shape.
I saw Anna waiting for me in the wings with a giant smile, and it lit me up from the inside. Before I reached her, the production manager jogged over and handed me a cell phone. “Knox,” she explained when I gave her a questioning look. I took the phone and winked at Anna as I held up a finger to let her know I’d just be a minute.
“Knox,” I greeted.
“Get to the security office,” he demanded. “Don’t bring Anna.”
I scoffed, “How exactly do you expect me to keep her from coming with?”
Knox let out a long, overly dramatic sigh. “Do I have to do everything for you people? Griffith Thorne’s show just ended. They haven’t met yet, so I’ll send my sister to take Anna backstage.”
My expression twisted into a scowl. I didn’t like the idea of Anna hanging out with the “ruggedly handsome”—or so I was told—rockstar. It didn’t matter that he was happily married.
“Just get your ass down here, Storm,” he growled. “You’ll thank me later.”
>
“What the fuck is going on?”
He hung up, and I stared at the phone with an irritated frown.
“Is everything alright?” Anna’s sweet voice drifted to my ears as she approached, making me smile.
I put my arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. “Absolutely, sweetheart. I just have to run over and see Knox, then we can get out of here.”
“Why?”
I scrambled to come up with an answer that would satisfy her so she wouldn’t insist on accompanying me, without sending her off to meet Griffith. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to come up with something fast enough before Belle, Thorne’s wife, came strolling down the hall.
“Anna!” she called with a grin. “I want you to meet my husband. I’m sure you’ll be working on PR for him soon enough.”
Anna looked at me uncertainly, clearly torn between wanting to meet the famous singer and sticking with me so we could leave as soon as possible. “Well, I have pla—”
“Go, sweetheart,” I encouraged her with a short kiss. “I’ll see Knox and meet you at the arena.”
She shrugged and grinned. “Okay!” Belle reached us and slipped her arm through Anna’s.
“Fabulous! Do you need to grab anything before we go?”
I waved Anna off when she glanced toward my dressing room. “I have it. I’ll see you soon.”
She blew me a kiss before letting Belle guide her away, both of them whispering to each other before they burst into laughter. I shook my head, smiling at how fucking adorable she was.
Five minutes later, I was changed and had both Anna’s and my stuff packed into one duffel. I slung it over my shoulder, locked my dressing room, and hurried to the security office.
Knox was sitting behind his desk with his feet up and his hands behind his head, staring at one of the monitors on the wall. He usually turned off the security feeds when someone entered his office, so I was surprised to see him leave it on. His head turned in my direction, but he just lifted his chin toward the screen and didn’t say anything.
I walked closer to observe whatever it was that he’d called me here to see. The feed showed one of the small rooms they used as cells, where they put people to dry out, interrogate, or wait for the police. A man was hunched over in a chair, his arms crossed, though one hand absently rubbed his jaw. When he lifted his head, and I saw the pout that no real man would ever have on his face, I grinned.
“Is that Dirk?” I asked with a smirk.
“Yup,” Knox confirmed.
I faced him and lifted my brows. “While I appreciate the entertainment of seeing his ass in a cell, this was why you had me come down here and send my woman off to spend time with a man other women drool over?”
Knox shook his head as he stood. “No. I brought you here because that little shit tried to bribe one of my security guards for information about Anna. Particularly security footage and her home address. Asshole should’ve known I don’t employ people who aren’t one hundred percent loyal to me.”
I saw red, and my whole body erupted in flames, boiling my blood.
“My next call is to Detective Myers, but I may have lost his number for a while if you’d like to bump into my detainee.”
I cracked my knuckles and gave him a chin lift, too furious to say anything. Knox tapped a few keys on his keyboard, and the monitor filled with static. Then he walked around his desk and started for the door with me close on his heels. He walked three doors down and looked at the female guard stationed there. With a tilt of his head, she pivoted and disappeared around a corner. Knox pressed his thumb on the touchpad, and the lock clicked as it disengaged.
He stood to the side of the door and inspected his nails as he drawled in a bored tone, “Camera will be down for ten minutes. To be fair, he’s not restrained. Just don’t kill him.” Then he opened the door and gestured for me to enter.
The door reopened ten minutes later, and I shoved the unconscious movie star out of my way as I walked to the exit. Knox glanced down and raised a brow. “He’s breathing,” I growled. After a second, I added, “Barely. Pretty sure his nose is broken.”
“He’d been drinking, so I’m assuming he slipped and fell?” Knox asked conversationally as he handed me a wet cloth to clean up my raw knuckles. I wasn’t sure how I was going to explain that to Anna...
I strolled out of the room and waited for Knox to secure the door before radioing for the guard to return to her post. “Poor guy fell hard enough to crack a couple of ribs and possibly bruise some other parts.” More than likely he was going to be dealing with blue balls for a couple of weeks too. Literally.
We reached Knox’s office, and he returned to his desk and sat in his chair. His lips curled at the corners, which was his version of a smile unless he was looking at his wife. “What do you know, I found the good detective’s phone number.”
“Thanks,” I murmured.
“For what?” he asked, his tone implying genuine curiosity.
“Nothing.” I shrugged, stifling a smile.
“Then what the fuck are you doing in my office, Storm?” he growled.
“I have no fucking clue. See you tomorrow.”
As I stepped into the hall, he added, “Twenty-four hours.”
I halted and twisted my head to meet blue eyes filled with warning. “You want me to text you a picture as soon as it’s done?” My voice was dripping with sarcasm, and by the narrowing of his eyes, it was obviously not appreciated.
“As a matter of fact—”
“Bite me, Dawson,” I interrupted, rolling my eyes.
“Not even if you bought me dinner and got me tanked,” he returned with a snort.
“Puh-lease,” I smirked. “If Addilyn weren’t in the picture, I could have you if I wanted you.”
“Good grief, put away your dicks and just admit that you’d both be chasing my husband’s tail.”
Our startled gazes flew to the door to find Belle and Anna standing there with shaking shoulders as they fought not to laugh.
Knox started to argue, but my focus was solely on my woman. She smiled at me, and I didn’t care about anything but getting her home and naked.
I held out my hand. “Let’s go home.”
Anna beamed at me and placed her palm in mine.
10
Anna
Between being carried out of my office, losing my virginity, and seeing Dirk, my emotions had been all over the place today, but one thing had remained the same—my love for Julian. I wasn’t sure how my feelings for him had grown so strong in such a short time, but there was no denying that they had. Not after hearing him turn that class A jerk’s offer down flat. Eavesdropping on their conversation had laid my fears to rest, and I was finally able to embrace what was happening between us.
Although I’d had the best view in the house, it had been incredibly difficult for me to pay attention to the show. My mind kept going back to the highlights of my day—the incredible orgasms Julian had given me and how he’d ripped into Dirk when he discovered my connection to him. I probably should’ve been horrified when he’d punched the delusional bully—and by how banged up his knuckles looked after he’d been done with whatever he’d been up to with Knox—but I was too turned on by him protecting me to care if it was wrong.
Luckily, the drive to Julian’s house—in a gated community off a golf course of all places—didn’t take too long. The two-story structure with a big, fenced-in backyard practically screamed family home, and it reinforced everything Julian had been telling me. He took the contract at the Lennox because he cared more about building a life than fame. And with the way he carefully lifted me out of my seat and carried me bridal style into the house, I had no doubt that he wanted to spend that life with me.
All my sappy thoughts about our future together were wiped away when he slammed the door shut behind us, set me on my feet, and backed me up against the wall. It was impossible to think about anything except for the hard length of his dick pressing against my b
elly.
“I finally have you in our home, right where you belong.” He bent to kiss my neck, and I dropped my head back against the wall to give him better access.
Letting out a soft moan, I whispered, “What are you going to do about it?”
“Every single dirty thing I’ve imagined doing to your luscious body,” he murmured before nipping at my pulse point. “Plan on being in my bed for a long damn time because I came up with plenty of ideas while you were busy avoiding me.”
“Maybe you should take me right here to punish me a little for making you wait so long.” I was intrigued by the possibility of wall sex, but I still blushed after I made the suggestion.
Julian must have approved of my idea because he lifted his head and took possession of my mouth. As we kissed, he pressed closer, grinding his hard length against me, and his tongue swept inside to tangle with mine. I buried my fingers into his hair and wrapped one of my legs around his thigh, whimpering into his mouth.
“I’m not worried about punishing you, sweetheart. Not when you’re finally where you’re meant to be, and I know you won’t run from me again.” He lifted my other leg, wrapping it around his waist, one of his hands anchoring me under my butt to hold me against the wall. My core was lined up perfectly with his cock, and my skirt had crept up my thighs. My panties rubbed against his hardened length, and I cried out in need. “Unless you consider me giving you more pleasure than you can handle a punishment.”
I twined my arms around his neck and held on as I brushed my lips against his. “I don’t know, maybe we should try to find out exactly how much I can handle before I decide.”
“I’m going to make it my mission to increase that threshold year after year, giving you all the orgasms you want and then some.” His green eyes gleamed with male satisfaction and more than a healthy dose of desire. “It’s only fair, considering your pussy is mine.” He reached a hand between us to rip my panties off. “Only mine.” He worked a finger into my core, moving it in and out oh, so slowly. “And always mine.”
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