Dirty, Dark, & Dangerous: A Contemporary Romance Boxset

by Luciani, Kristen

  His tongue traced a path to her navel, halting at the waistband of her shorts. Knowing what waited for him beneath the layers of clothing was maddening, and he couldn’t yank them off fast enough. The shorts and panties dropped to the floor, allowing her creamy thighs to fall open, inviting and taunting him at the same time. Every nip, lick, and suckle made her writhe against his greedy mouth, mewls fast becoming pleas for more. Tearing himself away was pure agony, but knowing he would soon be buried deep within her was the only consolation. And fuck him if he couldn’t wait one more second.

  He yanked open his shirt, buttons popping through the air. His jeans pooled around his ankles until he kicked them across the room.

  Sara sat back on her elbows, a teasing smile on her face, her green eyes dark with lust. “How much longer are you going to make me wait?”

  He crawled onto the bed, shifting her onto his lap. “Depends. How much do you want it?”

  Her skin was so soft, plastered against his. The head of his cock grazed her opening. With one arm still holding her in place, he grabbed a condom from the drawer, bit open the package, and rolled it on. Tricks of the trade. Can’t always have use of both arms. Gotta improvise.

  He knelt in front of her and pulled her legs around his waist, gathering her in his arms. Warmth encased him as she slid onto his aching shaft, her walls clenching around him. Heat emanated from her core with each thrust, suffocating him with a seemingly insatiable craving. Her body pulled him deeper into the abyss where he was drowning in all that she was, no lifeboat in sight, and no desire to be rescued.

  Their bodies rocked together, slick with sweat, unwilling to part. He eased her back onto the comforter, his length pulsating deep within her center, each intense movement powered by all the unresolved emotions coursing through him. This girl, their unlikely connection, his heart…everything that had made sense before was now in upheaval. And he didn’t know if he ever wanted things to be set right again.

  He lowered his head, staring into those vibrant eyes before pressing his lips to hers, needing that final connection before they tumbled over the edge and into the unknown. The coiling heat of her tongue swirled around his own, sending shudders rippling through his body. There was no such thing as being too close. With Sara, he could never be immersed enough to feel completely sated. Her muscles clenched and squeezed until tiny sparks deep within his core ignited, a slow explosion rumbling, gathering force until the blast shot into his extremities. Every nerve ending fired at once, toe-curling sensations tearing through his limbs, singeing everything in their wake. He wanted to scream, laugh, and cry at the same time, never having been touched at this level by another. Swells of pleasure crashed over him, while white light blinded him, overtaking all rational thought. Hell, his mind was such an empty canvas, he might have even blacked out from the intensity. Un-fucking-believable.

  He collapsed onto his elbows, hovering over her heaving body. “You’re still conscious. I didn’t do my job.”

  “Clearly not.” She let out an exaggerated sigh and rolled her eyes. “Disappointing. I expected more.”

  “Can I get another shot?” He smoothed a damp strand of hair away from her face. “I’ll do better next time.”

  “I don’t know. What if you expended all your energy running this morning?”

  “Screw cardio. I’d rather find other ways to exercise.”

  “I can definitely think of some creative ways to get your heart pumping.” She tightened her arms around his waist.

  His lips brushed against her forehead. “I want to try every single one. We won’t leave any stone unturned. All in the name of health and wellness.”

  Her smile faded. The expression, which had been happy and relaxed only seconds earlier, was again clouded by fear. “Later. You need to go to the hospital. And I need to deal with the press.”

  “After a quick nap. Hey,” he murmured against her ear. “I’m not leaving you, okay? We’ll take care of this together. Don’t be scared.”

  “Promise?”

  “Yeah.” Because being without her just wasn’t an option. Not anymore.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  A BLARING NOISE PUNCTURED SUCH a delicious dream; the one where Daxton stripped her down to her most vulnerable, and rocketed her body to another galaxy with his massive—

  Strong arms tightened around her, a warm breath fluttering against her neck like feathers. She bit her lip and released a deep sigh. Daxton pulled her closer. Sweet Jesus, it had been real. She didn’t think those sensations were even possible outside of a dream sequence.

  “Are you going to answer your phone?”

  “If I don’t, it’ll just keep ringing.”

  His lips nuzzled her ear. “Ignore it. I like taking midday naps with you.”

  “But if we don’t get up now, we’ll never sleep tonight.”

  “That’s a problem I’d really like to have.”

  She giggled and grabbed her phone. “Seriously, though. You need to get to the hospital, and I need to call my boss Jake before I get fired.”

  “Correction, you are coming to the hospital with me, and you can call Jake on the way.”

  Sara flipped over. His hair was mussed, flopping over his half-hooded eyes. His lips curled into a wicked smirk. “Unless you decide to stay right here and let me do very bad things to you. That would be my vote.”

  She wrapped her arms around his waist, running her fingers down his muscular back. He smelled so good. Jeez, what kind of soap did this guy use? Whatever the scent was, she needed it bottled. Like, yesterday.

  “You know we can’t stay in here forever. There’s so much to do. I need to put a press release together, contact all the local and national media outlets, arrange a press conference…”

  “Don’t worry about it. And that’s not all your job. Your only job is worrying about me, remember? The other crap is what managers are for. Let Merrick and Eli take care of everything else.”

  Warm lips brushed hers, the mere taste of him igniting her desire as if she hadn’t just been catapulted into the land of Ecstasy only an hour earlier. Every cell in her body was alive and awake, craving everything and anything Daxton had to offer.

  The iPhone pinged again. A deep sigh deflated her body. “Come on. The faster we handle everything, the quicker we can get back here.” With a quick peck on the cheek, she crawled toward the edge of the bed and grabbed her clothes.

  “Okay, fine. We’ll do it your way. Just get dressed really slowly…don’t rush it. Maybe play with your—”

  She rolled her eyes. “You’re not helping at all.”

  He swung his legs over the side and grabbed his boxer-briefs and jeans. Watching out of the corner of her eye, she contemplated taking just a few more minutes to…No! Yes, she wanted to trace every single inch of his abs with her tongue, but it had to wait. Too much had happened, and plenty more needed to be fixed.

  Daxton pulled a Ramones t-shirt over his head and grabbed his Houston Astros baseball cap. He fished around a drawer and pulled out two different socks – one was white with a black Nike swish, and the other was bright red.

  God, he looked so scrumptious in that cap. “Can I ask you something?”

  “On or off the record?”

  She smiled. “Cute. Now tell me, what’s the deal with your socks?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “They never match. Why is that?”

  He sank onto the bed and yanked on the socks, a faraway look in his eyes. “Growing up, my mom did the laundry for Jase and me, and one sock out of every pair would always get lost in the shuffle. The strays would show up later, on a towel or stuck in a shirt. It became a big joke. We’d end up wearing each other’s socks, and we were always mismatched. It was our thing. So now, I always wear two different ones. The match will always be Jase’s.”

  “That’s really sweet.”

  A small smile lifted his lips. “Ready?”

  She nodded, her heart thrumming harder with each step he t
ook toward her. “Yes, but I need to grab a few things from my bus.” She dangled one piece of a lace thong. “Someone ripped my favorite panties.”

  When his sinful lips pressed against hers, it all but exploded in her chest. Heat swirled in her core, radiating from her body, every square inch of her skin screaming for those lips to singe the surface.

  Oh God, yes. She was ready, but not for what would greet her outside that tour bus.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  THOSE DAMNED CABLES. SNAPPING TOO early and fucking up the plan. It should have been a game of double jeopardy, except one of the targets had been missing. Eh. At least one of them was out of the limelight.

  Death wasn’t the objective, at least not for Gia. Just pain; enough that she’d be out of commission for the rest of the tour. A broken leg, a fractured arm. Whatever would keep her away from her beloved drums and off Daxton’s cock.

  Who the hell knew she’d be directly underneath the fixture? One of those dumbass stage managers must have adjusted the stage schematics, and she ended up taking the full impact, ending up with a crushed pelvis, shattered spine, and massive concussion. Not the intent, but hey, there’s always potential for collateral damage.

  And Sara? The victim who’d somehow managed to escape her fate?

  Just thinking the name conjured up stomach-twisting images of her and Daxton, no doubt wrapped in each other’s arms on that tour bus - writhing, sweating, panting…

  A deep breath did little to calm the brewing storm. Sara was indeed reliably unreliable. But that would only protect her for so long.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “SARA! WHERE THE HELL HAVE you been? I just spoke to Jake. He needs you to handle the logistics for the press conference asap.” Kat tapped her fingernails against the cinderblock wall in the arena corridor. “This is a total disaster, and I can’t be babysitting you while I’m trying to do damage control for this tour.”

  “Kat, relax. She was with me. We were working on a statement.”

  Kat smirked. “Really, Dax. A statement. And what did you come up with? Anything PG I can use on Twitter?”

  Daxton snickered. “It needs more work. Listen, Sara stays with me. Whatever you need, say the word, but we’re a package deal, okay?”

  Kat shrugged. “Fine. Sara, here are the lists of to-dos from the office in Houston.”

  Sara reached out and grabbed the papers from Kat. “Don’t worry, I will take care of everything. I’m on my way to the pressroom now. Have you confirmed the new opening band?”

  “Yes, I got word that Punk’d is all lined up and ready to fly out here. We’ll need to cancel tonight’s show. I’ve updated all of the online news outlets and our accounts. Jake has everyone on deck back in Houston to handle inquiries, and I’ll handle the social media updates and buzz from here. Jake will forward the riders for Punk’d soon, and they need to be given to the PAs.” Kat pointed at the stack of papers now in Sara’s hands. “First things first, let’s get the press conference scheduled. Shoot for seven o’clock.”

  “Yes.” Sara nodded. Her eyes flickered over to Daxton’s. “I have to make some calls. Can I use your green room?”

  “Yeah, I’ll come with you.”

  Kat rolled her eyes. “Dax, get to the hospital. You’re already calling too much attention to yourself by not being with the rest of the band. Sara, give me a holler if you have any questions.” She spun on her insanely high heels and stalked down the hallway.

  Sara’s mouth fell open. “Holy cow, I’m so getting fired.”

  “You’re not getting fired. We can handle all of this.” His blaring iPhone ring echoed in the concrete expanse. “Yeah?”

  “Dax, it’s Sean. I have the guy from last night.”

  “What do you mean, you have him?”

  “He’s in the security shed. Said he needs to talk to you.” Sean’s voice dropped, almost muffled. “He’s got something, Dax. Something you need to see.”

  “I don’t care what he has.”

  “Trust me, you do.”

  Whoever this clown was, whatever he wanted, he’d reached the end of the line. His mother was gone, and nothing this guy could say would erase all the pain she’d caused. He let out a shaky breath, wiping his clammy palms against his jeans. Lying to himself, pretending not to care, and bottling up all those useless emotions never gave him the closure he so desperately needed. Maybe he’d never get it. His eyes flickered to Sara’s concerned gaze. But could he really be whole again, or love again, without letting go of the anger? This toxic existence he’d been living was so empty, cold, and lonely. He didn’t want that life anymore. He wanted Sara. He had to try for her; otherwise, the noose around his neck would eventually suffocate him.

  “I’ll meet you both in the green room.” Daxton clicked off the phone, his gaze unwavering.

  “What is it?” She bit her lower lip, her face masked with alarm. “Is everything okay?”

  He grasped her hand. “Everything is going to be fine.” Those words were such bullshit. Would they ever have real meaning behind them? Would anything ever truly be ‘okay’?

  Each step closer to the green room made the lump in his throat grow larger and larger. By the time they’d made it to the doorway, it was a miracle he could still swallow.

  “I can’t feel my fingers anymore,” she murmured.

  He loosened his grip on her hand. “Sorry.”

  “Tell me, Dax.” She knew something was up. She could tell. Always. How was it possible she could see him so clearly when nobody else could? Was it because nobody else cared to see anything beyond the surface? That it was easier to accept him at face value, rather than understand what made him this way?

  “The guy from last night. He’s back.”

  “So just let security handle—”

  “No. I need to talk to him, to face whatever it is he has to say. There’s some link to my mom and I just…” He pushed back his hair. “…I can’t carry this with me anymore, Sara. I have to lay it to rest; otherwise, I won’t be able to move forward. And I want to, so badly.”

  “I don’t understand…lay what to rest?”

  “The bitterness, the resentment, the anger. It’s killing me, and I’m not ready to die. I didn’t care before – who I hurt, who I screwed, who I got high with…none of it mattered.” He tilted her chin toward him. “It does now.”

  Tears gathered in her green eyes, the ones he wanted to lose himself in forever. Drowning in those pools was the only place where he’d be able to breathe, to survive. A single one escaped, trailing down her flushed cheek until his thumb wiped it away. “I finally know what matters, and I’m not about to mess it up.”

  He turned the doorknob, pushing open the door. Sean stood in front of the couch, his beefy arms folded, a menacing look on his face. The look disappeared when he saw Dax. “I’ve checked him out and he’s clean. You want me to stay?”

  “No, but I need you guys to take Sara to the pressroom, okay? Don’t leave her side.” Daxton turned to Sara. “I’ll be there soon.”

  “Okay.” She leaned closer, up on her tiptoes, before her soft lips brushed against his cheek. “I’ll be waiting.”

  Sean followed Sara out of the room and pulled the door closed. Dax leaned against it, eyeing the man in front of him. He was jittery, unable to even sit back on the cushion.

  “Who are you and why are you here?” No sense beating around the bush. He was on a quest for closure and this guy held the key. Or so he claimed.

  “I’ll answer your questions, but you should see something first.” The man pulled out a letter and a small jewelry box. “My name is Sam. I did know your mother, and she wanted you to have these. Begged me to bring them to you.”

  “Where is she?”

  Sam wrung his hands together and held his head. “She’s gone. Passed away a few weeks ago.”

  The words hit him like a cement block to the chest. So many questions assaulted his mind, but his lips refused to form sentences. Daxton sank onto th
e couch across from Sam. The wound he’d been haphazardly nursing every day since his mother had left was torn open, leaving him raw, exposed, and devastated. By a stranger. Fuck, it hurt, worse than any pain he’d ever experienced. His fingers closed around the letter. Sam looked up and Daxton saw everything he felt in his heart reflected in this man’s tortured gaze – regret, sadness, loss.

  “Read the letter, Daxton.”

  It was dated two months ago. The words, written in his mother’s familiar script, exploded like bullets in his brain. Phrases swam in front of his watery eyes, his mind trying to process everything on the page.

  …cancer…death…Jase…father…Sam…love…goodbye…

  He crumbled the paper into a tight ball and hurled it against the wall. “Why the fuck are you here?”

  Sam recoiled. “Dax, I’m here because your mom wanted you to know the truth.”

  Rage that had bubbled just below the surface for the past year poured out of him like lava from an erupting volcano. He grabbed an empty highball glass and flung it against the wall, the shattering sound mimicking the feeling in his chest. “The truth? That my own biological father couldn’t give a shit less about me and was willing to take a payoff from Tyler before walking away with your dick tucked between your legs? That you didn’t give a flying fuck about me enough to find me before all this happened? That you didn’t give a fuck about me at all? Because that’s what I got out of the letter!” His heart thundered against his ribcage, beads of perspiration popping up along the back of his neck. His breaths grew shallow and harsh, the air piercing his lungs like sharp knives. “She left me, her own son! I loved her more than anything. I would have taken care of her. But she ran back to you.” He inched closer, voice shaking. “To you, the worthless piece of shit who abandoned his son.”