“No, but it just made you push farther away from me. You may not have wanted to, but deep down, you knew it was the right move for you and your future.” The corners of Bobby’s lips curl into a smile, but there’s no joy in his expression. And the words he just uttered – God, they just sliced away at my insides. Sadness washes over me like a tsunami, swallowing me whole, eroding all hopes and dreams…all because I was weak. Am weak. No wonder why he fucked Tia. She probably accepted him with open arms. She doesn’t care where he came from. She only cares about where he’s going…a place that clearly doesn’t include me.
I have to fix this. There must be a way. He needs to believe me…believe in me.
Except the look on his face tells me with no uncertainty that our time has passed.
“Don’t look at me like that, Bobby. I’m here because I’m not willing to let you leave me. You can’t,” I whisper. “Please give me another chance.”
“Until when? You decide that I’m still not enough for you? That we have no common ground? That I’m going to be dead weight because I can’t be part of the life you crave?”
“That’s not fair!” I blink fast to clear my blurred vision. My breath escapes in short, harsh gasps. I am in full-blown hysterics. I reach out and grasp his arm, but he makes no move to shrug off my tight grip. His gaze slowly rises, and once his green eyes meet mine, the tears fall faster. A flash of light in the distance momentarily blinds me, and I squint, holding up my free hand to block the stream of flashing lights that follow. Fucking paparazzi. They aren’t even on the property, but that doesn’t stop them from taking in our scene. I have absolutely no shame right now as I beg for a chance with LA’s newest and most sought-after bachelor.
And I’m sure that’s what the gossip rags will report tomorrow.
I hope the actual headlines will be more forgiving than the ones racing through my mind.
Somehow, I doubt it. People don’t go nuts over happy endings. They want drama. They like to read about seedy pasts and tarnished reputations. Happiness isn’t on their radar.
But I don’t care who’s watching. I don’t care about what I’ve left behind in Long Island. I don’t care about anything, except the man standing in front of me…the one I’ve known for the past eight years, the one I’ve loved for just as long. “I’m sorry if I hurt you. I was too blind to see what was right in front of me, and I’ll never make that mistake again. Just…please come home with me, Bobby. You don’t need to prove anything to me. I-I…” I take a gulp of air and brace myself for words that should have been spoken long ago. “I love you. I always have.” I creep closer until there is less than an inch of space between us. The flashes are snapping incessantly at this point, and I know what they want.
But is it what Bobby wants?
Chapter Four
BOBBY
“Come on, Bobby! Kiss the girl already!”
“We want the action shot, Bobby!”
“Don’t make her cry, man!”
I didn’t know that when the paparazzi invaded your private moments, they also felt the need to yell out instructions so they could make the most cash from said invasion.
I lace my fingers with Stephanie’s and drag her toward the front door. I push it open and shove her inside and away from prying eyes and zoom lenses. “Hey, Tia!”
Tia walks into the front hall, hands on her hips. “Yeah?” She narrows her eyes at Stephanie before pinning me to the spot with a glare that comes laced with a death wish. She doesn’t look happy. In fact, she looks less happy now than she did when I told her I wasn’t up for her brand of fun last night. I guess she knows why, and she doesn’t really appreciate it.
I can’t blame her. But I can throw her a bone.
“The place is crawling with photographers. Throw on some shorts and give them something to sell.”
A slow smile spreads across her pink lips. She flips her hair and tears past us, taking the stairs two at a time in the direction of her room. “Thanks, B!”
Stephanie furrows her brow. “They might be a little confused about why she’s alone and why you’re in here…with me.”
I shrug. “I’m sure she’ll clear it up for them.”
“But don’t they expect…?”
Her voice trails off, the question dying on her lips. I haven’t given her what she wants…at least, what she claims she wants. But the verdict is still out on that, even though she came back to me. I’m not ready to give in just yet. I need to know that she’s sure about her feelings, and about us. But damn, there are certain parts of my body that hate me for digging in my heels. “Expect what?”
“Well, you know.” She shuffles her feet and twists a strand of dark blonde hair around her finger. “Since you guys are supposedly, you know, together, they might expect you to be with her.”
“Is that what you think? Is that why you came? Because you thought another woman wanted me…wanted what you didn’t?”
Her mouth falls open, her blue eyes popping open wide. I’ve caught her. Now I just need to reel her in. She thinks I’m over her, that I’ve forgotten everything, thanks to the tabloids. The reality is I came out here for a reason - one reason only - and she’ll find out soon enough.
“I-I…” She’s flustered, wringing her hands. Spots of bright red color her cheeks. My cock is about ready to bust through these jeans because all I want to do is tear off her clothes and dive into her the way I’ve fantasized about for the past eight years. It had never been our time, and truth be told, I’m not sure it ever will be. She still hasn’t convinced me, although my heart clings to the one thread of hope that can sew it back together.
But I don’t know how much longer my body can hold out. I drum my fingertips against my legs to keep them from grazing the sides of her arms. Her t-shirt is snug, stretched tightly across her breasts, and that ass…God, I dream about it every night, along with the things I want to do to it…
I grit my teeth. She still can’t answer. Say it, dammit! Tell me what I need to hear! “I think you should go.”
She lets out a gasp. “What? Why?”
“You still don’t have the answer, Steph. I can’t handle being with someone who will always question her choice. I want to be with someone who knows what she wants and takes it.”
Stephanie’s back stiffens. “You mean like Tia.”
“Tia definitely knows what she wants.” I nod, turning away because staring at her tear-streaked face is making me question my choice.
“But you don’t want her, do you?” She grabs my wrist and pulls me back. “Tell me, Bobby. Is that the truth?”
“Would it matter?” I twist my body to face her and back her against the wall. The sweet lemony scent of her hair consumes me and for a second, I forget all about my plan. But only for a second.
Her lips part and…nothing. The warmth of her breath fans against my stubbled chin, but still she remains silent. I bring my hand to the back of her neck, stroking the soft skin, weaving my fingers through her soft waves. I’m close enough to feel her racing heart beat in time with mine. The last time I was this close to her…
Fuck, I don’t want to think about that. She didn’t belong to me then.
Not the way I belonged to her; the way I will always belong to her.
I drag my fingertip down the column of her neck, her pulse throbbing against it. A mere inch separates us physically, but in the depths of my soul? She and I are perfectly entwined and forever connected. Every time I let her go, she still remained with me.
But that won’t happen again. I can’t watch her walk away again, and I sure as hell can’t handle leaving.
And her family is going to have to deal, whether or not they know it.
“Yes,” she whispers. “It would, because I love you, Bobby.” Without even giving me a chance to respond, she pulls my head down, pressing her lips to mine. Christ, it’s like she’s breathing some otherworldly energy into my body as her tongue plunges into my mouth, launching the most erotic oral assault
I’ve ever experienced. Fuck me, what else can she do with that tongue?
“I’ve waited a long time for you to say those words, Steph. And I fucking love you more than you’ll ever know.” She wraps her arms around my waist, digging her fingers into my back, devouring me like a popsicle on a scorching hot day. Oh yeah, baby. Lick it, suck it, do anything you want with it, just don’t ever stop.
I run a hand under her t-shirt, my finger flicking open the back of her bra. Her back arches, her tits straining against my chest. As much as I want to flip her onto her back and taste every inch of her, the nagging thought that Tia might invite the paparazzi inside for coffee invades my lust-filled mind. That chick will do just about anything to get her name in the tabloids, so we’d better make ourselves scarce before we become the headline she’s so desperately seeking.
I lift Steph into my arms, and she locks her legs around my waist as I back her down the hallway and into my bedroom. Thank fuck it’s on the first floor. I kick the door closed behind me and lay her in the middle of the bed. Her face is flushed, eyes sparkling like they were the first night we met. She bites her lower lip, staring up at me from beneath long dark lashes. “I am so crazy about you, Bobby,” she murmurs. “I always have been.”
I sink onto the mattress, my knees straddling her. I lift the bottom of her shirt and slide it over her head, tossing it onto the floor where her bra joins it seconds later. My fingers creep down her abdomen, looping into the waistband of her yoga pants. A deep ache settles into my balls as I slowly pull the pants off one leg at a time, along with the lacy scrap of string and fabric covering her soaked pussy. I fling the clothes off the bed and force open her legs, her intoxicating scent making me dizzy with need. I loop my arms around her legs and lift her for leverage, lapping up the sweet juices. She wiggles in my grip, writhing on the mattress, thrusting her pussy into my hungry mouth. Squeals morph into screams and screams become tearful pleas. She fists my hair, shrieks reverberating off the walls. I fuck her with my tongue, flicking her clit with my thumb. But why stop there when what I really want to do is drive her over the edge, to make her feel how real this is, to show her what I can do to her for the rest of our lives if she’ll let me. When I lick my finger and plunge a digit into the tight rim of muscle between the globes of her ass…hell, I’ve never experienced something so explosive. I drink in everything she has to give, but it’s not nearly enough to satisfy the ache between my legs. Nothing can, not until I’m buried deep inside of her.
I silence her cries with my lips, and she attacks them like this is her last kiss. At the same time, her fingers yank open my jeans and force them down to my ankles. She doesn’t use her hands though. She’s not willing to pull her mouth away from mine, so my resourceful girl uses her feet to free me from the denim. God, I fucking love her.
She pulls away, a sexy grin teasing the corners of her mouth. “Your turn.” She sits up and pushes me backward, my dick stiff as a steel rod. I let out a low moan when she licks the palm of her hand and grasps it, stroking it long and hard. I grip the comforter in my hands, almost ripping it as her hands rub, tug, and squeeze. I press my eyes shut, my hips thrusting into her warm hands. “Ahh…that’s so fucking good, baby,” I mutter when her tongue teases my slit. Her tongue slides over my cock, her lips puckered as they take all of me, so deep my head hits the back of her throat. I tighten my grip on the comforter to keep from exploding into her mouth. “Stop,” I gasp. “You’re gonna make me come, but I can’t. Not yet. I need to make love to you, Steph.”
My dick slips from her lips, which are curled into the most blinding smile I’ve ever witnessed. “Say it again,” she whispers.
I wrap my arms around her and pull her against my chest. “I need to make love to you. Now. I love you, Steph. I fucking love you.”
A giggle tumbles from her lips and our mouths crash together again. The head of my cock throbs, and I know that time is short, and expectations are high. I fumble in the drawer for a condom, not breaking our kiss. I somehow manage to tear open the foil package and slide the sucker on without taking a single breath. Her legs fall open in invitation, one that makes me happy to RSVP. The walls of her pussy stretch tight around my cock, blanketing me in her velvety heat. She locks her ankles around me, pulling me deeper and deeper, swallowing me inch by inch.
Her ass clenches in my grasp as I slide in and out, her slick walls clamping me tight. I pull back, letting the tip of my cock tease her clit. She moans, trying to pull me in, begging for my dick. “Please, Bobby. I need you so badly.”
“If I give this to you…if I give myself to you…it’s forever, Steph.” I slide into her then pull back out. “Are you sure you want this? Are you sure you want me?”
“Yes,” she gasps. “Yes! I love you so much. Don’t you ever fucking leave me again.” She presses her fingers into the small of my back and forces me into her depths. I can’t even fight it. Christ, I’ve waited so long to experience this feeling, and time couldn’t possibly have prepared me for the reality. I feel whole for the first time in my life - my heart, my soul, all of it.
And it’s because of her.
Long and deep strokes rocket her into orbit, her high-pitched screeches the sweetest sounds my ears have ever heard. She drags her fingernails down my back, and I thrust a few more times as the slow explosion gathers force and pummels me like a powerful wave crashing over land. I’m drowning, and I have no desire to be saved.
I collapse next to Stephanie, my chest heaving. “Fuck me,” I rasp.
“I thought I just did.” She lets out a breathless giggle and rolls onto her elbow. “And it was incredible.”
I wipe away a bead of sweat on her forehead with my thumb. “Yeah.”
“I’m serious, Bobby. It was…you are…incredible.”
“So are you.”
She bites her lip and averts her eyes. Motherfucker. Not again. I can’t deal with—
“How long do you need to wait before we can do that again?” She looks up with a wink. “Or is that putting too much pressure on you?”
“Nothing I can’t handle.” I pull her on top of my chest and stroke the back of her head. “And so we’re clear, just looking at you is enough to get me hard again. You hear me?”
“Yes.” She wriggles herself on top of me. “I can feel you, too. Now let’s do all of that again from the beginning, okay?”
Fuck, yeah. All day, all night, all my life.
* * *
Hours later, my eyes crack open. Steph is still sprawled on top of me, our limbs tangled, bodies flushed and exhausted. I drop a soft kiss onto the top of her head before sliding out of the bed and into my bathroom. I close the door softly. She’s a pretty sound sleeper, but there’s always a chance…and I don’t want to take it.
Not now.
I swipe up so the home screen displays and stare at the keypad before dialing. Three rings later, the line connects, and I take a deep breath. “She’s here. Flew in this morning. And our deal? It’s on.”
Chapter Five
STEPHANIE
“I have never seen so many camera flashes.” I gasp as Bobby pulls me through the massive lobby of the Bellagio in Las Vegas a week after I arrived in LA. Between press conferences, meetings with music executives, and recording a new album, his schedule makes me dizzy, but it’s given me some time to figure out some things about my own career. Like how quickly I can transfer to my law firm’s satellite office in Santa Monica. I want him to know I’m in this, and that I’m willing to uproot my life for him, no matter where it takes us. For the first time, I’m willing to risk it all for him. For our future. “And you’re running so fast, I don’t even know how the photographers can even tell it’s you!”
He snickers and keeps pulling me along. He’s got a good six inches on me, and even in my heels, I’m huffing and puffing to catch up. “If you’re trying to rush me up to the room, I’ll be too exhausted to have sex with you after this marathon.”
“While I would like nothing mor
e than to do just that, we have to take care of one thing first.”
“What exactly would that be? Maybe get some water since I’ve done more cardio in the past ten minutes than I have in the past ten months, and I can’t breathe?”
“No, gorgeous. Although I do see a drink of something in our future.”
“Great.” I roll my eyes and try to control my panting as we approach the famous staircase. I know it well even though I’ve never actually been to the Bellagio. But I have seen Ocean’s Eleven about a thousand times. “Oh, God. Stairs, now?”
He stops and grins down at me. “Babe, this is it. I promise. Once we get up these stairs, I’ll carry you back to the room.”
I tap my finger against my cheek. “Well, that does sound tempting.”
He holds out his hand and I lace my fingers with his, taking another gulp of air. “Why did you make me wear these shoes if you knew you’d be running me all over the place? Do you like to see me suffer?”
“No, but something tells me I’d be the one suffering if I had let you wear the flip flops.” He winks at me, and I shrug. There is probably a deeper meaning to his words, but all of that running basically sucked all of the oxygen from my brain. We get to the top of the stairs and follow a long, dimly lit hallway that snakes around a corner. The movies don’t do this place justice. Deep red jacquard threaded with gold covers the walls, while polished brass sconces give off a soft glow. The aura is pure romance. At least up here it is. Downstairs, the casino is a mess of bells, whistles, and blinking lights. The antithesis of romance. It’s more along the lines of broken dreams.
Dirty, Dark, & Dangerous: A Contemporary Romance Boxset Page 55