Breathless

by Cherrie Lynn

  “I believe it,” she said, gazing up at him. And she absolutely did.

  Seth’s mouth tilted up on one side, a sinfully sexy smirk that made her think of doing very bad things to him. “Well. Just in case you have a single doubt, as soon as we get the fuck out of here, I’ll spend the rest of the night showing you.” He pulled her into his arms, and she went so willingly, sinking into him. But nothing had prepared her for the flood of heat when he whispered, “We still have a baby to make,” next to her ear.

  Chapter Seven

  Brian and Candace, waiting outside, looked visibly relieved when Macy and Ghost emerged from the room holding hands.

  “Dude, I thought we wer e going to have to take her outside before there was a murder on the floor,” Brian told Ghost while Candace laughed. Macy couldn’t exactly deny it, so she kept her mouth shut, though she did send Brian a narrow look.

  Ghost chuckled. “She’s easy to defuse if you know how.”

  “I’m glad you’ve figured it out,” Candace said, “because after more than twenty years, I never have.”

  “You lack the proper equipment,” Ghost cracked, and the three of them laughed while Macy playfully smacked her husband on the arm.

  “Her equipment is just the way I like it,” Brian said, tugging Candace closer. No matter how much time had passed, Candace still lit up when Brian touched her. How could Macy be worried about anything when they were all so lucky to have found each other?

  Her mushy thoughts were rudely interrupted, though, by a sudden bellow that erupted down the hallway. “Ghost! Man, are we doing this or what?”

  “Coming,” he called back, then cupped Macy’s cheek, his words for her only. “I’ll look for you. And only you.” His eyes flickered to his best friend. “Watch out for her.”

  “I will. I’ll get her up front so you can see her,” Brian promised.

  Oh God. She had a sudden image of being in a claustrophobic press of writhing bodies, being pushed and kicked and punched and jostled, getting overheated, feeling faint…this was so not her idea of a good time. But it wasn’t for very long, and then they could get out of here and work on much more pleasant things. It was almost over, and the worst had already happened. Hopefully.

  Outside, the crowd had pressed close to the stage in anticipation. True to his word, Brian took Candace with one arm and Macy with the other, navigating them around sweaty, intoxicated bodies, bumping past couples making out, herding them through until Macy looked up and was surprised to see the stage directly in front of her. Candace nestled beside her while Brian stood guard behind them, a wall of aggression no one was getting around. Up here, Macy couldn’t see the crowd; she didn’t have the ability to keep an eye on her mortal enemy.

  But she supposed there was no reason to. She could do her best to let it go and watch her husband perform.

  Wild appreciation went up from the audience when the guys took the stage, and Macy felt a spark of pride and emotion she hadn’t anticipated as she watched her husband prowl his area only fifteen feet or so in front of her, his long fingers hypnotic as they coaxed music from his low-slung guitar.

  Eat your heart out, Raina , she couldn’t help but think. Those fingers will be on me tonight.

  It was at once strange and euphoric. It was like seeing a secret only she knew broadcast to a club full of people. Of course, many of the people here had probably seen him on the stage before—only Macy hadn’t. She was privy to his private performances, when it was just the two of them and his guitar. From the very first night she’d spent at his house, he’d often played and sang for her. She loved it, and she could almost be jealous of everyone else in this room for getting to witness it, too. But hearing their appreciation nearly made her eyes well up. And she couldn’t do that here, she could not. Certainly it was an unwritten rule somewhere that there was no crying at a live metal gig.

  He played his heart out, he hammed it up, he ripped through a monster solo, he sent her winks. Occasionally he sauntered up to the mic and bellowed backing vocals with a snarl that made her contemplate crawling on the stage and attacking him right there in front of everyone. Four songs into a single show, and she was a drooling groupie for her own husband. It was awesome. She found herself whistling and cheering and jumping up and down with Candace at her side.

  Why the hell hadn’t she done this before?

  Well, in all fairness, she’d tried once. It hadn’t worked out, and then he’d quit the band. She’d never had an opportunity until now, and she’d tried to talk him out of it.

  She’d tried to make it all about her. Her problems. Her feelings.

  But this…right now, he had to be experiencing what she felt after a phenomenal barrel race, like Candace had said. The power, the euphoria, the adrenaline. He’d never attempted to deny her that high. She knew in that moment that she could never deny him this, either. Not over her silly hang-ups. If he still wanted to do this, she would have to let him.

  What that meant for her dreams of family and quiet nights at home, she wasn’t sure, but they would figure it out. There was no reason they couldn’t have both, have it all.

  By the time the set wrapped up, she was half deaf with ringing ears and the beginnings of a headache, but she was too amped to notice. Brian grabbed her and Candace by the hands and propelled them both through the boisterous audience toward the backstage area. Raina was no longer even a blip on Macy’s radar, so naturally, as they were threading through the dense crowd, she suddenly found herself face-to-face with the girl.

  Shock flared wide in Raina’s gunmetal gray eyes—obviously she hadn’t forgotten Macy’s face, either. Keep going , she thought, ignore her . But her feet wouldn’t carry her forward; they remained planted in place even as Brian tried to tug her away. Candace looked on in alarm.

  This woman had tormented Ghost. Macy could only imagine the sort of toxic relationship he’d endured with her. But when he’d finally broken out, she’d manipulated him with threats of suicide, she’d tried to sabotage his relationships, harass his friends, intimidate Macy, and generally made herself a nuisance. And now she was here, most likely knowing he would be, too.

  All of that turmoil, wrapped up in the petite, demure-looking package in front of her at this very moment. It didn’t seem possible. Raina recovered her composure, giving an almost imperceptible nod.

  “Mace, come on,” Brian urged. But Macy remained frozen to the spot, her mind racing, nothing coming from her mouth.

  “I’m glad,” Raina said suddenly, and Macy couldn’t have been more shocked at those words if the girl had slapped her. “I’m glad he’s happy. And I could tell he is. It worried me a little, at first, when I saw he was back.”

  You certainly managed to make him miserable enough . But somehow her words managed to crack the ice around Macy’s tongue. “Then why are you here?”

  “My husband is old friends with Mark.” Raina gestured to the stage. “The singer.”

  Macy nearly choked. Husband? “Oh…well…” What the hell to say? Congratulations? The poor bastard? “That’s…good.”

  “You look great, Raina,” Candace put in, ever the friendly peacemaker, even though Raina had never had nice things to say about her, either.

  “Thanks. Yeah, I’ve made some changes.” She looked cautiously back to Macy. “Look, I was a mess, and I never expected to see either of you again, but for what it’s worth, I’m sorry about all that. I’ve moved on. I’m happy.” She gestured over by the stage, where a tall, long-haired guy was speaking to one of the security guards. He was handsome and oddly distinguished looking, at least for this crowd. “That’s Chris over there. We got married last year.”

  “So did Seth and I,” Macy said. “October.”

  Raina declined to comment on that. “And we just found out last week we’re expecting.”

  For the second time in less than three minutes, Macy thought she was going to choke. Or vomit. She noticed the bottle Raina turned nervously in her hands: water. No alcohol
.

  “Congratulations,” Candace trilled, bailing Macy out yet again when she felt like she was about to bypass vomiting and burst into tears. “Our son is one now. He’s a handful. We managed to get a night out—”

  The conversation faded out. Macy just wanted to get away. She didn’t even know what was wrong; shouldn’t it be a relief that Raina was finally out of their lives for good? A few times, especially close to their wedding, Macy had almost expected her to pop up somewhere like a ghastly jack-in-the-box out of a horror movie, leap out from behind some bushes, or maybe crash the wedding to shriek her reasons why these two should not be joined. All this time, and those fears had been unfounded.

  And Raina was pregnant. That was a good thing, but Macy wasn’t, and she couldn’t fight the tiny gnaw of jealousy in her chest.

  She looked to Brian helplessly, since Candace was still chattering about Lyric, and Raina was politely attentive. Two mothers bonding. Macy couldn’t take hearing any more. Brian met her eyes over Candace’s blond head, understanding dawning in his expression.

  “Babe, we need to go,” he told his wife. In the past he had definitely turned out to be Macy’s ally in many, many ways, and this was one such moment she’d be permanently indebted to him for.

  “Well, good luck,” Raina said to them, then to Macy, “and you, too.” Not waiting for the reply Macy couldn’t conjure anyway, she slid away to join her husband by the stage.

  She tore her gaze away from the woman’s retreating figure just in time to see Ghost emerge from backstage into the crowd, receiving a round of applause from the people closest to the door.

  Macy’s field of vision narrowed to him and him alone. She made a beeline for him.

  Chapter Eight

  It had felt fucking amazing being up there again. Better than ever. Knowing Macy was watching had breathed new life into his performance, and he’d seen the pride in her eyes whenever the stage lights caught in them just right. She had actually appeared to be having a good time. He couldn’t have asked for more.

  Macy practically threw herself into his arms as he emerged into the crowd. Catching her, he laughed as he said, “Hey, hey. You’ll have to wait your turn, miss.”

  “My ass I will.” She laced her fingers behind his neck and pulled him down for a kiss so hot and deep and hard that he felt fucking branded right there in front of everyone. And he liked it, but it wasn’t like his normally reserved wife. What the fuck had happened in the eight or ten minutes since the set ended? Searching her face once she finally released him revealed nothing but wicked satisfaction.

  Something clicked in his brain. Raina. Of course. He’d been having so much fun, he’d almost forgotten that she was even here. Because it didn’t matter. But if something had happened, it must have gone well, and he loved that Macy didn’t mind claiming what was hers in front of everyone.

  “Are you ready to get out of here?” she asked, searching his eyes intently.

  “I was thinking I might have a beer or two with the guys. Give me half an hour.”

  Her lips pursed in an adorable pout he didn’t think she ever realized she did. “I know how your half-hours work. They turn into one hour. Then three. Then daylight.”

  He laughed, keeping his arm around her shoulders as he turned her toward the bar. “Thirty minutes. Maybe forty-five. You have my word. I just really want to celebrate.”

  “Fair enough, as long as you remember the celebration you have waiting back at the hotel room.”

  Shiiiit. His cock gave a celebratory twitch at the very thought. “Maybe I didn’t think this through.”

  She laughed, putting both her arms around his waist as she shuffled along at his side. “Celebrate with your friends. It’s okay. I’ll hang out with Candace for a little while longer. Maybe I’ll come around and act like I don’t know you. We’ll see how well you do with picking me up.”

  He stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face her, not releasing her because he fucking couldn’t. Not in that moment. Not with her looking up at him with those molten hazel eyes, pulling him in. Irresistible. “Hell,” he managed to croak before swooping in to kiss her, his hand fisted in her hair. “I’ve changed my mind,” he murmured against the softness of her lips. “Let’s go.”

  The tremor that went through her…he felt it in his bones. “Are you sure?”

  “Fuck yes.” He took another taste of her. She was more intoxicating than anything they served at the bar. “Need you more.”

  “I’m glad to hear it,” she said teasingly. And then she killed him, right there in front of everyone, when she moved her lips to brush against his ear. “Fuck, I’m horny for you.”

  Dead. Slain. Done. They said their goodbyes to their friends, and he thought they might not even make it to the hotel. He thought he might not make it, because Macy kissed his neck and rubbed his cock through his jeans the entire way. Ghost hadn’t come in his pants since he was a fucking teenager, and he wasn’t about to start now, but goddamn, she knew how to touch him, even with the barrier between their flesh. He was in agony as they spoke with the desk clerk to check in at the hotel, with Macy beside him all bright-eyed and pink-cheeked. All he could think about was another set of cheeks he’d like to see flushed pink. And soon.

  The walk was agony. He didn’t dare touch her during the brief elevator ride, or he might not have been able to stop. And to not touch her, he had to not look at her right then. Her perfection. Even though he felt her looking at him.

  “Is something the matter?” she asked, sounding way too innocent.

  “Just waiting until we get to the room,” he said casually, letting his gaze rest on the floor buttons, “before I fuck you into oblivion.”

  “Oh, is that what you think?” She could have been asking if he thought it would rain tomorrow. Slowly, she flipped the key card through her deft fingers. That, he couldn’t help but watch. “I’m not sure you can handle what I’ve got for you tonight.”

  “I’m sure I can.”

  “Hmm. I’m not convinced. You’ve been building up all day. Then you did the show, and I know that took a lot of energy. You must be tired.”

  “Nothing’s better after coming offstage than pussy.”

  Her mouth dropped open in mock outrage, because she knew by now that if she baited him, he was ready at a moment’s notice to return the favor. He let a nonchalant smile spread across his face.

  “Really. I take it you’ve had a lot of pussy after coming offstage, then.”

  “Never yours, though. It’ll be interesting to see if it’s as wild with my wife.”

  The doors opened, and only then did he look at her face. Yep. It was full of challenge. “Oooh. You’re treading hard,” she said.

  “That ain’t all I’m about to do hard.” He swept his arm ahead to indicate she should walk out ahead of him. Her feet remained planted to the floor of the elevator.

  “Oh yeah? You ought to be worried, considering I just had a run-in with your ex. Wasn’t hers the pussy you dove in after coming offstage?”

  The very mention of Raina was damn near boner death, but he laughed, stepping forward to keep the elevator doors from closing on them. Shit, if he took this too far, he might be sleeping in the car tonight. “It’s all a blur.”

  “That’s fabulous. All a blur. A drunken blur of pussy!”

  Naturally, a couple took that moment to appear in front of them as she bellowed at him, and the look on her face when she was caught made him nearly piss himself laughing. “Sorry,” he told the stern-faced man and woman, reaching and grabbing Macy’s arm, tugging her forward. “She’s had a few too many, you know. Gonna put her right to bed.” And fuck her brains out.

  “Oh my God,” she muttered over and over as he dragged her to their room, while the hallway seemed to get longer and longer the farther they walked. “I can’t believe I just said that in front of them. Oh my God.”

  “Can’t take you anywhere, you foul-mouthed heathen, yelling about pussy in front of those ni
ce people.”

  “Well! It’s your fault, getting me so riled up.”

  “So mad about my drunken blur, even though you know damn good and well that I much prefer a clear, sober view of yours, baby.” She grinned a little at that, so maybe he’d averted the nuclear crisis that had been building. He went on. “Could have been worse. If I’d done what I’ve been wanting to do since we stepped into the elevator, they might have caught you with more than dirty words in your mouth.”

  Macy’s tongue peeked out to wet her lips. Christ. Their room came into view. Ghost grabbed the key card from her fingers and inserted it. The little green light flashed their success, and then they were inside the dark room lit only faintly by Austin city lights beyond the windows. He could make out the path to the bed, but then the door closed behind them and they were plunged into near-blackness.

  Macy gave a lovely gasp as he planted her back against the nearest wall, pressing his mouth hard to hers and tasting her deeply. She shuddered against him in the dark, and he couldn’t see her face even with his eyes open, but with that one sensory deprivation came a sweeter flavor in her kiss, a hungrier touch. Her little whimper rent the silence as her fists clutched at his shirt, tugging at him desperately.

  His dick hadn’t lost the interest she’d aroused in the car and the elevator. Not in the least. When her hands went to his fly to wrench his jeans open and release him, rock solid and straining, so much relief flooded him that he had to pull away from her and groan. Her soft hands went to immediate work, stroking, soothing, teasing, torturing. Fuck. He had to get in her now , get the edge off, but she hit her knees in front of him and took him into the loving wet cavern of her mouth. His own knees nearly buckled, his hands shooting out to slam against the wall and keep him standing as she dampened him with her clever tongue and took him deep enough to make his toes curl in his boots.

  Once he was certain of his ability to remain upright, he plunged both hands into her silky hair, feeling every movement of her head just before he felt the delectable results on his cock. He ached, and cursed, and fought with himself, and finally pushed her gently away though it took every shred of self-control he possessed.