Turn up the Tempo (Lyrical Odyssey Rock Star Series Book 4)

by Charli B. Rose

  I opened my mouth to set him straight about the two of us. I was done sneaking around.

  Britt rested her hand against my arm, halting the words that were about to tumble out of my mouth.

  “Brooks and I … uh … hooked up ten months ago.” Her hand dropped from my arm. “When we met at Izzy’s parents’ anniversary party,” she explained.

  She didn’t mention the wedding reception or the times since then.

  “And you and I shared an incredible night three months ago,” Wilder spoke up, reminding her, like he was trying to one up what she and I had shared.

  Britt gave a sharp nod but didn’t comment. She moved between me and Wilder as if she could feel the fight brewing in the air. I stepped closer to her and rested my fingertips against her hip. It was barely a touch, but it was an anchor to keep myself from throwing Wilder out of the house.

  Wilder’s eyes met mine over her head, his gaze filled with questions and answers. A smile donned his lips as he nodded.

  My heart stopped as I read the body language and signals we’d shared before when we needed to communicate without words.

  No.

  Hell no.

  Chapter 23

  Britt

  ♪ Two Princes by Spin Doctors

  Warmth filled my cheeks. I couldn’t believe Wilder had caught me making out with Brooks. Not that I owed Wilder anything. But he and I were hanging out tonight. He’d left to go get food when I had a craving for wings. He’d been patient with me all week. Not pushing. Just being a friend. And when he walked in the door with dinner, he found me in Brooks’s lap, practically humping his friend.

  I hadn’t been brave enough to look either of them in the eye yet. Straightening my shoulders, I lifted my head.

  I stood between them, two men I’d shared my body with. Two men I cared about. Brooks’s hand tightened on my hip as he stepped closer to my back, his heat seeping through my clothes. Wilder stared at him over my shoulder, his eyes communicating something.

  He frowned at whatever Brooks silently conveyed back. With my back to Brooks, I had no idea what that was. But it made nerves prickle along my skin. In my peripheral vision, I caught Brooks shaking his head slightly.

  “We’ve done it before,” Wilder said confidently, stepping closer to me. Close enough that I could smell the ocean-scented cologne he wore.

  What the hell were they talking about?

  I surveyed Wilder’s face, trying to figure out what was happening around me. I felt like I was about three steps behind wherever they were, and I couldn’t catch up. I was missing something vital.

  Wilder finally turned his gaze to me. “Britt, I was wondering … do you have fun with me?” His smile was easygoing and sweet.

  I swallowed hard before answering the seemingly easy question. “Yes,” I affirmed with a nod.

  Brooks’s fingers twitched against my side, sending butterflies rioting around in my abdomen.

  “Do you like me?” Wilder asked, stepping closer still. He was near enough that I could feel the warmth radiating off his body.

  I smiled up at him. “Of course. You’re a great guy. You’ve been a good friend.” My brain was short circuiting, making it hard for me to figure out where Wilder was heading with his questions.

  “That night we spent together after the awards show three months ago, remember? Did you enjoy yourself with me? Did you like how I made you feel?” he whispered, the words fanning across my heated cheeks.

  My mouth ran dry as I chewed on my lower lip. I needed to be honest. I was always honest with the guys I was with. It was my policy. One I believed to be a necessary ingredient in all my sexual escapades. The guys always needed to know where they stood. Plus, Wilder was my friend, and friends deserved the truth by default. I sucked in a lung full of air. “I can’t lie. The sex was good.”

  Brooks flinched behind me, but Wilder never took his eyes off me. I wanted to turn around and see what Brooks was thinking. See if I could read his feelings on his face.

  “Do you have fun with Brooks?” Wilder asked, his head tilting in contemplation.

  I swallowed hard. There wasn’t enough spit in my mouth. “Hell yes,” I croaked.

  Brooks relaxed slightly behind me, though his grip on my waist didn’t let up.

  “Do you like Brooks?” Wilder continued. He shifted a little closer.

  God yes. But sometimes, I really didn’t want to. “Mmm-hmm.” I was having trouble speaking.

  “Was the sex with Brooks good?” Wilder rasped.

  Against my back, I felt Brooks hold his breath. His muscles were coiled tightly, pressing hard against my spine.

  My body heated remembering every intimate encounter Brooks and I had shared. My teeth worked over my bottom lip, trying to keep any involuntary moan from slipping out.

  “I’m going to say based on the flush covering your skin and the look on your face that you did enjoy letting Brooks have his way with you.” Wilder was now mere inches away, close enough to reach out and touch my cheek.

  His fingers traced my jaw. “So …” He tilted my chin up so he was looking directly in my eyes. “I was thinking there was a way we could all win.” He licked his lips before he continued, “Brooks and I could share you.”

  With his thumb, he freed my lip from my teeth. His touch was so tender, so gentle. Just like the night we’d spent together. He’d been so attentive and treated me so delicately. So opposite of the ravaging way Brooks took me.

  Brooks stiffened at my back, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. My emotions were far too chaotic.

  “We could have fun together. Brooks and I have done it before, and we’ve never had any complaints. He and I make a pretty good team. In all things, but especially when it comes to pleasuring a woman. What do you think? Do you want to be the filling in a LO sandwich?” Wilder said, leaning closer, his words caressing my lips. He gripped the hip Brooks wasn’t holding.

  Every cell in my body heated at the prospect. I’d never had a threesome before. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious about all the pleasure that would entail.

  But would it really be harmless fun? Someone was bound to get hurt. Wilder was my friend. And Brooks was …

  Well, I wasn’t sure what Brooks was exactly. But I felt a lot for him.

  More than friends.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Brooks’s expression. He’d been oddly quiet the whole time. His face was unreadable. His lips were in a tight line. And his fingers tightened against my skin, digging into it, marking me.

  Wilder used his hand on my pelvis to tug me forward as he leaned toward my face. “What do you think?” he asked with a smirk.

  Chapter 24

  Brooks

  Britt shifted slightly, meeting my gaze. Wilder was right. We had shared women before—quite a lot in our early touring days. And it was always a lot of fun for everyone involved.

  But my blood boiled at the thought of sharing Britt. The idea was unfathomable.

  Hell no.

  Britt looked back at Wilder. She’d yet to say anything. Neither had I.

  Wilder leaned closer to her like he was going to kiss her. Kiss the lips I’d had against mine a few minutes ago. Lips that were swollen from my kiss. Lips flavored with my taste.

  “What do you say, brown-eyed girl?” Wilder breathed against her lips. “Do you want us both?”

  “Her eyes aren’t fucking brown. They’re blue,” I growled from behind her as my fist shot over her shoulder to punch Wilder in the face.

  I stepped around Britt and grabbed Wilder by his collar and spun him around, away from Britt. I threw another punch, this one landing on his mouth. The mouth he was about to plant on my girl.

  Wilder’s eyes widened in surprise as he reached up to wipe a trickle of blood from his busted lip. I was surprised myself. Controlling my temper had never been a problem. I had only been in one fight, and that was in early high school. And it wasn’t a fight over a girl. It was over some stupid co
mment a delinquent made about my parents.

  Wilder and I had never even had a disagreement, let alone fought over a woman we both were interested in. In the past if a woman caught both our eyes, we simply shared. Bros before hoes and all that crap.

  But Britt wasn’t just some girl. She was so much more.

  Britt wedged herself between us.

  “What the hell, man?” Wilder shouted as he scowled at me.

  I sucked air in and out of my lungs, trying to quell the fury building inside. My fists were still clenched at my sides. The knuckles on my right hand throbbed slightly. Adrenaline had me quivering where I stood.

  Britt pushed Wilder back, forcing more space between us. Then she whirled around on me. A thousand questions swirled in her blue eyes.

  “Are you good? Or do I need to find a referee whistle?” she asked in a scolding tone.

  “I’m good,” I bit out.

  “I’ll be right back. Behave,” she told us both before she disappeared into the kitchen.

  The sound of ice clattering soon filled the thick silence lingering between me and my friend.

  Wilder dropped down on one end of the couch. I threw myself down at the other end, leaving a safe distance between us because my fingers still itched to wrap themselves around his neck until he promised to stay away from Britt.

  He turned his head toward me, still pissed off and dumbfounded about what I’d done. “Why did you do that? We’ve never gotten into a fight before. Not even all those times we ragged you about you playing the easy instrument. And never ever over a woman. I don’t understand,” Wilder’s voice pleaded with me to explain.

  I dropped my head into my hands, completely ashamed of my behavior but knowing full well that I’d do the same thing if he tried to kiss her again. I didn’t even want him to hug her.

  I finally looked my friend in the eye. “Honestly, I can’t stomach the thought of sharing Britt. Of anyone else touching her. I know it’s something we’ve easily done in the past. But I just can’t. Not her,” I admitted quietly, swallowing hard.

  “Do you have feelings for her?” he asked me cautiously.

  With a heavy sigh, I said, “Yeah, man, I do. So many that I can’t think straight. I’m so confused.”

  “I get it, dude. She’s special.” Wilder got to his feet. He stepped over to me. “Be careful with her. She’s guarding her heart. Don’t break it, or I’ll be the one punching you next time.” Then he squeezed my shoulder and walked out the front door.

  Defeated and lost, I leaned back and stared at the ceiling.

  A few minutes later, Britt appeared with a Ziplock baggie of ice in each hand. “Where did Wilder go?”

  “He left.” I hazarded a peek at her. “Hope you’re not too disappointed.”

  She sank down next to me and gingerly picked up my right hand. Cradling it in hers, she pressed the ice to my swollen knuckles. I winced as the cold penetrated my throbbing hand.

  “I’m not disappointed that he’s gone,” she whispered, lacing her fingers with mine as she propped her head against my shoulder.

  “Are you sure? Because if that is something you want, I’m sure Wilder can find another willing guy to help you out. But it can’t be me,” I rasped out, emotion making my throat feel tight and my nose burn.

  Lifting her head from my shoulder, she stared directly into my eyes. Blue meeting green. With her free hand, she cupped my cheek. “That isn’t what I want. You’re what I want. Just you.”

  “I need you to be sure about that, angel. You were quiet when he made the suggestion. Like you were considering it,” I said, wincing at the plea I heard in my voice. It would crush me if she wanted him, wanted us both. I had to know for sure before I could move forward.

  “I’ve never been surer.” She sealed her lips over mine, kissing me softly.

  Chapter 25

  Britt

  Brooks’s kiss was so reverent, so different from any other kiss we’d shared before. It turned my world upside down. It cradled my heart in it. My fragile, confused heart.

  “Angel,” he rasped when he lifted his lips from mine. He dragged his fingertip against my mouth. He didn’t say anything else, but he didn’t need to. In that moment, his eyes said everything my heart needed to hear.

  He got to his feet, lifting me in his arms as he rose. With careful steps, he carried me up the stairs. When he bypassed my room, I asked, “Where are we going?”

  “I want to show you something,” he said. With one hand, he twisted the knob to Izzy and Dawson’s room.

  “We shouldn’t be in here. It would not be cool to use their bed,” I hissed.

  Brooks chuckled in my ear. “We’re not. Wait and see.”

  He crossed to the large curtained window on the far side of the room. Gently, he lowered my feet to the floor. Then he reached through the drapes and clicked something. Moments later, he slid open a glass door beyond the fabric. Reaching back, he grabbed my hand and tugged me onto a balcony. The night air was crisp and quiet.

  Waves crashed in the distance. Beneath the light of a full moon, I could make out the white caps rolling toward the sand. I shuffled over to the railing. I peered through the glass and screen, taking in the beauty of the night sky.

  Brooks moved up next to me. With the flip of a couple of levers, he pushed the glass and screen out of the way, giving us an unobstructed view of the stars twinkling in the sky. There weren’t a lot visible with the light pollution, but the scattered diamonds were beautiful. “It’s so breathtaking,” I whispered.

  “Yes, you are,” Brooks said. Warm arms wrapped around my waist, and soft lips descended on my shoulder.

  I spun around in his arms, needing to see him.

  “I need to talk to you,” he said, tucking a flyaway lock of hair behind my ear. “Come here.” He led me over to a bed.

  “Dawson and Izzy have a bed out here?” I asked dumbstruck.

  “It’s new. A way for them to avoid prying eyes when they want to enjoy each other beyond the walls of their house. I was actually supposed to be here for the delivery this past week, but I got Maddox to come over to let the guys set it up,” Brooks explained.

  “I didn’t see Maddox the past week.” I frowned.

  “He said you weren’t home. You were probably at the dance studio.”

  “Probably.” I was there a lot. There didn’t seem to be a reason to be anywhere else. Not like I had someone wanting to spend time with me.

  With his urging, I perched on the edge of the mattress, my knees angled toward him. He took both my hands in his.

  “I know this whole thing started with what was supposed to be one night. No strings. No complications…” he said. His thumb rubbed circles on the sensitive skin between my thumb and index finger.

  I nodded, remembering the things we’d said in the beginning.

  “But after that night, I couldn’t get you out of my mind. It was like you crawled beneath my skin and took up residence inside me. So, I thought if I gave in and scratched the itch, the insane need would subside.” He leaned forward and kissed my forehead.

  He was saying everything I’d thought myself. It was like he was in my head.

  “But that didn’t work. The more I had you, the more I wanted you. As hard as it might be for you to believe, I have feelings for you, angel. You mean so much more than I had ever anticipated. I can only hope that you feel something for me too,” his voice was soft and vulnerable.

  “Oh, Brooks, I do feel for you. So much,” I whispered, squeezing his fingers.

  I didn’t get a chance to speak anything more because he pounced. Strong, lean arms wrapped around me, clutching me to him. His fingers were urgent as they ran through my hair and up my spine. Lips and teeth dragged across my shoulder where my shirt had slipped, exposing skin.

  I lifted the hem of his shirt, seeking to feel the heat and solidity of his flesh beneath my palm. Needing to feel the realness of us. I wasn’t completely sure this wasn’t some vivid fantasy playing in
my head. I’d always had an active imagination.

  His lips finally journeyed their way to my mouth, but they didn’t kiss me. They just rested there, like coming home. Stormy green eyes stared intensely into mine, like he was searching for something too. Never in my life had I wished so hard for someone to find what they wanted and needed in me than I did in that moment. This foreign feeling invaded my cells and wound itself around my heart. For once in my life I wanted to be wanted. Needed. Yearned for.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to rush a moment and freeze it at the same time more than I do right now,” he said, the words brushing my lips.

  ♪ Under my Skin by Skillet

  I rubbed my fingers against the scruff on his face. “I know exactly what you mean,” I whispered.

  He gripped the bottom of my shirt and lifted it over my head. My skin prickled with the cool night air and the heat of his stare. Scorching kisses were planted like seeds across my chest, down to one straining nipple. He sucked it through the lace of my bra. The friction was amazing, but I wanted his mouth directly on my flesh. I reached behind me and unfastened my bra. With some help from him, I removed the barrier between his hot mouth and my aching body.

  He laved my nipple with his tongue, brushing that delightful piercing back and forth. My nipple grew so hard it bordered on painful. But still, I wanted more. I arched into him, moaning in the back of my throat.

  Brooks shifted his weight, pressing me back into the mattress. The sheet was cool and soft against my back. Once I was flat, he went back to sowing fiery kisses down my abdomen. His tongue dipped into my belly button briefly, making me squirm. The cotton of my leggings and panties slid down my legs with the assistance of his nimble fingers. Brooks wiggled his broad shoulders between my thighs, making himself comfortable.

  I was already so wound up from his confession and kisses that he could probably just breathe against me and send me tumbling. My eyes clenched tightly closed in anticipation.