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

by Charli B. Rose

Without getting up on my toes, I lifted my left leg out behind me until my foot was well above my waist. I arched my left arm parallel with my leg and raised my right arm high in the air. My hands froze in a graceful position that had been engrained in me since I was six years old.

  “Damnit. I should’ve watched some videos to learn the proper terminology for what I’ve envisioned countless times.” Brooks growled in frustration.

  I lowered my leg back to the floor. “How about you forget the proper word and just place me how you want me?” I suggested.

  “Excellent idea.” He turned me sideways, so my left side was next to the wall. Then he rested my left hand on the barre. Instinctively, I curled my fingers around it, lightly gripping it like I’d been trained. In the background my playlist shuffled, now playing the sensual vocals of Camila Cabello’s “Living Proof”.

  ♪ Living Proof by Camila Cabello

  He stepped closer to me, his cotton-covered chest brushing against me. With one hand on my waist and the other cupping my jaw, he joined his smiling mouth with mine. In my heels, he didn’t have to lean down to claim the kiss he took.

  Before I had time to get lost in the moment, Brooks ripped our lips apart. My heart ached at the abrupt divorcing of our mouths. He nuzzled along my neck, easing his face down until his mouth closed over my nipple through the fabric of my bra. Without bothering to unfasten the offending garment, he nudged the material down until my breasts popped out, standing out with the aid of the shelf created by my bra now bunched beneath them.

  Satisfied, he lowered his mouth to a nipple straining for his touch. It took every bit of self-control I had to remain still how he’d been positioning me. He increased the suction against my skin, making me moan as the sensitive peak brushed against the metal in his tongue. When he finally released me, my skin was shiny with saliva.

  “Where did you come from, angel?” he sang huskily along with the song.

  I swallowed hard, trying to find words to answer his questions—the spoken one and the silent ones in his eyes.

  He must not have needed a reply because he sank to his knees in front of me. His hand ran along my left leg from my hip to my outer thigh to my knee down to my calf, finally wrapping around my ankle. Slowly, he picked my foot up off the floor and extended my leg out in front of me, shifting my weight to my right leg. He kept raising my leg until he could rest my calf along the smooth wood of the barre, effectively stretching me open.

  A feral noise slipped from his mouth when he sat back on his haunches to examine my position. “That’s it. This is what has been haunting my dreams for too many days to count. You just like this, angel. And me—” He scooted forward until his face was a breath away from my needy core. His exhale washed against my damp underwear. “—right here, feasting on you, lapping up every bit of pleasure I could wring from you.”

  With both hands, he grabbed the thin slivers of fabric sitting high on my hips and shredded them. He tossed my ruined panties across the room.

  “Those were brand-new,” I protested weakly.

  “Sorry,” he murmured against my pussy. His tongue darted out and licked along my seam, and I completely lost the ability to think, let alone be miffed over another pair of sexy underwear gone.

  As he increased the rhythm of his flutters against my sensitive folds, I dropped my free hand onto the top of his head to help balance my now wobbly stance. When he gently gripped my lower lips between his fingers so he could open me up better for his questing tongue, I involuntarily sank my fingers into his hair, clutching for dear life.

  The calf on my right leg quivered from the strain of holding me still and upright. The muscles of my stretched out left leg burned from the prolonged split. But I didn’t care. I’d stay there until I collapsed in a puddle of bliss. At the rate we were going, it wouldn’t be long.

  His warm tongue stroked along my pussy from bottom to top in firm movements, lapping at me. As he thrust two fingers inside me, he changed tactics with his mouth. His lips closed over my swollen, aching bud. He sucked and flicked his piercing against me in a fast flutter.

  I shattered, shouting his name. My fingers ached from how hard they clenched, desperate to hold me up, to ground me to Earth.

  He still stroked against me softly as I floated back to myself. I peered down at him through heavy lids. Brooks finally lifted his mouth and withdrew his fingers from me. He swiped the back of his hand across his lips. “Even better than in my dreams,” he remarked with a wink.

  He helped lower my left leg back to floor. Boneless now, I trembled where I stood. Brooks got up from his spot on the floor and walked back to where he’d sat earlier. He retrieved the chair and brought it over to where the two mirrored walls met.

  Watching me, he tugged his shirt over his head. A smirk lifted his lips as he caught sight of my unabashed stare. He popped open the fly on his jeans and lowered the fabric covering his lower half. With all that beautiful muscle on display, I somehow found the ability to put one shaky foot in front of the other until I was in front of him.

  Brooks dropped onto the chair and fumbled for his pants. Once he withdrew his wallet, he searched through the little compartments. With a frustrated sigh, he tossed it to the floor.

  “No condom. I didn’t replace the last one we used. I had a box in my duffel bag, but that’s back at my place.” He dragged his fingers through his hair, making the sweat-dampened strands stick up. He started to stand. “I bet Dawson has some in the house. I’ll go look.”

  There were some in my purse. In the house. I always had them. My personal policy had always been to look out for myself. But for some reason, the voice that normally shouted at me was silent. I flattened my palm against his chest, feeling his heart thunder beneath my touch like it was trying to leap into my hand.

  “It’s OK. I’m on the birth control shot, and I’m clean. I’ve always used protection,” I said softly.

  His fingers wrapped around my wrist, keeping my hand against him. “I’m clean too. I’ve never … before either,” he choked out. His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Are you sure?”

  I stepped closer until my legs were outside his. I stood there, straddling his lap. “I’m sure.”

  His erection stood tall, straining toward me. He gripped it at the base, giving it a few slow tugs. I lowered my body until he was able to drag his cock against my slick opening. The flared head pressed against my entrance, stretching me. Unable to resist any longer, I sank onto his thick length, welcoming him into my body. Once my ass hit his thighs, we both groaned in sync.

  “It feels so good to feel you wrapped around me with nothing between us, angel,” he said huskily against my neck.

  “For me too,” I managed to choke out.

  His fingers dug into the meat of my thighs and butt cheeks, lifting me up then easing me back down. For several long moments, I allowed him to be in complete control, sliding me up and down his dick at his pace.

  But I needed more. I needed everything. So, with my feet on the floor, I began levering my body up and down. Brooks’s hips began to thrust up, meeting my downward drops to create a more powerful joining. Pleasure began to coil in my spine, heating the surface of my skin all over.

  “Your pussy is clenching me so tight, angel. I can’t wait to spill myself inside you … where no one else ever has before. You’re mine. Say it,” Brooks commanded, his filthy yet sweet words ramping up my desire.

  “I’m yours,” I whispered. The words were true, even though they terrified me, and I wasn’t sure what they would actually mean for me. For us. But I gave them to him. Because even if a relationship wasn’t in the cards for us, I was most definitely his.

  “I need you to fall with me. Touch yourself,” he ordered gruffly.

  My hand dropped from his shoulder to where we were joined. I slipped my finger through the wetness until it rested against my clit. Not needing to build myself up, I went straight for the pressure and motion which brought me the most pleasure the fastest. Fast, firm cir
cles. I rubbed his shaft every time he lifted me off him a few inches, revealing it.

  The angle of the chair allowed me to watch the space where we were united in the mirrors. I hadn’t ever seen anything more erotic than him disappearing inside of me.

  His thrusts became less predictable in their cadence, going from adagio to allegro and back. Stars sparked in my field of vision as pleasure coiled tighter and tighter until it reached the point where it burst.

  Brooks kissed me long and deep as his hips pumped erratically. He groaned in my mouth as he released himself in me, marking me as his in a permanent way.

  He pulled his face back and drew in a deep breath. His forehead rested against mine. Those electric green eyes said he loved me. His body still joined with mine said it. His smile said it. The sweet kiss full of affection he pressed to my mouth said it. And then his words said it softly in my ear. “I love you, angel.”

  I relished in his declaration. My heart was full.

  The next morning, I woke in Brooks’s safe embrace. I turned my head to find him already awake, staring at me. Even with all he had going on in his life, he seemed happier, lighter. No lines or shadows rimmed his eyes. Nothing darkened his smile. He wasn’t lost in gloom. I hadn’t realized just how much weight he’d been carrying on his shoulders until he no longer bowed beneath the burden.

  He’d been beautiful before. Stunning. Now, like this, he was breathtaking. My heart stuttered when he turned the full wattage of his smile on me.

  “Good morning, angel,” he whispered in that sexy, sleep-thickened tone.

  My insides clenched in response. “Morning,” I answered back. Indeed, it was a good morning.

  He pecked my lips. “I don’t want you to think my confessions yesterday were about getting you to forgive me or trying to pressure you into a response,” he said nervously, keeping his hand on my cheek so I couldn’t look away from his intense stare.

  I licked my lips, which felt a little chapped after all the kissing yesterday. “I know. I didn’t think that.” A sincere smile tipped up my mouth slightly.

  “I do love you, angel. In a way I never imagined I would. In a way I actually tried very hard to avoid. But there’s just something about you that somehow snuck past everything I put up to keep from ever feeling. At first, it really pissed me off. But now, I’m so glad you did. Because I can’t imagine not loving you now that I do.” His heart was in his eyes and on a platter being offered to me.

  ♪ Sometimes by Brittney Spears

  I traced the short stubble peppering his jaw. I took a deep breath. “I don’t know exactly what this is or how I feel. I know you’re definitely under my skin. And I care about you more than I’ve ever allowed myself to care before. You make me happier than anyone ever has, and you infuriate me more too. I just need some time. OK?” With my eyes I pleaded with him to understand. I never wanted to break like my mother did. I wouldn’t survive it.

  Understanding and sadness washed over his face. He gave me a tiny smile then pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I can do that. Love doesn’t stop with time and distance. I’ve seen that firsthand. I’ll call you later.”

  With that, he eased out from under the covers. In all his naked glory, he gathered his clothes, put them on methodically, cast me one more smile and walked away.

  Chapter 34

  Brooks

  ♪ Under Your Scars by Godsmack

  The bar clanged and the weight rattled as I settled it back into the rack over the padded bench. I wiped the sweat from my brow with the towel around my neck. Then I took a long pull of water from my bottle.

  I dug my gloves out of my gym bag then made my way over to the punching bag hanging in the corner. Though the gym on the third floor of the building was for all residents, like always, I had the space to myself. So, I cranked up the music and began to unload my frustrations on the poor defenseless bag hanging in the corner.

  By the time the door swung open, my knuckles ached, and I was out of breath. Wilder strolled in.

  “What’d that bag ever do to you?” he teased, stepping behind it to hold it steady for another volley of punches from me.

  “Just needed to unleash some pent-up emotions,” I panted and stepped back.

  “Wanna talk about it?”

  I thought about it for a second. “Oddly enough, yeah … I do.” We sank down to the floor in the corner, facing each other.

  “So, I know I’ve been distant for months, and I’ve been disappearing.” I sipped my water while Wilder waited patiently for me to continue. “My mom’s been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s,” I exploded in a rush.

  “Oh shit, man. I’m so sorry.”

  “At first, we thought she was just getting forgetful. But things got worse. She forgot about Bri’s peanut allergy. She forgot she was divorced. The doctor recommended we help Mom develop a routine and keep her in her familiar surroundings for as long as possible. But then a few days ago, she set the house on fire when she forgot about the candles she had lit for her anniversary dinner with Dad.” I let my head tip back against the wall. Maybe one day she’d forget all about Dad, and that’d be a blessing.

  “Damn. Is she OK?” Wilder’s eyes were concerned.

  “Yeah. Physically, she’s fine … a little smoke inhalation, and she feels foolish.” I rolled my head on my neck, trying to release some of the tension in my body.

  He leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. “What are you going to do?”

  “Move her here. Speaking of, I offered Bri the vacant apartment on the fourth floor.” I squinted up at him, waiting to see what he’d say.

  “Awesome. It’s been empty for a few months, and we should always help out family when we can,” he offered completely unselfishly.

  “I’m glad you said that, because I also told her she could come work for the new record label.” My shoulders drew up around my ears as I again waited for him to berate me.

  “She’s always been a genius with numbers and excellent at bossing people around. We’d be lucky to have her,” Wilder said agreeably.

  My eyes widened.

  “What? Don’t be surprised. Even if I was still pissed with you, I wouldn’t hold it against your family. And you know the other guys are pretty agreeable.” He gave a wry chuckle. “Was worrying about my reaction to that what had you so worked up that you needed to beat the hell out poor No-Armed Willie over there?”

  I couldn’t help the loud guffaw that burst out of me. The laughter was more cleansing than the aggression I showed the punching bag. When I finally caught my breath, I said, “No. I found Britt yesterday at the music video shoot.” I stuffed down the rage that threatened to rise when I pictured her giving Juice a lap dance. “She had to give some rapper a lap dance. I nearly went all caveman and hauled her ass out of there over my shoulder.”

  He nodded knowingly. “I can see why that would have you throwing punches in here.”

  “Yeah. But I didn’t haul her out of there. I went to Dawson’s and started working on a song. For her. Actually, it’s the third song she’s inspired in me.” I still couldn’t believe it. I’d always been content to just learn the songs the other guys wrote. I mean, I added my own little tweaks here and there during the creative process, but I’d never had lyrics and melodies and rhythms flowing in my mind before. It was a heady feeling creating something completely.

  “Wow. That’s … something.” Wilder was dumbfounded.

  “I know. It’s big. Anyway, Britt came back while I was playing and heard me. When I finished the song for her, I told her everything. Explained about Giselle and that old footage, told her about my mom, even laid my feelings out there.” I looked up at Wilder. “I told her that I loved her,” I whispered.

  His brows shot to his hairline. “You did?” he asked in utter disbelief. “What did she say?”

  I closed my eyes and shook my head. “Ultimately, she asked for space so she could figure out how she felt and what she wanted.” Saying the words out loud c
rushed me. But I refused to let emotions overtake me in front of Wilder.

  I stared up at the ceiling, blinking back the moisture that wanted to gather. My nose burned with the effort it was taking to get a grip. “Anyway, I owe you an apology for making things weird between you and me. I know you cared about her too.”

  “Yeah. But I’m not in love with her. Given time, I could’ve been. But I wasn’t. And honestly, I kinda hoped you’d decided to be with Giselle and not Britt,” Wilder admitted sheepishly.

  “If Britt decides she doesn’t want to be with me, I think I’m going to take a break from women. Not even do casual hookups. I’ll focus on my family and this newfound love of creating music from scratch.” I couldn’t fathom touching another woman, kissing anyone else. And I certainly couldn’t wrap my mind around trying to lose myself in the body of anyone but her.

  “Wow. That’s huge. Like Dawson and Izzy kind of huge,” Wilder commented.

  I rolled my eyes. “Don’t tell Izzy. I won’t ever hear the end of her I told you so’s when she finds out I’ve actually fallen in love.”

  “Are you sure you want to pursue something with Britt? I mean, we’re going to be leaving town soon. She’s got stuff going on.” Wilder looked skeptical.

  “All things that are manageable,” I argued.

  “True. I just worry you’re going to break her heart. I’m definitely not an expert, but I know relationships are hard for normal people. And we aren’t normal people. I don’t want to see her get hurt.” Wilder peered at me sadly.

  “Me either,” I whispered.

  Chapter 35

  Britt

  It had been eighty-four hours since I’d seen him last. I’d sent him text messages a few times a day. Just photos snapped of things that caught my eye. A bright yellow flower. A purple cloud. A butterfly with a playful puppy chasing it. My glittery toenail polish.