by Eden Summers
“I feel a little violated.”
Her hand paused as her gaze snapped to meet his. “Good morning.” She smiled. His irises, so deep and dark, did things to her that no man should ever have the power to do.
He stretched his arms above his head and groaned. “How long have you been fondling me with your eyes?”
She crawled over him, placing her naked body on top of his and settling between his thighs. “Too long.” She ground her pelvis into his hardening cock and relished the vibration of his chest under her palms.
Gabi grinned when their gazes collided. She loved this man, with all her heart. She always had. He was honest, open about his failings, and even though she knew he tried to hide behind a tough shell, she could read the emotion clearly in his features.
“Are we OK?” she whispered. The conversation from the night before sat low in her belly, congealing.
He lowered his hands to her waist. “What do you mean?”
“About me going home…alone?”
His brows narrowed. “I told you it doesn’t matter, so don’t worry about it anymore.”
“I know what you told me,” she spoke softly. “But this is me, Blake. Although we haven’t spent a lot of time physically together, I still know you. I can read the hurt in your eyes. Please be honest with me.”
One corner of his lips curved, and he nudged at her ribs making her squirm. “Turning back into my little Modaroo are you? Trying to counsel me and make things better?”
Her stomach clenched. “Don’t do that.”
His smile faded.
“Don’t turn every conversation into a reminder of what you used to be. I haven’t been your drug addiction supporter for a long time. I’m your friend.” She swallowed. “Your lover. Your girlfriend. You aren’t that man anymore, so stop torturing yourself and let me in.”
She didn’t know how he’d hidden his struggle from his friends for so long. To her, his pain was blindingly obvious. His scars as visible as the ink on his skin.
“I wish I was good enough for you,” he whispered.
Her mouth gaped. “You are perfect for me.” She broke eye contact, needing to blink away the burn in her eyes and lowered her chin to kiss the smooth skin beside his angel tattoo. “I love you. Not only are you good enough, but you make me whole. I wouldn’t be who I am without you.”
He shook his head and remained silent.
“When you meet my parents,” she continued, lifting her gaze, “we are going to show them just how perfect we are. They’ll see how happy you make me and get over their misconceptions.” They would. She would make sure of it. Once Wednesday was over she would talk to them.
His stare bore into her. “Sounds good.”
***
Gabi’s stomach growled between them and Blake ignored it. He’d never lain like this with a woman before. Ever. To be comfortable, simply staring at one another made his stomach do weird things. Things he’d never felt before.
“Are you still with me?” she asked softly, interrupting his thoughts.
“Yeah, gorgeous. Just thinking.” He grinned, but she didn’t appear convinced.
She stroked her fingers over his pecs, across the wings of his angel, leaving a trail of goose bumps in her wake. “What about?”
He chuckled to distract her. There’d been too much deep and emotional shit between them already. Once they were separated, he wanted her to remember the fun they shared, not the drama. “About you...” He placed his hands on her ass and ground his erection into her abdomen. His cock had been on a hair trigger since the moment he spotted her across the crowded dance floor. With the friction of her body and the knowledge that her tight heat was only inches away, it now thrummed, demanding action. “And me...” He tilted his neck and took her mouth in a passionate kiss. Their tongues tangled and her nails dug into his skin. “Gettin’ busy.”
He gave a final swipe of his tongue over her lips and enjoyed the way her light blue irises turned dark and sensual.
“Do you always frown like that when you’re thinking about gettin’ busy?”
Busted. He didn’t want to drag her into his thoughts. She’d been through enough. It was time he dealt with his own shit without pulling her into the darkness. Rather than answering her, he kissed her again. Hard. Mashing their lips together and taking the breath from her lungs.
When he came up for air she was panting, her hands gripping his shoulders. He flipped her over, placing her on her back and loomed over her. He nudged her legs apart and sank between them, all the while reaching for the bedside table and blindly rummaging for a condom. When he found a square foil packet, he brought it to his mouth and ripped it open with his teeth. In the space of bare heartbeats, he sat back on his haunches, sheathed himself, and then rested back against her body.
She was warmth and comfort and home. All the things he’d never had. All the things he’d find hard to live without when they were separated.
“Trying to distract me?” she asked, then whimpered as he lowered his mouth to suck on her nipple.
He ran his tongue around the stiffened peak, flicking the hardened flesh.
“When will I get to meet your friends?”
He released her breast with a pop and raised a brow. “You’re asking me this now?”
“Yes,” she panted, blinking at him in a daze. “I want to know.”
Trailing his tongue around her areola, he skimmed a hand up her side. “Once I’ve marked every inch of you with my hickies and my scent is all over your skin.”
Her eyes drifted closed for a second. “And how…” She moaned when his hand cupped her other breast, teasing the tightened peak with light strokes. “And how will you do that? How will you get your scent all over me?”
Damn, she was persistent. He couldn’t think past getting inside her, and she was dragging on a longwinded conversation. “I’ll blow my load on your belly and smear it all over your skin.”
“Eww!” Her eyes snapped open and she stiffened. “That’s disgusting.” She smacked his chest and began to laugh.
He chuckled along with her, happy to have sucked her out of the nirvana vortex seeing as though she’d done it to him first.
“I love making you laugh.” It was the sweetest sound in the world. Along with the feminine noises she released when he made her come. “I love that I can say anything around you and you’ll know when I’m joking.”
She grinned back at him. “Well, I sure hope you were joking.”
“What?” He pushed onto his elbows and frowned down at her. “You don’t like the thought of my baby gravy all over your body?”
“Yuck, Blake.” She squirmed under him.
He responded by lightly biting the skin of her neck, making her squeal.
“In me?” She nodded. “On me? Maybe. Smeared all over my body like you’re icing a cake? Piss off.” She pushed at his shoulders, but he didn’t budge. “It sounds like fetish porn. So, no. No, thank you.”
He tilted his head in contemplation. “I’m kinda impressed that you know about fetish porn.”
“Pfft.” She rolled her eyes. “My grandma knows about fetish porn.”
“I’m really beginning to like Australian women.”
“Oh, really?” She seductively trailed a delicate finger under his chin and held his gaze. “Australian women in general, or one in particular?”
He shrugged, and the curve of his lips turned into a smirk. “It’d be mean if I narrowed it down to just one. Imagine all those poor, heartbroken sheilas.” He used his best Aussie accent on the last word and it was so bad he cringed.
Gabi glared at him, but she couldn’t hide the humor in her eyes as she curled her legs around his waist and tried to flip him. He didn’t budge. She grunted and lines of exertion formed on her forehead. Still he didn’t move or bat an eyelid. When she dug her fingers into his ribs, he threw back his head and laughed.
“OK. OK. I’ll stop teasing you.” His laughter died down and he rested his hands on h
er belly, leaning his chin against them to peer up at her.
They remained quiet, both smiling at each other like smitten, love struck fools. Even though the cloud of lust had been broken, his nerves thrummed, eager to be one with her again. And each moment that she stared down at him with admiration made it more palpable.
“Can we go back to the part where your mouth was doing really nice things to my body?” she asked softly.
His eyes narrowed, and he couldn’t help playing with her a little longer. “Can you refrain from talking about my friends while I’m trying to maintain an erection?”
She pressed her lips together, smothering her laugh. “I promise.”
He raised a brow and moved his head to her breast, licking the tightened nipple. She mewled as he continued lapping with torturing slowness. When her thighs loosened around his waist, he climbed up her body, taking her breath away with his lips. Her hands glided around his neck, holding him in place, sending a shiver down his back all the way to the base of his spine. He was on top of her, the warmth of her body enveloping him, yet he wasn’t close enough.
“We’ll discuss this…” She broke off in a huff as he nudged inside her, the head of his erection breaching her slick walls. “…later.”
He chuckled and sunk further, watching as her back arched off the bed. She was a fist around him, squeezing, tormenting, driving him to the brink with no effort at all. Running a hand down her thigh, he encouraged her legs to circle his waist. She rocked into him, lifting her hips each time he thrust, and still they weren’t close enough. He wanted to be deeper, to be inside her heart, her soul. He wanted to be a part of her life that she could never live without. He wanted to be her addiction, like she was his.
Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled back, lifting her with him. He folded his legs under him, keeping their bodies connected as he rested on his heels and sat Gabi down in his lap—on his cock. Her arms ran around his neck, her fingers playing with his hair, her nails scratching his scalp.
Now this…this was heaven. He hugged her close and slammed his mouth against hers, loving her as they ground into each other. Their teeth clashed, their tongues danced and with each slam of his cock she moaned into his mouth.
“Harder,” she panted, tugging at his hair.
“Yes, ma’am.” He moved to his knees and walked them up the bed. Resting her back against the head board, he held her up and slammed home. She cried out and grazed his chest with her nipples. The scent of her arousal hung heavy in the air, intoxicating him.
He worked his hips in slow circles, grinding into her before breaking the rhythm with a hard thrust. Pleasure pooled in his balls and tightened the base of his shaft. He was close. Too close. A touch away from paradise.
He opened his mouth and cleared his throat, unable to speak. “How…close…”
“I’m coming,” she panted, and her legs tightened around his hips.
Shit. He followed her over, without thought or feeling, and groaned her name as he came. She convulsed around him, her pussy clamping down, drawing out his pleasure. He closed his eyes as his mind blanked and his heart soared. There would never be anyone else for him. His heart had been claimed.
He rested his forehead against her shoulder, his chest expanding and falling with deep breaths. She kissed his jaw, her fingers loosening in his hair as her body went languid against his.
“I love you,” she murmured, nuzzling his cheek.
He turned his face into her neck, nibbled the sensitive spot below her ear, and whispered, “It doesn’t count.”
“Do I look all right?” Gabi asked for the third time as the elevator jerked to a stop. She was nervous. Beyond nervous. Earlier she’d been on a smexin’ high, eager to meet the men of Reckless Beat, but now… What if Blake’s friends didn’t like her?
Oh, god. She was going to vomit.
“Gabi, you’re gorgeous.” Blake led her into the hall with an arm around her waist. “And they’ll love you. Especially Leah and Alana.”
He placed a kiss at her temple, the comforting action doing nothing to calm her nerves.
“But stay away from Mitch and Mason. They’re likely to cause trouble.”
“T-Trouble?” Her voice broke.
He chuckled, the vibrations of his chest echoing into her ribs. “You’ll be fine. Just don’t take any shit.”
“Shit” she could handle. It was disapproval that worried her. What if they hated her? These people were his family.
“Stop worrying.” He led them to a door and knocked loudly. “Be yourself and you’ll be fine.”
She nodded. No problem. She could do that.
The door opened and Mason Lynch stood before her, his greedy gaze taking her in from her black strappy sandals all the way up her three-quarter length pants, along her peach colored tank top to finally rest on her eyes. “Well, hello, foxy lady.”
Her mouth gaped, and she had to concentrate to snap it closed. Mason Lynch. She swallowed hard, resting her hand on her stomach to calm the fluttering butterflies. Was there a correct way to respond to that type of greeting?
“Fuck off, Lynch.” Blake chuckled.
Well, OK, apparently Blake knew how. He shoved Mason in the chest and pushed his way into the suite, dragging Gabi along beside him. “That was Mason,” he offered. “Mason, this is Gabi.”
“Yeah, nice introduction, bro,” Mason called from behind them.
She glanced over her shoulder at the world famous singer, poised to apologize for Blake’s rudeness, only to find Mason’s gaze glued to her ass. The rumors about him were obviously true—he was sexy as sin and obnoxiously arrogant in equal measure.
“That’s not my face,” she mumbled and turned her attention back to the way they were walking.
“Wasn’t interested in your face, honey, but if you wanted to put those sexy lips of yours around my—”
“Zip it, Lynch.” Blake didn’t slow his pace, he didn’t even glare or raise his voice. “She isn’t a groupie and doesn’t need to be tested.”
“Tested?” she squeaked.
Blake peered down at her, his expression blank. “To see if you’d leave me to go suck his—”
“To see if you were worthy,” Mason finished, coming up beside her and placing an arm around her shoulders.
Again, Blake didn’t flinch. He didn’t appear fazed by Mason’s nearness at all.
“My man deserves a great woman,” Mason added. “Are you that great woman, Gabi?”
“Ahh,” her mouth fell open again, her head turning from the gorgeous man to her left, to the gorgeous one on her right.
“She is.” Blake squeezed her waist and winked at her.
She could’ve swooned if Mason didn’t ruin the moment.
“I think that was your first PDA, man.” His arm fell from around her shoulder. “I don’t know if I should be horrified or happy for you.”
They stopped and Blake glanced at his friend. “Be happy.” He lowered his hand from her waist and entwined their fingers. “And now that I assume the first phase of your fucktardness is over, Mason, I’d like you to properly meet Gabi.”
Gabi looked at Mason, a devilish smile still tilting his lips, only now it held humor, not arrogance. He inclined his head and held out his hand.
“Nice to meet you, Gabi.” His smile was infectious, playful and entirely adorable.
“You, too.”
Mason let go of her hand, the pretence of flirtation vanishing in an instant. “Come meet the others.”
She nodded and began following him into the dining room when Blake tugged at her hand, stopping her.
“You OK?” he asked.
She turned into his body, thankful that he enveloped her in the security of his arms. “Yep.”
“One down, six more to go,” he spoke into her hair.
She suppressed a groan and followed him into the room edged with floor to ceiling windows. A woman in a tailored pant suit stood in the far corner, leaning against the glass, lo
oking down at the Yarra River below. Underneath the white crystal chandelier in the center of the ceiling was a table surrounded by people—famous people—all of them chatting and laughing over plates of food, glasses of orange juice, and mugs of coffee.
“Gabi!” The feminine call was followed by a chair scrapping over the tile floor.
Gabi swallowed the panic drying her throat and tried not to show her surprise at the woman who hurried toward her. Blake dropped her hand as the green-eyed, dark haired beauty, embraced her in a quick hug.
“I’m sorry.” The woman pulled back. “I’m Alana. Blake’s told me so much about you.”
He has?
“He has?” A masculine voice came from the table, followed by another scraping chair. “When the hell have you been talking to my woman?”
Mitchell Davies. Lead guitarist and rock legend strode forward, his hazel glare focused on Blake.
Blake shrugged, “Every time you leave the room, we start making out. It’s become a habit.”
Mitchell gave Blake the one finger salute, his handsome face contorting in a sneer. Then his gaze turned to Gabi, and she held her breath. His dark brown hair framed eyes that gleamed with contained amusement. Maybe she should be jealous or even a little offended at the way Blake teased Mitchell, but she knew this was their thing. Over the previous months, Blake had enjoyed sharing the stories of how he riled Mitch about his beautiful girlfriend. The way he recapped the stories always made her laugh. Seeing the play-by-play in person hadn’t changed that.
“Hi, Gabi.” He held out a hand, and she clasped it in her own, letting the gentle touch take away her nervousness.
“G’day.”
These people were family. She could see it in the way they conversed with genuine smiles and the underlying communication that was exchanged beyond the words they spoke.
Mitch grinned at her. “If you ever feel compelled to find a better man, you know where to find me.”
Gabi’s mouth fell open. At the same time Alana’s hand slapped Mitch’s chest.
A feminine gasp came from the far end of the room. “Mitchell Davies! You need to shut your mouth,” the other woman spoke.