“You’ll be back.” She sounds so sure, I have to hold back a shudder.
“Don’t count on it.” I close the door and get the hell out of her house.
Chapter Three
Asher
The other guy has invited Eden to L.A. A slow building panic grips me as I consider the extent of the damage this could cause. The city was her home for eight long years. It’s where she built her career. I’ve heard the way she used to talk about L.A. She’d come back to Rapture to take a break from the spotlight, not to leave it behind completely. I knew that. I hadn’t given it much thought before now, but I knew it. I never dreamed she’d go back so soon.
It doesn’t have to mean anything, I remind myself. She bought a house here. She has no intentions to go back to work anytime soon. She told you that.
The reminders do nothing to relax me. She’ll go back to work eventually, and that will likely mean losing her. The schedule she kept before she came back to Rapture was frantic. I don’t see how she could go back to that and still find time for someone like me.
I can only console myself with the fact that I have an extra couple of nights with her before she goes. I’d best use that time wisely, make sure she’ll never forget me.
“Oh, that’s a good one,” Ronnie murmurs beside me, pushing back from the counter.
I glance at my teenage assistant and she releases her bottom lip from her teeth as she thrusts the open book in front of me, her red-painted fingernails drawing my attention to the line she apparently just enjoyed.
It’s a romance novel, of course; it always is with Ronnie. I take in the part she’s enraptured with.
‘He wanted to possess her, mind, body and soul. She was his, and no other man would lay claim to her for as long as he lived and breathed. “I’m going to tear that beautiful body apart and you’re going to beg me to do it again and again.”’
I pull the book out of her hands. “I don’t think you should be reading this.”
The glazed over look in her eyes is typical as she snatches the book back from me and presses it to her chest. “If a man ever says that to me, I’ll do whatever the hell he wants.”
A faint gasp nearby makes me look up. The guy looks like an out-of-towner. He’s probably no more than a year older than Ronnie. Fresh-faced and well dressed. He flushes and disappears into the rows of bookcases when he realises I’m frowning at him. I turn back to her.
“Ronnie, if a man ever says that to you, I hope you’ll have the presence of mind to call the police, because I guarantee you he’s a serial killer.” I give her a stern look that doesn’t seem to make a difference to the dreamy expression she’s melting into. I shake my head at her. I know it’s no use.
“Why are all the hottest men fictional?” She sighs deeply. “I’m taking this book home.” She slips it under the counter and straightens her glasses before she looks at me with more focus in her eyes, apparently done with her book-induced daydream. “So, how are things going with Eden?”
The question throws me off. I’m not sure how to answer. I wouldn’t normally discuss details of my love life with Ronnie anyway, but I’m starting to see how complicated things could become with Eden and I don’t know how to deal with that when it comes to other people. It makes me less inclined to want to talk about her.
“Things are great.” It sounds like bullshit, and Ronnie can smell it.
She frowns at me. “What did you do to mess it up?”
“What did I do?” I raise an eyebrow. She isn’t usually so quick to assume.
She nods. “Just tell me, Asher. I’ll help you fix it.”
I have to smile. This reminds me of the day I found out Eden was going to the prom with another guy. Ronnie’s family lived next door to mine back then. She’d seen me moping in the back garden and tried to give me her favourite doll to cheer me up. It was a sweet offer, but it wasn’t really going to help.
I wonder how fast the news would get around town if I actually confided in her. Not that Ronnie is a gossip, but I have it on good authority she tells her mother everything, and that woman usually has nothing better to do than get on the grapevine the instant she picks up anything even moderately juicy.
Eden Rose Masterson, the biggest rock star on the planet, has two lovers, and I’m only one of them. It has to come out sometime, doesn’t it? I shrug and force my thoughts down a different track. I can’t tell anyone. Not one word. Not before Eden decides it’s time, if she ever makes that decision. Given how famous she is, I doubt she’ll want her love life to be pulled out into the open for the world to see, but maybe she won’t get a choice if the press catch wind of it. I have to keep my lips sealed. It’s not my secret to spill.
“It’s nothing,” I tell her.
She nods, slowly this time. “You two are like soul-mates or something. Whatever it is, you’ll fix it together.”
I really hope so. Keeping this to myself is only going to get harder and harder. There’s too much to get a handle on. I don’t know how to do it. At least, not yet. I’ll find a way, but it’s not going to be easy.
The guy who was eyeing Ronnie up before comes to the desk and puts down a copy of the same book she put under the desk. It has a distinct cover, I suppose. It wouldn’t have been too hard for him to find it, given a glimpse. I hold in a sigh. Could he be any more transparent? She gasps as she picks it up. Apparently she didn’t notice him looking before, too enraptured with the creepy passage she’d loved so much. I narrow my eyes at him. He swallows as his gaze flits from her to me.
“I was just telling Asher I have to read this one,” she gushes.
“It sounds good.” He laughs nervously.
She checks it out for him, giving him a thorough eyeballing as she does. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around.”
“I’m staying with my gran over the summer. Thought I might catch a glimpse of the Rock Goddess herself.” His card is in a woman’s name. I don’t instantly recognise it, but I record it and file the information away for later. If I catch Ronnie in tears over this idiot, I’ll have to track him down.
I see Ronnie’s eyes widen, but I don’t react quickly enough to stop her from spilling the open secret.
“Actually, Asher is dating her.” She touches my shoulder when she says my name.
He glances at me. “No way.”
Sighing, I walk away. “I’ll be back in ten.”
Everything feels like it’s ready to come crashing down. Eden’s leaving to visit her other lover. She’s going to be in L.A., miles away from Rapture, having a good time without me. I feel like I’m losing her already. I can’t even talk to anyone about any of this.
I take a walk to the park and sit down on a bench near our tree. It’s warm out, dry. I can’t help but feel this is just the eye of the storm. The happy calm before chaos descends to tear everything apart. It’s completely paranoid, but I have a hard time shaking the feeling off.
For Eden’s sake, I hope I’m wrong.
Chapter Four
Eden
The sound of the alarm being stopped and reset let me know Asher had arrived before he walked into the kitchen from the partially hidden hallway. I was adding spices to the chicken dish I’d decided to cook, but I half wished it wasn’t so close to being ready. I could never resist him when he came straight over from work. The only thing better than seeing him in a suit, is seeing him out of one, preferably after I’ve peeled away the layers myself, piece by piece.
“Smells good,” he tells me, approaching the counter and putting down a bottle of wine. He moves closer to hug me from behind and kiss my cheek. Now, I’m really wishing dinner wasn’t ready. He’s pressed up tight against me and I can feel how much he’s enjoying rubbing against my ass.
I turn off the heat, put the lid on it and spin around to put my arms around his neck. “It’ll keep.”
“It will?” He raises an eyebrow. His slowly spreading smile only gets wider when I push onto my toes and close the gap between our bodies.
H
e pulls me in tight as my lips brush his. His hands fall to my ass and start to stroke and squeeze.
I start to unbutton his waistcoat as his hands pause their stroking to pull the material of my skirt upwards. I smile against his lips as he finds out I’m not wearing underwear. I break the kiss. He lets me but his gaze is intent.
“I think we should take this to the couch,” I tell him, my thoughts going to the closest comfortable place to finish what we’ve just started.
His lips stretch into a smile. “Actually, I have a request.”
“You do?” I raise an eyebrow, wondering what it might be.
“It’s dark outside,” he tells me, making me shiver as his dark blue eyes light up with mischief.
“It is.”
“Is the heat on in the pool?” One of his hands rounds the curve of my ass and moves lower to reach the already slick lips of my pussy. He strokes gently, two fingers moving slowly back and forth from clit to cleft as he waits for my answer.
“I don’t know. I don’t care,” I moan as his other hand comes around to knead my breast. My nipples are already rock-hard. The thought of him taking me outside to fuck sends my senses into overdrive.
“I want to get that stunning body wet and watch you climax under the stars.”
He kisses me and swallows my gasp as his fingers work me into a frenzy. He doesn’t dip his fingers inside, not once. He just strokes lightly, getting my juices flowing. I’m swollen with need when he stops, removing his hands suddenly and lifting me, bride style, into his arms. He puts me down at the back door and I kick off my heels as he removes his jacket. My gaze drifts to the erection straining the front of his pants. My core is alight with desire. I’m throbbing, desperate with need to feel him inside of me.
He takes off his clothes slowly enough to drive me crazy. I watch each item fall the floor, my heart rate spiking when he starts to show some skin. His toned body feels good and hard when it’s pressed tight against me. I want that so badly right now it hurts.
I start to wiggle out of my skirt. He pauses to watch me and I smile as I unzip the top and drop it to the ground. The expression on his face is enough to send fresh waves of heat through my body. The way he looks at me like he wants to devour every inch of my naked flesh just makes me want him even more. I can’t wait another second to feel his touch.
I move forward and get him out of that shirt, moving in close enough as I slide it off his shoulders to rub my breasts against his chest.
“I could just fuck you right here,” he tells me, pulling me in close for a hungry kiss that steals my breath. I want to tell him yes, just fuck me right here. Do whatever you want to me right here, Asher. I want it, I need it. He lets me go and my lips feel swollen, my whole body tingling with lust. I see how hard he’s fighting not to just take me. When he speaks his voice is raw with need. “Go outside, Eden.”
I don’t say a word, I just pull from his grasp and go out there, grabbing a couple of towels from the stand next to the door as I go. My gaze drifts upwards as we walk out. It’s dark out and the night sky is full of glittering stars.
I drop the towels at the water’s edge as Asher comes out of the house and moves towards the pool. I sit down on the towels to avoid the cool tile from making me shiver, and I get ready to jump in from the edge, relieved that the water is warm. I’d hired a cleaner for it when I moved in, and I remembered thinking about turning the heat on. I guess I must have done more than think about it.
Asher gets in using the stairs, and I pause to watch him. He takes his time, gaze moving over me as he gets into the water. His quiet confidence is a bigger turn on than his impressive length. He knows what he wants and he makes sure he gets it.
“Don’t move,” he tells me. “I have another request to make.” The wicked smile he brings out gives me a hint at what he’s thinking as he comes towards me.
I gasp as he pulls me closer to the edge. He takes his glasses off and leaves them by the side of the pool. Then he grins at me before his mouth presses against the slick lips of my pussy. His tongue slides up and down slowly, maddeningly, stopping just before it hits my clit every time. I’m about to tell him off for teasing when he stops, moves his attention upwards and starts to suck on it, and then alternate sucks with licking it sharply. I lean back and stare up at the night sky as his efforts become harsher, more frenzied. Every gasp he draws from me brings my climax closer. It feels like I’m floating by the time I start to come, my whole body shaking as I cry out his name.
His tongue lowers to my pulsing wet cleft, sinking in for a taste. Then he backs up and pulls me into the water, and into his arms. I kiss him as the pool reacts to my sudden entry, splashing around us like sweet summer rain.
He smiles at me when I break the kiss. “I knew this pool thing was a good idea.”
“It’s only just the start of our night.” I reach down and stroke him under the water.
“We don’t have to have sex in here,” he tells me, groaning as I make his dick throb in my hand.
“I think we do,” I tell him, letting go and wrapping my arms around his neck.
He pulls me up, his hands on my ass. I wrap my legs around his torso as he lowers me onto his dick. It feels strange but good as I start to rock on him. He’s always thrust into me so hard, giving me everything relentlessly. This weightless, floating feeling is an unusual kind of bliss.
“Fuck,” he whispers, closing his eyes, “you feel so good.”
The sweet torture of this slow, gentle screw begins to bring me climbing towards a second orgasm. He pulls me in closer and my nipples graze his chest as I move against him. His lips claim mine and our tongues are entangled when it rips through me, losing the moan of my release in his mouth. I pull back, still rocking though I’m shuddering as I move now.
“We have to get out of the pool,” he tells me, his voice husky with need.
“Okay,” I tell him, moving back reluctantly and swimming towards the steps to get out.
I’m dripping wet as I step onto the patio and turn to him. His body glistens as he gets out, his dark hair slick as he pulls it back and steps out. He picks up the towels and walks me to the loungers under the sun shade. He lays the towels down and turns to me, fire in his dark eyes.
“It wasn’t good for you?” I raise an eyebrow.
He smiles. “It was incredible, but I want more than incredible tonight.”
He lifts me and puts me down on the lounger. I expect him to lie down over me. He picks up one of the towels and sits, starting to dry me off, little by little, starting with my hands and moving up my arms to my shoulders. It’s so soft and gentle that it makes me shiver. The rough fibres of the towel graze my breasts and he rubs them down, spending more time there. My nipples feel harder than they’ve ever been when he bares them to the cool breeze and moves downwards. I bite back a groan. My core is alight with anticipation as he gets closer to that sensitive spot between my spread legs.
I gasp as he gets there and rubs harder than expected. He’s quick to soften his touch but that one hard stroke has made me so wet for him I can barely stand to wait another second to feel him inside me. His pleased smile as he moves down my legs tells me he knows exactly what he’s doing.
“Asher, you’re driving me crazy.”
“Good,” he says. “Turn over.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Turn over?”
His smile widens. “What? You don’t trust me now?”
I turn over. “Of course I trust you.”
“Get on your hands and knees.”
I do as told, and quickly feel his damp body press against me. He spreads my legs further and I feel his dick rub against my wet cleft. He doesn’t position the tip at my entrance, but I feel his hand reach around and move between my legs. He doesn’t touch me, he grabs himself, and then his fingers begin to rub against my slick lips, the tip of his dick bumping against my clit, again and again. I gasp out a breath.
“Asher!”
His other hand grasps
my hip and keeps me close. I feel droplets of water splash my back as his movements become faster. I come hard and fast grinding into him. He stops and wraps his arms around me, bringing me up tight against him to kiss my throat and run his fingers over my breasts.
I reach down between my legs to stroke his shaft. He’s still rock-hard. I fucking love this man.
“You can turn around now,” his whisper is followed by sharp tugs on my nipples, his dick grinding against me. I want him to just shove it in, I want him to take me hard, just like this.
“Just fuck me,” I tell him, grinding until the tip slips into place.
He tugs my nipples again as he pushes inside, sparking fresh waves of desire. I don’t know if my body can take much more tonight. It feels like my brain might short circuit if it has to process any more of this incredible ecstasy. He pulls me to him, arms tight around my waist as he pounds into me.
“I want to stay inside you all night, Eden. I want you this close. I never want to let you go.”
God, that sounds like heaven. I gasp as his thrusts get even harder. “Never let me go, Asher.”
Chapter Six
Logan
The shock that Eden could dump me for some opportunistic asshole from her past was impossible to let go of. I’d refused to believe it. I needed evidence. There was nothing obvious inside her house. No signs that he might have moved in. Probably too soon for that anyway. As soon as I heard her enter the house, I hid in the room I’d slept in while she’d let me, the one next to hers. I’d heard her shower and dress. Heard her singing to herself. My heart felt like it was being ripped to shreds. The woman I loved was in the other room, so close and so far away all at once.
I hear him come into the house much later. I realise they’re going out to the pool, and my pain starts to twist into anger. Their intentions are obvious, but I can’t stop watching. I freeze in place and it all burns into my brain, scorching my thoughts. How could she do this to me? I know she loves me, but how can that be possible when she’s with him? When she’s so fucking happy she’s screwing her lover out in the open, where anyone could see them?
Wild Hearts (Rock Goddess Reverse Harem Book 2) Page 2