Darling's Desire

by T. D. Hassett

  He let out a ragged curse, his heart hammering and his breath coming in gasps. “I told you, you weren’t broken. You just need a little TLC around your special spots.” He leaned down to kiss her sweaty cheek, thrilled that she was too out of breath to respond. “Get some rest so we can try out something else from that box in a while.” He rolled off the bed to get her some warm wet towels and proceeded to wash her gently. It didn’t take much of that before his shy Darling was shoving the ring back on his cock and sliding her delectable body onto his. Downtime on this tour was going to be incredible.

  Chapter 38

  “We need to tighten this up before Paris.” Tommy nodded his head in agreement with Link’s statement. “The last two shows were awesome, but we’re heading over to smaller venues and more dates, so we need to expand the sound to build up the energy. You know, make it fuller without the big shit that won’t fit. Anyway, I gotta go take a leak.” Link placed his guitar back in its stand and exited the stage they were rehearsing on.

  Ross swiveled around on the small stool perched behind his drum kit. He needed to get his sound guys to work on the mike placement and the triggers before tonight’s performance. Things were just a little bit off. “Hey, Tommy, can we add the song ‘Until You’ into tonight’s set? I want Darling to see me doing that one live.” He spun his sticks in his right hand a few times, far more dexterous than any baton twirler in a parade.

  “Sure thing. How about right after ‘Pussy-Whipped Bitch’?” Tommy asked, waiting for Ross to probably flip him off. He was too happy to take the bait. “Well, you’re in an agreeable mood. That extended vacation seems to have done you some good. You show up here all bloody chipper and happy. It’s good to see. Falling in love and having my family is something so wonderful I want it for everybody else I love. You deserve to be happy.” Tommy reached closer to him and gave him a playful punch in the shoulder to break the awkward sentimental words up.

  “Yeah, thanks, man, I hear you. But in my defense, it wasn’t an extended vacation. I couldn’t get my fucking visa until the very last minute. I guess if fucking Interpol hadn’t flagged my name, I might never have really got to know Darling. Nah.” Ross shook his head. “I would have tracked her down after the tour and scared off anybody she might have met.” He tapped the cymbal, silencing it with a grasp of his strong fingers. Tommy kept staring at him. Damn, had he become that bad in front of his friends? Did he talk like he was as pussy-whipped as Tommy, Link, and definitely Rick the bass player? Fuck it, he didn’t care what those guys thought of him if it meant feeling as good as he did these days.

  “What the bloody hell are you talking about? Interpol and visa delays? Are you back on the smack or something?” Tommy asked him with a raised eyebrow.

  Ross’ wistful grin fell from his face. “Dude, Madison told me you called Link the afternoon we were to fly out and said there was a hold up with my visa. I checked with Shannon at Canterbury, she said the same thing and that it was being worked on. Until you called me after that gig in Hartford, I thought it was still tangled up in the lawyer’s hands. Did I miss something?”

  “Either you missed something or I sure did. Look, laddie, I never said anything about a problem with your passport. Everybody’s paperwork, visas, work cards—hell even the tax shit—was all handled in advance by the lawyers two months ago. If there was a problem with you traveling to Europe for this tour, I would of known about it.” Tommy picked up his coffee, took a swig, and gave a slight wave in departure.

  What was going on? Had Darling talked Madison into setting him up? Was the whole visa thing just a ploy so she could bag her own member of Becket? He shook his head, feeling lost. He had thought Darling really cared about him and that they were getting to know each other. The very idea she had schemed to keep him around long enough for her to get her claws into his heart left him cold. He believed his relationship with Lisa and groupies over the last few years had given him a first-rate education in spotting women who only wanted him for his status and not for who he was. The feelings coursing through him were gut-wrenching.

  What had he been thinking? That a sweet, educated girl like Darling had been interested in a high-school dropout and former ranch hand? Of course she’d wanted him because of his fame and money. She had played him as smoothly as any master con artist. He’d fallen for her routine hook, line, and sinker. He couldn’t help but wonder if Link knew how Darling and his wife had plotted on this one. He wasn’t sure what would be worse: finding out his bandmate was in on the scam all along or having to explain how he’d been duped and played a fool. Ross flexed his hands together, cracking each knuckle, and picked up his drumsticks. For the next hour he wailed on his drums, slamming out beats as fast as he could. Anything to burn off some of the rage he was feeling.

  Chapter 39

  “So tell me everything. Do you love him? Did you finally find your missing big O? Will you be staying on the tour, as in should I get another dog-sitter for Beauty Belle after all?” Madison asked in her teasing tone.

  Darling held up her map of Harrods department store, using it as a shield to hide her heated face from her friend. “Did you know it says in here that Harrods once delivered an elephant to a customer? I mean, this store really does have everything. It’s bigger than an amusement park.” She flipped the map over, checking the layout of some of the other floors.

  “Quit stalling and answer the questions.” Madison pulled the map out of her hands.

  “I don’t know, yes, and I don’t know.” Darling grabbed her map back. “Come on, Maddie, this is my first trip to London, ever. I’m browsing through Harrods with my best friend, and hopefully Ross will be taking me to the White Tower to see the crown later, so can we skip the inquisition part until, I dunno, we hit Madame Tussaud’s wax museum and the hall of horrors?”

  “Yes, yes, but tell me, or I’ll just nag you about it until you break down anyway.” Madison crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently.

  “Okay, yes, it finally happened and oh my God, wow! He’s made me into a lunatic. It’s all I can think about when I’m around him. As in when it’s going to happen again. I’m becoming sex-crazed. I need to get back home and figure out stuff. Which means no matter what, I won’t be going with you guys jaunting across Europe. I’ve got to figure everything out for me, and crap, I think I’m in love with him. Which means I’m so screwed because I can’t really get a read on him. It’s complicated.” She pursed her lips, not wanting to say more lest another flood of words come pouring out that she wasn’t ready to have said aloud.

  Madison looked at her, tilting her head side-to-side a couple times. “Okay, I’ll wait to get all the details from you. Come on, let’s go to the pharmacy and pick up a little something for you. I think it’ll even improve on what you already can’t get enough of.” Madison smiled devilishly, her expression one that Darling knew to be wary of.

  “What do you want to pick up at the pharmacy?”

  “Oh, I think you need me to be like the big sister you never had and take you over and buy you some non-condom birth control. I’ll bet Ross is just itching to ditch condoms, and there are some great over-the-counters available.” Madison grabbed her arm and practically dragged her out of the shoe department.

  Something non-condom? She was fine with going on birth control that was a bit more reliable now that she was actually having sex, but maybe she should talk to Ross first before just doing this. As much as she knew she should tell Madison to back off a bit harder, she couldn’t help but think how wonderful it would be to feel all of Ross inside her again without any barriers. That brief moment when he stroked himself in a couple of times before stopping to pull out had felt even more incredible, such intimacy. Not a really smart thing to be doing, but the thought alone sent moisture pooling in her core. Well, she would certainly have some surprises for him after the concert tonight. Between the new birth control and the lingerie she’d picked up, hopefully she would drive him wild.

  Chapter
40

  “That was so intense.” Darling rolled onto her back and stretched languorously, well sated and happy. She hated to break the spell, but she really should discuss her need to get back to Uniontown with Ross. She dreaded the conversation and had been putting it off all day. That actually had been fairly easy. Her shopping trip with Madison ate up most of the day, and Ross had been tied up performing. She hadn’t seen him alone since he got off stage. Which wasn’t saying much since he basically had her hauled back to their suite by one of the security guards. She had been a little cranky with the high-handed treatment, but maybe there had been some issues going on that she was unaware of. It could be hard to tell what was happening out in the audience from her station backstage. He arrived a short time later and had her out of her clothes and under his large frame with barely a word. It had been fast and hot.

  Now she needed to have a talk with him, and her nerves were acting up. What if it meant she never saw him again? They hadn’t talked about feelings or the future. They’d just been enjoying themselves day by day. Should she just come right out and tell him that she was in love? She hoped when he could, he would return to see her? Her happy sated feline feeling was beginning to fade.

  Ross rolled off the bed, his skin still glistening with sweat from their lovemaking. He didn’t pause to cuddle with her, just grunted something about needing a shower. Her skin quickly cooled once his warm body was no longer pressed so intimately against hers. She pulled the silky comforter back up around her body, snuggling into its warmth. She heard the shower turn on, and naughty thoughts inspired her. She rolled out of her cocoon of bedding and strolled confidently into the bathroom. Ross was behind the glass door sluicing soap over his muscular body. Her fingers already itched to run across his golden skin once more. She slid the glass door aside, but he grabbed the inside handle, stopping her from moving it farther open. “I’m kind of in a hurry,” Ross explained, slapping the door shut once more.

  Something was obviously wrong. She left only to pathetically flick on the television for a bit. She would just have to try and talk to him after his shower. But a few minutes later he came out of the bathroom, threw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, grabbed his leather jacket, and slipped his biker boots on his feet, skipping the socks.

  “I’m not ready to go to sleep. I’m going out for a bit. Maybe I’ll see you later.” He reached for his keys from the desk without even looking at her.

  What the hell was going on? “Hey, did I do something, or are you mad at me?” Darling asked, wracking her brain for something she might’ve missed that would explain his sour mood.

  Ross sighed and twirled his keys in his hand as if she was wasting his time. “No, Darling, I’m fine. That was great—what we did—but I kind of need some space now.” He reached for the door, but her words stopped him from going anywhere.

  “What is going on between you and me? I’m not trying to put any pressure on you. I don’t really know what the deal is, and you’re acting all distant and cold tonight.” She pulled herself up on her knees, keeping the blanket wrapped around her like a shield.

  “Didn’t you get enough of me? You’ve gotten your way. You’re here, in my bed, on my fucking arm at the after-parties. You should be happy. You beat out all the groupies and bagged yourself a member of Becket. Congrats there, Uptown.” He tightened his hold on the door handle, turning the knob and pulling the door wide open.

  Darling spoke to his back as he walked out the door. “Yes, I guess I should be happy. I suppose you could have just fucked me a few times back in Connecticut. I should be flattered that I was a good enough lay for you to fly me all the way over to London for a few more goes.”

  Ross stopped in the hall, turning around to look at her. “Well, you are one, sweet, almost virginal piece of ass.” He slammed the door shut.

  She took in a few deep breaths, but it didn’t stop her whole body from shaking. She’d known she shouldn’t have gotten involved with him, that it would just be a way to get her used or hurt, and right now she was feeling both. Ross had taught her that sex could be a beautiful, pleasurable, sacred thing, but if the afterward left you feeling like your heart had been ripped out and flushed, then she didn’t want any part of it. The pleasure just wasn’t worth the pain. Just yesterday things seemed so great between the two of them. They’d joked and laughed, and the way he’d been with her in bed was so intimate that this cold man who just stomped out the door leaving her alone in a London hotel room was an absolute stranger. The only thing that made sense to her was that he was feeling guilty. Perhaps being with her made him feel the loss of his wife, and that was making him angry.

  Had he mentioned she was nothing like his late wife? Maybe when it was just the two of them, she was a nice distraction from his grief, but now that they were surrounded by beautiful, sophisticated, and accomplished women vying for his attention at fancy after-parties every night post show, she just didn’t measure up enough? Darling had been feeling more comfortable about her body after the weight loss and her wardrobe upgrades, but she knew she couldn’t compete with a former beauty pageant queen like his late wife Lisa.

  What little she knew about Ross’ late wife could be summed up in a few sentences. They grew up together, so they had a long history of both memories and shared culture, and his wife was purported to be a former local pageant winner known for her vivaciousness and partying. Darling didn’t meet any of those specifications. She’d gotten a bit cuter, but she was still relatively shy and definitely not wild or daring.

  Oh God, her cousin Logan had been right. She just didn’t compete outside of a little town. She’d been a convenience lay. The tears were running down her face, and her nose dripped. She tried to swallow back more sobs, but they just kept erupting out of her. The more she tried to hold back, the harder she cried, until she gave up and just dropped her wet, snotty face into the sheets and bawled like a baby. She didn’t know if he would even come back or if she even wanted him to come back. She was mad at him, mad at herself, even mad at his dead wife—which really didn’t make much sense.

  It was too late to call Madison, but it certainly wasn’t too late to book a return flight to Boston. She rubbed the bedding against her face and threw it in a clump on the floor before she turned on her tablet. With a few taps she determined that she could catch a six a.m. flight from Heathrow to Logan. The economy one-way airfare would run her eight hundred dollars, plus she’d need to figure out transportation from Boston to Uniontown where her loaner car was parked. That would probably eat up another hundred and fifty bucks or so. All in all, this little trip was going to take a serious dent out of her meager savings. She’d send Madison a text on her way to the airport. She just couldn’t deal with one of her interrogations right now. She needed to leave a note for Ross, something mature and dignified.

  Ross,

  You have broken my heart and shredded my soul…

  No, that is way too desperate.

  She tore that up, dropping the pieces into the garbage, and started again.

  Ross,

  I had a great time but really need to get back to Uniontown and find out about my house. I hope the rest of the tour goes well.

  Regards, Darling

  There, that would do it. She propped the note on the desk and quickly tossed her clothes from the dresser drawers into her rolling suitcase. She didn’t bother making up the bed—she only had so much decorum left in her—and scurried to the lobby. The hotel bar had a small smattering of clients, but she didn’t bother stopping in. A helpful bellhop took her bag and offered to hail a cab for her. She responded gratefully.

  Chapter 41

  Darling tried to ignore the beep of her cell phone alerting her to yet another text message. She just couldn’t resist taking a peek. It was just Madison again demanding to know if she was all right and begging her to give her a call as soon as she got the message. While she’d gotten the last several, she just wasn’t ready to talk to anybody. She’d been a fool, and
now she needed to hide herself and lick her wounds. Each time the phone chimed, a little part of her—the part that she wanted to squish and grind under her heel—hoped that it would be a message from Ross. So far he had sent only one three-letter text to her: WTF. Well, she wouldn’t contact him. He’d made himself crystal clear at the hotel. He wasn’t looking for anything serious, and now that he was back on the road, there were plenty of other convenient women available to him.

  The minivan that had transported her from Logan airport back to her house in Uniontown turned onto her street. It was bittersweet being back. She signed off on the slip the driver handed her and thanked him numbly. Her two small bags weren’t worth having him take in the house for her. Besides she knew the place would still be a mess. She just wanted to ignore it and get some rest. She’d been traveling for seventeen hours nonstop.

  She walked around to the back of the house to go up the stairs and into the second-floor entrance. Apparently Ross was able to get a contractor to come out because in the few days she’d been gone someone had come and replaced all the windows and the giant slider that had gotten shot out. She dug her keys out of her handbag, shaking a bit. In her head she knew that no one wanted her dead and that shooting out the windows had just been a way to scare her, but damn it, it sure worked. She was still rattled. She pushed the key into the lock and opened the door. A large pile of glass was swept into a fairly neat pile, but blood from Beauty Belle still stained the wood floor. She’d deal with it later. Right now she just wanted to strip her bed of the sheets that probably would still smell of her and Ross. She’d throw new linens on the bed and just sleep. If she could just get a couple decent hours of rest, then she could take a shower and see if Carrie would help her go pick up Madison’s car at the repair place and check on Beauty Belle.