“Why not?”
“You know why.”
I shrugged. “Sorry, you’ve lost me.”
He wound a hand into the hair at the nape of my neck and pulled me roughly towards him, his lips crushing against mine, sliding his tongue deep into my mouth. Just as abruptly, he pulled away.
“That’s why,” he said through a heavy breath.
“No funny business on the bus,” I gasped.
“This is a G rated bus,” Dee called from the seat in front, making everyone laugh and whistle. Bob thumped a fist down on the horn and we collapsed into each other, unable to control our laughter.
So, this was what being happy was like. It was a nice feeling and I hoped it was going to stay around for a while.
I really needed it to stick.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Zoe
We had a show that night in a country town in Victoria. The venue was small, but nice. It had a good layout, the bar along the side, a small stage and a large open area. There was no barrier from the crowd as some larger places had, and the stage itself only came up to my waist as I stood looking up at it. Intimate shows like this one were fast becoming my favorite. I didn’t know how those huge stadium bands did it, to be honest. They were so separated from the people who’d come to see them, it must feel at least a little alienating.
Playing at a place like this was like playing with everyone, not playing at them. It was the way I liked it.
I found myself liking going out into the venue afterwards and talking to people. I couldn’t pinpoint the moment my attitude had changed, but I didn’t want it to change back. After so long hiding away, I felt like I was coming up for fresh air. Dee had helped me, but Will had sealed the deal.
And the way he treated me made me feel amazing. He really had been telling the truth when he said he’d do anything for me. As each hour passed, I didn’t know why I’d been so afraid. Still, it was early days and that honeymoon period was still well underway. I hoped that it would never end. The happy ever afters didn’t and I wanted this to be one of those.
Will had consumed me so fast, it took my breath away. I couldn’t fathom how it was possible, but it was. This was reality. My past was gone and only my future remained.
I never understood when people said they couldn’t stop looking at their partners. How the whole world dropped away and only they existed. I could never see it. Right now, I got it. I stood in the middle of the venue, watching as Will leaned over the bar, talking to the owner of the place. I wondered if the guys were annoyed at me for ignoring them so much. It wasn’t like I meant to do it. I couldn’t help it.
“Do you need a tissue to wipe up the drool on your chin?” Dee whispered in my ear, making me jump.
“He really does have a nice ass, don’t you think?”
To my amusement, he almost choked. “Ugh, Zoe. I’m straight. I don’t look at other guys asses.” He feigned throwing up, but stopped suddenly, elbowing me sharply. “Uh oh.”
“Uh oh, what?” I frowned.
“Blonde shorty shorts zeroing in on your man.”
As Will waited for the bartender to pour his drinks, I watched as the girl Dee had noticed sidled up toward him. My eyes narrowed as jealousy flared up inside me. She was a typical young girl and one of the ones who he would have flirted with before me. Even though he’d said he’d done it to make me jealous, it was still his type. I wasn’t his type, but I broke the mold.
“Well, if this isn’t a test, I don’t know what it is,” Dee said, waiting beside me.
She started talking to Will, leaning toward him, obviously flirting. When he smiled at her, I felt the jealous beast inside me rear her ugly head. Dee threaded his arm through mine, stopping me from going over and doing something stupid. It reminded me of that night at the pub in the middle of nowhere, when Will had almost got himself into a fight over some guy trying to chat me up at the bar. I’d ripped strips off of him for doing it, so if I ran over there now, how much of a hypocrite would I be?
He leaned away slightly and said something and her expression seemed to fall. Picking up the drinks that the bartender set in front of him, he turned away and walked back toward us.
“That’s all the confirmation you need, Hot Legs.” Dee planted a kiss on my forehead and wandered off.
Will strode across the room, aiming straight for me, a hungry smile on his face.
“She looked disappointed.” I smirked as he handed me my drink.
“Too bad,” he said, wrapping an arm around my waist. “I’m taken by this tough, tattooed rock goddess.”
“Really? Do I know her?”
“Shut up.” He laughed, kissing me lightly on the lips.
“I understand now,” I said and took a sip of my drink.
“Understand what?”
“When you almost thumped that guy who was trying to crack onto me.”
His eyes narrowed, but his lips twitched, signaling he was finding this funny. “You’d protect me from aggressive groupies?”
“Will.”
“You told me off. Big time. Should I be telling you off?”
“I wasn’t yours then,” I said, threading my fingers through his. “But now you’re mine.”
“Oh, I see how it is.” Leaning down, he caught my lips in a kiss, teasing me with the tip of his tongue.
“Mine,” I said as he pulled away.
With a smirk, he let his lips trail along my flushed cheeks, stepping into me.
“What do I keep telling you guys about public places?” Dee exclaimed, pretending to stick his fingers down his throat.
With a laugh, I downed the rest of my drink and murmured into Will’s ear, “Wanna blow this popcorn stand?”
He grinned wickedly at me and replied, “Thought you’d never ask.”
We were staying at a motel at the edge of town near the highway. It wasn’t the Ritz, and it smelled a little of old mothballs, but it was nice enough for a night. We had a separate room, one queen bed, which was just two king sized singles pushed together and a lovely floral doona that matched the curtains, a tiny bathroom and the stock standard electric kettle with the cheap no-name tea bags.
As the door closed behind him, Will sighed, sliding his thumbs into the belt loops of my jeans. “Alone at last,” he breathed, tugging me toward him.
My arms snaked around his neck, coaxing his lips toward mine.
“That was a great gig tonight,” he murmured.
“It was okay.” I shrugged, lying through my teeth. It had been an amazing gig.
“Only okay?”
“Well, I can think of better things.”
“Like what?” His lips brushed against mine, teasing.
“This is up there.”
“Really?” He walked me backward until my back hit the wall and his lips crashed into mine, devouring. His hard on pressed into my stomach and that going slow business we’d talked about the other night seemed insane. It took more strength to stop than it did to keep going and after witnessing him brush off that girl for me, I really wanted to keep going.
Will buried his hands in my hair, holding me steady as he kissed me with such consuming passion, I let out a deep moan into his mouth. I wanted all of him. Now.
He pulled back, gazing into my eyes, breathing heavily. “God, Zoe. You set me on fire.”
I didn’t reply, instead pushing up his T-shirt, wanting to feel his skin.
“I thought you wanted to take it slow?” he asked.
I shook my head, biting my lower lip, my fingers curling into his t-shirt.
His jaw tensed and I knew he was struggling with it. He was afraid of pushing me after that day after the pool. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
It was all he needed to hear and he pressed into the length of my body against the wall, running a hand up my neck and into my hair, lips against my jaw.
“Take it off,” I ordered, pulling at his T-shirt and he grabbed the back of it, pulling the annoying
material over his head, messing up his hair. How could we go slow when he was just as turned on as I was? I could feel the evidence pressing into me through his jeans.
I ran a hand up his chest and traced the edges of the tattoo that was etched there, running a thumb around his nipple. When he drew in a sharp breath, I bit my bottom lip, arching myself forward.
Slowly, he undid each button of my shirt, climbing steadily until he reached the top and the material parted, exposing the skin underneath. Easing it from my shoulders, it dropped to the floor, his fingers skimming the straps of the black pinstriped bra I’d decided to wear that day, knocking one from my shoulder.
Will didn’t utter one word, the only sound was our labored breathing as we slowly undressed each other. Pushing off the wall, I lifted a hand behind me and undid the clasp of my bra, letting the straps fall from my shoulders, freeing my breasts. His eyes left mine, raking across me, his thumbs brushing underneath the curve, finding their way towards my already hard nipples. When he pinched them tightly, his mouth coved mine, stifling a sharp gasp.
“Zoe,” he murmured.
I reached for the button on his jeans, hooking a thumb underneath the waistband, but he had other ideas. Turning me around, he held me back against the length of his body, hands running down my stomach and into my own jeans, underneath my underwear. His other hand flipped open the button and the zipper opened allowing better access.
When his fingers brushed against my clit and down between my legs, a strangled gasp escaped my lips.
“Fuck,” he groaned into my ear, his breath hot against my neck. “You’re so wet.”
“For you,” I whispered, my hand sliding over his, pushing his palm harder against my clit, but he pulled back, leaving me hanging.
“Not yet.” He pushed my jeans down and they fell around my knees along with my underwear and I kicked them off. I was totally naked, but it felt right.
Turning around, I unbuttoned his dark grey jeans, shoving my hands down the back, over his ass, pulling them off, freeing him.
His nose skimmed down my neck and he trailed soft kisses along my shoulder, his hand pressing into my back, holding my body against his. We were skin on skin, standing together, our hands feeling every part of each other.
Will walked me backward towards the bed until the back of my knees hit the edge and I was on my back, exposed. His eyes ran the entire length of me as if he was committing every inch to his memory before lowering, pressing his weight into me.
“When I first saw you, I wanted to know you,” he murmured, sucking my nipple into his mouth. “When you first spoke to me, I wanted to kiss you.” He dragged his teeth against the sensitive skin, earning himself a gasp. “When you first touched me, I wanted you to be mine.” He pressed his hard length against my clit, making me squirm against him.
“Will,” I moaned, rolling my hips up into his, wanting to sate the ache deep inside me.
“Tell me what you want,” he said, lips against my neck.
I was suddenly shy despite the position we were currently in. No one had ever asked what I wanted during sex before. I wasn’t sure.
I wrapped my legs around his waist, opening myself up to him fully, my hands pressing into his ass. I grinded against him, wanting him inside me.
“You have to tell me.” He dragged his teeth against the skin of my neck.
I had nothing to lose right now, other than the one thing I wanted most. “I want to know you. I want to kiss you. I want to touch you. I want to feel you inside me. All of you. Only you.”
A tortured moan escaped his lips and his eyes met mine. “Shit, Zoe. You can’t say stuff like that to me.”
“Why not?”
“Because I won’t last two seconds and I want to make love to you all night.”
A shiver ran down my spine and he felt it, moving against me. “Will.”
“Don’t worry.” He reached over to the bedside table where he’d flung his bag. “I want to be in the same place.”
Easing up on his knees, he rolled on a condom and I watched his every move enraptured. Hovering over my opening, he slid just inside and it was consuming. My fingernails pressed into his back and he thrust forward, burying himself deep.
“Fuck, Zoe,” he gasped, resting his forehead against mine.
“When I stand on stage tomorrow night,” I breathed hard, “I want to feel where you’ve been.”
His eyes betrayed the effect I had on him and he pulled back agonizingly slow until his tip was the only thing left, then slammed back into me, making me cry out.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said, my voice wavering. “Again.”
Right then, he would have done anything I’d asked him and I would have done anything he wanted. He pulled out and thrust again, this time setting up a rhythm, quick, but encompassing. Every time he pushed in, he buried deep, pressing hard against my clit.
His forearms rested either side of my head and his eyes never left mine. He wanted to see the effect he had on me and I wanted to see his expression when he came undone inside me. I wanted the most intimate part of him. I wanted to take it whether he wanted to give it to me or not.
He pushed hard into me and stopped, flexing and swirling his hips, sending a sharp bolt of desire through me. It was too much and I let out a loud groan, my fingernails biting into his skin.
“I want to be on top,” I said. “I want to watch you.”
Will moaned against my lips before rolling us over and cool air kissed my back. Pulling my body away, I felt the angle deepen him inside me and a shiver splintered through my body. I tightened around him and he moaned, hands grasping my hips. As I began to move, he helped, grinding up to meet me.
“You’re so deep,” I gasped, throwing my head back.
Reaching up, he covered my breasts with his hands, kneading and pinching, my entire body pricking with the building orgasm inside me.
“I’m close,” I panted, my hands over his.
Suddenly, I was on my back again and he was over me, eyes wild. That was all the warning he gave me before he let go of the last shred of his control and began pounding into me, hard and fast.
“Yes,” I gasped, as the promise of what was coming swelled with each thrust of his hips.
I tightened around him, my muscles clenching as the most mind splitting orgasm I’d ever had in my entire life crashed over me. It kept going and going as he fucked me harder and with a grunt he came inside me, prolonging the euphoric feeling.
I was hardly aware that I’d called out his name over and over, gasping for air, clawing into his skin, sweat rolling off our bodies.
He collapsed against me, breathing hard, his hot sticky skin against mine as he captured my lips in a soft, wet kiss. What I’d just felt was so complete and consuming, my eyes drooped and my hands fell away from his back.
“God, Zoe,” Will gasped, pulling out.
It didn’t register when he rolled away and went into the bathroom, but when he came back, he pulled me against him, cupping a tender breast with a shaking hand.
Turning my head, I gazed into his eyes, committing to memory every little fleck of grey, every hue of blue.
“Zoe? Say something. You’re making me nervous.”
There was only one thing I could think of saying right now. “I just had the most amazing orgasm of my life.”
His lips curved into a wicked grin. “You say all the right things.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Zoe
As my eyes eased open, I didn’t understand why I was so hot. When a body shifted against mine, memories from the previous night came flooding back. Will’s arm was flung over my waist and his legs were tangled through mine. Smiling, I traced the black panther on his forearm and settled my hand over his.
“Hey,” he murmured, his arms tightening around me.
“Hey.”
“Did you sleep okay?”
“Yeah.” I rolled over to face him, my fingers tracin
g his jaw, our legs tangling together.
“I could get used to this,” he smiled sleepily, his hand running over my bare ass. His hair was wild from sleep and sex and I found my hand running through it, untangling. Touching him was the most natural thing in the world now.
“I feel like I already know you,” I whispered.
He pressed his lips against my forehead, making me sigh. “So do I. I know how to make you come.” He silenced my gasp with a small kiss on the side of my mouth. “I know where you like my hands.” Another kiss. “But, I don’t know your favorite color.”
I laughed at his stupid statement. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“No.”
“It’s black, of course. It’s all I wear.”
“Black isn’t a color,” he argued.
“I’ll have you know that black is all colors mixed into one.”
“Really?”
“No idea.” I bit my lip in amusement.
“No really, do you have a favorite color?”
“I guess if I had to do a color, it’d be blue.”
“When’s your birthday?” he asked, like he was starting a game of twenty questions.
“I don’t like birthdays,” I declared, screwing up my nose.
“What? Not even for the presents?” he asked.
“Nope.”
“Well, mines in January. Mark it in your calendar, because I love presents.”
The fact that he was talking about us in future tense warmed my heart. “Just missed it. How old were you?”
“Twenty-seven.”
“So, I’m dating a silver fox, then.”
“Hey.” He squeezed my hip. “I’m not that old.”
“Brothers and sisters?”
He shook his head.
“Me neither.”
“Favorite movie?”
“Oh, that’s a tough one. The Bourne Identity.”
“Really?” he asked, surprised.
“I like action movies. Yours?”
“Fight Club.”
“Oh, I liked the book.”
What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 3) Page 95