Unrequited

by Melody Grace

  My heart stops.

  Dex closes the distance between us, suddenly pushing me back against the counter. I gasp as he thrusts his hips against me. Oh God, I can feel him, hard and thick through his jeans, driving with a delicious friction against my aching core.

  A rush of molten heat pools between my thighs.

  “You feel that?” he growls, under his breath. “That’s all for you, baby. But you’re not ready yet, are you? And I want you ready.”

  He leans in closer, his body radiating heat against me. I’m caught in his gaze, trembling beneath his fingertip; arching against his hips.

  He trails one finger down my neck. A whimper slips from my lips.

  Dex’s mouth curls in a devastating smile. “When I take you, you’ll be wet, and naked, and begging for me.”

  Oh.

  His dirty words crash through me in a torrent of pure desire. My legs give way, and I sink back against the counter.

  “When you say ‘yes’ to me, you’ll be screaming. Begging me to fuck you,” Dex growls, his eyes never leaving mine. “And I promise you, sweetheart. When the day comes, I won’t hold back. I won’t be sweet, or gentle, or chivalrous. I’ll fuck you senseless every which way and I won’t stop until you come out of your damn mind.”

  My head is still spinning when he leans in and captures my mouth in a blazing kiss. His words were rough and shocking, but this kiss is the opposite: hot and slow and deep. He takes his time, leisurely, his tongue probing deep between my lips, claiming everything, tasting all of me.

  It’s a promise. An ultimatum.

  And oh, how I surrender to it.

  I fall against him, mewling into his mouth as his hands slide over my body and his hips grind against mine. The friction spirals through me, the fire in my bloodstream burns, raging out of control. My whole body is alive, rising to him, desperate for more.

  And then he releases me, stepping back, and there’s nothing but a shock of cold air where the heat of his body used to be.

  I gasp for air. He walks back to the stove, casual as can be, and dips a spoon in the sauce.

  “Here.” He holds it out to me, his eyes still glittering dark with lust. “Taste.”

  I stumble forwards, my legs still unsteady. Dex catches me with his free hand, then guides the spoon between my lips.

  It’s sharp and sweet and intense. Just like him.

  “Too spicy?” Dex asks me with a smirk.

  My heart is pounding in my chest, but I manage to pull myself together long enough to reply.

  “Just spicy enough.”

  8.

  DEX

  Alicia sets the table with silverware and plates, and we sit down to eat. Not that I give a damn about the food. The only thing I want to eat is sitting right across from me, her hair glowing in the candlelight, her cheeks still flushed with desire.

  Damn, she’d taste sweet. I can picture her now, thighs open, baring it all to me.

  I shift my napkin in my lap. I’m hard enough to burst down here, and my huge erection shows no sign of fading any time soon. I wasn’t lying when I told her I would fuck her brains out. I’m going to do things to that gorgeous body she’s only ever dreamed about.

  “Did you always want to be a musician?”

  Alicia’s voice breaks through my X-rated fantasies. I look up. She’s watching me across the table, a thoughtful expression on her face.

  “Pretty much. My dad said I was banging out a melody on tin cans before I even said my first word.”

  Alicia laughs. “It’s an amazing gift. I can barely sing in tune.”

  “You sounded pretty good moaning my name.”

  She flushes, looking down.

  “I taught myself to play guitar, started writing songs when I was still in school,” I continue, reaching to pour her more wine. “Then me and my buddy, Austin, found the other guys, and put the band together. Things took off like crazy after that.”

  “You were an overnight success?” she asks.

  I chuckle. “The press likes to say that, but the truth is behind every flash sensation is years of rehearsal. We played every shitty dive bar up and down the California coast before we caught the attention of a manager. He had us play a showcase. Every label in town was fighting to sign us. Then...” I sigh. “Yeah, things got crazy fast.”

  Too fast. From sleeping five to a run-down studio apartment, to luxury suites at the hottest hotels in town. From playing to five people in the back of an empty bar, to selling out the Wiltern, the Roxy, the House of Blues. Maybe if it had been a slower climb, we would have dealt with the pressure better. Learned how to keep our heads screwed on. But the way we blew up, the guys didn’t stand a chance. Money. Pussy. Fame. Throw anyone into that chaos and they’re just a ticking time-bomb, waiting to explode.

  Yeah, we were all a driving a hundred miles an hour down a one-way street to self-destruction. The only question was when we would crash.

  “Do you miss it?” Alicia asks, her voice quiet.

  “Like breathing.” I ground out the reply. Suddenly I’m tense, jittery, so I get up and go over to the stereo. My brother couldn’t care less about music, so this is my addition to the apartment: top-of-the-line speakers in every room, all hooked up to an old-fashioned record-player. MP3s just don’t have the same sound.

  I flip through the vinyl and pick out an old Elvis record. I settle the needle in the groove and start it playing. The faded country twang fills the air, scratched and warm with sound, soothing me.

  “I love this song!” Alicia lights up. “My parents play it all the time.”

  “People just remember Elvis for the rhinestones and grilled cheese,” I agree, strolling back to the table. “But the man could sing.”

  The sound of the old love song washes over me and right away, I feel calmer.

  Music is my salvation, it always has been. The balm on my jagged soul.

  Alicia smiles with memory. “I remember, growing up, they would slow-dance around the kitchen whenever it came on.”

  “Are they still together?” I ask.

  She nods. “Thirty years this fall. They met in college,” she adds. “Dad saw her on the first day of classes, and signed up for Advanced Physics just to sit next to her in class. He failed the class, but he asked her out every day for a month until she said yes.”

  “That’s a great story.”

  “What about you?” She looks over. “Are your parents back in LA?”

  I pause, wondering how to answer that. I can’t tell her the truth right now, so I tell her part of it instead. “Ireland. My whole family is from over there.”

  “Callahan.” Alicia nods. “I should have guessed.”

  I want to change the subject, so I nod across at her food.

  “Don’t you like it?” I ask. She’s picking at her pasta, taking tiny sips of wine.

  She gives me a bashful smile. “It’s great. My stomach is just tied up in knots, that’s all.”

  I sit back, relishing the sight of her. I’ve never met anyone who could make innocence look so damn sexy -- or who is willing to admit that much to me. It drove me out of my mind with frustration when she stopped me back there on the couch, but I respect her too. Not many women would put the brakes on, especially not with me.

  “Are you a virgin?” I ask bluntly.

  Her eyes widen. “No,” she says quickly. “Well, almost.”

  “Almost?” I chuckle. “I didn’t realize there were degrees.”

  Alicia smiles at that. “I’ve been with a man before,” she explains hesitantly, her cheeks still flaming pink. “But it wasn’t really a thing. We were drunk at some frat party in college,” she admits. “And it was over, well, pretty fast. I didn’t know what I was doing, and I guess neither did he.”

  “And you haven’t been with anyone since?” I don’t take my eyes off her. I can’t believe she’s so inexperienced. Everything about her screams sensuality. The way she moved against me...

  This girl is made for sex.<
br />
  Alicia shakes her head. She looks down. “After that, I decided to wait. Until I felt something real, until I wanted to give that much of myself to someone.”

  “But that someone never came along.” I feel an unfamiliar stab of satisfaction.

  Alicia’s expression flickers for a moment. “He did,” she says softly, and I can see the heartache in her eyes. “I met someone. He was the perfect guy. But he doesn’t feel the same way. He never will.”

  She looks down, trying to hide her disappointment. I swear I could break that guy’s jaw for making her feel this way.

  “He’s a goddamn fool,” I tell her. I can’t believe anyone would turn her down, he must have been blind and dumb not to fall at her feet and thank the Lord the minute she said his name.

  “It’s fine.” She shrugs it off with a sad smile. “I’m happy. I have my friends, my career--”

  “Bullshit.” I cut her off. Alicia looks up in surprise.

  “I don’t mean you can’t be happy on your own. But our bodies were designed for pleasure,” I tell her simply. “Exploring that pleasure... you discover who you really are, when the world goes away and it’s just sweat and passion and your heartbeat racing in your chest.”

  I watch her eyes widen at my words. Shock, but desire too. Curiosity.

  “It’s a crime nobody’s taught you what you’re capable of,” I tell her, meaning every word. “You deserve to know just how good you can feel.”

  Alicia blinks at me. She pauses for a second, like she’s trying to think of what to say.

  “Who are you?” she finally whispers. I frown in confusion. “When the world goes away,” she explains, repeating my words back at me, “who are you?”

  I pause.

  The truth is, I wasn’t talking about sex back there. The only time I ever lose myself is up on stage. The rush of performing, the music in my veins. A thousand women could never beat that sensation, and believe me, I’ve tried.

  But kissing her tonight, I’ve felt a glimpse of release like never before. The light of escape in her warm body, the promise of salvation in those sweet lips.

  If anyone could make me forget my demons, it’s her.

  If any woman could shine bright enough to blot out the dark, she’s right here in front of me.

  “When I’m lost, when it all fades away, I feel free,” I tell her, thinking of the spotlight; my guitar, the rush of melody pouring through me. “Nothing else matters; it’s like my soul is taking flight.”

  She lets out a whispering shiver of a sigh. “That sounds wonderful,” she murmurs. “To lose myself completely...” Her eyes glaze over; her lips part, soft and wet, and crying out for me to take them.

  Damn.

  I can’t hold back any longer. I get up and slowly walk around the table. Alicia freezes, looking up at me.

  I hold out my hand. “I made you a promise,” I tell her, my voice coming out low and hoarse with desire. “I won’t push you further than you’re ready. But I can show you pleasure like you’ve never dreamed. All you have to do is say the word.”

  9.

  ALICIA

  I stare up at him, his eyes glittering dark in the candlelight, his whole body tense with desire. God, he’s magnificent.

  Nobody’s ever looked at me so hungrily, as if he’s holding himself back from devouring me right now. But still, he waits for my response. “I want you ready,” he told me. “You’ll be wet, and naked, and begging for me.”

  My breath stills in my throat. My heart races, my body already aching to feel his touch.

  I’ve been tiptoeing along the edge of chaos all night long, torn between my loyalty to a man I can never have, and this, the most reckless choice of all. I can’t avoid it any longer, and oh, I don’t want to. I know it’s time to make that leap.

  “Show me,” I whisper, feeling a rush of giddy anticipation. I’m in free fall, plunging through the night.

  Dex pulls me to my feet, but he doesn’t make another move; he just stands there, inches away from me, cradling my cheek gently in his hand.

  I gaze into his eyes, into the promise of surrender. “I want to feel it all,” I tell him, flushing. “Teach me, Dex. Show me what I’ve been missing.”

  Victory surges across his face. Without a word, Dex takes my hand and leads me down the hallway to the bedroom.

  I step over the threshold, already feeling dizzy with desire. Like the rest of the apartment, the room is minimal and sleek, dominated by a huge king bed that takes up most of the room, laid with crisp navy linens and an iron headboard.

  Dex turns to me, slowly pulling me closer. He kisses me softly, featherlight against my parted lips, but it sends heat blazing through me, right the way to my core.

  “I’ve been waiting to take this dress off you all night,” he whispers, trailing a finger down my neck. My pulse kicks as he slowly slides one strap and then the other off my shoulders so the silky fabric pools around my ankles on the floor. I’m wearing a delicate white slip underneath, and I watch, hypnotized, as his large hand trails across the lacy neckline, teasing me.

  Oh Lord.

  He dips his head, whispering kisses along my collarbone and down over the edge of the lace. I gasp at the sensation, arching up towards his mouth, but he take his time, teasing over the soft fabric, swirling his tongue over me in a riot of pleasure until the fabric is wet and my nipples pucker in tight buds. I’m gasping, clutching at his shoulders with shallow, fevered breaths.

  “I want to see you.” Dex’s voice is ragged. He steps back, his eyes devouring me. “Take it all off.”

  My stomach twists. Slowly, I peel the slip over my head and drop it to the floor. I’m standing in my bra and panties, trembling under his hungry gaze.

  “Goddamn,” he breathes. “You’re perfect.”

  He reaches out and trails a possessive hand over my hot skin, across my chest, down between my breasts, over my stomach. I exhale, feeling his fingertips shiver across my skin, sweet as molasses.

  Then he firmly pushes me back, until I’m sitting on the edge of the bed.

  Dex slowly sinks to his knees.

  My heart stops. He’s settled just in front of me, his head lifted, holding my gaze. Not taking his eyes from me, Dex slides his hands up my legs and eases them apart.

  I let out a gasp. I’m spread to him, just a slip of silk panties covering my core as he drops a kiss on the inside of my knee. Another, higher, the scratch of his stubble brushing lightly against me, inching his way up my thigh.

  Oh God.

  Sensation shivers across my skin, wet heat pooling at the apex of my thighs. I can’t believe I’m here, that he’s doing this right now.

  “Your skin...” he breathes, tracing slow circles up my thighs. “It’s like silk. So soft...”

  He drops another kiss, just below my panties. I can’t help but flinch at the foreign sensation, even as pleasure swells through my body.

  “Relax,” he orders me softly.

  I gulp, embarrassed. “I’ve never...”

  “You’ve never had a man kiss you here before?” he asks, lowering his head again. This time, he licks upwards right between my thighs in a gorgeous blaze of pressure.

  Oh God, I can feel his tongue, hot through the silk of my panties.

  “No!” I squeak, shuddering.

  “No, you’ve never been licked out before?” Dex murmurs, swirling his tongue again. And oh, this time he’s licking over my clit, and I can’t help but grasp onto his head, sinking my fingers into his dark hair as the pleasure swoops through me. “Or no, you want me to stop?”

  I gasp for breath. I can’t find the words to answer -- don’t even know what I would say if I could. Then Dex slides his thumb under the fabric and strokes across my wetness, and all I can do is moan.

  He strokes again, swirling directly against my clit, and God, I sink back against the soft sheets, pleasure crashing over me, my whole body singing under his touch.

  “Tell me,” Dex murmurs. “Tell me wh
at to do.”

  He kisses the inside of my thigh as he teases me, sinking his teeth in to nip at the tender flesh.

  The sharp pain breaks me. “Don’t stop,” I cry out, desperate to feel more. Everything. All of it. “Please, Dex, more!”

  In a flash he rises up, lifting my body and pushing me back, higher on the bed. He rips off my panties, and settles between my thighs.

  “God, do you know how fucking amazing you feel?” he breathes, sliding his fingers between my legs, up against my wetness.

  I moan, rising against his touch. I’m wet, slick with desire for him.

  “Yes!” he growls lowering his head to lick along my stomach. “Tell me what you like.”

  “Everything,” I gasp. He flutters his fingers against my clit, and I let out a cry. “Everything you’re doing. It feels so good!”

  He yanks my bra down around my waist with his free hand, and lowers his mouth to me, tasting every inch, just the way he promised. Pleasure shocks my system as he licks my breasts, teasing my nipples with his tongue until I’m gasping. And all the while, his wicked, wicked fingers keep up their sinful pressure, stroking between my thighs, featherlight circles around my clit.

  “Dex,” I whimper with need, bucking up into his hand, trying to increase the pressure. “Oh god!”

  My head falls back against the pillows, and I shut my eyes, needing to block everything but the feel of his hands on me, his tongue, his heat. I never imagined it could be like this, not even close. He plays my body like an instrument. Stroking, teasing, licking along my delicate flesh, until it’s all I can do just to writhe against him, moaning for more.

  “You’re the sexiest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.” Dex’s voice growls through my dark surrender. “What do you want?”

  He closes his lips around my nipple, grazing me lightly with his teeth. I cry out at the pressure, oh, the sweet, sharp pleasure of his mouth.

  “You,” I whimper.

  “Me, what?” he demands, inching down my body. “Me, here?” He licks a blazing trail down my ribcage.

  I tremble.