Striking a Chord (Siren Publishing PolyAmour)

by Mary K. Preston

  Nick shut off the shower and reached for a towel, his cock already growing hard with the memory of what had happened only a couple of hours before. After they came out of their postcoital haze, Nick had played dutiful host and rummaged around the kitchen until he found cheese, bread, and sliced meats and set it out on the table. It was strange, Nick thought, but he enjoyed watching Angharad enjoy food, almost any food. Angharad sat naked, spreading soft cheese onto slices of bread and taking bites of chicken and ham. Nick opened a bottle of cider and joined her, watching as she ate her fill of the snack and sipped the chilled, sweet cider. It was then that he had noticed the fatigue on her face, product of late nights. She had talked him into going with her to a few shows she had to write about for the magazine, and he had held his peace when she guzzled down energy drinks on the way. It was clear to him suddenly that the pressure of her job, mingled with the demands of keeping up with his and Paolo’s late nights, were not affording her much opportunity to sleep.

  “Hey, minxette,” he had said, reaching across the table to ruffle her impossibly soft hair. “I don’t know about you, but I’m wiped out. Will it kill all my musician cred to invite you to take a nap with me?” Angharad had laughed, leaning into the caress like a feline.

  “I’m pretty tired myself,” she replied. Nick loved the way she said “tired” with a slightly Southern drawl. He had drawn her into the bedroom, where Sophie had turned for refuge from her master’s strange antics, and in moments, Angharad had fallen asleep next to him. He had dozed off for a little while himself somewhere along the line, and woke up at nightfall, feeling refreshed. Angharad was still out when he had gotten out of bed and decided on a shower.

  Now he looked into his bedroom, lit by the adjoining bathroom, to see Angharad curled up on the side of the bed he had occupied, Sophie in a little bundle at her stomach. Nick grinned to himself at the sight, the sweetness of it, before walking the few paces to the light switch and flipping it on. Angharad groaned from the bed, burrowing into the pillow, still half-asleep. Nick laughed, jumping onto the bed and gently pulling her face out of the pillows to kiss her. He heard Angharad’s half-formed protest die on her lips as she responded to the kiss, her hands seeking him out and her arms wrapping around him. She broke from the kiss to yawn, and Nick felt her stretching underneath him. Just the stimulus of her body pressing up against his started the blood flowing to his dick, and Nick knew he couldn’t go too much longer without having her again. She looked up at him, her eyes still sleepy, a smile on her face. There was something almost unbearably sweet about that smile.

  “Have a good nap, babe?” he asked, sprawling next to her on the bed. Angharad turned onto her side and bent her arm at the elbow, propping her head up with her hand and nodding.

  “I did, actually. I needed that.” She let her head fall among the pillows again and reached out for him, throwing one of her legs over him and cuddling close. “Mmm, you smell good. Shower?” she peeked up at his face. Nick pulled her all the way on top of him, pressing the warmth of her body against himself as defense against the slight chill in the air.

  “We going out tonight, babe?” he asked her, kissing her lips once more before moving to her neck. He grinned, seeing the mark his bite from before had left. “Ooooh, you’d better wear something with a high neck,” he told her, stroking the angry-looking weal. “People might get ideas.” Angharad raised an eyebrow at him before smiling.

  “It doesn’t look like you tried to choke me, does it?” she asked, sitting up, her hips so tantalizingly pressed into his. Nick was already getting hard and he wondered absently what the chances were that they could fit in one more round of screwing before they went out.

  “No, but it definitely looks like a bite mark,” Nick replied, his hands moving to her waist, holding her down against him. He saw her face light up with desire, feeling his cock pressed against her.

  “You know,” she said, rocking her hips against his, her pussy rubbing against his erection. “No one else I’ve dated has ever left a mark on me. Not even a hickey. You’re becoming a bad influence.” Nick grinned up at her.

  “The worst. Now I want to leave marks all over you.” He sat up quickly, overbalancing Angharad and trapping her among the sheets. He heard Sophie’s offended bark as she made her escape from the room to somewhere quieter. Angharad squealed, giggling as she tried to push him away, playfully swatting at his shoulders. Nick grabbed her hands and held them away, moving down to her hips and looking up at her face when he found a spot to his liking, sealing his lips against it and sucking hard. Angharad tried to squirm away, but he had the advantage of longer limbs and held her down while he carefully bit, just hard enough to leave a mark on the tender flesh above the curve of her hipbone. He let go of her hands and brought his face back up to kiss her on the lips. “You should let Paolo mark you up on the opposite side,” he mused, his hands wandering over her body. “You know, for symmetry and fairness.” Angharad laughed, rolling her eyes and holding his head in place for a kiss.

  “I’m borrowing one of your scarves,” she informed him, pressing her cheek to his. Nick kissed her at the temple and pulled himself off of her. He watched Angharad wander into the living room and collect her pants, bra, and purse before re-entering. “Where do you want to go?” she asked, slipping the bra on. Nick hadn’t taken note of it before in his hurry to get her out of it, but it was nearly transparent, cream-colored lace, and he appreciated the effect against her skin. Just to torture himself, he ran his hand along his cock and teased the head.

  “Hmm,” Nick mused, watching Angharad putting her pants on sans underwear, and smiled. “You’re off tomorrow, right?” She nodded, sitting on the bed to dig through her purse for what she needed to freshen her makeup. “Let’s go to Dominic’s, then.” Angharad turned to look at him, and he stretched for her benefit.

  “You want to stay at my place?” she asked. Her apartment was only a few blocks away from Dominic’s, while Nick lived considerably farther away. Nick nodded.

  “You should sleep in your own bed for once,” he told her, reaching out and pulling her to him. “Hey,” he said, as if only just noticing it. “You’re not supposed to be more dressed than me.”

  He flipped her onto the bed, kissing her. “It’s still early, too. Plenty of time to go out,” he murmured, his hands moving to her pants to remove them. He would make it quick, he decided, taking no time at all to line himself up with her slit and sinking into her. Sometimes, Nick thought, there was no need to make her beg when he wanted her badly enough.

  Chapter Ten

  Angharad woke to the feeling of Nick’s hands grazing over her body and smiled, covering the expression by burying her head in the pillows as if she was anxious to avoid waking. In some respects, it was true. Angharad always wanted to stay asleep as long as possible whenever she was able to sleep deeply. And in spite of the alcohol the night before and the nap before it, she had slept deeply. She heard Nick chuckle, and giggled, pulling her head out from the pillows and sitting up to look at him. She enjoyed the view of Nick’s angular face framed by his dark hair, spread wildly on the pillows, his mesmerizing eyes softened by sleepiness and his almost girlish lashes, the dreamy slight smile on his lips, his sharply defined collarbones, the expanse of bare chest with only the tiniest bit of hair, the dark, spare pleasure trail leading down from his navel, his long, lean arms resting at his sides.

  Not for the first time, Angharad considered the absurdity of being involved with not just one absolutely gorgeous male specimen, but two. It did her good to see him happy, to hear him laughing. The tension in his face, the circles under his eyes, all the marks of his grief were gradually fading. She might be tired from all the late nights, but she figured, she would sleep when she was dead, and anyway what was the point of being in your twenties if you couldn’t deal with late nights? She counted herself fortunate that her job didn’t require very many early mornings, and that the late nights were, the majority of the time, a consequence of a
bsolutely mind-blowing sex. It’s difficult to be in a bad mood when you’re getting off at least half a dozen times a week.

  “Good morning, ma petite,” Nick said, kissing her. Angharad cuddled close to his warm body under the blankets. She wouldn’t have thought that he would be so comfortable to cuddle with, being so skinny, but his limber body was so pleasant.

  “Actually, it’s noon,” he said, glancing at the clock on the wall. “Feeling rested?” Angharad stretched, flinging her arms over her head, working out the small kinks that had come from staying in one position for so many hours.

  “Mmhmm,” she replied, turning over onto her side away from Nick, arching her back like a feline, careful to press her whole body against his. She smiled to herself, feeling Nick’s hand warm on her hip, moving upward, his arm wrapping around her and pulling her body tightly against his. Angharad pushed her hips back, wiggling them slightly, able to feel Nick’s cock stirring against her ass. She pulled away from him, glancing over her shoulder to look at him through her hair. Suddenly, he was wide awake, his eyes bright and keen. There was something in her that delighted in teasing Nick. She enjoyed backing away from him, knowing that he was going to not only pursue her, but also capture her. Even if she knew the outcome, the chase was always thrilling. There was also something empowering about saying no to a man as intensely good-looking as Nick was, knowing that women threw themselves at him all the time. To be the only person he was interested in was gratifying to a point of a natural high.

  “So, you want to be a little tease today, hmm?” he asked, his voice the quiet, confident French-inflected purr she couldn’t resist. His arm around her waist pulled her back against his body, and he pulled himself up on the other arm, hovering just at the edge of her vision. Nick’s leg draped over and around hers, pressing his erection more firmly against her backside, holding her effectively in place as well as keeping her legs just slightly open.

  “Hey, I have rights,” Angharad told him, squirming to try to get free—or at least, so that Nick would think she was trying to get free. “I should get to call the shots sometimes.” She pouted dramatically, fluttering her eyelashes at him. Nick chuckled.

  “Is that so?” he asked, his hand meandering slowly down her body to her hips, moving in between her legs with the light touch of a pickpocket. Angharad pushed her hips forward, trying to get deeper contact, but Nick, attentive to her cues, had anticipated her, and his hand withdrew, resting on the curve of her hip, kneading slowly. Angharad could feel him along every inch of her body, his chest against her back, his breath against her ear, her cheek, and her neck. His leg coiled around hers, his hand with its fingers almost long enough to reach her mound from where it rested.

  “I would hate to think you were dissatisfied.” Nick’s lips closed on her earlobe, and she felt the swipe of his tongue, the careful nipping of his teeth. “All you have to do is tell me what you want,” he finished, his lips moving down to her neck, his hand moving downward again, beyond her sex, caressing her inner thighs. Angharad was torn between enjoying the closeness of Nick’s body and wanting more, unable to push her hips down enough to get his fingers where she really wanted them.

  “I want you to touch me,” she said, tilting her head as much as she could to allow Nick greater access to her neck. She felt his amused smile against her skin, and moaned quietly in pleasure when she felt his hand creep upward, cupping her mound just a moment before his fingers began to slip between her folds, caressing. He took his time finding the bundle of nerve endings above her entrance, teasing her with delayed gratification. When he did finally work his way to her clitoris, Angharad found herself gasping at the way he played his fingers over it quickly, translating all the skill she had seen in the much different context of live performance. Unbidden, the image of Nick playing one of his solos came to mind, and Angharad almost laughed at the similarity of the pattern of his flickering fingertips against her pleasure center before she was too wrapped up in the pleasure of what he was doing to do more than moan, writhing against him. She could feel him getting harder, his body tensing with an anticipation that matched her own.

  “Mmm,” Nick murmured into her shoulder, pressing his hips into her, rocking them slowly.

  Angharad could feel his erect cock pressed between their bodies, rubbing against her body. “I love how wet you get, babe,” he whispered, and Angharad felt him shift his body downward, adjusting so that his hips met the bottom curve of her ass. She could feel him just barely brushing against her labia, even while his fingers drove her crazy with lust. She loved the feeling of his dick sliding along her sex, the feverish heat of it against her skin. Some part of her had briefly wondered, early on, if she shouldn’t insist on a condom, but she had thrown that idea aside. She was on birth control, and Nick had been with the same woman for a year. She already knew so well how good his cock would feel inside of her, and every moment that she knew his erection was there was slow torture until that heat was penetrating her.

  Her legs twitched with the pleasure of it, her whole body seemed to be sparking with sudden darts of pleasure she couldn’t quite contain. “Tell me you want me, Annie,” he told her, his voice a sweet whisper in her ear. Something about the position, their bodies so close together, made Angharad feel more emotionally connected to Nick, even without being able to see his face. She tilted her head, looking as well as she could over her shoulder, catching just a glimpse of Nick’s face, the lust in his eyes.

  “I want you, Nick,” she replied, twisting her hips to feel more of him pressed against her pussy. He caught her looking over her shoulder at him and smiled lazily, uncoiling his leg around hers and cocking his knee, draping her leg over it to spread her wide. He gave her pleasure center one last, lingering stroke before his hand left to guide his cock inside of her.

  “Ohhh, Nick,” Angharad moaned, surprised at the difference in sensation in the novel position. He had brushed against her most sensitive inner wall almost immediately, and she felt herself curling up instinctively, to allow deeper penetration.

  “Mmm, Annie,” Nick moaned into her shoulder, his arm wrapping around her again to keep her close, his hips rocking slowly, moving his erection only a fraction in and out, gradually moving deeper. It was almost more than Angharad could stand, the constant pressure against her G-spot, the soft kisses he pressed against her back, against the nape of her neck. His hand slowly worked its way down until he found her clitoris again, and Angharad felt herself trembling all over, on the very knife’s edge of climax, grabbing at his arm in her pleasure. Her inner muscles flexed without any will on her part, clamping and releasing erratically, enhancing the sensation of Nick inside of her.

  Suddenly, as she was drifting out of climax, she felt Nick moving, felt him lift them up carefully, somehow managing not to leave her canal as he pulled her with him. He had shifted himself into a reclining position, leaning against the headboard of the bed with her on top, and he was so deep inside of her that Angharad’s gasp was of mild pain from sensitivity as well as pleased surprise. Nick’s hands moved to her hips, and he lifted her up and then pushed her back down onto his cock, his knees between her legs keeping her spread open. “Sit up a little more,” he instructed her, panting, and Angharad obeyed, her arms shaking but managing to hold her up as he plunged deeper and deeper, moving faster now. She heard herself moaning more loudly, repeating his name in a senseless litany as he brought her to another fast, brutal orgasm, her whole body shaking with release.

  “Ah! Oh, Annie, Annie, Annie,” Nick panted, as she felt him twitch inside of her, the warmth of his release spreading in waves. “Oh, I love you,” he whispered, relaxing against the bed, his hands barely holding onto her waist. Angharad shifted as she collapsed against him, resting her head on his shoulder. It took several moments for his words to filter through her brain. When they did, she opened her eyes, turning her head to look at his relaxed face, his eyes still closed in the haze of pleasure.

  “Wait, what was that?” she a
sked him, gathering enough energy to pull herself off of his body and fall heavily onto the bed next to him. If she hadn’t been able to see them, she wouldn’t have believed that she had actual legs, they were so weak. Nick opened his eyes and gave her a slightly rueful glance, smiling.

  “I said ‘I love you.’” Nick reached out tentatively, took her hand, and twined his fingers with hers, his gaze suddenly piercing again, examining her face closely. “It just kind of came out,” he started, already on the defensive. Angharad pulled his hand to her face, kissed the top of it.

  “Don’t get all defensive,” she said, and kissed his thumb. She started to speak, and found herself without words. Suddenly she felt so shy, the way she had when she had first approached Nick. She bit her lip.

  “Don’t worry about it if you don’t feel the same,” Nick started again, sitting up. Angharad pulled him back down next to her.

  “Stop it,” she said quietly. It was strange to feel like the power had shifted. She had never really been comfortable in these kinds of situations—it was the reason she had rarely ever asked anyone out—and it took her a moment to get over her innate anxiety. She hadn’t even given herself permission to think of what Nick had begun to mean to her. She had schooled herself to think of it as a fling, to spare herself hurt feelings when Nick moved on from his need for comfort to find another woman, someone whose affection wouldn’t be compromised by an existing relationship. “I love you, too…” She paused. “I never really intended to, and I didn’t really expect…” She turned onto her side, hiding her face against Nick’s shoulder until her uncertainty subsided. “I need to think this over, though.” Nick nodded. “God this is so complicated.” Angharad sighed. Nick pulled her closer and kissed her forehead.