Between Lust & Tears (Backstage Series Book #2)

by Dani René

  Once he’s plated some dinner, he walks over to the sofa and sits down next to me. He casts a glance at the television, which I had turned on since I thought I’d be dining alone. His dark hair is messy. He probably just pulled off his helmet. His jaw is dusted with a light stubble that contours his chiseled features and has me aching to run my hands over it.

  “Is it okay?” I gesture to the plate. Hazel eyes pin me to the sofa as he slowly takes in my appearance.

  “It’s incredible, Peach. Didn’t know you could cook. I may keep you around longer.” He offers me a cheeky wink, and my insides turn to molten lava. Why does he do that? Act like we’re dating or living together in one breath and then turn a cold shoulder in the next.

  “Don’t want to mess up your chances at a one-night stand.” Dropping my feet to the plush white rug, I rise and walk to the kitchen. I can feel his gaze on me. It sears my skin and sends a rush over my body.

  Suddenly, I feel him behind me, and when my plate hits the sink, I am spun around. Big hands grip my hips and the fire in his eyes scorches me as his body presses me into the counter. I can feel the ridge of his erection digging into my stomach. Fuck, I want to slap him and kiss him.

  “Why do you always like to fuck with my head, Peach?” His voice is low and gravelly.

  “What? I didn’t do anything.” His breathing is ragged and fans over my face, our lips inches apart. His heat is unbearable. His fingers press into my hips, holding me steady, but I feel delirious being so close to him and not being able to touch him. Or kiss him.

  “This. Isn’t. Happening.” The harsh reminder of his rejection slices me open. Flaying me to his intense gaze. My heart constricts in my chest, and the lump in my throat chokes me. Placing both hands on his chest, I push him away, and he lets me.

  “I didn’t ask to be here. I don’t fucking want you to do something you’ll clearly regret. So why don’t you take me to a fucking hotel. Because I can’t deal with this shit.” My voice raises to a screech. “You’re an asshole. Just leave me the fuck alone.”

  I storm past him and he reaches for me. “Em—”I jerk away from his grasp and make my way to the bedroom. Once there, I tug on a skirt, grab my purse, and head into the hallway where I find car keys waiting for me. I expect him to stop me from leaving, but when he doesn’t, I walk out without a backward glance.

  As soon as I am in the car, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. How can I be so hurt by someone who doesn’t give a shit about me? I need to get a hold of my feelings. Liam’s presence in my life isn’t going anywhere. We’re meant to spend the week together, though I don’t think I can. Once the anger boiling inside me is at a low simmer, I pull out of the garage and head down to Santa Monica. The beach will be quiet since it’s late, so I can just sit quietly and listen to the waves crashing.

  There is no way I can let Tay know that I’m harboring such strong feelings for him. She warned me. She fucking told me. And here I am about to burst into tears because I didn’t listen to her.

  Pulling into a parking spot, I turn off the engine and the tears that I’ve been holding back spill. I grab my purse and open the door. I need fresh air. Maybe a walk would do me good. Once the alarm on the car locks the doors, I make my way down to the pier. I was right; it’s quiet down here. There are a few couples walking along the beach, but other than that I am on my own. As usual.

  At twenty-five, I didn’t think it would be possible to feel so alone. I have friends, my sister, but I know that the missing part of me is my heart. It’s empty. Since that fateful night in London, I’ve tried to fill it with meaningless flings, but it’s been pointless. There seems to be one man who’s been on my mind since we met six months ago. The only man I can’t have.

  He’s so closed off to any feelings now that he pushes me away, and I know that there’s something more between us. He was so attentive and caring taking me out on a date before they left London. Even though it was one day, I felt his emotions. Perhaps that’s why it hurts. He let me in once, but somehow, since I landed in L.A., the walls have come up and there’s nothing there. Just the shell of a man with too many women and not enough time. That thought stings.

  The cool air is calming, and as the breeze picks up, a shiver runs over my body. “You shouldn’t be out here alone.” The deep timbre of a familiar voice has me pivoting. Even in the dark, his heated stare holds me hostage. There’s no one else on the pier, just me and him. He stalks toward me like a predator hunting his prey.

  “Why do you care? Oh right, because I am your little sister. Isn’t that right, Liam?”

  “Emma.” The warning in his tone is unmistakable.

  “You may not know this, but I am a grown woman, and I can go wherever I want whenever I want.” My grip tightens on the strap of my bag, and the hold I have on the car keys turns my knuckles white.

  We’re in a standoff, and the only thing stopping anything from happening is Liam. The wall that’s built around him is so high, I doubt I will ever be able to climb it. Let alone break it down. Do I just wait around for him? No, I deserve more.

  “Do not talk to me like that. You’re under my care. I suggest you act like an adult if you want to be treated like one. Running out on me is not what a grown-up would do.”

  Anger flares in my chest. If he were standing any closer, I would have slapped him. That was a dick thing to say. “Fuck you, Liam.”

  “If I remember correctly, we already have.”

  “Why do you have to be such an asshole? Do you get off on it? Do you enjoy hurting people who care about you?” My tirade stops when he closes the gap between us, his body caging me in between his arms and against the wooden beam of the pier.

  When he leans in, my breath quickens and my pulse riots. Even though I’m enraged with him, I want to feel his lips on mine. If he kisses me, I know we’ll end up in his bed. There’s no doubt about that. Do I want that? To be another notch on his bedpost, again? Yes, for the life of me, as bad as it sounds, I want it. I want him. “Why are you being this way?” I ask quietly.

  “I’m being this way to make you stop looking at me like that.” His growl is feral, and I want him between my legs, showing me exactly what an animal he can be. I am his prey, after all.

  “Like what?” My words are breathy, filled with yearning. My heart races in my chest, but when Liam leans in farther and presses his lips to my ear, my body turns to liquid.

  “Like you want me to take you…” His tongue slowly traces a wet, hot trail along the shell of my ear. “… bend you over my bike …” His teeth graze the lobe, biting down softly, eliciting a whimper from my lips. “… hike up your short skirt, tug your tiny panties off, then fuck you into oblivion.” Every word ignites a fire so deep in my core that I don’t think it will ever be extinguished. His teeth sink into my earlobe again, this time harder, tugging it, sending pleasure straight to my clit.

  My nerves are frayed, and I am trembling with unadulterated lust. I squeeze my thighs together, trying to calm the ache, but it’s no use. There’s only one thing that will sate me, and he’s standing in front of me.

  I’m so close to her. The scent of her perfume engulfs my senses, and I know there’s no turning back. The exquisite feel of her body against mine is too much. My cock throbs behind the zipper of my jeans. When she walked out of my house, I followed her. To find her standing alone in the dark angered me, and now all I can think about is spanking her peachy ass.

  “Emma, you need to get in that fucking car and drive back to my house. Now. I’ll be right behind you.”

  “What makes you think you can order me around?” Her sassy little mouth and that indignant tone only spur me on. She’s trying to make me angry, but all she’s doing is turning me the fuck on.

  “Peach, do not make me tell you again.” There is a warning in my words, but when she folds her arms across her chest, lifts her chin and glares at me, I have to stifle a chuckle. She’s so fucking adorable.

  “What are you going
to do, spank me?”

  Fuck, yes, I would love to do that. “Sweet cheeks, don’t fucking tempt me. Trust me, I am definitely not averse to putting you across my knee.” Even in the dark, I can see the pink dusting her cheeks. She drops her head and eyes the space between us.

  Reaching up, I lift her chin with my index finger so her eyes are on me. I don’t know why, but I want them piercing me. She makes me accountable for my mistakes, my transgressions. This woman makes me want to be a better man. “Please?”

  I have never begged a woman for anything. I have never pleaded like I do with her. She’s slowly unravelling me. The persona I have built over the years is crumbling, and I don’t know how to stop it. I don’t know if I want to stop it. I would give up the fame just to see a smile on her face and to see her eyes sparkle with amusement. To hear her giggle.

  When she nods and walks past me, it takes every bit of my restraint not to grab her, press her against the barrier and fuck her senseless. But I promised my brother. I can’t hurt her.

  She moves past me, and I hear the soft footfalls of her walking away from me. Rubbing my hand over my face, I glance back and realize she’s already in the car. I hear the engine start, but she doesn’t pull away.

  I make my way up to the bike, swing a leg over, and slide on my helmet. I peer at the car, waiting for her to pull away, but she’s just sitting there. Turning to me, she offers a small smile, one that doesn’t reach her eyes and I know I’ve fucked up. Not even two days into having her here, and she’s already in tears. Jesus, I am such a fuck up. I’m trying to do the right thing, and I can’t even get that right.

  How am I going to fix this? I need to. Hurting her wasn’t my intention. As I watch her pull away, my heart thuds with anxiety. As the car disappears down the road, I turn the key and my girl roars to life between my legs. Fuck, I love that feeling. If only it was Emma between my legs.

  I follow her all the way back to the house, my mind swirling with thoughts of her.

  What can I give her to make this right? Is there even a possibility that I could give her a forever right now? Am I the marrying kind? I can’t answer that, yet, but I can try to give her a week and if she still wants me after, then I’ll have to work at it.

  Moments later, I’m behind her on the highway. She’s a careful driver, but I am dying to get her home. I don’t know what I’m going to do, but she’s going to fucking talk to me. We need to do something about this tension between us. I can’t deal with it.

  Fifteen minutes later, we’re parking in the garage. As I pull my helmet off, I catch a glimpse of her bare legs walking up to the house. She’s not said a word. She didn’t even wait for me to walk her in. I suppose she is my guest and I want her to feel comfortable in my home.

  Walking up to the front door, I push inside since she left it cracked for me.

  The vision of her standing there with her eyes shining has my heart rate speeding up. Emma is staring up at me with those doe eyes. Her tiny skirt is so tight that all I can think about is ripping it off and taking her right here in my fucking living room.

  “I am going to get ready for bed. Did you want to talk in the morning?” Her voice is low. Uncertainty laces her sweet melodic tone.

  “No. We’re doing this now.” I step into the hallway, blocking her from progressing toward the bedroom. I reach out and grasp her wrist, pulling her to me. She stumbles into my hold so that we’re inches apart, and this time, I’m not letting her go. Her smooth, creamy skin is flushed, her tongue darts out and wets those delicious plump lips.

  I reach up and twist a lock of her hair around my finger as my gaze drinks her in. “Do you even realize how much I want you?”

  “No, Liam, I don’t. Because ever since I arrived, you’ve pushed me away. So, I don’t know. Let me go. I’m tired.” She places a small, delicate hand flat on my chest, which sends a shiver of desire rippling through me. I’m sure she can feel my heart thudding against her palm.

  “You really want me to leave you alone?”

  She’s quiet for a long while and her eyes bore into mine. Chocolate to hazel. “Yes.” The breathy word stops my heart. I don’t want to. There’s no way I could ever willingly let her go, and the honesty in her conviction rocks me. Never has a woman seized my attention the way she does, and I don’t even fucking know her. Not the way I want to.

  The only thing I do know is how she moans and whimpers when I drive into her. The way her body shudders when she lets go and her orgasm rocks her. And the feel of her soft, smooth skin under my fingers, lips, and tongue. But I want more.

  I want to look into her soul, embed myself so deep in the marrow of her being, that she can never forget me. I want the rhythm of our hearts to beat in the same way I do when I find the rapid cadence on the drums.

  For the first time, I want to know someone on a deeper level than just fucking. She’s fighting me, I know I wanted her to, but I’ve changed my mind. Her face is void of emotion.

  I step forward, closing the distance between us. I am still holding on to her wrist. My grip tightens as she takes a tentative step back. When she finds her back flush with the wall, her breathing hitches, and my heart thumps against my chest.

  I lean in, my lips barely brushing her cheek. The shiver that runs over her body at my proximity doesn’t go unnoticed. My voice is low, controlled, but there is something dark in my tone. “You’re telling me that I should walk away? Just let you go? That if I pushed my hand between your thighs and ripped those panties off, you wouldn’t be soaking wet for me?”

  “Liam, please—”

  “Please? Oh darling, you don’t have to beg, but I love it when you do.” The glare she pins me with is adorable, sexy, and I need to bend her over and ram into her tight body. I reach up with my free hand and run my thumb over her bottom lip. It’s plump, pink, and wet. The ache to bite it, tug it, and suck it into my mouth has me groaning.

  “That’s not what I meant.” Her sassy mouth is as bad as her sister’s. And it turns me the fuck on. What I wouldn’t do to fuck her right now.

  “You sure? Because from where I’m standing, it sounds like you need it. You need me. Inside you, deep, and so fucking hard.” I lift her chin with my index finger until her eyes lock on mine. There’s something in there. Emotion. She does want this. I want this. Why is she pushing me away? Because I pushed her away.

  “No. I don’t need you.” With that, she pushes against my chest again, and this time I release her. Then she turns and walks away. Watching her retreating form is agony. She’s gotten under my skin. The need to be with her, to see her smile, to fuck her—it’s overwhelming. No woman has brought me to my knees. Why her?

  The door of the guest room shuts with a final click. Followed by silence. It surrounds me, threatening to choke me. I don’t know what to do with this, the want I have for her. My phone buzzing pulls me from my thoughts. “What?”

  “What the hell crawled up your ass?” Ryan asks on the other end of the line.

  “Nothing.” He’s my best friend, so he’ll know something is up before I’ve had a chance to say anything. He’s quiet for a beat.

  “Did you fuck her yet?” I stalk back into the living room, not wanting to get into this conversation where she can hear me.

  “No, I haven’t. So you can’t give me shit about it. I’ve been behaving. I want her, so fucking bad. Her smile is killing me, man. I want to see it all the time. She’s different, feisty, and so fucking sexy.”

  “And how blue are your balls?”

  “Probably the same as yours,” I bite back.

  “Fuck you, man.” Chuckling, I unlock the terrace door and step out into the warm night. I love the West Coast. The sea air is refreshing. I stand and watch the waves crash on the shore.

  “You do know that Kierra isn’t going to wait forever for you to get your shit together, right?” His heavy sigh tells me that he knows I’m right. The woman is a piece of dynamite, and I can tell she reciprocates his feelings.

&nb
sp; “I know, but this call wasn’t about me. It’s about you and Em. What are you going to do?” The stars are out, and I feel like a swim. I have a private cove just off my patio, which allows me a secluded area of the beach that I want to take advantage of tonight. A cool dip in the ocean might calm me down.

  “I don’t know. I need a swim. See you tomorrow?”

  “Yeah. Don’t lose her and don’t be a dick.”

  He’s goading me as he always does and I don’t stop my retort. “Fuck you.”

  “Yeah, you too.” We hang up, and I drop my phone on the patio chair. Tugging my shirt off, I drop it on the seat and my jeans follow.

  The need for a drink is rife. I have to stop the ache in my chest. That knowing feeling that I wouldn’t be able to stop at one. This is why Callum is so worried.

  Heading to the water dressed in my boxer briefs, my skin instantly cools. But the heat that flows through my veins for the feisty brunette doesn’t waver.

  Standing on the terrace, I watch his muscles tense as the waves crash against his body. I overheard his conversation, which I’m guessing was with Ryan and not Callum. There is no way he would have been so honest about his feelings for me if he were talking to his brother.

  His wet skin shines under the full moonlight, and I find myself licking my lips. He’s handsome in a rugged, rough way. His broad shoulders and lean torso are sculpted and toned. His deep-tanned skin is like caramel, and I want to lick him.

  Maybe, just maybe, I can convince him to give us a chance. Without thinking about it any longer, I strip down to my underwear and race toward the water. He’s deeper in than I thought, and he doesn’t notice me until I am right behind him. “Liam.” My voice is soft, and the crashing waves seem to drown out the sound.

  I know he’s heard me, though, because his body tenses, and he spins around to find me wet and stripped down to my underwear. “Fuck.” The word tumbles from his lips as his hungry gaze scorches my skin. He hasn’t touched me, but I feel like his hands are on every inch of my skin, just from one look. “What are you doing, Peach?”