Michelle, on the other hand, took his breath away when she met him at the car. She wore a deep red gown that wrapped around her body and set off her killer curves. It was strapless, leaving her creamy shoulders bare. Her golden hair had been caught up at the sides but a few curling tendrils escaped to brush her shoulders. She wore diamonds at her throat and diamonds in her ears and carried a purse so tiny he wondered if she could even squeeze a tube of lipstick inside. And her shoes. He’d be having fantasies about the glittering red fuck-me heels for weeks.
“You look good,” Shay said, his mouth going dry. He couldn’t stop looking at her. She was a goddess. He allowed himself one last head to heel sweep of her and wondered how mad Rayna would be if he grabbed Michelle and a bottle of Patrón and they ditched the party altogether.
Michelle laughed. “You clean up pretty well, too. You ready for this?”
“I reckon.” What he was ready for was getting Michelle alone and out of that dress. The shoes could stay, though. He didn’t care if he ended up in the ER with puncture wounds in his ass. It would totally be worth it.
Michelle and Shay hopped into a car and headed to the northern suburbs of Chicago where the mansions were palatial and money was no object. The driver pulled into the gated drive of a mansion that had Lifestyles of the Rich and Pretentious written all over it.
Shay had been to some fancy places since his albums had started to sell, but this was way out of his league. A huge fountain s was set in the center of the circular drive and once they’d climbed out of the car and made their way inside, Shay was shocked by the sheer luxury of the fancy furnishings, the fancy walls, fancy food and the fancy people who milled about greeting each other in low tones over classical music that played in the background. It made him want to ditch his bow-tie, slip off his shoes and throw on some Garth.
These were not their people, to be sure. Back in Nashville there were plenty of folks with big money. But if you saw them out and about, they’d be wearing blue jeans, driving pick-up trucks and fishing in the lake just like everybody else.
“What does this guy do?” Shay asked Michelle. He was relieved to see that she seemed as uncomfortable as he was, though she looked like she’d fit right in with the blue-bloods. “And why the hell are we here?”
“He’s a professional athlete—hockey I think— but he married into money. We’re his birthday surprise.”
“Are we singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to him or what?”
“Probably.”
“Well, if our careers tank, we can always start a singing telegram service.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
They were greeted by their host, who turned out to be a pretty down to earth guy. Shay shared a beer with him and talked about sports while Michelle mingled with the other guests. But Shay never took his eyes off of her. Neither did any of the other men in the room. Shay found himself getting a little twitchy and eventually he excused himself to go find her.
“Everything OK?” she asked when he caught up with her.
“Fine.”
“Oh. OK.” She looked at him strangely.
Fine. He was jealous--another new thing for him. He saw the photographers as they slipped into the room. Guests posed for them, completely at ease. Shay supposed most of these pictures would end of in the society pages, if there was still such a thing. “Looks like we’re on.”
“Oh, right.” Michelle slid her arm through Shay’s. It felt good to have her close to him again.
When he saw a photographer in the vicinity, he pulled Michelle closer. “Finally,” he whispered. “I’ve been waiting all night for this.” He kissed her then. Not a chaste kiss by an y means, but he wasn’t playing tonsil hockey in front of all these people, either. He lingered, though, drawing out the kiss as long as he could without losing the tentative control he’d managed to dredge up.
When he pulled away, she blinked up at him. “Best job ever.”
“Agreed,” he said, little surprised. Usually she was the one who put on the brakes. “You had some of that champagne?”
“A little. Why?”
“No reason.” He was smiling like a fool. He knew it and didn’t care. Any man who was lucky enough to have Michelle on his arm would be grinning.
They spent the next hour smiling and talking and stealing kisses and hot looks. Shay was sure the photographers had gotten some good shots, so Rayna should be happy. He knew he was. He hadn’t even minded singing “Happy Birthday”.
But when Shay saw Michelle stifle a yawn and noticed the dark circles peeking through her make-up, he decided it was time to go. She didn't complain about that either and allowed him to lead her through the crowd to the empty foyer. He pulled her against him, needing to touch her, kiss her just once tonight when it wasn’t for show.
She looked up at him when she understood his intention, her eyes soft and dark. She wrapped her arms around Shay's neck and settled against his body. All her soft curves fit perfectly against his hard planes as if they were made for each other.
"The show is over. Nobody is watching," she said, their lips only a hair's breadth apart.
"I know. This one's just for us." He slid his fingers into the hair at the nape of her neck and dipped his head. "I've wanted to kiss you all evening. Not a stage kiss, a real one." Before Michelle could argue or point out reasons he shouldn't, his lips were on hers.
It was sweet at first, almost tender, given the surge of desire that flooded his senses the moment his lips made contact with hers. In some strange way it felt like their first kiss, even though that was a ridiculous thought. They’d kissed plenty of times—angry kisses, lustful kisses, revenge kisses, stage kisses. But this one was different. It was long and lingering, like they had all the time in the world to explore and savor one another. He didn't want to rush, wasn't out of control like he had been in the past.
Michelle opened for him and he teased her lower lip with his tongue and his teeth before sweeping inside, searching for the most sensitive spots that would bring her the most pleasure. She tasted like the sweet champagne she'd had during the party and he couldn't get enough. He was drunk on her kisses and didn’t want last call to ever come.
To his surprise, she returned his kiss, nibbling at his lips in the way that drove him wild. Her fingers tangled in his hair and she pressed against him. He wanted nothing more in the world than to hold her naked body against his, feel her skin heat with desire for him, see her hair spread out across his pillow as he came over her and made her his.
"Shay?" she whispered against his lips.
"Yeah, baby?" He stroked her hair away from her face.
"Let's get out of here."
*****
Without a word, Shay and I slipped out the front door and walked down the driveway to our waiting car. Maybe it was because I was on sort of a high from the success of the night's show or maybe it was the night of rest Shay had insisted on and the way he'd taken care of me the night before that, but it felt like something had shifted between us. There had always been an aggressive sort of lust that laced through his words and actions and even the sexy grins he threw my way. But now it was different. He made it clear that he wanted me, and he touched me more rather than less, but it didn't feel like he was doing it to get under my skin or pick a fight or settle a score.
Whatever the reason, whatever the change, I couldn't stop touching him. I loved the feel of my small hand tucked safely in his larger one, the way he put a hand at the small of my back to usher me outside to the car, the way he opened the door for me to slide into the backseat first before scrambling in after me.
As soon as the door closed and he'd given the driver instructions to take us back to the waiting busses at the Riviera, Shay put up the window between us and the driver. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, drawing me against his side. His other hand went to my bare thigh, where he traced a small circle. This wasn’t for the press and it wasn’t some wild urge like what had happened in the st
orage room a few nights earlier. This was pre-meditated, intentional.
"What are we doing?"
"Do you have to ask?"
"What if this complicates things?" We both knew that if we had sex this time, it would change something between us.
"Maybe it'll simplify some things." He moved his arm to my waist. "You're the sexiest woman I've ever met, Michelle. And I haven't been shy about letting you know that." He kissed my lips briefly and I wanted to groan when he pulled away.
"I want you, Michelle. And I’m not talking a quickie in the back of a storage closet. I want the whole night, in my bed." He kissed me again. "For no other reason except that you want this...you want me."
His words fired my desire. But what he was proposing was scarier than the crazy lust I'd always felt for Shay. I wanted the same thing he did and there was no point in denying him or myself. This time giving in to Shay wasn't really giving in. It wasn't a compromise or a cheat. It wasn't for the press or the fans or even a moment of weakness. It was real. Two people who wanted to spend the night exploring each other in the most primal, basic way there was.
"Well?" Shay waited, giving me time to think. He wasn’t going to force the issue or sway my resolve with passion-filled kisses and touches that set my skin on fire. He'd presented the facts and wanted me to make the choice to be with him or not. He wasn’t going to make it easy for me this time.
Instead of answering, I moved from under his arm.
"Michelle—" He started, disappointment shading his deep voice.
But I didn't give him a chance to protest further. I climbed onto his lap, straddled his thighs and pressed my mouth to his. I flicked my tongue over his lips in a teasing gesture, designed to give him the answer he wanted.
Shay barely missed a beat, putting his hands on my hips and scooting a little lower in his seat so that I could feel his growing erection against my own sex.
I pulled away, looking deep into his eyes. "I want tonight, too." I threaded my fingers through his hair and forced his head back against the seat. "All that stuff you said. But I can't wait that long. I need you now."
I took his mouth, sucking at his lower lip. His hands went to my hips and stroked up my back, under my dress. The stroke of his guitar-string-callused fingertips more erotic to me than the finest silk against my skin.
"I was hoping you'd say that," Shay said between kisses. "You're mine."
Panic made me pull back and look at him hard. Was he saying he wanted us to be a real couple or just enjoy a little friends-with-benefits action for the next couple of weeks while we were touring? I was going with door number two because door number one was too much for me to think about right now.
"If we’re doing this, Michelle, I just want to be clear. There's no going back. None of this wanting it one minute and putting on the ice queen act the next. If you're saying yes to this, you’re saying yes to me." His shifted his hips pressing his erection into me. “You’re mine.”
"Until the end of the tour," I said, getting a little nervous at the serious look in his eye.
His gaze was intense, a contrast to his laid-back aw-shucks country boy persona. That was a turn-on, too. He nodded. "Until Nashville."
It was the green light he'd been waiting for and now that he had it, his eyes darkened and he let go of the tight rein he’d had on his desire.
Our mouths met again in a tangle of tongue and need. Licking, nipping, sucking, we made love with our mouths as his hands roamed over my clothing, then under it. I needed to feel his flesh against mine and practically ripped the buttons off Shay's shirt trying to get my hands on him. He brushed my fingers aside and undid the buttons himself, a wry smile on his face. I made use of those few seconds to pull my dress off over my head, tossing it to the seat beside us. My bra followed, leaving me in a pair of very damp panties, my diamonds and stiletto heels.
Shay stared at my bare breasts for half a second before leaning forward and pulling one tight nipple into his mouth. The sensation went straight to my sex and I threw my head back, savoring the sensation. He pressed my bare back, bringing me even closer to him, melding our bodies so that I wasn't sure where one of us ended and the other began. He bit me lightly, then soothed the small hurt with his wet tongue and lips.
I squirmed in his lap, craving more contact. My hands drifted to his fly and I undid the clasp. One good thing about trousers as opposed to jeans—much easier to get in to. Pushing the fabric aside, I reached for him, loving his deep groan when my hand wrapped around his erection. With the other hand, I eased his zipper down, extremely happy that Shay had gone commando tonight and there were no undergarments to contend with. It actually gave me a little thrill to realize that he’d been walking around the fancy party all night with nothing underneath his trousers.
He lifted with me still on his lap and eased his pants down to the tops of his thighs.
"Can you get the condom out of my wallet?" he asked, his mouth making wet trails of fire over my breasts. His hands were moving lower, across my belly. "I'm kind of busy here."
Smiling, I reached for the back pocket of his trousers and after a few frustrating moments of trying to wrestle his wallet from the pocket, pulled it out. Shay didn't make things easier—it was hard to concentrate on fine motor skills when his fingers stroked my swollen sex through the damp silk of my panties.
"Here," I said finally, pulling back to hand the wallet to him. I scooted off his lap to ditch my panties and by the time I was fully naked, he was ready for me.
"Come here, baby." He put his hands on my waist and brought me in for a deep kiss. I hovered above him for a long moment. I wanted to draw out the anticipation, tease him and make it so good for him he’d never forget this…or me.
I reached down and stroked his erection, working his sac until I was sure he wanted me as much as I wanted him.
"Now, baby. Please," He said, then kissed me deeply, his hands tangling in my hair.
I guided him home and slowly sank down on him, savoring every inch of his thick heat until I was fully seated.
"You are so hot," he said, closing his eyes. "So wet."
“So are you,” I whispered. “Hot and hard. You feel so good inside of me.” I gasped when he twitched. “It’s so deep like this,” I said, squirming.
“Are you OK?”
“Never better.” I leaned forward and attacked his neck, pressing small kisses there. He laid his head back on the seat and let me do as I pleased. “I like you in a tux. But I like a good pair of tight jeans better.” I nipped at his earlobe. “And I like you in nothing at all the best.”
“You’re making me crazy,” he said. His hands tightened on my waist and I could tell he was struggling to let me control things.
I moved myself up his shaft a little, experimentally. The friction was perfect, hitting all the right spots. He filled me up inside but my clit was stimulated too. I groaned, gripping at his shoulders.
“Shhh. Gotta be quiet, baby.”
I’d forgotten about the driver on the other side of the glass. At this hour, it wasn’t a very long trip back to the city, either. This was going to be fast, hard and silent.
I kissed him and began to move. This time it has Shay who groaned.
“You feel so good,” I whispered against his lips. “I love this feeling. You make me so hot, Shay.”
I could tell my words were getting to him and I liked that a few naughty confessions made him want me even more.
“I’ve thought about you ever since I saw you in Robert’s office.”
“I thought you hated me.”
“I did. But I still wanted to fuck you.” I moved up and down his shaft slowly.
“Did you touch yourself, baby? Did you pretend it was me?”
“Yes. Did you?”
He chuckled painfully. “Every damn day.”
I rewarded him with a little squeeze.
“God, Michelle. I can’t…I need to...”
“I know what you need.” I moved a li
ttle faster, using my knees to raise and lower myself, adding a little hip roll at the end that forced a new angle. I shoved my breasts in his face and he obediently laved the one trembling tip before sucking it hard into his mouth. I cried out, the hard edge of pleasure/pain adding to the ecstasy.
I leaned back, bracing my hands on Shay’s thighs, thrusting my breasts forward. His mouth followed me, fastened to my breast. My fingernails dug into his thighs as I moved faster.
“God , Shay. I’m almost there already. It’s close…”
“That’s right, baby. Let it go. Come for me.” He raised his head. “I want to watch you this time. I want to see you come all over my dick.”
I moved even faster, breathing hard, gasping as my pleasure built inside me. I felt like a clock wound too tight, the pleasure ratcheting up incrementally with each heavy stroke.
He took control then, sliding down in the seat and grasping my hips. He thrust into me hard, working in and out, driving like a relentless piston until I came apart, screaming his name.
He was right behind me, coming hard. I could feel him twitch deep inside me, feel the pulse of his heart as he emptied himself. I was sweaty and spent and it felt like my bones had completely disintegrated. I collapsed against his chest.
He chuckled.
“What’s funny?” I said, my words slurred, even to my own ears.
“I think we forgot to be quiet.”
I buried my face in his bare chest. “Oh, God. What if the driver heard?”
“Unless he’s deaf, I’d say he heard pretty much everything.” He kissed the top of my sweaty head. “Next time we’ll go where we can be as loud as we want.”
“You planning on screaming?” I teased him.
“Absolutely.” He kissed me then, right as we pulled into the parking lot of the Riviera and I didn’t care who saw or heard what.
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