by Vicky Owen
He tastes so good, so sweet. His hand slides down my back, and memories of his touch come flooding back.
This isn’t helping.
I push against him softly, pulling back. ‘So is it true?’
He shakes his head. ‘What?’
‘That you’re different with me.’
He sighs. Not an exasperated sigh. Something else. ‘I don’t know. Does it matter?’
‘Well, kind of,’ I say, bracing myself for whatever rejection I’m about to get. ‘Everything has changed now. We can’t ignore it.’
He runs a hand through his hair, keeping the other arm around my waist. ‘We’re having fun.’
I take a deep breath. ‘But I thought it was meant to be platonic.’
He looks at me. With those gorgeous fucking eyes. ‘Do you want to stop this? Go back to platonic?’
‘No! I just…I don’t know,’ I sigh. It’s too early for the talk. Any talk. We’ve had sex once. Rock stars aren’t exactly known for committing after a one-night stand.
‘I don’t know if it’s a good idea for me to have a girlfriend yet,’ he says quietly, looking down between us.
Talk about a kick in the stomach. I try to think of a response, but I have nothing.
‘But I’m having fun with you. And I want to keep seeing you. Spending time with you.’ He pauses. ‘I like you, Lexi.’
I try to weigh up everything he’s saying. I know it’s too soon for me to be so sucked in. But I am having fun. I nod, to myself more than to him. ‘You’re right,’ I say. ‘It’s fun. I like spending time with you too.’
And I really want to spend more time in bed with him.
‘OK.’ He takes a deep breath and rests his head against mine. ‘I’ve got to go.’
‘What?!’ I thought he was going to fuck me.
‘Band practice first thing.’
‘But I thought…’ I trail off, unable to say that I’m really fucking desperate for him to fuck me again. Right now.
But it doesn’t matter. The smile on his face tells me he knows what I’m thinking and, to confirm, he slides his hand into the waistband of my pyjama shorts and down between my legs. The touch of his fingertips on the edge of my vulva, slick and swollen, sends a shock through me. I inhale sharply in response, and his smile widens into a grin. ‘You’ll just have to wait, Alexis.’
I narrow my eyes. That doesn’t help.
‘We’ve got an event to go to next week, by the way,’ he adds.
‘An event?’ I’m confused.
‘Well, you’re still my girlfriend for the cameras.’
Oh yeah. That. I nod.
‘I’ll message you the details.’ He looks at me for a moment. ‘Maybe wear that dress you wore the first night we met. You looked so good in it.’
He kisses me one more time before leaving me aching with desire.
Damn him.
TWENTY-FIVE
Luc
‘HEY, YOU WANT these back?’
I turn away from the kettle to face Harry. He holds out two photographs to me from the other side of the kitchen.
‘Fuck! You had these?! I thought Hayley swiped them when she came over.’ I take Lexi’s photos off him.
He laughs. ‘No. I took them. Showed them to Shelly.’ He jumps himself backwards so he’s sitting on the counter, then picks up his bowl of Frosties. ‘What are you making?’ he asks, taking a spoonful of cereal into his mouth.
I open the cupboard and grab a mug, putting it on the counter. ‘Tea.’
‘Since when do you drink tea?’
I shrug, opening the box of tea samples I picked up the other day. ‘Just thought I’d try it.’
Harry chews thoughtfully before swallowing. ‘Don’t be fucking weird,’ he says. ‘Why are you drinking tea?’
‘It’s just tea!’ So many fucking questions these days. At least Gethin hasn’t started. ‘What did Shelly say?’
‘She’ll get back to me,’ Harry says, between mouthfuls. ‘Said they were good though.’
I nod. ‘Thanks.’
‘No problem.’ Harry focuses on his cereal while the kettle boils. I get a spoon, and some sugar. And the milk.
‘Tea first,’ he says from behind me.
‘Huh?’
‘Tea first. Then sugar. Then milk.’ He shakes his head. ‘What are you? Some Neanderthal?’
‘So now you’re on board with tea?’ I ask.
‘You can make me a cup. Two sugars.’ He jumps down, having finished his cereal, and puts the bowl and spoon in the dishwasher.
I get another mug out of the cupboard as the front door opens. ‘Why are we having practice so early?’ I say.
Harry sighs. ‘Leah. Gethin has to go clothes shopping with her for this charity thing.’
‘Ah.’ I drop a tea bag in each cup and pour in the boiling water. I reach for the sugar but Harry stops me.
‘After it’s brewed.’
I tilt my head back and look at him. ‘Didn’t realise you were such a fucking tea connoisseur.’
‘Good thing one of us is. You should be thanking me.’
Footsteps approach and Gethin enters the kitchen. ‘Aren’t you ready yet?’
‘You want some tea?’ Harry says, leaning back against the counter. ‘Luc’s got a new hobby.’
Gethin looks at the mugs and frowns. ‘Uh…no thanks. Where’s Jake?’
‘Cerys,’ I say. They both look at me, suspicious. I sigh. ‘I was over Lexi’s last night. We played some board games and had a few drinks. He took Cerys back to hers.’
They exchange a look as Gethin leans against the door frame.
‘Well, I suppose you are fuck buddies these days,’ Harry says. He notices my expression. ‘You don’t think it went unnoticed on New Year’s Eve, do you? When you dragged her upstairs and never reappeared?’
‘Yeah, well. I came home last night. Alone.’ I use a spoon to toss the tea bags in the bin and add the sugar and milk to the hot cups of tea.
The front door opens again, and a few seconds later Jake enters the kitchen.
‘You’re late,’ says Harry, picking up the mug. Like Lexi, he doesn’t even flinch at the heat. Maybe they’re mutants with unusually high heat tolerance.
‘You’re drinking tea?’ Jake responds. Then he looks at me, somewhat surprised. ‘You’re here before me! Thought it’d take you longer to get here.’
‘I came home last night.’ I pick up my own mug but don’t dare to sip it while it’s still so hot.
Jake raises his eyebrows. ‘Really? I’m surprised. After all the hand holding.’
Harry nearly chokes on his tea. ‘What?!’
‘Yeah. It was adorable,’ Jake teases.
I choose to ignore him and try to change the subject instead. ‘So, practice?’ I ask.
‘Yeah,’ shrugs Gethin, turning to leave the kitchen. Harry nods, following.
Jake’s face falls. ‘Wait, hang on. No questions about how Lexi went from fake girlfriend to real girlfriend?’
I open my mouth to correct him, but Gethin cuts in first. ‘Not really. They can do what they want.’
‘Yeah, she’s nice. I like her,’ Harry agrees, patting me on the back.
I want to correct Jake, but why rock the boat?
‘We’re not really sure what we’re doing yet,’ I admit instead.
Gethin nods. ‘Fair enough. Don’t want to rush things. Makes sense.’
Jake narrows his eyes. ‘Wait a minute.’ We look at him. ‘Hold the fucking phone. When this was me and Cerys I got nothing but fucking aggro from you guys.’
Harry rolls his eyes. ‘That’s because you’re fucking clueless, buddy,’ he says. ‘Luc knows what he’s doing.’
Jake’s nostrils flare. ‘You practically staged an intervention!’
‘Fuck’s sake,’ Gethin mutters. ‘That was months ago. Come on, we’ve got practice.’ He heads for the basement and the rest of us follow, Jake still sulking. ‘Then I have to go dress shopping.’
&nbs
p; ‘I’VE NEVER BEEN in a limo before.’
Lexi looks around the interior as we pull away from the airport terminal. She looks even better in that red dress than I remember.
‘And you never said this was in London!’ she adds. She looks at Cerys, sitting opposite us. ‘Did you know?’
Cerys nods as Jake kisses her neck.
‘Can’t believe you never said.’
But it’s too late. Jake has Cerys fully distracted already.
‘Drinks?’ I say, turning to Lexi, glad to have her to myself now. Sort of.
She looks at me, eyes sparkling. Excited.
‘I’m a bit nervous,’ she admits.
‘Don’t be.’ I put my arm around her and run a finger along her jawline. ‘You’ll be amazing.’
She takes a deep breath, as if trying to calm herself.
‘It’s for cystic fibrosis, right?’ she asks. ‘The charity.’
I nod. I’d rather just donate anonymously, but having people show up to support the event supposedly helps them to raise more money.
‘And what do I have to do?’ Lexi says.
‘Just be you.’
She nods slightly, dark strands of hair slipping over her shoulders and towards her cleavage.
I still haven’t told her about Hayley’s last messages. That she’s given up, and I haven’t heard from her since. That Lexi’s here just for me now.
I don’t want to tell her. She might decide that she doesn’t want to see me any more.
The realisation is less of a shock and more of a dawning.
Fuck. I think I’d miss her. This wasn’t supposed to happen. It was only supposed to be a one-night stand at first. Then it was only meant to be a straightforward contract. Now I’m fucking attached.
‘I wore the dress,’ Lexi says, breaking my thoughts. She looks at me, expectantly.
My gaze travels down, lingering on the curve of her chest for a moment.
‘I noticed,’ I say, grinning. ‘Thank you.’ And I can’t wait to get it off you, I add silently.
She blushes and looks down, away from me. ‘Will they really believe I’m your girlfriend, though?’
‘Why wouldn’t they?’
‘It was only pictures before,’ she says. ‘I might have to speak this time. What if I say something wrong?’
I shrug. ‘You won’t. Just tell the truth, but leave out the fake bit. We met backstage at a gig. You’re Cerys’ friend.’
The limo slows before coming to a stop, and we look out the window.
Flashing lights. A red carpet. Crowds.
Jake and Cerys finally come up for air.
‘I feel sick,’ Lexi says.
‘Hey,’ I say softly, kissing her. ‘You’ll be fine. I promise.’
The door opens and I nod for Jake and Cerys to go first.
Lexi watches them, then looks at me wide-eyed. Nervous.
‘I promise,’ I repeat, getting out into the glare of the paparazzi and turning to take her hand as she exits the vehicle.
Moments later we’re on the red carpet.
The usual calls from the photographers and interviewers commence.
‘Luc! Luc—Jake! How’s the new album coming?’
‘Who’s she?’
‘Honey, what’s your name?’
‘Jake, is this your new girlfriend? Kelly?’
I pull Lexi close to me. She grips my hand tightly, unsure of how to react to the chaos.
I lean in so she can hear me above the crowd. ‘Ignore them.’
She nods, and we start to follow Jake and Cerys towards the entrance. Harry, having arrived with Gethin and Leah in the other limo, has stopped and is flirting quite happily with one of the interviewers for some breakfast television show.
‘Lexi!’ someone calls out. Lexi pauses and turns in the direction of the voice.
‘Luc’s girlfriend.’
‘Lexi, what’s it like dating a rock star?’
She looks at me, uncertain.
‘You don’t have to speak to them,’ I reassure her.
But they keep coming. The camera flashes and questions.
‘You look great in that dress, Lexi. Where did you meet?’
I can see the nervousness on her face. She pauses, too polite to just ignore them.
Her hesitation only encourages them further.
More camera flashes.
More questions.
More microphones held out towards her.
‘Lexi, where are you from?’
‘How did you meet?’
‘How do you feel about breaking up Luc’s previous relationship?’
My hand tightens around hers.
Enough.
‘Come on,’ I say in a low voice, gently tugging her away, towards the entrance. We start walking away from the jackals.
‘Luc!’ Harry’s voice cuts in from my left. ‘Come and talk to Michelle.’
‘Luc Hall, No Reckless drummer,’ a beaming red-headed reporter says. The breakfast TV one. ‘And is this Lexi?’ she asks.
I glance at Harry. He’s not going anywhere.
Thank God.
I put on my game face. ‘Yes,’ I say to Michelle, smiling.
‘Lexi! This must be very exciting for you. Is this your first red carpet event?’ Michelle Breakfast TV smiles warmly at Lexi and holds the microphone out for her.
Harry gives me a reassuring look, and I in turn nod at Lexi. Go on. You can do this.
‘Uh, yeah,’ she says, smiling. She continues to hold onto my hand for dear life.
‘Are you having fun?’
‘It’s, um, a bit overwhelming,’ Lexi says. I rub her wrist with my thumb. You’re doing good.
Michelle laughs. ‘I bet. So how did you two meet?’
‘At a gig. Backstage.’ She glances at me and I nod. ‘Cerys is one of my best friends,’ she adds.
Michelle frowns, unsure what to say.
‘Jake’s girlfriend,’ Harry cuts in.
Recognition crosses Michelle’s expression and she nods. ‘Right, right. And are you guys performing tonight in support of cystic fibrosis research?’ she asks, back to the thing that actually matters tonight.
I pull Lexi away, leaving Harry to deal with the rest of the interview. Lexi turns to me as we head to the end of the red carpet, away from the media circus.
Really wish we could just slip away. Forget this whole event. I might be unsure about the relationship thing, but I do know that I want her. Right now.
‘Was that OK?’ she asks, her eyes wide and a frown worrying her face.
‘Yes. Better than OK,’ I respond as we step inside the main building.
She sighs audibly and smiles, relieved. ‘So what now?’ she says, looking around. Fuck, she looks good in that dress. Don’t know how I refrained from fucking her the first night we met.
I try to focus. ‘Now,’ I say, looking for Jake and Gethin, ‘we just relax and enjoy the night.’ I spot them on the other side of the room.
‘What does that involve?’ she asks as I start leading us over to them.
‘For now, just hanging out with the guys. Then the auction. Then the party.’
‘There’s a party?’ she says, her grip on my hand noticeably more relaxed now.
‘Yes. And then later’—I lean close to her as we approach the others so only she can hear me—‘you get your reward for being so good.’
She looks at me blankly. ‘My reward?’
I raise my eyebrows.
It takes her a few seconds.
Then the penny drops, and her cheeks flush. ‘Oh,’ she says, looking down.
The wait is going to be torturous.
TWENTY-SIX
Luc
WE DON’T EVEN make it through the auction.
‘Going once!’
The auctioneer’s voice rings out from the next room as I take Lexi’s hands, sliding them up the wall she’s leaning against so they’re over her head. The lighting in here is dim, made up only of the glow fro
m streetlamps outside and some shafts of light slicing through a slight opening in the door. Lexi is transformed into a shadowy goddess, the soft illumination from outside skimming against the curve of her body.
It’s really fucking hot.
‘Going twice!’
She tilts her head back and looks at me, her eyelids heavy over her eyes as she does so. I pin her hands in place with one of mine. Her lips part slightly. My cock twitches against the tightly-woven fabric of my jeans.
‘Sold!’
I use my other hand to trace a line down her right arm. My fingers brush down her neck, and her breathing quickens slightly.
Down, down. Following the curve of her breast. I let my fingers linger there for a second as I look at her chest, her nipples visibly hard behind the tight red bodice. I graze one with my thumb, and her chest rises and falls with her breathing.
‘Your body is incredible, Lexi,’ I say in a low voice.
She turns her head away, and even in the darkness I know she’s blushing. ‘I wouldn’t usually let just some guy do this, you know.’
‘I’m not just some guy though, am I?’
She doesn’t answer.
I let my fingers resume their path down her body, slowing at the curve of her hip, until I find the hem of her dress. She inhales audibly and turns to face me again as I slip my hand beneath the fabric, working my way up now. Up along her inner thigh as she closes her legs around my fingers.
Up, up. Until I find the fabric of her underwear.
I gently run a finger underneath her, along her panties. She jolts slightly and lets out a small moan.
She’s wet already.
We make eye contact, silently sharing the secret of her wet panties for a moment.
Until I stroke them again.
She gasps a second time.
Her eyes look into mine, pleading for more.
But she’s going to have to ask.
I slowly inch my fingers away from her panties. Her eyes widen and she moans, slightly bucking her hips towards me.
‘Oh?’ I ask, feigning innocence.
She frowns.
‘What?’ I tease.
‘You know what,’ she whispers back, frustration in her words.
I raise an eyebrow, my fingers still on her inner thighs. ‘Ask nicely.’