The guy nodded and let me pass. It was so crowded, I could barely move forward, and there was no way I’d make it anywhere near the stage. My eyes drank in the sight of Gage. I’d seen him playing his acoustic guitar at my place, but this was the first time I’d seen him live with the band. The music seemed to flow through the room, pulsing around my body. This experience differed greatly from watching videos of the band play.
When the song ended, Gage looked up from his guitar. His eyes moved around the crowd, but I was certain he couldn’t see me. I needed to get to him. Gage needed to know I was here for him.
As I worked my way through the crowd, Xander leaned forward to listen to something one of the bouncers by the stage said. His face split into a wide grin, and he stood to face the crowd.
“Are you all having a good time?” he shouted.
The crowded erupted with shouts and cheers.
“You are fucking awesome!” he told them. “Did you all know my buddy Gage here is in love?” He rolled his hips and thrust his pelvis for the crowd. Gage strummed a riff to go along with his move.
I shook my head and laughed at his antics.
“Gage’s girl is out there, somewhere in the crowd,” Xander continued. “He needs to see his girl. You know who she is. Don’t pretend you haven’t seen the pictures of her. I need you to get her to the stage. Can you do that for me?”
The crowd screamed their agreement before looking around.
“She’s over here!” a guy shouted as he pointed at me.
When I looked at the stage again, Gage’s eyes were on me. He looked just as intense as when he’d been playing.
“Ginger Ann!” Xander shouted excitedly. “Come on up here.”
I moved through the crowd. This time, they made a small path for me. When I got to the edge of the stage, Gage set his guitar down and met me there. There was wariness in his eyes, like he wasn’t certain of the reaction he’d get. He crouched down so his face was closer to mine.
“I’m sorry,” I began, prepared to tell him how wrong I’d been for staying away from him. Gage didn’t give me a chance to say more. He fisted the back of my hair, tilted my head back, and kissed me. The background noise faded away as my hands moved to his bare chest, and I moaned.
When Gage pulled away, he spoke with his mouth close to mine. “Don’t ever do this to me again.”
“I won’t,” I assured him. “I love you, Gage Addison.”
“I love you, too,” he rasped out. “Now, you stand right there and watch me play.”
My eyebrows rose at his arrogant command, which made him chuckle. “I don’t mind you moving, but this crowd might be upset if I stop playing to chase you down. I’m not letting you go again.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” I told him. “I plan to become your number one groupie.”
Chapter 63
Gage
After we finished our second encore, I moved to the edge of the stage again and reached down to lift Bentley up. The crowd was screaming for more, and I knew the rest of the band wanted to play another song. We had two more rehearsed. I’d waited long enough. I needed to talk to Bentley. I was so desperate to be with her, I was willing to let Xander touch my guitar. My eyes locked with his, and he nodded before walking over to grab my guitar.
Reaching back, I pulled the t-shirt from my pocket and wiped the sweat from my brow after I led Bentley off stage.
“You were incredible,” she breathed out. If I wasn’t mistaken, she was turned on from watching me play.
“Damn, I need in you,” I uttered. “First, we need to talk.”
“Yes, we do,” she agreed as I guided her into the room they had reserved for the band. “I was a fool for shutting you out.”
“I was an idiot for letting you shut me out,” I stated, curling my fingers around the back of her neck to hold her in place as I moved in front of her. “I should have gone after you.”
“Are you always this aggressive after a show?” she asked in a breathy voice.
“Yes,” I replied. “When you walked up to the stage, I wanted to haul you up there with me.”
“And do what?” she asked, blinking twice and adding, “You should probably answer that after we talk.”
“You first,” I rasped out.
“This would be much easier if you weren’t touching me,” she pointed out.
I responded with a shake of my head and a smirk. “I’m not letting you go. Last time I did, you ran.”
“I freaked out,” she admitted. “The stories were just so ugly. It seemed like too much.”
“So, you ran to a strip club?” I asked. Bentley’s reaction still made no sense to me.
“I was surprised by my own reaction,” she admitted. “My plan was to hide out in Mercy’s office, but I ended up learning to tend bar where I had plenty of people recognize me. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”
“I thought you were just helping plan the new club,” I remarked.
“I did that, too,” she replied. “It’s good that I decided to learn to tend bar, too. I needed to know if I could handle this kind of attention. There will likely be other ugly stories about me if I stay with you.”
With a sigh, I released her neck and ran my fingers through my damp hair. “I wish I could assure you that won’t happen again,” I began. “I can only protect you from that so much.”
“It’s fine,” she assured me.
“It is?” I asked.
“Yes,” she replied with a laugh. “For years, I’ve been trying to be responsible, and it’s been boring. I was afraid of being one more stress for my parents. As it turns out, they don’t give a damn if I’m in the tabloids. I figured my mom would be upset about having another daughter working in a strip club. Instead, she thanked me for helping Mercy. It seems her problem with Mercy’s job is my sister’s long hours and lack of social life. Dating a rock star isn’t going to be easy, but I love you. I’ve had more fun since I’ve been with you than I have in years.”
“So, you aren’t going to run again?” I asked.
Her lips curled into a naughty grin. “I might run just to make you chase me.”
Laughing, I wrapped her in my arms. She leaned into my chest with a sigh. “Now, that sounds like fun. I’m glad you’re able to deal with the media, but I hope we don’t have any more drama for a long time,” I said against her hair.
“About that,” she began. “I’ve been helping Mercy interview potential managers for the new club. I know it’s early, but we decided that if we hired someone with enough experience, they could help with the planning process.”
“And?” I asked not sure how this could be a problem for us.
“We offered the job to Piper, and she accepted,” she replied. “She was the most qualified applicant.”
“Austin’s Piper?” I asked, pulling back to meet her eyes.
She nodded. “Mercy loves her. Unless you can keep your band away from Mercy, Austin is going to run into Piper.”
I chuckled. “Good. It’s time for Austin to work this out. It’s time to put an end to the rebound guy. Enough talk about Austin.”
“What do you want to talk about?” she asked with a sweet smile.
“Your clothes,” I told her.
She gestured to her short black dress. “You don’t like what I’m wearing?”
“I’m fine with everything except your panties,” I replied, as I reached forward to grip her hips and pull her toward me.
“What makes you think I’m wearing any panties?” she purred.
Chapter 64
Bentley
“Fuck me,” he said on a groan. “You are going to be the death of me.”
Before I could respond, Gage’s mouth was on mine again. His tongue moved past my lips to explore my mouth. As he kissed me, he backed me up against the wall before dropping to his knees in front of me. He lifted my skirt to reveal my bare flesh. My panties were tucked in my purse. I’d quickly slipped out of them
in the car before heading to the club, prepared to toss them at the stage to get Gage’s attention if I had to.
My legs spread to give him better access as Gage’s fingers moved along my opening.
“I’ve missed tasting you,” he rasped out before leaning in to run his tongue along my clit. He didn’t tease me with playful strokes. Instead, he drew my clit into his mouth and sucked with a rhythmic pressure as his tongue flicked across the sensitive bud.
“Gage,” I whimpered. I was so aroused, I was certain I’d come any moment, but just when I was about to climax, he released my clit and began to gently lap at it.
“More,” I insisted, grabbing his hair and pushing him closer to my pussy.
Gage’s chuckle sounded strained. “You are a demanding woman, aren’t you?”
“Please,” I begged. “No more teasing.”
“No more teasing,” he assured me. “I’ll always give you what you need, beautiful.”
He sucked my clit into his mouth again and stroked it quickly as two fingers slipped inside my body. Between the thrusts of his fingers and his tongue working its magic on my clit, my body was coiling tighter. I let out a loud whimper as the first spasms rocked my body. They grew in intensity until I was screaming his name as I found my release.
Gage worked me through the last of my spasms before getting to his feet and staring down at me. His gaze was intense.
“I have condoms in my purse,” I told him, reaching for the bag with shaky hands.
He flashed a predatory smile and shook his head. “We’re going home.”
“Whose home?” I asked.
Bending forward, he lifted me over his shoulder before responding. “Your home. My home. It makes no difference as long as we’re together.”
Author’s Note
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed this first installment of the Reckless Release series. I have a lot planned for these new characters. Austin and Piper’s story will be out in 2018. If you enjoyed this book, please take a moment to leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads.
To keep posted on the details of my next book, or just to see what I’m up to, you can follow me on Facebook or Twitter.
Leave a review on Amazon
Leave a review on Goodreads
About The Author
Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Cassandra Lawson first discovered her love of writing at a young age. A few early typing classes in middle school planted the seeds of a young author, who enjoyed learning to type through her exploration of storytelling. Head over heels for a good happily ever after, she has dedicated her career to creating dynamic, entertaining, and spicy, romance novels. Ranging from the paranormal to contemporary settings, Cassandra Lawson breathes life into the many different ways people experience love. A hard-working mom, she spends her days writing and homeschooling her children. A lover of music, good food, and a great book, Cassandra remains a resident of the Bay Area, basking in the culture and all the inspiration it affords.
Rocking Standby Page 20