by Eden Summers
His piercing was an unfamiliar delicacy, a strange slide of friction she tried to concentrate on. “It feels good.”
The couch dipped, and she opened her eyes to see Cole kneeling at her side, his pants gone, his tempting cock standing tall and proud.
“Think you can handle us both?” He peered down at her, lust and restraint heavy in his gaze. “I’d love to see your lips wrapped around my cock while Logan is fucking you.”
He’d love to see it. She’d love to feel it—his length at the back of her throat, his pleasure at her mercy. “Come here,” she murmured, crooking a finger.
Logan scooted his ass closer to the edge of the seat, taking them lower, not stopping the gyration of his hips while Cole reached for the line of condoms. She watched him sheath himself, stretching the pink latex over his shaft until Logan grabbed her chin and demanded her attention.
“Kiss me.” His command was low and needy, sparking awe into the tangled mix of her emotions.
She leaned against his chest, brushing her lips over his. He gripped her ass, hard, and ground into her with the same lethargic pace their mouths mingled. When she pulled back for breath, Cole was there, his cock at her cheek, his shaft too close not to taste.
She sucked him in, delighted in his groan, and worked him leisurely between her lips. There wasn’t a part of her that wasn’t consumed with lust. She needed more—more thrusts, more friction, more passion.
“Look at me,” Cole commanded.
She did as requested, batting her lashes up at him, taking him deeper as she gripped the base of his shaft in her hand. She increased her pace, grinding harder into Logan, taking Cole deeper, harsher, tearing more groans from both of them.
Delirium descended. She didn’t know who she was or why she was here. All she understood was pleasure and passion. Lust and carnality. And it was perfect.
“Fuck.” Logan began to thrust harder into her, brutal and demanding. His piercing teased the inside of her pussy, his fingers dug deeper into her ass. “I’m close.”
His sharp inhalations brushed her skin as his mouth descended on her neck. He sucked until a sting of pain escalated her bliss. They were all so close—Logan at her chest, inside her pussy, Cole at her side, inside her mouth.
“Real close,” he reiterated and grabbed her jaw, making her release Cole’s length with a pop. He kissed another man’s taste from her lips, his tongue piercing stroking inside her mouth, like his cock piercing stroked her sex.
“Leah.” Her name was a plea. A prayer.
He pulsed inside her, his undulations getting harder, his kiss growing in ferocity. He gripped her hair, squeezed tight and growled, taking her over the edge the same time his hips began to piston, his body tensing beneath hers.
Her pussy contracted around him, her core milking him, demanding more. She came undone, her orgasm stealing her vision and her hearing. Logan waited until her release dissipated, the mewls no longer leaving her lips, and then he was gone, his length leaving her empty.
There was a momentary loss of pleasure, a brief glimpse of desolation before Cole’s hand was on her lower back, and he thrust into her without warning. Her spine stiffened at the jolt of ecstasy, and her nipples throbbed against Logan’s chest.
Hands were all over her—her hips, her ass, her back. Then Logan was demanding her mouth again, stealing her breath. Her sex began to throb, the last vestiges of release returning with intensity as the man inside her moaned with each slide into her.
Oh, Christ. She was going to come again. Her spine stiffened. Pleasure flooded her. She screamed into Logan’s mouth, his hands now holding her close, his chest undulating with harsh breaths.
She blinked, her pussy clamping down, once, twice before her release faded with each beat of her pounding heart. Cole backed away as she collapsed into Logan’s chest, feeling at home, feeling secure. She nestled on his lap with aching muscles and sighed with pure contentment. Her breathing evened out, and with it came a tiredness heavier than stone. What she wouldn’t give to pass out and wake up in the same bliss. To know her problems weren’t as bad as the pounding in the back of her mind tried to tell her.
“Go to sleep,” Logan murmured against her hair. “I’ll get you to bed.”
So sweet. So sexy. If only he was dating material…and she had the time to be his woman.
“Thank you.” She nestled further into him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Her body was already lost to exhaustion. It was her brain that wouldn’t quit. Her heart that wouldn’t stop.
The sex had been brilliant, but as she began to relax, she realized it hadn’t had the effect she hoped for. They’d been the ego boost she needed, but now that the fun was over, the heavy shame of guilt weighed on her shoulders.
Chapter Six
Leah woke hours ago to the deep breathing of Logan nestled behind her. At least, she assumed it was him and not Cole. She couldn’t see. Could only guess by the familiar way his arm rested over her waist.
The room was bathed in darkness, the bed soft beneath her, with the lingering scent of Logan on the sheets. She sighed into the night, resigned to spend the hours until sunrise staring into the black and seeing nothing but Ryan stare back. The temporary reprieve that sex had given her was gone. Vanished. Not a trace left in its wake. Now guilt and hopelessness assailed her.
Coming here was a mistake.
Seeking affection in the arms of another man—or men—was the wrong decision. But she refused to regret it. She hadn’t cheated on anyone, no matter how her aching heartbeat said otherwise. Staying in Richmond to deal with the kiss would’ve been harder. Her guard had been lowered, her heart a tangled mess of what ifs and why nots. She’d been overcome by emotional Leah, losing sight of the hard-ass band manager in charge of every aspect of her life.
Now she’d scorched the wick at both ends, and the flames were slowly beginning to burn.
She sighed and inched her naked body from the bed, moving slowly in an effort not to wake Logan. She lifted his arm, placing it softly back on the mattress before scooting to her feet and leaving the room. The sun hadn’t risen, but she found her way into the living room, toward the couch Cole rested upon, his soft purr drifting from his lips.
She didn’t want to wake him either. What she needed was her belongings. Specifically, her cell, which linked her with the people she yearned to hear from. Her handbag rested beside the couch, within reach of Cole. The little blue message light blinked at her, the illumination filling her with hope and sorrow.
No matter how adamant she was to escape Reckless Beat, her heart knew better. It knew her home was back with those men and their lovers. It was in the mess and mayhem of the celebrity lifestyle. The drama and heartbreak that went hand-in-hand with fame and fortune.
She shouldn’t have withdrawn from them. She shouldn’t have shut them out.
“You OK?” Cole’s voice was sleep roughened. Deep and husky.
“Sorry.” She grasped the cell and cradled it in her hands. “I didn’t mean to wake you.” She also didn’t mean to walk up to him completely naked, but had done that, too.
“S’OK.” He ran a hand over his face and sat up, his bare legs almost brushing hers. “What are you doing?”
“I just wanted to check the time.” She held out her phone in a lame attempt to reinforce the lie and backtracked, hoping the distance would lessen his view of her nakedness.
He grunted, in disbelief or exhaustion, she wasn’t sure. “You could’ve checked the microwave.” He turned his neck toward the kitchen and groaned. “Five a.m. Too damn early to be awake.”
“Sorry.” She winced and kept retreating. “I’ll let you get back to sleep.”
There was a pause of silence. A slow, uncomfortable beat that made her pulse pound in her ears.
“So you and Logan are a thing?” he murmured. “A couple?”
“Umm…” She shook her head. “This is…” What? A booty call? A fling? A fulfillment of a promise Logan had no intention of ke
eping until she showed up at his doorstep. “…just a bit of fun, I guess.”
“It definitely was.” He raked a hand through his hair, and his shadowed frame slumped back into the couch. “Did you come out here looking for more of it while Logan’s asleep?”
Whoa. “No. I really didn’t mean to wake you.”
“Well, the offer’s there…” He spun into the couch, turning his back to her. “I’ll be leaving as soon as day breaks.”
She nodded into the darkness, her footsteps still backtracking from the room. She waited until she was in the hall before unlocking her cell to sigh at the new text messages littering her screen.
Ryan: Please, Leah. You’re killing me. We need to talk.
Gabi: Call me. It’s important.
Blake: Return my fucking calls. I need to speak to you.
Mitch: For the sake of my sanity, please call someone. These assholes are worried about you.
Gabi: Leah, please, it’s really important. We’re all flying back to New York in the morning, and I need to speak to you once we get there.
Mason: How many years do you think I’ll get for shooting your replacement? He’s a fucking tool. I can’t take much more of this shit.
The list of messages continued. There were texts from Sean, Alana, Sidney, and even the ‘fucking tool’ who temporarily replaced her as band manager. All of them requested she make contact, and she had no response for any of them. Not yet.
She’d just needed to know they were there. Still caring for her even though she’d made a horrible mistake. Made numerous. The tally growing the longer she thought of her life over the last eight years.
Going home was unavoidable. Doing it soon was inevitable. And each second that ticked by made her jittery to catch the first flight to New York.
“Do you plan on coming back to bed?”
She froze at Logan’s sleep-riddled murmur. Shit. These guys slept like ninjas. She couldn’t breathe without them noticing.
Tiptoeing into his room, she placed her phone on the bedside table before crawling back under the covers. “I tried not to make any noise.”
He groaned, stretched, and then pulled her into his body, spooning into her back. “I think it was the lack of body heat that woke me.”
She smiled into the darkness, immediately regretting the warm emotions invading her chest when the vision of Ryan entered her head. An uncomfortable ache throbbed in her chest. A throb of heartache and longing. A throb she’d denied and fought off for too many sleepless nights.
She loved Ryan. Adored every part of his body, every nuance of his personality. She wanted his whisper summoning her back to bed. His scent to be engrained in the sheets she laid upon. His chest to be spooned against her back.
“You turned him down?”
Leah rubbed at her sternum and breathed deep. “I didn’t come here for Cole.”
She hadn’t come here for Logan either, but he didn’t need to know that. The more she thought about it, the more she realized why she was truly here, and none of it had to do with anyone else but herself.
“Are you going to turn me down?”
She chuckled. “Maybe.”
He grazed his teeth along her shoulder blade, his growing erection rubbing against her ass. She remained quiet, waiting for arousal to take hold, for the buzz of anticipation to simmer.
Nothing came.
Instead, she was consumed with the hollow ache in her chest. The pounding of her heart becoming deeper, more painful.
“I want you again, Leah,” he whispered against her skin.
She whimpered, wishing she wanted him with the same fervency, only her body wouldn’t respond.
“Just you and me this time.” His hand trailed over her hip, her abdomen, to the apex of her thighs.
She stiffened, cautious, and breathed a sigh of pleasured relief when his fingers found her clit piercing. Her mind may not be in the game, but that tiny bundle of nerves was. It dissolved her aches, defeated her sorrow.
“Sounds nice.” She ground her ass into his erection, back and forth, enjoying the tiny groans it pulled from his lips. It was wrong, so maddeningly wrong, but she pictured Ryan there with her—his hand on her clit, his cock teasing the crack of her ass. A finger delved between her folds, a slow, smooth glide of sensation. She arched her neck, smiling at Ryan’s seductive grin beaming back at her from every corner of her mind.
“Oh—” She bit her lip, the same traitorous lips that had begun to mouth Ryan’s name. Stop. But she couldn’t. Ryan was here. With her, surrounding her. She couldn’t push him away anymore. And it wasn’t fair. Not to herself, and especially not to Logan.
“Hey.” The swirl of his fingers stopped inside her. “What’s going on?”
She shook her head. She didn’t have an explanation. Not one she could voice. Ryan was everywhere. In her heart, her mind, her every breath. He’d stolen the pleasure from Logan’s touch, replacing it with sterile contact. There was no joy. No escapism from the man she adored. Only remorse.
“I’m sorry, Logan.” Her voice was broken. Weak. “I can’t do this right now. I think exhaustion has finally set in.”
The warmth of his chest left her back. The graze of his fingers disappeared. Silence filled the darkness. An absence of sound that spoke loudly of the battering she’d given his ego.
She turned to him, narrowing her gaze to try and read his features through all the black. “I haven’t slept properly in days.”
The excuse was lame, rating higher than it’s-not-you-it’s-me.
His forehead leaned into hers, their noses touched. The rough callouses on his palm abraded her hip, then he tugged her pelvis forward and rubbed his erection against her pubic bone as his mouth descended on hers.
The kiss was slow, gentle, and so painfully soft it brought the ache back to her chest. She wanted to enjoy this man once more. To fall for him. To adore him like she adored Ryan. But there was nothing—no spark, no warmth.
There was only the man of her dreams.
“I’m sorry.” She turned on to her back and laid an arm over her eyes. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” Another lie. They both knew the truth. It seemed the whole world did.
She was single, yet her heart was taken.
She cheated on herself. On her feelings. On the affection she had for another man.
“It’s OK.” Logan snuggled into her side, his arm resting on her stomach, his softening cock pressing into her hip. “Go to sleep. Things will be better in the morning.”
Leah remained quiet, staring up at the ceiling and the gorgeous man who stared back. This wasn’t working—her life, her career, her outlook for the future. Changes needed to be made. Big changes.
She no longer wanted to be in this place, consumed with success yet feeling like a failure. Surrounded by love but overwhelmed with loneliness.
It was time to reevaluate. Time to make a new plan. The only problem was, she wasn’t sure who would be in it.
Chapter Seven
“Morning.” Leah slapped her cell onto the kitchen counter, her body still half asleep. The smell of sizzling bacon was the only reason she was in the land of the living, the tantalizing scent leading her to Logan, who stood at the stove in nothing but loose navy boxers that barely clung to his hips.
“Morning.” He glanced at her over his shoulder, his tattoos on full display, his sex appeal taking up every inch of the room. “Nice shirt.”
She peered down at herself, at the baggy, black T-shirt with ‘Free Hugs’ written across the chest in bold white writing. The print would’ve looked hilarious on him. The taunt of affection coming from a man who appeared tough and threatening but was soft and truly adorable. “I hope you don’t mind me borrowing it from your dresser. I couldn’t find my clothes.”
“I hung them over the back of the recliner. And no, I don’t mind at all.” He smiled, all teeth and charm. “There’s coffee in the pot if you want it.” He jerked his head to the opposite side of the kitchen. �
��How many eggs would you like?”
“None for me, thanks.” She strode for the liquid reality in the corner. “But I’d love some bacon and toast.”
“Coming right up.”
She eyed him as she filled a mug of coffee, the muscles in his back bunching and flexing with his movements over the sizzling fry pan.
“Did Cole leave?” She tried not to sound hopeful. He’d been nice to her. Generous. She just wasn’t in the mood for company other than Logan’s right now.
“Yeah. Gone before I got up.” He opened a cupboard above his head and pulled out two plates. “He sent a text not long ago saying he’d be back in a few months.”
Leah nodded to herself, and raised the heated mug to her lips. The scent of coffee sank into her lungs, the taste exploded on her tongue. A mere diversion from what she should be doing. There was so much to say, yet she didn’t know where to start.
“I’m sorry about last night.” The Band-Aid approach was always best.
His shoulders straightened, the sign of discomfort hitting her harder than she appreciated.
“Don’t be.” He didn’t turn, didn’t award her with another of his gorgeous smirks.
“Are you angry with me?”
This time he faced her, gifting her with a menacing frown. “Angry? Why the hell would I be angry?”
She didn’t know. She could only rely upon the sense that things were different between them. That her rejection cost her a friend.
“Of course I’m not. I just hope I’m giving you what you came in search of.”
She gave a half-hearted smile, enamored by his kindness. “You are.” He had. Logan had gifted her with perspective. And although it could’ve come at a better time than six in the morning, she was thankful she now knew what had to be done.
He turned the stove off and strode toward her, placing a plate of bacon on the counter behind her. “Why don’t we skip this awkward conversation? It isn’t setting a favorable mood.”
“I dunno. You being shirtless counteracts a lot of the negativity.” She shrugged. “The bacon helps, too.”