by Dawn Ryder
She was staring at the business side of his persona again, and her pride glowed as his word sunk in. Beyond the sex appeal, the guy was a brilliant musician, and it looked like he knew how to market it. No wonder he was swamping her in his sex appeal; he could channel his energy and fire it off like a laser.
“It will also give us time to get to know each other, Kate.”
She shivered. “I can’t do this.” She was chickening out, but it was safer.
“Of course you can,” Percy said as he reappeared and patted her on the shoulder before rounding the desk and settling into his padded captain’s chair. “I’ve already juggled the schedule, and the contract Syon is offering even covers designer rights.”
Designer rights. The fabled pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for every struggling artist like her and Percy. A band with Toxsin’s fame wearing her work would catapult her to the top of the design-label world. Instantly. It was prime bait. Her mouth was watering.
Another thud and shout came from the cutting room. “Can no one get along without me for even five minutes?” Percy wailed before heading back out of the office.
“You sure know how to bait a hook,” Kate said.
“Maybe I give credit where credit is due. You’re a rare talent, Kate,” he said.
His expression became pensive, calculating, and she found it attractive on a whole different level. Some place where she enjoyed the sting of dominance just because it reeked of a level of confidence she couldn’t help but admire. Syon was no metalhead getting lucky on the charts due to a kick-ass marketing team pushing his work.
“Your band buddies can’t be keen on this idea of attaching me to your baggage train. Won’t I throw off the vibe?” she asked.
“Business is always first,” Syon informed her, his tone fitting the gleam in his eyes. “You can keep us looking top-notch. Our fans expect a certain image. We plan to give it to them.”
“And she will do just that,” Percy practically sang on his way back into the office. “When I said I had to juggle her schedule, I wasn’t kidding. No one sews leather like Kate. She could fit an angry goat.”
“I noticed she’s one of a kind,” Syon said.
Kate felt that touch on her heartstrings again, but this time, it scared the hell out of her. Syon was perfection: his body drool worthy, and the intensity flowing out of his caramel eyes absolutely mind melting. He was like some kind of drug, and she was afraid of getting addicted.
She was going to end up getting sucker punched straight in her heart if she stayed near him. “Thanks for the praise, but…”
Syon gave his watch a cursory glance. “The truck will be pulling up in front of your place in about an hour.” He sent Kate a piercing look. “Just as soon as the guys finish loading up what you need from here.”
“I’m packing you a ton of hides to start with, Kate, and I’ll ship you some more when I get downtown to shop,” Percy informed her like the pro he was.
“You planned all the details, I see,” she said, pursing her lips at Syon.
He gave her a stiff nod. “Yes, ma’am.” There was something in his formal response that hinted at a big part of him she knew nothing about, some darker portion of his person that scared her even more. She got the feeling she just might end up respecting him.
“This is going to look so good on our résumé, darling,” Percy cooed.
Shit.
Shit…double shit.
Custom work had seasons. After Sturgis, there was going to be a long dry spell. She and Percy could tighten their belts, but it sucked when they had to let their staff go because there wasn’t enough business. Designer rights would change all of that. Just one tour, and Timeless Creations would blossom into the business she and Percy had dreamed of.
“It sure will,” Kate agreed. She was folding but also taking a chance. Seizing the opportunity she’d been longing for. As a partner, she’d be a real deadbeat not to step up.
Percy threw his arms around her and squeezed.
“Have fun,” he said suggestivly in her ear. When he released her, he smirked. “Oh, and Todd called this morning, since you aren’t returning his messages. I told him you were going on tour with Toxsin and didn’t have time for him.”
She grinned, unable to control herself. “Awesome.”
Syon’s eyes narrowed. The little hint of jealousy pleased her. Maybe it was an irrational, immature feeling, but it gave her the leverage she needed to break away from Syon’s powerful persona. There were more hugs and squeals from the other members of the team before she walked out of the door and toward her car.
When it came to ambushes, Syon did them just as big as he did everything else.
* * *
Syon had said truck.
She hadn’t expected a semi, much less four mega-bus-style motor homes clogging the street in front of her house. They were all covered in images of the band members from past concerts. Not exactly subtle. The neighbors started coming out as Syon appeared with a grin that grated on Kate’s nerves.
A drab-colored sedan squeezed its way into her driveway as a team of movers strode through her open door to take charge of the suitcases she’d haphazardly tossed the majority of her possessions into. She had no idea if she even had a complete matching outfit at this point.
Syon introduced the portly, balding man who got out of the sedan. “This is Karl. He’s a property management representative.”
Karl offered her his hand. “Pleasure to be working with you.” She shook it before he held out his other hand for her house keys. “We’ll make sure everything is kept in order while you’re away, including your car.”
It was the smart thing to do, but she still had trouble handing over the keys. But the idea of what the tour was going to look like on her résumé helped her move into action.
“Hey, Ginger. Nice to see you again.”
Kate turned to see Ramsey coming out of one of the buses.
“You know Ramsey,” Syon said as the two other members of the band made their way over to her. They didn’t seem to notice that their motorcade was causing traffic to drive on the wrong side of the road. A few squeals came from open car windows as people realized who was standing in the street.
“This is Taz,” Syon said, introducing a black-haired Asian guy with amazing dark eyes. “Bassist and backup vocals.”
“Drake.” Another dark-haired guy but with ocean-blue eyes. “He keeps us all on beat on the drums.”
The last guy looked at her with a stony expression.
“Drake is still getting used to the idea of having you along,” Syon said with reluctance.
“Thanks, Syon,” Drake growled. “Now I’m the band asshole.”
“Is that news to you?” Ramsey chirped with a smirk on his lips. “I knew it the moment you reported for duty.”
“Reported for duty?” Kate asked, perplexed by the formal term coming out of Ramsey, with his shoulder-length hair, nipple piercing, and leather pants.
“Yeah, Ramsey and I have been playing together since grade school, but the rest of the band connected with us in EOD,” Syon supplied.
“What’s EOD?” Kate asked.
“Explosive Ordinance Disposal.”
“No way.” Kate turned with a disbelieving look. “Bomb patrol? That’s one elite unit.”
“Got my honorable discharge papers to prove it,” he assured her.
It was stunning and impressive and fit perfectly with the expertly performed ambush she’d just been party to. “No wonder no one really knows where you guys came from.”
Syon shrugged and pointed Kate toward the lead motor home. They had to climb several large steps before ducking inside. A tinted glass wall separated the driver from the rest of the interior, leaving Kate alone with Syon.
Kate stared at him, drinking in the details of his amazing physique. Without the screaming fans and the guitars, she could see the hard body that must have served him well in the service. The length of his hair suddenly dre
w her attention.
“You’ve been growing your hair out since you left the service.” She stepped close enough to reach out and finger it without thinking about what she was doing. Instinct was taking charge again. She was drawn to him, the urge so strong, she couldn’t seem to control it. Sharing air with him was apparently enough to intoxicate her.
“Yeah…” he drawled, his voice turning husky.
He reached up and grabbed her hair clip again. There was a click, and her hair fell around her face.
“I love your hair.” He shoved his hand into it and captured a handful. “I can’t stop thinking about how it smells.”
He buried his face in the cloud of her hair. A little moan escaped her lips as he tightened his hold. Just enough. It was just the perfect amount of pressure on her scalp to send a jolt of red-hot desire through her.
“I like that little, sexy sound you make too,” he rasped.
“You totally ambushed me, Syon.” She tried to pull away, tried to recall just how much she didn’t like anyone rearranging the details of her life. The least she could do was chastise him.
He leaned forward and caught her waist again. He hauled her against his body and pressed a hard kiss against her mouth. “You bet I did. Invested time in planning it too.”
She pressed a hand against his chest. “I don’t like controlling men.”
“You haven’t had a sample of my type of control.” There was a dark promise in his tone.
“Arranging for me to come along changes nothing,” she warned him.
“During work hours, it means my band has what it needs to stay at the top, and that is very important to me, Kate.” His attention dropped to her mouth. “On personal time, it means we can explore the buzz between us.”
“Maybe we should stick to business.” She said it, but she didn’t mean it. Not really.
“Let’s put that to the test,” he said.
His lips thinned, and a moment later he was kissing her breathless. It was hard and scorching hot.
She moaned again, but this time, the sound was hungry. She threaded her hands through his hair and held his head as she angled hers to fit their mouths together. He reached around and gripped both sides of her bottom, lifting her up. He moved back and ended up on a sofa that she had only a dim memory of seeing. He sat down, and when he lowered her, she ended up spreading her legs to accommodate him. Her clit throbbed insanely as he pressed her right down onto his erection.
“Oh shit,” she cussed as she arched. It felt good. Incredibly good.
He stretched up and kissed the side of her neck. Her skin was hypersensitive, and she jerked, but he tightened his hold, keeping her prisoner for another kiss and a long lap from his velvet tongue. She jerked again, grinding her clit against his crotch. It was almost enough.
“Well, I know you said you wanted her here to get into our pants, but I guess this works too.”
Kate squealed, trying to scramble off Syon’s lap as Ramsey walked right up behind her. But Syon locked an arm around her and kept his hand in her hair to keep her exactly where she was. His cock was hardening even more, making her breath catch in the back of her throat.
And her face went up in flames as Ramsey sat right down beside Syon with a lazy grin on his lips.
“Should have started with the other RV,” Ramsey suggested. “It’s got a bedroom. Not that this sofa hasn’t seen its share of action.”
Kate gathered up some of her scattered wits and tried to push against Syon’s chest. “Let go.”
Syon responded by sliding his arm lower around her waist and grabbing one side of her butt before lifting his hips. She gasped. She couldn’t help it. The moment he moved against her clit, pleasure went shooting through her.
“I’m not into sharing,” she hissed.
“This isn’t sharing,” Syon said as he massaged her scalp again.
“Nope,” Ramsey said, lifting his hands and wiggling his fingers at her. “Don’t have a finger on you.”
Nothing made sense. Kate struggled to form a complete sentence, but it was almost impossible with Syon’s hard cock pressed against her open slit with just a couple of layers of cotton denim separating them. She could feel the heat of his skin burning through that fabric, promising her relief if she just ground herself against him a few times. Her nipples were already tightening.
“But I’d like to,” Ramsey added. “Put my fingers—and other body parts—on you.”
Kate was going to die of mortification. Ramsey was calmly observing them without even a hint of reservation. He dropped an arm along the back of the sofa and leaned back so he had a good view of them.
He was enjoying every second of it.
“Okay…I’m not into voyeurism either,” Kate clarified.
“I thought there were only five rules,” Syon grumbled. “You’re complicated.”
“And you’re presumptuous,” she countered. “Let me off your lap now!”
Syon’s eyes narrowed, a promise of retribution flickering in them before he released her. She scrambled off his lap as Ramsey made a sound that too closely resembled a muffled chuckle for her fraying composure.
“It’s not funny.” Kate lashed out at him. “If that’s what you’re into, get yourselves another costumer. Rule number two is in place for this very reason.”
“Rule number two?” Ramsey asked.
“No rock stars,” Syon filled him in. “We rank just below ‘no drugs.’”
Ramsey frowned. “That’s low.” His voice had deepened, turning cold. He pushed off the sofa and jumped down the steps, disappearing outside.
Syon wasn’t happy either. She could see the injured pride in his eyes.
“I wasn’t the one out of line here,” Kate defended. “I’m not going to say I’m sorry for pissing off your band buddy when he just sat down and asked to join in. Maybe you don’t like my rules, but at least I have some standards.”
“You were just as hot for me.” Syon drew a deep breath. “Claim you weren’t and what you are is a liar.”
“I didn’t say I wasn’t hot.” The words were past her lips before she realized she was making an admission. His lips thinned with renewed hunger before he came up off the sofa after her.
“No.” She jumped down the hallway to get out of his reach and had to quell the urge not to turn and run. “If I’m here as a team member, fine, but I am not going to be your sex pet.”
He captured her wrist and tugged her to him. She ended up smacking into his chest. He closed his arms around her, imprisoning her, the feeling of his hard body threatening to make her senseless again.
“You haven’t tried being mine,” he growled against her ear before he nipped the lobe.
She was losing her wits again. Heat surged through her, overpowering everything else. She ached for him. Her body was liquefying into a molten pool of need.
“Do you even recall the name of the last woman you kissed?” she demanded. “Before me? Or is it all a blur?” She was lashing out, flailing in an attempt to regain control. Under different circumstances, she would have been mortified.
He lifted his head, locking gazes with her. There was something in his eyes that chilled her. It was hard and wounded.
“Yes.” His tone was clipped and subarctic. “It’s been two years since I kissed another woman. Her name was Jen.”
“Yeah, right,” Kate scoffed, but she wanted to believe him. She had no business being possessive. No reason to notice the sincerity in his eyes.
He released her, backing away, and it felt like he was emotionally pulling away from her too. Almost as if he was wounded by her disbelief.
“Come on. Your buddy is all ready to jump into a ménage with us twenty minutes after I show up, but you expect me to believe you haven’t had sex in two years?” she asked.
“I didn’t say I haven’t had sex. I said I haven’t kissed a woman in two years,” he said. “I can’t risk getting cold sores or some other shit in my throat. I don’t put my vocal cor
ds in jeopardy. Especially when I’m on a tour that I’ve put up half the money for.”
“Oh.” She felt a ridiculous little zip of excitement go through her. “I guess that holds water.”
A whole lot of it. It gave him layers. Made him less two-dimensional.
His attention lowered to her lips. “You’re trouble.”
“You kicked in my door, dude.” The excitement died. Why in the hell did it hurt to hear him rejecting her? She wanted to reject him, so what did it matter?
His expression changed, became more distant, more professional. All business again.
“We need a leather specialist. When it comes to the show, there is nothing I won’t go after if it is the best. I checked around; there’s a reason you don’t have an assistant. You can’t find one with your talent.” His gaze settled on her mouth again. “So I want you.”
She ended up nodding and conceding the point. There was a standing opening at the shop, and a whole lot of people had tried to fill it. None of them had the touch.
“Ramsey is just about the only human being on this planet who understands me. We’ve bled together. So telling him he’s lower than a drug addict is pretty harsh. Keep that sort of shit to yourself.”
“Rule number three is ‘no drugs,’ not ‘no drug addicts,’” she said. “There’s a big difference there. I’m not willing to compromise on something that has such a potential to blossom into addiction. I don’t work as hard as I do to end up in a relationship where I could lose everything, or end up having my car seized by the state because I made a bad choice on my date night.”
He weighed her answer for a long moment. “Fair enough. As you put it, that holds water. As for Ramsey walking in on us, we live on top of one another when we’re on tour. Privacy can become a casualty from time to time.”
“That was more than a walk-in oops,” she snapped. “He sat right down and asked to join.”
And she really wished her knees didn’t go weak over that idea. But they turned to jelly when Syon’s lips thinned and his eyes flickered with something very wicked. He closed in on her again, hooking her around the waist and turning her around, away from the stairs. He cupped her nape and buried his head in her hair.