by Dawn Ryder
Syon was staring at her cleavage. There was only a small slice of it on display, because she’d put on a summer cotton top beneath her blouse to act as a chemise. The low, rounded, country girl neckline hugged the tops of her breasts.
“I prefer a corset over a bra any day.”
“Your rules suck, but that look rocks,” Ramsey hollered on his way over to one of the semis that wasn’t backed into the loading docks.
The rest of the band members glanced over at her, curious. A few low whistles came her way, and Syon flipped off the lot of them.
Taz hopped up on a loading ramp attached to the rear of one of the semis. When the lift reached the top, he stepped into the truck and rolled out a shiny mass of black paint and chrome before hitting the button to lower the lift to the ground.
“You guys carry your bikes?”
“Yeah. Beats paying someone else to run up the mileage on them.” Syon stepped up closer. “Besides, a wise man never goes on tour without an escape plan.”
Syon moved off toward the gate of the semi. As soon as Drake pulled up with his bike, Kate watched Syon jump onto the tailgate ramp.
Leather on that man should have been outlawed. His ass looked damn good in a pair of leather pants.
He’d put on a dark green T-shirt that complemented his eyes. When he came out of the truck, he was rolling another black-and-chrome creation that made her heart race.
On cue, one of the crew members rolled a large black case over to Syon and flipped up the lid. Syon reached down, pulled a leather jacket from it, and shrugged into it. He pulled another one up and whistled at Kate before tossing it to her.
She caught it, the scent of leather filling her nose. Another whistle and a pair of gloves came her way. Kate flexed her fingers into the gloves and noticed there was now a row of Harleys, parked in a neat line as the band members slipped into jackets, gloves, and helmets.
Syon brought her a helmet.
“You weren’t kidding me about EOD.” She took the helmet from him.
“What brought that comment up?” he asked.
She nodded toward the bikes. “I never would have thought a heavy metal rock band could be capable of such a precision exercise.”
“Still can’t imagine me with any sort of self-discipline?”
Kate locked gazes with him. “That’s a little harsh. I’m not that judgmental.”
He looked down at the cleavage peeking through the open front of her leather jacket. “With you, it might just be an accurate account. I’m guilty of losing my perspective due to distractions.” His gaze lingered on her cleavage for a long moment.
He reached down and fitted the bottom stop of her zipper into the slider, holding it firmly as he slowly pulled it up. When he passed the area where her breasts were being lifted onto display, he let his knuckles brush her bare skin.
“Really accurate.” She tugged the zipper up the rest of the way, and he gave her a disappointed look.
“Damned shame to cover that view,” Drake said as he rolled his bike past them and offered her a wink.
The moment for Kate’s retort was taken up by the sound of three beefy engines roaring to life, and Syon’s eyes filled with excitement. For just a moment, she got a glimpse of the boy he must have been.
The naughty one.
He pulled her over to his bike, lifting one of his legs to mount it.
“Come on, baby…” He patted the seat behind him. “I’ve been looking forward to telling you to hold on tight, because this ride might just get a little rough.”
“Ha…ha…” she responded, but there was still a hint of heat teasing her cheeks. He pointed to his head and then to the helmet in her hand.
She slipped it on before climbing onto the bike, and he captured her wrist and pulled her arm all the way around him. He’d always been the aggressor, but now she was the one scooting up behind him and holding tight to his lean waist.
Geez… The man smelled good.
He felt good too.
The hint of leather from his clothing only intensified the rawness of the moment. Her insides were liquefying again, her thoughts descending into the gutter so fast, she wasn’t sure she’d ever left it since the moment she met him.
She realized this “date” setup was just him using a different method of commanding her. The guy was dominant to the core. It pissed her off a little, but at the same time, she couldn’t deny the rush of anticipation it fueled inside her.
Syon peeled out first, with Ramsey falling in beside him. The bikes roared, cutting through the night like razor blades. They sped past the entrance to the stadium before spilling out onto the streets. The local nightlife was in full swing, and people dressed in going-out clothes looked up as they passed, some flashing them thumbs-up.
The vibration from the bike turned Kate on, but the feel of clinging to Syon’s hard body made her crazy. They drove across the Golden Gate Bridge before pulling into a scenic overlook to take a break.
Kate’s legs felt like jelly when she dismounted, but the experience was worth it. She left the helmet on the back of the bike. The wind coming off the ocean whipped her hair about as she climbed up onto a concrete picnic table to get a good view of the bay. Syon wandered over and offered her a beer.
“Where’d you get that?” she asked, taking the bottle and scrunching her eyebrows.
“Drake keeps them in his saddlebag.” Syon climbed up beside her with another beer in hand. “His daddy was a Brit, taught him never to drink water.”
Kate lifted the beer in a salute to the dark-haired drummer. He wiggled his tongue at her, then turned around to talk with Taz farther out on the overlook. Syon took a swig from his bottle before casually setting it aside and fixing her with a look that sent her heart pounding.
“Now, where were we?”
“Excuse me?” she asked, wincing when she heard her own sultry tone. What was it about the man that instantly reduced her to a cinder?
He reached right over and effortlessly scooped her up. One moment she was sitting on rock-hard concrete, and the next she was straddling his rock-hard cock.
“Just about here,” he muttered with his hands full of her bottom and his face buried in the tangle of her hair. “Except…” He straightened up and released her ass. A second later, a finger of night air touched her cleavage as he opened the zipper on the jacket.
“Nice,” he muttered as he leaned down and kissed the creamy swell of her right breast. He trailed the tip of his tongue down its side and into the valley of her cleavage.
“Oh Christ!” she gasped. Her skin was ultrasensitive, but what was really driving her insane was the way her clit begged for the same treatment. It was pounding with the same insane tempo as her heart. She flung her head back, offering her cleavage to him.
But the position gave her a view of the rest of the table. Ramsey was settled beside Syon, only a foot away, his dark eyes on her. There was an unmistakable flare of lust in his gaze. It slammed into her, rocking her with a jolt of need before it brought clarity back to her and she scrambled off Syon’s lap.
“What?” Syon growled until he looked to his left and realized it was Ramsey. He gave a shrug and reached for her again.
“Not on your life,” she warned.
“The idea turned you on,” Ramsey accused. “I saw it.”
Kate scooted back and crossed her arms over her breasts, eliciting a grunt from Ramsey. “So is your big plan to show me I’m some kind of slut? Does that keep your ego stroked? What’s the big deal, Ramsey? Can’t you deal with a woman who has more to offer than lip service?”
His jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing. “You’re a bitch.”
“And you’re both being pricks who have one-track minds when it comes to what women are on this planet for.”
One corner of Ramsey’s mouth twitched. “You’ve got balls.”
It was exactly the sort of compliment that suited him.
“Even if they are pushed halfway to your chin.” He looke
d at her cleavage and smacked his lips before jumping down and wandering over to where Drake was standing near the edge of the overlook.
Syon was wearing a disgruntled look that irritated her. “Relax, Kate,” he drawled before tipping his beer back. “Ramsey is just messing with you because you’re the new guy.”
“Yeah? Well he can get the fuck over it.” She suddenly felt like she was missing an obvious fact, something she really should have considered. He and Ramsey were tight—really, really tight. “Are you bisexual?”
Syon watched her from beneath hooded eyes. His lips were pressed into a hard line that made her squirm. She’d put her foot in it now for sure.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean that question to come out sounding like that,” she said, trying to lessen the blow. But an epic screwup was an epic screwup.
Syon suddenly cracked and started laughing. He ended up leaning all the way back on his elbows and tossing his head back so his hair teased the worn surface of the picnic table. The rest of the guys looked over but didn’t budge, turning back to look at the view after a moment.
“What?” she demanded. “It’s a fair enough question. You and Ramsey have been double-teaming me.”
Syon sat back up and smirked at her. “You should have seen your face…” He chuckled some more.
“You know, it’s wise to keep the seamstress happy. I just might forget to remove a pin or two when you go out on stage,” Kate warned him. “It’s cool if—”
“No,” he cut her off. “I’m not bisexual, and neither is Ramsey. We’ve both been drunk enough together to know for sure.”
“I’m not sure I want to know what you mean by that,” Kate said. And she was pretty sure she didn’t want to dwell on just why his answer pleased her so much.
Syon smirked at her, showing no mercy for her sensibilities. “It means we’ve had a few drunken orgies. If either of us had any desire for the other, it would have been satisfied. He wants to put his hands on you, not me.”
“And you’re cool with that?” she asked.
He moved faster than she’d thought possible. One moment he was stretched out beside her, and the next he was half over her, one hand pressed flat against the top of the picnic table beside her hip.
“I want to explore every type of pleasure we can experience, from the simple to the edge of whatever boundary you decide you can’t cross.”
He pressed a kiss against her lips, claiming her lower lip between his teeth and gently biting it.
“I want to make you scream for me,” he said when he released her lip. His eyes flickered with need so intense, she felt it scorching her skin. “And gasp, and shudder, and—”
“I get it,” she said.
“Do you, Kate?” he asked in a hoarse tone that unleashed a desire to let him do whatever he wished with her.
No holds barred.
He curled a hand around her nape, squeezing just enough to send a shiver down her spine. “Ramsey is the only man in this world I trust unconditionally. If you want a ménage—”
“I haven’t even decided if I’m having a relationship with you,” she said, feeling like she was trying to hold him off with a slingshot. The person she was kidding was herself.
She was such a liar. Her body was ready to jump right into hard, raw sex with him.
“Then allow me to add my thoughts to the decision-making process.”
He pressed his mouth down on top of hers. The kiss was every bit as hard as his body. There was no mercy, no tender playfulness this time. Only hard purpose. She was sure she was melting.
But he let her up, just about the time her thoughts had scattered enough to have her ready to do whatever he wished, wherever he decided he wanted it. She was a breath from surrender, and the glitter in his eyes told her he knew it.
“Come on,” he demanded gruffly.
He pulled her along behind him toward his bike. The vibration of the ride back into town, coupled with her struggling feelings, nearly drove her over the edge. She felt poised on a ledge. Her clit was begging for release, but she was battling with her rational side, trying to maintain some shred of self-control around this man.
Syon headed toward a high-rise hotel with mirrored glass siding. They roared up in front of the valet parking, practically causing a riot as all the valet attendants rushed to be the ones getting the keys to the Harleys. The losers looked glum when their gleeful comrades climbed aboard the sleek motorcycles and peeled out of the turnaround, making way for a flood of paparazzi.
Syon claimed Kate’s hand as the cameras started snapping pictures around them. She twisted her hand, trying to escape the press, but Syon held it tight. There were squeals as passersby recognized the rest of the band. Eager fans reached for their idols, and the hotel security tried to keep them out of the entryway. Ramsey was surveying the crop of adoring fans near him and selected one, offering his hand.
She shook with excitement and tugged her girlfriend through the throng with her. Ramsey grinned and draped an arm over each of their shoulders.
“It’s like when you get two prizes for the price of one at one of those carnival crane games,” he called over his shoulder before passing into the lobby of the hotel. Syon shook his head mirthfully and tugged Kate away from the fans who were perplexed—and crushed—to see Syon arrive with a woman already on his arm.
Inside, a man wearing a black polo with the Toxsin logo on it stepped up and handed Syon a key card.
“This is Cid, Toxsin’s road manager,” Syon introduced the man.
“You need it, I get it for you,” Cid said as he handed her a key card. He turned to hand keys to the other band members. “We’ll go over the ropes tomorrow.”
Syon punched the elevator call button and slid his key into the security slot. The door slid smoothly open, and he swept her inside. She expected the rest of the band to join them but when the elevator doors closed, they were alone. He wrapped his arms all the way around her.
“I can’t wait to see if you have ginger curls between your legs too…”
She’d passed the point of being in control enough to form a coherent response, so they rode up to Toxsin’s suite in silence. When they reached the top floor, the sound of the rest of the band with their fangirls broke through.
Syon had her out in the hallway before she managed to brace a hand against his chest. “Look, we’re working together,” Kate said, wondering if it was too late to try playing the professionalism card.
“You’re so wet, I can smell you,” Syon countered. He forced her back until he had both hands flattened on either side of her head on the wall behind her.
“You’re crowding me,” she said. “We just met.”
“And we hit it off.” He countered her argument in a smooth voice that made her nipples tighten. She wanted to be mad about it but honestly, it was a total rush to be turned on so completely. Part of her had to admit to enjoying the intensity. She ended up smiling in spite of every reason she should have been fuming at him. Chemistry was chemistry. And, oh boy, did they combine with a serious sort of reaction.
“You like to dominate,” she said with a half laugh.
One side of his mouth twitched up as a look of approval glittered in his eyes. “I’m not into slave play, but yes, I like to control…”
Her lungs were frozen for a moment, leaving her suspended between breaths. The idea of letting him take control captivated her brain. It would be…well, epic.
Mind-blowing.
Yeah, and you’ll wake up tomorrow morning knowing you are a pushover.
He reached for her wrist. “Let’s find a bed, Kate…”
“No,” she uttered, but honestly, she was talking to herself more than him. She tried to pull him to a stop and ended up skidding on the carpet for a few steps before he gave a frustrated grunt and turned back to face her.
There was a squeal and a burst of feminine laughter from around the corner. It hit her like a bucket of ice water—she wasn’t his fangirl; she was his costum
er, damn it.
She was pretty sure she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she folded. Her dreams of being a serious designer demanded more self-discipline than that.
Kate closed her eyes and found the remnants of her composure. “Good night, Syon. It was a great date.”
Frustration needled her, but she opened her eyes and refused to bend.
Syon regarded her from behind narrowed eyes. “I don’t go in for games, Kate.”
Her temper heated, but she drew in a deep breath because she realized she was sending the guy mixed signals. She owed him an attempt at an explanation. “Look…I’ve known you for a whole forty-eight hours, Syon. Yes, you turn me on, but I don’t know you. It isn’t a game; it’s called forming a relationship. That’s the sort of thing I go for.”
“You’re just as hot as I am to keep this going,” he said, trying to cut through her protest. “So stop being a cock tease.”
“Stop being presumptuous.” She propped her hand on her hip. “Going on a date does not mean there is going to be sex.”
“Sticking your tongue into my mouth while I’m kissing you says there is!” he growled.
“Stop taking this so personally, Syon. There are plenty of other men who have to actually get to know a girl before they get naked with her.”
She’d caught him off guard. One of his eyebrows rose in question. “You’re trying to get a commitment out of me.”
“Even if I were, I wouldn’t apologize.” Her temper sizzled. “I realize you’re used to nailing everything you see—”
“Only the pussy,” he drawled.
She rolled her eyes at his tone. “See? That’s exactly why you and I need to go to separate beds. I’m here as a crew member.”
“We don’t have any female crew members,” he argued.
“Well, you’re the one who ambushed me into this,” Kate replied. “So I’m a crew member now. I think there needs to be a clear line between crew members and fangirls.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “What do you want, Kate?”
Confusion clouded her thoughts. “I just told you.”
“What, then? You want money? I’ll double your contract fee.”