by Dawn Ryder
Kate followed behind them, but not too quickly. The high from the concert was still buzzing her. She didn’t want to be separated from Syon.
But a glance over her shoulder showed him facing several cameras. Their overly bright lights were blinding, the soundmen holding up their huge fur-covered microphones.
She needed a shower.
It was a flimsy excuse, but enough to get her through the doors. The roar was dimmer inside. The hotel security was doing a good job of making sure the fans stayed outside. She flashed her key card at one suited man and started toward the elevators.
“You’ll listen to me, and listen well.”
There was a middle-aged woman tearing into Ramsey. Next to her stood an older man and several other people, two of them actually holding Bibles.
The woman had her finger out and was shaking it at him. “I brought you into this world. It’s a disgrace and a shame the way you act. You are coming home with us tonight. You are going to get right with the Lord. Is that clear?”
Kate should have kept out of it. Kept her mouth shut. It wasn’t like Ramsey couldn’t take care of himself or summon some of Cid’s goons with a flick of his wrist.
But he stood there, letting the group converge on him. They were all talking at once, actually shaking their Bibles at him as they closed in like a pack of wolves.
Only Ramsey was like a panther, more than able to take them out.
And he stood there. Taking it.
Damned if Kate didn’t feel her respect for him rising. Ramsey was quick to cut down anyone who got in his face, but he was holding his tongue with his family. That made him a decent fellow. Someone with a sense of honor.
The connection between him and Syon was making more and more sense. They only had each other. And not only did they only have each other, but also the rest of the world could be as vicious as it was welcoming to them. The crowd around Ramsey was working itself into a fever.
“Ramsey, don’t forget I need your wardrobe checked in.”
He snapped his head around. Her heart twisted when she caught sight of his face.
He was in hell. That unique sort of torment that could only come from seeing people you cared about turn on you.
For a moment, she thought she was going to get the brunt of his temper, or at the least, a middle-finger salute.
“And who is she?” the people standing in front of him demanded.
“Costume coordinator,” he informed them. “I do follow some rules. Been nice. Bye. Hold the elevator, Kate.”
He started toward her at a run. But his expression was one step short of devastated. He slammed into the car as Kate hit the button to close the door. He braced his hands on the hand bar, facing the back wall as the car started to pull them upward.
“Sorry if I overstepped.”
He drew in a deep breath and shook his head. “Better that you did. I was about to say something…disrespectful.”
“But true?”
He choked a little and turned around to lean against the handrail. He offered her a half grin that really lifted only one corner of his mouth. “True to my way of thinking. Which isn’t what my parents want.”
“How’d they get past Cid’s guys?”
Ramsey shrugged. “They’re my parents. I’d be a real asshole if I left instructions for them to be kept out.”
His quick exit after the concert suddenly made sense. As did his brush by Cid outside the entrance.
His lack of company did too.
“You’re okay, you know that?” she said.
He tossed his head as the doors opened. “No, I’m not.” He stopped next to her, leaning down so his breath teased her lips. “I’m the guy your mother warned you about.”
He was crowding her, trying to intimidate her, building a wall around himself.
But she saw it for what it was.
He was trying to burn off his frustration by taking refuge in his badass persona. She smiled back at him and tapped the center of his chest with the tip of her index finger.
“Don’t take it personally. My mom is a lesbian. She warned me about all guys, just on the basis of gender.”
Shock registered on his face as Kate slipped out of the elevator.
“What?”
She was on her way down the hallway and felt him watching her. He lost the battle to let it go, and she felt the vibration of his steps as he ran to keep up.
“Kate? What do you mean by that?” She slid her key card into the door, and he pushed it in. “I really gotta know. Is your mom a lesbian? How are you here?”
His eyes were bright with the promise of a distraction. She smiled in invitation. He walked in, and she pulled one of the beers from the minibar, offering it to him before taking one for herself. She took a sip before shooting him a grin. Ramsey was sitting cross-legged on the floor, nursing his beer. He made a “get going” motion with his hand.
Kate sat her beer down.
“Okay, story time. Once upon a time, at a college far from here, my mom had one too many beers and was talking to a young graduate student who challenged her to question whether or not she really didn’t like dick, seeing as she had admitted to having never tried it. Being a lesbian, my mom wasn’t on the pill or any other form of birth control and didn’t have a condom on hand…”
* * *
Ramsey could be a kitten sometimes. He snorted at her from where he was sitting on the floor of Syon’s suite.
“Your mom seriously discussed the merits of clitoral orgasm verses G-spot climax with you?”
“Honest truth,” Kate said. “Look, mister, I’ve been dealing with my mom’s attempts to set me up with her girlfriends’ daughters for years. She’s devastated by my strictly dick sexuality. Blames my dad.”
Ramsey rolled back, ending up on his back, and snickered. He was staring at the ceiling as he chortled.
Syon opened the door, his face shiny from the hot lights of the press cameras. He looked at Ramsey and raised an eyebrow.
“Did you skin him and make a throw rug out of him?”
Ramsey rolled over and flipped him the bird. But he had a smile on his lips. “Have you worked out the bridge on the new song yet?”
Syon grabbed a beer from the minibar and nodded as he twisted the cap free. Ramsey swung his leg up and over his torso so he rolled all the way over and onto his feet. It was the sort of thing she expected of him—powerful, over the top.
He moved over to the laptop and tapped the screen. Syon flashed her a smile before he joined him. They both peered at the screen, lost in the notes, taking solace in what they were, musicians. Kate watched for a moment, struck by how much they needed each other because the people who should have had their backs didn’t.
There was a beauty in the way they hadn’t let it stop them.
A beauty that touched her heart.
She showered to the sound of them working sections of the song, and fell asleep to Taz and Drake joining in. Sometime in the early hours, Syon crawled into bed with her, stroking her and bringing her body to life. She stretched, caught between sleep and the need churning inside her. Too far gone in slumber, there was no way to resist. She welcomed him, urging him between her thighs as she arched to take his thrusts.
He drove into her in the same rhythm she’d fallen asleep to, building up to the crescendo and hammering her through the climax. He ended up flopped onto the bed next to her, both of them gasping for breath. Kate hadn’t quite caught hers when he scooped her up and settled her on his chest.
“Thanks.”
Kate lifted her head off Syon’s chest and looked at him questioningly.
“For rescuing Rams.” Gratitude filled his voice. “I couldn’t get away, and honestly, I don’t think he would have accepted help from anyone else. His family puts him through hell.”
“And he takes it.”
“Yeah.” Syon reached out and cupped one of her breasts. A soft shiver went through her, and he grinned. “Still hungry, baby?”
He rolled her onto her back and kissed her. Slowly, leisurely, teasing her with his tongue as he drew out the kiss. She threaded her fingers through his hair, which was still slightly wet from their last round, arching up and kissing him in return.
“Good.” He pushed up off the bed and moved around to where his guitar was set up. “I want to write something. Light the candles.”
The computer screen was the only light in the room. She got up and struck a match and lit some. Syon opened the balcony door before tossing a towel over the laptop to bury the light. He ended up in the shadows, the city lights buffeted by a thin drape that was ruffling gently.
“Lay back down.”
He was fingering the strings, toying with a melody.
“On your side…face me…”
The candle on the bedside table illuminated her. She felt exposed, in a way she never had. The yellow glow was more sensual than modern light. She stretched out, experimenting with the moment. Time suddenly had little meaning. They might have been in any century. The current between them was universal.
“That’s hot, Kate… I love it. You’re amazing, baby.”
He was fingering the strings, refining the notes as he watched her. The soft silver light coming in from outside gave him a sinister look. All of the hard-cut muscles gained more intensity in the shadows.
“Touch yourself for me…”
She shivered, a little twist of anticipation going through her. Excitement built along with the tempo he was playing.
“Show me how you like to be stroked.”
The evening air blew in, making the candle flicker. One died, reducing the light, but it seemed to be like temptation beckoning her toward it, cloaking her with darkness to bring her deeper into the moment.
She rubbed her hand along her hip, up to where her waist was and then back down.
“Yeah…”
His eyes were narrowed, his lips thin, his jaw tight as he watched her.
“More.”
She trailed her fingers along her hip again, but this time, she stroked across her ribs to one breast. Little ripples of delight ran out from the touch, the look in Syon’s eyes pushing her forward.
Erotic was a tangible thing with him. It was in the way he watched her as much as touched her.
Like now. He was playing a melody, one that was building. She let the increasing tension in the music drive her motions. She stroked her breast and teased her nipple. It drew tight as he shot off a series of sharp notes.
“Pinch it,” he ordered.
She clamped her nipple between thumb and forefinger.
“Yeah…”
He was repeating the chorus, concentrating on the notes.
“Lower. Touch yourself… Show me how you like it…”
She licked her lower lip because it had gone dry. Excitement was brewing inside her, her clit pulsing with anticipation. She lifted her leg and placed her foot against the bed so her thighs were open.
The guitar squealed again.
Her heart accelerated again.
Her breath caught when she touched her own curls. She felt unbearably on display with him watching, but the devotion in his eyes made her keep going.
Syon was still playing, the song rising to a fevered pitch.
“I know you like that little clit touched. Touch it, Kate…rub it…”
She felt linked into the rising crescendo, her heart keeping time with the music. She plunged her fingers into her cleft, crying out when she made contact with her clit.
“Rub it… Ride your fingers, baby!”
She really didn’t have a choice.
Did she ever when it came to Syon?
Not really. With him, there was only need and the moments between feedings.
“Ride them!”
She was working her fingers in and out of her wet slit, pumping her hips toward them. Her skin turned hot, the blood roaring in her ears, but all she was conscious of was the tempo of the music. She was fixated on his fingers, imagining them against her clit.
“Yeah, baby. I’m the one touching you. That’s right… It’s me…”
She felt the climax coming. Her mouth opened as she was pulled tight by it. The music was hitting its crescendo; he was forcing it out of the strings, willing it into creation as she cried out. Pleasure slammed into her, flowing through her like a flash flood. Nothing remained standing; it ripped everything up and carried it along until it dumped her, completely spent of mental and physical strength.
Syon threw his head back, breathing deep, rasping breaths as he finished the last few notes.
“So fucking good.”
He was suddenly there, in bed with her, his cock slipping easily into her wet sheath. He’d come up behind her, rolling her and pulling her onto her knees as he thrust into her from behind. He was rock hard, his cock nearly bursting, the hard hammering satisfying that last thing inside her that hadn’t yet been fed.
But he was holding back. She knew the difference now. Knew when he was clinging to the remains of decency. Politeness. Neither of which had anything to do with what she craved from him.
“Harder,” she demanded. “Fuck me like you want to.”
His grip on her hips tightened, his body driving harder, deeper into her. She pushed back against him, but he refused to allow her any motion. She was being claimed in that moment. The savage side of him delighted in knowing she was captured.
His breath was harsh, his cock hardened even more. She tightened her internal muscles and let out a cry. It was savage and full of need. He started coming, his seed flooding her as he pumped her through the climax.
“I hurt you…”
His tone was hoarse.
“No you didn’t.”
He had collapsed on top of her and straightened up, even though his breathing was still rapid. “I was fucking…rutting on you, Kate.”
She rolled over, reaching up to stroke the side of his jaw. “I know. Ramsey’s parents obviously got to you too.”
He lay there, holding her for a long moment. “You read me too well.”
“Good.” She stood up and fought to keep her knees straight. “Because you’ve been a destructive force in my life since the moment I set eyes on you. Fair is fair.”
“We’re having lunch with my parents tomorrow.”
He turned over and rolled off the side of the bed, but she caught his hand. “Say that again.”
There was a twinge of uncertainty in his eyes. A hint of vulnerability she recognized and felt privileged to see.
“Is that why there’s no partying tonight?”
Syon nodded. “This is our hometown. I made a date with my parents for lunch. Come with me.”
She was shocked into silence and touched so deeply, her eyes stung with tears. “Okay.”
For a moment, she felt awkward. Syon captured her hand and started tugging her toward the open balcony. He pulled her through the thin drape that was fluttering in the night air. The balcony opened onto the roof and a pool area.
They were both buck naked, but that didn’t bother him. He pulled her over to one of the hot tubs and down into the bubbling water. They had a view of the city, the lights twinkling all around them. Syon settled back, sinking down until the water was halfway up his chest.
“Relax. Only Rams is up here.”
She sank down to her chin and scanned the area. Syon laughed at her and pointed across the expanse of the pool to a gazebo area.
Ramsey was still wearing his pants, but the fly was open, his cock jutting out. A girl was on her knees sucking on it, but what drew Kate’s attention was the way her arms were tied behind her back. Ramsey had a leash wrapped around his hand. The leash was attached to a collar around her neck.
Kate realized she was staring and looked away. Syon pulled her close, fitting her in front of him so he could hold her close.
“Rams likes to dominate just a little bit more bluntly than I do.” He cupped her breast, the bubbles in the water teasing her skin. �
�I’m a little more hands-on.”
There was a snap from the gazebo and a gasp.
Syon smoothed her onto his chest, stroking her arms as she fought off the urge to make an excuse and run back into the suite.
“Why is it important for me to stay here?”
There were more sounds from the gazebo.
“I want you to know every part of me. The seedy too.”
She rubbed his thighs. “You don’t want to put on a face.”
“Not when we’re naked.”
Ramsey was the counterpart of his soul. It was an odd link, but one that made a strange kind of sense.
“Ramsey keeps you from feeling abandoned by the rest of the human race. I saw that tonight.”
His hands froze on her. She rubbed his thighs as there was a harsh sound and another slap from the gazebo.
“Yeah.” Syon voice was strained. The admission coming from his soul.
Ramsey was working his date into a frenzy, her cries filling the dark. When he pushed her over the edge, she screamed, but all that came out of him was a harsh grunt.
So one-sided.
There was no tenderness, no companionship.
Instead, he sent her toward the elevators and forgot her before the last of her footsteps had faded. It should have bothered Kate. Should have been a reason to label him a prick. But the sound of the girl squealing with glee in the hallway put an end to that.
“Oh my God! Tina, you’ll never guess who I just fucked! Ramsey from Toxsin! He is a god!”
A bitter taste rose in Kate’s mouth. There was no baseline in their world, only extremes.
She turned around and seated herself on Syon’s lap. “I don’t care who you are.”
He narrowed his eyes.
“You told me once that everyone wanted something from you.” She cupped some water and dribbled it on his shoulder. “I need things from you.”
He drew in a stiff breath, emotion brightening his eyes. He clamped her against him, his arms shaking.
“I need too, baby…”
For a moment, they were sealed together by those needs, even undefined as they were. It was just a feeling. A deep, churning knowledge that he soothed something inside her. A thing she’d never named, because it conflicted with everything the rest of the world expected her to be.