Riptide (Rock Stars, Surf and Second Chances Book 2)

by Michelle Mankin

  I gasped. “You are out of line, Romeo,” I said huffily, using the nickname he had earned earlier in the summer with his shameless flirtations.

  “So you say,” he returned. “But I think you like it.” How could he know? Could he feel my pulse racing imagining what he suggested? I wondered what it would be like to actually have his mouth covering mine and his lips around my tongue. “Just say the word.” His warm breath whispered over my damp skin as he rocked his impressive length against me. When had I become helpless in his arms?

  Ramon was the ultimate player. In all of the time that I had known him, I had never seen him with the same woman twice. Smooth as silk, waltzing up to them, whispering his seductive sweet nothings into their ears. They never refused him. Given the orgasmic moans coming from his bedroom, next door to Dominic’s, I doubted any regretted being one of his many. After hearing his climactic groan last night, I had dreamed those types of dreams about him. I had opened my eyes in the morning and wondered if the real thing could possibly be as good as my imagination.

  As if he sensed the direction of my thoughts, he began to trace seductive patterns along my skin. Fingertips roughened from hours of playing his guitar skimmed my arm from the curve of my shoulder to the insides of my slender wrists. He encircled them in his much larger hands. I swallowed, though in the Pacific Ocean my throat was a desert. He threaded his fingers between my own. Even if Dominic had been turned our way, what Ramon did was hidden beneath the waves. When he began to rub circles with his thumb into the center of my sensitive palm, I froze outwardly but inwardly I burned with a contemptible curiosity. “I’ve seen you watching, Karen. Come to my room tonight. I promise to make it good, so good you’ll beg me not to stop.” His hands over mine, he brought them backward, placing them on his length. Even through his swim trunks, the heat of his steel pipe cock seared my skin. “That’s all for you, baby,” he breathed. “I can teach you things. Dirty things I think you will like. Things you won’t forget. And when you’re back in your dorm room and you touch yourself, it won’t be Patch that you’re thinking about.”

  “No,” I gasped. The mention of Dominic helped me sort my scrambled senses. I tugged my fingers free from his. “No, Ramon. I won’t. I’m with Dominic.” I couldn’t do that to him. I wouldn’t. I barely recognized my breathy voice. I broke away from him and this time he let me go. But his laughter followed me as I jogged the rest of the way in, kicking up shoulder high splashes in my haste to get away. Not just from Ramon. I realized that I was also running away from myself.

  Finally free of the surf, I quickly padded over packed sand and up to the beach to where Dominic stood beside a fire pit. He had his back to me. I reached for him, touched his arm softly and he turned toward me.

  “Karen,” he greeted warmly and steadied me as I clumsily stumbled in the deep sand, dripping wet and shivering in the air that had cooled considerably since the sun had set. His expression unreadable in the flickering shadows cast by the dancing flames, he unfolded and stretched out a beach towel he must have been warming between his hands.

  “Th.Th. Th. Thank you.” My teeth clattered together as I stepped into the towel. He wrapped it around my shoulders, pulling me in close. I sank into him gratefully, more exhausted from battling with Ramon than from being out in the surf all day. Dominic didn’t complain about the chill of my skin, or the fact that my wet body and bikini soaked his dry clothes. He was always so considerate. Planning this day at the beach even though he had deadlines from the record label hanging over him. The more I learned about Dominic, the more reasons I found to believe that he was the right choice for me. Besides when had Ramon ever shown any real interest in me?

  I glanced down the wide sandy stretch of beach at the cliffs in the distance. We weren’t very far from the band’s swanky new condo in San Francisco’s Financial District. The park had been a popular destination earlier in the day, but it was virtually empty now except for the two of us and the cynical guitarist making his way to the shore. I bounced my gaze away from him and tipped my head back to Dominic instead. “Thanks for getting the food, for getting the fire started and for warming me up.”

  “You’re welcome.” His light green eyes hinted at adoration beneath the heavy layers of thick brown hair that the sun had streaked with gold over the course of the summer. “Ramon,” he acknowledged, breaking eye contact with me as the brooding Latino stalked toward the fire. His gaze hardened. He offered his best friend a frown. “Lay off Karen.” There was an edge to his voice that made me wonder how much he had seen. “She’s not one of the groupies. You know that.”

  “I know no such thing.” Ramon flicked me a look through his inky ocean darkened lashes while I tried to pretend that cold condemnation in his eyes didn’t hurt. “It’s you who’s decided she’s different.” He returned his gaze to his friend. “Do whatever you want. I’m not your keeper. And you’re certainly not mine. You know as well as I do that one pussy’s the same as another once the lights go out, amigo.”

  Inhaling sharply, my cheeks flaming bright from his harsh words, I ducked my head into the soft cotton that covered Dominic’s muscular chest.

  “Oh, grow up, Karen. You’re not in high school anymore.” Ramon’s voice was sharp, cutting right through the comfort the soothing motion of Dominic’s hand on my back provided. “And toughen up. You’re dating a guy in a rock band after all. You’re gonna hear and see a lot worse if you plan to stick around.” Dominic’s stroking hand on my spine stilled. I could feel the tension building in his body.

  “Enough, Ramon,” Dominic stated softly. “You’re being an asshole.”

  “Yeah, tell me something I don’t already know. Sometimes a guy has to look out for his compadre. I just think you might be making a mistake, that’s all.”

  “And I think there might be more to it,” Dominic said. “I think maybe you’re a little jealous.” Surprised, I lifted my head. Dominic’s jaw was hard, and his gaze was locked with Ramon’s. “Maybe if you’d tone down the rhetoric and take a chance on a nice girl for a change you would find one of your own.”

  “I’m not interested in nice girls.” Ramon’s honed gaze sliced my way. “Even if there were such a thing. I much prefer the ones who are honest about their needs. Ones who take what I give them and hit the highway. No hard feelings. No expectations. No one’s leading me around by my dick.” The last statement was definitely aimed at me. Ramon’s gaze dipped to me briefly. That was when I saw it, something soft like yearning in his eyes that I’d never seen there before. Something that for a moment made me almost believe that maybe Dominic might be on to something. But the wood in the fire cracked, releasing sparks. Ramon’s features shimmered in a wavy wall of heat. And then nothing remained but his usual disdain.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Karen

  Oh, how I loathe him, I told myself as Ramon dismissively waved me through the line at the condo door. He had given me a pass on removing my top as if the idea of me unveiling myself like the other women bored him. I hated him, I decided. I hated him as much as I loved Dominic. Dominic and his sweet smiles. His soft touches. His constant praise.

  “Ignore him, Q2,” Dominic said, invoking the nickname that referenced my dual beauty queen titles from high school. He tucked a curled finger underneath my chin and gently turned my head to face him. His eyes searched mine. “He often says things and does things just to be shocking. He doesn’t mean most of it. Besides, he gets testy when he’s between women. He’ll mellow out after he finds a new one.”

  Dominic threw his arm around my shoulders, and I snuggled closer to his warmth. He drew me further into the living room filled with people and noise. Confident and poised, he introduced me to a couple of Zenith Employees. He might be a year younger than me, but he was much more mature than the guys I had dated before him. I closed my eyes as he turned me into him and pressed his lips to mine. I forgot about Ramon’s slight. I forgot everything and everyone else when Dominic kissed me, his tongue slipping bet
ween my lips and dancing with mine. I was breathing hard and a little disoriented when he lifted his head and tapped my nose. Yet when he shifted to take a beer someone offered him, my gaze found Ramon. The fire Dominic had kindled was doused in ice as Ramon gave me another disapproving glance and crooked his finger at a redhead with enormous breasts. His reactions confused me. It seemed to piss him off whenever I was openly affectionate with Dominic. Yet, it amused him when I rebuffed his advances. Was he only playing the part of the protective friend and testing my intentions? Was I continually failing when he flirted with me and I faltered?

  Thoughts troubled, I had no idea what was wrong with me or why Ramon’s opinion of me should even matter. I shifted my weight from one sandal to the other, following the pattern of the rug beneath the large sectional as Dominic excused himself to get me a soda.

  Guys drive me crazy. I lifted my head and glanced around the room. Ramon had his arm around the redhead now, but he was staring back at me as she twirled on the black curls that framed his handsome face. With those dark eyes and proud features, he wasn’t the safe boy next door kind of handsome. No, Ramon was dangerously good looking.

  When Dominic returned with my soda, we took a seat together side by side. I feigned nonchalance at the scene around me, trying to pretend like I had seen it all before, but my eyes must have been bugging out of my head. Simone had told me about the party she had interrupted a few weeks earlier when she had discovered Linc in a compromising position with other women that had ended any chance of them mending the relationship that had already started unraveling after Linc’s accident. But she hadn’t mentioned the public sex or lines of coke on the bar. Maybe the guys had gotten more out of hand since Charles Morris the CEO of Zenith Productions started throwing cash advances at them.

  Liquor bottles littered every available surface. When one was emptied another seemed to magically replace it, even though the guys were underage. There was no shortage of half-clothed pretty women, either. All of them were required to shed their tops at the door. Ramon apparently being the enforcer of said rule.

  “You ok?” Dominic asked as he sifted through my hair. I had washed it after the beach and wore it loose around my shoulders instead of in my usual braid.

  “Sure,” I brazened, lifting my head from where I had rested it on his chest to glance at him. “Why would you think I wasn’t?”

  “I dunno.” He looked concerned. “Maybe because you’ve been clinging to me all night.” He traced the round of my cheek with his thumb. The pad felt rough against my skin. Like the other guys, he had been in the studio every day for hours at a time, even though we wouldn’t be able to see each other again for a long time after the Labor Day weekend was over. Morris was pushing the guys hard to complete an album.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “I don’t mind.” His arm tightened around me. He took one of my hands and laced our fingers together. “It’s the party, isn’t it?”

  “Maybe,” I allowed. “Yes,” I admitted, sighing as another girl walked by with her large breasts swaying. I was as naïve as Ramon thought I was. Plus, as I glanced around the condo, it seemed pretty obvious that I was the only B-cup in the place. I felt more than a little inadequate. “You guys can have any woman you want. I guess I’m wondering how long it will be before you regret us being exclusive.”

  “I don’t regret it at all, Karen.” He smiled, his gaze dipping to my mouth as he brushed his thumb across my lips. “Why would I?” He lifted his eyes and held my gaze. “I’ve got the best girl there is.”

  “I feel the same way. I mean, about you being the best guy.” I set the uneasy thoughts aside, including the ones about his best friend, took his hand and brought it to my lips. “But all this, the women, the drugs, the booze. I get that it’s part of the rock star lifestyle. But I don’t see how it will work for us, for the type of relationship we’ve talked about.”

  “It will work if we agree to make it to work.”

  “It didn’t work for Linc and Simone,” I muttered and scooted closer to Dominic as movement across the room caught my eye. It was Linc and Ramon. They were currently doing a woman at the same time, or she was doing them. Her tits bouncing to her own enthusiastic rhythm, she was riding cowgirl on the guitarist’s cock while giving a blow job to the lead singer. Those two had been prowling the room earlier bragging about who could fuck the most women. Ash had refused to participate when they had tried to get him to join their game. He had called them infantile. I had other words for what they were doing right now right out in the open. Shocking. Reprehensible. Appalling. I refused to analyze why my pulse was pounding so rapidly. I wasn’t remembering my dream about Ramon or thinking about how his cock had felt pressed against my backside in the water. I definitely wasn’t hurt or disappointed by his behavior only disgusted. That’s what I told myself.

  “Linc’s and Simone’s situation is totally different than ours.” Dominic frowned when he noticed the direction of my gaze.

  “How so?” I felt nausea bubbling up in the back of my throat. Don’t look anymore, I told myself, wanting to hum to drown out the sounds that somehow drifted this way over the music.

  “They had different upbringings for one thing. Neither Linc nor Simone had an example growing up of what a healthy relationship should be. I did. I remember how good it was with my mom and dad. The same with your parents. Those two never had that. Plus, they were both under a lot of pressure after Simone had the falling out with her parents and Linc had his accident.” His brow creased. “But Simone should never have left him. If she hadn’t…”

  “She had to,” I cut in. “Her mom needed her.”

  “You and I understand that, but at the time Linc didn’t. I think Simone should have realized he needed her more. She should have made him her priority.” His eyes plumbed the depths of mine, his expression more serious than I had ever seen it. The steadiness in his gaze quelled my unease. “But even then, if her mom hadn’t told Linc that lie about Simone never coming back maybe they would have worked it out. But after she came up here and saw Linc the way she did, and then he found her with Ash, well…”

  “Yeah,” I agreed sadly. My best friend was hurting terribly. My heart ached for her.

  “C’mon.” Dominic stood. “Let’s go to my room. I thought the party might be fun, but I was wrong. I’ll come back and sleep on the sofa later like I did last night, but for right now I would much rather be alone with you.”

  I took his hand, but not before I caught Ramon’s gaze on me. I jerked my eyes away. He had been passive beneath the cowgirl. But I flushed head to toe when I heard his groan as we exited the living room. The girl’s loud climax followed. The sounds seemed to chase me as Dominic led me down the hall toward his room. My cheeks were still warm and my stomach was still unsettled when we stepped into Dominic’s room and he shut the door behind us.

  “You ok getting ready for bed while I’m here?” He ran a hand through his glossy brown hair looking sheepish.

  “It’s ok.” I took his hand. “You don’t have to sleep on the couch tonight.” My parents wouldn’t approve. My dad had made me promise to be careful before he had agreed to let me visit Dominic. And I was planning to be careful. But I wasn’t a little girl anymore. I was a sophomore this year at Yale, and I was ready to take the next step with Dominic. So he was clear on my intentions, I added. “I’m not really in the mood for sleeping.” As that extra bit of information registered, his eyes flared. We had done plenty of fooling around since we had started dating, but we hadn’t yet crossed that final line.

  “Me either, Karen.” He drew his shirt over his head, and I admired his lean, tanned torso as I lowered the zipper at the back of my sundress. “Hold on.” He crossed to me. My gaze dipped to his pelvis, and the defined V that his half-unbuttoned jeans revealed. I swallowed to moisten my throat. I knew where that trail of dark hair led. I knew there was a very impressive cock behind those remaining buttons. He lifted my chin and lowered his head, brushing a butter
fly-soft kiss across my mouth. “I love you,” he told me, looking deeply into my eyes. His gaze gleamed with emotion that rocked me nearly as much as those precious words. “And you don’t have to do this if you’re not ready. I’ll wait. I would wait a lifetime for you. You’re the one, the only one for me. I’ve known it since I first saw you.”

  My eyes burned as tears filled them. “I…”

  He pressed a finger over my lips. “You don’t have to say the words just because I did. I want you to believe them when you say them. I want you to be as certain as I am.” He removed his finger, hooked it under the straps of my sundress and slid them slowly back up my arms to my shoulders. “Come to bed.” He pressed another soft kiss to my lips. “I want to hold you. I’m going to miss you while you’re away.” He turned and moved to the bed while I stood holding the front of my dress to my chest. He was so sexy. So confident. He unbuttoned the remaining buttons on his jeans, drew back the covers and climbed in, but not before I saw how significantly his erection strained the front of his boxers.

  “You coming?” he queried, rising up on one elbow, the sheet around his waist, his gaze dark, his expression enigmatic.

  “No, I’m not coming yet.” I let the dress fall to the floor and stepped over it on my way toward him, wearing nothing now except for my white lace thong. A moment of self-consciousness quickly faded because of the heated way he looked at me. “But I’d like to. I’d like for you to be my first, Dominic.”

  “I’d like that too.” His gaze slowly traveled the length of me. “I intend to be your first and only and last.” He threw back the covers, and I climbed in beside him. I sucked in a sharp breath when his warm hands clasped my hips firmly and drug me across the sheets, repositioning my body so that I was underneath him. “You are so fucking beautiful.” He watched his hand as he slowly ran the back of it down the column of my neck and across my breasts. My nipples tightened to points that ached for his touch. He framed my breasts with his hands, lifting his gaze back to mine. The love shining in his eyes removed the last of my lingering reservations. He was the right one for me.