Songbird (Songbird, #1)

by Lisa Edward

  Cole looked at me with an amused expression on his face. “Really? Can’t get enough, hey?” he said, raising his eyebrows at me.

  “No,” I replied. “Jay’s playing on tracks two and four is awesome.” Then I turned, and, taking Riley’s hand, went back over to the bar.

  Songbirds filled up quickly, and it was soon time for the band to go on, but Cole had disappeared and Marcus was getting annoyed.

  I had seen him the week before go into the back room to warm up his voice, so volunteered to go and get him while Marcus stayed behind the bar.

  Knocking on the door once, I walked straight in, talking as I entered. “Cole, you’re up.” I immediately regretted what I had just said. He was standing behind some bimbo, and she was leaning over the staff dinner table with her skirt hitched up around her waist.

  “Good choice of words, Tara.” Cole chuckled as he looked me in the eyes, not missing a beat as he continued pounding into the bimbo.

  Standing frozen to the spot, I stared into Cole’s emerald-green eyes for a minute, not quite able to process what I was witnessing.

  The bimbo went to move, finally realising that they were no longer alone.

  “Just stay there, sweetheart,” Cole told her, gently resting his hand on her back. “Nearly finished.”

  I stood there, mouth agape, before turning my back on the scene.

  “Well, are you coming, Cole?” I said, flustered, then cringed. Poor choice of words yet again.

  “If you … turn around and let me … look into your eyes … for another ten seconds … I will be,” he said, breathlessly.

  I hesitated for a split second before heading back toward the door.

  “Just hurry up while you still have a job here,” I snapped at him and walked out.

  “Hey, what’s wrong, babe?” Riley asked concerned as soon as he saw my face.

  I shook my head. Marcus was looking at me as well, and I didn’t want to get Cole into trouble.

  “He’ll be out in a minute, just warming up,” I said to Marcus as casually as I could before leaning in to whisper to Riley, “I just walked in on him doing …” I looked up as Cole and the bimbo came walking back into the bar. She was still straightening up her skirt. “… doing her,” I said, pointing to the bimbo.

  Cole saw us looking at him, and leaned in as he walked past. “It’s her birthday. I couldn’t disappoint her,” he said with a shrug, before jumping up on stage to start the show.

  He walked into the light and up to the microphone. I shook my head in disbelief. He was wearing a white T-shirt, and in big black letters it read Mr Hotbod.

  The band was excellent, and I was run off my feet, clearing tables and stocking the fridges behind the bar. Riley even pitched in where he could, which Marcus was really grateful for, before the band started their final set, which included the make-out ballad.

  The girls down the front were reaching up to Cole, wanting to be pulled up onto the stage. He teasingly reached for one after another before passing them all to finally select a girl who, with long soft curls in her hair and long legs, looked remarkably a lot like me.

  He followed his usual performance, rubbing against her, but this time he seemed more tender. He ran his fingers through her hair and caressed her face with the back of his fingers. When the song finished and the kiss was imminent, he looked up at the bar until his eyes finally found me, then he kissed her. It wasn’t the over-the-top kiss I had seen in the past, but a slow sensual kiss that had me spellbound just watching it.

  Then he pulled away, stared straight at me, and licked his bottom lip seductively.

  I shook my head at him and turned away, but it was too late. Riley had seen the exchange between us and the lust in Cole’s eyes that was aimed at me, and was not impressed.

  “Can I have a word?” Riley asked as he grabbed my hand and started pulling me into the back room, not waiting for my response.

  Running along behind him, I tried to keep up, until we were alone and the door was closed behind us.

  “What’s going on with you two?” He sounded angry, but then his expression changed to one of concern. “Is there something I should be worried about?” He took hold of my arms and looked deep into my eyes.

  “No, babe, there isn’t. He just likes messing with me, I think. There’s even a no-boning rule for Cole where the staff is concerned, so you don’t need to worry.” I blurted the last part out before thinking, and then regretted it when I saw the look on Riley’s face. Instead of looking reassured, he looked like he was ready to kill someone.

  “Why the hell do you need a no-boning rule? Is he that hard to resist?” He started pacing up and down the length of the room, clenching and unclenching his fists. “Do you want to sleep with him, Tara?”

  This was getting totally out of hand. I moved and stood in front of Riley so he had to stop pacing the floor, and took hold of both of his hands.

  “No I don’t, babe, you’re the only one I want. I love you.” I stepped closer reaching up behind his neck to run my fingers through his hair.

  He ran his hands up my hips and wrapped his arms around me.

  “I can’t lose you, babe,” he said quietly. “It’s hard enough not being able to see you every day, but the thought of you with him …” He didn’t finish his sentence. He just rested his forehead against mine, and squeezed me tighter.

  I cupped his cheeks in my hands. “I’m not with him, I’m with you, and only with you. You have to have faith that I won’t do anything to hurt you, otherwise this relationship won’t last the distance.”

  He nodded and kissed my lips softly. Then he kissed me again a little more forcefully, while running his hands slowly up and down my body and under my top. I knew he needed to feel this connection, to know that I was his and no one else’s, so I kissed him again more passionately then before, and pushed my body up against his.

  He walked me back a few steps until my back hit the cold brick wall, and then rubbed up against me. It was getting hot and heavy very quickly. It didn’t feel right to be doing this at work, but I didn’t want to stop him either. I knew he needed this.

  He ran his hands roughly up my thighs, lifting my skirt and pulling at my thong before unzipping his jeans. I had one last chance to stop this before it went too far, but I didn’t.

  He lifted me up to adjust our height difference and then he was inside me, slamming me back into the wall again and again, so hard that it was knocking the wind out of me. It wasn’t like any other time we had been together; there was no love. This was emotionless, cold, hard sex.

  “Stop!” I said desperately, “Please babe, stop, you’re hurting me.”

  Riley stopped and took a moment to focus on my face, while I tried to catch my breath. He looked distant, and I kissed his lips tenderly, trying to bring him back to me before his breath hitched in his throat as he finally realised what he was doing.

  “Oh God, Tara, I’m so sorry,” he whispered, looking distraught.

  He went to pull away.

  Wrapping my legs more tightly around his hips, I held him in place, kissing him lovingly until he slowly started moving inside me again.

  “That’s it, babe, just like that,” I cooed softly in between kisses. “That feels good.” I closed my eyes and rested my head back against the wall while he kissed my throat and chest.

  “You know, we’re going to have to get some sort of a system happening here, like hanging a towel on the door knob or something,” a deep gravelly voice said.

  Riley and I both looked around, startled to find Cole leaning in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest, a big grin on his face.

  My face was burning and I desperately needed to cover myself up, but I didn’t want Riley to move for fear of him exposing me further.

  “What?” Cole asked us with a shrug.

  Instead of leaving the room so we could untangle ourselves, he came in and closed the door behind him. Then, finally appearing to notice the deer-caught-in-the-headlight
s look on my face, he raised his hands in the air in resignation and turned his back, giving us the opportunity to disengage and get decent.

  “Okay, you can turn around now,” I said, still straightening my skirt. Riley had his back turned to Cole and was adjusting himself uncomfortably.

  “You didn’t have to stop on my account. I wouldn’t have minded a show,” he said smoothly as he stripped off his sweaty T-shirt and dried himself off with it.

  But Riley was not in a joking mood. He finished dressing and turned on him.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” He took three strides and was in Cole’s face, fuming now not only for the look Cole had given me earlier, but for this interruption.

  “Hey, take it easy, man,” Cole said. His voice was friendly enough, but he stood toe to toe with Riley and didn’t divert his eyes. “I’m just changing my shirt. Tell him, Tara. You’ve watched me get changed in here before.”

  He had the smuggest look on his face, and I could see Riley was on the verge of losing it.

  “I’ll be out of your hair in a minute, then you can … resume the position,” he said, pointing to the wall.

  Grabbing Riley’s fisted hand; I tugged on it, making him look at me. “I should get back to work. Are you coming?”

  He looked back at Cole with a death stare for what seemed like ten seconds before snapping out of it and wrapping his arm possessively around me. “Sure, babe, we can finish what we were doing later tonight.”

  Riley kissed me on the lips softly, and we left the room to the sound of a deep throaty chuckle.

  The bar was finally closing, and it hadn’t come soon enough for me. Jay came over and gave me a hug and then did that strange thing with Riley that guys do, where they half shake hands and half hug. I waved goodbye to Mitchell and Ethan, and looked around for Cole but he wasn’t in sight. Probably already gone home with another bimbo.

  Riley was deep in conversation with Marcus, and I headed to the back room to grab my bag so we could go. I walked in and did a double take; Cole was sitting backwards on a chair with his chin resting on his folded arms, staring at the door as if he were waiting for someone.

  “Well this is new,” I said to him sarcastically, heading to the corner for my bag. “No bimbo bent over the table.”

  He smiled at me, stood up, and slowly walked toward me.

  “Yep, first you walk in on me, then I walk in on you. Sorry about that, by the way. You looked so hot pressed up against that wall, I should have kept quiet for a few more minutes and let you come.” He stood right in front of me now only inches away, his emerald-green eyes burrowing into me.

  “A few more minutes? How long were you standing there?” I asked, my heart pounding fast. Oh my God, had he been watching us?

  He bit his bottom lip. “Long enough to know you like it just like that.” He said it so seductively that my stomach did a little somersault.

  I was mortified, and I slapped him on the shoulder. “You watched me? You are more depraved than I’d thought.”

  His eyes searched my face. “I didn’t mind you watching me,” he said in that gravely tone that could make a nun think twice about her vows.

  He tucked a stray hair behind my ear, lightly stroking my neck as he did so.

  Then he leaned in so I could feel his breath against my neck. “It’s what made me come.”

  RILEY AND I climbed into bed, exhausted from being rushed off our feet all night. I tried to entice him to finish what we had started earlier in the back room of Songbirds, but he just wanted to snuggle so I didn’t push it. It still felt a million times better to have him here with me than to be in the bed alone.

  I rolled onto my side and he cuddled up behind me, nuzzling his face into my hair and inhaling deeply.

  “I’m sorry I lost control tonight, Tara. I would never intentionally hurt you; you know that.”

  So that’s why he seemed a little distant. He was still brooding about what had happened earlier, and no doubt about Cole.

  “I know, babe, it was a stressful night for both of us. Cole is …” I didn’t know what to say. What was Cole exactly? “… he’s impossible. Don’t worry about it, okay? Let’s just go to sleep.”

  I closed my eyes, and as Riley tickled my back lightly, I drifted off peacefully.

  I walked into the back room to get my bag and did a double take; Cole was sitting backwards on a chair with his chin resting on his folded arms, staring at the door as if he were waiting for someone.

  “Well, this is new,” I said to him sarcastically, heading to the corner for my bag. “No bimbo bent over the table.”

  He smiled at me, stood up, and slowly walked toward me.

  “Yep, first you walk in on me, then I walk in on you. Sorry about that, by the way. You looked so hot pressed up against that wall, I should have kept quiet for a few more minutes and let you come.” He stood right in front of me now, only inches away, his emerald-green eyes burrowing into me. “So maybe I should help you come now.”

  He picked me up, and before I knew what was happening my back was against the door.

  “You like it like this, don’t you?” he whispered as he ran his hands up my thighs, pushing my skirt up.

  His fingers were inside me and then out again, stimulating me, then back inside, then back out, his breath hot on my neck. My heart was beating out of my chest and I moaned at the sensation of his touch.

  “I could make you come like this, but I want to make you come with this,” he said huskily in my ear as he unzipped his jeans. “Do you want this? Do you want me inside you, Tara?”

  “Yes … oh God …”

  “Tara. Tara, wake up, babe, you’re dreaming, wake up.”

  My eyes shot open, and I took in the room. I was in my bedroom, and it was Riley’s voice. I swallowed and breathed a sigh of relief, then rolled over and buried my face into Riley’s chest, hugging him tightly.

  “It’s okay, babe, it was just a dream. Do you remember what it was about?”

  I shook my head.

  “It sounded bad; you were panting like you were out of breath.”

  I looked up. “I don’t remember. But I’m really glad you woke me up.” I kissed him tenderly on the lips.

  My heart was still pounding. The warmth that had spread through me in the dream still evident now that I was awake. “Really, really glad you woke me.”

  He smiled down at me and kissed my lips. “Me too,” he murmured, before finding my mouth again and kissing me more passionately. His tongue found the gap between my lips and searched out my tongue as our kiss became deeper, more intense and I moaned softly, already wound up from the dream.

  He ran his hand over my breasts, down my body, and in between my thighs. “God, you’re so wet, Tara,” he said breathily, before rolling us so he was on top of me.

  I could see his face in the shadows cast by the street lights outside the window, but it wasn’t enough, so I reached over to the side table and flicked on the lamp. That was better; I needed to see his face clearly with his piercing blue eyes.

  He positioned himself and I lifted my hips to meet him as he entered me. This was what I needed; I needed Riley.

  “I want to see your face,” I breathed into his ear.

  He sat back on his heels so he could look down at me, and I could look up into his eyes. He lifted my hips, adjusting the angle, and my body shuddered as a groan escaped his throat. He circled his hips as he adjusted the depth, his eyes never leaving mine, his fingers digging a little deeper into my thighs. It felt so good; he felt so good. I didn’t want Cole—that was just a stupid dream. I wanted Riley.

  His expression changed and I knew he was getting close. His lips were parted and his eyes grew darker. I focused on them as I felt him moving inside me, the sensation building and building until my body tensed around him. He gave me a little smile, knowing I was ready, and then we felt our release together. He lay down on me again and kissed my lips slowly and softly.

  “I love you, babe,”
I whispered as I snuggled into his chest. Then I looked up at his face. “You have nothing to worry about. You know that, right?”

  He looked down at me and kissed my forehead. “Yes, I know. I love you too, I just don’t know what I would do if I lost you.” He pulled me in tight and kissed my forehead again. “You mean everything to me, Tara.”

  We got up early in the morning and drove to the Yarra Valley wine region to go cherry and strawberry picking. It was something that neither of us had done before, and I’d thought it might be fun. We picked a bucket of each to take to Christmas lunch in a few days, which took us a couple of hours, because for every one that went in the bucket, another two went into our mouths. Then we headed to a winery for lunch and wine tasting.

  The winery itself was breathtaking. We sat out on the veranda overlooking row after row of grape vines with the mountains in the distance, and a fresh breeze cooling what would otherwise have been another hot summer’s day.

  We watched as the last of the hot air balloons came in to land, and I decided to myself that a balloon ride might be a good birthday present for Riley. It was peaceful, and it was the first time since Riley had arrived for this visit that we had both just kicked back and relaxed.

  By the time we left the winery in the late afternoon for the drive home, things between us were back on track, the events of the previous night, and Cole, long forgotten.

  Riley wanted to stop in at a grocery store to buy some chocolate sauce to go with the strawberries, and visions of other things to do with the sauce filled my mind. He gave me a knowing grin when he saw my face, then with a chuckle jumped out of the car to purchase supplies.

  I had to play on Monday night so we called Kelli and Cooper and they met us at the bar early for a beer, before I had to start.

  Marcus held back once again when we entered but I thought he was being silly, so I stepped in and gave him a warm hug and kiss like I always did. I looked at Riley and he was unfazed by the show of affection, shaking Marcus’s hand and giving him a friendly slap on the shoulder.

  Good; that was one little bit of awkwardness solved. If only the Cole issue could be resolved so easily.