by Anthology
Aubrey laughed and nodded. Maybe she would pick up a Wanderslut shirt for her after the show. Her mother was clearly a convert.
The swell of voices heightened as the lights on stage started to blink again, and the smoke machines fired up. Aubrey’s front row seat allowed her the advantage of seeing the darkened figures sneak back onto the stage under the cover of smoke. If not for the security guards in front of her, she could reach out and touch Lex’s shoe. She knew the drill, but when the drums started pounding, she couldn’t help but feel the excitement and energy course through her. Her own voice joined the chorus of “Wanderlust” chants.
When the spotlights blasted on, her eyes immediately focused on Lex. Luscious and dark and pouring his soul into the song. Just like the first moment she’d laid eyes on him at that club. Only this time, he was hers, and she was his. Lex crouched at the edge of the stage and met her gaze. A smile peeked from behind the microphone. The girl to her right shoved in front of her to get closer to the stage.
“Hey,” Aubrey said, as the girl elbowed her.
The woman turned her head and gave Aubrey a dismissive look. “He was singing to me, not you.”
“I’m sure,” Aubrey yelled over the music then laughed. She was glad that the female audience members didn’t know who she was. They might rip her to pieces with their hot pink fingernails.
The song ended and Lex moved to the center of the stage, motioning for the crowd to quiet. Of course, doing so was like asking a freight train to be silent. The deafening noise dropped a few notches on the Richter scale, but the energy still thrummed through the audience.
Lex held his hand above his eyes to shield them from the bright lights and scanned the arena. “The last time we were in New Orleans, the crowd was a bit smaller than this.” He grinned. “I can’t tell you how much we appreciate you guys supporting the second album. We never expected this kind of reception.”
The fans cheered in response.
“And I also want to compliment your city because da-yum,” he said, shaking his head. “This town has some of the sexiest women I’ve ever seen.”
The pitch of the screams turned sharper and decidedly more feminine. Aubrey smirked. That line worked every time, in every city.
“In fact,” Lex continued. “When I was here last, I took a body shot off a chick from the audience who was goddamned spectacular.”
Aubrey blushed and glanced toward her mother, but Ella only quirked an eyebrow at her.
“So, I was thinking,” Lex said, mischief creeping into his voice. “That I might try that again. Only this time, I need a girl who’s willing to take the body shot off of me.”
Aubrey could barely hear him over the shrieking women in the crowd. The shrill voice of the girl in front of her was enough to make anyone’s ears bleed. She didn’t know what Lex was up to, but if he took some woman up there on stage and let her lick him—well, he was going to have a cold bed to sleep in on the bus. That was for damn sure.
Lex prowled around the stage, smiling and nodding at the fans in the audience, but didn’t select anyone. When he reached the edge of center stage, he winked at her. “How about the smoking hot brunette down there on the front row?”
Aubrey laughed and pointed to her chest, mouthing an exaggerated, “Who me?”
“Yes, you, gorgeous.”
Her mother patted her on the shoulder as she was hoisted on stage by the security guard. Butterflies took root in her stomach and her hands started to quiver. She hadn’t been on stage since that night in the club and that had been a small venue. Being on stage in front of thousands, well, she hoped she didn’t pee her pants.
When her feet were planted firmly on stage, Lex’s arm encircled her waist.
“What are you doing?” she whispered, making sure to keep her mouth next to his ear and away from the microphone.
“Reminiscing,” he whispered back. Then he spoke to the crowd, “Everyone say hi to Aubrey.” The crowd shouted their greeting in unison, and her knees weakened at the sight of so many faces. How Lex stayed so relaxed on stage every night was a wonder to her. He turned to her, but spoke into the microphone. “Okay, Aubrey. Do you know how to do one of these?”
She smirked. “I think I remember.”
“Great,” he said, peeling off his t-shirt. “Let’s do this.”
The sight of his bare skin, glistening with sweat, set the crowd into a screaming frenzy again. Aubrey didn’t blame them. Even though she had nuzzled and tasted every inch of that skin, she hadn’t gotten tired of looking at it.
Lex grabbed her hand and led her to a row of speakers in front of Jared’s raised drum platform. He sat on top of them and then stretched out. Aubrey could see Jared waggle his eyebrows at her, and she smiled.
“Bring on the liquor,” Lex called.
Sean was at her side in a matter of seconds placing a tray next to her that contained all the accouterments that she would need.
“Go easy on him,” Sean whispered. He stepped around her, almost taking her out with the handle of the guitar strapped around his neck. Lex handed him the microphone, and Sean secured it in a mic stand above Lex’s head so that the audience could still hear him. Sean returned to his side of the stage, clapping his hands over his head, encouraging the crowd to join in.
Trying to ignore the fact that her mother along with thousands of other people were watching her, Aubrey leaned down and dragged her tongue across Lex’s hard belly. A rush of warmth replaced her nervousness. She took the saltshaker and sprinkled it over him, the grains sticking to his damp skin.
“Don’t forget the lime,” he said.
She grabbed the wedge and tucked it in his mouth. A hint of something unfamiliar flashed in his eyes.
The corner of Aubrey’s mouth lifted. Was he nervous? How was that even possible? “Ready?”
He nodded.
She lifted the shot of tequila and stared at the glass, knowing it was going to burn like hell, but closed her eyes and tilted it back. Before the singe of alcohol could hit her, she leaned over and licked the salt off Lex. After a moment to savor the taste, she turned to take the lime.
But there was no lime.
Hot alcohol lit up her throat as she stared at the sparkling circle clenched in Lex’s teeth. As her eyes widened, Lex reached out a hand and tucked the lime between her parted lips. She sucked it without even noticing the sourness. Her whole body turned to jelly.
Lex removed the ring from his mouth and sat up.
“Ladies and gentleman,” he said, the microphone broadcasting every word. “I’d like you to meet Aubrey, the love of my life.”
The cheers barely registered over the sound of her own heart pounding in her ears. Lex took the lime from her mouth and eased her onto one of the speakers as he stood.
“Babe, I’ve tried to write a song a hundred times to describe how I feel about you, but some things are just too big to be put into words. Sometimes action is what’s needed. So,” he said, dropping onto one knee. “I wanted to know how you feel about forever.”
He held the diamond ring out to her, the light glinting off its facets.
Tears filled her eyes and the crowd behind him blurred into a sea of colors and sound. Lex, her senseless fling, her rock star, wanted forever.
He wanted it with her.
Cries of “Say yes!” hit her ears, but all she could focus on was the beautiful man in front of her. She raised her shaking hand to him. “Forever works for me.”
The smile he gave her damn near broke her into pieces. He slipped the ring onto her finger and gathered her against him. With the roar of the crowd egging them on and the glare of spotlights shining down, they kissed like they were the only ones in the arena.
THE END
Thank you for reading Wanderlust!
If you want to know more about Pike, the drummer from Darkfall mentioned in the story, look for his book Call On Me, releasing July 7, 1015!
About Call On Me:
Oakley Easton want
s two things: to be a good mom to her daughter and to ditch her less than ideal night job. Hooking up with bad boy drummer Pike Ryland? Not on the agenda. She needs a promotion. Not sex, tattoos and rock ’n’ roll.
Pike isn’t about to let Ms. Prim and Proper shut him down so easily, especially when he stumbles upon Oakley’s sexy night job. She’s only playing a role on those late night calls with strangers, but when he gets her on the line, all bets are off. He won’t stop until that sultry voice is calling his name for real.
But as they move from anonymous fantasies in the dark to the flesh-on-hot-flesh reality of the bedroom, the risk of falling in love becomes all too high. And the safe, quiet world that Oakley’s worked so hard to create is about to be exposed to the one person who could ruin it all.
About Roni Loren
Roni wrote her first romance novel at age fifteen when she discovered writing about boys was way easier than actually talking to them. Since then, her flirting skills haven’t improved, but she likes to think her storytelling ability has. Though she’ll forever be a New Orleans girl at heart, she now lives in Dallas with her husband and son.
If she’s not working on her latest sexy story, you can find her reading, watching reality television, or indulging in her unhealthy addiction to rockstars, er, rock concerts. Yeah, that's it. She is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of The Loving on the Edge series.
Website: www.roniloren.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/roniloren
Facebook: www.facebook.com/roniloren
Other books by Roni Loren:
Crash Into You
Melt Into You
Fall Into You
Caught Up In You
Need You Tonight
Not Until You
Nothing Between Us
Hot Secrets
Lisa Renee Jones
Hot Secrets
By Lisa Renee Jones
Copyright 2012
Book 1 of the NewYork Times Best Selling TALL, DARK, AND DEADLY
The Tall, Dark, and Deadly series includes:
Book 1: Hot Secrets - Out Now
Book 2: Dangerous Secrets - Out Now
Also available
Book 3: Beneath the Secrets - Out Now
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to the supplier and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. To obtain permission to excerpt portions of the text, please contact the author at [email protected].
All characters in this book are fiction and figments of the author’s imagination. www.lisareneejones.com
The Walker Brothers…
Tall, dark, and deadly, these three brothers run Walker security. Each brother is unique in his methods and skills, but all share key similarities. They are passionate about those they love, relentless when fighting for a cause they believe in, and believe that no case is too hard, no danger too dark. Dedication is what they deliver, and results are their reward.
Get Walker Brother wallpaper at www.LisaReneeJones.com
Prologue
He sat at the Manhattan coffee bar in a dark corner, his back to the wall, his laptop on the wooden table, when the waitress set his coffee down and quickly departed without a word. The oversized white mug rested on a saucer and held plain black coffee. He didn’t believe in flavors and sweet things, unless they came in the form of soft, womanly curves, the kind he liked to have beneath him, on top of him, and then quickly out of the way. Used and disposed of, and therefore incapable of creating problems he didn’t need, or want, in his life.
Discreetly, he snagged the small data stick that the waitress had slipped onto the saucer, popped it into his computer, and took a sip of hot coffee.
A few punches on his keyboard and the image of the familiar auburn-haired female who’d become the reason he lived, the reason he got up every day, along with details of her habits, memberships, likes and dislikes, appeared on the screen. Details on a wire to his offshore account scrolled across the page. His gaze shifted to the table directly across from his, and he almost laughed at the assumption that he could be bought, that he wanted the paycheck offered. This was about so much more than money. Because at that table, so close he could almost smell the vanilla scent of the shampoo he knew she kept on the edge of her shower, was his target, a delicate little flower, even if she didn’t know it, even if she played tough in the courtroom. But she’d know when he was done with her. She’d know, because he was going to tear her apart, one petal at a time, and relish every moment of it, too. He’d profiled her, just as she profiled the suspects in the cases she took to trial for the District Attorney’s office. After all, he didn’t earn the nickname ‘Dirt Diver’ without merit. And just as his target used her suspects' habits, and their perceived weaknesses against them in court, he’d use hers against her. He’d taunt her, announce he was coming for her, and watch her pretend indifference, watch her stupidly stand alone. He was going to touch her world as she’d touched his. Draw out her torture, make her scream his name. Make her beg for her life. And then, and only then, he would kill her.
Chapter One
“What you need is a man.”
Lauren Reynolds groaned at her best friend’s far too loudly spoken suggestion, feeling as if one of the elegant chandeliers of the fancy New York ballroom had just become a spotlight. “Keep your voice down before someone hears you.”
“Touchy, touchy.” Julie chided, her baby blue eyes brimming with as much mischief as the deep V of her sparkling blue gown. “Why do you care what these people think?”
“I have to care, and you know it. These people are my father’s friends and colleagues, who happen to be here to celebrate his birthday. And enough with this ‘you need a man’ stuff you’ve been harping on all week. We can’t all be Marilyn Monroe look-a-likes who can thumb through men like a mailbox full of advertisements. I guess blondes do have more fun and us brunettes are stuck with chocolate and Marie Claire magazines.”
“How very boring.”
“Boring works for me. Between my father’s career and my work, I’m up to my neck with male egos and still sinking.”
Julie set her glass down on one of the several bars in a spacious room with tables filled with delicate finger foods, and plenty of spotlight chandeliers dangling above them. “Finally, we get to the root of the problem. Clearly, you’ve been locked up and sheltered in your daddy’s world too long. You’ve forgotten real men are not politicians.”
“I work for the District Attorney’s office, Julie.” Lauren bristled. “I’m about to go to trial on a murder case with the death penalty on the table, and it won’t be my first. I hardly call that ‘locked up and sheltered.’ And I’m hardly surrounded by nothing but politicians.”
“Oh, please. Not only is the DA an elected position, this particular DA is all about playing the game of politics, and you know that.” Julie studied Lauren a moment, her expression and tone softening before she added, “Look, honey, your lack of male companionship aside, I’m worried about my best friend. You need to get some rest and have some fun. Ever since you started prepping for this trial, you’ve been working around the clock. And before this one, there was another.”
“This one is big,” Lauren argued. “It’s-”
“They’re all big to you,” Julie said. “That’s why you’re getting assigned murder cases, not petty theft cases. You work insane hours without complaint, then pull ‘daughter’ duty like some sort of robot.”
“It’s his birthday, Julie.”
“Tonight I understand,” she said. “It’s the many other functions and I do mean many that he insists you attend, that you need to put a stop to.” She lowered her head and softened her voice. “
You need a life that isn’t his, which brings me back to the ‘hot male’ category of this conversation, and no, I’m not talking the email version.”
“I just got out of a relationship. I don’t need another.”
“You didn’t just get out of anything. You dumped your cheating ex-fiancé, who was hotter for your father’s power than he was you, more than six months ago. And not without bruises to your emotions and your confidence, which makes me want to find the man and give him a good knee to the balls. I’ll just settle for helping you get back on the horse.”
“Julie,” she ground out. “I’m going to hurt you if you don’t zip it.”
“You’re beautiful and sexy,” she said, as if Lauren hadn’t even spoken, “and he made you feel like Ugly Betty when you’re Audrey freaking Hepburn. You need a hot man to carry you away and remind you that you are more than the sum of a courtroom or your father’s career aspirations on your behalf.”
Lauren snorted at that. “With my luck, I’d choose an undercover reporter who’d twist me into some sort of floozy, which would spiral into a scandal for my father.”
Julie’s eyes brightened mischievously and then widened with delight at her own thoughts. “Actually, Lauren, maybe that’s just what you need.”
“What the heck does that mean?” Lauren asked, frowning, pretty sure she knew what was coming. The push. Julie loved “the push,” what she called her closing arguments on anything, in or out of a courtroom.