by Tara Andrews
“Incredible.” His breath skimmed her neck before he planted a kiss below her ear. “I don’t think one night will be enough with you.”
It would have been a beautiful sentiment, if regret hadn’t laced the words.
Chapter Five
Rachel tensed in his arms. Had he said the wrong thing?
Leaving his embrace, she started to dress. With her beautiful ass covered in lace again, she stepped into the ring of her gown and pulled it off the floor. The fabric slid up her long legs, covering her flushed skin and rosy nipples. Was she leaving? He slipped behind the wet bar and disposed of the condom into the wastebasket under the counter.
“We still have a long while before morning.” He fastened his pants before joining her near the fireplace.
She nodded. “About that….”
“You’re not going to stay?”
She remained quiet for a few seconds before offering a hesitant reply. “I don’t know.”
He had never begged a woman to stay with him before, never needed to. Or, wanted to. But he couldn’t let her walk out now. “What happened? A second ago you didn’t seem ready to leave.”
“You reminded me it’s only for one night. I knew that, but hearing you say it made me feel….”
“What?”
“Cheap.”
The word punched him in the gut. “That was never my intention. And I didn’t mean to imply it either. Honestly, it shouldn’t have taken this Madame Evangeline to bring us together. I didn’t find you by accident earlier. You have to know that.”
“But if it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t be here right now. I would never have followed you to your room like some groupie.”
“No, you wouldn’t. And contrary to popular belief, a woman needs to interest me on a more substantial level other than to simply be willing.” Unable to deny the urge to touch her, he ran a hand down her arm, lacing their fingers together.
“We just met.” Her wary eyes softened. “And you made it clear you didn’t like that I’d switched places with Sasha last night.”
“No, I didn’t.” He wouldn’t lie to her, no matter how much he wanted her to stay. “I don’t agree with what you did. But I think your intentions were good. You weren’t doing it to be greedy, or trying to hurt anyone.”
Her glance slid to the fireplace. “Even if I liked it?”
The soft admission took him by surprise. He laughed and hugged her to him. She came readily, her head resting against his shoulder. “Yes, even if you liked it. That’s not why you did it, though. You were trying to help your sister. Am I right?”
“I wish I hadn’t done it. Sasha was so sick and had to be on stage in minutes. We didn’t have any time to figure something else out. We were only thinking about the charity, not wanting it to suffer. People flew in from all over the world to be there and paid a small fortune for a ticket. I thought, ‘It’s two songs, and it’s not being televised. It’ll be fine.’ Or, at least, Sasha made it seem that way.”
“And now there are rumors already.” Again, she nodded, and something wet glided down his chest. He tilted her head. “Don’t cry.” He rubbed her cheeks with his thumbs, cupping her jaw so she couldn’t look away.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing to me?”
“Because I can’t say it to anyone else, and I need to.” She took a shuddering breath. “We’re going to get caught. I don’t know what’s going to happen then.”
He didn’t know, either. He hated to admit it, but being involved with her might not be a great idea. What an ass that made him, but he had to think of Kelsey first. At the end of the day, he was a single parent. Aside from singing and playing guitar, he didn’t have many other employable skills, so he couldn’t jeopardize the career he did have.
But, he couldn’t let Rachel face it alone either. With her blue eyes staring at him and her warm, recently loved body pressed against his, he didn’t want to let go. His heart beat in a way it hadn’t in a long while. As if resurrected from three years of pain and grief, it opened to allow someone in. It started to live again.
“What’s going to happen is, I’m going to take you to the bedroom and do my best to make you forget all of this until morning.”
Standing on her tiptoes, she slid gentle fingers over his shoulders. “A wonderful idea,” she whispered before placing a kiss on his jaw.
The subtle scent of sex mixed with her perfume surrounded him. He bent his head, tucking his nose against her neck, and inhaled. “You’re dressed again. We need to change that.”
“Then let’s go.” She stepped out of his arms and led the way.
A couple feet into the bedroom, she undid the clasp at the back of her neck. Like a falling curtain, the dress floated to the floor. Flashing the red bottoms of her shoes at him, one by one, she flicked the heels off, reducing her height by four inches, at least.
At the bed, she turned to face him, an invitation for him to join her lighting her eyes. But, first, like a man dying of thirst, he drank in the sight of her. The room’s rich earth tones were a perfect complement to every inch of the sun-kissed skin he wanted to touch and taste. A single lamp shed a soft glow over the room, giving her hair golden highlights. She crawled onto the bed and, despite his already having had her a short while ago, his shaft hardened.
She stretched her lean form across the ivory duvet. Propped up on her elbows, she lay on her belly, legs bent and ankles crossed, and raked her gaze over him. “You’re overdressed.”
Like a goddess, she wanted to watch him undress. Mark smiled and undid the button below his navel. Removing his pants and shoes wouldn’t be nearly as sexy as when her dress had floated off her, but her lips parted, and she watched his every movement.
The cool air did nothing to diminish the desire burning through his veins. He approached the bed, and she shifted onto her side to greet his lips with hers when he closed in. The mattress dipped from his weight, and their bodies sank into the plush covers. He encouraged her to lie back, his arms under her, holding her. And he didn’t think he ever wanted to let go. Having her beneath him, in his embrace, a pang shot to his heart. It had been so long since he’d allowed more than a single fuck at a time to keep himself sane. Purely physical, and hardly satisfying in the long run.
He released her mouth and trailed a line of kisses from her jaw to her breasts. The first time around, he hadn’t given them nearly enough attention. Pulling a nipple into his mouth, he swirled his tongue around the hardened peak, eliciting a groan from her. She wrapped her legs around him, bringing her hips up to rub her pussy against his stomach. Need rode him hard, too, but he didn’t want to rush. He wanted to taste every inch of her while he had the chance.
Mark maneuvered lower, brushing his lips and nose along the silken skin of her belly. She trembled under the light touch, her knees squeezing his sides. His foot collided with one of the bed’s half-dozen plush pillows, and a couple of kicks sent most of them flying to the floor, allowing him more room to kneel.
With half-lidded eyes, she peered up at him, her lush lips parted. God, she’s beautiful. Then she ran her calf against his ass, snapping him out of his reverie. In a smooth movement, he stripped off her underwear. Hooking her legs over his elbows, he lifted her ass off the bed. After placing a kiss to her inner thigh, he swiped a tongue over her core, tasting the sweetness. She pushed up, closer to his mouth in a silent bid for more, a request he had no problem fulfilling.
He licked and savored until she writhed. Soft sounds accompanied her pleas for him not to stop, driving him crazy. His erection almost painful, he needed relief soon.
Real soon.
Finally, she tensed. A hand fisted in his hair at the same time she cried out.
When she released her hold, he lowered her to the bed and retrieved a condom from the end table where he’d found them stashed earlier. Before he could tear open the packet, she pulled him in for a scorching kiss. He cupped her face, devouring her offered mouth.
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br /> Then she pushed on his chest with a gentle hand, ending his feast. “You promised me I could touch all I wanted, later. It’s later.” She grabbed the single pillow that had survived his clearing off the bed and placed it under his head. “My turn.” As much as the delay was killing Mark, his chest tightened and excitement churned low in his gut at her naughty smile.
He welcomed her weight when she straddled his thighs, and didn’t resist when she plucked the condom from his fingers. After tossing it on the bed beside her, she explored—a soft caress traced the dragon’s head while the other stroked the words on his side.
“This is my favorite song.”
It had been his, too, and he’d been so proud of it when he’d written it. All about life’s ups and downs, “Beautiful Ride” no longer meant the same to him as it had when it was first recorded. He hadn’t really known what hardship and tragedy were, then. Losing Claire had changed all that.
Mark’s smile faltered and his gaze left hers. She hadn’t meant to mention anything painful, but she understood demons must be riding him right then.
“I could spend the whole night touching you.” Longer. Forever. “Tasting you.” She scooted down and sucked a nipple into her mouth, giving it a gentle bite. His quick intake of breath told her she’d regained his attention completely. Then she knelt between his legs and circled the tip of his cock with her tongue.
He grabbed her hair and encouraged her to look up. “Easy. I’m so close already.”
She retrieved the foil packet and ripped it open. “You owe me more playtime, again. Later.” And she’d be sure to collect on the debt before their night ended. She rolled the condom over his length, enjoying how Mark’s lips compressed and his eyelids drifted shut.
Rachel straddled him again, his shaft now positioned at her entrance. Braced against his chest, she lowered. Holding her by the waist, he thrust, filling her. Surprised by the quick, but welcome, invasion she screamed his name. Mark responded with an increased pace. She caught up with him, matching his movements, rising and falling on his shaft, seeking another climax. Then his fingers were between them, seeking her clit, flicking it in a merciless bid to encourage her to come.
The familiar warmth began to build and spread, every nerve ending hypersensitive and all connected to her core. His touch coaxed her to the breaking point, until the orgasm raced through her. All the while he continued to surge into her, holding her steady until he ground out his own relief. He caught her when she collapsed against him, brushing his lips against her temple.
Her eyes grew heavy.
“You can’t fall asleep on me.”
“What? I’m not. Just closing my eyes for a second.”
His laughter rumbled in his chest. “No, seriously, I need to get up for a sec.”
“Oh.” She pushed away and looked down at him, her hair forming a curtain around their faces. He kissed her, grasping her nape and rolling her over to change position.
“I’ll be right back.” He slid off the bed, giving her a mighty fine view of his ass as he made his way to the bathroom.
She got up, too, planning to take a turn when he got out.
Not as comfortable as Mark walking around naked, she headed into the living room, snagged his shirt, and put it on. It almost reached her knees, and she had to roll each sleeve several times, but she felt ridiculously erotic wearing it.
Mark was sitting on the bed, thumbing his iPhone, when she re-entered the bedroom. Satisfied with the double take her appearance earned, she blew him a kiss before closing herself in the bathroom.
She still hardly believed her dream had come true. Sure, her sister was a pop star, but that didn’t mean Rachel lived the life of a celebrity. Although knowing Sasha as well as she did gave Rachel an insight relatively few had. Stars were people, too. Shocker. Because of that, only a select few still managed to leave her star-struck. Mark definitely fell into that category. At least he had at the beginning of the evening.
Now…. Now she feared she’d crave him for the rest of her days. Not for his music or because he was famous. In fact, she doubted she’d be able to listen to him for a long while. No, her desire for him ran deeper. Probably always had.
Freshened up, she checked her image in the mirror. Her makeup was gone, her hair flat, but damned if she could do much about it. She blamed him for her state, anyway. The thought brought a smile to her lips as she left the bathroom.
She found Mark propped against the headboard, a sheet hiding the most interesting part of him. Well, not true—he had a lot of interesting parts. When she arrived at the bed, he remained reclining, but slid a palm under the shirt to grasp her waist.
“You’re beautiful in my clothes.” A lazy caress traveled down to her ass and back up.
She couldn’t resist teasing. “And how do I look in my own clothes?”
“Stunning. Lovely. Gorgeous.”
Rachel joined him on the bed and straddled him again. “You certainly have a way with synonyms.”
Mark laughed. “It’s still true.”
“Thanks.” She touched his dragon tattoo. “Why did you choose this?”
He gave the tat a quick glance and adjusted higher against the headboard. She made to move, but he held her still. “Growing up, I got into my fair share of trouble. Nothing too serious. Stupid kid stuff because my mom worked two jobs, and I had an attitude and way too much time on my hands. One day, I got into a fight with this kid outside my building. My mom wasn’t home, of course, and all these adults just stood around watching. But, finally, one of our neighbors came out to break it up.”
“Were you winning?”
His warm caress trailed across her stomach and leg. “I can honestly say I was grateful he came when he did.”
She laughed at Mark’s candid response then bent to give him a quick kiss.
“Nice. Anyway, I had seen this guy around plenty, but he stuck to himself pretty much. Almost always had a guitar case with him, which I thought was cool. He took me to his apartment and bandaged me up before my mom got home. Lectured me the whole time, too. But I was more interested in the guitars he had out. At least ten of them were propped on stands around his living room.”
“You didn’t play at that point?”
He shook his head. “You kidding? We could barely afford food back then, any extras were out of the question. And my mom didn’t have time to take me to lessons or games anyway.”
“Sounds like she worked really hard to take care of you.”
“Yeah, she did.” The sadness in his tone washed over her and her heart squeezed. He must not share the story often.
“How old were you?”
“About thirteen. This guy, his name was Patrick McGuire—”
“Was?”
Mark nodded. “He died about five years ago. At least he got to see how all his hard work paid off. The day of the fight, he started teaching me to play. Even gave me my first guitar, an old hand-me-down acoustic, for my birthday a few months later. He always said I had a natural talent for music. If it weren’t for him…. Well, let’s just say I’ve seen how some of the kids from that old neighborhood wound up. I would have headed in the same direction. Not pretty.”
“And the tattoo?” she reminded.
“Oh, yes. Pat had a dragon tattoo. Smaller and a different style, but I had to have one, too. So, after my first paying gig, I blew all the money on this.” He laughed, though it sounded hollow. “Never seen my mom so mad in my entire life. And that’s saying a lot.”
Rachel could imagine how Mark had wanted to emulate the only father figure he had. Could also imagine why his mother had been so mad. She’d never known he’d had it so hard as a child. Or, how much he’d lost. It had been all over the papers that his mother had passed away right after his first number-one song. And, of course, Rachel also knew he’d lost his wife years later. But she hadn’t realized he’d also lost his mentor.
“I’m sure she eventually forgave you.”
“Yes, eventu
ally.” Mark’s smile turned more genuine.
Rachel explored the ridges of his abdomen with a light touch. “You’re mighty fine, Mr. Travis.” In a single move, he reversed their positions. Landing on her back, she stared up at him.
“And so are you, Miss Turner.” He kissed her. Deeply. Consuming her, leaving her breathless. “Anything else you’d like to know?” he asked when he released her.
She ran her fingers through his dark hair. “Everything.” The soft wish came out on a sigh.
Chapter Six
Rachel fought away confusion as the ringing of the hotel phone intruded upon her dreams. And, boy, what a great fantasy. She reached over to answer the call, her muscles rebelling in new ways. A running shower in the distance brought her some clarity.
Oh, not a dream!
The phone rang again, and she answered, just as a woman’s voice said, “Here’s your daddy.”
“Hello, Daddy.”
Rachel shot into a sitting position, yanking the covers over her naked breasts. Her heart raced, and she didn’t know what to say, or how Mark would react knowing she’d answered his daughter’s call.
“Uh, no. Your dad can’t come to the phone right now.” She clasped a hand to her forehead. How lame!
“Who’s this?” the little girl asked, immediately followed by another voice asking, “Who are you talking to?”
“Hi. Kelsey, right?” She knew Mark’s seven-year-old daughter’s name from interviews. And Wikipedia. And the bio on his website. I really am lame.
“Yes.”
“I’m a friend of your dad.” After some scuffling on the other end, the older woman asked for the phone, followed by a very stubborn, no from Kelsey.
“I wanted to call last night because I had a nightmare, but Grandma wouldn’t let me. She said it was too late.”
A moment of guilt crept in. Perhaps Mark would have called his daughter if he hadn’t been otherwise occupied. Then, Rachel reasoned, after midnight, he probably wouldn’t. “I’m sorry to hear you had a nightmare.”