by Jayne Frost
“What are you talking about?” I reached into my pocket, throwing a twenty on the bar for a tip.
“I’ll say this: she was pretty.” Sipping her drink, she gave me a sidelong glance. “But she wasn’t really your type, was she, Cam? I mean, she actually spoke in full sentences. Even had a few witty comebacks. It threw me a little.”
My stomach flipped. Lindsey had spoken to Lily at the rehearsal. I never did find out what that was all about, but the burning in my gut told me it wasn’t good.
“Oh yeah?” Grabbing one of the shots off the tray the bartender placed in front of me, I downed it. “What were the two of you chattering about?”
“Not much. I just told her to enjoy herself.” Meeting my hard gaze, she took the red swizzle stick from her drink and swept her tongue over it. “While it lasts…”
While it lasts?
“Groupies…they all think they’re ‘the one.’” Lindsey snorted. “I told her to make sure she got cab fare tonight.” Her gaze drifted to where Candy sat waiting across the room. “It’s a good thing.”
“She’s not even here, Lindsey.” I wished she were here. I wanted her to be here.
“Sure she is. I saw her ten minutes ago on the dance floor.” Looking blandly at the partygoers outside the velvet rope, she dropped her swizzle stick back into the glass. “I figured you and your new friend chased her out of the VIP area.”
The Jack splashed over the shot glasses when I dropped the tray on the bar. “It wasn’t her. She doesn’t even know where I am.”
Lindsey’s brow arched. “Of course she does.”
“How would she—“ As I whipped my head toward the dance floor, Lindsey’s lilting laughter cut me off cold.
“I had to tell her.” She waved her hand dismissively. “In case she was lucky enough to be photographed with you again, I wanted her dressed appropriately. That outfit she was wearing at the rehearsal was atrocious. And those pink sneakers? Hideous.” A smile curled her lips. “I’m sure they all look the same in the dark, but I can’t have the public thinking you’re banging a homeless girl.”
Looking down at her hand when she patted my chest, I shrank at her touch.
“Don’t give it a second thought.” She sighed. “She’s out of your hair. Let Chad worry about it.”
“What’s Chad have to do with it?”
“He’s the one she was dancing with.” She snorted derisively. “If you could call it dancing. It looked more like he was humping her leg. Chad has no—”
Before she could finish the thought, I was pushing my way through the small crowd, scanning every face. Ignoring Lindsey’s booming voice at my back, I worked my way to the end of the VIP area. The blood pounding in my ears drowned out the music. Gripping the railing, I searched the dance floor, spotting Chad Dyer’s tangled mess of black hair. He was the drummer for Crimson Five, a D-list boy band that somehow made its way on the ticket when one of the more seasoned groups dropped out of the tour.
I could barely make out the shape of the girl he was hunched over. My blood heated under my skin, scalding my insides, when I saw Lily’s long, blond hair whipping from side to side as Chad shimmied down her body.
Seth grabbed my arm when I shoved past the velvet rope.
“What’s up?” he said, alarm written all over his face. “Cam—”
Shrugging out of his grip, I waded into the crowd, spotting the pretty boy’s mess of wavy, black hair ten feet away. Chad had Lily pressed against him, one arm snaked around her waist while he waved the other over his head like a douche. My fists clenched reflexively at my sides as I took the last few steps.
“Get off her!” I grabbed Chad’s shoulder and yanked him backward.
Lily teetered on five inch heels, lurching forward as she tried to get her balance.
“W-what the hell?” She whipped her head around when I pulled her to me, digging her nails into my forearm.
“Hey, Cameron.” Chad looked at me in surprise. “What’s up, man?”
“Let me go,” Lily slurred, squirming out of my grip and nearly falling on her face.
She swayed in front of me, her confusion deepening as her unfocused eyes squinted at me.
Turning a heated glare to Chad, I stepped forward, towering over him. “Did you give her anything?”
His eyes went wide. “No way. We were just dancing.” He lifted his chin indignantly. “I didn’t do shit, man. I don’t need no roofie to get a chick.”
My head snapped at the first flash from the cell phone camera. Several more flashes quickly followed.
Fuck.
Lily crumbled against my side, stumbling as I pushed our way through the tight circle that formed around us, leaving Chad in the center with his mouth hanging open.
“Lemme go.” Swiveling her head back to the dance floor, she squirmed in my arms. “I wanna dance some more!”
“Calm down,” I growled in her ear, pushing her through the front door.
“You!” Breaking free from me again, she turned, pointing her finger at me. “W-what the fuck is your p-problem?”
Looking down at my shoes when a couple walked past us, I waited for the door to slide shut before I grabbed her wrist. “What is your problem?”
Pulling her toward the stairs that led to the taxi stand, I dropped her wrist and nudged her onto the first step. “You’re fucking wasted, Lily.”
Grabbing the railing, she spun around to face me. “So!” Her face crumbled, her chin trembling as she tried to stay upright. “What do you care?”
Reaching forward, I brushed my thumb over the pale pink lipstick smeared at the corner of her mouth. Her lips were warm and soft. Leaning into my touch, her unfocused eyes drifted to half-mast. My hand slid to the back of her neck, which was damp and cool with sweat.
I pulled her mouth to mine. Her tongue tasted like sweet peppermint as she made a clumsy attempt to drag it from mine when I dove in. Fisting my shirt, she gave in, deepening the kiss until she had to pull away for air. I held her there, my lips hovering an inch from hers.
“I care, Lily.”
Chapter 15
Reeling back, Lily shoved me with her small fists. “Don’t lie to me, Cameron.” She held her arms stiff as she swayed in front of me. “I-I came…I came to find you. I begged someone to cover for me at the bar. Begged.” She snorted, a bubble of wry laughter erupting from her chest. “I’ll p-probably lose my job. And your manager t-tells me you b-brought a date.” Her knees wobbled, and she dropped to the step, mumbling incoherently.
Kneeling down in front of her, I put my hands on her knees, holding them there while she clumsily tried to push them away.
“Look at me, Lily.”
Shaking her head dramatically, she swayed even as she sat.
“Baby, please just look at me.”
Her head jerked up, her eyes narrow and unfocused.
“I didn’t bring a date. I wasn’t here with anyone.” I smoothed her hair. “Lindsey didn’t tell me you were here. Why didn’t you tell me you had to work?”
She looked confused at the question.
“I-I don’t know.” Shrugging, she hiccupped. “Embarrassed.”
Her eyes were softer now, and she stopped trying to push me away. Reaching around her waist, I pulled her up. She giggled, burying her face in my neck.
“Come on, drunk girl.” I chuckled. “I’m taking you home.”
Clinging to my side, she made it two steps before she whipped her head around.
“I’m going to kick that b-bitch’s ass!”
Lifting her off the ground, I pulled her closer.
“Later, baby—let’s get out of here.”
Kissing her again, I distracted her long enough to get us up the stairs. She didn’t need to worry about killing Lindsey. I was going to do that myself. Since Lindsey wasn’t human, I doubt anything but a stake to the heart would kill her. So firing her would have to do.
Forgoing the cabstand, I waved down one of the many cabs circling the clubs. I j
umped inside and pulled Lily in after me. She threw her leg over mine, nuzzling my neck.
“Baby, give me your address.” My eyes nearly rolled to the back of my head when her tongue slid in my ear. “I need to give the cab driver your address.”
Before you pass out.
Giggling, she bit down on my earlobe. “Let’s have sex,” she said in a surprisingly clear and very loud voice.
The cab driver’s eyes met mine in the rearview mirror.
“Inside voice, darlin’—give me your address.”
“Hm…sixty-six-oh-six Maple…Mapleshade Lane,” she huffed. “Now can we have sex?”
Dissolving into a fit of laughs, she pushed her hand under my shirt.
“Did you get that?” I asked the cabbie, trying to keep her hand from going any higher, or God forbid, any lower.
He nodded, turning the volume up on the radio. His gaze continued to drift to the backseat where I was making a lame attempt to fight Lily off. She might have been oblivious to our surroundings, but I was not. It didn’t stop my hand from sliding up her skirt to cup her ass.
As the miles passed, Lily’s pants became more feverish, her hands more insistent.
“Baby, if you don’t stop,” I growled, “I will tie you up.”
She groaned, digging her fingers into the tender skin on my stomach. Pulling her ear to my mouth, I flicked my tongue over her earlobe. “And I won’t fuck you.”
She quit squirming. Stopped right on the spot. Whatever drunken haze had overtaken her, the threat made it to her foggy brain.
“Patience, baby.” I chuckled.
Lily’s head popped up when we came to a stop in front of her apartment complex. Reaching in my wallet, I pulled out the fare and a generous tip before grabbing Lily’s hand.
“Bye!” she said to the driver, sliding forward on the seat.
Her skirt rode up high enough to give me a nice view of her pale pink panties when she stepped out. Groaning inwardly, I smoothed her skirt before wrapping my arm around her waist and guiding her up the path.
Snuggling into my side as we walked, she tripped over her heels, nearly bringing us both down in a heap. Another fit of laughter overtook her. It was either carry her or risk a broken ankle.
“Please tell me you don’t live on the third floor.” Crouching over, I looked up at her. “Get on my back. I want to get you there in one piece.”
“I can walk!” she protested, swaying in her spot.
“Just do it, Lily.”
Standing around and arguing was not nearly as much fun as what I planned to do when I got her inside. She climbed on my back and cinched her legs around my waist. Sticking one hand in the collar of my t-shirt, she scored her nails across my chest and bit my neck. More than a few of her inhibitions were tossed out the window.
“I swear, Lily. I will tie you up if you don’t quit.” I trudged toward the first group of lights. Telling her I wouldn’t fuck her was not only a lie. It was a damn lie. It would be a miracle if we made it to her front door and a bigger miracle if we made it to a bed. “Where am I going?”
“Left,” she squealed. “Go left.”
Pointing at the second door in the alcove, she slid off my back when I stopped in front of the door. She kicked the mat and dropped to one knee when she spotted the silver glinting under the porch light.
“Why don’t you carry your key with you?” Taking the key from her hand, I shoved it in the deadbolt and pushed open the door. “That’s dangerous, baby.”
“Nah.” Waving her hand dismissively, she stumbled over the step on the threshold. “My roommate is always losing her keys.”
I stopped in my tracks with one foot inside the door. “You have a roommate?”
A light flicked on in the hallway a few feet away. Lily stepped out of the skirt that was pooled around her ankles.
“Yes, I have a roommate,” she mumbled, fumbling with the buttons on her blouse, “but she’s not here. She’s at her Bobfriend’s. I mean, she’s at Bobby’s, her boyfriend.” Exasperated, she tugged the blouse over her head.
Closing the door, I flipped the deadbolt, dropping the key on the table as I closed the gap between us. She stepped back, her eyes going wide when she saw the look on my face. If she thought she could outrun me, she should have considered removing the fuck-me heels first.
My agitation over seeing her with Chad had all but disappeared, but it flamed up deep in my belly when I saw what she had underneath her clothes. A filmy pink bra and matching panties that were so sheer, she might as well have been naked. Grabbing her ass, I pulled her against me, walking us down the hallway.
“Right or left?” I stopped between the two doors at the end of the hall.
Wrapping her legs around my waist, she clamped down on my neck, waving her arm at the door on the left. I would never advocate drinking as a nightly pastime, considering my sordid family history with alcohol, but Lily was the best kind of drunk right now. She was a fucking animal. Biting and grabbing at me wildly.
Crashing through the door, I grabbed her arms, pulling them from my neck when I felt the bed against my shins. I let her fall against the down comforter and bent over to untie the laces on my boots. She grabbed my hair, pulling me forward until I was inches from her center. The heels of her shoes dug in when she arched her back, pushing her hips towards me.
The light from the hallway filtered in, illuminating one-half of her face. She looked like an angel, all tousled, blond hair and creamy skin. And I knew it was me she wanted. Me she wanted against her skin, tasting her.
Dragging her panties down, I pulled them off one leg and spread her open. She gasped when my tongue dipped insider her, the tip making a trail to her clit. I wrapped an arm around her thigh, holding her in place while I circled her in one frenzied motion. She didn’t pause when the comforter ripped under the pressure of her spiked heel. She was so wet, so ready, I slid two fingers in. The groan that tore through her was on the verge of a scream.
“Faster…Cam…baby…now.”
Riding my hand wildly, she spread her legs to the point I thought her bones would crack. When she started to clench against my fingers, I increased the pace and worked her harder with my tongue.
“Oh, God…oh…God.”
Her upper body came off the bed as she rocked against me. She chanted my name until she shuddered, falling against the mattress with a thud. Her fingers slid out of my hair as I pulled away. She followed me with her eyes, and her chest continued to heave as I stripped off my boots and pulled off my shirt. I took out my wallet and grabbed a condom.
“Come here,” I said through clenched teeth.
She crawled toward me, her eyes shining fiercely.
“Turn around.”
She blinked, rising to her knees.
“Turn. Around.” I bit off the words.
Turning, she glanced at me over her shoulder. Then she smiled, her pink tongue darting to the corner of her lip. She was teasing me. Shoving my jeans to my knees, I tore open the foil wrapper with my teeth and slid the condom on without breaking our gaze.
“Take off your bra, baby.”
I stroked my cock while she reached behind her and unfastened the bra hooks. I caught it before it fell to the floor.
She shivered when I trailed my hands down her arms to her wrists, positioning them behind her.
“Trust me, baby?” I pulled her to me to whisper in her ear.
She nodded without hesitation, arching into me. Kissing her hair, I gave her a gentle nudge. She fell forward, lying perfectly still. Taking both wrists in one hand, I slipped the shoulder strap of her bra over them and bound her loosely.
Using the head of my cock, I teased her entrance until she writhed. I slid in an inch and felt her tugging me. Pulling me from the inside. With a little more force than I expected, I buried myself so deep there was nothing but her. She owned every sensation in my body as I thrust.
Sliding a hand to her clit when I felt my stomach begin to uncoil, I circled he
r quickly with just enough pressure to send her crashing to the bottom.
She called my name, begging me to take all of her. And in that moment, when I clung to her, spilling my release, she stole a piece of me that I could never get back. Or I gave it willingly. Either way, something shifted, and I felt it so intensely I didn’t know whether to run or hold her so tight she could never get away.
Chapter 16
Light poured through the shades of the unfamiliar room as I woke. Propping myself up on my elbows, I took in the surroundings.
Lily’s room. I would recognize the scent anywhere, even if all the drawings on the wall didn’t give it away.
A small desk sat in the corner of the cramped space. Books were strewn on the surface and on the floor beneath. Next to the desk was an easel with a white sheet of drawing paper clipped to the top, the chair in front of it facing the bed. I scrubbed a hand down my face and scratched my stubbly jaw. I needed a strong cup of coffee and a toothbrush. And Lily. Sitting up, I threw my legs over the side of the bed and stepped into my jeans, pulling up the zipper without buttoning them.
Walking over to the single brew coffee pot on the desk, I looked around for the pods, and spotted the still steaming cup of coffee next to the easel. I took a sip. Strong and sweet. My favorite.
Dropping into the chair, I stared at the half finished sketch. A male image, with well-defined muscles, sleeping on his side. Strands of long hair fell over the face. My face. The parted lips. The nose. Even the brows. They were all perfect. Exactly how I would imagine I looked when I slept.
“What are you going to do?” a muffled female voice asked beyond the door.
“I don’t know…I’m…Oh, God. I don’t know.”
It was Lily. And she was crying. I jumped out of my seat, moving to the door. My hand was poised on the knob when a phone rang.
“It’s my mom,” Lily breathed. “Should I answer?”
“You’ve got to answer, sweetie,” the female voice sighed. “She won’t give up.”
“H-hello. Hi, M-mom. No—yes, it’s me.” She sniffed. Another voice rang in the room, fainter. Lily must have put the phone on speaker.