Rock Steady

by Dawn Ryder

  “I’m not trying to be a tease,” she sputtered as she struggled to sit up, unbearably conscious of the fact that she was on a bed. “I know it seems like I am…and I’m sorry… I’m just not ready.”

  He was suddenly there with her, surrounding her, embracing her, kneeling in front of her as he pulled her between his knees.

  “I’m being pushy”—he cupped her chin and raised her face so their eyes locked—“and callous…”

  He was only shadow, illuminated in silver lights.

  He trailed his fingers along her jawline, raising gooseflesh across her skin.

  “Let me…try.” His voice was a rumbling whisper. A promise of something she craved. All she had to do was trust.

  She wavered, undecided, as he found the two hair ties in her hair and popped them like they were nothing. She trembled. The strength he had in his fingers was amazing.

  “Let me try…seducing you, Jewel.”

  “Okay…” She wasn’t sure when she decided to mutter the word, only that it came across her lips as she shuddered. God, he smelled good. Her senses were on overload.

  His lips were next to her ear. Her breath caught as he stroked her arms from shoulder to wrist and then back up her sides and across her back until he found the closure of her bra. There was a snap as he undid it, and then he was slipping the straps down her arms and off her completely.

  “Don’t compare yourself to other women. You’re perfect.”

  He cupped her breasts, sending a jolt of awareness through her. “Perfect handfuls.”

  He brushed her nipples with his thumbs, his lips curving as those sensitive peaks drew into hard points beneath the contact. She wanted to close her eyes but was mesmerized by the look on his face. The pure fascination displayed as he palmed her breasts. Saying they were pretty was one thing; the way his features were set made her believe him.

  “So…perfectly responsive.” He lifted his attention to her face. “But I wonder, will they taste as good as they look?”

  Her breath caught again, this time harder, feeling like a rock lodged in her throat.

  “Do you want me to try them?” he asked.

  She’d never pictured herself in a moment when he waited on her whim. It filled her with a confidence she’d never felt before.

  “Yes.” Her voice was a husky whisper.

  His lips thinned before he leaned over, and she felt the brush of his breath against one nipple before he closed his lips around the tender point.

  She shuddered, her eyes closing as she slipped into the moment. It swamped her, covering her as he supported her descent onto the surface of the bed. There wasn’t any further thought about what she wanted. Need ruled.

  So did the desire to offer herself to him. He sucked on her nipple, pulling it, stretching it until she gasped before he released it. He claimed it again, lapping it with his tongue before kissing his way down the side of her breast and up to the peak of her opposite breast. She arched, offering it to him.

  Ramsey purred as he claimed it, his hair teasing her bare skin while he pulled and sucked on her nipple. He released her with a little pop before laying a trail of kisses down her body. He held her, slipping his hands along her sides until he grasped the waistband of her leggings and pulled them down.

  The bed rocked, and she lifted her hips as he dragged the garment free. He ended up on his feet again, standing at the foot of the bed, her leggings dangling from one hand.

  She hugged her knees, completely bare, once again vulnerable.

  “Trust me.” He let her leggings go before placing a knee on the bed again. He didn’t reach for his fly, but slipped his hands up her legs instead.

  The skin-to-skin contact was amazing. She felt doped, and like any addict, craved more. He stopped at her knees, his gaze locked with hers.

  “Trust me not to take what you aren’t ready to give me.”

  It was a promise dearer than any declaration. It also stabbed into her heart. There was no way to shield her feelings from it. He could have overwhelmed her in about two kisses, leaving her his to devour at will.

  She knew it.

  So did he.

  But he was waiting for her to answer him, slowly rubbing his hands down the outside of her thighs and back up to her knees.

  She relaxed back until her elbows were supporting her weight. “I do trust you.”

  There were certainly reasons why she shouldn’t. The only problem was, she couldn’t think. Her brain was operating on a different level now, registering everything as pure sensation. Ramsey cupped her knees and spread them, threatening to fry her senses, but honestly, she didn’t give a shit.

  But now, nothing mattered other than the way his body felt against hers.

  He spread her thighs. It was exhilarating as well as more exposing than anything she’d ever experienced. With anyone else, it would have been an impossible thing to do. She’d have died of shame.

  With Ramsey? It felt like destiny. As though they had been heading for this moment since the second they met. She’d known he’d bend her, always sensed that he’d push her to total submission.

  “God, you smell hot…”

  He hovered over her spread sex, his breath teasing her wet folds.

  “Ramsey.” She started to sit up, curling away from him.

  He pressed her down with one forearm against her belly as he locked his fingers around the curve of her hip. “What? You don’t think I like the smell of your pussy?”

  She flinched and heard him chuckle. He massaged her hip but didn’t move even a millimeter.

  “I do,” he rasped out. He looked up her body, his eyes glittering. “It smells hot and delicious.”

  “Bullshit,” she bit out, feeling like the effort to form her thoughts into words was beyond her.

  He chuckled again. “You don’t know how glad I am to hear you don’t like pussy, baby. That means I won’t have to share you with a girlfriend.”

  He teased the bare mound of her pussy, fingering the smooth skin. “Seeing this bare cleft made me wonder if you’re bi.”

  “I like to swim,” she explained in a breathless whisper that she had a little trouble identifying as her own voice. “It’s just…cleaner.”

  “It’s hot,” he bit out with a rasp in his voice.

  He leaned down and lapped her, throwing her into a torrent of responses that wrung her like a dishrag. Maintaining any sort of composure was impossible. Her eyes closed as he licked her cleft, his tongue so hot, she was fairly sure it was going to leave a burn.

  She writhed beneath him, arching against the sheets and clenching handfuls of the smooth fabric as he spread her labia and tongued her clit. Her cry hit the ceiling, pleasure running like a coiling live current up from her clit to the deepest part of her core. It tightened with every stroke of Ramsey’s tongue. Perspiration popped out on her skin as she arched up, seeking more pressure.

  “I’ll take care of you, baby…”

  His tone was arrogant, hard, like he was, and she wanted him just that way. He leaned down and sucked her clit into his mouth, applying his tongue to it while he held the tender flesh between his lips.

  She cried out and then moaned low and deep as pleasure exploded inside her. It jerked her into a swirling whirlpool of rapture. How long it lasted, she couldn’t say, only that when it ended, she was nothing more than a quivering mass lying on the bed. Lifting her eyelids was too much effort. All she wanted to do was let the lingering delight carry her away into darkness. But she couldn’t be so selfish.

  “You…you didn’t…enjoy—” She fought to open her eyes and found Ramsey crawling up the bed to lie beside her.

  “The hell I didn’t.” He gathered her close, cupping her head to keep it against his chest.

  His pants were still on. She tried to think about why that impressed her, but the sound of his heart was filling her head, lulling her back into slumber. Sleeping in his embrace was by far the most perfect thing she’d ever experienced.

  S
he smelled good.

  Better than good. His cock was throbbing, on the border of pain. He curled his lips back and stroked Jewel’s hair again.

  He wanted to fuck her.

  But it seemed trivial compared to the privilege of holding her.

  * * *

  Ramsey was sleeping in her bed.

  Jewel didn’t have to wipe the sleep from her eyes, and she wasn’t longing for coffee. Nope. Two seconds after waking, she realized she wasn’t alone in the bed. Ramsey wasn’t exactly the sort of guy one overlooked, after all. She ended up looking down at him because she’d sat bolt upright the second her brain absorbed the situation.

  He was stretched out on his back. The morning light made the bar piercing his right nipple gleam, and it made her more aware of the fact that she was nude.

  “The sunlight makes that sheet transparent.”

  She jumped as he spoke. There was a male sound of amusement as he opened his eyes and sat up so he was facing her. She settled back onto her knees, but couldn’t make herself release the sheet. The feel of the fabric between her fingers was too tangible.

  “You still have your pants on.” It was a stupid thing to say. She felt her cheeks burning the second the words were past her lips.

  He smiled at her, flashing his teeth. “Don’t sound so surprised.”

  The bed rocked as he rolled over and landed on his feet beside it. “I’m not such a dick that I insist on having an even exchange.”

  He meant it. He was six and a quarter feet of raw male. Hard, leather-wearing badass, and his words charmed her. Her eyes burned with unshed tears.

  “Don’t take that as any sort of declaration,” he was quick to add. “I’m just…not a complete dick.”

  There was a glimmer of something in his eyes that she had to think about before she realized what it was.

  Fear. Maybe she could be kind and label it uncertainty.

  “Got it,” she said. “And don’t get the idea that I trust you because I let you…”

  “Suck you off?” He was taking cover in his persona once more, only this time, she recognized the tactic.

  “Tantalize you?” he pressed when she didn’t give him a rise.

  “Hold me,” she said softly. “If I wanted sex, it wouldn’t be too hard to find it. You don’t have an exclusive on that.”

  Surprise registered on his face. Jewel seized the moment, releasing the sheet, and it fluttered down and left her bare. She kept her chin level, realizing she didn’t feel exposed by her nakedness, only by the way he made her feel so deeply.

  “Excuse me. I think I want a shower before we clear out. Seattle next?” She stood up, marveling at her newfound confidence level.

  He nodded.

  She left him standing next to the bed. He watched her go, and she was pretty sure she felt his dark gaze singeing her back as she went toward the bathroom and disappeared behind a wall.

  The moment she did, her knees turned to jelly, and she ended up leaning against that same wall as her heart beat at a frantic pace.

  What the hell did she think she was doing?

  Well, that was it in a nutshell, wasn’t it? With Ramsey, she lost the ability to think.

  But at least he wasn’t being a dick about it.

  That thought warmed her. It burst inside her chest like a tightly condensed bundle of happiness. She was partially giddy as she flipped on the shower, brushing her hair out while she waited for the water to warm up.

  He’d held her.

  She was surprised and awed.

  And on the brink of trusting him to introduce her to passion.

  * * *

  Seattle, Washington, had the Space Needle.

  Jewel Googled the city highlights as she sat in the motor coach. She was getting better at reading while the vehicle was in motion. She made it an hour before nausea claimed her and she crawled into the bunk for a nap.

  Ramsey’s comment about getting enough rack time on the road suddenly made sense. There wasn’t a whole lot to do, since she wasn’t driving. But it was the only way to move the stage equipment. She was gaining personal insight into the workings of a major concert. It was fascinating and far more work than she’d ever realized. Rock stars worked hard, like the rest of the world.

  Ramsey also had a heart.

  That revelation kept her company along the miles. She was happy and scared too. It drew her toward him while her common sense screamed at her to notice just how dangerous a road it was.

  Hearts don’t listen…

  Ramsey wasn’t any happier about that than she was.

  She giggled at the thought and decided maybe, just maybe, she’d share it with him later.

  * * *

  “This so fucking rocks!”

  Jewel sat back as her customer looked over his new ink. Tom was a veteran with Toxsin. He’d signed on to run the sound-mixing board years before the band had made it to the top of the charts. He turned his arm over, using a mirror to get a good look at the tattoo she’d done for him. This was a service one, with an American flag and an eagle.

  “Drake, man…I owe you,” Tom said as he passed Drake, who was leaning in the doorway of the meeting room the crew had set up as a studio for her.

  “Keep it out of the sunlight for three weeks…and clean.” Jewel stressed the last word.

  Tom turned and gave her a mock salute. He disappeared, Drake falling into step with him.

  “So, now that the work is done”—Kate appeared in the doorway—“is it girl time?”

  Jewel grinned. “If there is food involved, you’re on.”

  Syon’s wife smiled. “Food and shopping.”

  Jewel grabbed her bag and punched off the lights on the way out of the room. Most of the crew was kicking back after a day of stage building and sound checks. Their work wasn’t done. They’d be at it again in the morning. But there was music going at the other end of the floor, where one of the suites had been opened up as a party room. Hotel staff was arriving with food, and drinks were flowing.

  Syon Braden looked up as Kate came into sight. He disengaged himself from the crew he’d been talking with and came down the hallway toward his wife.

  “I’m going to spend as much of your money as possible,” Kate informed him.

  “Hmm…” he growled softly as he leaned down and pressed a hard kiss against her lips. She wiggled, but he held her and kissed her for a long moment before allowing her to get away.

  “Buy something lacy,” he said, looking behind her at Yoon. The bodyguard shared a look with Syon before Kate reached over and grabbed Jewel by the wrist.

  “Come on… Let’s make our escape. I think the testosterone levels in here might be toxic.”

  “Possibly,” Jewel agreed.

  They ended up in the elevator, heading down to the ground floor. Yoon was with them, and another man who looked just as deadly as the Asian bodyguard.

  “This is Steven,” Kate said, introducing the stranger. He offered Jewel a nod.

  “Ramsey and Taz are feeling protective of you after your little run-in back in Portland,” Kate explained.

  “What?” The doors opened, the two bodyguards exiting first.

  Kate shrugged. “Trust me, you can argue, but you are never going to win, especially now that you and Ramsey are involved.”

  “We’re not involved,” Jewel said.

  Kate shot her a questioning look.

  Jewel felt her cheeks heat. “You guys are like some weird medieval clan who knows everybody’s business.”

  Kate laughed as they made their way past the entry doors. Outside, the paparazzi waited.

  “Kate, are you pregnant?”

  “Jewel, are you Kate’s lover?”

  The cameras flashed as Yoon and Steven closed the doors of a limousine to give them privacy.

  “We all live in one another’s back pockets during concert season,” Kate offered with a shrug. “So everyone knows Ramsey spent the night in your room.”

  “We didn’t h
ave sex,” Her cheeks caught fire as her memory offered up exactly what they had shared. Kate didn’t miss it either.

  “I’m a virgin,” Jewel spat out. It was a defensive move, and it backfired.

  Kate’s mouth dropped open. “Ramsey deserves more credit than I thought.”

  Jewel drew in a deep breath and let it out. “Well, he doesn’t like hearing anyone tell him he’s got a good heart. Just remember, I warned you.”

  “Oh, that I know,” Kate said. “The first month I was on tour with these guys, we tangled.”

  “Yeah?”

  Kate nodded.

  “How did you end up on tour with Toxsin?”

  It was a safe topic and a fun one. Kate’s eyes glittered with merriment as she launched into a tale of torn pants, a partner who was too scared of heights to get into a helicopter, and Syon Braden ambushing her into joining the tour to keep the band in leatherwear.

  By the time she’d finished, the limo had slid quietly up to the main entrance of an upscale shopping mall. Kate happily bounded through the doors while Jewel hung back, sure there was a surcharge just for entering. But Kate’s bubbly personality was infectious. Jewel was drawn into their expedition, even when it ventured to the top floor where the designer-label dresses were. Here there were plush chairs to sit in while waiting, and racks of unique feminine apparel that delighted the senses with their style and crafting.

  Jewel indulged herself by trying on a sapphire-blue dress that gave her heart palpitations when she glanced at the price tag. The moment she left the dressing room, the style specialists brought over shoes and even an expensive leather purse that matched the dress perfectly.

  “That makes you look like a million bucks,” Kate said from where she was standing on a viewing box with three full-length mirrors surrounding her.

  “You too,” Jewel responded. Kate had on a cotton dress that complemented her red hair.

  “It needs alterations.” Kate pulled on the middle of the dress. “I wish I had your bustline. I always have to get a size bigger.”

  “Please…” Jewel responded. “I’m the girl stuffing tissues in her bra because I think I should look like you.”

  A tailor arrived, claiming Kate’s attention. Jewel used the moment to escape to the dressing room. She took one last longing look at herself before she took the dress off and hung it carefully back on the hanger. She left it in the dressing room.