Which was exactly what she was intent on making sure he didn’t do.
Hand shaking, she slid the key into the slot. The indicator light flashed red so she tried again. Red once more.
“Shit,” she grumbled under her breath and pounded one fist against the door.
All she needed was to escape to her room so she could be alone with her thoughts. The last thing she wanted or needed was to do something idiotic and the longer she was with Rory, the more likely it was that she was going to do something beyond stupid.
She felt his presence hulking over her first, and then his actual shadow second.
“Can I ask you a question?” His voice was dark and husky, and her breath caught in her throat just listening to him.
“Well, it seems like I’ve been locked out of my room.” She punched her fist against the door once more before turning to face the man she was sure was going to be responsible for destroying her both mentally and professionally. “So, I would say that means unless I make a mad dash for the exit, that I’m not really going to have much of a choice.” She crossed her arms defensively. It was easier to keep him at bay and to keep her from jumping his bones the way she had found herself fantasizing about lately.
“Why are you so against the idea of us even trying to make something out of this thing between us? Is it because I’m a musician?”
She looked heavenward. This was the last conversation she wanted to be having. Hell, she couldn’t even bring herself to talk about it with her closest friends or family. She simply looked away, hoping he’d back down.
Fat chance.
He reached forward and pulled the key card from her hand before he pushed past her and slid the card into the reader.
The indicator flashed green and the door propped open. She squinted as she held the door open for a second too long and then glanced over her shoulder. “Are you coming in or not?”
“Yeah.” He said the words coolly, and walked past as casually as if they’d planned it all ahead of time.
It was dark, but she had been staying at the hotel long enough to know the layout of the room by heart. She tossed her heels onto the bed before flipping the lights on.
The sudden flicker of the chandelier overhead blinded her, but she didn’t care as she stepped to the minibar. She was going to need some tequila to get through this conversation.
In the mirror above the minibar, she watched as Rory took a seat on the bed directly behind her. She prepared two shots, one for herself and one for him. He gazed at her curiously as she stepped to him and pushed a shot into his hand.
“Cheers.” She clinked her glass against his and threw it back in one go. Rory did the same and when he was finished, she collected the glass from his hand and set them both down inside the small stainless steel sink.
His gaze continued to follow her as she fumbled nervously to twist the cap back onto the bottle of tequila. When she was finished, she braced her palms against the lip of the bar and exhaled softly.
“I used to date Peter Ebon,” she said slowly, and then cleared her throat and met his gaze through the mirror. “I thought I was in love with him. Gave him everything I had inside me to give, and then I found out he wasn’t who I thought he was.”
She turned to him with a half-assed shrug. “He was a liar. A cheater. A man so high on fame that he either forgot who he was or he let his true colors show. It doesn’t matter though, does it? Now he’s getting married to one of the many woman he cheated on me with.”
“Ouch.” Rory dragged his thumb to his lips, looking anywhere but at Gina. “I’m sorry for bringing it up.”
“It’s okay.” She forced a smile. “It’s not good to hold on to things forever, and it’s good to get it out, I guess.”
She was tired, exhausted, even. Between work, Rory, and Peter’s wedding, she felt as if she had had enough burdens to last for a year. It was fate’s cruel game she was playing and she felt no matter what she did, she was going to come out the loser. She dropped down onto the bed beside Rory and folded her hands in her lap, her skin pressed against the silk of her dress.
“I don’t even know if I would have put myself into that situation if it weren’t for my family,” she continued. “To be honest, I’m not much for fame. I’ve seen a lot of famous people and I know what it does to them.”
“So why him? He was just that charming?” he asked, not unkindly.
She rolled her tongue over her bottom lip, trying to find the best way to explain what it had taken years for her to understand and accept. “It was partially that, I’m sure. Peter was new to fame and I was new to my career. Neither of us knew any better than to mix business with pleasure. But part of it?” She shook her head. “That was all insecurity. Peter was a smart guy with a building fortune and I was a girl who’d always been told her only chance in this world was marrying rich.”
“What do you mean?” Rory asked.
She took a deep breath. “Look, you had Bug. You and Bug did everything together and then you had the band as your brothers. For me, things were a little different. When you are a woman and you have a sister…well, there’s a natural comparison. And when there are only two of you? One has to be the pretty one and one…is not. My sister, Fiona, is brilliant, self assured, everything you could want to be as a woman. And as her younger sister, that mark was just set too high for me to surpass, you know?”
Rory shook his head. “I guess I don’t.”
“Fiona was the smart one. Fiona was the one with the future, so I was…not. I was the future trophy wife. Peter was the perfect man to make that happen and, even after what he did to me…” She shook her head. “It’s like they—my parents, I mean—still blame me for leaving or something.”
Rory turned to her with a frown. “That’s really fucked up.”
“Yeah, tell me something I don’t know.”
“I know you’re apprehensive about us, whatever us is. And…I get it.” He placed a palm on her thigh, stealing her attention. “But I’m not Peter. I very much liked being with you and I don’t see anything wrong with that. That whole business and pleasure thing? It might have been like that with him, but it doesn’t have to be that way with me.”
She scooted away from his touch first and then stood with an exasperated sigh. “It’s about my job, which is to make sure the band is a success.” She combed one hand through her straightened hair that was beginning to curl again and winced. “I might be less-than-successful at love, but I’m a damn great PR specialist and it’s the one thing I have to be proud of.”
“First things first.” He looked up to her with a winning smile. “You’re not terrible at love.”
“Yeah? How do you know that when all the evidence is against me?”
“The evidence is that your ex is a piece of shit and you shouldn’t blame yourself, or allow your family to blame you for what he did.”
She swallowed nervously, knowing she had to run. He was talking sense and it wasn’t just to get into her pants. She was being vulnerable and she hated that, but it was too late to turn back the clocks. She couldn’t even if she tried, because whether it was because she had a moment of weakness or for other reasons, on some level she had let Rory in. And that was a key that was hard to take back once it had been given.
But she couldn’t find it in her heart to regret it right now, because the knot that had been in her chest for days now had started to unfurl at his supportive, sweet words.
“Secondly,” he started, “and I mean this in the least ass-kissing way possible, but I think you’re pretty great.”
She groaned, but her actions betrayed the buzzing of her lips as she dropped down into his lap. Sitting sideways, she felt him caress the small of her back.
“So what do you say, Gina? Me and you…tonight, Gina?”
She froze, feeling a little like a deer in the headlights.
God, she wanted to. So badly. But wouldn’t it make things all the more difficult down the line? Rory was still the
band’s big hope for a heartthrob and she wouldn’t risk that.
And still…
“One more time,” she said, all the while knowing those three words were the second most dangerous three words in all of existence, behind those other three she refused to even think out loud.
Chapter 15
Her eyes met his as she gulped for air.
It was nothing more than hesitation, he figured. So he wasn’t going to take his time, wasn’t going to give her a reason to run again.
He dropped his head to plant a short peck against her lips, but one kiss wasn’t enough. She needed more. Craved more. He could see it in her eyes.
And he wanted the exact same thing.
His cock pressed tight against his zipper, begging to be freed. But he was going to have to wait because tonight, he wanted to take things slow. He wanted to give Gina what she’d been missing, wanted to make sure he turned her inside out so that she’d come back for far more than just a night.
He swung one strong arm underneath her, his palm gliding across soft, silky fabric as he turned and placed her gently onto the bed.
She raised herself to her elbows and watched him take a measured step backward. His thumb traced around the edges of his bottom lip as his gaze lingered on hers. He was thinking of all the things he wanted to do to her, visual cues bouncing around his racing mind.
He wanted to touch her everywhere; run his fingers through her dark hair, lap his tongue around her tight pussy, hold her by the ass as he fucked her deep against the mattress. She was a fucking goddess in a floor-length gown and he wanted to devour every piece of her.
He raised his hand to loosen his tie first and then unbuttoned his shirt. He threw the fabric to the floor as he ripped his belt from his pants and then unbuttoned himself until he was able to step out of the formal wear and into nothing but his tight red boxer briefs.
His gaze caught hers once again as she surveyed him, studying his body and the rock hard cock that was straining to fuck her slow and steady, then faster until she shuddered around him. Letting her look her fill, he waited a moment before climbing on top of her, spreading her thighs wide for him to crawl between them.
She was hot beneath him—literally, figuratively—and the certain fire in her dark eyes was enough to steal his breath. No matter how hard she had tried to fight this, he knew this was exactly what she wanted. Perhaps it was exactly what she needed, too.
Her lips trembled as his mouth grazed across hers. His body above hers, he ground against her, the thin fabric separating them igniting a friction against her dress.
Her hand found its way to the back of his head as she pulled him deeper into a passionate kiss.
He nipped at the side of her neck before dragging his tongue down the soft flesh around her collarbone. He continued to watch her as he pulled a strap over one shoulder and trailed a path down to the top of her breasts, only to stop and leave her wanting more.
And she was definitely going to get more. If she was patient.
With an arched back, and his eyes still fixed on her, he made his way down to her hip. Her chest heaved, she chewed into her lip as she watched him slowly begin to hitch her long dress up the length of her legs.
Inch by inch, the bare skin of her calves, then her thighs, were exposed until the dress had been bunched up enough to show a pair of skimpy see-through black panties. One hand skated between the sides of the thin fabric as he made his way back up the length of her body to kiss her while his hand continued to caress her down below.
She cocked her head sideways to lap her tongue over his and let out a hard exhale as he toyed with the hot opening of her pussy.
“Tonight, you’re all mine,” he whispered.
His rough hand glided over her opening and then he pressed his palm against her, eliciting a deep, throaty moan from her. That was nothing compared to when the first finger slipped inside, preparing her with short, intimate strokes. And then another finger to stretch her wide.
It wasn’t enough for him. He needed more. Wanted to see what he was doing. He retreated from her pussy to slide the other strap off her shoulder and then in one slick motion, he rolled her onto her stomach while he was still on top of her.
He dipped his head low enough to skate down the nape of her neck and then her back before pulling the zipper down the length of her back until the top of her panties were exposed. He reached upward and dragged her dress down her back and then jumped off the edge of the bed to rip the gown from her body in one last motion.
She was almost bare now, having not needed a bra with the dress she was wearing. They were on equal footing, both in their respective underwear. But it wasn’t enough for him. He wanted to see every piece of her.
He climbed back on top of her and ground his needy cock into the seam of her ass, held her head firm with one hand as he nibbled at the lobe of one ear. And with his free hand, he reached between them to drag her panties down over her thighs.
He glanced at her bare ass, wanting nothing more than to slam his cock into her, but he knew he needed to take his time. So that’s what he continued to do, planting a trail of kisses down her back and then the curve of her ass.
With two strong hands, he gripped her by the hips and pulled her to her knees so that he could get a better view of her pussy; slick and wet, warm and ready.
She glanced over her shoulder and moved her lips, preparing to speak, but he stopped her as he drove his tongue forward, lapping at her folds. She moaned, shifted slightly forward as her head dipped to the pillow beneath her.
She tasted every bit as good as he had remembered, but that was nothing compared to his other senses that were running fucking wild. The sight of her breasts heaving, her perfect tits brushing against the soft sheets and the soft sound of her moans threatened to make him come and he hadn’t even begun yet.
He dropped one hand to massage his aching cock through his boxers as he lapped her sweet, pink pussy, sucking gently on her swollen clit. She groaned something unintelligible before dropping flat onto the bed and then immediately climbing to her knees and turning to face him.
“What are you doing?” he questioned, but she didn’t respond with words. Only actions.
She folded herself toward him and then pressed him back, pulling his boxers down his long legs, freeing his erection to slap against his rock-hard stomach.
He propped himself up on his elbows and watched as she dived onto his cock, her mouth somehow as hot as her pussy had been. His fingers tangled in the thin sheets beneath them as he gave in.
He dropped his head and shifted backward off the edge of the bed. In the mirrored panels behind him, he could see her every move. She twisted her hand up and down the length of his hard cock as she sucked his throbbing head. He needed this, needed her mouth and her pussy. Maybe just needed her in general.
He dragged his palms over his head as his body spasmed, his abs recoiling and his cock twitching. He could feel his balls pulling up into his body, but, no, not like this.
He thrust himself into a seated position. With one hand firmly planted onto the mattress behind him, he stroked his free hand through her hair as she continued to bob up and down on his cock. He was going to fucking blow unless he did something drastic.
He pulled her head off his cock using nothing more than her hair. He felt the slightest bit of guilt until she looked him dead square in the eye and holy fuck…
He needed to be inside her now.
He climbed to his knees and pushed so that she fell onto her back. She swallowed and dragged her palm over swollen, wet lips as he crawled back over her, pausing only to roll a condom on before holding his cock firm against her pussy and sliding into her tight heat, halfway.
It took every bit of muscle he had to restrain himself. He needed to be buried to the hilt, needed to fuck her until she saw the universe in her eyes. But there was this need circulating in the back of his head—or was it his heart—that was screaming for him to take things slow. With eve
ry inch he sank into her, though, he could feel himself steering toward a mind-numbing orgasm. He wasn’t long for this world, and that spoke to the power Gina had over him.
He wondered if she knew.
She held a hand firm against the back of his head as her legs rose to lock themselves around his ass. Her eyes locked with his and then closed once he was all the way inside, reveling in the grip of her channel around his swollen length.
He held his position, let her adjust to his width before beginning to rock in and out of her. With every careful thrust, her fingers dug deeper into his back and he could feel the tension easing in her legs.
A little faster. A little harder. Somehow even a little deeper. He fucked her with a deliberate pace that was meant to turn her world upside down, but it was his world that was spinning. His fingers dug into the sheets as he tried to refrain from spending himself inside her too soon.
But then she opened her eyes again and her legs dropped to his side. He stopped above her, coming to a stop. Before he could process what was happening, though, she threw a hand against his chest and rolled him onto his back. He watched through heavy-lidded eyes as she climbed on top of him with a knee on either side of his hard body. Her hands massaged his chest as she guided herself down on his hard, glistening cock.
“You’re being gentle, Rory. I want you untethered. Deep. All of you.”
“Fuck.” He shifted to hold her by the waist as she began rocking up and down the length of his hardness.
He grit his teeth, his hips bucking as he drove himself deeper, fighting to not steal back control so that he could spend himself inside her hot pussy as she came around him.
But that ship had sailed because a second later, her lips trembled and quivered as she broke around him, her tight channel squeezing his cock.
He sat up and gripped her lean waist in his hands as he thrust up once more, his cock flexing in frantic spurts. His head dropped over her shoulder as her arms clutched at his back, and she held him tight as she shuddered over him.
The sounds of their harsh breathing still filled the room as she flopped forward, bonelessly on his chest.
Hard Sell: A Bad-Boy, Rock Star Romance Page 11