by Maya Banks
In less than two weeks, Lyric Jones would move on, go back on tour, be the fantasy of every boy and man, and Connor would go back to his job and spend his nights reliving the time he’d held her in his arms as she came apart.
Yep, his fascination with her didn’t make a whole lot of goddamn sense in that light.
“This is really good,” Lyric said around a mouthful. “You should eat.”
Connor stared down at the plate she’d fixed for him and realized he’d yet to take a bite. He wasn’t hungry for food. He was hungry for the petite blue-haired vixen sitting next to him.
To cover the awkwardness between them, he picked up his fork and plate and began eating, though he’d be hard-pressed to tell what exactly he ate. For the first time in his life, the thought of food didn’t appeal. And if that wasn’t a huge sign that he was fucked, he didn’t know what was.
After a while, Lyric laid her fork down and leaned back into the couch. She hugged the blanket to her chest and sighed as her head plopped against the cushion.
“Full?” he asked as he set aside his own plate.
“Mmmm. Yummy.”
“I hope not too full,” he said.
She turned, her stare questioning.
He grinned. “I have a surprise. I think you’ll like it.”
He reached for the saucer and lifted the cover off to reveal the perfectly iced cupcake.
Her eyes lit up and a broad smile curved her lips.
He dipped his finger along the outside edge to capture some of the icing, and then he held it out to Lyric. He smeared just a bit on her soft lips and her tongue immediately came out to lick the sweetness away.
He returned to the cupcake, dipped more of the icing and then smudged a little on her cheek. Her eyes widened in surprise but then half closed to a sleepy, drugged state of awareness when he leaned in to nibble at her frosting-covered skin.
He swept his tongue over the spot and then kissed her cheekbone until all the frosting was gone.
“You’re sweeter than the icing,” he murmured.
She reached over without breaking their gazes, dipped her finger through the cupcake and then spread the sweetness over his lips. A moment later, she swooped forward and captured his mouth against hers.
The warmth of her tongue rasped over his lips, tasting, licking away the sugary treat. He could taste the frosting on her lips as she nibbled at his.
To his surprise, she rose over him and leaned her weight into his body so that he was forced back against the couch. She straddled his lap and dug her knees into the cushions on either side of him.
“Since you pointed out that there’s no reason for me to be in a hurry this morning, I now have plenty of time for dessert,” she murmured.
She fit his hands like her ass was fashioned just for him. He cupped and squeezed through the thin material of her pajama bottoms. Then he pulled her forward just enough that the bulge in the crotch of his jeans was straining up against her pussy.
“Take your shirt off,” he rasped out. “And give me that damn cupcake.”
She laughed and turned, pulling at her shirt with one hand, reaching back for the cupcake with the other.
He ended up helping her, or maybe he was just too impatient. The top came over her head and he tossed it across the room. She held the cupcake up, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she watched him.
He swiped at the frosting, careful to leave plenty still on the cupcake, because damn, his mind was alive with the possibilities. He decorated one puckered nipple with the sweet buttercream icing until the tip was white. His mouth watered but he forced himself to lavish the same attention on her other breast.
She fidgeted and sighed, strained up, but he pulled her back down onto his lap. Her breasts bobbed in front of him like two delectable treats, and he never, ever turned down sugar.
He licked delicately up the curve of her breast, anticipating the point where he reached her straining nipple. She tensed all over and braced her hands on his shoulders. Her fingers dug into his skin as he flicked his tongue over the tip.
His tongue barely brushed across the sensitive peak, and each time he got only a hint of the sweet.
“Connor!” she gasped. “You’re killing me here.”
One corner of his mouth lifted. “I think that’s the point.”
She slid one hand up the column of his neck, around to his nape and then into his hair. Her fingers twisted and she pulled impatiently at his head, guiding him back to her breast.
He lapped one more time and then pulled the nipple hard between his teeth, sucking avidly at the frosting. He held her nipple captive and flicked his tongue repeatedly over the point until she twisted and squirmed damn near off his lap.
He loved how demanding she was. Her fingers dug into his head. She wasn’t afraid to show him what she wanted or needed.
He pulled away and her nipple gleamed wet and clean of the frosting. It was rigid, so hard and pointed that he couldn’t resist swiping his tongue over it again.
She sighed and flexed her fingers over his scalp. His erection pushed upward, cradled by the juncture of her legs. It frustrated him that there were so many barriers between them.
As if sensing his irritation, she rose up on her knees and began sliding her bottoms down. She backed off the couch and stood before him as she let the material fall down her legs.
He smiled at the fact that one nipple was still covered with frosting. He licked his lips and she smiled back just before she palmed her breast, cupping it and pushing it upward. Then she leaned down until her nipple was a breath away from his mouth.
She held it just so, offering it to his mouth. He fastened his lips greedily around it, sucking and nibbling as if he were starved. Her breathing ratcheted up and she trembled from head to toe as he pulled strongly with his mouth.
She pulled abruptly away, her cheeks flushed, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Then she let her gaze drift down his body to the bulge between his legs.
A gleam entered her eyes. One that made him twitchy with anticipation. It was the look of a woman with a plan. A very evil, delicious plan.
He held his breath as she got down on her knees and settled herself between his legs. Then she reached for his fly and pulled at the snaps. The zipper rasped downward and her soft hand gently delved within, finding his cock.
When she reached for the cupcake, he damn near lost his mind. With exacting precision she trailed a finger through the sticky confection and then proceeded to smooth it over his straining erection.
His breaths came out in tortured huffs. He was sure he was going to hyperventilate.
She took her time, smearing the frosting up and down his length until he was completely coated. Then she wrested his jeans down around his hips and there he sat, his cock jutting upward like a frosted Popsicle.
If he wasn’t dying of anticipation, he’d have to laugh at the fact he had a frosted dick.
And then she leaned over and touched the tip of her tongue to the swollen head. His cock twitched in reaction and swung away from her. It was all he could do not to grab it and guide it back because, Lord have mercy, he wanted her mouth around him.
She took care of the matter for him. She followed with her mouth and sucked the head between her lips. She teased him with her tongue, circling and lapping at the tip.
Like she had done, he slid his hand around to the back of her head and his fingers tangled in her hair. Carefully she lowered her mouth, taking more of him as she licked every bit of the frosting from his skin.
She exerted pressure and hollowed her cheeks as she slid up his cock. The head fell free of her lips with a pop and she turned her gaze up to him, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
“You know, more women wouldn’t mind giving blow jobs if we could all have buttercream-flavored dicks.”
He laughed. What else could he do? She was so damn irreverent.
“Honey, if you’ll keep your mouth wrapped around my cock, I’ll buy you an entire
tub of frosting.”
She leaned down and dragged her tongue up the back of his erection, taking more frosting with her. Then she swallowed him up and took him deep until he butted against the back of her throat. She swallowed again, and the softness of her mouth convulsed around his dick. He shuddered uncontrollably and felt semen leak from the tip.
She slowly backed away but held him in her hand, caressing up and down as she licked her lips. “Mmmm, now, there’s an interesting flavor,” she purred. “I’ll admit, the taste of cum has never impressed me. But now? Yum.”
His entire body tightened. Her crudeness only turned him on all the more. He reached for the back of her neck again and forced himself back into her mouth. He arched his hips and closed his eyes as her heat surrounded him.
It registered in the back of his mind that he was probably being an ass. He was pretty much assuming that she’d allow him to come in her mouth. Hell, her mouth? He wanted to come down her throat. He wanted to thrust as deep as she’d allow and come like he’d never come.
She never registered a complaint. She allowed him to hold her head, though he was careful to make sure she wouldn’t wear his fingerprints afterward. With every thrust, she seemed to open wider and allow him to go as deep as he could.
“Oh Christ, Lyric,” he strained out. “If this isn’t what you want, tell me now. I’m so damn close.”
There. He’d managed to have some semblance of consideration, though he was praying hard she stayed right where she was.
She paused, and for one awful moment he thought she was going to stop. He went completely still as he waited. She merely glided over his hardness, trailing her tongue along the underside of his cock where he was most sensitive.
When the head of his dick rested on her bottom lip, she licked lightly at the seam and glanced up at him with smoky, sultry eyes. She sent him a lazy smile and then she took him hard and deep.
He nearly bolted off the couch. She sucked back and forth, her hand working the base of his cock in perfect rhythm with her mouth.
Lightning gathered in his balls and streaked upward with such force that his vision blurred. His release tore through him, painful and relentless in intensity.
Semen shot from his cock and filled her mouth, bathing him in its sticky warmth. Still, she didn’t waver. She sucked and swallowed and all the while kept that silky, sweet mouth closed around his pulsing erection.
On and on, in a seemingly unending orgasm. He was still jerking spasmodically when the last of his release spurted into her mouth.
She released his cock and climbed back on top of him, her body quivering and shaking as she straddled him. His cock butted into her soft belly. She gripped his head and bent to nip at his neck. She was everywhere, twisting restlessly as she sucked and bit at the column of his neck.
She was close to her own orgasm and all from sucking him off. It stunned him and inflated his male ego about ten more pounds. Not willing to let her remain unfulfilled, he slid his fingers between them, down into the softness of her folds.
She was hot and damp, slick with her arousal. As soon as he touched her clit, she arched forward, her back bowing so that her breasts were shoved into his face.
Damn if that didn’t make him one happy man.
He latched on to her nipple and suckled as he stroked her. Her heat bathed his fingers. He pressed in with his thumb and rotated in a tight circle as his middle finger slid inside her.
She encased him in liquid velvet. She was so satiny soft and smooth. He added another finger, stretching her as his thumb continued its relentless seduction.
A whimper tore from her throat and she tightened in his arms. So sweet and soft. Curvy and warm. He sighed his own contentment as he moved to her other breast and inhaled her scent.
Her fingers dug into his shoulders. Her cry came out as an ache in the stillness of the room. She trembled so violently as her orgasm crashed around her that she pitched forward against him.
He caught her with his free arm and held her close as he continued to caress her swollen, damp flesh. Her chest pushed against his as she struggled for breath. He buried his face in her neck and kissed softly over her pulse point.
“You undo me,” he admitted softly.
She laughed but it came out quivery soft and delicate. “That’s my line.”
He nuzzled her neck again and pressed kisses below her ear. Gradually he eased his hand from between her legs and pulled her even closer to him so that she straddled him again and her body was pressed as close to him as he could get her.
“Do you doubt how beautiful you are to me?” he asked quietly.
She pushed away just enough that she could stare into his eyes. What he saw in hers knotted his chest and made his throat ache. There was wonder. Amazement and a little confusion. As if she truly couldn’t comprehend why he thought her so damn beautiful.
“Not anymore,” she said in a whisper. “I don’t understand it, but when I look at you, I see it. I don’t know what to do about it, but you’ve made me believe it.”
He smiled then and trailed a finger down a strand of her hair to her cheek. Then he pushed it up and over her ear. “You don’t have to do anything. I just want you to see you the way I see you.”
She leaned forward and pressed her forehead to his. Her hands slid up his neck and her thumbs brushed over his jawline. He shivered at that tiny gesture. It was baffling what something so simple as her touch did to him.
“I wish everyone could see me the way you see me.”
There was pain and regret in her statement. It said so much more than just the simple words. There was a wealth of meaning, and, not for the first time, he realized that there was so much more to the woman than what the public saw.
Was it their fault entirely for swallowing what they were spoon-fed by the media and by Lyric herself? No, but right now he could see the vulnerability she tried so hard to hide from the world. She wore indifference like a shield. She needed that protection. She was a complicated, complex woman who had so many pieces that it was nearly impossible to put them all together.
He kissed her, just a simple touch of his lips, more a comforting gesture than one designed to inspire lust. And he simply held her while she regained her bearings and enjoyed the feel of her in his arms.
CHAPTER 20
L yric took longer than necessary in the shower and lingered in the bathroom long after she’d dried her hair and done her makeup. The truth was, she was nervous. She wasn’t sure how to act around Connor now. The last twenty-four hours had seen a 180 in their relationship.
She wasn’t used to this uncertainty. She called the shots in all her sexual relationships. Nothing touched her. Nothing got to her. It was all casual and meaningless. Everything was on her terms.
With Connor she felt like she was spinning out of control. It was a helpless, panicky feeling.
A knock sounded at her door. “Lyric, we need to be going.”
She hesitated and then opened the door to see Connor standing there. “I’m ready.”
“Kane’s waiting downstairs with the car.”
“You’re riding with me.”
He touched her arm. “Of course. You don’t go anywhere without me.”
She breathed a soft sigh of relief.
He escorted her down the stairs and out front to the circle drive where a limousine was parked. She wrinkled her nose. “Seems a bit conspicuous, don’t you think?”
“It’s armored,” Connor said. “Bulletproof windows. You’ll be safe.”
Her eyes widened. “Do you really think I’m in that much danger?”
Kane, who was standing by the limo, straightened and opened the passenger door for Lyric. “We always assume the worst. That way we don’t get any nasty surprises.”
She slid into the roomy interior and scooted around the curved seat to allow Connor to duck in. She held her breath, waiting to see if Kane would slide in as well. To her relief, he shut the door, leaving her and Connor alone.
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“He’s just doing his job,” Connor said with a hint of amusement.
“I don’t like him,” she muttered. “He makes me nervous.”
Connor raised an eyebrow as the car pulled away from the house. “I didn’t think anyone made you nervous, Miss Badass.”
She pulled a face at him.
“Did you make all the phone calls you needed to make?” he asked.
“Most. Not all,” she admitted. “I didn’t call Paul. I wasn’t in the mood to hear him bitch.”
Connor’s expression darkened. “You need to tell him to shut the fuck up. You’re making him a fuckload of money. He can lighten the hell up.”
She shrugged. “Depends on who you ask, I guess. According to him, he’s doing me a favor.”
Connor snorted. “If he ever thought you were walking, he’d bend over backward to kiss your ass. When I first met you I thought that everyone around you kissed your ass too much. Now I think you’re surrounded by a bunch of assholes.”
She grinned. “And in the beginning, I thought you were the biggest asshole of them all.”
“And now?”
She pretended to consider the matter as she studied him. “Now I think you’re a pretty okay guy.”
Her phone rang and she checked the display screen. She rolled her eyes and hit the ignore button.
“Does your phone always ring twenty-four/seven?” he asked.
She sighed. “Pretty much. There is no shortage of people always trying to keep me in line. They either want to call me to bitch at me, call me to remind me to be somewhere, or call me to ask me to do something.”
“So not very much ‘Hi, how are you?’ then.”
She stopped and considered for a moment and then laughed. “No, I suppose not. I can’t remember the last time someone called just to say hi or ask me how I was doing.”
Connor shook his head.
Half an hour later, the limo pulled up to the stage entrance of the stadium. Connor got out and scanned the area before reaching back for Lyric’s hand. Kane and his men took position around them just as her manager strode out of the back entrance and made a beeline for Lyric.