by Jane Anthony
The light blue strip of lace peeks out from under the wooden slats of the mini blind. I kneel on the bed attempting to snatch my underwear free, but Kade sidles up behind me, emancipating them before I get the chance. “Hey, give those back!”
“Finders keepers.” He crumples them in his fist, holding them over my head in a pathetic game of keep away. “I prefer you naked anyway.”
Jenny’s voice saying there’s something about me pops into my mind. Yeah, there’s something about me all right. I’m a nice warm body meant to sate his gluttonous needs. Whenever we’re alone together, he doesn’t talk feelings, he talks sex.
He’s carnivorous.
He’s profane.
But most of all, he’s insatiable.
“So Jenny is planning on having you meet with Music Buzz tonight,” I say, as he pulls me down onto the bed next to him.
“Mmmhmm,” he replies, his lips vibrating against my throat.
“She’s going to try to spin it, you know, like you went all ape trying to protect me . . .” A sharp breath hits my lungs as his tongue trails down my chest and flicks my nipple. “ . . . she wants to make it seem like we’re together, you know . . .” His mouth coasts to my other nipple and graces it with the same flip of the tongue. My eyes roll back, but I keep going, attempting to get my point across. “ . . . but, like, I don’t really know how you feel about that, so I don’t know what you’re going to say . . .” My breathy mumbling continues as he kisses down my body and lifts my legs onto his shoulders. “So what are you gonna say?”
My body conceals the bottom half of his face, leaving only two brilliant sapphire orbs visible. They lock with mine as I finish my insane rambling. “I’m gonna say whatever the fuck I wanna say. Now, stop talking.”
***
A chill runs up my spine as I knock on Kade’s door. The meeting’s going to be held via computer from his hotel room. I’m nervous about this whole thing. I tried to talk to him about it a few times, but he’s so stubborn. I have no idea what Kade’s going to say and, while Jenny seems to think it’s fine, I would feel a lot more comfortable had he and I worked out some kind of game plan for how this was going to go down.
The host of the news show appears on the monitor and begins to talk. The buxom blonde explains this segment will be pre-recorded, and to just act natural. She primps as she stares at herself in the little square in the bottom of the screen. “Okay, on me in three, two, one . . .”
“Hiiii!” the host starts in her bubbly on-air personality voice. “Candy Conners coming back at ya with special guest, Kade Black from Black Diamond! Say hi, Kade!”
Kade smiles and waves. “Hey Candy, thanks for having me.”
“Y’all are out on tour promoting your new album Fool’s Gold, right? How’s that working out for ya, Kade?”
The way she says his name pisses me off. She mewls it like a desperate feline in heat. I’m thankful that I’m not in front of the screen, because if looks could kill, I’d be facing life in prison.
Is this jealousy?
“Good! The shows have been great. The fans have been real cool. Sure you heard all about the trouble we had in West Virginia last night.”
I roll my eyes at her flirty giggle. I’ve seen Music Buzz about a million times. How have I never noticed how obnoxious and fake the hostess is?
“Oh yes, I’m pretty sure we all did. There’s a lot of, shall we say, buzz . . .” she pauses for a split second allowing her unamusing joke to resonate with the viewers. “ . . . going around about that. Why don’t you let us all know what really happened?”
Kade’s gaze flickers in my direction so quick I almost miss it. Before I even have time to register it, his eyes are back on the screen focusing on the most tasteless Candy I’ve ever come in contact with. See? I can make jokes, too, bitch.
“A friend of mine was assaulted in the bathroom by a known drug dealer in the Virginia area. The guy didn’t want to take no for an answer, so I had to step in.”
“The reports say you did a little more than step in. The man, Butch Robinson, is in critical condition. This Ainsley Daniels must be someone very special to you to generate that kind of reaction.”
Another lightning-fast flicker of the eyes is all he offers me. She’s spoon-feeding it to him. I sit in the chair wringing my hands together waiting to hear what he’s going to say. He looks into the camera, his lips curling into a flirty, lopsided grin. “You jealous, kitten? Don’t worry, she hasn’t managed to tame the beast yet.”
I sit there dumbfounded, trying to keep my emotions in check. Hearing Kade call me out as nothing stings more than I care to admit. Not only that, but is he flirting with that despicable host right in front of me? I’m not dumb enough to believe he’s my boyfriend, but I expected a little more class than this.
Jenny glances at me, nibbling her thumbnail and trying to ignore the obvious slap in the face I just received. Even Banger grimaces on my behalf. I’m too stunned to be embarrassed by the incident because I’m humiliated by Kade. The very same man who lapped me up like a saucer of milk not six hours ago.
The host asks a few more questions while I seethe with anger. As soon as the meeting’s over, I excuse myself and run from the room as fast as I can gracefully go. But Kade darts after me, reaching me before I can get to my door. “Where are you going? What is your problem?”
“I should ask you the same thing,” I shoot back. “You didn’t have to pretend to like me, Kade, I would have fucked you anyway.”
His face contorts into a bewildered scowl at my outburst. “What are you talking about? Where did this come from?”
“She hasn’t tamed the beast yet? Seriously? I didn’t expect a public admission of love, but I think I deserved a little more than that bullshit.” As the words fly out of my mouth, I realize how insane I sound. I’m acting like a jealous girlfriend. I don’t want to have feelings for him. I want this to remain casual. My insides are at war, and he’s the only person for me to take it out on, which is fine since he’s the cause.
He winces as if I’d struck him. “You know what’s bullshit? You are. Don’t stand there and make bogus accusations at me. It’s part of the job. Flirting with the hosts is a way to guarantee I get invited back. It’s part of the game. That scum bag really did a number on your self-esteem, didn’t he?” His finger pokes me in the chest as he speaks, but I smack it away. “What goes on between you and me is my private business. I don’t fuckin’ share. That goes for women, spotlight, and personal information. If that makes you feel used and dirty, that’s your baggage to carry, not mine.” His eyes turn from brilliant blue to dark as he stares down at me, his anger swirling around me like a storm. He crosses his arms over his massive chest.
Now, it makes sense. He got himself arrested in order to take the emphasis off me. He’d rather go to jail than have to discuss who I am with people.
“So what’s it gonna be, sweets? You want to let some nasty blond bitch come between us? That’s fine with me. But once I’ve moved on, I don’t come back.”
We stand there for a moment, chests puffed out, both of us unwilling to break first. I can’t believe I fell for his nice guy routine. He actually made me think I was wrong about him. All of his “no one will ever hurt you” nonsense was a nice touch. He’s good.
A loud crack stops me from walking off, and I whip my head back around toward Kade, toward the direction of the noise, to find him pulling his arm back and storming in the opposite direction. He punched a hole clear through the wall of the hotel’s hallway.
Screw the show, screw the tour, and definitely screw Kade Black.
CHAPTER 11
I TOSS AND turn all night, unable to sleep. It’s late, but I’m wired. I refused to attend tonight’s show but told Jenny she should go. My foul mood was best kept to myself. The last thing I wanted was another fight. She returned to the room hours ago and is currently snoring on the bed next to mine.
All those hours alone left me with a lot of time to thi
nk. I overreacted. Jenny’s words implanted themselves in my brain, and I lost my cool when the exact thing I knew would happen happened. Kade and I are having fun. I could choose to either continue it or end it.
I’d be insane to want to end it. The sex is face-meltingly hot. Who knows when I’ll meet a guy who could curl my toes the way he does again?
Then again, I do have my pride. Do I have what it takes to keep this up for the next few weeks, knowing he could throw me away at any time? Then there’s the possibility of him sleeping with someone else . . .
I’m not going to be able to sleep until I’ve gotten this off my chest.
A three and two zeros blink on the digital clock. Getting out of bed, I throw on my robe and pad across the dark room. I’ve made a decision, and I have to see him.
My palms shake and sweat as I let myself out of the door and make my way to Kade’s room. The light glows from underneath his door. I lift my fist to knock but stop short when the realization hits me that he may not be alone. What if he brought some groupie back to his room with him? I’d deserve that after the way I stormed away this evening.
I swallow past the lump in my throat and knock. If he’s with someone else, so be it. Shadows dance underneath the door as he approaches. He answers and leans against the frame, shirtless in pajama bottoms and bare feet, his hair mussed up in such a way that looks like he’d been running his hands through it all night. My heart continues to hammer in my chest, but now, it’s for another reason.
“Can we talk?”
His arm waves across the room, inviting me inside. “How was the show tonight?”
“Fine.”
“That’s good,” I say, trying my best to seem casual, while inside I’m dying. I toy with the terrycloth ties, trying to distract myself from the awkward situation, but the new bandage on his hand speaks volumes about my behavior.
“A, why are you here?”
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“And you felt the need to come tell me about it?” The muscles in his forearms strain under the thick black ink on his skin as he pretzels his arms across his chest in a defensive stance.
“Okay, I deserve that. Look, I’m sorry about what happened earlier. You were right, and I’m a jealous idiot. I’ve never dabbled in casual sex before, and that’s my baggage, not yours.” My voice hitches, but I clear my throat and continue. “The only man I’d ever been with before you was my husband, and he cheated on me. My heart is broken. I couldn’t give it to you even if you wanted it, so it’s better that you don’t.”
He thoughtfully scratches the back of his head as he walks through the room and sits on the bed. “What makes you think I don’t?”
The question detonates a bomb in my mind. My midsection is suffocating, strangled by the ties on my robe pulled so tight I’m asphyxiating myself. “Well . . . I don’t know . . . I just . . . I thought . . .” Is he messing with me again, or is he serious? I’m having a hard time trying to figure it out.
He grabs hold of my lapels and pulls me toward him, bringing my asinine stammering to an end. “I like you, sweets.” The poor mangled robe ties loosen as he takes them in his hands. “I like you watching me from backstage.” His hands work the twist at my waist, causing the robe to fall open. “I like you pissed off and stewing over something outrageous I said.” His eyes flare, raking over my body in the baby blue nightie as he pushes the robe off my shoulders. “I especially like the way you breathe my name when you’re in my bed.”
His smoldering gaze dares me to make the next move. “And you like me naked, too, right?” I slip his hand between my legs, and his brows shoot up to his hairline.
“No panties?”
I shrug. “Someone stole them earlier today.”
His lips meet mine in a searing kiss that throws the Earth off its axis. Whether singing, kissing, or tonguing, Kade’s mouth is an endless bounty of pleasure I can’t resist. He lies back on the bed, taking me with him. Wild, honey-colored curls fall in a curtain around our faces as I feast on his lips.
Skilled hands roam my bare ass, slipping under my nightie. “Settle down, rock star,” I say with a gentle hip jerk, bucking him off then slinking backward on all fours, moving down his body with catlike grace. My nails rake down his stomach, causing all the muscles to ripple like ocean waves as my fingers reach the band of his pants. His cock springs out, thick, hard, and all for me, but for some reason, I hesitate.
“It ain’t gonna bite.”
Two pink circles heat my cheeks. “Are you clean?”
“As a whistle.”
Appeased, I languidly lick him from base to tip. A low-pitched groan escapes his lips. His fingers tangle in my hair, and my head pops up. “No hands.”
The demand seems to catch him off guard. “What?”
“You may be used to calling the shots, big man, but this time, I’m headlining the show.” I stare him down, making no move to start the task at hand. Kade isn’t the only one with tricks up his sleeve. Two can play his little games.
He threads his hands behind his head, biceps straining under his tattooed skin. My leisurely licking starts over, tracing the thick ridges and swirling around the velvet tip with my tongue. A salty trickle beads around the slit. I lap it up before drawing him into my mouth.
The breath leaves his lungs. My palms grip his solid thighs, bracing myself for support as my lips slide down the shaft. His pelvis thrusts, knocking my head back. I sit up defiantly. “Nu-uh-uh,” I tease, waggling my pointer finger at him and shaking my head.
Darkened eyes glare at me. “You’re begging for trouble.”
“Promise?”
Dipping my head again, I suck hard, swallowing him down the back of my throat. The sound of my name tumbling gruffly off his lips is a beautiful thing. Every visceral groan arouses me. A boiling, throbbing pang radiates between my legs just knowing I please him. In life, I’m not the kind of woman who takes control. Demanding and courageous aren’t attributes I possess, but Kade relinquishes his power to me, making me feel seductive and brave.
He pulses in my mouth, and my lips slide all the way up, suckling the tip before letting go completely. He lets out a disgruntled grumble. The sight of his glorious cock, thick and purple from the suction of my mouth, instills a sense of urgency that I can’t control. A slick swollen ache I feel deep inside that only he could soothe.
Gliding up his body, I grab his length and position it at my entrance and ease down slowly, inch by thrilling inch until I’m full, stretched to capacity with the tiniest bite of decadent pain.
With my hands planted on his chest, my hips move in slow, methodical circles, building up a rhythm all my own, and take back control of my own body. I clench him tight, ride him hard, and wring every ounce of pleasure I can until I’m on the brink of gasping for breath, crying out from the sheer ecstasy of it.
Pure bliss swirls and rolls and threatens to tear me apart. I’m almost there.
Almost there . . .
Oh, God, almost . . .
His body moves faster than my lust-addled brain can keep up. My back hits the bed. Rough, strong hands flip me to my stomach and hoist my backside in the air.
In one fierce stroke, he sinks back in from behind. I yelp, my body trembling from the shock and crying out from the lost release. He holds me firm, not moving, torturing me with his stillness. “I was close, you asshole.”
“Yeah, I know.” He chuckles.
I jerk and buck, needing to feel him and attempting to steal back control, but all my efforts are in vain. His hold is unyielding. One hand clutches at my hip, while the other fists my hair, snapping my head up to catch our reflection in the mirror ahead. He’s enjoying this, and he wants me to know it.
A cocky grin splits his face as he watches my irritation simmer. Rose flush sits on my cheeks; my eyes flare like burning embers. “Kade, please,” I beg. Oh, how he loves to hear me beg. He gets off on it.
Small jerky movements are all he offers. I bury my face in the bed
, frustrated and whimpering, needing more and hating him for keeping it from me. He forces my head up again, catching my gaze in the mirror. “Eyes on me, sweets. I want to see those beautiful browns when I finally let you come.”
His hips move in long, steady strokes, smacking against my ass cheeks. “I own your orgasm, Ainsley. You come for me.”
The head of his cock reaches all the way to the end of my canal and sends an electric current slithering up my tailbone with each dynamic thrust. Blue-black eyes lock on mine, his jaw set in grim determination, lips curled into a devilish little sneer. A sheen of sweat breaks out along his heaving chest and rippling abs.
“Do not close your eyes,” he warns.
Euphoria sweeps through me like a tidal wave, consuming me whole, and drowning me in a sea of pleasure, leaving nothing left in its wake but deep gasping sobs. My arms and legs quiver. My body trembles.
Kade’s grip goes from strong to monolithic. Fingers bite into my skin so hard, I’m sure they’re leaving bruises. He curses and groans and growls my name, causing the sweet ache to resurface a second time. Determined eyes stay trained on me, watching me pant and struggle to stay centered on all fours. The thick muscles in his neck and shoulders tense as I clench around him, but he pulls out suddenly, taking himself into his own hand and shooting pearls of hot cum on my ass and back.
We topple over like dominoes, his large body collapsing first, knocking my smaller one to the bed beneath him. He rolls to the side and rains kisses down my neck and shoulders, covering me with tenderness.
“Don’t move.”
The sound of running water filters from the bathroom as Kade disappears inside. He returns with a washcloth and lovingly wipes his remains off my back, dipping between my legs until I’m clean.
He fucks like a beast but loves like a puppy. The ideal mix of hard and soft, reading my mind and giving me everything I need. I don’t want to wonder how many other women have seen this side of him. If he was gentle and kind to them, the way he is with me. It’s absurd, but I still want to believe that, on some level, I’m held in higher regard than all the others are.