9781488051265

by Reverb (epub)

  “Honey, Dom is a clotheshorse. The only one worse is Zavier, but don’t tell him I said that. He keeps his shoe collection on the downlow.”

  In the end, through much laughter and several outfits, David wound up in a pair of his own black jeans, a brick-red button-down paired with a dark blue tie. The suspenders didn’t work with the jeans, and the vests made him look like a waiter, so they did without those, though he liked the suspender look. Maybe when they got back to New York, he’d look into expanding his wardrobe.

  Mish had him dig out the leather necklace he’d been wearing that first day. He’d put it away while on duty—the less shit for people to grab at if he got into a scuffle, the better.

  Coupled with the boots he’d been wearing earlier, his reflection in the mirror could be called stylish. He looked like himself. Air caught in his throat, emotions welling up so suddenly. These moments, the simple ones when he saw the man he’d always wanted to see staring back at him—they always left him breathless.

  He turned away from the mirror and worked to settle himself. He was here and himself, through all that had happened in his life. It was a fucking miracle sometimes.

  “David?”

  “I’m fine,” he said, though his voice was husky. “I look good.”

  She bumped his hip with hers. “You always look good.”

  He grunted, and a smile tugged at his lips. “Thanks.”

  Mish did her makeup, and a few minutes after that, they were walking through the lobby. Damn, they all looked fine. Mish had chosen well. Might not have been planned, but there was something of a theme of black, white, red, and blue going on among them. They certainly turned heads. David offered Mish his arm and she took it, her grin a flash of white that was as bright as a camera’s.

  There were plenty of those, too. “They’re gonna write about us,” he said.

  “Oh, honey, they already have. It’s been hours since the pool.”

  He laughed at that.

  They piled into a limo—a stretch one—and when David settled in, Marcella tapped his foot with hers. “We’re going conspicuous.”

  And yeah, they were. The restaurant they rolled up to wasn’t the most expensive in town, but it was pricy. They swung past the bar and were seated toward the back of the establishment without any waiting.

  “How the heck did you manage this?” he asked Marcella.

  “I didn’t. This was Adrian’s doing.”

  Adrian shrugged. “Despite Zavier’s teasing, this was planned. I enjoy fine dining, so I took the liberty of researching places and made a reservation once the tour was finalized.”

  Adrian was a food nerd? Who’d have thought? “So not just breezing in.”

  “Oh, we’ve done that.” Mish took his hand and laced her fingers between his. “But after a few food misses, as Adrian likes to call them, he took over planning.”

  Domino was almost too quiet during this whole exchange. He noticed David watching. “Adrian knows what he’s doing when it comes to restaurants.”

  “And this place has pie,” Adrian said.

  For a moment, the rock star was gone. “Oh,” Dom said. “Damn.”

  David glanced away. Adrian’s return smile was too personal, too private.

  “Yeah,” Mish murmured. “They can be a bit much.”

  “I’ll say.” Marcella poked his shoulder. “Don’t you two start in like that, please.”

  They didn’t, though they did hold hands while ordering, until food and drinks appeared at the table. Most of the group split two bottles of wine, but neither he nor Ray had any of that. Ray didn’t drink much and, though he wasn’t on duty, David wanted to remain sharp, just in case.

  There was much eating, talking, and laughing. Random stories were told, some of the early band days. Zavier told one about traveling with the symphony he’d played with years ago.

  When the conversation wove around to David, he held up a hand. “I was in the army. Those stories aren’t funny, or good dinner conversation.”

  But eventually, they pried a work one out of him. “So, I was working as a bouncer for this club that did concerts—little ones. Small acts, not like you guys now.”

  Ray nodded. “I remember those kinds of clubs.”

  “Well, this was supposed to be an easy night. Not thrash. Not metal. Not rap. Folk music, they said.”

  “Oh no.” Zavier hid his smile behind a sip of wine. “Famous last words.”

  “Right? Turns out it was an Irish folk band with a rock edge.”

  Adrian choked on his drink. “Oh, you poor thing,” he sputtered.

  Dominic nudged him. “Some of those bands are really good.”

  “Babe, I know.” He set his wine down. “Bet it wasn’t the band that was an issue.”

  “Exactly right.” David took a sip of water. “The crowd was chaos incarnate. Masses of bodies. People singing and dancing, then getting mad when they crashed into others. Worse than a mosh pit, ’cause when you mosh, you expect to be hit, you know?” He shook his head. “Hardest concert I ever bounced, I swear. We had to call an ambulance when someone accidentally elbowed a woman in the head and knocked her out. Adrian’s right. The band was very nice. Treated all of us well and the concert was a good one.”

  “So we must be a cake walk,” Mish said. Her fingers brushed his thigh.

  Except for the stalker and the guy who’d stolen Mish’s ring, sure. David didn’t say that. “Well, less bruises in the line of duty, for sure.”

  Mish leaned in and whispered into his ear, low so no one else heard. “And when you’re not on duty?”

  Oh yeah, he had some bruises from the other night. He smiled back at her, their faces close enough to kiss. “Marcella told us to behave.”

  The table turned into a round of laughter at that, and lo and behold, there was a touch of pink in Mish’s cheeks, but both her voice and her eyes sparkled.

  Dessert was an experience. That turned into one big round of sharing everything the restaurant had on the menu. David noticed that despite the plate in front of him, everything Domino tasted came off Adrian’s fork. Another intimate glimpse that made him focus on other things.

  He looked up from his own plate, now covered in chocolate sauce, to find Zavier watching him. A smile graced the drummer’s lips. He nodded, and that was all.

  He didn’t understand that look—but the moment seemed important, an approval of sorts. He set it aside for later. Right now, he’d focus on the food and the fun, and the beautiful woman sliding her hand over his thigh.

  * * *

  The ride back to the hotel was sedate. Mish enjoyed that as much as when they were rambunctious and loud. Given that they were full and happy and all of them but Ray and David were a little buzzed from the wine, it wasn’t too surprising. It was a comfortable, warm stillness.

  Mish had David’s hand in hers, their arms twined together like lovers, his body warm and solid against her. Into the soft noise of the road, he spoke low, close to her ear. “That was nice.”

  It had been. No stress at all. There’d been a few fans waiting for the band when they’d come out, but those interactions were a joy, not a burden. They’d even asked David, respectfully, for a few selfies. One young man had shyly said he’d been so happy to see David shirtless in the pool photos and videos. He’d just started on T, he’d said.

  David had pulled the kid aside to talk a little. That hadn’t gone unnoticed either, and they’d all given David and the kid time and space.

  Mish snuggled against David in the limo. “That’s why we go out. Sometimes we need nice.”

  Of course, Zavier was watching them, with his hooded eyes and half smile, like the pleased little string-puller he thought he was. He had nothing to do with her and David. Zavier hadn’t really had anything to do with Dom and Adrian either, but Mish saw pride when she caught him watchin
g those two. The arrogance of that man was annoying, welcome, and not malicious at all.

  “Good food with good friends.” Zavier leaned back against his seat. “One of the best things.”

  “One of,” Ray murmured.

  Zavier patted Ray’s thigh, his smile deepening, but said nothing.

  Ah, those two. Partners who complemented each other so well—the very best of friends.

  The limo pulled in at the hotel. Another small group of fans waited for them, so they signed a few more items, then strode—far less quickly than before—through the lobby to the elevator. David’s hand was at the small of her back the entire way.

  Once the doors of the car closed, David sought out Dom. “I’ll get your shirt and tie back to you tomorrow, if that’s okay.”

  Dom waved his hand. “Eh, whenever. Heck, keep them. They look better on you than me anyway.”

  They did, though David had one of his perplexed scowls on, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

  Adrian cocked his head. “Maybe. Though I do like the brick red on you.”

  “Biased,” Dom said. “And I have other shirts that color.”

  Adrian made a little humming noise in the back of his throat, and looked way the hell too pleased.

  When the doors opened onto David and Marcella’s floor, Mish stepped off with them. “Gotta get my makeup.”

  Totally an excuse. What she wanted was David. His lips and hands on hers. His mouth open in ecstasy, and that deep, sexy moan of his.

  Plus, she really didn’t want to hear Adrian and Dom tonight. They were so damn loud when Adrian got that look.

  “Uh huh.” Ray didn’t sound convinced. But then, he knew her too well. “Have fun.”

  She laughed as the doors slid closed.

  Marcella rolled her eyes at them. “Do remember we have a radio interview pretty damn early in the morning. I don’t want to be banging on your door because you two spent the night...” She waved her hand. “But Ray’s right, you guys should have fun.”

  With that, Marcella marched down the hall to her room.

  “It’s like they think we’re gonna have sex or something.” David’s eyes met Mish’s and heat curled inside her, every inch of her longing for those strong hands and that very talented tongue.

  “Well...” Mish kept her voice low and quiet, since the rest of the crew had rooms on this floor. “There’s probably a reason for that.”

  She took hold of his tie, just under the knot, and pulled him forward until their mouths met in the kiss she’d denied herself all evening. This one was all lust and desire, her need coupled with his. David’s hands drew down the length of Mish’s back to her ass and pulled them close.

  She groaned and broke the kiss. “Okay. Your room. Now.”

  That was an order she didn’t need to repeat. They scrambled to his room, and once inside, with the door safely shut and the bolt thrown, Mish grabbed David by his shirt and pressed him up against the nearest wall. She swallowed his muffled oomf in a hard kiss that had him melting. His hands found her ass again.

  God, she loved the feel of him against her, the tautness of his muscles, the firmness of his thigh between her legs, the strength he surrendered to her.

  Mish worked the knot of his tie. All these lovely clothes needed to be off both of them, and soon. She wanted her skin against his. That beard tickling down her torso. She nibbled up to his ear, loving the texture of his beard under her lips.

  “Been wanting you all night.” She finally got the damn tie free and tugged at the collar of his shirt.

  “Careful, darling, or you’ll rip Dom’s shirt.” When he kissed her throat, her fingers fumbled on the buttons.

  She pressed him harder into the wall. “Pretty sure the shirt’s yours now.” She got the top button undone, even as he worked at the zipper of her dress. Then it was a race to see who could get the other naked the quickest.

  Except David stopped moving when he’d stripped the dress from her, which she’d expected. She knew what was underneath. White lace bra and panties, with matching garters to hold up her stockings. Plus she was still in her red boots and jewelry.

  David seemed to drink her in. “God, whatever the hell you want to do to me tonight, I’m all yours.”

  He certainly was. “I should have borrowed some rope from Adrian or Zavier. Tying you down would have been fun.”

  His neck reddened. “I’m fine with that. But I just learned more about your bandmates than I should know.”

  She pulled him off the wall. “There are very few secrets on the road—at least in the band.” She paused and added, “You’ll figure that out fast, after a couple of days on the bus with us.”

  She saw him register what she said, and the meaning behind her words—she wanted him on their bus. “And tonight?”

  “I think we can work something out as soon as you lose the rest of your clothes.”

  He did that quickly and efficiently. Damn, she loved the sprinkling of hair on his chest, the darker line that trailed down his belly.

  David chuckled. “You know, that’s a look I’m not used to getting.”

  She flicked her gaze up to his very dark, smoldering one. “Then your lovers were fools.”

  She stalked toward him until she had him backed up against the bed. The heat of his body seared through lace and sent fire racing to her core. The things she wanted to do to this man. Maybe she would borrow some rope at some point, but right now?

  She caught his face between her hands and devoured that mouth again, relishing the groan. David slid his hands up her arms, then over her back, but made no move to undo her bra. Just—held her tight to him as she kissed and rocked their bodies together.

  God, she wanted his mouth on her clit and his fingers buried in her. She also wanted to suck him off and hear the strangled cries he made when he came. There was time enough for both, even if they did have to get up damn early for that interview.

  She drew her hands down to his chest, then pushed him backward onto the bed. “Why don’t you pretend I’ve tied you down to your bed and am about to make your every filthy wish come true?”

  David’s black eyes widened a fraction, and his breath hitched. “Anything you want.” His voice was slurred with lust. He scrabbled backward to stretch his arms out and grip the headboard.

  She grinned down at the length of his body. “Call me princess.”

  The croak that came out of him and the accompanying shudder was worth everything. She climbed onto the bed, boots and all, up over David and hovered above him on her hands and knees, their lips almost touching.

  “Princess,” he whispered, and that one word was the most glorious music in her ears. She kissed him, taking her time to tease a guttural groan out of him as he squirmed and thrust on the bed. The muscles in his arms flexed, but he kept his hands up, kept holding on to the headboard, as she’d told him to.

  A powerful and heady moment. No question David was physically stronger, even though she had him on height, but tonight he was hers in all the ways that mattered. She turned that thought over in her head as she worked her mouth down his jaw and neck and over his chest.

  She stroked his sides and he twitched, his breath coming in gasps. “Oh fuck!”

  But he kept his hands above his head. Left them there, even when she closed her mouth around his dick, when he arched off the bed and begged her to keep going every time she backed off. God, she was wet. Throbbing, and aching for him to touch her, be inside her. But she fucking loved David like this, too—so strung out, so near the brink of orgasm that his voice was full of moans and grunts. His arms had turned to cords of muscles as he fought to hold on to the headboard, fought to obey her. Such a little thing. Such a powerful thing.

  “Please, baby.” David was nothing but air and lust, his body trembling underneath her. “Please!”

&nbs
p; “I love you like this.” Before he could say anything more, she took him in her mouth fully, sucking and licking, then slid two fingers into him and pumped until he was thrashing and shouting unintelligible words to the ceiling of the hotel room.

  She slowed but kept going until he keened in his throat. “Fuck, baby, you gotta stop. I can’t...” David’s breath caught and his whole body shook in orgasm, and she let him down slowly until they were both panting ragged breaths.

  “Unfair,” he whispered. He was still clutching the headboard, though his arms were slack.

  “Totally fair.” Mish kissed his thigh. “Figured I could get you off more than once.”

  He grunted. “First person in a while, to be honest.”

  Mish crawled up his body, and they kissed, gently this time. “Lucky me.”

  “Lucky me.” He closed his eyes. “God, you are a fucking queen.”

  She tapped his nose. “Princess.”

  That smile was so damn bright. “Princess. Queen. Baby. Doesn’t matter. You’re royal and beautiful, and I...” He stopped there, his eyes widening. Staring up.

  She pressed a finger to his lips. “It’s okay. Keep that for now.” Because it was too soon, and so close on the heels of pleasure. Her own heart flipped and ached when it came to David, but she didn’t know whether she wanted to pin a name on those emotions yet. There was something there, beyond a fling. Different from her other sexual friendships.

  Trust. Comfort. She laid her head on David’s chest. “You can let go of the headboard, you know.”

  His laughter was more vibration than sound. “I was curious to see when you’d finally let me go.” He wrapped his arms around her. “I liked that, by the way. Wouldn’t mind being tied up.”

  “Mmm. Good to know.” Maybe she’d ask Zavier about rope or something. That man was far too wicked not to have a stash of toys on the trip, and he’d probably get a thrill out of her asking. Zav so loved to be up in everyone’s business. Mostly because the damn fool cared about all of them.

  “Mish?” There was laughter in David’s voice. “Are you still wearing your boots?”