9781488051265

by Reverb (epub)

  He met her gaze and his lips quirked up, but when he spoke, it was to all of them. “You folks gonna get ready?”

  Right. The signing.

  “Yeah,” Zavier said. “Give us ten.” The guys headed toward the dressing room, but Mish lingered, never taking her eyes off David.

  “That was some final song,” David said. He slid a hand around her waist. “Was that for me?”

  She pulled him against her body. “Well, and a couple thousand fans. But mostly for you.”

  He laughed and she shut that up by stealing a kiss that quickly became a demand for more as she gave in to his heat, the press of his body, and the thrum of her own pulse.

  She fucking needed this man in bed.

  He broke the kiss and spoke against her lips. “You gotta go do the rock star thing, darling.”

  “Yeah, I do. But when I’m done, I’m gonna do you. Just you wait.”

  “Baby.” It came out as a groan. He stepped away. “Gonna hold you to that.” So much depth to his voice.

  Not an issue at all. She always delivered on her promises.

  * * *

  Thank goodness for the fans. Their energy and enthusiasm kept Mish focused on them and not David standing a few feet away. Though she’d practically burned for him as she’d changed, as soon as the band had sat down behind the tables, that took a backseat to all the fans and their joy and stories.

  However, once they were at the hotel, every ounce of that desire came rushing back. The need to touch and kiss David. To strip him down and make him beg and scream.

  Mish paced over the carpet of her hotel suite. David was with Marcella, making sure the rest of the band and the crew were settled and secure. There was too much time spent waiting and too much emptiness in this sterile, bland room.

  Marly sat on the nightstand, but David wasn’t here. Mish stopped moving and closed her eyes. He had a job—one that took care of them all. She had to be patient.

  Still, it seemed like forever until she heard a gentle rapping at her door. A glance through the peephole verified that it was the man she wanted. Mish yanked the door open, pulled David inside, and had him up against the wall before the door clicked shut.

  His muffled grunt turned into a groan. He gripped her hips and pulled her closer, even as she used all her weight to keep him right where she wanted him. “Fuck, baby,” he murmured between kisses.

  “That’s the plan.” She threw the dead bolt on the door, then hauled him off the wall and into her arms. God, she loved how he let her do that. David was all muscle, but he let her manhandle him, draw him across the suite in a tangle of limbs, punishing kisses, and discarded clothing, until he was half-naked and she pushed him down onto her bed.

  His grin was astounding. And goddamn, he was beautiful. Toned chest. Those thick legs. “Man, I wish I’d thought to pack my strap-on. Kicking myself now.”

  He laughed. “Always pack the dicks. That’s the one rule I’ve never been disappointed to follow.” He stretched those arms of his up and tucked his hands behind his head. “More seriously, I have no issues with you using mine on me, though not my harness.”

  Fair enough. She crawled over David and teased his lips with hers. “This is gonna be fun.”

  She peeled the rest of his clothing off, then slowly stripped off her own as well while David watched, propped up on his elbows. His gaze flicked all over her. “You’re something else, Mish. You could have anyone you wanted.”

  She’d had a lot of the people she’d wanted over the years. Not all, but that was fine, too. “Right here, right now, I want you.” His compact form, his muscles. The way the hair trailed from his chest down to his sex. Those fucking powerful thighs.

  His smile was golden. “If you’re serious about wanting one of my dicks—” He pointed his chin over to a duffel against the wall. “I asked the hotel to bring that bag to your room.”

  She’s noticed earlier. “How thoughtful.”

  All tooth and sexy posing. “Figured you wouldn’t mind.”

  Especially not now. “May I?”

  He nodded, and that was all the encouragement she needed. Like before, the array of dicks was impressive, and this time, there were more. Some were realistic. Others were not. One was smooth, a thickness she liked, and bright orange.

  “Safety orange?” She brandished the dildo.

  He threw back his head in laughter. “It’s not one that requires a warning.”

  No, there were thicker ones. But this one? She liked this one. She grabbed a bottle of lube and a condom and sat on the edge of the bed. “You sure you’re okay with this?”

  “If I wasn’t, I’d tell you. I like my body—all of it.” He paused, and his voice dropped in tone. “And I’ve been fantasizing about you filling me. So, you gonna use that on me or not?”

  Game on. She grabbed his shoulders and met him halfway in a blistering kiss that left them both breathless. Finally he used his strength, hauling her to him, and they tangled into each other. Flesh against flesh, his thigh between her legs. She rode that hard muscle, thrusting against it, then pushed him against the mattress before straddling him around the waist. God, the heat of his body. She smoothed her hands up his chest, over his pecs and nipples, then down those impressive arms.

  He rocked his hips, seeking friction of his own. Those lovely hands of his coasted over her belly and up to cup her breasts. He teased her nipples. “Come here.”

  “Demanding now?” She lowered herself, then moaned as he took one of her nipples into his hot mouth.

  He might not be all that sensitive there, but she sure was. Took all her concentration not to pull out of his mouth or collapse down on him, and the moans that fell from her lips sounded wanton and needy, even to her.

  This man would undo her before she even had a chance to fuck him. Especially when he rolled so they changed their positions. He switched breasts, licking and sucking the other nub until she thought her nerves might fry from the shocks and sparks flying over them.

  Time to turn the tables. Wasn’t hard to reach between his legs and find his dick. When her fingers teased him, David lost all his control. “Oh fuck.”

  “Again, that’s the idea.” Mish rolled him back over, then slid down his body, biting and licking as she went.

  David’s warm hands caressed her head. “God, yeah. Suck me.”

  She did, taking his dick into her mouth and relishing his harsh curse and how his hips lifted off the mattress, how he spread his legs to give her access. He tasted of salt and smelled of musk and she couldn’t get enough.

  Her own body flared in response to his moans and bitten-off curses. Fingers laced into her hair. “Baby, god...”

  His front hole was warm and tight and wet against her fingers, and the gasp he made was worth every second she lavished on him. God, she’d needed this. Needed to break him apart. Finger him. Suck him off and hear him moan. Better than anything in the world.

  Mish pulled back and gazed up at David, his face flushed under his beard, his chest heaving. His fingers brushed her cheek. “God, you’re beautiful,” he murmured.

  Only one thing left to do, really. She grabbed the dildo, quickly rolled a condom down on it, and added some lube. He was wet, but tight enough the extra slick would help.

  She entered him slowly, her gaze not leaving his until he threw back his head. “Fuck, fuck, oh god...” His hips drove the dick in deeper.

  That was a sight. Him hard and spread open by her. She eased the cock out, then drove it in again, finding a rhythm that made the sounds pouring from David loud and plaintive. Then she took his dick back in her mouth.

  David writhed under her as she held him down, his dick in her mouth. She pistoned the slick orange cock in and out of his front hole, her own body humming as his pleasure reverberated through her. She might get off like this, making David come, fucking him relentle
ssly. His breath came in gasps and groans, and she tasted him on her tongue and felt the sharp sting of his hands tangled into her hair.

  He came long and hard beneath her, crying out wordlessly as his body jerked and trembled. She didn’t let up, though, fucking him straight through one orgasm and into another that left him pleading with her to stop.

  Mish had never been so turned on in her life.

  Once she’d slid the cock out of him, he pulled her up so that they were lip to lip. “Fucking hell, woman.”

  “You liked that?” He was still trembling. Or maybe that was her.

  His answer was a kiss that scorched her down to her toes. His hands cupped her ass as she rode the hard muscles of his leg, trying to seek relief for her overstimulated body and not finding enough.

  When she groaned in frustration, David rolled them both over until he was on top, leering down at her. “Don’t think I’m too tired to take care of you.”

  Their mouths met and devoured each other in equal measure, and his fingers found her clit between her slick folds.

  Didn’t take long before she couldn’t see through the light and the pleasure ripping through her, sending her up and up until she shattered on his hand. She pulled away from his mouth and gasped for air. She’d been so keyed up fucking him, it wasn’t surprising she’d come so fast.

  He let her down slowly, but didn’t stop entirely. “Want more?” He mouthed her chin. “Can give you more.”

  Except she was wrung out, and even the gentle movements of his hand were almost too much. “Not—now.” She let out a breath as he slid his hand up to her hip. “God, you’re too damn good.”

  He grunted. “Hardly did a damn thing.”

  “Oh, but you did. You let me have you. I fucking love that.” She nuzzled his neck.

  He pulled her close, their limbs shifting until their bodies slotted neatly against each other, as if they’d been made for this. Utter joy spun through Mish like light breaking through the clouds, and that was almost as intense as her orgasm had been. “Can we stay this way forever?”

  His soft laugh was more of a hum and movement than sound. “I wish we could.” A hint of sadness there.

  Life moved on. After a time, they both heeded the call of their bodies, cleaned themselves up, and finished getting ready for bed.

  Tomorrow would be a lazy morning before boarding the bus again. After that, another hectic run of concerts. A life she loved and wanted. But stopping like this, holding David like this—she wanted that, too. He was the one bright, shining delight in this whole business with the stalker, and she hoped that would never dim.

  Chapter Twenty

  David relished the quiet early mornings in the bus before Adrian woke and made his coffee that had them all crawling out of their berths.

  After Charlotte, they’d played in Atlanta, with Mish singing half of the songs. Ray’s voice was well and truly on the mend. Tonight, they’d play in Nashville, and Ray was itching to get back into his top form, even as they juggled around sets to let Mish sing, too. You gave it your all in Music City.

  Though staying at hotels had been a nice break, there was a simplicity to the hum of the road, the darkness of the sleeping berth, and the utter silence of humans asleep around David.

  Reminded him, in some odd way, of barracks. He had often woken up early then, and lain in the dark contemplating all that he didn’t dare think about during the day. Back then, it had been his gender, his sexuality, his role in the world, and how he’d been running and running and running from the truth.

  Now it was about the tangled mess that was his job, this band that felt like family, and how fucking much he was falling for Mish Sullivan. On top of all of that, there was the stalker. Every blip in the news, every photo of David and Mish together—even the ones when he was in the background—those threatened to infuriate that asshole. Make him act out.

  He hadn’t. Even the emails and comments were gone. Oh, he was still out there, both David and Adrian were sure of that, but they hadn’t heard from him. Not a comment about Mish’s singing. Eventually the asshole would come out of the woodwork. But when and how? They were getting pretty close to the end of this leg of the tour.

  That niggled another worry in the back of David’s brain. Eventually, this tour would be over. The job he’d been hired for would be done. What then? Was he another Mish Sullivan fling? He didn’t think so, but there were no guarantees. They had gotten close so fast—fallen in lust. That didn’t mean love. Or the kind of commitment Ray and Zavier had for each other.

  Hadn’t minded the thought of a fling when they’d started this. But now his heart ached to be with her. He loved being on the bus with the band, too, and the friendships he’d formed. The deeper he got with Mish, the more reason he had to step back from the very job that put him here to begin with.

  When this leg of the tour was over, he really ought to tell Ray and Marcella to find another guard for Mish. Help them find someone. In reality, the whole band could use a security detail, not something cobbled together out of him, Adrian, and the crew.

  That left the most looming question: when he left this job and took another, how the hell was he going to date Mish Sullivan? Could he even?

  Yeah, maybe boy toy fling was the best way to look at himself. Thinking through the logistics of Mish touring and him off on some other job made his brain and heart hurt. There wasn’t a way they could be together after the tour.

  He reached up to touch the ceiling of his berth, to run his hand over the surface, the texture under his fingers cool and soothing. Life went on. It had after the army. After he’d come out, then come out again. He’d left family behind. Friends. Fellow soldiers. Ultimately, he was a loner and functioned best when he could move through society on his own terms.

  Once he heard Adrian drop out of his bunk to brew coffee, David folded up his thoughts and tucked them away. He had to be here and now. What might happen later couldn’t impact what he was here to do. His fling with Mish couldn’t impact that, either.

  When he heard someone else besides Adrian in the main area of the bus, he crawled out of his berth and started his day as part of the Twisted Wishes inner circle.

  Went pretty quickly after coffee. They pulled into the venue—another amphitheater—midmorning, then the day was full of sound checks, banter, walking the setup and talking to the site’s security. Mish caught him about halfway through the day for some very heavy kissing in a quiet corner backstage.

  Just like that, all his resolve to keep his feelings contained burned up in his veins. He ran his hands up her sides and teased her breasts through her shirt.

  “God,” she whispered, “I want you to make me come. Hard. Fast.”

  “Not here.” Might be quiet, but it was still far too exposed for his liking.

  “Right here.” Mish nipped at his beard.

  “Reckless.” But he was already hiking up her skirt. He fucking needed to get a grip, but his heart was pounding too damn hard. “Someone might see.”

  “So?” He felt Mish’s smile against his neck. “Come on, baby. You’ve got talented hands and a talented mouth.”

  He shouldn’t do what she asked, but he also couldn’t help himself. Everything about her was heady and hot. He took her mouth in his, and pressed her against the wall. He found the edge of her silky underwear and pushed the fabric aside. When he slid his fingers into her folds, she moaned into him. God, she was slick and hot and ready.

  What he wouldn’t give for more time and a far more comfortable place? He was hard and as needy. Pushing a finger into her got him a groan and a hissed “Yes, please.” He circled her hard clit, and she gasped, riding his hand. He alternated between fucking her shallowly and lavishing attention onto her clit, until she was crushing him in her arms. “Oh fuck, oh shit.”

  God the power in undoing a woman like Mish. Only took a few more
strokes and she was coming hard, burying her head against his shoulder, her breath warming his neck. They hung there for a moment, his fingers in her folds as she came down, her arms around him. His own breath was harsh against her hair.

  “Fucking hell, baby.” He pulled his fingers away, all too aware that they both smelled like sex.

  A chuckle. “You better believe it.” Mish smoothed down her skirt.

  Despite all his years of experience, nothing had prepared him for what to do after a moment like this. Wiping his fingers on his shirt seemed...gauche. So he did what came to him next—sucked them into his mouth and licked the taste of Mish from them.

  Her eyes widened. “Fucking hell yourself.” She smiled, ruddy-cheeked and breathless. “I think I love you.”

  The words shot through David faster than any bullet he’d ever taken. He couldn’t even respond—didn’t know what to say. Elation and terror. The sense that his world had shifted.

  In the next instant, Ray’s voice punctuated the air from down the hall. “Yo, Mish! We gotta do sound check! Where the hell are you?”

  Mish—oblivious to David’s turmoil—rolled her eyes. “Duty calls.” She stole another kiss, then slipped away, heading in the direction of Ray’s voice.

  Duty calls. David licked his lips, tasting Mish on them. Holy fucking hell. He should be out there, too. Watching over the band. Looking for Mish’s stalker. Instead, he was leaning against a wall, with absolutely no sense of himself anymore.

  This wasn’t good. Nothing about this was right.

  He peeled himself away from the spot and headed for the men’s room, aching from too many emotions and memories. He washed his hands and tried to rein himself in. The cool flow from the sink over his hands helped. So did a later chug of water as he headed out to watch the sound check.

  Mish was in love with him. His own feelings echoed hers. That should have been a happy thing, the start of something grand. But he wasn’t cut out to be more than a rock star’s fling. Didn’t want to be more than that, really. He had his own life, his own sense of self.