by A. M. Jones
“I know,” she says right before she engulfs me with her slick heat. A guttural groan rips from me and I thrust. She shoves me down, grabbing the top of the headboard for leverage. “Let me,” she commands, meeting my gaze. She rises in a slow motion and slams down. I grip her thighs. My body shakes in the effort to hold back. “Relax. Let go.”
I try to do as she says and breathe out. The need overtakes my senses. Holding her to me, I grip her waist. She yelps when I flip us over, staying on my knees. The headboard bangs against the wall when her shoulders hit it. Her lips part even as she smiles.
I drive upward and squeeze her thighs around my waist and then slide my hands around her backside. “This is what you want.” I slam her down on me hard. She sucks in air and exhales in a sound of extreme pleasure.
As we sync our swift pace, her ass smacks onto my thighs. I get lost in our kisses, touches, and the sensations that her body gives to mine. She lets out a breathy moan, tightening her arms around my neck and slowing to a grind she trembles and clenches around me. I watch in rapt attention and the next thing I know, my orgasm hits fast. Euphoria shoots through my body with bottomless gratification, making everything else fall away. When the ripples fade, I become aware of Taylor and fall backward onto the bed, pulling my legs from underneath us. She hasn’t a choice but to follow. Everything silences but our rapid breathing and the heartbeat in my ears.
Taylor rests her forehead on my shoulder as her own shake. I take a second to realize she’s laughing. I laugh with her although I’m wondering what the fuck just happened.
She shakes her head when she raises it, covering her face with her hands. She peeks at me between her fingers. “I needed that.”
No shit. That went on forever. “What the hell was that?” She put me in some kind of aroused trance.
She smiles and shrugs, giving me a mysterious look.
“All I did was play with your balls for a while. They are an important part of the male anatomy.” I laugh and kiss her lips. I don’t have words to express that kind of suffering. It’s terrible and oh, so awesome at the same time.
“That was… horrible,” I manage.
“You loved it.” She slips out of bed and disappears into the bathroom. The water turns on.
I glance down at the huge mess we made. Fucking hell. “Yes, yes, I did,” I rumble. “Now if only I could move.”
Her laughter echoes through the apartment as she returns. “No worries, damp washcloth to the rescue.”
After we’re clean, we never get out of bed, except to open the door for takeout. She steals a piece of my orange chicken. “I have an idea.”
“Again? Give me a few to refuel if you know what I mean.”
She laughs. “Not that. Hang on and I’ll show you.” Her ass flashes from beneath her t-shirt as she retrieves her laptop. The computer pings signaling a boot-up, and a few minutes later she shows me a Word document. “I think it might be a good idea because my sites been getting views from the gossip magazine site.”
As I read, I realize what she wants to do—tell the world our side of the story. Reading her take on how we met and what my friendship meant to her warms my face and neck.
She slams it shut, but I try to reopen it. “Hey, I want to read that.”
“You can when I’m done. It still needs a lot of work.” Her face flushes, and she won’t meet my eyes.
I place the takeout container on the bedside table and pull her closer. Putting my forehead to hers, I say, “I love this idea.”
“Good, because I’ve never been so pissed at someone. I hate she used me to hurt you and further herself.” She grabs my hand in her lap, sitting in a crisscross position. “I also thought when you weren’t answering your phone, you were going to try and leave me out of it.”
Her confession makes me think of Dash Top Records. I suck in a breath, staring at our hands. “I have something to tell you.” Her body stills, and she waits for me to go on without blinking. “The songs I’ve been working on? I gave the demos to the label. I’m hoping they’ll sign me to renegotiate the Highway contract and leave Tainted District out of it.” The more she searches my face, the more hope blooms on hers. “They’re interested.” I grin.
“What?” she whispers. “You’re lying.”
“I’m not. It’s what I wanted to celebrate. It’s not official, but now I’m not so sure it’ll happen.”
She closes her eyes and a tear leaks out. “That means…”
“Yes.”
She sighs. “When did this happen?”
“I sent a proposal to my contact there about a week after Jackson.” I was a nervous wreck. I remember thinking this couldn’t pan out. “So, it’s been in the works for a while, but I wanted to wait. You know, not get my hopes up.”
“Neither do I, so why are you not so sure now?”
I pause.
“We’re in this together, Eli, so we’ll face it together.”
“It might be Madison’s motivation for the article. She wasn’t happy when Dash Top told her she’s gonna need to sign a new contract. She came by the shop.”
Propping her chin on a fist, she stares at nothing. “She’s a big fucking bully.” At that, she grabs her laptop. “I need to get my article going now.”
Bully. My heart kicks into cardio mode. “I think I have an idea. How about we take advantage, get good press, and use this for some greater good?”
The smell of coffee rouses me from slumber. Eli’s studio gleams with morning sun. I stretch and turn over to see him on a workout bench. Sweat sheens on his arms. It doesn’t surprise me he’s awake already since he passed out after he got his stomach full, leaving me to finish my post. It goes live at midnight tonight and I’m anxious to see the reactions.
It tells our whole story from the first time I saw him at Jimmy’s to now. It goes into detail about his situation with Madison and her schemes she’s put us through. I link everything I can to it—pictures I drew of Jaxon and Eli, the selfie picture Eli tweeted of us both, most of the pictures taken during Tainted Districts first photo shoot, John’s YouTube video, the celebrity gossip article—anything I could think of.
Then I set a crowd funding site for any donations to a charity per Eli’s fantastic idea. As long as the band is okay with all of this, we’re good to get started. The only thing I’ll add to the post are any details on our grand idea. Maybe something incriminating against Madison, but I need to discuss with Eli.
The bar clangs when he slams it down with a huff. He spots me when he sits upright, sending me a grin and stretching his shoulders. “Morning.”
I throw the blanket over my head. “No. Too early.”
“Rise and shine.” His footsteps are unmistakable.
The blanket is jerked away, leaving me naked. “Hey.” I yank it back.
His laughter is nice to hear first thing in the morning. I close my eyes against that thought. There are still a lot of things left unsaid, leaving me feeling unsure.
“We have a lot to do. You better put clothes on. The guys are coming over and so are the twins.” I groan much to his amusement. “I’ll make you a cup of coffee,” he offers. “I even have a whole two-pound bag of sugar.”
Oh. Sugar. That sounds good. “Fine.” I rub my eyes, dry from sleeping in contacts. “And we need to figure out where the proceeds are going so I can submit the crowd funding page to go live.”
“Oh. The Beams Nashville. It’s where Jack goes to counseling. They also deal with victims of bullying.” He grins from his small kitchen area.
Someone bangs on the door. I fly from the bed and hit the bathroom in record time, only to figure out I have no clothes in here. Shit.
I hear someone chattering and a light tap sounds at the door. When I crack it, Eli stands there with my bag, clothes, and a smile as his gaze travels my body. I snatch my bag and slam the door.
After a few minutes, another tap interrupts me pulling on my panties. This time he opens it and sticks his arm in. I smile a
t the large mug of coffee in his hand. “Remind me to do what I did yesterday,” I whisper and grab the java, but he only pokes his head in.
“Don’t tempt me to kick everyone out.”
I laugh and wink. “Later. And it’s your fault. I wouldn’t have been naked if you didn’t demand I sleep that way.”
That gets a smile out of him. “I have no regrets. But I’m sorry. I didn’t think they’d show so soon. They aren’t used to me having company.”
“It’s fine. Now get out.” He laughs as I push his head from the bathroom and shut the door. I lean against it for a minute and savor a sip. The coffee even has the right amount of sugar in it.
When I join everyone around a half hour later, excitement hangs in the air. Brenna has a whole spread of plans already—judging from the planner and my laptop, opened on the coffee table—and chats too fast for me to know what she’s saying since I’m late to the party. Camden nods at me with a smile.
When Brenna notices, she jumps up. “Taylor, your post is perfect.” She snags my laptop and reads. “‘This isn’t gossip journalism. I’m not going to make something out to be the truth when it isn’t. I’m not going to type the details I want you to know. I’m slitting my wrists open and bleeding into this post. Everything.’” Brenna smiles. “It’s brilliant, Taylor.”
Apparently, they were all reading my Word document. I smile, even as my face heats, and let out a shaky breath. It wasn’t ready for everyone to read yet. I plan to proof it one more time. I peek at Eli, but he only smiles. I clear my throat. “Thanks. I hope it does good.”
Eli looks at his band mates. “What do you guys think?”
This is crucial. Going into this headfirst involves them.
Milo shrugs. “I’m down.”
Kevin leans back on the couch, folding his arms behind his head. “I’m just along for the ride. And scenery.” I follow his gaze to my college photograph—the one that should’ve never seen the light of day, let alone have been blown up the size of a wall. No one else notices, but when he catches me glaring, he gives me a chagrined smile.
“Whatever it takes to cut the bitch from our lives.” Crockett says, looking at Jack as do the rest of us.
Jack pipes in after a few seconds of suspense. “Whatever it takes.”
Eli relaxes his posture—the only sign he was worried about their opinion on the matter. He exhales and smiles. “Let’s do this.”
Brenna claps and Camden rolls his eyes. “Brainstorming time.”
I sit outside on the landing, contemplating my next move. A chorus of laughter erupts inside Eli’s studio apartment and I smile.
Dialing my father, it rings once before he answers, “Taylor.”
“Hey, dad. Listen, I was wondering if you’re still casting for your new show.”
“We haven’t started. Some dates got pushed due to the networks ratings on another show. We want a prime-time spot so… Why do you ask?”
“Well, I have someone in mind. A Nashville superstar.”
Some people would think I’m crazy for giving her this extra boost. But if all goes as planned, it might push her out of the way and keep her busy.
“Who is it?”
“I think you need the whole story.”
“Shall I pop popcorn?”
I laugh. “You might want to, yeah.”
The three-bedroom condo is fantastic. Although, it’s farther away from Eli’s place. Much farther. The living room has floor to ceiling windows, and the kitchen is all gleaming appliances and polished concrete countertops.
“What do you think?” Brenna asks.
I look to Eli, but anything he was going to say is cut off by the ringing of his phone. “I need to take this.”
We watch him walk outside.
“It’s got a great view of the skyline. How much is this going to cost us?” I ask.
“It’ll cost you the same as your apartment now.”
I blow a breath. “Plus, I’ll be your maid,” I point out. She rolls her eyes and Camden laughs.
“We’ll hire one,” he says.
“Spoiled brats.”
Brenna grins. “You could be, too, you know?”
“I’ll pay my part. The windows would be a great area to work at.”
Eli shuts the door as he makes his way back in. “You like the windows?” he asks me.
“Of course.”
He nods, a little pensive.
“What’s wrong with you?” Brenna asks him.
He shrugs. “That was my lawyer. He hasn’t heard anything from Dash Top. The waiting is going to kill me.”
“Hmmm. Maybe you need a manager to speak on your behalf.” Brenna tilts her chin down, giving him the full effect of her serious “I can take on anything or anyone” eyes.
He sighs, tapping something on his phone. Her phone beeps a second later. She whoops. “Does this mean what I think it means?” She holds her phone for me to see he shared contacts with her.
“Yes. Now show me some magic.”
I chuckle at Taylor on the drive back to my studio. After we looked at the condo, we went to have dinner. She’s fidgety over her missing laptop. She thought she put her bag in the truck, and now she can’t find it.
“I hope it’s at your place.”
“Maybe.” I suppress a grin.
“I’m serious, Eli, but I need to talk to you about something.”
“Sure.”
“Madison was screwing one of the agents she sent to solicit me,” she blurts. “I met with him and went through his phone and—”
I clear my throat, cutting her off. My grip on the steering wheel tightens. “Why didn’t you put it in your post?”
She sinks back, seeming glum. “Because that’s low. It’s detailed, it might come back to bite me in the ass. I was only trying to figure out who kept sending them and why.”
“What do you mean you went through his phone?”
She gets uncomfortable again. “I spilled his sweet tea on him. He rushed to the restroom. Left his phone.” She laughs. “I don’t think he’ll be bothering me anymore.”
I laugh, pulling into my parking space and shutting off the engine. The scene playing out in my mind is comical. Taylor going all Sherlock Holmes on me. “Really?”
“Yeah.” She pulls out her phone. “I even had time to forward them to my own and erase evidence.” She holds it out.
I get a glimpse of text messages and shrink away. “Uh, no. I don’t care what they say, but it’s up to you if you want to add it or not. And Taylor? About the post….”
“Yeah?” her voice cracks.
“I could’ve sworn I wrote the thing myself. The only thing that reassures me I didn’t is that it doesn’t sound crazy.”
“Really?”
“Yep.”
“Crazy how?”
“Well, I had blind moments of insanity when I was expecting an intervention at any moment. The post also would have had more cyber stalking bits in it.”
She lets out a short laugh. “As you know, I did my fair share.”
I smile at that because mostly when I’d update any social media, I was hoping she’d see it. “We should be locked up in the loony bin.”
“Aww… would you feed me instant potatoes with your plastic spoon?” She grins. That spark in her eye is only visible by the streetlight slanting inside the cab.
I point at her. “Don’t mock me. I’ll only have so much to work with.” She laughs. “But to answer your question, yes. Yes, I would.”
I open my door, grabbing her hand and helping her out on my side. I don’t bother asking if she’ll stay. Brenna and Camden are at her place. I’m going pay her back for rendering me immobile and then reducing me to primal behavior last night. I smile as we take the stairs.
She blinks at the look on my face. “What’re you smiling at?”
I think about telling her to shut up, to turn the table on her little game, but decide against it. I open the door and let her go in first. “I’m h
olding your laptop hostage.” I laugh at her incredulous look.
“You hid it?”
“Yes, and you’ll get it back as long as you do as I say.”
She pauses and tilts her head with a knowing smile. “So, no talking?”
She thinks she knows anyway. I shrug. “You can talk all you want.” Even if it takes all night, I want to hear her beg.
The ringing phone jars me awake. I grab for it, but the racket stops. When I lift my head, Taylor is still out. Her mouth is wide open, and her chest rises with deep breathing. My phone rings again, and she doesn’t move. I plant my face in my pillow and laugh, still hearing her soft pleas in my ears. It took a while to break through her iron will, but I got what I wanted.
I finally answer my phone, still laughing. Before I can even get out a greeting, Madison breaks my spell. “What the fuck, Eli?” She sighs. “You don’t get it, do you? That article helped both of us. I bet even Little Miss Typewriter gained sales from it.”
Revulsion turns my stomach. “You need help. And medication. Anyway, I’m sure this is violating the restraining order you put against me.” A sniffle comes through the phone. I give a short laugh. Even after everything, Madison still thinks she has some kind of hold over me. I peek Taylor. Her eyes are open. “Want to know something?” I ask Madison.
“What?” Her voice cracks. Her feelings are no longer a concern of mine.
“Before that post blazed to internet glory, Taylor was concerned about how you’d feel. Know what I told her?”
“What?” This time her voice is steel.
“You don’t deserve her sympathy. Don’t contact me directly anymore. This is the last time I’ll be nice.” I click off, meeting Taylor’s sleepy gaze. This feels right. It’s going to be a long, bumpy road, but I’d rather be on this one than a smooth one. I push my arm underneath Taylor’s side and pull us together.
A few weeks later, we’re in my truck, driving to the shop. Taylor chats about her first book in a new series. The best part is, I get to read it before anyone else. It’s not going to be anything like Turmoil, which is a disheartening book, but even if it were, I’d read it.