"Then what are we doing here?"
"There's this bar I like. It's out of the way. No fans. No media."
"No concern for health and safety, either, apparently."
"You want to bitch and complain or you want to drink?"
"You're the one who wanted a drink, not me."
"Bitch and complain it is."
Scowling, I let him lead me through a series of hallways. We walked through one bar that looked pretty dingy, but he shook his head and continued on. When he finally reached a door with a restroom sign I dug my heels in.
"If crack alleys are out, I'm sure you can guess my opinion on public toilets."
"We're not fucking in the restroom either."
He pushed open the door to reveal a second bar, even more dingy than the last. I blinked as my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. A group of biker looking guys were playing pool in one corner. A trio of skinny punks were drinking in another. A burly man with tattooed arms and a scar on his face stood behind the bar washing mugs while a girl in heavy makeup and a leather corset wiped down the counter.
I edged behind Noah as if he could hide me. "Is this some sort of secret criminal hide out?"
"So judgmental," he said. "How do you know these guys are criminals?"
I peeked out over Noah's shoulder. "I suppose they could be good guys underneath all those tattoos and leather."
Noah raised an eyebrow and gestured to his leather jacket and tattooed chest. "Are you saying that's what makes a guy bad?"
"Well, I sincerely doubt anyone's ever called you good in your life."
"I seem to recall you saying I was more than good when you came on my cock last night. In fact, I think you said I was magnificent."
"Shut up!" I hissed. "Don't say stuff like that out loud in public."
"This isn't public. It's an exclusive bar. Only those in the know ever find out about it. It's like a safe haven of sorts. A bunch of rockers and bikers and underground fighters come here to chill away from the media and police."
"Police?" I asked, incredulous.
Noah laughed. "It's a joke. This place is cool. Don't worry." He draped his arm over my shoulder and led me to the bar. As stupid as it was, that small gestured comforted me. "Hey Walt. Hey Jessie. Gotta newbie here for you."
The girl's eyes lit up. "Noah Hart, with a girlfriend?" She clapped her hands together in apparent delight.
Noah grunted and remove his arm from my shoulder.
"We're not—" I began to say, before I was cut off by the man behind the bar.
"She a fan?" He gave me a scrutinizing look.
"Who isn't?" I quipped before Noah could make a smart ass comment. "I won't swoon over your bar patrons, I promise."
"You fucking?"
I choked on my own tongue, but recovered quickly. "Noah and I working together temporarily, that's all."
The man, Walt, seemed to relax minutely, his face relaxing. "Musician?"
"Of a sort. I'm not a rock star like Noah. I'm—" I looked to him. "—helping produce Darkest Days new album."
Walt nodded once and turned to put a glass away on the shelf behind him.
"I take it that's the end of the interview portion of our evening?" I murmured to Noah.
"Walt likes to know who's coming and going."
The hot corset girl, Jessie, came over with two beers, handing one to each of us, tops already off. I took mine with a nod of thanks. If I was going to work with a rock star, I'd supposed have to learn that happy hour apparently started just after lunch time.
"You and Noah are working together?" she asked. I thought she would gush over how cool that was. Instead she wrinkled her nose. "That sounds like the worst job ever."
I couldn't help laughing as he threw her a dark look. "The last few weeks have been a challenge, yes."
"I don't know how you haven't killed him already," she stage-whispered to me, with a grin and an eye towards Noah. "He's such a Mr. Cranky Pants."
I nearly died from holding in the laughter. It was the most accurate description of Noah I'd heard so far.
"We didn't come here to gossip." Noah sat on a stool in front of the bar. "We came here to drink."
I took a seat next to him and whispered in his ear. "I thought we came here to fuck?" The naughty part of me wanted to see how he'd respond after telling Walt and Jessie we were colleagues.
He placed a hand on the skin of my upper thigh exposed by my skirt. His thumb stroked my inner thigh, nearly brushing the fabric of my panties. His eyes pierced into me as he spoke out loud in a clear voice. "If you're so eager for my cock, I'll give it to you here and now."
I pulled back with a flush and took a flustered sip of my beer. Why did I try to play these games with Noah? He always won.
I sat next to him for several long minutes as he nursed his beer. His eyes were forward, staring at nothing.
"Are we really just going to sit here?" I asked tentatively.
"What were you expecting when I said I wanted a change in scenery?"
"I don't know. A walk in the park? Going to an art museum?"
He pinned me down with a flat look. "You realize who you're talking to?"
"You're right. Silly me. I should have known better. Of course Noah Fucking Hart would choose to sit in a dive bar to get inspiration for a song that reflects his heart and soul."
"And I'm sure you go on nature walks or whatever for inspiration."
Mostly I sat in my room, tearing my hair out and crying, trying not to have a nervous breakdown as I struggled to compose even a single note.
Noah eyed me. "You're thinking something deprecating about yourself again."
"Now who's the one who's psychoanalyzing?"
"Am I wrong?"
I ignored the question and sipped on my beer.
Noah stared at me silently for a few moments before grabbing my hand. "Put your drink down. Come with me."
I frowned as he tugged me away from the bar. "I'm not finished."
"Jessie, I'm borrowing the back room for a minute," Noah called out across the room where Jessie was cleaning up tables.
"Have fun, kids!" she called back. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
Noah marched me through a set of double doors, leading me into some sort of store room with extra tables and chairs, boxes piled on top of one another and cases of alcohol stacked in the corner. "What are you—"
Noah spun me around, pushing me against the wall. My lungs froze at the simmering heat in his dark eyes.
"I don't do long walks on the beach. I don't do candlelit dinners." He said the words as if they tasted awful on his tongue. "I sure as fuck don't do romance."
"I know."
"But I will tell you to get over your self esteem issues and stop doubting yourself because you're talented." His eyes pierced me to my very core. "You got that?"
My heart fluttered. As abrasive as he was, the words were almost sweet, in a Noah Hart sort of way. "Yeah. I got it."
"Good." He eyed me for another few moments before a smirk crossed his face. "And now I'm gonna fuck that sweet cunt of yours so hard you'll be ruined for all other men."
My insides quivered and pulsed.
"Do it," I said. "Ruin me."
His eyes flashed with a dark burning heat. He fisted my hair in a tight, almost painful grip and tugged until his lips came crashing down on mine.
I moaned into the kiss, opening for him, letting our tongues flick and brush together. He pressed me into the wall, shoving at me with his hands and hips. There wasn't an inch of space between our bodies. He ravished my mouth until it felt bruised and swollen, until I was breathless with need.
His knee pressed between my legs, parting my thighs and hiking up the hem of my skirt. Without meaning to, I found myself grinding down against the rough fabric of his jeans. He cupped my ass, giving it a squeeze, before taking my leg and wrapping it around his hip.
I knew I shouldn't have let him pull me into the backroom. I definitely shouldn't hav
e given in to his kiss. It was too late now. I was wet and swollen and aching. I let out a shuddering breath as his fingers explored my folds through my thin cotton panties. He slipped a single finger under the elastic and pushed into me. My mind shut off, all my inner protests ceasing.
"So fucking tight," he growled into my mouth. "Can't wait to feel you squeezing and pulsing around my cock."
My inner muscles clenched down even harder at those words. I felt him twitch in his pants, his length filling out, expanding. With shaky hands, I hurriedly unzipped his pants, my mouth watering as his heavy cock fell into my hands. I wrapped my fingers around him, stroking up and down with soft touches. The heat of him, the hardness of him in my hands, was maddening. He was absolute perfection.
Noah groaned and tangled my hair in his hand, tilting my head back to meet his gaze.
"I'm going to fuck you now." His dark eyes pierced into me. "I'm going to bury myself so deep inside that tight cunt you'll feel me for days."
Noah spun me around until my front was pressed against the wall. He took my hips in his hands and pulled me back until my ass was grinding against his cock. He flipped my skirt up, baring me to the cool air. I shivered. He ran a warm hand up and down my back, no doubt feeling every tremble, every shake.
"You need something?" he murmured in my ear.
I nodded my head, shuddering. I felt him take himself in hand, rubbing his cockhead against my wet folds. The texture of the tip was different, and I knew he'd put on protection.
"You know what I want to hear."
"Please," I whined. I placed both palms firmly against the wall, pushing back against him. "I can't…"
"Beg me," he demanded.
"I need you," I whimpered.
"Louder."
"Everyone will hear."
I could hear the smirk in his voice. "I know."
"Noah!"
"I told you. I'm going to fuck you hard and deep."
"God, yes, please."
"But I'm not going to do it unless you beg me."
I inhaled sharply as a wave of lust spiked through me.
"Do it, Noah," I said, repeating my previous words.
"Tell me exactly what you want."
I turned my head and met his eyes. The dark intensity sent shivers coursing through me.
"I want you to ruin me."
With a single thrust he stabbed himself into me. I choked back a shout as my folds parted around him, my insides fluttering and struggling to accept him. No matter how many times he fucked me, each and every time I forgot how big he was. He would shove himself inside me and I'd remember the delicious fullness, the sweet ache of being stretched to my limits.
Arching my back, I rocked my hips against his, wanting him to move. Noah complied with my unspoken desire, snapping his hips forward and pushing himself further inside me, burying himself deep like he said he would. Small cries and whimpers left my mouth as he did it again and again, pulling out then pushing in, penetrating me deeper each time, making me take all of him.
My mouth hung open, trying to take in gasps of air. My arms scrambled at the rough wall in an effort to keep my balance. My hair flew everywhere as my head tossed back and forth in ecstasy.
His fingers dug into my hips, bruising my skin just as thoroughly as he bruised my lips. His shifted his hips and found a perfect spot inside me, making my eyes fly wide open, making me cry out. He continued pounding me, hitting the spot over and over with long, hard strokes meant to drive me crazy. Meant to ruin me.
I pulsed and throbbed around him, close to the edge. Noah twitched and flexed inside me. He was close, too. He brought a hand to the apex of my thighs and played with my clit. My nails scratched against the wall as my whole body shook.
My climax hit me with lightning speed, taking my breath away. I choked and sobbed with the pleasure of it, bucking my hips, wanting him to keep going, to fuck me through it.
Noah didn't let up, doing exactly what I wanted, continuing his thrusts even as I felt his cock harden and twitch, spilling himself inside of me with a stifled groan.
I panted and shook, gasping for air until slowly the trembling of my body ceased. My limbs went weak. Noah wrapped his arms around me, holding me close, keeping me upright. I straightened my back, leaning against his chest. He let out a hiss as he fell out of me.
"Holy shit," I moaned softly.
"Nothing holy about it." Noah's voice was wicked. "That was pure sin."
I turned in Noah's arms, clutching his shoulders and pressing my forehead to his chest. "I'm fine with being a sinner if it means you keep doing that."
"You mean, fucking you in public?"
My head shot up, eyes darting around. "Oh god."
"Did you forget where we were?"
"For a second, yeah." I groaned in embarrassment. "I bet everyone out there knows what we were doing."
"They've heard worse. They've seen worse."
My heart clenched. "You do this often?"
"Are you asking if I regularly bring girls to this pub and fuck them in the backroom while everyone listens?"
I stayed quiet.
"No. You're the only one." I felt Noah press a kiss to my hair. "I don't often lose control like this."
Relief blossomed through me. I knew a man like Noah Hart had his share of women. I just didn't like thinking I was only one in a long line of them.
"Is there another way out of here?" I asked tentatively. "I don't know if I want to do a walk of shame through the bar."
"We can sneak out the back entrance. I don't want to get shit from Jessie either."
Noah found some spare napkins to clean up and tucked himself back into his pants. He reached out to take my hand then paused, a wild look on his face.
"You got any paper?"
"Paper?"
"Or whatever. Something to write on." Noah tore through the back room, upending boxes and tossing them around. "I need to write down some music."
"You're really going to do that here? Now?"
Noah grabbed a random pen and began scribbling on a napkin. He murmured to himself, humming indistinctly.
I used the rest of the napkins to clean myself up, righting my dress and putting my panties back on. I watched as he wrote down line after line of music notes.
I should have known better than to hope for cuddles or sweet talk. This was about par for what I could expect from Noah.
"So coming to a dive bar did help you find inspiration after all," I drawled.
Noah grunted, not answering.
I tried to keep the disappointment from welling up in my chest. I sat down on a discarded chair, waiting for the man who used my body as his muse to finish composing his latest masterpiece.
After a few minutes Noah looked up to find me still sitting there. He looked down at his napkins for a moment before shoving them into his pocket. He came over to me and took my hand, pressing a soft kiss on my inner wrist.
"Sorry," he murmured. "I get kind of carried away."
"It's fine. Your music is important."
"You're important, too."
My heart gave a little flutter. "And you said you didn't do romance."
He frowned, looking uncomfortable. "You're an important part of my process. For composing, I mean."
"Sure. Of course. Your process."
I couldn't help but smile inwardly. That emotional barrier of his was slowly crumbling, piece by piece. Maybe soon they'd be low enough for me to peek over those guarded walls.
Chapter Eleven
"Come out to Club Harmony with me tonight."
I paused in the middle of making a note on paper and turned to Noah slowly, my pencil still hovering in the air. "Like… a date?"
"Some rich celebutant paid ungodly sums of money to have Darkest Days perform at her twenty-first birthday. I want you to come and watch. Kickstart some ideas."
"Right." Of course it wouldn't be a date. It was all business with Noah. At least, it was all business until he had his tongue i
n my mouth — and other places.
Even then, that was a sort of business to him, in a way.
"I need to be there early for set up and sound check," Noah continued. "You don't have to show up until later."
"So we're not really going together."
"The band's gonna party afterward." He flicked his eyes to me quickly, then looked away. "You could stay and party with us."
A feeling almost like hope rose in my chest. Maybe he did want to spend time with me without there being a work reason.
"Bring some friends. Hot ones," he added. "I need girls there to distract Cameron or he'll give me shit all night."
I let out a laugh of disbelief. "You want me to bring my hot friends so your bandmates can hit on them?"
"You've got hot friends, right?"
"I can't believe you."
"Didn't you say you had two roommates?"
"They're both taken."
"Cameron won't mind."
"Their boyfriends will."
Noah pushed away from the keyboard. "Just be there at ten. I'll make sure you're on the guest list." He made his way over to the front door, scooping up his wallet and shoving it into his pants pocket.
"You're leaving now?"
He shrugged into his leather jacket. "I need time to de-stress before performing."
"Because being with me is so stressful."
"…got no fucking clue," he muttered, running a hand through his hair.
"What was that?"
"Nothing." He shot me one last careful look. "You can stay and work as long as you need. I'll see you tonight."
He shut the door behind him. I turned back to the piano, staring down blankly at the keys.
Being around Noah twisted me up into knots. There had been certain points during the last few weeks when I'd almost come to believe he might actually like me. Not just tolerate my presence, but actively enjoy it.
Then he'd walk out like I meant nothing and I'd remember that Noah didn't care about me at all. I was just a means to an end for him. At that thought the roiling in my stomach intensified, those knots becoming a tangled mess.
Was he only having sex with me because he needed to, as part of his "process?" I didn't know if he actually liked me or if he would sleep with any hot girl as long as they served as inspiration.
Hard Rock Tease: A Rock Star Romance (Darkest Days Book 1) Page 7