“I have an idea!” She says throwing her finger up in excitement looking cute as hell. “Let’s play, never have I ever!”
I almost roll my eyes, but all the guys are smiling willing to indulge her. Only Henley grumbles, “Seriously?”
“Oh come on, Oscar. It will be a fun way to get to know each other better,” she insists.
“Oscar?” Henley asks her.
“Oscar the grouch could be your alter ego.”
Henley frowns but Nixon, Rocco and I laugh. “She’s not wrong,” Nixon says pointing at Henley.
“Come on, Oscar, you’re not…scared…are you?” She asks with a smile goading him.
“Yeah, Oscar,” I tease. “Are you scared?”
“Fuck you, I’m not scared,” he says with a smile. “But quit calling me Oscar.”
“Deal!” she says. “I’m going to mix us all extra drinks so we’re good to go for a few rounds. You know how it goes, someone says something they’ve never done, then everyone that has done it, has to take a drink,” Sailor explains.
“It can be serious or fun,” Britt adds.
“Yep,” Sailor nods happily as she passes out all the drinks. “Since it’s my idea, I’ll start. Never have I ever…gone skinny dipping.”
“Never?” I ask her surprised and she shakes her head. All the rest of us take a drink.
“It’s on my bucket list,” she laughs.
“I’ll go,” Henley says which almost makes me laugh since he was grumbling about playing. “Never have I ever, gotten arrested.” I glare at him as I take a drink.
“You got arrested?” Sailor asks and I almost flinch at the judging tone in her voice.
“Yeah, once. For a bar fight.” She shakes her head at me and Nixon hides a smile and Rocco looks at the floor. “Oh Maddox,” she says, “what am I going to do with you?”
“I have a few ideas,” I shoot back, partly because I’m serious and partly because I want to distract her from the fact I was arrested once since clearly she doesn’t care for that very much.
She rolls her eyes, “Don’t even think about it, or I’ll have you arrested again for indecent exposure,” she laughs and the guys do too.
“I’ll go,” Britt says. “Never have I ever, gotten a tattoo.” She doesn’t take a drink, but she’s the only one.
“You have a tattoo?” I ask Sailor as she walks around the bar and takes a seat, all of us now seated in a circle. My eyes rake her from head to toe not finding anything.
“Oh, she has a tattoo, alright,” Britt says, “More than one.”
“Shut up, Britt!” Sailor says with a laugh.
“Where are these tattoos hiding?” I ask.
“How many do you have?” Nixon asks.
“Where are they?” Henley asks.
Sailor lifts an eyebrow, “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Yes,” I practically purr, “yes I would.”
She smiles shyly, “I have three. I will show you one.” She immediately lifts the side of her shirt and after I push past the distraction of seeing so much skin, I tilt my head so I can read the script she has going up her side. “I’m unbreakable,” I read out loud. She nods and I find myself wanting to know more and her words from earlier flash through my mind – about how good things don’t happen to girls like her. It makes me wonder why she has that tattoo. What does it mean to her? Why is it important that she has that reminder? She holds eye contact with me, until she looks away, likely not wanting to see all the questions in my eyes. I find everything about her intriguing. Every second I’m with her, it’s like I can feel myself getting pulled under deeper. I’m intrigued by her; distracted. She doesn’t seem to be like any girl I’ve met before. There’s a vulnerability to her, but also a strong will. I get the sense she’s been broken before but defends and guards herself so it won’t happen ever be again. I want to know her. Really know her. And that thought, scares the shit out of me. The last time I cared about someone…dared to love someone…no. I’m not going there. Not tonight. Not now.
“Why not show us the rest?” Nixon asks curiously.
“Because. I’m not drunk enough or stupid enough for that,” she says with a laugh.
“It’s okay, watch this,” Nixon says with a wink. “Never have I ever, gotten a butterfly tramp stamp tattoo.”
Sailor immediately laughs and looks around the circle, but the rest of us are already staring at Rocco. “Fuck you,” he says and takes a drink while the rest of us laugh.
Sailor has tears in her eyes and has to start over a few times before she finally says, “You have a butterfly tramp stamp? Please explain.”
“I was drunk. Shut up,” Rocco practically growls. “My turn! Never have I ever made out with a guy.”
Sailor and Britt take a drink unsurprisingly, but they both almost spit it out, Britt begins choking, as Henley takes a drink too. The look on his face combined with remembering the story makes me, Nixon, and Rocco all lose our shit. “Shut the fuck up!” Henley yells but there is humor in his eyes.
“What the hell, Henley?” Britt asks.
“I was drunk. It was after a concert. We almost always do these meet the fans events after our concerts and this…uh…person was all over me. We left together. I didn’t know it was a dude in drag…until…until… I felt things… okay? I don’t like to talk about it. In fact, I told these fuckers to never bring it up again. Dead. You are dead,” he points at Rocco who only laughs in response. “Oh god, I need a shot,” he says and Sailor hops behind the bar and pours us all one and passes them around. Tequila this time. We are going to puke up our guts tomorrow – or at least be very, very sick – no question.
“Never have I ever popped a boner in front of my whole eighth grade class,” I blurt.
“Hey!” Nixon sputters. “I was thirteen, and the teacher was rubbing my arm while I was at the chalkboard working an equation. She was hot and I’m not sure who was more embarrassed - her, or me. And it’s all her fault…because….because…puberty!”
“Shut up and drink, sicko,” Henley tells him with a laugh.
“Screw you, Henley,” Nixon says before taking a drink.
Britt and Sailor are leaning against each other laughing like loons. “You shouldn’t laugh. It took a long time before people quit playing Van Halen’s Hot For Teacher when Nix would walk into a room,” I add making the guys laugh at the memory, well, except for Nixon who just scowls.
“Never have I ever gotten my nipples pierced,” Sailor says once she regains her composure. She doesn’t drink, neither does Rocco, Nixon or I, but Britt and Henley both do.
Henley smiles wickedly at Britt, “I’ll show you mine, if you show me yours.”
“Not a chance, babe. I’m not that kind of girl,” Britt says and winks, then looks at Sailor and sticks her tongue out knowing she did that on purpose. Sailor just shrugs and laughs.
“Never have I ever, experimented with the same sex,” Britt says.
“Seriously? We’re making fun of me again?” Henley says and we all laugh, but my eyes bulge out of my head, as do everyone else’s, when Sailor takes a drink too.
“What?” Sailor says with a shrug. “I was curious once.”
“I need to know everything. Right now,” Nixon says eyes glued to Sailor.
“Nope. Sorry. I swore to never speak of it.”
“It was you and Britt wasn’t it? Did the two of you make out?” Henley asks looking from one to the other over and over.
“Did you see me take a drink?” Britt asks saucily.
“Well, did you want to go ahead and make out right now?” Nixon asks them both and they look at each other, smile, then move closer, lips almost touching, before they both turn to us at the same time and say, “Nope!”
“Teases!” Nixon grumbles and they laugh.
“I’m done with this game!” Sailor says, slamming back the rest of the drink in her glass before snapping it back on the bar. “How about that dance now, Britt?”
“Hells yes!” Britt say
s with a cheer. She finishes the rest of her drink and then they disappear out the door to head to the dance floor.
I look around at the guys, and they all have smiles on their faces. “I think I’ve said as much before, but I think she’s going to fit right in.”
“Definitely,” Nixon says. “If we had to add someone, I’m sure as hell glad it’s her.”
“Is it weird that I don’t mind it so much now?” Henley asks, and I realize that as we’ve talked we’ve all moved to the glass so we can look down at the girls while they laugh and dance together.
“No. I don’t think it’s wrong. I think we’re all thinking the same thing,” I say. Although, I hope they aren’t thinking exactly what I’m thinking. Because the thoughts I’m having surpass friendship and if they are having similar thoughts, it wouldn’t bode well for any of us.
“Well boys, I’m going to patrol,” Nixon says with a smile, which is code for, look for girls.
“Me too,” says Henley.
“Go ahead,” I tell Rocco when he hesitates. “I’ll keep an eye on the girls.”
“Yeah, well, who’s going to keep an eye on you?” He asks.
“No need. I’m good.”
“You had as much to drink as the rest of us.”
“Yep, but I’m not in the mood to start trouble tonight, don’t worry.”
Rocco looks relieved and something in my stomach tightens as I realize my behavior has caused him to be concerned in this way. I sometimes forget how rough my antics have been on him, not only because he worries about the band and its affect on us, but also because he cares deeply - for all of us.
Rocco disappears and I pull a chair to the glass and watch the dancing taking place below. I try to fool myself at first. I look around the room, watch some other people, try to focus my eyes elsewhere, anywhere, but where they really want to go. With a sigh, I give in, and focus on Sailor. A low hiss passes my lips when I do. It should be a sin for her to move her body like that. From up here, I have almost a clear shot down the front of her shirt as she moves. Her exposed skin shines and glows like a beacon under the lights. She and Britt are dancing together and seem to be having a good time. There are men circling like hawks, but they are oblivious, just focused on having fun together. When the song slows down, they start moving their bodies at a slower pace, their moves becoming more sensual than before – almost erotic. Sailor has her arms above her head, her eyes closed, and she sways her hips back and forth. When a guy comes up to her, she shakes her head clearly telling him she’s not interested. He seems to be insistent and quickly, the smile falls from her face and Britt is also speaking to the guy. I don’t wait around to see more.
Discarding my glass, I’m out the door and down the stairs as quickly as possible. Knowing right where they were on the dance floor, I move there. When I arrive I find the girls, but no obnoxious guy.
“Maddox! Did you come to dance with us?” Britt asks and Sailor who once again had her eyes closed, opens them and blesses me with a smile.
“I came down because it looked like you had someone that wasn’t taking no for an answer.”
“Oh, thank you, but we handled him,” Britt said with a smile. “Sailor just told him if he didn’t immediately leave she would grab his tiny little balls so hard they would be like crushed grapes in her hand.”
“Ouch,” I tell her and instinctively place a hand over my crotch.
“It did the trick,” Sailor says with a shrug.
“Well, okay then,” I say and look around just to make sure no one else is about to try something.
“Dance with me,” Sailor says and I’m surprised when her voice comes from right in front of me. Looking in her eyes, I find that she is clearly inebriated, and I don’t want to do anything that will piss her off later.
“No, you and Britt are fine,” I say.
“Actually, I’m going to go back upstairs and get another drink, so if you stay with her, that would be cool.”
“Okay,” I tell her.
Turning back to Sailor, I’m surprised when her hands snake up the front of my chest and she wraps herself around me. I inhale sharply as she takes a step toward me and presses her body to mine. “Move with me, Maddox,” she says into my ear, and so I do.
Without a word, I begin moving my body with hers. One of my arms is wrapped around her waist, the other at her back. Inhaling sharply at the feel of her body against mine, I’m walking a dangerous line here, but with the alcohol pumping through my veins and the music moving through my body, that line starts to blur more and more with every sway of our bodies.
I know better. I shouldn’t have asked him to dance with me, shouldn’t have my body pressed up against his like this, but oh my hell it feels so damn good. When is the last time a man has held me? When’s the last time I’ve felt happy, beautiful, carefree, and desired? I’m not oblivious - I’ve caught the way Maddox looks at me. He feels something between us, and if I’m not being stubborn I confess that I feel it too. It may only be the reckless desire I have to rip all of his clothes from his body and hump him like a rabid monkey, but it’s there and I feel it nevertheless.
Hell, the man is hotter than fire, but it’s not just that that does it for me. Even when he acts like an asshole I find myself attracted to him. I wonder if I’m insane, what woman wants a man that can be a jerk? Well, I do have a tendency to like a bad boy; they’re just so damn hot. But it’s more than that with Maddox. There are times I see glimpses of something more, something deeper, something of value. And for whatever reason, it’s not a side of him that’s easy for him to let people see; that much is clear. Maybe it’s because I can be the same way – we’re like two broken melody’s coming together to make one great song. It makes me want to crack his exterior. To dig deeper until the real Maddox is revealed.
Maybe it’s being able to relate to someone musically, maybe it’s the promise of what the next few months are going to bring. Perhaps it’s because I’m drunk and lonely and any flesh and blood body would do to fulfill my needs at the moment, I’m not sure. I do know that for once in my life I want to follow my instincts and let all the other shit that’s been ruling my life fade away. I just want to escape its grip for a little while. Plus, I’m supposed to be celebrating and having a good time, aren’t I?
I haven’t dared to do anything like this in a long time. Or had a reason. The few relationships I’ve had the last few years have been as controlled by me as possible. I thought I lost the ability to go with the flow. So, it feels good to be able to trust my instincts, let go, and just…be. It’s empowering to know that my ability to do so wasn’t stripped from me after all. I’m making headway, but I’m certainly both a masterpiece and a work in progress in several areas of my life. I’m learning it’s okay to be both.
The next song is slow too. My body is molded to Maddox and I can feel the firmness of him, everywhere. Somehow he shifts, and one of his knees finds it’s way in between my own. As we move, it begins creating a delicious friction at my core that makes my breaths come faster and my grip around him tighten.
His chest begins moving rapidly, almost in time with mine. I move my head back so I can look up into his eyes, and the look in his momentarily takes my breath away. I find desire, need, and lust burning there, making my own feelings that are already simmering within me burn hotter. My head is swimming now; I’m not feeling any damn thing except the desires of my body and the needs of my soul. And what they both want is to connect with another person – to feel the desires of connecting with someone else skin to skin.
When he moves his head toward mine, I begin to do the same, but then somehow I think of Britt or one of the guys seeing us and suddenly I feel a need to become less visible from prying eyes. I squeeze his shoulder, “Privacy?” I ask.
He nods sharply, backs up from me and takes my hand. He directs me through the crowd, and in the corner of the room there’s a hallway that leads back to the restrooms. He tries a couple doors as we pass, and one of them
opens. He ducks his head inside quickly, and then pulls me inside behind him. The space is small, it’s a closet of some sort, which is random, but helpful at the moment so I’m not going to complain. I stumble over something on the floor, and giggle. Maddox’s chuckle is near my ear and it sends goose bumps down my body, makes the hair rise on my arms, and my stomach feel heavy with excitement.
He kicks whatever it is out of the way and pulls me hard up against him. The only light comes through the crack at the bottom of the door and it isn’t much, but I can still see the outline of his body – his face. Somehow the dark heightens the feelings already running through my veins – anticipation making me practically breathless.
And then, his mouth is on mine. A teasing nip on my bottom lip, permission perhaps, so I open for him, and he wastes no time pushing his tongue inside. We moan simultaneously, as if the first taste of each other overwhelms us. I feel the effects of it everywhere. In the way my stomach flips, in the way my breasts feel heavy and my nipples tighten, in the way my core clenches as if it’s already wrapped around him. It’s a war of lips, tongue, and teeth as we fight to feel more of each other, to take what we desire. My hands are clutched in his hair, gripping and pulling; his are on my ass, and he shocks me when he pulls away a little bit to lift me, turns, and presses me against the wall. The small knock my head takes is nothing compared to the feeling of my body completely wrapped around his.
His lips are soft, his tongue urgent, and he evokes a moan from me as he suddenly grinds his body against my own. I can feel his hard erection press against me and when he juts his hips again, I moan. “Fuck,” he curses as he pulls away from my mouth in order to run kisses down my throat and over the tops of my breasts.
“I wish I could rip the clothes from your body. I want to devour you, inch by inch,” he says and all I can do is emit a whispered curse in response.
He pushes my shirt and bra away from my breast and teases me with his tongue before taking my tight nipple into his mouth. My head smacks into the wall again as I drop it backward, “Yes, yes,” I encourage. Nothing else exists except for him and his mouth. My hands have managed to find their way under the back of his shirt, my nails digging lines into his skin.
Broken Melody (Graffiti On Tour Series) Page 13