Ruby Tuesday

by Mari Carr

  Slowly he worked the vibrator inside and she appreciated the patience and care he took as he initiated her into yet another wonderful, unexpected experience. Never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined allowing a man to play with her ass, but with Sky, nothing seemed too outrageous. When the vibrator was fully seated, he turned it on and she shuddered at the powerful stimulation the incredible toy provoked.

  He tapped her ass lightly and touched her hips, moving her onto her side and then onto her back. She could see he’d donned a condom and she wrapped her feet around his waist, desperate to draw him inside her aching body. “I need you.”

  Sky smiled at her words. “I pray to God that never changes.”

  “It never will,” she assured him as he placed his cock at the entrance to her pussy and gave her yet another taste of sweet heaven.

  He halted for only a second when he’d reached the hilt before beginning a slow, steady pace, his movements thorough, almost reverent. She fought to restrain the climax hovering at the edges of her consciousness. He never failed to bring her to the brink in an instant. The vibrations of the toy in her ass combined with the thick, hard flesh of his cock piercing her was almost more than she could stand and she briefly wondered if anyone had ever perished from pleasure. His fingers grazed her ass and the vibrator began to move faster. Sky mimicked the action and she screamed as her climax broke free, dragging her into white-hot sensation. Somewhere in the distance, she thought she heard Sky cry out as well, felt his body tremble as completion claimed him.

  Sky kissed her as she slowly regained her senses and she realized the vibrator in her ass was now off, though still inside her.

  “Can I sleep now?” he asked slowly and she laughed.

  “You jumped me, rock star.”

  “Mmm,” he said as he rolled to the side. He quickly tossed the condom then returned, pulling her into a spooning position. His fingers teased the opening of her ass for just a moment before he dragged the toy out, setting it on the nightstand behind him. “That’s right. I did. Guess I should warn you I intend to jump you again in about two hours.”

  “I’ll consider myself warned.”

  “Good,” he murmured and she could hear from his voice he was already drifting off to sleep.

  “Very good,” she whispered as she let the quiet night and soft sounds of Sky’s breathing lull her back to sleep as well.

  * * * * *

  The next few days passed in relative contentment as Sky and Teagan drifted between the music they were writing and the love they were making. One mild evening, they took a long walk by the river, holding hands and talking about their dreams for the future. The songs they’d composed for the solo album were almost complete. The only song they couldn’t seem to agree on was Maybe Tomorrow. They’d rephrased the lyrics for the duet, but while Teagan wanted the melody to remain light and unmarred by heavy accompaniments, Sky insisted it would sound better with a faster beat and the electric guitar.

  While neither of them had said the words, The Universe’s concert in Baltimore was looming in their future and they were worried about finishing the song in time. For some reason, the concert had become their unspoken deadline and they were feeling the anxiety of not meeting that goal.

  As they returned to the cabin, Teagan was immediately struck by the feeling that something was wrong. Sky must have felt it too. He grasped her hand tighter, pulling her behind him as they climbed the stairs to the front door.

  “Get behind me,” he murmured.

  “Sky?”

  “The door is open,” he said. “We closed it when we left. I know we did.”

  Teagan wished they’d thought to lock it as well. A few weeks in the country had undone twenty-six years of city living and they’d fallen into a foolish sense of security. They hadn’t seen another living soul for weeks, so she supposed that feeling wasn’t completely misplaced.

  Sky slowly pushed the door open, peering inside. Teagan glanced over his shoulder, taken aback by the sheer destruction that lay before them. Sky turned to look behind them at the surrounding woods and she could see he was torn between leaving her outside alone and bringing her into the house with him.

  She took the decision out of his hands. She was terrified and she wasn’t going anywhere without him. “I’ll stay close,” she murmured, releasing his hand and grabbing the material at the back of his shirt. He nodded and they entered the cabin slowly, cautiously. Whoever had destroyed the place was gone—that much was evident as they picked their way through the ruined furniture, checking in every room, every closet. When Sky felt sure they were alone in the cabin, he walked to the front door and locked it.

  Teagan’s shock and fear gave way to dismay when she spotted her beloved guitar in pieces on the floor by the fireplace.

  “No!” she cried, dropping to her knees to pick up the ruined instrument.

  “Oh, Teagan,” Sky said, coming to stand behind her. “I’m so sorry, sweetie.”

  “It was my m-mother’s,” she said as the tears began to flow. “It was the only thing of hers I kept.”

  He knelt beside her and she could see he was as distraught by her loss as she was. “I didn’t know.” He reached out and held her as she cried. Seeing her beloved instrument—her only physical link to her mother—shattered, triggered all the old grief at her mother’s death. Sky held her throughout and she clung to him, desperately trying to pull his strength around her. She’d never felt quite so devastated.

  After several long minutes, she pulled away.

  “Sorry,” she said. “Fell apart, didn’t I?”

  “Don’t apologize for that, Teagan. Someone’s going to be sorry for this, but it’s not going to be you.” As he spoke, he looked around the room and she could see the deep-seated anger the destruction had planted in him. “Someone clearly knows I’m here,” he said at last.

  She nodded. It did appear their private Garden of Eden had been discovered. “Why would someone want to trash the place?”

  Sky pointed to his laptop computer. Amongst the chaos it lay untouched, almost as if someone had known it was useless, destroyed. “I have a suspicion,” he said.

  “Your solo career?”

  “I didn’t really put it together until tonight, but the paparazzi’s pursuit of me lately has been a bit rabid, even for them.”

  “You think someone was siccing them on you to keep you from writing your songs.”

  He shrugged. “I suppose that part could just be a coincidence, but I don’t think so. I believe someone is sending a pretty obvious message about wanting to see my solo career fail before it even starts. Leaking my cell phone number to the press, uploading a virus to my computer. I think you really did see a face in the window that night.”

  “Who would do all that?” she asked and he laughed mirthlessly.

  “Shit, it might be easier to make a list of people who want me to succeed.” He shrugged. “I think it’s safe to say my manager and the other members of The Universe probably aren’t exactly my biggest supporters right now.”

  “What about your record company?”

  Sky shook his head. “I don’t think they care one way or the other. I haven’t said I’m leaving my label, just the band.”

  “I assume Marty told the other band members you’re leaving.”

  Sky nodded. “He did. I don’t think any of them were particularly surprised. I’ve been hinting around for months. I heard a rumor once that they’d actually made a list of singers who could replace me. I don’t know if that was true, but—”

  “The problem with all of this is that The Universe and Marty don’t know we’re here,” she interjected.

  He sighed heavily and she could see that realization had already occurred to him. “I know, gypsy, but I don’t want to consider the people on the list who do know we’re here. I don’t want to think that any of them could have done this.”

  She closed her eyes wearily. Her family and Aaron knew they were here. She couldn’t for a
moment conceive of any of them doing such a thing. For one thing, Teagan’s dreams for a successful music career were on that laptop too. None of her siblings would destroy that…

  Or their mother’s guitar.

  “It wasn’t my family,” she said quietly, steeling herself for the onslaught the comment might provoke. She recalled the fact that Sky had suspected someone in her family of tipping off the paparazzi back in Baltimore.

  “I know,” he said quietly.

  “You do?”

  Sky’s thoughts echoed her own. “Your family would never wreck your chance at becoming a songwriter, a musician. Besides, they have nothing to gain if my solo career doesn’t take off and you have everything to lose.”

  “So…” she started, unwilling to fill in the blanks of their very short list.

  “So,” he finished sadly, “it was Rod or Natalie.”

  Her heart broke as he said the words and she could see the pain that thought was causing him. While she’d sat on the floor mourning the loss of her beloved guitar, Sky had been grieving over the end of a lifelong friendship. He’d been betrayed.

  “What do we do now?” she asked.

  She watched as he seemed to force himself to switch gears and she saw Sky the Plotter emerge. She’d been impressed by his quick thinking in the closet at the pub, but that seemed nothing compared to his scheming now. Anger was driving him and he wouldn’t rest until he’d discovered the truth.

  “Do you still have the notebook? The one with all our songs?” he asked.

  She leaned over to retrieve the small bag she’d carried with them on their walk. “Yes, it’s in here.”

  “It’s probably a given whoever did this was looking for them.”

  “So we’ll keep the songs safe. Sleep with them under our pillow,” she said.

  “I love you,” he said, leaning forward to kiss her.

  “Protecting the songs only solves one part of our problem,” she said as they broke apart.

  “I know. For the rest, I think we need to call in the reinforcements.”

  “Reinforcements?” she asked.

  “Yep, I’m afraid we’re going to have to recruit that group of wild Irish you call a family.”

  Chapter Nine

  The night of The Universe’s concert arrived too quickly for Teagan as she and Sky had spent most of the days since the break-in making plans to trap Sky’s betrayer. They’d snuck back into the city yesterday morning and filled her family in on their plans. Teagan grinned as she recalled their enthusiasm at helping to catch the person who’d betrayed Sky. It occurred to her that her crazy siblings were suddenly counting Sky as one of them and she could see the delight on Sky’s face when he realized the same thing.

  As she stood backstage with Sky, she felt the exhilaration and energy he’d tried to describe to her on the way here. Words couldn’t express the level of excitement coursing through her as she watched stagehands and sound technicians running through their checks. She, Keira, Riley, Pop, Sean and Will had ridden to the arena in a limousine—Teagan’s first time in that kind of vehicle. Tristan and Ewan were escorted in by the police in the car behind them. Sky had hired Aaron for the night to work as his personal bodyguard prior to and following the show.

  She could understand Sky’s addiction to performing at this level. The idea of twelve thousand screaming fans all paying to come hear his music—

  “Nervous?” Sky asked, his arm snaking its way around her waist.

  She shook her head. “No, why should I be? You’re the one who has to go out on the stage.”

  She felt his lips curl into a grin at the nape of her neck. “I was talking about the Sherlock Holmes-style trap we’re about to spring.”

  She shook her head. She’d been so lost in the powerful pull of the stage, she’d forgotten what had to happen before Sky stepped out to perform.

  He turned her to face him, touching her cheek softly. “It’s like magic, isn’t it?”

  She nodded, pleased that he always seemed to be able to read her mind. She’d never met anyone with whom she felt so closely linked. “I understand why you feel compelled to succeed. I don’t think I could perform at this level without wanting more. It’s quite heady, wonderful.”

  “One day those fans will be filling the seats to see you.”

  She laughed and scoffed. “I doubt that, but it’s a nice dream.”

  He looked as if he wanted to continue the argument, but Ewan walked up. “The key players are in place. You guys ready to do this thing?”

  “Jeez, Ewan. You sound like Bruce Willis in one of those Die Hard movies,” she teased.

  Ewan grinned and she read the utter excitement on his face. She knew that tonight, despite everything they were facing, was a night none of her siblings would ever forget. They were backstage at the final concert of The Universe. History was writing itself before their eyes and they were there—up close and personal.

  “Natalie, Marty, Rod and the rest of The Universe are all waiting for you in your dressing room,” Ewan said to Sky. “If we’re gonna spring this trap, the time is now.”

  Sky grasped Teagan’s hand and she squeezed it for encouragement as she watched a grim expression claim his handsome features. Tonight would not be easy for Sky on many levels. He was about to discover which of his friends had betrayed him and a big chapter of his life was about to close. When he walked off that stage at the end of the night, he would be facing an uncertain future. While she had no doubts about his success, she knew Sky was worried he’d made the wrong decision, scared he’d fail.

  “Ready?” he asked as they reached the door to his dressing room. She nodded as Ewan peeled away, drifting down the hallway to meet up with the rest of the Collins clan. The chatter in the room died down at their arrival and Sky thanked all of them for taking a few minutes to join him.

  He stepped forward, pulling her with him. “I wanted to formally introduce you all to Teagan Collins. Teagan has been helping me write the songs for my solo album.” No one made a sound or twitched a muscle. Teagan watched Rod and Natalie closely as Sky continued to speak. “I know by now, you all know of my intention to leave The Universe. I can’t tell you how sad I’m going to be to walk off that stage tonight knowing it’s the last time we’ll ever be together.”

  The drummer of the band, Spike, nodded, smiling sadly.

  “Been a great ride,” Joe Roxy, the bass player, said.

  “Been a fucking awesome ride,” Spike added.

  “I know Marty wanted to make a formal announcement about our disbanding tomorrow, but I feel like we owe it to our fans to let them know tonight. Let them know that they’re seeing something a hell of a lot more special than just a rock concert,” Sky said. The band members clearly agreed and Teagan was touched by how much they respected Sky’s decision and how much he cared about them.

  “Sky,” Marty said. Teagan thought the red-faced, stressed-out man appeared to be on the verge of a coronary. His skin was mottled, sweaty, and she could read definite fury in his eyes. “We agreed to make the announcement tomorrow at a press conference. Tonight isn’t a good time.”

  Sky shrugged. “I don’t agree. In fact, if the guys don’t mind, I’d like to make the announcement toward the end of the second set and then wrap the set up with a song Teagan and I wrote for the solo album. Sort of kick off my new beginning in style.”

  Marty’s chest rose and fell rapidly, but Rod and Natalie didn’t react. Teagan thought Natalie even looked a bit bored.

  “Is that okay, guys?” Sky asked the band.

  “Fuck yeah!” Spike said. “We’re gonna rock this motherfucking arena and then we’re gonna get some major pussy.”

  Sky laughed. He’d warned Teagan about the drummer’s fondness for the F word and sex. He’d commented on more than one occasion that Spike’s entire world revolved around three sticks—the two in his hands and the one in his pants.

  Marty stepped forward, his voice eerily calm. “I wish you would change your min
d about this, Sky.”

  Sky shook his head. “My mind is made up.”

  “So be it,” the manager said. And he stormed out of the room.

  The other band mates filed out as well after exchanging high fives and hugs with Sky before returning to their own dressing rooms. Natalie was the next to leave, hugging Sky and telling Teagan she was pleased to finally meet the hippie who’d stolen her buddy’s heart. Teagan liked the woman instantly and secretly prayed Natalie wasn’t the betrayer.

  Rod came up next, shaking his head. “So you’re really gonna do it,” he said. “Gonna fly solo.”

  Sky put his arm around Teagan and said, “Well, not completely solo.”

  Rod eyed her with interest, and then grinned. Teagan thought his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’m happy for you, man. Really happy. Break a leg out there.”

  Sky shook Rod’s hand and Teagan could see Rod’s surprise at the formality of the gesture. She watched the man mentally shrug and leave.

  “Let the games begin,” Sky muttered.

  They had set it up so that each of Teagan’s siblings followed a different suspect. If the villain was desperate enough, they figured they’d make a strike to stop Sky’s announcement prior to the concert.

  “Aaron’s outside,” she said, having caught a glimpse of Riley’s best friend upon Rod’s departure.

  Sky nodded. “Guess we’ll see how badly someone wants to stop me.”

  Teagan knew Sky was praying whoever was setting him up for failure would simply give up the effort. Problem with that ending was, they may very well never know who’d destroyed the cabin and set the paparazzi loose on Sky.

  “Well, I better get out of here,” she said, kissing him lightly on the cheek.

  Sky frowned. “Teagan—” he began, but she cut him off with a wave of her hand.

  “I’m following Marty, Sky, and that’s all there is to it.”

  He shook his head, but she refused to be baited into the same argument they’d fought all day. She’d insisted on trailing Sky’s manager while Ewan shadowed Natalie and Tris took Rod. Pop, Keira, Sean and Will were all keeping an eye on the members of The Universe even though she knew Sky didn’t suspect any of his former band mates.