(Complete Rock Stars, Surf and Second Chances #1-5)

by Michelle Mankin

  “And I’m clean.” His gaze brightened. “Totally. They ran ever single test known to man at the hospital. I even had a tetanus booster. His gaze dipped to my mouth, his lips following, he brushed them firmly over mine. Once and I sighed. Twice and my lips parted. On the third I met him halfway taking his tongue while my fingers greedily glided over the contours I had been dreaming of exploring. The strong lines of his wide shoulders. The corded biceps. The wall of his solid chest. I dreamed no longer.

  He inhaled sharply when my fingers skimmed over his flat nipples. Everywhere I went his warm flesh seemed to leap to my command. “Enough.” His breath coming out in rapid bursts he leaned his forehead into me. “Enough, Simone. Lay back,” he ordered and I smiled hearing the confidence in his cocky tone.

  “Ok.” I shimmied purposefully, my breasts bouncing as I leaned back on my elbows.

  “You’re so beautiful.” Walking on his knees he opened my legs and moved between them, kneeling reverentially before me. My chest and throat grew tight just from looking at him.

  He reached for the ties on my top undoing them slowly his eyes growing heavy lidded as he slid the cotton covering off my breasts. “My goddess,” he breathed as he traced them. I arched my back off the blanket to bring them more fully into his skilled hands. Warm thumbs flicked and plucked the aching tips. My pulse pounded through my veins and restless desire pooled hot between my thighs.

  His gaze darkening even more, he dropped one hand placing it low and purposefully over my center resting it there while he watched me. The message was clear though unspoken. I knew he needed to hear the words from me, words I had withheld that night that seemed so long ago.

  “Yes,” I whispered. “Make love to me. Yes I love you.” I reached for him bringing his face to mine. His lips scalded me in their fervor like an answering brand, each stroke of his hot tongue claiming me as his own.

  His cargo shorts came off with just the quick downward rasp of his lowered zipper. He was gloriously naked and aroused beneath them. When I touched him velvety crown to base he groaned and the low purely masculine sound sent a heat rush of desire through me so strong that it dampened my inner thighs.

  Lips hard on mine, fingers frantic to remove all the barriers that separated my heated skin from his, he ripped my shorts down my legs and his mouth briefly lifted from mine to do the same with my top. He tossed it aside as soon as he had it over my head. Then his hungry mouth was back devouring my neck, sucking my nipples deep, tongue swirling my navel while I writhed beneath him skimming my hands over the width of his shoulders, dipping them into his spine and finally grabbing his sexy ass. His skin was slick with passion. So was mine.

  “Linc,” I praised. “Linc. I love you.” I pressed soft kisses to his flesh everywhere my mouth could reach. Inside my head I chanted the same refrain over and over. Don’t leave me. Don’t ever leave me.

  “Mona.” His eyes black with desire, he eased back on one arm his muscles taut and brought my hand to his cock so we could stroke its hard length together. So hot. Especially with his eyes locked on mine so I could see the pleasure in them and he could see the same in mine. He groaned approvingly then took my hand and brought it to his lips placing a hot open mouthed kiss in the center of my palm.

  Before I could recover from that sweet gesture, he lifted my arms and trapped both of my hands above my head. Slowly he moved into position. Slowly inch by delicious hot inch he slid inside my slick heat. Slowly he started to stroke inside me.

  Deeper and deeper. Higher and higher my passion spiraled. Closer and closer I got, we both got, to the crest of the wave.

  “Mona,” he groaned.

  “Linc,” I moaned lifting my hips to meet each hard thrust, desperate to take him with me to the top and then I was there. The summit. The consuming heat. The perfect ecstasy. I shook with the sheer dark pleasure of it. The joy prolonged as he shuddered his release within me filling me with his essence as I pulled him even deeper into me until he collapsed heavily on me whispering my name one final time.

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  * * *

  Linc

  Standing behind her I helped her retie the straps on her pajama top, fingers lingering on her soft skin. Something tightened beneath my rib cage when I realized she didn’t smell the way she usually did. No more sweet gardenia scented lotion. She’d left it all behind along with her clothes, college and everything else. For what? For me. The guy with the messed up leg and a messed up future dragging her into who knew what because he was still too selfish to let her go. I didn’t want to ever let her go.

  I lifted my glistening gaze to the ocean breeze avoiding her eyes as I shook out and refolded the blanket.

  I wanted her again even though I had just had her.

  Would this need for her ever lessen?

  She bumped my shoulder as we started back toward the motel. I was so busy staring at her that I failed to register the extra set of large footprints in the sand or the faint scent of cigarette smoke lingering in the air. I was completely unaware of his presence until he was suddenly right there in front of me.

  “Ash!” Mona exclaimed hand to her throat looking back at the dunes where we had just made passionate love to each other moments earlier. “I didn’t see you.” Why hadn’t either one of us seen him? “How long have you been standing there?” I very much wanted to know the answer to that question as well.

  “A while.” Ash flicked the cigarette he’d been smoking aside and lifted his chin. “The door’s open. Why don’t you go on inside, Mona? I wanna have a word with my cousin.”

  Uncertain she looked to me. “It’s ok. I’ll be inside in a minute,” I reassured her leaning in to brush her sweet lips and then watching her sexy hips sway as she moved away before turning back to Ash.

  “What the hell, Ash? Were you watching us?”

  “You’re not very discrete.” His jaw hardening he reached inside his half buttoned shorts, pulled out a crumpled pack of cigarettes, withdrew another smoke and offered me one. I refused it.

  “And since when did you start smoking?” I added waving away the puff of smoke that drifted into my face.

  “There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me, dude,” he stated enigmatically. “But back to Simone.”

  “Yeah. What about her? If you have a problem with her being here you should have told me upfront,” I guessed.

  “That’s not it at all. Where else is she gonna go?” His gaze narrowed. “You do realize she gave up everything for you.”

  I nodded once. Yeah I realized that alright. It was practically all I thought about. How could I ever even out the tally so heavily weighted on her side?

  “And so you’re back together now? She’s giving you another chance?

  “Yeah.” Not that I deserved it. “What’s your point? What’s got you in such a confrontational mood?” I asked.

  “You.” He poked me in the chest hard enough to hurt. “You didn’t see her at the hospital and then at our house after that. Dammit, Linc. She’s totally gone for you and she’s one of the sweetest girls I’ve ever known. You can’t keep jerking her around.” Was Ash in love with her, too? It certainly seemed that way. “You almost broke her once. You step out of line with her again and I’m telling you right now, cousin or no, I’m not covering for you.” He took a long drag from the half smoked cigarette and his tone though still angry seemed more reflective when he continued. “You’re a smart guy, Linc but a lot of the time you have your head up your ass and don’t see what’s standing right in front of you. Open your eyes. Get your shit together. You love her. Be the type of guy she needs you to be. I’m not asking you, I’m telling you.”

  Ash’s words ringing in my ears, I climbed back into bed and insisted Simone join me there. Grumpy Ash could sleep on the floor if he came back inside. Even though my leg throbbed I was exhausted and immediately fell into a hard sleep, until Dominic tossed a cold glass of water on me jarring me awake.

  “What the hell?” I sp
uttered clearing the water from my eyes and noted immediately that the bed was empty on Simone’s side. “What time is it?”

  “Frickin’ noon, man.” He threw a McDonald’s takeaway sack on the bed answering the question before I could ask it. “She’s out on the beach with Ash taking a bunch of pictures to chronicle the tour.”

  My stomach grumbled and I dug into the bag even as my brow creased in confusion.

  “He thinks she needs something to do, to feel useful, part of the band so to speak.” He ticked off on his fingers. “Ash is on logistics. Ramon’s our PR man. You’re a lazy piece of shit.” He grinned. “And I’ve got transportation covered. Got the van gassed and rinsed the undercarriage so the fan will cool the engine more efficiently.”

  “Fair enough.” I finished the egg, sausage and cheese biscuit and cracked open the orange juice.

  “We’re all packed up, too. Ash says you’ve got fifteen minutes to shower before they kick us out.” I raised a brow. Ash was getting awfully bossy. “Some girl from the local radio station saw us at the club last night. Called Ramon. Told him she wants to do a live interview. Seemed particularly interested in you.”

  “That’s cool.” I’d done interviews before on the surfing circuit so I wasn’t nervous or anything. Mostly just stoked. This had to be good for the band. I drained the juice and climbed out of bed heading to the shower.

  “Linc,” Dominic called before I shut the door.

  “Yeah?”

  “Listen.” He rubbed a hand over his short black hair. “This isn’t my place but Simone is Karen’s friend and well…I like her a lot, too. We all do.” Fuck. Was everyone half in love with her and going to ride my case? “She told Karen a lot of shit about the way she feels about you.” My stomach clenched. “My dad says there’s a good woman behind every good man. I know she’s been through a lot, so have you. Seriously, just don’t tool her around, alright?”

  Chapter Fifty

  * * *

  Simone

  We listened to the broadcast Linc and Ramon had taped on KLOS during our short hour drive on the Pacific Coast Highway. The Rock of Southern California’s segment had been picked up and rebroadcast on the Newport Beach station and several others in the surrounding area apparently. The evidence that it had been heard was currently all around me in the red brick wall to wall, completely packed, sold out historic club located in an alley off of McFadden Square. All three dramatic sprawling levels of the Blue Beet were filled from the ground floor where the band was set up, to the rooftop bar with a romantic view of the ocean.

  And it was only our second stop.

  “My sister’s best friend said she caught their show in San Clemente.” Club lights flashing in her short brunette hair the woman swaying to the recorded music beside me in the high heels and fishnet stockings swirled the straw in her tumbler before adding, “She also said the lead singer is smoking hot.”

  That he was for sure. I tried not to let it bother me that they were talking about my boyfriend with me standing right there sipping on my diet coke. Listening.

  “Yeah, he sounds hot, too. Did you hear the interview?” The blonde with her nodded vigorously like a bobble head doll while rearranging her bustier to show more cleavage. “He’s totally unattached. Said so. Several times.”

  My heart stopped. He did what? Surely she had gotten something wrong. Maybe she had gotten Linc confused with Ramon.

  “I just talked to one of the guys in the band.” Another brunette pushed into the group dressed sluttier than the other two. The alcohol fumes coming off her nearly made me gag into my diet coke. “Hispanic guy. Pretty cute. Said he’d let us backstage to hang with them if I show him my tits.”

  I closed my eyes. Holy shit.

  “I got dibs on the lead singer,” Blonde Cleavage Girl insisted.

  I started to shake and was leaning in so far to hear them that I lost my balance and one of their drinks slopped all over my only pair of high heels, my fake silk blouse and studded shorts.

  “You ok?” the brunette in the fishnet asked me.

  I nodded numbly backing away, pushing through the crowd and not breathing easily again until I reached the bathroom. I locked myself in a stall.

  Calm down, Simone. It’s just typical rock band stuff. You wanna be with a guy as handsome as Lincoln? Then you’re just gonna have to get used to the lifestyle. Besides you can’t always believe everything you hear.

  After my internal pep talk, I splashed water on my face in an effort to regain my composure and went back outside pushing to get close to the corner stage again so I could resume taking pictures of the guys with the camera Ash had taught me to operate. Linc smiled at me when he saw one of the flashes. I smiled back burying the trepidation the girls had caused until it resurfaced again backstage after the concert.

  Scantily dressed girls draped themselves over the guys who were left looking a little befuddled by all the attention. A local television station was talking to Linc about the radio segment and his surfing career. The bright video camera spotlight made his handsome blue eyes shine. I tensed when the blonde from earlier crawled into his lap and passed him a beer like she had a right to. I waited and waited and watched but he didn’t push her aside, as the pretty red headed professionally dressed reporter continued to pepper him with questions.

  When Linc flashed her his flirty smile, the one that showed off his dimple, my stomach didn’t flip the way it usually did, it churned on the diet coke within it.

  I tried to remind myself that Lincoln had made love to me just last night. That I had woken up to his arms around me just this morning. But it didn’t help. I still felt sick. I had to leave. Now. I spun around and ran straight into Ash.

  “Whoa,” he said stopping me, his platinum hair still damp with sweat from the stage, fingers calloused from years of drumming curling around my upper arms. “Where are you going? It’s not safe for you to wander around by yourself in all this craziness.” He frowned as he continued to study me. “What’s wrong? Why are you so upset?”

  My eyes drifted back across the room. His followed. His lips formed an ‘o’ of surprise before he tried to placate me. “He’s just playing up the sex appeal for show, Simone. The seductive angle is part of the sales pitch. He’s with you. As soon as the interview is through I’m sure he’ll take you back to the motel himself.”

  “Take me now, Ash. Please,” I pleaded. “I hear what you’re saying but I don’t feel good. For real.”

  “Sure. Ok.” His face softened. “This all kind of just blew up overnight, didn’t it? I’m sure we’ll all get acclimated. It’s just going to take a little time.” Putting his hand on the small of my back he moved in close behind me and led me from the room. “It’s kind of exciting though, don’t you think? In my wildest imagination I never dreamed we would get attention like this.”

  Exciting was not the word I would have used. More like bad or really horrible.

  But I kept silent and was grateful for Ash, grateful for the ride he gave me back to the motel.

  After some crackers and a Sprite from the vending machine, a lot of fretting and a couple of hours of bad sitcoms, I eventually fell asleep. I startled awake when the bed dipped and I heard a vaguely familiar feminine voice.

  “Hey there’s somebody already in your bed,” Blonde Cleavage Girl whined as I opened my eyes.

  I moved my hair out of my face and scooted toward the middle of the mattress.

  “Yeah, it’s my girlfriend,” Linc slurred sitting down beside me and patting my head like I was his puppy. My entire body went tense but he didn’t seem to notice.

  “I thought I was your girlfriend.” Boobs bouncing that I wondered if Linc had already seen, she put her hands on her overly ample hips.

  “Nope.” His hair messy and his eyes glazed Linc shook his head. “Never. I just needed the ride to the hotel since my cousin took off with the van and some guy to…” Expression blanking he trailed off. “I don’t remember.” His level of intoxication r
eminded me of my mother after she had chugged down a bottle of wine. I had never seen him this drunk. Never seen him drunk at all actually. What was going on with him?

  “Get out of my room.” I climbed out of the bed and took control of the situation grabbing the skank’s arm and dragging her to the door.

  “Hey.” She dug in her stilettoes trying to stop me. “Aren’t you going to tell her to let me stay…Mr., um…” She was having as many memory problems as he was.

  “Nope,” Linc said swaying as he got to his feet. “Thanks for the booze, Sugar. But,” he smiled and it was a sad pale imitation of the real thing, “this is the only woman for me. My Simone. My sweet, sweet Simone. Oh, shit.” He added reaching up to cover his mouth a split second too late. He emptied the entire contents of his stomach all over the floor.

  After I kicked the skank out, cleaned up the mess, got Linc to bed and myself a shower, the guys stumbled in looking only slightly better than Linc had.

  “Oh hell no,” I said shaking my finger at them. “Don’t you dare. If you’re gonna be sick go in the bathroom and sleep in the tub. I’m not cleaning up after anybody else.”

  I don’t know if Dominic and Ramon actually heard me. They were leaning heavily on each other and their eyes were unfocused. I gave it less than two minutes before they both passed out. Ash heard me though and he was the only one who had the decency to look embarrassed. So I laid into him. “You guys are gonna self-destruct before you ever get a chance to make it if you act like this after only putting together two decent shows. No one wants to pay good money to see a bunch of losers stumble around on stage drunk or hungover no matter how good looking they are.”

  “You’re right, Simone. Absolutely right.” He crooked his finger. “We’re all lucky to have you looking after us. Come here.” He reminded me of Lincoln for a moment even though they didn’t look at all alike. I crossed to his side of the room and he pulled me into him hugging me tight. He glanced at Linc who was totally out of it sprawled perpendicular across the bed. “I’m sorry you had a tough night. You can sleep in my bed. I’ll take the floor.”