They played footsie for the next hour or so before they left the bar. Mason took an Uber to his apartment in Manhattan, and Sindy went back to the mansion with Tessa and Lucas. She went straight upstairs with Tessa, thankful that Lucas stayed downstairs and didn’t follow them. She washed up, changed into shorts and a tank top, and arranged the bedding on the couch, hoping to be fast asleep by the time Lucas came up the stairs.
Fifteen minutes later, Sindy still fidgeted. Her mind wouldn’t settle down, especially since she heard Lucas’ bedroom door shut shortly after she laid her head on the pillow. She stared at the ceiling from under the chenille blanket, alternating between listening to the music coming from Lucas’ room down the hall and the sound of the TV coming from Tessa’s bedroom. It was a waiting game to see who turned off the sound first. She could tell herself over and over again that she wasn’t going to sneak out and go to Lucas’ room, but she knew it was a lie.
She watched the clock. Twenty minutes went by, then 30. Both were still up playing their respective entertainment. Her phone buzzed on the end table and she quickly grabbed it before it alerted Tessa. She didn’t need to look at the screen. She knew it was Lucas.
LUCAS: My door is unlocked.
She tucked the phone under the blanket without leaving a reply. The initial tingle of excitement that the message brought quickly slipped away, and it grated on her. Was he that egotistical that he assumed she was automatically going to climb into his bed because they shared a kiss earlier? Change of plans. She was going to sleep.
She punched her pillow, pulled the blanket up to her chin and breathed in the deep scent of lavender. Only it wasn’t just the scent of lavender that overtook her senses. It was lemongrass and mint – the scent of Lucas’ hair. They had two brief kisses. How could it be all over her? Or maybe she was remembering the scent because she was remembering him. The way this guy got under her skin drove her crazy. This was madness. She shook her head to clear Lucas from her mind and released a deep breath. Just as she settled down and started to drift off to sleep, Tessa’s TV clicked off, causing Sindy’s eyes to flip wide open. Fuck.
Sindy hadn’t had a steady boyfriend since she left Baltimore. She’d had the occasional date and one-night stand when she first moved to New York, but for the last few months she’d been concentrating on getting her life together. She reflected on the men she’d dated in the past. None were the caliber of Lucas Blade – on any level. None made her insides churn equally with frustration and lust in some kind of love/hate battle of wills. This was a disaster. She told herself to stay in bed. Close her eyes. Go to sleep. Forget all the crazy thoughts inside her head. Because they were insane. She wasn’t going to fuck up her life, just like she always did. Lucas Blade was off limits.
She must have fallen asleep, because the vibration of her phone woke her.
LUCAS: I’m waiting.
Oh my God. Didn’t he get the hint that she wasn’t interested? He was so damn persistent. And arrogant. And that’s exactly what she planned on telling him. Annoyed, she flipped the blanket off and quietly slipped into the hallway. Barefoot, she padded lightly down the darkened hallway. When she hit the turn that led to Lucas’ room, the glow coming from under his bedroom door illuminated the way. As she neared, she saw that the glow wasn’t coming from under the door. It was partly open. Waiting for her. Expecting her. This guy was too fucking much.
She swung open the door, ready to tell him to go fuck himself, but he surprised her by wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing his mouth against hers. It happened so fast that she didn’t resist. Her knees buckled from surprise, and she went limp in his arms. If he wasn’t holding her against his chest so tightly, she may have ended up on the floor.
He wasn’t even wearing a shirt, just a loose-fitting pair of sweats. Heat bled from his pores and warmed her body. Her cheeks flushed, consumed by the fire this man stirred inside of her. As soon as she felt his erection against her, she came to life and eagerly pressed her body into his. She ran her hands up his bare chest, around his neck and into his hair, inhaling the scent of lemongrass and mint that she recalled while lying under the blanket. She couldn’t remember the anger and frustration she had toward him only moments ago. One touch from this bewitching man transformed all of her emotions into pure want, and she couldn’t get enough of him. She wanted to touch every inch of him. With her mouth. “Oh my God, Lucas. How do you do this to me?”
“I’m not doing anything. You want me. Don’t pretend you don’t.”
“Be quiet.” He was right. She did want him, but he was so smug about it that she refused to admit it. She silenced his arrogant smile with her lips while she continued to push her fingers through his thick long hair. If was unfair that a man should possess such luxurious, full locks of pure blond which exuded an alluring aroma.
The door shut with a push from Lucas’ foot, and he lifted her in his arms as if she were weightless. She clung to the round muscles atop his shoulders which flexed as he cradled her. He carried her into his bedroom and set her down on the mattress. He pulled her shorts and panties down to her ankles and slipped them off her legs without pausing. Crawling up the bed, his lips left a soft trail of kisses on her flesh starting with her ankle, moving to her knee, and settling on her inner thigh. She took in a deep quivering breath and exhaled with a shudder as his mouth inched up higher. Biting her lip, she waited and whimpered. He took his time, caressing her upper thigh with his tongue. First the right, then the left. She felt his breath on her mound, hot and teasing. She opened her legs wider and jutted her hips upwards, begging him to touch her.
The moment his mouth made contact, she gasped at the current of sensations that shot through her. She felt him smile against her body, gloating that he had such an effect on her. Damn him and his perfect mouth.
She rocked into him, holding onto a chunk of his hair. He worked his tongue against her flesh in glorious circles while his hands stroked her thighs, sending goosebumps crawling up her spine. Her head began to spin, and her breaths came in deep grunts. Just when she was about to climax, he pulled away. Her head jerked up from the pillow and a pitiful sigh escaped her as she looked at him wondering why he stopped when she was so close.
He didn’t offer any explanation, only smiled at her with that damn cocky smile and pressed his lips to her lower belly.
“You drive me crazy, Lucas Blade.”
“Mm-hmm,” he answered without removing his mouth from her body. He pushed her tank top up, a few inches at a time, so his lips and tongue could continue its dance over her flesh.
It was a slow ascent that made her insides hum. Impatient, she ripped her tank top over her head and threw it to the floor. He picked his head up long enough to give her a wide smile, amused at her overzealousness.
While he was calm and in control, leisurely exploring her body, she was hungry and needy. She writhed against his erection and the soft fleece of his sweats. He was still wearing his sweatpants. Why the hell was he still wearing his sweatpants? She wanted to feel his naked body against hers and groaned with frustration as she rubbed against him harder.
He smiled as he took her nipple into his mouth.
He was so damn confident. So self-assured. It made her crazy. It was as if he thought he knew that the way he touched her and everything he did would make her want him more. And it did. She craved this man and his magnificent hands that brought soul-crushing melodies to life and drove passion into every inch of her body.
She couldn’t take this slow foreplay any longer and tugged on his shoulders while she tried to push his sweats down with the heels of her feet. Reluctantly, he disengaged his mouth from her breast and smiled at her again. Why the fuck was he always smiling?
“You want it, don’t you?”
She stopped writhing against him. Her feet stilled, with the waistband of his sweats now midway down his hips. Her hands clutched the round muscles of his shoulders. She stared at him, breathless. “What?”
“Say i
t. Say you want me.”
She had no intention of verbalizing her desire, and huffed out a gust of air as she flung her head back onto the pillow.
“Suit yourself.” He shrugged one shoulder and returned his hands and lips to her body.
She tried to fight the tingle that his tongue ignited across her nipple. She willed the gooseflesh not to rise on her arms and legs as his hand caressed the curve of her hip. She failed to steady her breath. “Oh, God.”
“Oh, Lucas,” he corrected, the smile returning to his lips.
She couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her. This man, with his insane ego and everything that went along with it, really did possess the right to flaunt his perfection. She finally caved to his self-righteousness. “Oh, Lucas. I want you.”
His head popped up with surprise. Gone were the teasing grin and playful glint in his eyes. “What did you say?”
He was going to make her repeat it. Or maybe he was so shocked that he didn’t think he heard her correctly. She impatiently propped herself up on her elbows and leaned her face close enough to his that they almost touched noses. “I want you. Right here. Right now. As fabulous as your hands and mouth are making me feel, I’ve had enough of them.” She wrapped her ankles around his legs and jerked her pelvis into him. “I. Want. You.”
His eyes grew wider and their color darkened to a deep sapphire that smoldered with heat. He kissed her, hard, while panted breaths blew from his nostrils onto her cheek. He suddenly sat back on his knees, took a condom from the pocket of his sweatpants and pushed them down to his thighs. No underwear, Sindy noted. How surprising. He was so fucking prepared and presumptuous that it made her laugh and shake her head. He didn’t even bother to remove his sweatpants. He just left them around his hips and rolled on the condom.
He fell on top of her again and pinned her with a deep kiss. With their mouths still attached, he reached between their bodies and entered her with one push. She arched her back and grunted, suddenly filled to capacity. Relief came quickly, with a few deep thrusts of his hips. Blinding sensations made her tremble and convulse as he worked his pelvis into her with a steady rhythm. She clutched his shoulders and threw her head back, jutting her chin to the ceiling while every nerve ending inside of her twitched. She wallowed in a semi-catatonic state as she let him drive himself into her until he found release with a series of heavy thrusts.
“Sindy,” he whispered into her neck as he lie on top of her, spent and satiated.
She held him in her arms as she caught her breath. She didn’t want to think about anything or what it meant or what was going on. She just wanted to enjoy the moment.
Lucas slowly rolled onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling, wearing a beautiful smile. Not a cocky grin or a teasing smirk. Just a happy, beautiful smile that made his face light up and enhanced his handsome features.
It was so easy to see why she fell for him when he was like this. But, as the euphoria dissipated, reality and rationality invaded Sindy’s brain. What was she doing? What the hell was wrong with her? Since when did she have such little self-control over physical desire? And with Tessa right down the hall, she was pushing boundaries too far. She was too smart to be this stupid and slipped out of Lucas’ bed to quietly pick up her clothing.
“Where are you going?”
“Shh. I have to get back to Tessa’s room before she wakes up and notices I’m not there.”
“Why don’t you want her to know we’re sleeping together?”
“Be quiet,” she whispered. “Because we’re bandmates about to embark on a career. And you’re Tessa’s brother. And she’s my best friend. And we’re not sleeping together.”
He gave her a sly smile as his eyes washed over her body. “No?”
“No.” Why was she standing there, naked, having a conversation with him? This was ridiculous. She stepped into her panties and her shorts and pulled the tank top over her head.
“My sister likes you. She’s never liked anyone I dated. She’ll be happy we’re together.”
“No. She won’t. She’s protective of those she loves, and she’s not going to let anyone interfere with the success of Prodigy. And we’re not together, so stop saying that.”
“It’s not that big of a deal. You’re blowing this out of proportion.”
She closed her eyes and exhaled a deep breath. This was too complicated. “For once in my life, I want no drama.”
“You got drama, baby. Like it or not, you can’t stay away from me. And I can’t stay away from you.”
She scowled at him, angered by his assumption that she found him irresistible. He got her so worked up she could scream. She lunged at him and grabbed his face in her hands and kissed him, harder than expected. She hadn’t planned on kissing him. She wanted to shake some sense into him, but the moment her hands touched his stubbled cheeks her hormones jumped to attention. She kissed him deeply, with so much passion that she wondered where it came from. When she pulled back he had a wide grin on his face.
“Told you.”
He was such a smart ass. It equally annoyed her and made her smile. “Knock it off. I’m going back to Tessa’s room.” She reached for the door handle, paused, and looked back at Lucas. “This didn’t happen.”
“If you say so.” His coy smile widened. “And it won’t happen again next time, either.”
She snorted and laughed. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Maybe. But you know I’m right. Because there will be a next time. And a time after that. And a time after that.”
She opened her mouth to shoot back a sarcastic retort, but her mind went blank. The presumption that he actually thought she couldn’t stay away from him rendered her speechless. “Good night, Lucas.” She retraced her steps back to Tessa’s room, made sure her friend was still asleep, and snuggled under the blanket. She took a deep breath, hoping the lavender scent would lull her back to sleep and calm her raging pulse and spiraling hormones, but the salty scent of sex filled her nostrils which only made her thoughts dwell on the incredible last half hour with Lucas.
Lucas sat in the studio strumming on his Les Paul as he looked through his notes while he waited for Sindy. He purposely told Tessa and Mason not to show up for another hour so Sindy could concentrate on her lesson, but he really just wanted to be alone with her. She drove him crazy on so many levels. It baffled him. He reminded himself that they were here to work, and he couldn’t let his erratic emotions derail the plan.
The heavy notebook in his hand, filled with page after page of concepts and rules and how and why harmonies fit together, seemed overbearing. This had been his bible in college. It contained material that served him every day. Theory excited him, but he often forgot that not everyone loved it as much as he did and decided to ease up on Sindy. He’d back off and stick to only teaching her how to read music, unless she asked to learn more.
Sindy’s footsteps tapped on the stairs, and Lucas looked up just as she came into view. She immediately looked around the studio, her smirk indicating her annoyance that they were alone.
“It’s just you and me, hon.”
She tensed.
“It’s just a term of endearment. It doesn’t mean we’re engaged. Yet.” He gave her a broad smile, and she actually laughed a little which lightened the tension in her jaw.
She rested her guitar case against her leg and stood near the couch. “I just got back from seeing my new apartment. It’s not far. Just 20 minutes away. It’s beautiful.” Her face brightened as she spoke. “I chose the one-bedroom instead of the studio, since . . .” She hesitated, as if embarrassed about spending her advance. “It’s not that much more money. I can still afford it.”
“Relax, Sindy. I’m not judging you. You deserve it. And I know you can afford it. Prodigy is gonna blow up the charts. That’s why I’m waiting to buy my own house, although I’m getting really antsy now that everything is so close and ready to explode.” He looked at the stairs that led to the rest of the house, torn between
leaving the only home he’s ever known and buying his own place. “I love it here, but it’s time. I don’t want to move far. I just want something that’s mine.” His gaze lingered on Sindy, and he saw the same spark in her eyes about moving into her new apartment. “When are you moving out?”
“Two weeks.”
Although happy for her, he wished she would stay longer. “I’m going to miss having you down the hall from me.”
The corner of her mouth drew back into a tiny smile. Was it because she felt the same way, or because she doubted his sincerity? He didn’t know how to read her sometimes. Ice cold walls guarded her reactions most of the time, but he’d broken through them on several occasions. Their verbal combat and test of wills seem to do two things. One, it created a burning passion between them. It heightened how much he wanted her. She wasn’t a conquest. She was an obsession, and he wanted to possess her. Break her. He wanted to claim her as his own, which seemed like an impossible feat. She was so stubborn and independent, and that’s what turned him on. She was a powerful woman. She didn’t stand down. She didn’t break. She stood tall and fought no matter what the hell happened to her. She bounced back and landed on her feet. Nothing could keep her down. She lived in a fucking storage unit, and still had the determination to get by and prevail. It would have broken a lesser person. Not Sindy. She faced challenges head on and never accepted defeat. He admired her. She worked hard in the studio, proving her work ethic and dedication to the band. She was learning to read music and starting over like a beginner, when she was already a phenomenal guitar player.
The second thing their sparring did was enlighten his mind. Sindy was smart, and she sparked his intelligence.
“Are you spacing out?” Sindy asked.
LUCAS BLADE: Radical Rock Stars: Next Generation Duet Book 1 Page 14