Booker (Courting Chaos Book 3)

by Heather Young-Nichols

  I didn’t answer, but I did follow. After that, there was no way we could stay any longer.

  “Are we going home?” I asked when he handed me my helmet.

  “Do you want to?”

  “No,” I said without hesitation as I climbed on behind him. He revved up the engine. I’d trust him to take me anywhere. However, as I watched our surroundings fly by, it seemed like we were headed back to the house. Until he turned before their road.

  We came to a stop near the lake, as close to the water as he could get without going into the sandy area. Booker removed his helmet, so I did, too. Then he twisted around so he was half-turned toward me.

  “This is the lake my parents’ property butts up against. Over there”—he pointed behind us and to the left—“is theirs.”

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “It is,” he said, but he was still looking at me and not out at the lake.

  The moment was too much to pass up. Even if he was leaving soon.

  I got off the back of his bike and when he moved to follow me, I pushed on his shoulders, then slid back on in front of him, my legs crossing over each of his. Yeah, I was in a skirt, but I couldn’t have cared less. Hell, being in a skirt would work to my advantage.

  Chapter Eleven

  Booker

  I grasped Paige’s knees. Not too hard, but her skin heated below my touch. She reached up and released her bun so that her long hair cascaded around her shoulders. She’d done that one other time and maybe it was because she didn’t do that too often but seeing her wild with abandon shot right to my dick. I fucking loved it.

  When she rested her hands against my shoulders I came to the realization that everything about the night was egging me on. The moonlight created an amazing glow off the water and small waves lapped against the beach. Nothing could’ve been more perfect.

  Paige slid her hands from my shoulders up the sides of my neck until she reached my jaw. Her thumbs ran over my cheeks before she pulled me against her. I wouldn’t have been able to look into her eyes another minute without being set on fire.

  Her kisses were like heaven on Earth. Songs would be written about her lips and mouth. I could only imagine what having sex with her would be like, given the way she kissed me… I knew it couldn’t be anything less than amazing. I pushed my lips harder against hers, slid her tongue into my mouth. Her little movements and the small sounds that she would’ve made if I didn’t have her tongue trapped owned me as my hands slowly snaked up her skirt. I kept to the outside of her thighs because I didn’t trust myself not to go further if I touched her anywhere else. I’d stop if she told me to, but I wanted to go slowly with her. Fucking hell, this woman was going to be the death of me.

  I didn’t stop until my fingertips reached the edge of her panties. It would’ve been too easy to slide in under the thin fabric and make her feel what I was feeling. Instead, I pulled back but then dove right in again and cupped her ass. I couldn’t imagine Paige being into sex in public, but the thought didn’t bother me. I’d fuck her right then and there if she wanted me to and make sure that no one ever saw a thing if they happened by.

  “You’re going to make it very difficult for me to ride this thing home,” I said against her ear before dropping kisses down her neck. Riding with a hard-on wasn’t the most comfortable thing in the world. She giggled and raked her fingers through my hair. Then I pulled back and rolled the ends of a lock of her hair between my fingers. “Why do you always wear your hair up?” I asked.

  Her eyes narrowed as if the question confused her. “Uh… originally, it was just easier for work and that’s mostly still why. ER patients can be crazy, and I wasn’t going to give them something to use against me.”

  Damn it. That wasn’t what I’d wanted to hear. “They pulled your hair?”

  “Sometimes. Scratch, kick, bite. But it’s not always on purpose. You come in with a gunshot wound, you’re not exactly thinking clearly, ya know.”

  “Gunshot wounds?”

  “Yeah, there were a lot of them when I worked in Detroit.”

  “I don’t know how you do that shit.” And I fucking hated that she’d seen so much ugly in her life. Paige was beautiful with a beautiful heart and she deserved to see only beauty. I wanted to give her that.

  She shrugged. “You get used to it and I do love helping people.” Paige wet her bottom lip with her tongue. “You miss being on stage, don’t you?”

  I didn’t want to answer that yet. Being on stage meant not being here and not spending time with her. But I did miss being on stage. “Yeah,” I finally admitted. “Touring and all that isn’t perfect. There’re definitely downsides, but it’s where I feel most at home.”

  “You don’t feel like this is home?” She waved her hands around us.

  I took a deep breath. “It didn’t used to. It’s feeling a little more like it now.” I gave her thighs a squeeze and she smiled at the implication.

  “You should get back to it,” she said, which was the opposite of what I wanted to hear. But Paige didn’t give anything away easily.

  “I should?”

  She nodded. “If it’s what you love, you gotta do it. You have such an amazing opportunity, Booker. It’d almost be a crime not to take it. Unless you don’t want it—though you do.” She took a breath and blinked rapidly the way she did when she got nervous. “Anything here should be here when you come back.”

  I wasn’t sure what she meant. My parents or her or both. It wasn’t a promise or a declaration. But she was telling me to leave. How confusing.

  “We should get back,” I said, though I would’ve rather stayed there with her all night.

  “OK,” she said quietly after a long pause, then she slid around me onto the back of the bike.

  She might’ve worn disappointment on her face, but she’d agreed, so I got us home. But I didn’t go to the front of the house. I drove us slowly around to the garage, where I usually kept the bike. I wanted to walk up to the house together—slowly, enjoying those last minutes of the night.

  I unlocked the door to the house to let her in where we were met with complete silence. There were certain lights we left on all night in case someone needed to find their way. Otherwise the house was dead.

  “Do you need a drink?” I asked her before turning down the hall toward her room.

  “No. I have that small fridge in my room that has some supplies. That way I don’t wake anyone if I need something at night.”

  When we got to her room, I stopped as if it was her apartment door because unless she said no, she was getting the kiss of her life. Well, I hoped it’d at least be memorable. I didn’t have to wait for her go-ahead. Paige slid her hand around the back of my neck and pulled me to her.

  Chapter Twelve

  Paige

  I didn’t know what came over me, but the idea that he could leave at any moment coupled with the night we’d had overwhelmed me and I had to kiss him like my life depended on it. I pulled him down to me and kissed him. Kissed him the way I’d never kissed anyone before. And Booker responded by cupping my face and sliding his tongue into my mouth. He felt like velvet. His tongue demanding and strong.

  “OK,” I said breathlessly once I pulled back. Then I reached behind me and turned the knob to open my bedroom door. “We should take this inside,” I said to him, assuming he’d understand exactly what I was saying, exactly what I wanted.

  Booker ran his index finger over his bottom lip. “You sure?”

  I cocked my head to the side and took a step backward into the room. “I’m sure.”

  He followed without any further delay and closed the door behind him.

  I’d left a small lamp on near the bed so I wouldn’t have to enter a pitch-dark room. Now it was just enough that I’d be able to see him the entire time. I’d savor this.

  Once Booker realized I was fully into this, he didn’t need any further encouragement. First, he slid the hoodie off my shoulders and down my arms, letting it drop to the
floor as he kissed me senseless. Then he leaned back and did that thing guys do when they reach behind them and pull their T-shirt over their head off their bodies. It was a signature move and hot as hell.

  But it was my first glimpse of shirtless Booker. Everything about him was strong. Long, lean muscles and veins that popped on his arms. I traced those veins, then looked up at him, only to be met with an intense gaze. Not breaking eye contact, Booker grabbed the hem of my tank top and slowly lifted it over my head.

  We kissed again and explored as much as we could while still partially clothed. At least until Booker brought me over to the bed. I slid up and he climbed on top of me to kiss me some more. His hand snaked up my skirt like it had on the bike, only this time there was no hesitation. He caressed. He grasped. Then he pulled back and yanked my skirt off before pushing out of his own pants.

  Booker removed everything of his, then came back and got me completely naked. I needed this, but I really needed this with him. Though I didn’t have the time to look closely, this was my first time seeing him without his shirt and I found that those tattoos stopped at his shoulder. Sexy as hell.

  He kissed down my body and pushed my legs apart. When his tongue touched me, I came alive. It’d been too long. So long that it didn’t take much time for him to blow me apart. Either I’d needed it badly or he was just that good at it. Or a combination of both.

  “I have to go to my room,” he said once he crawled back up me.

  “Why?” No way was I letting him end this here.

  “Condom.”

  “Oh, I have some.” I pushed up and reached into my nightstand to pull one out.

  “Why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why do you have these?”

  I rolled my eyes. This wasn’t exactly what I wanted to be doing right now. “In case you decided you wanted to have sex with me, Booker.”

  “What?” he asked, clearly confused.

  “Ugh.” I dropped my head back against the pillow. “I bought them when I was out shopping. Just in case this happened, OK? I’m a nurse. I’m all about safety.” I swallowed hard. “I haven’t had anyone else in here. Could you imagine?”

  “I’d rather not.”

  “This is your parents’ house.” I reached out and took his cock in my hand, sliding my fist up and down him. “Now can we keep going before we lose this?”

  “I don’t think there’s any danger of that.”

  My giggle got lost in my mouth when he descended again.

  Once the condom was on, Booker hovered over me and watched me as he sunk into me. My eyelids closed, whether I wanted them to or not. Since it’d been a while, it took me a few times of him pushing in and out before I was used to the full feeling he created. He could’ve hurried, gotten himself to his euphoric place—because he’d already gotten me to mine—but he didn’t.

  Booker took his time. He savored. Paused when he needed to and touched everywhere his hands would reach. He kissed my mouth and neck, sucked on my skin in such a sweet, reverent way that I didn’t care if he left a mark.

  Booker was everything I wanted him to be and in a deep part of my heart, a twinge of sadness pinched me at the idea of this being a one-time thing and him leaving me. Somehow, he’d done what no one else in my love life had. He’d burrowed himself into my heart.

  We each lay there trying to catch our breaths when we finished. That had singlehandedly been the best experience of my life. Bar none.

  “I’ll be right back,” he said, then he left the bed.

  While he was gone, I climbed under the covers and reveled in the soreness in my legs that would ache tomorrow but would be a reminder of what we’d done. I wouldn’t mind the pain.

  “Here.” He handed me a bottle of water, then climbed in beside me.

  “Thank you.” I kissed him, not for the water, but just because I could.

  After draining half the bottle, I set it on the nightstand and burrowed back down into the most comfortable mattress in the world. Booker made me the little spoon when he took me in his arms.

  “Tired?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I murmured. “The best kind.”

  “I should probably go back to my room,” he said tiredly but made no move to actually do it.

  “Why?” I asked as I flipped over.

  “I have an early video call in the morning with the band. Wouldn’t want to wake you.”

  “Wake me,” I said immediately.

  “Really?”

  “Well, I’d rather you wake me up early than leave. I can fall back to sleep.”

  “Then I’ll stay,” he said, kissing the tip of my nose.

  “I have to get some pajamas, though.” I swung my legs off the bed and tried to decide if I wanted to walk across the room naked or not. It was a stupid choice. He’d seen everything there was to see. No reason to hide it.

  “I’d rather you didn’t,” he said, but he watched me cross the room without anything on anyway.

  “I can’t sleep naked.” I pushed my legs through the shorts I’d grabbed. “Most of my life, I’ve shared a room with several people, so the idea of sleeping naked gives me the creeps.” I dropped a tank top down my body next. “I know I probably should be over all of that, but you learn stuff and it sticks.” I crawled back up the bed on my knees. “But you feel free to stay bare.”

  Booker chuckled deep in his chest. “I’ll grab my boxers.”

  “How disappointing,” I said, letting myself fall into place as he made his way around the bed to where our clothes laid on the floor.

  Booker climbed back in with me and I didn’t even have the energy to click the light off. It wasn’t bright and I could sleep through practically anything when I had to. He set the alarm on his phone, then pulled me toward him.

  He’d only been in my bed this once, but I knew I’d miss it every single night from now on because I knew just how good we could be together.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Booker

  When my phone vibrated against the nightstand I considered ignoring it altogether. Paige’s ass was pressed into my crotch and her back into my chest. This was where I wanted to stay, but I’d agreed to the video chat. Why in the hell had they wanted it so early? The guys had played last night. I couldn’t imagine any of them wanted to be awake at eight in the morning, let alone speaking to each other.

  I’d set my alarm for 7:30 the next morning just so I could grab a drink and get out to the guesthouse before I needed to be connected. I could’ve gone to my room but wanted the privacy the guesthouse would afford. In my bedroom, I brushed my teeth and grabbed my laptop, then headed for the kitchen to get a bottle of water and, as quietly as I could, left the house.

  Morning was always quiet at Mom and Dad’s. Surprisingly, even Dad slept in on Sundays and he never slept in any other time. I thought that was part of his issue with my “not a real” job. The schedule. It was erratic, late nights, day sleeping… all the things he’d considered traits of a lay about.

  I drained half the bottle of water while my laptop booted up and I waited for the invitation to join the chat. Finally, it beeped and I accepted. Dixon, Cross, and Ransom popped up on my screen. They were together and sitting so closely, it was comical. They had the room to spread out a little and still all be in the shot.

  “Fuck,” Ransom said with a groan. “I told you we had more room. Get off my lap.” He pushed Dixon to the side, almost onto the floor on his ass.

  Cross pinched the bridge of his nose. “None of us want to be up right now. Can we do this?”

  “Why are you all up so early?” I asked them.

  “Fucking Lawson,” Dixon answered for the group. “He has us doing this PR shit.”

  “We really need to hire a personal assistant or PR person who knows what the fuck they’re doing. And won’t schedule anything until after noon,” Ransom offered.

  “So, what’s up?” I asked, bringing their attention into focus. Things could get out of hand with the fo
ur of us if someone didn’t take control.

  “We wanted to check in with you,” Cross said. “See when you’re coming back.”

  “And make an official offer,” Ransom added.

  “Offer?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” Ransom continued. “We realized that we never officially asked you to be part of Courting Chaos.”

  “We just kind of assumed you were in,” Cross explained. “That was our mistake.”

  “But there is a hitch.” Ransom held up a hand to keep me from talking. “If you say yes you’ll marry us, we need you for the show tonight. We need a regular bassist. Yes, we have played a couple of shows without you but it doesn’t sound the same… like incomplete. We don’t like it.”

  “Tonight?” I asked as a knot formed in my stomach. That was really soon. My mind flashed to Paige still asleep in her bed, peaceful. As beautiful as anything I’d ever seen before. Clearly I had to have a career and one with Courting Chaos was what I wanted. But I wanted Paige too.

  Ransom was also probably right. They could do without me in a pinch but not having someone wasn’t a long-term solution.

  “Shit. We should’ve asked how your mom’s doing first,” Cross said.

  I swallowed. “Uh… she’s doing OK.”

  “So you could join the tour tonight? As in play tonight?”

  Yeah, I could. That wasn’t the question. Mom had seen how antsy I was at not playing regularly. Even Paige had told me I couldn’t waste this opportunity. I had to do it.

  “I can be there,” I finally said, though the words tasted like acid. I’d never been torn like this before in my life. Playing, finding a band, a gig, had always been the focus.

  “Lawson said there’s a flight out of some tiny airport in Traverse City at three. He’ll get everything booked and email you the itinerary. We’re in Boston, so it shouldn’t take that long.”

  “Sounds good, Cross,” I said, and it did. It sounded great. But something heavy sat on my chest at the idea of leaving.