They were all backstage at the arena in Birmingham as the guys prepared for the night's concert. The dressing room held its usual pre-show excitement and flurry of activity, and Mercy picked up her camera to grab some candid shots as everyone kicked back. Legendary rocker, Ingo Melbourne came backstage to visit with the guys before the show, and Mercy took a few shots of him and the guys clowning around. Before he left the dressing room, he told them he was throwing an after-show party in their honor at his home just outside the city, and the guys were excited about it. And she was shocked when her dad actually accepted Ingo's invitation, telling him he wouldn't miss it.
“You're actually going to party with the guys tonight, Mike?” she smiled at him.
“No, sweetheart. I'm not going to 'party with the guys.' But I am going to accept Ingo's very kind invitation and make an appearance, okay? It's just good business to play nice sometimes.”
She rolled her eyes at Mike, and then snapped a picture of Benji reading a graphic novel, and when he looked up and stuck his tongue out at her, she snapped that shot as well. She caught a rare moment of Noah and Otis laughing together, and as she captured the scene with her camera, she wondered again about their relationship. Otis made it sound as though their childhood rivalry was behind them, but the tension Mercy sometimes felt between them told another story.
Turning to her left, she spied Cory and his girlfriend sitting quietly in a corner of the room. Donna Devlin had finally finished shooting on her upcoming movie and had joined the tour a few days ago, and the two of them had been virtually inseparable ever since. They were locked in a tender embrace, clearly oblivious to everyone else as they made out sweetly. Mercy watched, captivated, as Cory ran his thumb over Donna's lower lip before leaning in and taking that lip between his teeth. He sucked her lip gently for a few seconds before kissing her deeply, and it was so hot Mercy felt her face flush as she watched them. Nearly breathless from her voyeurism, she looked away shyly, and she was slightly startled to find Noah staring directly at her. Their eyes locked for a long moment before he glanced over at Cory and Donna, and then back to her. The look in his eyes was unmistakeable, and Mercy involuntarily pressed her thighs together. God, she wanted him so much!
Noah had watched her watching Cory and Donna for several minutes, and her expression wasn't difficult to read. She looked as desperate as he felt. When she looked up at him, he could see the longing in her eyes and he suddenly wanted to get her alone. If only for a moment. Glancing quickly around the dressing room, he determined that everyone else was occupied. At least for the moment. Otis and Buzzy were busy talking and laughing about something, while Benji was still engrossed in his graphic novel. Mike was nowhere to be found, and Cory and Donna were much too busy to care. Slowly, so as not to draw any attention to himself, Noah stood up and wandered to the back of the dressing room area. He glanced back to make sure no one was paying any attention, and then looked at Mercy with a raised eyebrow before stepping into the bathroom.
Intrigued by his bold little game, Mercy took a moment to look nonchalantly around the dressing room at the others as her heart started to pound. Should they do this? Carefully, she put her camera away and then stood up, running a hand through her long brown hair as she meandered to the back of the room. By the time she reached the bathroom her heart was pounding like a giant snare drum in her ears. With a final glance around at the others, she slipped silently into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
Noah's hands were on her in an instant, circling her waist and pulling her close as his mouth found hers. She kissed him back eagerly as her fingers foraged through his soft, curly hair. She felt his hands slip beneath her shirt as her own hands began to roam, feeling the hard muscles of his chest through his thin cotton t-shirt. And when he slipped one hand down the back of her jeans and began to gently knead her backside, Mercy thought she might climax on the spot. She moaned softly against his mouth, and she suddenly needed to feel him. Moving swiftly, her hands found the hem of his t-shirt and pushed it all the way up, exposing his pecs. Breaking their heated lip lock, she moved down to kiss him there, letting her lips and her tongue move over his chest as she tasted him.
Noah loved the feel of her mouth on him, and he suddenly felt unable to hold back any longer. He had to have her. Reaching down, he lifted her gently, setting her on the small bathroom vanity by the sink.
“God, I want you so much, Mercy,” he whispered as his lips lightly brushed her ear.
“I want you too,” she whispered softly, still running her hands over his chest. “Please.”
A soft groan escaped his lips as he kissed her deeply once more. One hand lightly caressing the silky skin of her back while the other worked urgently on the zipper of his jeans. Mercy began to work on the clasp of her own jeans just as the knock on the door came.
“Noah. Just got the five minute call, man!”
At the sound of Cory's voice, Noah and Mercy both felt all the wind leave their sails. They heaved a collective sigh of frustration as he rested his forehead against hers. Both of them panting softly as Noah tried to make his brain focus.
“I'm sorry,” he whispered softly as he looked into her eyes.
“I'm sorry too.”
He kissed her lips softly. “Shit,” he muttered after a beat, and the knock came once more.
“Noah?”
Quickly refastening his jeans, Noah opened the bathroom door a hair, and looked at Cory.
“I'll be right out, Cory.”
“Well, hurry up, man. We got about three minutes now.” He turned to walk away but stopped and looked at Noah once more. “Everyone's already headed out so, you can tell Mercy the coast is clear.”
At his words, Noah sighed as he opened the door wider, knowing there was no need to hide her presence. “Who else knew we were in here?” he asked with a frown as he straightened his t-shirt. Glancing back, he caught a glimpse of Mercy running her hands through her hair and fixing her own clothing.
“I don't think anyone else saw you but me. Everybody was kind of in their own little worlds at the time. But we can't worry about it right now man; we gotta go!”
“Cory, Noah … get your asses out here now! You go on in two minutes!”
They looked up and saw Mike standing in the doorway, glaring at them. And as they moved toward the door, Noah took a quick glance back at Mercy from the corner of his eye. She was standing in the doorway of the bathroom, just out of Mike's view, and Noah knew that she wasn't about to budge until they had all left the room.
She smiled shyly at him as he left with the others, and when they were gone she took a deep, cleansing breath and sighed heavily. She looked around the bathroom one last time, shaking her head slightly. Had they really almost had sex in the bathroom? What was she thinking? Yes, she wanted to be with him again. Desperately. She wanted nothing more. But in a public bathroom, for crying out loud? With all of his bandmates and her father in the very next room? What were they, animals? She rolled her eyes at her reflection in the mirror, and as she did, scenes of the night they'd spent together flashed through her mind. His hands on her flesh, her mouth on his manhood, their bodies grinding against one another feverishly. Perhaps they were animals after all. She fanned herself at the thought as she turned on her heels and left the bathroom.
*****
Sitting in the back of the limo after the show, Mercy found herself squished between Noah and Benji as they all piled in and headed for Ingo Melbourne's estate. With their entourage of security and a few “party guests,” they filled three SUV limos easily as they ventured through the streets of the city. And with Otis seemingly occupied with the buxom beauty sitting beside him, and Mike in the vehicle behind them, Noah took full advantage of the close quarters. He had claimed his usual spot next to the window and draped his left arm over the back of the seat. And now, with Mercy seated next to him, he allowed his arm to come slowly down behind her. She shifted very slightly, trying to accommodate his movements without dra
wing anyone's attention. When she settled back against him, he let his hand rest on her hip, lightly caressing it as he relished the feel of her so close to him.
Mercy felt almost lightheaded at the contact, and for a moment, she allowed herself to melt into his side. She wanted to lie against him fully, and feel his arms close around her. And she felt a small pang of jealousy when she looked over at Cory and Donna. They were so sweet together, and obviously so completely hot for one another. Mercy's horniness only grew as she watched them.
They appeared not to care that they weren't exactly alone in the car, and Mercy watched as Cory sensually ran his fingertips from Donna's face, down over her neck, and slowly across her breasts. He stopped at the top button of her shirt, and he looked deeply into her eyes as his fingers worked to unfasten that button. Donna didn't break their intense eye contact for a moment, nor did she protest when he moved on to the next button, passing her lips with a feather-light kiss as he worked. His lips moved across her jaw to her earlobe as his hand slipped into her blouse, and Mercy's breath hitched softly as she watched him gently squeeze Donna's breast. Her own breasts ached to be touched that way, and she was suddenly very aware of Noah's hand caressing her hip. She longed to feel his hands on every part of her.
When they arrived at Ingo's palatial home, the party was already in full swing, and the place erupted into cheers and whistles when Jagged Ivory walked in. They were treated like rock royalty as they filtered inside, and their host did his best to make them feel right at home. He made sure each of them had a drink in their hand before taking them through the house and showing them a room at the back where they could find a wide variety of recreational aids. The place looked like old photos of opium dens that Mercy had seen with large cushions thrown about the floor amid the many low-sitting couches, and there were several people scattered about the room enjoying an assortment of chemical refreshments. Mercy glanced over at Mike and wasn't surprised by the brief look of disgust that she saw cross his face.
“Come on, sweet thing,” Otis said, grabbing Mercy by the hand. “Let's go dance.” He smiled as he gently pulled her from the room, and Mercy felt helpless as she glanced back at Noah. The look on his face told her he wasn't happy to see her being led away by his brother, but there wasn't much either of them could do about it without letting the cat out of the bag. She shrugged slightly at him as she accepted her fate and allowed Otis to lead her from the room. And she noted the conflicting expression in Mike's eyes as they left the drug den. He was happy to see her leave that room as quickly as possible, but he didn't like the time she spent with Otis any more than Noah did.
Cory and Donna followed Otis and Mercy out of the room, leaving Noah in the room with Benji, Buz and Mike. Mike rolled his eyes at the scene as he turned and headed for the door. But he stopped and turned back when he heard Noah speak up.
“Benji. Come on … let's go mingle,” Noah said, looking his friend in the eye expectantly. He wasn't naïve enough to think that he could keep him from it all night. But he was hoping Benji would humor him for a little while. There was a tense couple of seconds before Benji smiled at him, putting Noah at ease.
“Yeah. Let's mingle,” Benji agreed sarcastically, and the three of them headed out to the party. Mike smirked to himself as he followed them out of the room, slightly impressed at Noah's show of concern.
About thirty minutes later, Noah found himself standing alone like a wallflower as he watched Mercy and Otis dancing. Buz, ever the life of the party, was entertaining a small group of people at a nearby table, and Cory and Donna were tucked away in a corner doing a lot of kissing and heavy petting, while Mike was talking to a very pretty older woman on the other side of the room. He actually looked like he was having a good time as she flirted with him.
Benji had wandered off nearly as soon as they had left the drug den, and Noah knew that he had ditched them all purposely. He wouldn't be at all surprised to find that he had circled back and was now knee-deep in the chemical romance. And he knew that he should probably try to go find him but, like he told Buz several weeks ago, he wasn't Benji's keeper, and sooner or later the bassist was going to have to confront his issues. They couldn't do it for him, or make him do it. And Noah's flirtation with alcohol abuse had taught him enough to know that Benji had to want to get clean.
Besides, Noah was much too busy at the moment to worry about Benji. He was more concerned about the placement of Otis' hands as he pulled Mercy into his arms as they danced. He had been watching them for a good twenty minutes now, and with every beat of the music he grew more and more angry. Mercy told him that she'd made it clear to O that they were just friends. But from what Noah could see, Otis wasn't taking her seriously. From Noah's perspective, he held her way too close, way too tight, and way too long. He didn't like the way Otis looked at her, like she was a prime piece of meat he couldn't wait to devour. And even worse … he didn't like the way Mercy smiled back at him. She looked like she was enjoying herself a little too much, and Noah was suddenly pissed. What the hell kind of game was she playing anyway? All week long, they'd been pursuing each other – stealing kisses and gropes, and playing a secret, sexy little game of grab-ass – and now she was on the dance floor with his brother again, laughing and smiling and grinding away.
Well, fuck it, Noah thought. Two can play at that game. Glancing around him, he quickly spotted a hot little number with a very tight dress that accentuated her ample assets. She was pretty, in an obvious sort of way, and Noah knew that she had been checking him out all night. She smiled at him when he approached her, and quickly accepted his offer to dance. Taking her hand, he led her to the dance floor, making sure they were perfectly within Mercy's line of sight as he pulled her close, hoping to heat up the floor quickly. And his new dance partner didn't disappoint him as she gyrated close to him, rubbing her body against his as she danced suggestively. It was exactly what he wanted from her, and it didn't take long to see that it was working. One quick glance Mercy's way told him that she was surprised to see him on the dance floor, and that she wasn't happy about it.
Mercy frowned at him as their eyes locked and held for a long moment. What was he doing? And who was the hoochie he was dancing with? She could feel her heart sinking as she watched him. And when he smirked at her and turned away, pulling his dance partner closer to him, Mercy's face grew hot. She was instantly angry. What the hell was he doing, dancing with someone else? He knew that she would much rather be with him than on the dance floor with Otis, so why was he purposely trying to make her jealous? Or was this just more of their sibling rivalry bullshit? Mercy wasn't sure, but she didn't like being in the middle of it, and she didn't want to play whatever game Noah was working on.
Turning to Otis, she smiled apologetically at him as she ran a hand through her hair. She suddenly felt like crying, and she wasn't exactly sure why.
Otis reached out and caressed her face as he studied her eyes. “Mercy? What's wrong, sweet thing? You okay?”
She nodded her head, trying to stave off the unwelcome and totally irrational tears. “Yep. I think I just need some air, or a drink or something,” she said, trying to force a smile on her face.
“You want me to grab you a drink?” he asked her.
“No. You know what? I'm going to go find a bathroom and splash some cool water on my face,” she told him. “I think maybe I just danced too long or something. It's warm in here.”
“Okay. You sure you're alright? You need me to come with you?”
“No, I've got it,” she smiled, waving him off.
“You sure?” he asked again, looking slightly worried. “I can find Mike for you.”
“No! Please, don't bother Mike. I'm fine. I just need some air. And you … you go find another dance partner. Don't worry about me,” she teased, and he smiled at her. She turned and left the dance floor then, stealing a sideways glance at Noah and his barely-dressed companion still dancing.
Noah watched her exchange with Otis, and got pi
ssed once again when he saw him touch her face with such tenderness. But he didn't dwell on it, because the look on Mercy's face as she walked off the dance floor bothered him. She looked hurt, and he didn't like the thought that he had made her feel that way.
He watched Otis roam off in the opposite direction, and when he did, Noah apologized to his dance partner and went in search of Mercy. It didn't take him long to catch up with her as she wandered into the spacious kitchen. There were several people milling about in there, chatting over plates of munchies and drinks, but Mercy ignored them and walked straight to the sink. Noah watched as she grabbed a paper towel and wet it under the faucet. Then, closing her eyes, she pat the cool, damp towel over her face and neck as she took a couple of deep breaths, and Noah began to worry that maybe she wasn't feeling well.
“Are you okay?” he asked softly, lightly touching her back as he stood directly behind her.
Mercy jumped at the sound of his voice, and turned to look him in the eye. “What the hell was that?” she asked him gruffly, ignoring his question to her as she glared at him.
Noah frowned at the accusation in her eyes and the harsh tone of her voice. “What the hell was what?”
“Don't act innocent with me! You were obviously trying to make me jealous out there, and I want to know why!” She tried to keep her voice on an even keel, but she couldn't control those damn tears. She felt them stinging her eyes, threatening to spill over at any minute, and she really hated herself for it. If she cried in front of him, she would never forgive herself.
“Me! Trying to make you jealous? Give me a fucking break, Mercy,” he countered angrily, glancing around the kitchen and noting the curious looks they were getting before he turned back to her. He took her by the arm and gently moved her off to a corner of the room, away from the others.
“Let go of me!” she said, jerking her arm from his grasp.
The Essential Jagged Ivory (Jagged Ivory Boxed Set) Page 14
