Notorious (Rock Bottom #2)

by Jennifer Ann

  He braces himself against the wall behind me, hissing through clenched teeth. “You really don’t have to—” As I wrap my lips around the dark pink flesh, he yanks my hair by its roots with his other hand. “Holy shit. Fuck me with that sweet mouth, gorgeous.”

  With pleasure. I slide my lips down as far as they can go without splitting, ever so lightly dragging my teeth and tongue as I draw my head back. His intoxicating smell sends a shiver through me, dampening my underwear as I steady myself on his thick thigh.

  He grunts like a wild man, gently pushing into my mouth. “Christ…Zo.”

  The garbled reaction encourages me to suck him harder and faster while cupping his balls in my other hand. The heavy pants falling from his lips above me are a turn-on unlike anything I’ve known before, driving me to continue sucking furiously even though my eyes water from his wide tip thrusting against the back of my throat.

  It isn’t much longer before he’s quivering all over. He explodes with a roar, releasing a thick spurt of cum down my throat. I take my time licking him clean before standing, feeling drunk when he meets my smile with a dark, feral look etched in his baby blues.

  After quickly covering himself back up, he gathers me in his arms. It was worth every uncomfortable second to be wrapped in the nest of muscles as his lips feather alongside my heated face.

  “Damn, woman. I’ll be thinking about your hot little mouth on my cock every second I’m on stage.” I almost fall to the ground when he shoves a hand up my skirt, stroking a thick digit over my wet panties. My sensitive pussy lips both tingle and throb with his touch, eager for so much more. As I’m having an out-of-body experience, he whispers, “Can’t wait to return the favor later.”

  I swallow down a whimper as he leads me back inside. How the hell am I expected to wait another couple of hours before I can finally feel those beautiful fingers all over my body?

  Charlize and I wedge our way into the front row, drawing dirty glares from the sorority-type chicks on either side. With the first strike of drumsticks and purr of an electric guitar, excitement rises in my chest. The guys ease into a bluesy rock tune that’s smooth as silk, heavy bass providing an intoxicating beat.

  I take my time studying the handsome band members one by one, appreciating how the thick muscles in Morrison’s arms and shirtless upper body ripple and flex with each strike of the drumsticks, the way Rook’s brow furrows in concentration as he watches his fingers slide over the guitar strings while his face reflects the range of notes, and the way Stone plays so effortlessly while thrashing his head to the beat.

  I purposely save Ryker for last, already knowing what the sight of him rocking out will do to my body long before the tingling begins. Once his deep voice joins in, I’m done for. If this intense sensation between my legs and the ball in my chest are the norm when you’re messing around with the lead singer of a band, sign me up for a lifetime membership. I touch my lips, still numb from his powerful kisses before I deep-throated him, and quietly moan.

  Eyes closed, full lips dipping and bending with the lyrics, he’s breathtakingly gorgeous. The way he cradles the blue guitar and strokes the strings as every inch of him moves along with the melody feels intimate and sensual, like I’m watching him masturbate up on the stage for all to see. I hold my breath, wondering how someone so exquisite with a voice as unique as his isn’t already famous.

  Then his eyes pop open, immediately falling directly on mine. The heated look he gives me as he utters the words, “I just wanna touch you,” is every bit as erotic as if he was literally exploring my body with his hands. Or even his mouth.

  Holding his gaze, I pull my lips into my mouth, muffling a throatier moan as my thong saturates even more with my arousal. Hot damn. It’s highly possible I just experienced the beginning climb of another Ryker-induced orgasm without so much as his touch.

  The remainder of the song he seems to make a point of avoiding me, although he never gives anyone else the same kind of attention, and occasionally closes his eyes. I’m so turned on from watching him perform that it would take the mere dust of a fingertip to make me completely lose myself.

  By the time he’s finished singing the first song and the crowd’s cheering, I’m a little worried they’ll have to mop up the floor beneath me when Ryker’s piercing eyes find me once again. I hold his stare and flash him a lip-splitting smile, whistling through my teeth and clapping my hands high above my head.

  Holy shit. I’m a goner for In Disarray’s lead singer.

  With every song that follows, Ryker’s stormy blue eyes lock with mine for a short time before he looks away. It’s the epitome of a cock-tease, nearly bringing me back down to my knees. Lust from every other woman in the bar clings to the air, making the anticipation of having him all to myself escalate to unmanageable proportions.

  Charlize thrashes to the music at my side like she’s vying for a spot in a 90s mosh pit. Sweat covers my forehead as I dance along with her on the packed floor, damp hair clinging to my neck. Anyone who hadn’t heard the band play before now would never know it’s been five years since they last played with Rook. Their sound is catchy and upbeat, oozing with sex appeal. Okay, so the sex appeal part may only come with the fantasy of riding Ryker until the sun rises. But still.

  It feels as if an entire week has passed before they’re finished with the first set. Ryker catches me staring and indicates he’s going for a smoke break with his two fingers held to his mouth. As I’m nodding in understanding, he motions with a tilt of his head for me to join him.

  Charlize snickers behind me. “How long have you two been fucking?”

  “What? We’re not,” I snap, turning to face her. “And you shouldn’t talk to your elders that way. It’s disrespectful.”

  She shrugs while piling her lavender hair on top of her head, fastening it with a band from her wrist. “It’s cool if you are, because you should be. The way he was staring at you? He totally wants to give you the D. If I had your body, I’d be on him like a fly on one of those strip things.”

  “First of all, you have a beautiful body. I’m telling you, your boobs and butt will come in later. I was built exactly like you when I was sixteen. And second, you’re way too young for him. Stick with guys your own age.”

  “Whatever.” She pulls her phone out of her back pocket, typing furiously with her thumbs. “Can I go now? Kerrisa wants me to spend the night. I’ll take the Metro.”

  I slide my teeth back and forth across my bottom lip. As much as I want to be alone with Ryker after the show, I don’t want her to feel like she’s a nuisance. “Sure you don’t want to stay? We planned to give you a ride home after they’re done.”

  “Like I said, I have heard them before. They play the same set every time.”

  “Fine. Only if you promise you won’t pig out on junk food, drink booze, or get into any kind of trouble. And check your damn levels, Char. I mean it.”

  Her eyes sweep up to the ceiling. “Yeah, yeah.”

  “FaceTime me when you get there. I want to see Kerissa and her mom in the background.”

  “Sure thing. Now go bone that sexy rocker. I want to hear all about it tomorrow.”

  I drag her close and drop a kiss in her lavender hair. “God, I worry about you.”

  She releases a nasally snort. “I hadn’t noticed.”

  Breath held, I watch her push her way out of the bar. Sometimes I hate how independent she’s become. I long for the days when she’d insist on holding my hand everywhere we went, and looked up to me like I was Wonder Woman instead of Satan incarnate. It terrifies the hell out of me to think she’ll be an adult before long, especially when I know she would refuse to go to college even if I could somehow come up with the money. It scares me even more that her body might really fill out like I keep telling her, and she could one day follow in my fucked-up footsteps.

  I head in the direction where Stone and Ryker disappeared. A wild shiver ripples through my limbs when I realize they’re out back where
Ryker and I made out earlier. I push the door open to find two of the sorority girls standing with the guys. They’re the same ones who looked ready to kick our asses when Charlize and I pushed our way up front.

  The bleached bimbo leans against Ryker while dragging her long red nails up his chest, eyes hooded beneath overly shadowed lids. Her silver dress appears to be obnoxiously expensive—not something anyone would purposely wear to this dive. I’m one psychotic heartbeat away from pulling her away by her hair when she speaks.

  “If you two can fuck the way you stroke those guitars, I imagine you both give one helluva ride. What do you say the four of us go somewhere private after you’re done? We don’t mind sharing with each other.”

  To my utter horror, Ryker dips his chin with smoke streaming from his nose, a sexy smirk pulling at his beautiful lips. The same lips that were destroying mine not too long ago.

  Bile rises in my throat, thick and hot. I’m caught between wanting to scratch the girl’s eyes out, and retreating inside to lick my bruised ego. Of course he’d be down for a foursome. Isn’t that what hot musicians do? He can have his pick of any woman, and it seems any woman will do. I’m an idiot to assume he wants anything more out of me than a fun night with a warm pussy. I’ll be reduced to his “office girl” when Monday comes around, fetching his stupid coffee and fielding his calls.

  As I’m darting back to the door, Ryker’s deep voice cuts through the night. “What makes you think we’d be even remotely interested? Appreciate you comin’ out to support us, but we’re back here for a smoke, not to get propositioned by groupies. Besides, you’re nowhere near my type.”

  Stone laughs with a hearty roar. “Mine either!”

  Turning back around, I watch the girl's obnoxiously bright cherry lips part with a gasp. She shuffles away from them, hooking her friend’s arm while throwing them a dark scowl. “Guess I was wrong about you two. You’re nothing more than a couple of assholes.”

  When they storm my way, the blonde throws me a hardened expression. “What? Like you think you can do better? Good luck, bitch.”

  Ryker’s beside her in record time, gripping her wrist. “You don’t get to talk to her like that. Apologize. Now.”

  My pulse races erratically as she defiantly holds his stare. While I get the impression he’s not the type to hit a woman, it’s hot that he’s defending me. I don’t think a man has ever stood up for my honor until last night at the club, and now he’s gone and done it twice.

  “Let go of me before I tell security you roughed me up. I’ll make sure you never play here again.” When he releases her, she clicks her tongue on the roof of her mouth while dragging her eyes down to my tits. “I guess easy South-Side-trash is your type.”

  When they slip back inside, Ryker starts after them. I brace my arm across his thick chest to hold him back. “Let it go. It’s not the first time I’ve been called something undesirable. Wives tend to show up at the club on a regular basis, calling us every name in the book. I’m over it.”

  His sexy eyes fall on me, stealing every last molecule of oxygen from my lungs. What’s so special about Ryker Blackwood? Why does he have the power to unravel me with one look?

  A second later, he’s holding my face and his lips are back on mine in a hard, sensual kiss. The man’s mouth moves and tastes like it was designed specifically to ruin me. I allow myself to fall a little harder with every stroke of his tongue, wanting to feast on every last inch of his flawless body.

  “Fuckin’ knew there was somethin’ brewin’ between you two,” Stone grunts behind him. “Best be gettin’ your dick wet fast, asshat. We have a show to finish.” A second later the door slams shut behind him.

  Face heated with embarrassment, I pull back and stare down at Ryker’s swollen lips. Surrounded by neatly trimmed facial hair, they’re a stunning shade of dark red, the bottom one larger and perfectly rounded. I don’t know how I’ll stop myself from dreaming of kissing them every night for the rest of my life.

  “You better go back inside,” I tell him. “I don’t want Stone or you thinking that chick was right. Just because I let men ogle my tits for money doesn’t mean I’m easy. I only dance because I can’t make that kind of cash anywhere else without a college degree. I could count on one hand how many guys I’ve slept with since my sixteenth birthday, and they all had to work hard for it.”

  Offering a kind look, he shakes his head slowly. “You don’t have to explain yourself to me.”

  “I want to. You’re the first guy I didn’t insist on dating for a few weeks before doing something sexual. I didn’t plan on giving you a blowjob tonight, but I couldn’t stop myself.”

  “Why am I different?”

  “I don’t know.” I give into the urge to touch his lips, dusting my fingertips over them before curling my fingers inside his soft beard hairs. “But the feeling I get when I’m around you? Fuckin’ A, Ryker.” I lick my lips while a deep breath falls from my nose. “It’s new to me, and it’s pretty damn intense. I don’t think I’m strong enough to fight it.”

  “Look at me.” He clasps my chin in his fingers, sliding his other hand over a chunk of my hair. I swallow down a sigh when I remember Raven calling him Mr. Dirty Sex Eyes, because it rings true more than ever. “I don’t think you’re easy—never have. That’s not what this is about. That intense thing you’re talking about? I feel it too. And I refuse to let people talk shit about you any longer. Those days are far behind you.”

  It’s sweet and noble of him to say, but he’s delusional if he thinks I can find a better way to put food on the table. Once he’s bored with me, I’ll be back to pulling double shifts at the club. Whatever happens between us will only ever be a blip in the long run. There’s no way Ryker Blackwood will stick around to endure the complications of my life.

  7

  Ryker

  I’m usually in a relaxed headspace when performing, feeling on top of the world with every note I sing, every stroke of the guitar strings. But tonight I’m pumped full of adrenaline, worried Zoe’s gonna take off. I end up watching her a majority of the second set, the memory of her silky lips on my shaft fueling the fire in my voice.

  I’m assuming that blonde bitch got under her skin. Rather than shaking her gorgeous ass to our songs like earlier, Zoe spends the remainder of the night sitting at the bar behind the crowd. The need to still make the blonde apologize to her itches under my skin. The chick has the nerve to stand front and center, acting like nothing happened. I should’ve at least told her to leave, even if it meant losing a fan that we desperately need.

  If I weren’t so stoked about being reunited with Rook, I would’ve been tempted to call it good during the first break so I could rescue Zoe from this place. The desire to consume every last inch of her, to keep her safe from guys like Terrance, to make sure she doesn’t have to bust her ass at the club ever again gnaws deep inside my chest until I swear to fuck I’m going insane.

  It’s only been twenty-four hours since we were reunited, but in that time Zoe Jackson’s become my greatest addiction. Like she said, this thing between us is intense. I’m glad she feels that way, because I have no intention of fighting it either.

  When we’re finished with the last song and the crowd has broken up, I throw an arm around Rook, not giving a shit that we’re both ripe with sweat. “Felt good playing with you again, brother.”

  His thick hand slaps the back of my damp shirt. “Don’t get fuckin’ used to it. Once we find Bender, I’m leaving this shithole.”

  I hate the reminder, but at least we’re back on decent terms. I step back, eyeing Morrison and Stone. “Can you guys get everything back to the shop? I have somewhere to be.”

  “Yeah…inside your new employee,” Stone sniggers. The other two practically choke on their laughter.

  “It’s not like that,” I snarl, passing them each a warning glare. “Anyone talks shit about her, and I’ll stuff your balls down your fuckin’ throat.”

  Stone only laughs harde
r. Rook crooks an eyebrow, grinning. “Don’t let that jackass get to you. I’ve seen that look you’ve got on your face many times—in the mirror. We’ll take care of everything here, and meet up with you tomorrow. Go hang with your girl.”

  Feels to damn early to call her that, but I don’t argue because it also feels right.

  After a quick shower, I throw on running shorts and a clean tank before heading out in search of Zoe. My uncle’s place always seems insanely large when I’m wandering around on my own, but it’s somehow bigger knowing she’s somewhere and I can’t get to her soon enough. I was frustrated as hell when she was quiet on the car ride down. The atmosphere between us has taken a major shift after that blonde talked shit. I’m determined to fix it.

  I’m ready to yank my damn hair out by the time I finally find her out back, sitting on the edge of a lounger by the pool. Standing behind the double doors, I watch her stare into the Caribbean blue water, its bright reflection dancing across her face. There’s an emptiness to her expression, eyes cast downward and back slumped with the weight of the world on her shoulders. More than ever I want to protect her, and erase every last one of her worries.

  Lyrics to an unwritten song vibrate through my mind with bold clarity. In Disarray normally does covers as I’ve only written a few songs since learning to play guitar in high school. The melody was always easy enough since random tunes are constantly playing in my head. It’s the words that never came out with any poetic rhyme or reason. Until now.

  Gorgeous girl, ease your worries

  Unload your troubled mind

  Lay your head on my shoulder

  Let your heartache be mine

  All at once she stands, swiping her fingers over her eyes before pulling her tank top over her head and wiggling out of her shorts. Cotton fills my mouth with the sight of her round breasts spilling out from a black lace bra, smooth ass in a matching thong, sparkly blue belly ring dangling from her flat stomach. If I have my way, I’ll be the only man to see her this underdressed ever again.