He stilled beneath me for only a second before he inhaled a sharp breath through his teeth. He growled deep in his throat as he pumped into me. His cock swelled, and he came on a curse. “Fuck!”
He kissed me gently and rolled so that I was on my back. He got up and discarded the condom. My eyes blinked and finally closed as exhaustion took me into a deep, sated sleep.
Chapter 3
Bright light woke me from sleep. Memories from the night before caused a smile to light my face when I thought of how Donovan took command of my body. I reached over, expecting to find his warmth, but my sheets were empty and cold.
Immediately, I sat up and looked around my room. My blinds were cracked, allowing a small amount of afternoon sun to throw shadows on my floor. The pale colored sheets were tangled around my feet. If it wasn’t for the fact that I was stark naked, I would’ve thought last night was just a dream. When I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up, the ache between my legs was conformation of the wild night I’d had with the sexy rockstar.
Where is he?
Dread pooled low in my stomach when I searched my tiny apartment and found that he was gone. Tears stung the backs of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Last night was nothing more than him scratching an itch. Me, being the fool that I was, I fell into his bed…well, my bed, with a complete jerk. He didn’t even leave a note.
I placed my hands on the edge of the counter and squeezed the granite as hard as I could to feel the burn in my hands, instead of the ache in my heart. Bending over at the waist, I wanted to scream at how stupid I was for thinking that our night together was something special. Was it because of the need for pain? I probably scared him away.
A throb began behind my eyes and I groaned from the timing of a stupid headache. Not now, please. I found a bottle of pain reliever and downed two of them with my coffee. I grabbed my briefcase and removed the tests from school to grade before Monday. I needed something to drown out the memories from last night.
My phone rang and I groaned when I saw that it was Kiera.
“Hello,” I groaned.
“So?” she asked, sounding perky and completely rested. I, on the other hand, just wanted to make the pounding stop between my eyes.
“Nothing to tell,” I lied. “I have a headache.”
“You’re not going to tell me, are you?” she sighed.
“It was the biggest mistake of my life,” I admitted. “And I never want to see him again.”
“Oh, honey,” she gasped. “I’m so sorry.”
“Me, too,” I groaned. “I actually thought he’d be beside me when I woke up, but nope. He didn’t even have the decency to leave a damn note.”
“What a jerk!” she cursed. “Just forget about it, Heather. Let’s get out tonight. I’ll drive.”
“No, no, no,” I growled. “I do not want to be in public. I want to grade these papers and go to bed early. Then I’m going to wallow in my own pity tomorrow. After that, I can go back to work and forget last night ever happened.”
“Was he that bad?” she asked, horror evident in her voice.
“No,” I laughed. “It was that good!”
“Aw, shit,” she said.
“Exactly,” I moaned. “Look, my head feels like it’s going to explode. Can I call you tomorrow?”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” she worried. “You’ve been having those headaches a lot lately.”
“I think it’s the stress,” I shrugged, knowing she couldn’t see it. “Finals are coming up and I just want to get them over so we can head out on a summer vacation away from here.”
“Now you’re talking,” she laughed. “Call me if you need me.”
“Will do,” I promised.
Grading papers didn’t distract me from the night before like I’d hoped. I could still smell him when I moved a certain way. My hair was saturated with his scent and I didn’t have the heart to take a shower. I was so pathetic. I should’ve known better, but I was so wrapped up in him that I fell for the age old trick.
Growling in frustration, I tossed the stack of papers on my coffee table and went into the kitchen to make some lunch. I’d slept most of the day away and I didn’t eat much at the late night dinner with…him.
“Damn,” I said, squeezing my eyes closed.
I couldn’t handle much more than a salad for lunch. Between the headache and the memories, I wasn’t feeling all that well and all I wanted to do was to crawl back in bed.
I washed out my bowl and tossed it in the dishwasher before heading to the bathroom. I didn’t look at myself in the mirror, just quickly stripped out of my clothes and started the water. The best course of action to forget Donovan Milano was to wash away his scent. Why did that thought cause a pain in my chest?
I rolled my eyes when I heard my phone chirp from the bathroom counter. It was probably Kiera wanting to talk me into getting out tonight and I wasn’t going to change my mind. I wanted to be alone.
After I scrubbed every inch of my body, removing his scent and the memory, I stepped out of the shower feeling more like myself. I used my hand to wipe the fog from the mirror, finally looking at my reflection for the first time since I woke up alone. My lips were red and swollen from all the times he’d bitten them. The left side of my neck was a little pink from his beard when he nibbled along the skin there. I shivered, remembering the feel of his lips on my body. My nipples beaded and my sex tightened on its own.
“Stop…stop…stop!” I growled, tossing the towel on the floor. I needed to stop thinking of Donovan Milano.
Which was short lived when I picked up my phone and saw a message.
I’ll be there to pick you up at 8. Be ready, babe.
~Don
“Well, fuck me,” I whispered.
Chapter 4
“Oh hell no,” Kiera cursed. I’d just called her in a near panic. I’d noticed that my phone was programmed with his number and he’d sent himself a text earlier in the morning. I had her on speaker as I looked at the phone in disbelief.
“Why did he do that, but not leave a note?” I asked, still in shock.
“As much as I’d like to call him an ass, I think it’s kind of hot that he did that,” she said.
“I don’t know what to think,” I admitted. My phone sat in my hand like a bomb. Did I call him back? Return the text?
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
“I’m not going out with him,” I growled. “If he had an emergency and had to rush out this morning, then he could’ve woken me up or texted it to me since he has my phone number.”
“He’s going to show up,” she laughed. “Are you just not going to answer the door?”
“That’s exactly what I’m going to do, because you are coming to get me tonight. We are going out before he even shows up.”
“Oh,” she paused. “I like the way you think!”
“I really don’t care,” I scoffed. “I’m not going to pause my life for some guy.”
Okay, I’d done it before, paused my life for a guy that is, but I wasn’t going to do it again. I’d lived alone for so long that I was set in my ways and I didn’t need a man dictating where I went or what I did. I sure as hell wasn’t going to sit around and wait for him to call or show up, either.
“I’ll be there at seven to pick you up,” Kiera giggled. “Where are we going?”
“Somewhere on Bourbon Street,” I replied. “I’ll be ready.”
“You go, girl,” she said, hanging up and leaving me to myself. It was time to prepare for a night on the town, because I wasn’t going to let the rockstar think I’d be waiting for him when he was ready to see me.
The music was loud spilling out of the bars on Bourbon as we walked slowly down the center of the street. I loved this part of the Quarter. They kept the road blocked off so that the crowds didn’t have to cram onto the narrow sidewalks to avoid cars.
The sun had just set and the lights above the shops were blazing bright. Stree
t performers were setting up to woo the crowds, hoping for a little extra cash to get them through the week. A man painted in gold from head to toe smiled from his perch on a rickety, wooden box. Kiera winked at him and looped her arm over mine, pulling me along beside her. A few guys whistled as we walked by and I smiled at Kiera.
“You look great tonight,” she said, squeezing my arm.
“You look hot yourself,” I replied.
I’d worn a pair of black shorts and a pale green top that was strapless. On my feet were my black heels that I loved so much. Kiera was dressed similarly, but her top and shoes were beige and her shorts were a dark denim. Men broke their necks to stare at her, and I laughed when she’d just roll her eyes and laugh at their attentions.
“Am I pretending to be your lesbian lover tonight?” I asked, nodding toward a guy that stumbled into a trash can by the sidewalk because he was too busy staring at her to see where he was going.
“Yes, love,” she giggled. “Always.”
We hurried into a little spot we enjoyed coming to on the weekends. They served bar food and drinks. Since we walked here from my apartment, I decided to indulge and have a small Hurricane with my burger and fries. The fruity concoction was powerful, so we decided to share it instead. The last thing we needed to be doing was walking home drunk. Safety first, always.
“It’s after eight,” Kiera announced, looking at her phone. I’d turned the volume down on mine, in case he called. I really didn’t want to talk to him. I was too humiliated from my wanton actions the night before. I wasn’t a slut, and if he thought I was going to let him back between my legs, he was sadly mistaken.
“I’m not checking my phone,” I growled.
“Do you think he’s going to be angry?” she asked, taking a bite of her burger.
“I really don’t care,” I shrugged, smiling at our waitress as she dropped off two glasses of water that we’d ordered after our food arrived. “It’s not going to happen again.”
“But you said it was good,” she smirked.
“Yes, but still…not happening,” I said, pointing at her with my french fry.
Kiera started to say something, but paused when a song started playing over the speakers of the bar. I knew my face turned as red as the ketchup on my plate. Ares Revenge’s current number one hit blasted through the speakers, and my mind immediately wandered back to the night before when Donovan winked at me as he performed.
“Don’t say a word,” I growled, taking a sip of my water. I looked at my napkin and wondered if I could tear it up to make little ear plugs with the pieces.
“I’m not,” she giggled, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. “I’m sorry, Heather, but that’s just funny.”
“No, it’s not,” I scoffed. “Kiera, I hate you.”
“No you don’t, my lesbian lover,” she said, tossing her napkin at my head. “You love me!”
“Yes, I do,” I said, squinting my eyes. “But not at the moment.”
“Come on, you sexy bitch, let’s get out of here,” she laughed, signaling to the waitress.
Once we split the bill, we handed it to the waitress and waved off our change. I had to get the hell out of there, but it was no use, the song ended before we even walked out of the door.
The crowds outside had increased since we entered the bar. Warmer weather brought out the tourists and the people who left all of their inhibitions at home.
A woman was flashing her tits at a bunch of college boys who were taking videos and pictures of her. She was so drunk. I was sure she wouldn’t remember what happened when she woke up the next morning. Fortunately, her friends pulled her away from the crowd and covered her up before things got out of hand.
“Hey, Red,” a guy called out. Kiera looked up and smiled, but flipped the guy off when he made a motion for her to raise her top like the other girl had been doing.
“Not happening, jerk,” she growled. “Fuck me, I swear. Maybe we should really become lesbians. We are already comfortable around each other.”
“No,” I laughed. “I like dick too much.”
“I can wear a strap…,” she began, but my hand over her lips cut off the remaining words she was going to spill.
“Geez, Kiera,” I groaned, shaking my head. “Where do you want to go?”
“Let’s go see if Rio is working tonight,” she suggested.
“Okay,” I smiled. Rio was a friend of ours who worked at a dueling piano bar. His act always brought in the crowds and he made enough money on Friday and Saturday nights each week to pay his rent for the month.
We didn’t have to wait in line to enter Pat O’Brien’s. The doorman acknowledged us by name and we smiled as we made our way inside. The piano bar was just starting to fill up when we arrived. Kiera found a table toward the back of the room and pulled me quickly behind her. The little pub table had three chairs, a candle, an ashtray, and a stack of napkins with the bar’s logo printed on them.
Kiera whistled loudly when Rio approached his piano. He searched the crowd, and when his eyes landed on us, he smiled and pointed to Kiera and myself. He waved and blew us a kiss before taking his seat.
Rio was a handsome guy. He was tall, dark haired, and completely American. Rio was a nickname he used for his stage name and it was such a common thing to call him, it was hard to remember that his real name was Charles Talbert. So, Rio it was and would always be to us.
His green eyes returned and landed on Kiera. I saw her cheeks turn slightly pink. She’d never admit that she had a crush on him; and Rio, being a tad bit overwhelmed by Kiera, was scared to ask her out. The two of them were polar opposites, but for some reason, I thought they’d make a great couple. Who knew with those two?
The other piano player and our friend, Trenton Vargas, hurried out and took his seat, looking at Rio over the top of their pianos. The lights dimmed and a hush fell over the crowd as the two guys started playing. Rio was making a fool of himself and people were having a great time. The boy was super talented and could probably make millions if he ever moved out of New Orleans, but he didn’t want to do anything other than play in the Quarter. I didn’t fault him for it either. This place was magical, and once you found your way here, it was hard to get yourself out.
I declined another Hurricane and asked for a Diet Coke. Kiera asked for water and propped her feet up on the empty chair beside her. Leaning back, she said, “He looks hot tonight.”
“You two really need to go out,” I said, raising a brow.
“If he’d just ask me,” she frowned.
“You intimidate him,” I said, taking a sip of my drink. I used a napkin to wrap around the bottom, because the humid Louisiana air was making my glass leave a little puddle of water underneath it and the coaster was getting soggy.
“I don’t,” she scowled.
“Well, you just be yourself,” I smiled. “If it’s meant to be, then he will eventually ask you out and then you can get married and have beautiful babies together.”
“Whatever,” she said, rolling her eyes.
The show ended and Rio met us at the table. He’d removed his tie and coat during the performance. He was now in his white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up just below his elbows. The first two buttons were undone and I caught Kiera staring at his tanned chest.
“Hey, ladies. Trent will be out in a minute,” he said, kissing my cheek and then Kiera’s. She patted the seat next to her and smiled when he sat down. A waitress came by, asking him what he’d like to drink. “A beer, please.”
The waitress left and returned with his order. Rio was about to say something to Kiera when they both froze and looked over my shoulder, like they’d just seen a ghost. Before I could turn around, Rio whispered, “Isn’t that Donovan Milano from Ares Revenge?”
“Oh, God,” I groaned, ducking my head, hoping he didn’t see me.
“He’s looking right at you, Heather,” Kiera whispered.
“Do you know him?” Rio asked, confusion causing
his brow to crinkle.
“Oh,” she giggled. “Yes, she does.”
“Shut up,” I hissed. I guess I had no choice but to face the man that left me alone in my bed and wanting more. I felt so humiliated and hurt. Anger simmered deep in my chest and I had to straighten my spine so I didn’t look like a whiney little bitch when I spoke to him. Turning in my seat, I froze from the look on his face. He was pissed…and beautiful.
Donovan wore black jeans that sat low on his hips. One hand was in his pocket while the other hung loosely at his side, but his fist was clenched tight. His shirt was tight across his chest and the sleeves were missing. His multitude of tattoos stood out on his arms and I had the sudden urge to trace them with my fingertips. Even with the short-cropped beard, I saw his jaw flex as he stared at me across the room.
Seeing him move toward me sent my heart into a frenzy. His body was tense and worry marred his beautiful face. Could I get close to him again, after he left me naked and alone in my bed this morning?
“Donovan,” I said, as he approached.
“Heather,” he replied, pulling an empty chair from another table and placing it next to mine. He sat down so close that I could smell him and my belly clenched remembering the night before. “I’ve been texting and calling you.”
“You have?” I asked, acting surprised. “I’ve had my phone turned down. I didn’t know.”
“Where have you been?” he demanded, his voice holding an edge that was more alluring than it should have been when he spoke. That was the same tone he used with me when he told me to come.
“Out,” I replied, my own anger darkening my voice. If he thought for a moment that he could dictate where I went, and who I was with, he was going to have a rude awakening when I was done with him.
Fully Loaded Page 3
