Fully Loaded

by Hissong, Theresa

  “Excuse us,” Donovan growled, pulling me up from my seat.

  “Hey,” Rio snarled, standing up from his chair. “Heather?” He looked toward me and I knew I must’ve looked frightened, because Rio started around the table, but I stopped him with a hand to his forearm. It didn’t go unnoticed that Donovan’s eyes darkened when he saw my hand on Rio’s arm.

  “Easy, now,” Kiera warned, also putting her hand on Rio’s other arm to keep him from causing a scene. Rio would tear this place apart if he thought Donovan was here to hurt me. I had to calm them down because I didn’t know what the hell was going through either of their minds.

  “Rio, this is Donovan Milano,” I said, introducing them. “Donovan, this is Rio Talbert.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Donovan said, relaxing slightly. “I would like to speak with Heather in private.”

  “I’ll be okay,” I said, giving Kiera a look. “Just let us talk somewhere that’s quieter than in the bar.” She nodded and pulled Rio back to the table. Donovan took my hand into his and guided me through the building.

  “You’ll call me if you need me?” Kiera called out, unashamed if Donovan heard her or not. I nodded and she seemed to relax, but didn’t removed her hand from Rio’s arm. There was no chance for me to say anything else, because Donovan started walking again with me in tow. His grasp on my hand was tight, and I could feel the anger radiating off of his body. Well, asshole, I’m pissed too!

  “Where are we going?” I demanded, trying to stop, but he was much stronger than I was and I couldn’t halt him from moving forward.

  “Out back,” he snarled. “Where it’s quiet.”

  “Fine,” I huffed.

  We came to a door at the back of the building and Donovan pushed it open with a little too much force. Outside was a parking area, most likely for employees. There sat his black Harley, looking like he just stopped it where he damn well wanted and didn’t even use a designated spot. He could’ve been towed.

  “Why haven’t you answered my calls?” he demanded. His hair was pulled up in his knit cap, again. His eyes were so dark they were almost black. His lips had thinned and the corner of his eye twitched. The light from the building behind me bathed him in a yellow glow. If I wasn’t so mad at him, I’d have melted where I stood.

  “Are you going to answer me?” he cursed, narrowing his eyes. “I’ve been worried sick!”

  “S…Seriously?” I asked, confusion causing me to stumble over my words. He was actually worried about me? Oh, come on!

  “I texted you and said I’d pick you up at eight. I went by your place and you were gone. I’ve been calling you for the past two hours. Why the fuck didn’t you answer me?” He removed his cap and ran his hands through his long hair. The wind picked up and a few strands wrapped around his neck. Fucking hell! He’s beautiful.

  “I…I haven’t checked my phone,” I admitted. My voice was barely over a whisper and I couldn’t bring myself to look into his eyes when I spoke.

  “Look at your phone,” he demanded. I reached into my back pocket and removed my phone. I raised an eyebrow and finally looked at his gorgeous but angry face.

  “You called me twelve times,” I gasped. It wasn’t a question. “That’s a little creepy, Donovan. You have to admit that.”

  “I was worried,” he said, released a deep breath.

  “How did you find me?” I asked, suddenly a little worried.

  “I…It doesn’t matter,” he said, shaking his head. He reached out for my hand, trying to pull me close, but I stepped back and wrapped my arms around myself protectively. “What’s wrong?”

  “This isn’t a good idea, Donovan,” I flinched. Why the hell did that physically hurt to say those words?

  “What the hell are you talking about?” he growled, wrapping his long fingers around the top of my arm and pulling me tight against his chest.

  I squinted my eyes and held my breath, not wanting to smell his scent. If I did, I’d give in to whatever he asked of me. Donovan Milano was quickly burrowing himself deep into my every thought and I didn’t want that.

  “I’m not going to be one of those girls,” I said. “What we did last night was nice, Donovan, but it…it can’t happen again.” I shifted nervously from foot to foot.

  When I looked into his eyes, they were wide and still dark with anger. I tried to pull away from him again, but he wasn’t having that. He finally released me, only to wrap both arms around my back.

  “Is this because I left?” he asked.

  “Hell yes, it’s because you left,” I cursed. “You didn’t leave a note or anything. Oh, why the hell am I even talking to you? I’m not some piece of ass you can get your jollies off on whenever you need to scratch an itch. If that’s what you are looking for, Donovan, then I’m sure you can find that somewhere else, but it sure as hell isn’t going to be me!”

  I scrambled backwards, shoving his hands away from me.

  “Heather,” he began, but I held him off with my hands in the air.

  “No,” I said, shaking my head. “Just don’t.”

  “I’m sorry,” he sighed. “Can I explain? That’s the least you can let me do, since you’ve got it in that beautiful little head of yours that all I wanted was to fuck you. Which, by the way, pisses me the hell off.”

  “Go ahead,” I replied, crossing my arms.

  “I had an interview this morning and I didn’t want to wake you up,” he began. “I found your phone and sent myself a text so that I had your number. I was going to call you, but the interview ran late and I couldn’t get away. I sent the text and you never replied. I showed up at your place and you were gone.”

  “Yes, I went out with Kiera,” I paused. He’d relaxed, but the anger was not completely gone from his expression. “I saw the text.” I admitted it, because I knew lying was bad…wrong. As angry as I was at him, I didn’t think it was a good thing to keep that from him. He still should’ve left a note or at least woke me up before he left.

  “Why didn’t you answer me?”

  “You didn’t leave a note,” I frowned. “Then the text was just…I don’t know. It was like you wanted me to be there for you like a fucking dog waiting on its owner to arrive home. Plus, well, you know.”

  “Plus, what?” he asked, moving forward. I kept my arms crossed over my chest and I refused to look into the deep blue depths of his eyes.

  “I thought,” I paused, not being able to say anything else for the lump of humiliation in my throat.

  “You thought what?” he asked, his voice only but a whisper.

  “I thought that you thought I was a freak,” I whispered.

  He moved forward and I let him take me into his arms. His large hand wrapped around my head and pulled it to his chest. I stifled a groan when I inhaled his scent. “Oh, babe. I don’t think that at all. I understand what your body needs and I would never, ever, judge someone based on their desires. Now, can we please start over?”

  “I don’t know, Donovan,” I said, squeezing my eyes closed. “I’m not cut out to be a rockstar’s girlfriend.”

  “Have you eaten?” he asked, ignoring my statement.

  “Yes,” I nodded, finally looking up at him. His change of topic confused me. I quickly realized it was his way of making me feel comfortable. “Kiera and I had a burger earlier.”

  “Call Kiera and see if she needs a ride back to your place,” he said. “I’m taking you to mine.”

  “Wait,” I said, stopping him as he casually mounted his bike. He didn’t even ask me if I wanted to go to his house. “I never said I would go with you.”

  “I’m not asking,” he said, eyes darkening again. “Get on the bike, Heather.”

  “I’m going inside to talk to her,” I said, through gritted teeth. “I’m not calling her.” I spun on my heel and didn’t give him time to protest or force me on to that damn death trap he called transportation.

  I pulled the door open and made my way down the hallway. When I turned left into t
he piano bar, I found Rio and Kiera talking to Trenton. Kiera’s smile was infectious and I really wanted to be mad at Donovan, but in all honesty, I was more than relieved that he found me.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “He wants to know if you need a ride home, because he’s taking me back to his place,” I admitted.

  “Do you even know this guy, Heather?” Rio asked. He was rather protective of Kiera and me most of the time, and I was thankful for it. Hell, I should probably use him as a shield against Donovan, but I didn’t want Rio’s protection. I wanted to feel Donovan’s protective embrace when I was scared or in need of reassurance. How was I already craving his touch when I’d only had it once?

  “I know him,” I blushed. “Just not very well.”

  “Do you think it’s a good idea to be running off to his home?” Trenton growled, pushing a hand through his dark brown hair. He was also taking a protective stance next to me. His green eyes searched my face, looking for something. What that something was? I had no idea.

  In fact, Trenton was talented, tall, and gorgeous, but just not what I wanted. He was a friend, one that I hadn’t known very long, but I wanted a man who was passionate and a little edgy. A man that made my body burn with just a simple touch. A man that knew what I needed when being intimate.

  A man like Donovan.

  “I’ll text you his address as soon as we get there,” I promised, looking at Kiera. “If you don’t hear from me in twenty-four hours, call the police,” I laughed, shakily.

  “If you need me,” Kiera said, but I cut her off with a shake of my head.

  “I’ll be okay,” I smiled. The last thing I wanted to do was to let Kiera know that I was nervous to be alone with him again, because she’d march out that back door and give Donovan a piece of her mind and probably a knee to his balls. That’s not what I wanted to happen.

  “I’ll get her home,” Rio said. “Just promise to call one of us.”

  “Okay,” I said, accepting a hug from Kiera and Rio.

  As Trenton took me into his arms, I looked over his shoulder and saw Donovan waiting at the entrance to the piano bar. His jaw clenched and nostrils flared when he observed Trenton hold on to me a little longer than was polite for friends.

  “You call one of us,” Trenton said, taking my face with both hands, forcing me to look him in the eyes. I knew Donovan was watching Trenton touch me. What I didn’t know was if Donovan was the jealous type. Would he go ape shit crazy for Trenton touching me like this?

  “Okay,” I said, stepping out of Trenton’s hold. The way he touched me made me a little uncomfortable.

  “Be safe,” Kiera said, looking at Donovan out of the corner of her eye.

  “Thanks, guys,” I smiled and left them at the table.

  As I walked toward Donovan, his features relaxed, but his body remained at attention. His eyes only strayed if another person came within a few inches from touching me. He didn’t walk forward to greet me, only stared and waited.

  “Is she okay to get home?” he asked. I found that I was making a mental list of the pros and cons of being with him. His concern for Kiera was at the top of the list of pros.

  “Yes,” I nodded. “Rio is taking her.”

  “Who’s the other guy?” he asked. A snarl curled up the corner of his lip. He obviously didn’t like Trenton.

  “He’s the other pianist who duels with Rio during his show,” I shrugged. “His name is Trenton Vargas, and he is our friend.”

  “Come,” he growled, taking my hand and dragging me back out the rear entrance of the building.

  I accepted his hand to help me climb on the back of his bike, just as I’d done the night before. I wrapped my hands around his waist and felt his tight muscles under my fingers.

  Donovan pulled out of the bar and made his way over to Royal Street. I wasn’t surprised when our ride ended shortly after it began. Of course, he lives closer to me than I thought!

  The bike slowed in front of a one story, brick house with blue shutters. It sat on a corner lot and the house looked small from the front, but from the side, it stretched almost half the block. To the right of the house, a gate greeted us, but a click of a small remote on his key ring opened it to allow us inside a beautiful courtyard.

  The courtyard held a two car garage and tropical plants. There was a koi pond in the center, and a fountain that I could hear trickling water down the three-tiered monstrosity. Instead of it being gaudy, it actually looked like it belonged amongst the trees and plants that were placed around the area.

  He helped me off of the motorcycle without speaking, and I was relieved to have a moment to my thoughts because he was just too intense for me tonight. After the night we’d shared, I needed time to get my head on straight and this little trip to his house was not what I had in mind. I’d thought that our one night together was just that…one night.

  There were a few lights on in the house when we entered. A laundry room sat off to the left of the entrance and to the right was a spacious kitchen that was meant for a chef. The floors were a beautiful travertine and the walls were painted blood red.

  “Would you like something to drink?” he asked.

  “Water, please,” I replied. I didn’t want to drink anything stronger. I needed to keep my mind straight around him.

  “Sure,” he smiled, removing his knit cap, and letting his hair fall down the length of his back. The tips of my fingers tingled in excitement. It took all of my willpower not to reach out and play with the strands. He handed the bottled water over with a smile.

  “Oreos?” I laughed, seeing the package sitting on the counter.

  “Mmhmm,” he grinned, mischievously. “Double stuffed is the best.” He popped one in his mouth and held out the opened package.

  “Oh, yes they are,” I replied, taking one for myself.

  “Let me show you around,” he said, with childlike enthusiasm.

  I gasped when I found an indoor pool just off the living room. It wasn’t your normal, modern pool. Tiny mosaic tiles lined the ten foot long pool that looked like it was at least five feet deep. It reminded me of a bath for a Roman God.

  On the wall behind it, the tiles continued up the wall and shelves were built in at different intervals. Above it, a tray ceiling that was painted blue with little sparkly lights imbedded. It looked as if he turned off all of the lights, the ceiling would look like you were outside on a clear, summer night, watching the stars.

  “I love it,” I whispered, stopping to lean over and look at the detailed work.

  “It’s heated, so you can get in anytime,” he smiled. “Come on.”

  I didn’t have time to drool over the pool. He whisked me away to a living room that was more modern than the pool room, and we took a seat on the couch. In front of us was an antique fireplace, but above that was the biggest damn television I’d ever seen.

  His furniture was black and, of all things…leather. I bit back a laugh at the cliché of it all. His home was an actual home, though. It looked lived in and not like a museum. You could tell that it cost a lot of money to own, but it didn’t make you feel unwelcomed. In fact, I felt comfortable here and that scared me even more.

  “Donovan,” I said, refusing to take a seat next to him on the couch. “Why am I here?”

  “I want you here,” he replied.

  “Don’t you have a tour or something?” I asked, trying to get him to talk. He’d been so angry and worried at the bar.

  “We’re off for six weeks,” he admitted, leaning back on his couch with a sigh. “Please sit down.” I took my seat furthest away from the side he was on. I didn’t comment on his frown and I think that just pissed him off even more.

  The room was only lit by the lamp on the table beside him, the light making a halo around his dark head…like a fallen angel. An uneasy silence fell over us as we stared at each other, neither one of us speaking. Donovan’s eyes didn’t stray from my own. Blue on blue, passion on passion. Bumps raised on my
skin and I gently squeezed my thighs together to stop the pulsing in my sex. Being this close to him set me on edge.

  “Heather,” he whispered, feeling the energy between us. I’d be a fool if I tried to deny that we had a connection.

  “Donovan,” I whispered.

  The distance between us was quickly filled when he growled, “I can’t keep away from you.” And then he was on me.

  Chapter 5

  Lips as hot as sin pressed to mine in a heated rush. Both of his hands cupped my face as if he was holding the most delicate china. His knee was between my legs and his hair fell around us again in a protective blanket. His breath was warm and sweet against my face as he panted with need.

  My hands latched onto his shoulders, my nails biting into his skin. He never complained, just continued to make love to me with his mouth. At no time did his hands move from my face. He held me as if I were precious and…his.

  This was wrong…so very wrong. Why the hell did it feel so right?

  “Donovan, stop,” I pleaded, my voice shaking.

  He bit my bottom lip hard, one last time before pulling away. I brushed my thumb across the spot when I felt heat flood the area from his rough nip. I tried to shift in my seat, but his knee was still between my legs, and I knew he could feel the heat coming off of my sex.

  “Why?” he said, tilting his head to the side.

  “I’m not a toy,” I replied, still panting. “I don’t want to be a rockstar’s piece of ass, Donovan.”

  “You are not a piece of ass,” he cursed.

  “How do you know that?” I scowled. “All we know of each other is that we are great together in bed. That’s it! I don’t even know you. You don’t know me.”

  He really needed to move. It was hard to think straight with him so close, his scent clinging to my skin. A throb started behind my eyes and I prayed I wouldn’t have a headache while we were talking. I just wanted him to take me home so I could rest and work on the ungraded papers that sat in a pile on my coffee table.

  “You’re not a piece of ass, because I wouldn’t do that,” he growled. “I don’t just meet random girls and then I sure as fuck don’t bring them to my goddamn house!” Oh, he was angry now. What the hell did I say wrong? I was just trying to be realistic here.