Riff

by Skye Turner

  He steps toward me and I can clearly tell his intent. I back up. “No, stop. Don’t mess up all my work.”

  With a grin, he ignores me and lifts me onto the counter. My ass is on the edge and my skirt is pushed to my hips. His hands gently rub the raised skin on my thighs. Goosebumps pop out on my legs and my nipples bead.

  I groan. “Stop it. We don’t have time for this,” but my legs part to welcome him.

  He kneels on the ground and presses soft, wet kisses to the inside of my thighs, over the marks he left earlier. My legs splay open, helpless to deny him. He chuckles and grasps the sides of my panties. I lift my hips as he slides them down my legs. His breath caresses my molten core and then my head falls back as he kisses and nibbles against my clit. My hands wrap around the edge of the counter as he eats me. I’m biting my lip and trying desperately to be quiet. My hips are bucking against his face. He sucks my clit into his mouth and rubs it with his teeth as he slips two fingers into me and pumps slowly. It doesn’t take long before I’m moaning and trying with everything in me not to scream.

  My body shutters as he licks me slowly until I still. I peep down at him and he grins up at me. His eyes are darkly lined with black and it makes the blue pop.

  My heart stops beating as I stare down at the beautiful man between my legs who has turned my world completely upside down.

  Oh my God… I’m falling in love with Rafe Rider!

  Rafe

  I only wanted to check on Daisy and walk her down the hall to Roman’s room. I had no intention of pleasuring her, but once she showed me her thighs and the evidence of our lovemaking from earlier, I couldn’t stop myself.

  The urge to mark her again was roaring through my veins and nothing was going to stop me.

  I have never in my life wanted to brand a woman as my own, but I want to with Daisy. I want to get this fucking interview with Blue over so the whole world knows that I’m with her.

  I want people to know that Rafe Rider and Daisy Anderson are a couple. Against all odds and as unlikely as it seems, we work.

  The bad ass rocker and the country sweetheart… making beautiful music together. Both in and out of the bedroom.

  Daisy just came all over my face… again. And I can’t get enough. I honestly have never tasted anything sweeter. Pleasuring her makes me happy. For the first time ever, I feel like I’m sexually satisfied just from satisfying someone else. Not that my dick is on board with that. He’s at this very moment wanting to know when he gets his turn.

  I’m looking up at her between her legs on the floor of the bathroom. Her skin is flushed and her eyes are luminous in her face.

  I did that.

  She’s looking down at me and the expression on her face is making it hard for me to breathe. She’s looking at me like I’m the most wondrous thing on the planet.

  Women look at me with want and naked desire all the time. They have for years, but no woman has ever looked at me like Daisy is looking at me right now. Like there’s no one else around… just the two of us. Like she cares about me… almost like she loves me.

  She can’t love me… that’s crazy. It’s too soon. She wants me. I want her. I can’t seem to stay away from her, but I’m not in love with her.

  I’ve never been in love before. What does it feel like?

  Is this love? Is this so important because it’s love?!

  Jesus, Rafe. Superb sex with a sexy woman does not equal love!

  This is so much more than sex though.

  Fuck… am I in love with Daisy?!

  Shaking my head, I stand quickly and just stare at her in bewilderment. Daisy slides off the counter and reaches down to grab her panties. She slides them back up her legs and smoothes her dress down. Then, she glances at me quickly before looking into the mirror. She hastily grabs her lipstick and puts more on.

  I just watch her, saying absolutely nothing.

  I’ve never watched a woman get ready before. I’ve never wanted to.

  I feel like I need to say something after what just happened, but I honestly have no idea what to say. I don’t know what I’m feeling.

  She frowns and turns away from me. Her hands are clutching at the sides of her dress as she breathes deeply, waiting for me to say something… anything.

  Say something, Rafe!

  Don’t let her walk out without saying anything.

  I don’t say shit. She sighs, “We should go. I don’t want to keep Blue waiting,” and walks out. I stand there feeling like I’m falling over the edge of a cliff before I moan and rake my hands through my hair as I trail behind her.

  Summer looks at us with a smirk that quickly fades as she sees her sister’s face. I can’t see it, but it must be bad. Her gaze pins me and I can see anger and questions on her face. Looking past her, I meet Sean’s eyes. He raises his brows to ask “What’s up?”

  Ignoring him because I honestly don’t know, I follow Daisy to the door of the room and down the hall.

  Summer brushes past me, none too gently, and catches up with her sister. Their heads are bent together as they whisper. Summer shoots a glare back at me and then turns her back to me in an obvious rebuff.

  Sean pulls my elbow from behind. “Dude, what the hell? Why is the temperature between you and Daisy suddenly colder than fucking Antarctica?”

  I shake my head and yank my arm free. “Don’t know.”

  He pulls me back and I turn to face him. He’s looking at me incredulously. “The fuck you don’t know! We walked in there like half an hour ago and you were so chipper I wanted to punch you just to get that dumb ass grin off your face. And now, Daisy looks like she’s about to cry, Summer looks ready to cut your dick off, and you look like your dog just died. So, what in the fuck?”

  I punch the wall and Sean jumps. Then, I glare at him and snap, “I think I love her.”

  He blinks and his mouth falls open. His hands run down his face and he looks at me as if I’m the dumbest mother fucker on the planet. He repeats. “You think you love her…” He sighs and then shrugs. “I’m so confused, dude. If you think you love her, why is that bad? I’m pretty sure she feels the same… Unless you told her and she doesn’t…” He moans. “Shit, man. I’m sorry. That blows.”

  I glare at him. “I didn’t tell her shit!”

  He looks at me in disbelief again. “Then, what in the fuck is the problem?”

  I snap, “I don’t know.”

  He laughs and then mutters, “Fuck this. Relationships make people fucking crazy. I’m never falling in love. Fuck this crazy ass shit!” He walks down the hall and turns when he reaches Roman’s door. “Seriously, dude. This is some crazy shit!” His hand circles around his ear. “Find your sanity, man. Talk to her or don’t, but stop acting like a goddamned lunatic!”

  I’m left in the hall thinking to myself… He’s right… She’s done it. Daisy has made me fucking crazy!

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Daisy

  I don’t know what just happened with Rafe. I came all over his face… again as he ate me out like no one has ever done before. I was looking down at him and then realized that somehow in the past month and a half amongst all the craziness, I’ve apparently fallen hard for him.

  Then, he looked up and saw my face. It must have been obvious how I felt because I could actually see him shut down.

  He doesn’t feel the same. He likes me. I matter to him, but not like he matters to me. He wants me. I know that. I can tell because we combust as soon as we’re alone together, but we’re not feeling the same.

  That’s painfully obvious.

  Shit! What am I going to do now?

  Now that I’ve gone and done the unthinkable and fallen in love with Rafe Rider!

  Summer automatically knew something was wrong when I walked out of the bathroom. She can read me better than anyone.

  She’s been ranting about him the whole way down the hall, and now, she’s super pissed at Rafe. “I’ll kick him in the balls, sis. You know I will. Just give
me the go ahead and I’m on it.”

  I chuckle even though my chest is hurting. “Stop, Summer. He didn’t do anything.” Her expression clearly conveys that she does not believe me. I shake my head and hug her to me. “No, really. He didn’t. I just realized something while we were in the bathroom and apparently my face told him… He wasn’t receptive to the news.”

  She blinks and her mouth hangs open. “You realized something… Are you in love with Rafe?”

  My eyes flit away from her. “I don’t know. I think that maybe I am.”

  She gasps. “Holy shit! You really went all out! I never would have guessed this.” We’re in the foyer of Roman’s suite and she yanks me to the side before we head into the living area where the interview is about to happen. “Well, are you still together or whatever? I mean, you’re about to give an interview to Blue Adams where you’re supposed to tell her that you’re a couple. So, are you still?”

  I bite my lip.

  I honestly don’t know. I have no idea.

  Is he over this? Am I ok with being with him when I feel one way and he’s not on the same page?

  Shit!

  Sean walks in through the door and glances at me. He shakes his head and says, “Yeah, you need to talk to Rafe…”

  I ask, “What? Why? What did he say?”

  He chuckles and throws his arm around Summer. “Nope, I’m not a fucking middle man. Get your pretty ass in the hall and figure it out. You’re both basket cases and need to figure this shit out. Like now. This interview is super important.” He encircles the room with his fingers. “For all of us!”

  Summer’s cheeks flush as Sean leads her into the main part of the room, leaving me alone in the foyer.

  Sighing, I turn toward the door. He’s right. Whatever the shit just happened we need to know so we can be truthful in the interview.

  Taking a deep breath, I open the door and step into the hall. It’s empty other than Rafe leaning against the wall about halfway down and the two security guys conversing together near the elevators. They glance back at me and nod before returning to their conversation.

  Rafe looks up at me and straightens.

  I walk down to him. He just watches me with a peculiar expression on his face. I stop about two feet away and link my fingers behind my back. “Hey.”

  He smirks, “Hey.”

  Sighing in exasperation, I slap my hand on my hips and arch my brow at him. “What the hell? What’s happening here, Rafe? I’m confused and mixed up. I don’t know what just happened, but I need to know what the shit is happening in my own life. So, what the hell?”

  His brows arch as his eyes widen. He smirks again. “Um, I don’t know. What’s happening? What are you talking about?”

  Is he serious? He’s going to act dumb?

  I’m going to slap him. I can’t deal with this shit.

  Glaring at him, I reach out and shove him. “Stop! You know what I’m talking about, Rafe! What the hell just happened in the bathroom? Everything was good… it was great… and then, it wasn’t. You just froze up on me. And now you’re acting like you don’t know what I’m talking about. Stop! No games.

  What the hell are we about to tell Blue in there?”

  His nostrils are flaring. My raised voice has both security guards looking at us. One calls down, “Everything ok?’

  Rafe nods jerkily and calls back, “Yeah, just a spat. You know how it is with women.”

  They nod and laugh, but keep an eye on us. My back straightens and my eyes flash. I grab his shirt. “What the fuck? This is a game to you? This is my life, Rafe! ‘You know how it is with women?!’ What are you doing? What are you playing at?

  “Open your fucking mouth and talk or so help me God, I’ll walk in there and tell Blue that we had sex and now it’s done.”

  His eyes widen. He can see how furious I am. He grabs my arm and says, “Come on. I’m not doing this in the goddammed hallway.” He points across the hall. “Open your door.”

  Shaking his hand off my arm, I glare at him. “No, I’m not opening my door. Say what you need to say. I’m done with this shit. I’m an adult and I’m not playing games. I’m not a bedmate when it’s convenient for you. I’m not one of your freaking groupie whores.

  “Apparently this was nothing but one giant mistake.”

  His eyes are blazing and his jaw is tight as he stares at me. Then, he yells. “I have never treated you like a groupie, Daisy. That’s fine if you’re pissed. You can be pissed. It’s not the first time and I know damn well it’s not going to be the last time, but no, you’re not done with this shit!

  “You’re not going to flip out on me and throw my past in my face because I get spooked for like five minutes!

  “Yes, I fucked groupies. A lot of them. But, I do not and have not treated you like I treated them!”

  Oh my God… He’s livid.

  He’s shaking and pulling at his hair while he rails at me.

  Grabbing his arm, I try to yank him toward my room. The security guards are openly watching us. I mutter, “Oh my God! Get in my room, Rafe!”

  He yanks his arm away from me and glares. “Hell no! You wanted to do this in the goddamned hallway, Daisy. So, now you deal with it.”

  “Rafe… Stop. Let’s go in my room. Please.” I’m so embarrassed. I’ve never been involved in a scene like this.

  He hears the unease in my voice and closes his eyes. He leans his head back and exhales then he pins me with his glare again. “Look, I’m sorry I’m yelling. But I’m pissed, too.

  “I got spooked, ok. I realized I care about you, like a lot and it freaked me the fuck out. I’ve never cared about a woman like I care for you, Daisy. I didn’t know what to say, how to say it, or even if I wanted to say it.

  “You’re going to have to give me a bit to process all this shit. But, I’m not ok with you jumping on me and saying you’re over this.”

  As he’s talking, he’s moved closer and I’m now pressed against the wall with his hands on either side of my hips. His head is angled in front of mine and I can’t look away from him.

  I nod and swallow. “Ok. I’m spooked, too. It’s why I freaked out. I thought you saw how much I cared and it was an issue for you.”

  He laughs and leans down, “Yeah, looks like we both need to work on our reactions.” He kisses me lightly.

  A warm and throaty chuckle comes from over his shoulder. He stops kissing me and turns his head. I look over, too, and see Blue Adams smiling at us.

  She grins. “Damn, you two remind me of when my husband, Jessie, and I got together.”

  I blush and Rafe laughs. He stands back and says, “Hi, Ma’am. Big fan of the magazine and of Bayou Stix.”

  She chuckles again. “Nice to meet you.” She smiles at me and her face is open and friendly. “So, I guess this answers the question on what’s really going on with you two.”

  Rafe

  Blue Adams just caught Daisy and I in a passionate embrace after our knock down drag out fight in the hallway. She confessed she heard the yelling from the suite.

  Sean and Summer told her we were having a discussion. She said she wanted to give us some time to sort it out. But when the yelling stopped and we didn’t come in, she decided to check.

  We’re all circling the table in the suite and she’s been asking questions about Firefly Heartbeat, the tour, and how we got here. She’s making certain to include everyone in the questioning, which I really like and respect. A lot of times at interviews, I’m asked everything and the guys are kind of ignored. But, they’re just as important to the band, so I’m glad they’re getting the recognition they deserve. She’s currently asking Summer, Fannie, and McKenzie about how they think this tour will differ from their previous tours.

  Daisy is beside me on the couch, though we’re not touching. I want to take her hand, but I’m not certain how she’d react. Plus, there’s a photographer taking candid’s during the interview and I don’t know if she wants photographs of us, like this,
to accompany the article.

  Finally, Blue turns to Daisy and I. She smiles and asks the question we’ve been waiting for. “So, Rafe and Daisy… Are the rumors about a romance brewing between rock’s bad boy and country’s sweetheart true? Are you two a couple? Just friends? Care to enlighten the readers of Rock With Me on if there’s any truth to the rumors?”

  Daisy looks at me and smiles. She reaches over and pats my hand softly. Taking that as an invitation, I entwine my fingers with hers and rest them both on my thigh. Blue’s eyes crinkle as she sees it. She winks. As the photographer captures the photo of us, I smile over at Daisy.

  Well, here we go then.

  Daisy nods. “Rafe and I have been dating for a little bit. It’s still relatively new, and we’re still figuring it all out, but yes, I’d say the rumors are true.”

  Blue nods and asks me. “This is not a usual thing for you, Rafe. You’ve been linked with many women over the past couple of years, but an actual relationship has never really been publicized. What makes Daisy different?”

  I take a minute to think on my answer before answering. “No, it’s certainly not my norm and in all honesty, I wasn’t looking for this. I haven’t really had many meaningful relationships with women in the past.

  “Daisy kind of just hit me over the head with a 2x4.”

  She laughs. “Oh my God, I did not. People are going to think I literally hit you. I did not! Though there are times when I certainly want to.”

  Blue chuckles again and asks the band. “And what do you guys think of the blossoming romance between your bandmates?”

  Summer laughs, “Well, I thought she was crazy for fighting it. I told her to go for it. They may seem like polar opposites, but they actually work. They’re good together.”

  Sean nods. “Yeah, for whatever reason, they mesh. It works.”

  The other girls say almost the same thing.

  Russ grunts. “I don’t care. It’s different, but not in a bad way.”