Dark Without You

by Sue Lyndon

  Alice accepted another shot from Derrick and immediately felt someone’s hot breath on her neck. “That’d better be your last drink tonight, young lady.” Her stomach dropped to the floor. It was Andy. Of course it was Andy. Who else could turn her insides to mush with a firm command?

  The bus came to a stop just as she turned to face him. “You can’t boss me around anymore, Andy Steele.” She performed an elaborate toast in the air before downing the shot in one swallow.

  The air sizzled between them as they remained locked together against the table, while the others filed out of the bus. Alice was spellbound under his disapproving gaze, but managed to stand her ground without looking down.

  He leaned forward to speak directly into her ear, as was his longstanding habit. “I wouldn’t be so sure, Alice Grove. I’ll be watching you.”

  He broke away from her before she could retort, but the tension remained thick as they entered the hotel. Alice kept her eyes on the ground, thankful they weren’t alone. She needed some serious thinking time. Desire and doubt waged a bloody battle in her mind.

  Rich kept one of the girls—a curvy redhead with way too much eye shadow—close to his side as he checked the group in. A couple of bellhops arrived with carts to load their suitcases onto for the trip upstairs.

  On the top floor, Alice casually bid good night to her brother and everyone else. Aaron invited her to a party in his room, but she politely declined. It was well past midnight and she was beyond exhausted.

  Yes, a cold shower and a long night’s sleep is what she needed.

  She glanced up at Andy, and a quiet moment stretched between them. He seemed to be studying her, blatantly sizing her up. Her stomach fluttered as his eyes bored confidently into hers. “Sweet dreams,” he said, slicing the awkward silence with warm words.

  Alice smiled. “Sweet dreams.” As he disappeared down the hallway, she fought to calm the roar of conflicting emotions battling for supremacy in her mind. Water and oil couldn’t mix, right? She shook her head and swiped the keycard through the slot on the door.

  She immediately moved to the window to stare out at the Chicago lights. What the hell was she going to do about Andy? She hadn’t expected him to flirt so obviously with her. Oh, but she had reciprocated his flirtations. There was no one to blame but herself—and Rich. Stupid drunken Rich.

  As she slipped her dress off, she shivered with unexpected pleasure as she imagined Andy’s hands roving over her naked body. She missed the handsome drummer already. He was two rooms over, but she grieved for his absence as if years had passed in the place of minutes. Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.

  Alice showered and dressed in a comfy silky nightdress that fell mid-thigh. She grabbed the remote and blared VH1 on the television. Someone in a room nearby was having sex—loud, crazy, in-your-face sex. In fact, it sounded like more than one girl was screaming, but Alice couldn’t be sure. She turned the volume up, but it didn’t help. The lovers kept going and going.

  When Alice started contemplating who the loud lovers were, she became uneasy. None of the groupies had spoken to Andy, but what if they were in his room now? What if the girls had started out with Aaron or Derrick and then moved to another room? The thought of another woman touching Andy made her blood boil.

  Holy shit. She was jealous.

  It wasn’t long before Alice was pressing her ear against the walls, trying to discern from which direction the sounds came. Frustrated, she peeked outside her door. There was no one in the hallway and the screams were even louder. Just go to sleep, Alice. She took a deep breath and lingered in the open doorway. Several minutes passed. The sounds of the wild sex party surrounded her until her head began to spin.

  Curiosity got the best of Alice. She found herself moving stealthily down the hallway. As painful as it was to admit, she had to ensure the noises weren’t coming from a certain drummer’s room. Only then could she sleep soundly.

  After pressing her ear against Andy’s door for a long minute, Alice felt like an idiot. The noises were obviously coming from farther down the hall. Probably Derrick’s room. He’d been walking with his arms around two bleached-blonde groupies. She was so stupid. She smiled and headed for her room, positive she would sleep like a baby.

  But to Alice’s horror, the door wouldn’t open. She pulled the knob again and again, cursing under her breath. She really was stupid. The door had automatically locked with the keycard inside. To make matters worse, she was wearing practically nothing on the top floor of a busy Chicago hotel.

  Swallowing her pride, Alice banged on Rich’s door before she ran into anyone in the hallway. He could dress and get another keycard from the front desk.

  No answer.

  Alice banged again, this time louder. Again and again. Still nothing. Shit, he’s probably passed out drunk, she realized morosely as she leaned against the wall, weighing her options.

  The screams seemed to be coming from more than one room now. Alice couldn’t risk knocking on Derrick’s or Paul’s or Aaron’s doors. With the way she was dressed, they would only assume she wanted to join their orgy. There was only one choice left.

  And his name was Andy Steele.

  Chapter Three

  Vowing to punch Derrick and Paul and Aaron in their stupid faces come morning, Andy tore a path through the plush red carpet. He’d hoped to get a good night’s sleep in a comfortable bed, but his fellow band members were in possession of some of the loudest groupies yet. And listening to others having sex only served as a cold reminder of his loneliness.

  The high of the concert performance had faded away to be replaced by irritation. He felt like a caged animal, ready to attack at the slightest provocation. Madison was completely absent from his thoughts, but another woman had replaced her with a vengeance.

  Alice Grove. Sweet, outspoken, crazy Alice. The Alice he’d known his whole life. The Alice he’d lusted after once her body and heart had become that of a woman. If only she were here. He grabbed a cold beer from the minibar and chugged it halfway down. He took a deep breath and stood at the window, gazing across the bright, busy city. Alice was here. He needed her. He wanted her. By God, he would have her—soon.

  Just as Andy’s frustration cooled and his confidence resurfaced, a knock on his door startled him out of his thoughts. Figuring Derrick was out of booze or condoms, Andy made for the door. Without bothering to look through the peephole, he swung it open, lips poised to curse at his friend.

  Except it wasn’t Derrick. Or Paul. Or Aaron. Or Rich.

  It was Alice. And the silky getup she wore left little to the imagination. His heart pounded and desire stirred deep in his loins. His gaze roamed over the sweet curves of her body before meeting her pleading eyes. He pushed his carnal urges down when he realized something was wrong. She was visibly upset.

  “I need help.”

  “What is it?” Andy hoped she was okay. Alice wasn’t the kind of girl to go parading around a hotel floor wearing something like that. Not that he minded at the moment—but still.

  “I’m locked out of my room but I can’t go downstairs like this.” Alice looked down and her cheeks flushed pink. Her fluid brown hair fell like a curtain framing her face, as if she were attempting to hide her shame.

  “Get in here.” Andy moved aside. He shut the door and turned, feeling his cock shift again at the sight of Alice’s firm breasts. Her nipples pressed against the silk, begging to be pinched and sucked.

  “I accidently walked out and let the door close.” She stood awkwardly in the center of the room.

  “You accidently walked out?” The sternness in his voice caused her to jump. “Where did you think you were going dressed like that?” He would only have to raise the fabric a few inches and he could paddle her bottom bright red—like he’d threatened to do so many times before. He crossed his arms over his chest and arched an eyebrow, waiting for her answer.

  Alice’s face flushed darker pink, her embarrassment obvious. “I—I was going to t
ell Rich something, but I guess he passed out. I didn’t want to knock on anyone else’s door. The rest of the guys seem occupied right now.”

  Andy’s severe expression melted with understanding. “Okay. I’ll go downstairs to get another keycard.” And try to get rid of this erection along the way.

  “I owe you one,” Alice said, her lips curving slightly.

  Andy ventured downstairs to retrieve a spare keycard, seeing an image of her curvy body in the silky getup each time he blinked. When he returned, Alice was seated gingerly on the bed, gazing out the window. She stood up and moved toward him slowly, hesitantly, as if she sensed his wicked thoughts.

  “Here it is. They said to bring it back in the morning.”

  Alice accepted the keycard timidly. “Thank you, Andy. I-I really appreciate this.”

  “It was my pleasure.” Andy found himself staring hungrily at her lips, like they were a forbidden fruit waiting to be plucked and enjoyed no matter what the consequence. As she stared up at him with an open, vulnerable expression, the years of pining for her culminated into an unbearable pain.

  And then he snapped.

  He was on her, kissing her, clutching her face between his hands while tenderly exploring and tasting her mouth as if he owned it. She gasped at first, but soon dropped the keycard and pressed back against him. She wanted him too, he realized, deepening the kiss as his cock swelled and hardened fast against her stomach.

  Alice reached up his T-shirt and found bare skin. Boldly but softly, she raked her nails across his back as if she’d done it countless times before. Drawing back, Andy saw the lust in her eyes, heavy with need.

  After all these years.

  He buried his lips inside the hollow of her throat, searing her silky skin in a trail from her neck down to her welcoming breasts. Her velvety skin tasted like salt and something else much sweeter. It was more rewarding than any forbidden fruit could be.

  “Andy,” she whispered his name like an invitation for something more, something beyond the hungry kisses and groping. Andy’s cock swelled harder in response.

  With no memory of how or when, he found himself pressing Alice down on the bed, kissing, touching, tasting, and completely losing sense of time and place. Tenderly, he parted her thighs and rubbed a hand against her sex, feeling the gathering moisture through her panties. He wondered what she would taste like.

  The dim bedside lamp cast a rich yellow glow across Alice’s milky skin. Her hair circled her pretty face in complete disarray, and her cheeks were flushed pink. Beneath him on the bed, she looked wanton and as lost in the moment as Andy.

  What followed next was a heated rush. Between fast kisses and fumbling hands, every piece of clothing went flying like debris in a windstorm. He held her gaze as he rolled on a condom. When he positioned himself between her thighs, she trembled and arched up to meet him like a good girl. The tip of his cock probed her slick folds slowly at first, inch by inch as he slid himself inside her warmth. While she was no virgin, her walls closed tight around his solid length.

  After the first few thrusts, a soft moan escaped Alice’s lips, and she circled her legs around Andy’s waist. Never once glancing away from her glazed-over eyes, he pounded his cock into her sweetness without mercy, the unspoken wall between them crumbling to dust.

  *

  Alice was lost in a sea of pleasure, consumed by desire and the excitement of finally having Andy Steele in her bed—or his bed, rather. For years, she’d imagined how he would taste and feel in the throes of passion.

  Tonight her questions were being answered, one kiss and one thrust at a time. It was wonderful and terrifying all at once, because Alice was crossing a barrier she’d sworn not to cross. When Rich requested she join the tour, this hadn’t been on her agenda at all. A little flirting, yes, but not this. Of course, one hard kiss from Andy had broken her defenses like a vase crashing to the floor. By the time they reached the bed, the precious ache between her thighs was unbearable with a need only Andy could conquer.

  Soft moans and the sounds of wet, crashing flesh filled the room, drowning out the noises that had drawn Alice to his room in the first place. Her legs were raised high and wrapped around Andy, allowing all of him inside her moist warmth. While he’d inched in slowly at first, he was now pounding into her like he meant to punish, filling her with a rhythm all his own. Her head was swimming in circles and her heart was beating so loudly that she held onto Andy for dear life, clutching his back like she never meant to let go.

  When an evil grin crossed Andy’s face and he drew out, Alice whimpered from the sudden emptiness and raised her hips in hopes of being filled up again. “Please,” she said. But a second later, Andy flipped her over and dragged her feet off the bed. He positioned her bent over and stood behind with his cock in hand. Alice trembled in anticipation, arching her back to meet his inevitable entrance.

  Andy nudged his length against her slick opening, teasing her with the promise of fulfillment. He bent down and breathed against her ear. “I’ve always thought you needed a good fucking, young lady, just like this,” he said, pushing himself inside with one hard thrust.

  Alice moaned underneath him, clutching the covers until her knuckles turned white. Andy gripped her bottom cheeks for support, holding her in place and spreading her wide as he plunged with rapid, deep strokes. When a stray finger began working her bundle of nerves in firm circles, Alice shuddered and cried out, letting the blinding white wave pull her to the depths of a thunderous release. Andy followed soon after, groaning as he fisted a hand in her hair while he came.

  Slowly, Alice stood up and faced him. They were both breathless and struggling for composure. After a few moments, Andy cupped her face and planted a soft kiss on her swollen lips. “Sleep here tonight,” he said.

  “Okay,” she whispered, her throat suddenly burning. Why did Andy Steele affect her so? How could three simple words leave her trembling all over again?

  He disappeared into the bathroom for a moment, leaving Alice to her thoughts. She decided to get dressed, but just as she reached for her nightdress on the floor, a sharp slap stung her bottom. “Ouch!” she cried, jerking straight up and immediately shielding herself from any further blows. Andy hovered over her, still naked. His powerfully built body coupled with the dark gleam in his eye caused her stomach to flip. God, he made her so freaking nervous—and she loved it.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” The sharp command in his voice caused her knees to go weak.

  Alice cinched her eyebrows together. “What the hell does it look like? I’m trying to get dressed.” Though she tried to look and sound brave, her voice came out shaky.

  He folded his arms across his broad chest and shook his head. “No. You’ll sleep naked.” He pointed toward the bed, which was in a state of complete disarray.

  “I don’t think so,” she said haughtily. She scowled at him, trying to rub the lingering sting out of her bottom.

  Andy glared back darkly, unyielding. It was a side of him she’d seen glimpses of in the past. This was the Andy who’d dragged her out of parties after she’d had too many drinks. This was the Andy who’d chewed her out for meeting a guy from the Internet for a blind date during her freshman year of college. There were other instances as well, many of them more subtle. Most of the time Andy had been more of a big brother than Rich had. But now circumstances had changed, and Alice wasn’t sure how she felt because her head was still swimming in endless circles.

  “Get into the bed now, Alice,” he said with a growl, his steel-hard eyes just daring her to disobey.

  She wavered between minding Andy and telling him to fuck off. Part of her loved being ordered around by him, and always had. But the independent side of her wanted to break free, and that side won the battle in her mind.

  She reached for her nightdress—only for Andy to sidestep closer, deftly pushing her over the bed and holding her down. He applied a quick series of smacks across her bottom, much to Alice’s surprise. What
the hell did he think he was doing?

  “Let me up!” she screeched. “Let me up, you fucking bastard!” She squirmed beneath his firm hold, as angry as she was terrified. It hurt!

  Leaning down, he said, “Tsk. Tsk. Such language. I believe I promised to give you a spanking the next time you cursed at me. It was a promise made about three years ago, but a promise nonetheless. Do you remember?” His voice was eerily calm but oozed authority.

  Alice was silent, seething—not to mention confused. The renewed ache between her thighs left her conflicted and angry at herself for being turned on by Andy’s caveman-like behavior. When another stinging blow landed on her thigh, she struggled again.

  “I asked you a question, young lady,” Andy said. “Do you remember?”

  This wasn’t happening. No, no, no.

  But her smarting backside told her otherwise, so she mumbled, “Yes, I remember.”

  “Good,” he said. “Now get into bed. Naked.”

  Alice complied, but refused to meet Andy’s eyes. Her mind screamed that sleeping with Andy was a mistake, although her traitorous body craved his touch again. When he grasped her hand, she tried to yank it away, but his hold was firm.

  “I see you haven’t changed a bit, Andy Steele,” she hissed, wondering who she was angrier with, herself or the gorgeous naked man.

  “I’ve wanted you for a long time, Alice Grove,” he said, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Now that you’re mine, you’ll keep minding me just like when you were younger. Understand?”

  Outraged that he still thought of her as a child, she pushed against his chest. But Andy pulled her into his lap with no effort, encircling her in his strong arms.

  “Just because we slept together doesn’t make me yours.”

  “Actually, it does make you mine,” he said, his hot breath fanning against her cheek. “Because now that I have you, Alice, I don’t plan to ever let you go.”