Stormy Hearts

by Julia Gabriel

  And what he was feeling? She was feeling it too right now.

  Her brown eyes had darkened to the color of espresso. Her chest was rising and falling like the rhythmic sputter of a coffee maker. Her bare thighs were trembling against his—and it had him hard as a rock, a fact he couldn’t exactly conceal beneath the white towel.

  “You’re feeling this, too,” he said, pointing out the obvious. Her nipples were hard beneath the thin cotton of her tank top, and the rush of blood in his ears was like a roar. “And we have some time to kill.” He glanced toward the street and the raging storm.

  “We don’t know anything about each other.”

  “What do you want to know? Ask me anything. Finish our twenty questions. I believe I answered about five. So you have fifteen left.”

  She rolled her eyes and he wasn’t sure whether she would take him up on it or not. He watched her weigh the idea behind her lovely face.

  “Have you ever had your heart broken?” she said at last. “And don’t say when I walked out of your hotel room.”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “My lifestyle is not conducive to serious relationships.” He paused. “But you did break my heart, a little.”

  She swatted at his chest. He grabbed her hand and kissed her palm.

  “Explain that.” She tried to tug her hand back, a move he decided against allowing. He kissed her thumb and then her index finger before answering.

  “That night—I wasn’t sure whether you knew who I was.”

  “I pretended not to. More for me than for you.”

  He nodded, acknowledging the admission. “It was a pleasant change of pace to be around a woman who wasn’t angling for something from me—an introduction or a social media selfie or bragging rights. It was a little glimpse into normal, you know?”

  “A lot of people think normal life is overrated.”

  “Do you think that?”

  “No. I like my quiet normal life here.”

  He kissed her middle finger. “When you’re twenty-one, the life of a rock star sounds amazing. And for awhile, it was. I can’t deny that. But now? Eight years later? I’m getting a little old for it.”

  “There are some aging rock stars who would beg to differ.”

  He shrugged and kissed the last two fingers. “They’re entitled to live their lives as they see fit. In the beginning, I drew so much energy from the crowds, from the attention. But now, it’s just a drain. Honestly? A lot of nights I’d rather sit in the hotel in my underwear and eat room service nachos and binge on Netflix.”

  That drew a smile from her.

  “So, yes, my heart cracked a little when that beautiful, normal woman up and walked out on me.” He closed his lips around her pinky finger, enjoying the way it made her mouth drop open to take in air. “That was probably more information than you wanted.”

  “I’ll give you credit for two questions.”

  “Only two?” He smiled as he sucked the next finger into his mouth.”We’re going to be here all night.”

  “We’re going to be here all night anyway. In any case, you seem to be holding up fine.” She glanced down at the hard lump beneath the towel.

  “So what’s the next question?” he asked. She fought not to squirm on his lap as he closed his lips around another finger. He ran his tongue up to her fingernail. She lost that fight. “But after ten questions, I’d like a kiss.”

  “Fine. You’re up to nine.”

  He sucked on her thumb, more insistently than he had her other digits. It was taking all his willpower not to thrust his hips toward her.

  “If you’re not happy, then why not quit? Why not do something else? I imagine you’ve made enough money.”

  “I have. Also made enough money for everyone around me. But there’s a tour the band is contractually obligated to finish, as well as a music festival later this summer—provided my bandmate gets released from rehab in time.”

  “I saw something about that. Sorry.”

  His tongue drew lazy circles on her palm. “Thought you weren’t a fan.”

  “Idle curiosity.”

  He laughed into her palm and her muscles clenched against his quads. “That’s ten questions now, Mai with an I.” He gave her palm one more kiss and pulled her down to him. He started the kiss slowly, a feathery nip at her lower lips, gauging her seriousness, giving her a chance to back out. When she began to kiss him back, however, all bets were off, and he pressed his lips firmly against hers. She tasted like coffee and cake, and he imagined that was the way she tasted all the time. A man could get used to that. Smoky and sweet. He was aroused before they began kissing—now the feeling was multiplied.

  How many nights had he lain awake, remembering what it felt like to kiss her? Too many to count. On the one hand, yes, she had made him feel normal that evening in London. But on the other hand, kissing her didn’t feel normal at all.

  It felt extraordinary.

  He wasn’t one to believe in love at first sight. But a connection at first sight? Yup. He definitely had felt a connection to this woman the moment she opened her mouth and began to sing.

  “Maybe we should skip the rest of the questions,” she whispered into his lips.

  “I don’t think so,” he whispered back, breaking the kiss. “I’ve waited two years for this. I want you to have all the information necessary to make an informed decision.” He wanted to carry her upstairs to her bed and ravish her all night long. But he wanted her to be one hundred percent certain about it.

  “What’s your favorite color?” she asked.

  “Orange.”

  “No one’s favorite color is orange.”

  “You didn’t say I had to answer the questions truthfully.”

  She bit back a snort-laugh and it was so effing adorable, he almost relented on the remainder of the questions. Almost. He wanted to tease her a while longer.

  “Sun sign?”

  “Leo.”

  “Shoe size?”

  “Ten and a half.”

  “Coke or Pepsi?”

  “Dr. Pepper.”

  She was clearly rushing through questions. He took that as a good sign.

  “Did you have the lead in any school musicals?”

  “I had the lead in all of them.”

  “Really?”

  “You sound surprised. I was Tevye, Danny Zuko, and Finch. What about you?”

  “I was Annie—and yes, I wore a red wig. And Anita and Cosette.”

  “I’m impressed.”

  “Spirit animal?”

  “Owl.”

  “Really?”

  He shrugged. “First animal that came to mind. Chestnut tree.”

  “I wasn’t going to ask that one.”

  “Biggest regret?”

  “Auditioning for a certain televised talent show.”

  She studied his face for a long moment. Probably trying to decide whether or not to believe him.

  “So what did you want to be when you grew up?”

  “A fireman. Then an astronaut. Later, a rodeo rider.”

  “What happened?”

  “I’m terrified of heights, so that ruled out the first two. And I grew up in Pittsburgh, not a part of the world known for its rodeo circuit.” He ran his thumb over her lower lip. “That’s twenty, I believe.”

  Chapter 5

  “Wrap your legs around me.”

  His hands cupped her bottom and pulled her into his hips. She hooked her ankles behind his waist, and he stood, lifting her up. The towel immediately dropped to the floor, leaving nothing between her bare thighs and his erection. Every step he took toward the back staircase pressed it harder against the aching spot between her legs.

  Men-wise, her life had been pretty quiet in the past two years. The breakup with Kyle had left her so heartbroken and disappointed that she’d thrown herself into Two Beans. Her business was something she had control over. The more love she put into it, the more the town loved and supported i
t.

  But it didn’t keep her warm at night. It didn’t fill that emptiness she woke to each morning, an empty bed, an empty kitchen table. No one to drink coffee with, just her and her alone.

  Ian Youngblood wasn’t going to be that person, either. Obviously. But maybe he could help her get her mojo back. She’d had a few online dates here and there since Kyle, but nothing that had materialized into anything long term. She was ready for long term, for marriage and kids and a single family home and a white picket fence.

  She just had to find someone who wanted all of that—in St. Caroline. Small town life wasn’t for everyone. It definitely wasn’t suitable for a big time rock star like the one carrying her up to bed. He could break her dry spell, though. She’d settle for that.

  At the top of the stairs, he shifted her weight in his arms and pushed open the door to her apartment.

  “Which way?” he asked.

  “Left.” Her bedroom was over the front of the shop, facing the street. Outside, the wind and rain still howled ferociously. She hoped the sandbags would hold.

  In her bedroom, he gently set her down on her feet.

  “Now, where did we leave off in London?”

  There was a hungry look in his eyes, but Mai was ready to be devoured. She lived her life responsibly—too responsibly, she was beginning to think—but for one night, she wanted to shed responsibility and just live. No one need ever know that she’d hooked up with Ian Youngblood.

  “I believe I had just finished putting my clothes on, so we should work backwards from there.” She grabbed the hem of her tank top and pulled it over her head. Ian’s eyes dropped to her breasts, which were covered in a wispy blue lace bralette. “And I believe you were just like that.”

  She looked his naked body up and down. She used to think that rock stars were all skinny and pale. Ian clearly worked out and spent time in the sun. He was nicely muscled without a visible tan line. The thought of him sunbathing in the nude released a rush of heat in her veins.

  She undid the button and zipper on her cutoffs and let them fall to the floor, kicking them away from her ankles. He stopped her when she reached behind her back to unhook her bra.

  “Let me.” He moved behind her, brushing her bare shoulder as he went. “If memory serves me correct, I took this off.”

  She still wasn’t sure how much of this smoothness to believe. His memory was, in fact, correct. But it seemed impossible that he would remember every little detail of that night. She did—but then again, she was just a regular person. Of course, she would remember an event as out of the ordinary as nearly having sex with a celebrity.

  His fingers made quick work of the hooks and he slid the straps off her shoulders. When he cupped his palms over her breasts, she was certain she was about to faint. Then his lips touched her skin, slowly moving from the point of her shoulder to her collarbone to the side of her neck. Confident, but patient, kisses. He was in no hurry.

  It was the kiss on her jawline that caused her to sway unsteadily on her feet. This must be what they mean by swooning. Ian’s hands steadied her, which was a good thing because what he whispered into her ear would have turned her legs to jelly.

  “Take me to bed.”

  His hand slid slowly down her arm until it reached hers. His fingers threaded into hers, and she led him to her unmade bed. If only she had known … How could I have known? She had expected only one storm named Ian.

  “Sorry,” she apologized for the state of the bed.

  He pulled her into his body, his chest hard against the taut nipples of her breasts. “Mai with an I, we’re going to destroy this bed tonight.”

  She had no words for the sensation zipping through her nerves. Her skin was so on edge she could feel the stillness of the air around them.

  “Kiss me,” she said.

  He bent his head to hers and found her lips. His palms cradled her head, and she gave into the kiss, melted into it. Groaned into it as his tongue worked its way into her mouth. She opened her lips and let her tongue dance with his. She wanted this man, wanted his body in a way that she had never wanted Kyle’s. Sex with Kyle had been fine, good, nice. But he had never made her feel this way—like her skin was inside out, like she needed to be filled with this man right now or her body would collapse in on itself.

  Ian had made her feel this way in London, too. It had felt wrong then—she’d thought she shouldn’t want another man so soon after Kyle.

  It felt right, now.

  Oh so right.

  She pressed her hips into his and they stumbled their way onto the bed, legs and feet tangled together. She ended up on top of Ian, her legs straddling his, his erection proudly pointing up at her.

  “Have your wicked way with me, Mai with an I.”

  She bent over and kissed him hard. If she had one night with this glorious man, she was going to make the most of it. When he walked out of her life in the morning, she didn’t want to wish that they could have another night together. She wanted all of it—everything—tonight.

  He opened his mouth and welcomed her in. Their teeth tapped. Their tongues caressed. She felt a shiver roll down his spine. It was the same one that had just raced down hers. They kissed deeply like that until she lifted her lips to move them to new real estate. His forehead, his jawline, the indentation at the base of his neck. She kissed her way leisurely around his body. His calloused palms, the inside of his elbow … a playful bite on his bicep. She wondered whether he liked having his nipples sucked. She flicked her tongue over one, then closed her lips around it.

  The jerk of his hips answered her question.

  “Mai,” he groaned.

  She moved to the other nipple. They had all night. The storm had cut them off from the outside world for a few hours. And for those few hours, they would have their own private world, an eye in the middle of the storm.

  “With an I.” His groan this time was low, barely above a whisper. “Have mercy on me.”

  She smiled up at him. “No mercy. Not tonight.”

  She trailed kisses down his abdomen, along the soft hair of his happy trail. His erection bobbed against the underside of her jaw. When she touched her lips to the tip, the entire mattress shuddered beneath them.

  He closed his eyes and gave into it. Between the noise of the storm outside and her delicate touch inside, he was surrounded by sensation. How many times had he imagined this exact scenario—in bed with the karaoke woman kissing him, touching him? Too many to count. He wasn’t entirely convinced that he wouldn’t wake up and find it all to be just another dream.

  On the other hand … this right here felt way better than anything his imagination had conjured up. The heat of her mouth, the softness of her tongue, the confidence of her fingers. One thing was certain—one night was not going to be enough.

  “You okay up there?” Her whispered words blew against his skin and he clenched his teeth to stem the orgasm she was teasing from him. It was too soon.

  “It’s my turn now.” He sat up and flipped her onto her back. He took a moment to admire her lovely body, the full breasts and smooth skin, the sexy pink flush of her cheeks. “First, we need to dispense with these.” He slid his hands beneath her hips and peeled away the lacy panties.

  He looked her over—slowly, leisurely. “You have no idea how many hours I’ve spent touching you in my mind.” He traced a finger over the point of her hipbone and up to her ribs. “You’re beautiful, Mai.” Here was the mole he remembered from London. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to it. His thumb ran over the soft skin on the inside of her wrist, where her vein was pulsing faster. Pulsing for him.

  He crawled up her body and lowered his head to hers. “At least I don’t have to worry about you running out on me here, out into the storm.”

  She gave him a sexy little smile. “Plus, I live here.”

  “That too.” He touched his lips to hers—lightly at first—and then with the urgency that beat in his chest. This was no simple kiss. This was a kiss
that had been building for two years in his mind. In his soul.

  Why this woman? Out of all the women in the world, why Mai with an I? He didn’t know. All he knew was that he’d felt a connection to her in London, felt it the instant he’d heard her sing. He wasn’t much for all that woo-woo stuff—love at first sight, fated meetings, and such. But what else could be at play here? What were the odds that he would find her in the same town where Simone was now living?

  There was one other thing he knew. He wasn’t letting this woman go until they’d had a chance to explore this connection further. And the exploration started now—with making love to her over and over for as many hours as they had energy for. Was it wrong to hope that the storm lasted for days? Or turned into a freak summer snowstorm? Hell, he would welcome a damn blizzard. Anything that would keep the two of them together, away from the outside world.

  He buried his face in the crook of her neck, then kissed his way down her sternum, finally closing his lips over her nipple. Her gasp was one of pleasure and surprise, the sweetest music to his ears. He kissed his way across her stomach, pausing to draw a lazy circle around her navel with his tongue. Her ankles hooked around his calves, hinting at what she wanted next. It was all the invitation he needed.

  Chapter 6

  It was the quiet that awakened her. The storm was gone. The wind no longer howled outside. The rain had ceased battering the windows and roof. She opened her eyes to a watery light streaming through the skylight above the bed. The power was still out, though. The room was hot and close, and missing the hum of the air conditioning.

  In fact, the only sound in the room was that of the man breathing next to her.

  Huh.

  So that wasn’t all just a dream. She really did stay up most of the night while Ian Youngblood—rock star god—gave her orgasm after orgasm. To be fair, she gave him a few, too.

  She luxuriated in those thoughts for awhile. She was definitely glad that destiny or the universe or the cosmos or something had given her another chance with Ian. Even if it was only for one night.