“How? What?” she mumbled incoherently.
“Shhhh, keep going. I want to watch you.” He moved his hands to her breasts as he spoke and began caressing them in light circles again. Jane arched against him and soon found the sensations building to a miraculous wave.
“Oh my God!” she cried out as the pleasure overpowered her and she was racked with a powerful orgasm that left her shuddering. Charles locked his hands on her shoulders to keep her upright. She grasped his wrists with her hands as she looked at him in shocked surprise.
“That was beautiful, Jane,” he told her as his eyes feasted on her. Gently he brought her forward and let her rest her head on his shoulder. Soon her panting faded and Charles tested her with an upward thrust.
Jane’s breath caught. “Are you ready for more, love?” he asked, his hands stroking her bare back.
“Oh, yes,” she moaned, lifting her head to look at him, her dazed look fading as she spoke. He stroked her lips with his thumb and she kissed him, her mouth hungrily working against his.
“Take me,” he told her in a tight whisper.
Jane understood. She pushed herself up on her arms and began moving back and forth on his long length, producing feelings that were so different from the others, yet equally pleasurable. She watched him this time, watched his eyes close when the sensations became too strong, watched him offer himself to her.
Her body started to buck against his as the pleasure grew. Charles, his jaw clenched tightly, moved against her thrusts as their rhythm grew faster and more desperate. “Jaaaaaane,” he moaned in a rising tone as he grew harder inside of her, and Jane knew he was hers. She tightened her muscles around him, prompting a gasp and strangled cry as he came. Unexpectedly, the action produced a similar effect on her, and she followed him immediately into bliss. Their bodies rocked as one until they collapsed into an exhausted heap and lay motionless for a long time.
Jane smiled dopily as she realized she was drooling onto Charles’s shoulder and she didn’t care. Awareness slowly returned and stiffly she rolled off him. Charles quickly turned onto his side and bundled her close to him. She started giggling as a full, unashamed burst of pure joy flowed out of her body. Charles smiled and kissed her forehead as he held her tightly.
“Did you enjoy that?” he asked, his eyes shining.
“Charles!” she exclaimed. “Oh my God! I’ve never… You… Wow!”
He laughed with her, delighted. Jane took a deep breath and looked at him, trying again to express her feelings. “Charles I never, ever—”
“I know,” he hushed her with a kiss. “And to tell the truth, love, neither have I.”
She looked at him puzzled and he sighed. “Jane, I’ve been with many women before. But never like that.” He kissed her lovingly. “You’re so special to me.” He looked at her, feeling suddenly shy, realizing he had revealed so much.
Jane reached out to him, taking his face between her hands and kissed him slowly. When she pulled back to look into his eyes, she let hers fill with all the passion and love she felt for him. He smiled then, relieved and content. Jane, taking her cue, snuggled up tightly to him and rested her head on his shoulder. “Tell me,” she said, tracing designs on the skin of his chest over his heart, “how did you know how to do that?”
Charles shrugged. “The women I dated before I met you. They, well, they were nothing like you.” He grinned uneasily. “Anyway, while I can’t say too many good things about them, I can credit them giving me an excellent education on how to please a woman.”
He took in her guarded look and kissed her tenderly. “I never loved them, any of them. I thought I did, but I didn’t. I loved the sex, but not them, not like I love you.”
Jane smiled then, relieved. Charles looked at her, seeing the fatigue around her eyes, and he sighed, reflecting on what a long day it had been for both of them. “Come and sleep with me now, Jane,” he said as he gently pulled her to a spooning position in front of him. “I’m really looking forward to waking up next to you.”
The light clicked off, and Jane took his hand and squeezed it in the darkness. “I love you, Charles,” she said softly.
“I know,” he whispered back as he kissed her head good night.
Chapter 9
Charles Bingley rolled over. Without opening his eyes, he reached for the blonde goddess he fell asleep with the night before. She was gone. Furious patting of the bed failed to find any feel of her, and reluctantly he was forced to open his eyes.
Nothing. He was in bed alone. “Jane!” he called out, pushing the blankets away and sitting up.
“What?” Jane asked, her head appearing in the bathroom doorway, a toothbrush sticking out of her mouth.
Charles sank back down relieved. “I thought you had left,” he explained.
Jane smiled consolingly. “Of course I didn’t leave,” she said. “I’m just getting cleaned up.”
“Jane, do you remember what I told you last night?”
Jane returned to the mirror. “Uh-hum,” she answered vaguely. Her eyes widened at the sight of Charles’s naked body in her mirror.
He took the toothbrush out of her hand and put it down on the counter. “Spit,” he ordered, and she did, into the sink. He removed the hotel bathrobe she was wearing, pleased to see her still naked underneath. “Come back to bed, Jane,” he said in a voice that left no room for discussion.
“But—”
Charles calmly took her hand and led her back to the bedroom, ignoring her squeal of giggles. “I told you,” he said as he gently pushed her down onto the bed, “I wanted to wake up with you,” he continued as he crawled in beside her. “Now I’m just going to have to educate you as to why.”
Before she could do more than draw breath to protest, he had his mouth firmly over hers and her body in his arms. Jane forgot what she was going to say and gleefully enjoyed her education instead.
***
At breakfast that morning, Elizabeth was careful to sit next to Charlotte. She felt protective of her best friend, but at the same time, didn’t know what more she could do. Alex took the seat on the opposite side of Charlotte, and Elizabeth observed with approval that he seemed to have the same idea.
“Morning,” Darcy said easily as he sat down at their table.
The corners of Elizabeth’s mouth couldn’t help but curl up at the sight of him as she remembered their swim the night before. She arrived at the pool just as Darcy was undressing. Elizabeth watched him silently, observing once again that Fitzwilliam Darcy was one hell of a gorgeous man. She was able to rationalize her frank ogling by figuring that he was safe. She knew she had no chance with him, so she might as well enjoy the show.
When he caught her looking at him, Elizabeth merely lifted an eyebrow in approval. Darcy seemed taken aback to see her, but that soon changed as they both realized she was still wearing her clothes. He raised an eyebrow, signaling that it was her turn to get undressed.
Elizabeth took off her T-shirt, revealing the vivid red racer suit she wore underneath, neither rushing nor taking her time. She told herself she was merely going for a swim, as she had hundreds of times before. Darcy was nothing more than a pool buddy.
She was surprised by the splash she heard as she removed her sweatpants. Apparently Darcy wasn’t as interested in watching her show as she was in his. A bit disappointed, she walked to the edge, dove in, and began her laps.
***
Darcy was shocked when he saw Elizabeth standing there, her eyes examining his body intently. He had not heard her come in and thought he was alone. He was more than a little surprised by the look of appreciation on her face.
Although Darcy was used to women viewing him as a sex object, it was something he never had been really comfortable with. His way of dealing with it was by deliberately not thinking about it too much. However, this was completely different. If Elizabeth wanted to stare at his body, he had no problem with it.
He grinned inwardly as he realized that his generosi
ty was about to be repaid measure for measure as Elizabeth started pulling off her T-shirt. His eyes burned and he knew he would be replaying this scene over and over in his mind later that night. He watched as she twisted her long, thick hair with her hand and clipped it to the top of her head. He found himself swallowing hard as she bent down to remove her shoes, his eyes caressing every curve of her body.
As she sat down to remove her pants, Darcy discovered he had a problem. He had enjoyed Elizabeth’s show too much, and the swim trunks he was wearing did nothing to hide that fact. He quickly walked to the pool, realizing that cold water and exertion were his only salvation.
***
“Good morning,” Elizabeth replied warmly. See? This wasn’t too hard. I can be friendly with Darcy.
His eyes actually smiled slightly at her before he began eating. Elizabeth was snapped out of watching him when she became aware of the change in Charlotte’s posture.
As Elizabeth looked to her, she heard Richard’s voice ask, “Alex, could you move down one?”
Elizabeth looked from Charlotte to Alex and back. Charlotte gave her brother a silent sign and he moved, making room for Richard but looking unhappy about it.
Richard sat and poured himself a cup of coffee from the carafe on the table. “How is everyone this morning?” he asked pleasantly before taking a long sip. When he lifted his head, his eyes sought out Charlotte’s.
“Just fine,” Charlotte answered lightly.
“Good,” Richard nodded, “good.” He acted casual, but it was clear to Elizabeth that he was aware of the hostile glances he was receiving.
“So, were they real?” Charlotte asked quietly.
Richard gasped and choked on his coffee, which left him sputtering for a good thirty seconds.
Charlotte allowed herself one small smile at his expense. When Richard finally regained control, he looked back up at her. “Hum?” she prompted.
“Yes, they were, as a matter of fact,” he answered glibly. “She had a tattoo, as well,” he told her, placing his hand over his right breast to indicate the location. “But it wasn’t as nicely done as yours,” he shrugged.
Charlotte replied with an indifferent sound. “So,” Richard continued, “has the honeymoon couple come down yet?”
Charlotte kicked him hard in the shin under the table, her eyes indicating Darcy. Richard mouthed “ow!” at her.
“You don’t have to pretend I don’t know,” Darcy told them softly, his manner commanding even in this casual setting.
Elizabeth shared a look with Charlotte. “You don’t have a problem with it?” Elizabeth asked, her light tone of voice softening the directness of her question.
“I didn’t say that,” he replied easily, taking a sip of his tea, “but I’m pragmatic. I know I have about as much of a chance of stopping Charles and Jane from being together as I do of stopping a tour bus with my bare hands.”
“You didn’t seem too pleased last night,” Elizabeth observed.
“That was because I don’t want this becoming public,” he told her, looking over at Jane and Charles as they entered the dining room. “I don’t think any of us want to see them on the cover of People, right?”
Elizabeth had to concede he was correct in that. She nodded in agreement, pleasantly surprised at how well they were getting along.
The meal progressed smoothly. Elizabeth was confused to see Charlotte behaving in her usual fashion toward Richard. They were gossiping and joking as if last night had never happened. Elizabeth didn’t understand their relationship, and she worried for her friend. But it was clear that Charlotte wanted to continue the status quo, at least in public.
***
The following Tuesday brought the last night of a long string of performances. They had been traveling and playing for nine consecutive nights, and everyone was looking forward to a break. They were relieved to know they would then have two nights to crash before starting up again. Elizabeth was simply looking forward to getting to sleep in a hotel again. It was funny, she mused, how something as simple as a private room and a real bed could come to mean so much to her, but right now, it was the height of luxury and exactly what she desired.
She mused on these thoughts as she watched Charles and the dancer for the tour practice. The exotic-looking girl wound herself around Charles in a fashion displaying her extreme flexibility. Jane had never been jealous of the girl, as it was clear that Charles had no interest in her. During their weekly hair touch-up session, Sarah had informed them that Richard had bedded Lizbeth for a week or so during the first leg of the tour, which surprised no one.
“She was too obsessed with her own body,” Charlotte had explained cryptically, when asked by Elizabeth why it hadn’t lasted.
Elizabeth had been somewhat surprised to learn the name of the beautiful woman. She felt as exotic as white bread compared to the dancer in the skintight leather catsuit with whom she shared a name.
“So, tell me something,” Elizabeth asked Richard and Darcy, who were standing beside her offstage clearly enjoying the show even if they had no deeper interest in the girl.
Darcy turned his attention to her immediately. Elizabeth indicated the music playing and asked, “Did Charles write that?”
Darcy and Richard looked at each other and broke out in huge grins, which showed their family resemblance. The song blaring on the playback was “Bound,” a well-written, if somewhat shocking, song about sexual domination. The memorable chorus ran:
I wanna feel you smack my ass.
Elizabeth waited expectantly to be let in on the joke.
“No, actually,” Darcy finally replied. “Richard wrote the lyrics, I helped with the melody.”
Richard put his hand on his chest and bowed.
“Somehow I’m not surprised,” Elizabeth said mockingly. “Do I dare ask why?” she grinned.
At this Richard and Darcy broke out laughing.
“What?” Elizabeth insisted.
Darcy pulled himself together. “We’ll tell you, but it’s a secret, okay?” He motioned her closer and placing a hand on her shoulder, said in a low tone, “The truth is we wrote it as a joke.”
Elizabeth looked at him, confused.
“We wanted to see if we could get Charles to say ‘Smack my ass’ a half-dozen times a night,” Richard chortled.
Elizabeth looked in disbelief. “I can’t believe you did that,” she deadpanned.
“Well, it’s not all bad. After all, he gets Lizbeth writhing around him each night,” Richard said, somewhat defensively.
“Yeah, except you were the one who did her,” Darcy replied, chuckling.
Elizabeth was amazed. She had rarely seen Darcy so open and, well, playful. And she didn’t believe for a moment that the only reason Richard wrote that song was to pick on poor Charles. Still she had to admit the image was very amusing.
“Oh, come on!” Elizabeth said with mock scorn. “This is Slurry after all, I thought all three of you would do her together.”
Darcy made an “eww” face that Richard noticed and laughed at.
“You should know by now, Elizabeth, not to believe all the rumors,” Darcy said, his tone still light, but she could see his eyes had turned serious.
Elizabeth nodded in agreement, realizing he was correct. But somehow his answer only raised more questions in her mind. She wondered where those rumors had come from. And where was the wild bad-boy party band everyone claimed they were? So far, with the exception of Richard’s flavors, these guys had been the soul of respectability and professionalism.
***
Charlotte rolled her shoulders back, talking a long drag on her cigarette. She knew that Lizzy hated her smoking in their suite, but at this point she didn’t care. She stretched out on the couch, her head and fingers moving to their usual never-ending beat.
She heard a knock on the door and rolled her eyes, figuring Elizabeth had returned from her swim and had forgotten her room card again. Honestly, hasn’t the woman ever heard
of pockets?
She walked to the door, her feet continuing the rhythm that was playing on in her head. She opened the door and was turning away when she froze. The person at the door wasn’t Elizabeth but Richard. Her mouth fell open for a moment as the rhythm died, and then she shut it with a snap. “What are you doing here?” she asked coolly when she regained her composure.
Richard shrugged and answered, “Muhammad, mountain, you know.” He waited a moment in her silence, and then asked, “Can I come in? I’d like to talk to you.”
Charlotte stepped back mechanically and pointed to the couch. Richard casually strolled over and sat down and waited for her to join him. He didn’t say anything when she sat down on the chair nearby, but his eyes registered that she had not sat beside him. He gazed at her as she lit another cigarette and looked at him expectantly.
Richard took a breath, believing it would be best to be direct as possible. “I was hoping I could spend the night with you,” he said with deliberate simplicity.
Charlotte felt a flash of anger with his words that ripped her control away from her. “What’s the problem? Couldn’t land a flavor?” she asked scornfully.
Her words hit him like a blow, but he didn’t flinch. “I don’t want a flavor, Charlotte. I want you,” he told her sincerely. “I want to be with someone I know, someone who likes me, who isn’t just sleeping with me to say that she scored a rock star. I want you, Charlotte,” he repeated, his eyes beseeching hers.
Charlotte was stunned as she realized what he was asking of her. She was deeply touched but wasn’t sure if she was able to accept him and what came with it. She looked away, thinking. “I don’t know. This is kinda surprising.”
“Char?” he asked softly, his eyes troubled.
Charlotte frowned as she tried to make sense of her feelings. “I just don’t know if it would be smart. I don’t know what to think, or what I am to you.” She fixed him with a look, and with a voice deep with earnestness said, “I would hate to think I was just a convenient lay.”
Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star Page 17
