by Pamela Ann
“You don’t like me at all, sí?” he murmured as his eyes dropped to my parted lips.
My lips ran dry, and as much as I wanted to look away, the Spanish held me hostage. He dominated everything.
“You hate me all day, but when we kiss, the hate disappears.” His tenor dropped. He was in full-on seduction mode as he leaned closer to me, steadily holding my gaze as my breathing hitched to new heights.
“Newsflash: it’s called acting,” I weakly reasoned, though it was blatantly obvious his nearness affected me.
Darting my tongue out to wet my dry lips, his envious eyes took in the simple gesture, luring him more, enticing his already amplified libido.
I began to pant. My chest heaved, and I felt hot all over. My body tightened, tingling just as I felt a small spurt of juices seeping between my folds, evidence of my shameless arousal.
“Prove me wrong then, cariña.” His carnal eyes lingered on the valley of my cleavage before gazing towards my neck, where my pulse was located, revealing just how much he affected me. “Make me stop wanting you. Stop making me think there’s something more. Do you know how many times I’ve been tempted to push further when you’re underneath me? It’s all I think about. I need you like a man needs air to breathe. Prove me wrong, so we can both stop this. Help me stop this.”
“How?”
“A kiss without you acting, without the camera rolling, without an audience. Prove to me that the passion I felt in your kiss was for the camera and not for me,” he stated as he inched closer. His thumb grazed the bottom of my lip, while the other brushed the side of my neck, where he lavished at my accelerated pulse.
My gaze flickered towards his full manly lips, wondering if I could successfully accomplish such a request. There was one way to find out …
“One kiss?” I wanted reassurance.
“One kiss.”
“Okay.” I barely got the word out before his lips met mine.
There was no gentleness to it. It was harsh and unforgiving, and my lips opened to welcome his brash invasion. Our tongues mingled, battling, as he deepened the kiss with his hand securely capturing the back of my neck, confining me with his torment. I felt the side of my head recline against the headrest, feeling out of my depth, out of control as lust began to unfurl, possessing my body.
Drowning in his fevered passion, Juan stroked the inside of my thighs. It inched farther, parting my legs as he greedily accessed my womanhood. He cupped my pussy before he groaned with approval. He then began to rub it over my lace thong with two fingers, dipping his digits between my lips as he sought for the hot nub where he ferociously applied pressure.
The heady ministration made me moan against his lips and parted my legs farther as wetness began to soak his hand.
Juan broke the kiss, hot wet lips travelling across my neck, nipping, sucking at whatever expanse of skin it found until it reached the valley of my breast. While his hand relentlessly rubbed my pussy, the other roughly shoved the other side of V of my dress, pushing my breast out in the open.
A sob caught my throat when I felt his teeth capture my nipple and began to lightly tug. He then used the tip of his tongue to soothe it before resuming the tugging, driving me mad with hunger. Between my legs, the throb in my sex mounted until I began to gyrate in his hand to soothe it.
When his middle finger pushed the seam of the thong aside, my upper body lifted farther into his lips. Then, in one hasty breath, I felt his finger ruthlessly thrusting into my pussy, making me cry out his name.
“Ride me, cariña. I need to be inside you.”
The fog that had muddled my brain began to lift as his words sunk deeper, registering in my brain. I froze. All the haze-filled lust evaporated as my conscience knocked me out of breath.
“Stop—please stop!”
Juan paused before his mouth detached itself from my breast. Then he sought my eyes, his incessant finger still tightly lodged deep in my hot channel.
“I’m sorry, but this isn’t what I want. We’re both drunk and a little high.” My voice trembled as I felt that rogue finger flickering against my g-spot mercilessly. “Pull it out, please …”
River’s face flashed before me, and I knew my life was over. There was no way I could hide this. The man knew me too well. When I saw him tomorrow, how much would my body reveal my betrayal?
“You want me,” he gruffly stated, unapologetic as his finger began to cause riot to my senses, targeting that one wretched spot. “Don’t deny us, cariña. I don’t care about him. You can have me, too. You can have us both.”
“No … just no. And for the love of God, stop fingering me!” I screamed with my all, wanting nothing but for this nightmare to end. Yes, it was a nightmare of my own making, but hell, temptation caught me defenseless. This was a mistake and the consequence for such fault would be undoubtedly high. River might never forgive me.
Juan made a deafening groan before he grudgingly pulled his finger out of my wet folds. “Lo siento.” I’m sorry.
“It’s hard. I get it, but this—you and me—it’s never going to happen.” This would be the only time I’d address it. Whether he’d be too drunk to remember it tomorrow, well, that’d be unfortunate.
“Amor loco, yo por tú y tú por otro.”
I stared at him, wondering what gibberish he was spewing this time. I was still beside myself and what I almost allowed him to do to my body. This was a new low for me. What had caused me to let my guard down? I was beyond ashamed to even look him straight in the eye.
“Can we just forget tonight and pretend none of this happened?” A far-fetched idea, but I was reaching for the stars here. We committed ourselves to a project, and I didn’t want it jeopardized.
Juan snickered and looked away. When he brought those big, disappointed eyes my way again, I felt a twinge of something.
“Ah, cariña … if I could only have you for one night, I’ll die a happy man.” He laughed before resting his head against the cushion and released a ragged breath, as if trying to calm himself before he blew up. The calm before the storm.
“In your dreams.” Fucker. “I hope your hangover’s gonna be a bitch tomorrow.” This had to stop. I understood that his cock strained his pants and how worked up he was to get me aroused, but that was the farthest it could go. There would be no repetition of this.
“I can’t wait for the day when I can take out those sharp claws, cariña.”
Ugh, he was beyond hopeless.
“Oh, shut up already.”
As much as I would’ve enjoyed stomping his hopes at every corner, I had a flight at seven, and I intended to be at the airport in two hours’ time.
“I have an early flight to catch in the morning. I have to pack and get things ready.”
“Suena conmigo, cariña.”
Cariña, my ass. Not tonight, Satan. Not fucking tonight!
Chapter Sixteen
“Just in time,” I blew out a sigh of relief as my flight to Stockholm began boarding. When I stated that I intended to be here early, yeah, that didn’t happen. The alarm on my phone decided to take a day off and didn’t function the way Apple gods intended. Therefore, I woke up at thirty past five, scrambling to get out of bed and dashing out of the apartment.
Since Juan was out cold, I didn’t see the need to inconvenience him in waking him up. Besides, seeing him would be too soon after last night’s fiasco.
The line was long, and there were children running circles around their parents while they desperately tried to shush them. The plane was full, and I was glad I was in first-class. I didn’t mind the noise, but with my mind in meltdown mode, I could use the extra calm environment. It took quite a bit of time until I finally reached my designated seat. Once I did, I pulled my phone out of my purse and hastily texted River that I should be seeing him soon. Then I slipped the phone back to its place and let out a deep heavy sigh. I’d only had an hour of sleep and exhaustion began to creep into me. The moment my head hit the cushion, I went o
ut like a light.
Three and a half hours later, we were cleared for landing. Forty minutes later, I strode out of the luggage area where a man came over to me, nodding with a quiet smile.
“Miss Quinn? Mr. Ellis is in the car waiting for you.”
“Thank you,” I murmured as he took hold of my things, leading me towards an awaiting tinted Maybach. My heart thumped wildly as I rounded the car, nervous and excited to see him.
River sat at the other end of the car, and before I had the chance to properly slide into my seat, the overeager man hooked a hand around my hips, tugging me next to him and thoroughly kissing me.
“Welcome home, petal,” he whispered before kissing me once more, crushing every thought I had. All I could revel in was his touch, his lips, and his glorious scent that never failed to bring me back to him. He was my home. My refuge. My anchor.
It was his signature delicious kiss, as if peeling every layer of my soul, until I was bare, defenseless, and vulnerable. Guilt and shame filled me. And after last night’s regret, I knew I had a lot to answer for.
“God, it feels like I haven’t seen you in forever,” he murmured against my lips, laughing. “You have no idea how happy I am right now.”
Each word stabbed into my heart. My betrayal amplified with each loving word spoken out of those lips.
The tip of our nose touched. My hand cradled his cheek, and with my eyes shut closed, I reveled in the closeness of him while my heart ached deeply in my chest. “I love you so much; I hope you know that.” There was a quake in my voice. Nervousness quietly laced my tone.
River was too ecstatic with our reunion to pick up on it. “I’m here for a little over two weeks. We’re going to have a lot of time together. And after you’re done filming, I’m sure you can find time to be my personal groupie back home,” he mused, caressing the sides of my arms, lavishing at the feel of having me in his arms again. “You’ve gotten darker. I love the tan. Your eyes are like caramel instead of dark chocolate.”
With little courage, I peeled my eyes open. And right then and there, I felt my heart break a little. It was subtle, like a little quake of warning before the tectonic plates shift again and combust from powerful pressure, wreaking havoc and causing destruction on its path.
“Please …” My solemn eyes sought his happy ones, seeking comfort, a reassurance that we were a solid team. “Don’t stop kissing me.”
Something passed in his eyes, but I didn’t catch it because he dipped his head and did as I asked. His sinful lips, so divine, so passionate, incapacitated my train of thought. In no time, strong arms hoisted my body so I could securely straddle his muscled body. His well-honed legs were strong and ripped as hell. He had amped up his workout routine, that much was obvious. It emphasized his already toned body from the rigorous training he had playing a Viking. Even if he were a musician now, people would always remember him as their Viking.
Our kiss deepened, and his hands locked on my hips, grinding my sex against the strain in his pants. The rocking became so intense that I could almost swear I orgasmed in my jeans. But I had little care. River and I needed this—to reconnect the best way we knew how.
When our bodies spoke for us, we had difficulty controlling what was uncontrollable. I dying to feel him inside me, conquer me, but the man wasn’t ready to escalate things further.
I waited with bated breath until he could consume me the way he usually did—unapologetically demanding as he annihilated my body. He wouldn’t be gentle, either; I could tell by his hardness. He’d take and take until he had sated his hunger.
The limo had a partition, but the intense rocking motion we created didn’t shield the driver from guessing what was taking place in the backseat. It was naughty. I had this desperate spasm in my chest, and the only way to alleviate the ache was to feel River in any way I could, the only way I knew.
The vehicle halted, parking steps away from a private elevator in the hotel’s underground garage. In the background, I could hear the driver getting out of the vehicle before I heard a firm, loud tap on the door. It was his discreet way of telling his boss that it was time to wrap it up.
“We’re here.” River broke the kiss, breathing heavily against my neck as he gripped my hips. “I love what I do, but fuck, right now, all I want is to be with you.”
Still drunk from his kisses, I peeked at him through my lashes before I bit down on my lip, a gesture that usually enticed him to go bonkers on my pussy. “Can’t you spare a quickie?”
He let out a strangled sigh. “There’s a journalist upstairs waiting for me. A thirty-minute lunch, then a video call to one of their high traffic TV stations. After that … I have to go to the venue and do a sound check. By the time that’s done, I’d need two hours to prepare myself for tonight. I usually do a lot of breathing exercises, vibe, and do a lot of getting in the zone type of stuff.”
How was I going to fit in his packed schedule?
“When can we have some time alone?” A frown found its way on my face. I didn’t want to sound like a clingy, needy girlfriend, but fuck, I felt as if I had to make an appointment to be with him.
River immediately picked up on my thoughts. Taking hold with my hands, he bounded them together before bringing it to his lips, kissing my one knuckle at a time. “Baby, I’m sorry, but I’ll be all yours tonight, promise.”
I nodded, feeling beyond helpless. “All right. I’m just happy to see you.”
Large hands cupped and kneaded my ass. His lips parted as he grounded his hardened member against my heat and made the sexiest groan against my ear. “You should’ve came last night. You’d probably still be in bed, too exhausted to move. I’d have fucked you out of your mind. The only thing you’d know is how good my cock is to you, how good it punishes you…”
At the very mention of last night, fear unfurled in my gut once more. It spread far and wide, threatening to take over what little grasp I had of control.
“Tonight,” I found myself saying, “we’ll make up for lost time.” It took every ounce of me to muster a smile while my mind recoiled at the thought of what lied ahead.
“You better be ready, babe. It’s been forever.” He kissed the tip of my nose before sighing with finality. “While I work, I’ve arranged a full-service spa for you in our suite.”
This beautiful, gorgeous man worshipped the ground I walked on … and I was going to break that little heart of his again. How could I even fathom to eviscerate us in such a way? How did I become so reckless, so enslaved to my body’s demands, letting it rule over my mind?
They said timing was everything, and I intended to choose the right moment to confess my sin. It would be sometime later, when everything had settled and quieted down with no people around us. Only then I’d bear the wretchedness that was darkening my soul.
After exiting the car, we were led towards a private elevator that brought us straight to the presidential suite.
Nothing but the best for his top client, I wryly thought as my eyes took in the opulent surroundings. Ari was a top-tiered jackass, but he was dedicated to River. Yes, he was his top money making machine but he also made sure River was surrounded with the best of everything. The man had ten songs in the Top 100 charts all over the world. Ari surely knew who to wager his bets on. He knew, too, that River always delivered. The perfectionist in him made sure of that.
The two-floor suite was rather too much just for just the two of us …
“Hello, Cara. Your tan looks amazing.” Willa came out of nowhere, smiling brightly at me before diverting her attention to her phone. “The interview’s taking place one floor down in a different suite. You ready?”
Gee, just barely ten minutes in, and she just had to jump out of nowhere and ruin everything.
“Can I have five minutes with Cara at least?” River asked as he strode to the bar, pulled a bottle water out of the fridge, and drank the whole contents in one go.
Willa and I were both watching him intently, as if he was the
most magnificent thing we had seen all day, and he was.
River glanced at us before slanting his brow, patiently waiting for a reply. “Willa?”
“Hmm?” Willa blinked a few times, blushing before she pretended to frown into her phone. “Five minutes? Uh … well, it’d be rude to make him wait. You can’t break your ‘always on time’ rule; they like that about you.”
“All right.” He threw the bottle in the garbage before striding over towards me, hoisting me up and twirling me around. “You will have to wait, beautiful.”
His smile was infectious. I beamed down at him before tilting my head and kissed him with my all for a good two minutes.
River felt so good. How stupid was I to get so carried away by Juan’s charms? This was all I needed, and not much else.
“Try to be a good girl while I’m gone, yeah?” He sought my lips again and gave me a thorough picture of what was to take place tonight before he placed me down and kissed my forehead. “Room service will be here soon, then the ladies from the spa will arrive in an hour or so.”
“Got it. Now go or you’ll be late.”
Willa cleared her throat, irritated. “We have to go, River.”
I had forgotten about her. River and I normally didn’t display affection in front of people, most especially with Willa around.
River, crazy man that he was, grabbed my ass for the last time before leaving me alone in his suite with Willa trailing behind him.
I thoughtfully gazed at the shut door, comforted that River would never abandon me. We were young and bound to make countless mistakes. He and I did a lot of things to hurt each other, but at the end of the day, we always overcame it.
Before I had the chance to step into the bedroom and have a quick nap, there was a knock on the door. Room service. It was like clockwork. River had it all planned out how my afternoon was going to be spent. By the time the three ladies finished with me, it was time to get ready for River’s concert. I was told that it was a sold-out arena, and I best get there before it got mad crazy.
