Eyes closed, she wallowed in the desire washing through her, her breathing shallow and rapid. Soft noises sounded at the back of her throat, hitching whimpers of pleasure. Each seemed to excite Samuel more and more. His caresses on her naked body turned wild, pummeling her towards the orgasm his lips and hands had begun to build inside her.
She arched on the bed and let out a moan as he covered her body with his again. He nudged her folds with his cock, parting them. Dipping inside her.
Opening her eyes, she gazed up into his face.
“I love you, Lily,” he whispered, strained need in his voice.
And then he rolled his hips forward with a fluid thrust and penetrated her completely.
She took him all, his possession of her body everything she wanted.
They moved together, their rhythm perfect. When he slid his arm beneath her back, between her and the bed, she knew what he was going to do.
They rolled together, the shift in position driving his length deeper inside her as she straddled his hips. She squeezed his body with her knees, flattening her palms to his chest and contracting her inner muscles around his cock.
“Fuck, babe,” he groaned, digging his fingers into her hips. “Do that again.”
She did, tighter this time, pinching his nipples at the same time.
“Oh yeah, that’s good.” He closed his eyes and thrust upwards, pulling her down into the action as he did so.
She moaned, his girth and size so deep in her heat that fresh waves of concentrated pleasure ignited within her core.
“Ride me, Lily.” He gripped her hips with more force. “Fuck me, fuck—”
She squeezed his cock again with her sex, reveling in the unabashed way he responded to the intimate grip.
“Yeah, yeah,” he panted, smoothing one hand up her ribcage to cup her breast. “So tight, so hot.”
She rolled her hips, grinding herself harder to his penetrations. He pinched her nipple, pulled it, dragged his thumb over it. She purred her approval, lowering her upper body closer to his.
He reacted the way she hoped, hooking an arm around her back and tugging her closer, capturing her nipple with his mouth.
She hissed as wicked waves of pleasure crashed over her at the sucking pressure on her flesh, at the shift of his thrusting cock within her, at the urgency in his increasing speed.
He was close to coming. She could feel it in his body. Just as she could feel her own orgasm building in her centre, a tingling pressure at the base of her spine, in the very pit of her belly.
“Sam,” she moaned. “I’m going to come. I’m going to—”
He flipped her onto her back, hooked her knee over his elbow and drove into her. Deep. Hard. Fast.
“Love…” he panted, his rhythm growing erratic, “…love you, Lily…love…”
The declaration tore from him in a ragged breath, his lips rasping against the side of her neck. His length stretched her, filled her with mounting tension. Intense sensations.
White-hot pleasure.
He slammed into her, over and over, wilder and wilder, faster and faster, and roared out her name at the very second Lily came. The very second absolute pleasure detonated within her body, her soul.
She felt his seed pump from his cock, felt it fill the condom he wore and damned her rationality for believing he needed to wear one. Clawing at his shoulders, his back, she called his name. Moaned. Gasped. Laughed.
She died in the rapture he wrought on her body and lived in the pleasure he created in her heart. She gave herself completely to the climax overwhelming her, even as she surrendered to his mastery of her need and desire. And she knew without doubt, even before their climaxes peaked together, she would never be satisfied with another man again.
She knew she was irretrievably lost to him forever. Knew nothing would ever be the same again.
Ever.
Chapter Ten
Lily walked into the rehearsal area Jax had arranged for Eugene’s audition. She looked around the large, vacuous space, her heart beating fast and hard.
It was dimly lit, but not so dark she couldn’t make out the instruments set up in the middle of the floor or the people moving around them. Three incredibly famous and successful rock musicians who normally let roadies set up their gear.
The rest of the band had arrived at various stages over the last twelve hours. Samuel had received texts from both Jax and Noah, telling him they were in San Francisco and would see him at the audition.
Today, this very hour, was that audition. Eugene was going to perform with the band.
Samuel had insisted Lily come along. She’d wanted to stay away, just in case Eugene didn’t want her here. He didn’t know she’d spent the last twenty-four hours making love to Samuel. She wasn’t sure how her twin would feel about that situation, to be honest. She wasn’t going to tell him yet either. She didn’t want to throw him off.
This was his one chance at what he’d always ached for. If he impressed the band today, he was one step closer to becoming their new lead singer.
Lily looked over to where Samuel stood talking with the guy sitting at the drum kit.
Her heart thumped faster.
She still couldn’t quite bring herself to believe she’d spent the night with him. When she woke that morning, wrapped in the firm warmth of his body, she’d needed to tell herself she wasn’t dreaming. It had nothing to do with the luxury of the bed or the sheets or the surroundings and everything to do with the wonderful scent of Samuel threading through her breath. Everything to do with the way he was snoring softly behind her, his warm breath tickling the back of her neck, his chest pressed to her back, his erection nestled at the crevice of her ass. Everything to do with the way he held her even in sleep.
As if she was precious.
She’d lain in his arms for a long moment, absorbing it all. It was then she’d realized she’d fallen in love with him.
Completely and irrevocably.
She didn’t tell him when he woke up.
She couldn’t. It was too new, too confusing.
So instead, she’d let him order room service, eaten croissants while he drank black coffee and then lost herself to the pleasure of his touch—again—in the shower.
Now here they were, waiting for Eugene to arrive. Samuel had told her what was going to happen on the drive over.
Eugene would audition with the band without an audience. If there was chemistry between them all, Pepper would organize an appearance at a local bar without revealing who the band actually was. Eugene would perform as the lead singer with the band in front of a crowd and then Samuel, Noah, Levi, Jax and Pepper would go away and discuss his fate.
Lily could only imagine the pressure her brother would experience during that performance. And in the long moments after while the band came to their decision.
How would he handle it? Especially given he’d only been released from rehab today?
“Everything okay?”
She blinked, realizing Samuel now stood in front of her, wearing his guitar.
“I’m nervous for him,” she whispered, trying not to fidget on the low sofa—the only piece of furniture in the hired rehearsal space.
Samuel smiled at her, reaching up to adjust the knobby things at the end of the guitar. Damn, she really should start learning the names of these things, if she was going to be spending the rest of her—
“Don’t be. He’s got talent coming out his arse.”
She swallowed. She’d never heard Eugene’s singing talent described in such a way, but it was fitting. And it helped squelch the insane notion trying to make itself known in her mind. A future spent with Samuel? It was ludicrous to even consider after only a week.
And yet, Lily was considering it. She couldn’t stop considering it. Not after waking up to the absolute perfection of Samuel sleeping beside her. Not after the way he’d smiled at her when he introduced her to Noah and Pepper.
As if she was precious.
; To him.
Pulling in a slow breath, she frowned up at him now. “What if Gene doesn’t gel with you all? What happens to…” She faltered, unsure how to voice the concern itching at her.
Samuel studied her, plucking at a string with his thumb as he did so. “To us?”
She chewed her bottom lip.
With a slow smile, he bent at the waist and drew his face close to hers. “You and me have nothing to do with you and Eugene, babe. Or me and Eugene. Or Eugene and the band. Remember, the guys and I have been doing this a long time. It is possible to separate our personal lives from our band lives, even if the entertainment media would like to paint it differently. Hell, the Samuel Gibson the world knows is a git, right? But you know me, the real me. Am I a git?”
A soft chortle bubbled past Lily’s lips. She shook her head. And then, to tease him, shrugged and wobbled her right hand.
“Oh, it’s that way, is it?” He scowled with mock indignation. “No multiple orgasms for you later then.”
Red heat flooded Lily’s face.
Samuel laughed and brushed a quick kiss on her lips. “Oh, who am I kidding? Okay, maybe two or three multiple orgasms for you later.”
“You know we can hear you, right?”
Lily started at the humored female voice sounding from the drum kit.
Samuel straightened and tossed Pepper Kerrigan a smirk. “Jealous, Peps?”
The woman barked out a dry laugh. “No. But I’ll get mean if you don’t get back over here and run a sound check. For some strange reason, Jax only booked the space for an hour and we are running out of time.”
“This is why we depend on you with our very lives,” Jax threw back at Pepper from where he stood at his keyboard. “Imagine how fucked up we’d all be if I was in charge?”
“God help us all,” Levi murmured, swishing the cable plugged into his bass out of the way as he walked to the closest amp. “It would be the Apocalypse.”
Jax grinned.
“Where is this singer of yours, Samuel?” Noah asked, wriggling on his seat. Lily couldn’t help but notice the man didn’t stay still for long. The only time he’d appeared calm was when he’d first arrived, his fingers threaded through Pepper’s. “Shouldn’t he be—”
“I’m here, I’m here,” the bellow reverberated through the rehearsal space, loud and desperate, followed by the bang of the entrance door swinging shut.
Lily rose to her feet, her pulse stabbing at her neck with a rapid beat as she watched her twin damn near sprint across the floor towards the band.
“I’m sorry,” he said, tossing her a quick sideways wink. “Apparently they’re shooting a scene from a movie at Mission Bay and just about every street in the area is blocked.”
“Hey, that’s the Dead Even sequel,” Jax piped up. “We should rock on over after we finish here and see if Chris Huntley’s about. Levi, you’ve met him, right? Reckon you’d swing an invite for—”
“No time for movie stars.” Pepper’s voice was firm. Lily could hardly believe it was the same coy woman who’d shaken her hand only a few minutes ago. “Eugene, I’m Pepper Kerrigan, the band’s manager. I’m sure you know whose shoes you’re hoping to fill today. Think you can do it?”
Eugene hurried across to her, snared her hand in his and shook it with gusto. “I do. And I do.” He released her hand and dragged his fingers through his hair, turning on the spot a few times.
Lily understood exactly what he was doing. He was taking it in. He was about to sing with the band that had inspired him to start Zombie Grill. He must be…
High?
The dark thought shot through her head before she could stop it. Guilt slapped at her. She lowered her gaze to her feet, despising the little faith she had in her brother.
“He’ll be incredible.”
Lily raised her head at Samuel’s low voice at her ear.
“How can he not? All he wants to do is impress.”
She let out a wry chuckle. “You guys are his idols.”
Samuel shook his head. “Not us, babe. He told me yesterday. All he wants to do is impress you. Make you proud of him. Singing with us is just the icing on the cake.”
A lump filled Lily’s throat, hot and heavy and thick.
Samuel smiled and then leaned forward and brushed his lips over hers.
“Holy shit,” Eugene’s stunned exclamation rose above the sound of musical instruments warming up. “Did Samuel Gibson just kiss my—”
“All righty then,” Samuel yelled, straightening from Lily and striding over to where everyone else stood. “Let’s fucking do this.”
Eugene gaped at him. At Lily. And back to Samuel again.
He opened his mouth, swung his stare to Lily once more and then started when Pepper thrust a mic into his hand.
“Let’s start with an easy one, shall we?” Samuel spun back to face Lily, looking the very definition of a rock star. “Eugene, let’s see what you can do with ‘Wretched’.”
And with Noah’s wild thrashing on the drums, the song began.
It didn’t take long for Lily to know Eugene and the band gelled. By the time the first song—a hard rock, frenzied piece of music—finished, Eugene wasn’t just incredible. He was mesmerizing.
Lily sat on the sofa, Pepper beside her, stunned at the sheer power of her brother’s performance. When Samuel threw them all into a slower song that pushed Eugene’s voice to a range Lily had never heard him achieve, she knew he truly was on the very threshold of superstardom.
She sat motionless, her twin’s talent matched only by the band. The music was raw and potent. Eugene poured his heart into each number. She couldn’t have been more proud. Gone was the greasy-haired, sallow-skinned singer reeking of desperation and indulgence. Eugene commanded the eye with a charged energy so vibrant it was almost painful to watch.
And even as she lost herself to Eugene’s performance, Lily’s gaze kept moving to Samuel. And every time it did, he smiled at her. He told her with his eyes what he wanted to do to her.
What he felt for her.
An invisible band of pressure wrapped her chest. Her breath grew tight. Shallow.
Her head spun.
This was it. It wasn’t just Eugene on the threshold, it was her as well. She couldn’t hold off any more, nor try to argue against it. She was in love with Samuel Gibson, who was about to launch her brother into the rock scene stratosphere.
She had no clue what lay ahead. It terrified her.
Five songs later, after Eugene moved Lily to tears with the heart he poured into each song, Pepper called the audition to an end.
No one said a word. Everyone stood still, staring at Eugene. Sweat dripped from the tip of his nose, and his hair hung around his face in damp strands. His T-shirt, an old Captain America shirt Lily knew he considered lucky, clung to his body. His chest heaved. He sucked in a deep breath, casting a nervous glance at Samuel. “So? Can I ask how I went?”
Lily saw Samuel’s Adam’s apple rise and fall in his throat.
Eugene spun to look at Levi, then Jax, Noah and Samuel again. “Was it that bad?”
Movement in the corner of her eye made Lily gasp. She’d forgotten all about Pepper sitting beside her.
“Lily, Eugene,” the woman said, offering Lily a small smile before giving one to Eugene. Once again, Lily found herself amazed at the confident efficiency in Pepper’s voice. “If you will give us all a moment, please?”
Lily swallowed.
She shot Eugene a quick glance, her belly knotting at his troubled frown.
Without another word, Pepper walked across the floor to where the band stood, her heels echoing through the room. She said something to Eugene that Lily couldn’t hear from the sofa and then watched him as he moved to where Lily sat.
The lump in Lily’s throat grew tight.
She gazed up at her brother, bouncing a little on the cushion as he flopped onto the seat beside her. “How’d I do?” he asked her, worry creasing his forehead. “Was I tha
t bad? I thought I did okay. Didn’t I do—”
She wrapped her arms around him, sweat and all, and pulled him into a fierce hug. “You were incredible,” she said against his damp hair.
He stiffened in her hug and then pulled away from her. “Say that again?”
She smiled, the shock on his face making her chuckle. “Gene, you were incredible. If they don’t ask you to become their new front man—is that the right term?—they have no fucking clue what talent is.”
Eugene’s eyebrows shot up his forehead. “Whoa, did you just tell me…did you just…give me your blessing to…” He trailed off, staring at her.
She nodded. “I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing that was. Nor how proud I am of—”
He buried her in a bear hug before she could finish. “Fuck, sis,” he burst out, his voice muffled against the curve of her neck. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to hear you say that. I’ll do it right this time, I promise. I’ll stay clean, I won’t fuck up. I’ll make you more than—” He stopped, jerking away from her to hold her at arm’s length, his gaze locked on her face. “Hey, did I see Samuel Gibson kiss—”
“Eugene?” Samuel’s raised voice cut across her brother’s incredulous question. “Can you come here please?”
Eugene sucked in a sharp breath. His jaw bunched. “Fuck,” he muttered. “Here we go.”
“Hey.” Lily reached out and cupped his face in her hands, her heart a hammering tattoo in her chest. “No matter what they say, I want you to know something.”
Eugene frowned. “What?”
She smiled. “I believe in you. I have faith in you.”
He stared at her again, long enough for Lily to wonder if he’d heard her, and then he enveloped her in another hug, this one tighter than the first. “Love you, Ly.”
“Love you too, Gene.”
A heartbeat later, he leapt to his feet and hurried over to where the band and Pepper Kerrigan waited.
Lead Me On Page 13
