I didn’t feel grateful. I felt like giving up.
There was a knock at the door.
Lethargy filled me to the point where I didn’t even bother to get up. I didn’t want to see anyone, and whoever it was would just go away.
They knocked again.
I growled and stared at the door.
A fist hit the door. “Chris, if you’re in there, open the damn door.”
“Leah?”
I jumped off the couch and ran to the door, pulling it open.
She stood there like she had so many times before. As if the world hadn’t changed.
“Are you going to invite me in, or just stare at me?”
“Some things are just worth staring at.”
She blushed, and the sight made me smile.
She’s always so damn cute when she blushes.
“Let me in, doofus.”
I held the door open for her and she walked by. The smell of her shampoo hit my nostrils, the familiar scent awakening feelings and memories of the times I had held her close.
“I thought you didn’t want to see me.”
And I feel like we’ve had this exact conversation before, in the same place.
“My dad came to see me.”
“So?”
She leaned against the kitchen counter. “He said you asked for a job with him.”
I felt defensive. “What’s wrong with that? I needed a job, he had an offer, so I took it.”
“What about DJing? What about your music?”
“It wasn’t exactly paying the bills, Leah. I can’t eat vocals and sleep under a baseline.” It would make everything simpler if I could.
“Did you look for gigs?”
I didn’t laugh because I knew she would take it the wrong way. “Of course I looked. I have no connections, Leah. Not without your friends helping me out. It’s not like clubs just advertise the opportunity to play for a thousand people so any bum off the street with a laptop can stroll in. The only things I could have done were birthday parties for little kids. Not exactly my scene.”
I tried to keep the accusation out of my voice. Tried. Didn’t succeed.
“Don’t take the job with my dad, Chris,” Leah said. “You know you’ll hate it, and it will just make you miserable being out there with nothing to do, no one to talk to, and no outlet for your music.”
“I don’t know if I even want to keep making music,” I said. “It seems pointless, doesn’t it?”
She pursed her lips and looked at me until I couldn’t take the look in her eyes anymore. I knew I was disappointing her, and I laid it on thick just so I could see if she still felt something toward me.
“That’s part of the reason I came here,” she said. “Terry on the organizing committee for that party sent me a message. Someone wants to meet you.”
“Someone? That’s helpful. I’d love to meet someone, too.”
“Don’t be an ass,” she said, but the corners of her lip were higher than they were a moment ago. “Does the name Trevor Eakins mean anything to you?”
It should. Eakins was a legend in the music business, a true prodigy that had his first number one hit by sixteen. Eight years later, he had his own label and had an uncanny habit of elevating those he signed to superstar status.
“Yeah, everyone knows him. Why?”
“Well, he was at the party that night and liked what he heard. He wants to meet with you and has been trying to set it up since then, but couldn’t find anything about you.”
“Trevor Eakins wants to meet with me?” I stared at her. It must be some kind of joke.
She nodded. “I have his assistant’s number for you. All you have to do is give her a ring and let her know who you are, and she’ll set it up.”
“Seriously?”
She laughed. “Now I know what I looked like a couple hours ago.”
I bristled at the laughter, but then relaxed and joined in. Once I thought about it, the look on my face must have been hilarious.
“I appreciate you coming by and telling me,” I told her. “I know you want nothing to do with me, and even though it kills me, you could have just given them my number and you wouldn’t have had to deal with me.”
That killed the laughter in the air.
Leah shifted. “That’s not the only reason I came. I’m sorry that I reacted the way I did the other night. I know you are doing everything you can, and it wasn’t your fault, any of the things that happened. I just want you to promise me that you won’t do anything stupid and go after Derek and his friends.”
“You’re right,” I said. “I was a dangerous person to be around. But it’s too late—I’ve already gone after Derek. I went to the warehouse and confronted him yesterday. Made him confess what he did, and I got to knock him out.”
“You what?”
“I wasn’t going to knock him out. But he ran at me. I got the entire conversation on tape, though, and gave it to the cops. He’s toast, Leah. Clark, too.”
“You didn’t kill him?”
“No. That isn’t me. Not anymore. Not since you changed me.”
Her eyes closed and she took a deep breath. I couldn’t know how much it had been hanging over her head that the men who had tried to rape her were still at large, but when she looked at me her eyes were bright.
“Thank you, Chris.”
She hugged me.
I pulled her tight, savoring the feeling I didn’t think I would ever have again. “They deserved it, for what they did. And a lot of other things besides that. Derek was a terrible person, and he had a way of making everyone around him worse. That included me for a long time, but you helped change that.”
She looked up at me, and I couldn’t resist. I kissed her.
It was soft, sweet. A desperate fire burned inside of me for her, but no hint of it made it into the kiss.
I brushed her cheek with my thumb. “I love you, Leah. I think I always have.”
Her eyes grew wide. “Chris, I…”
I shushed her. “You don’t have to say it back, especially not now. I just had to tell you.”
Leah shook her head. “It’s not that. I love you too.”
The way she said it made it clear it wasn’t all she had to say.
“But?”
“But I’m leaving for Los Angeles.”
“What? When? Why?”
“Tomorrow. I have an audition for a movie. And if I get it, then I stay there for a month or two for filming. Chris, I love you and I want to work on whatever this is, but it will have to wait for now. I can’t say no to my dreams.”
41
~ Leah ~
Chris’ eyes were dark, unreadable.
I hadn’t lied. I wanted to try things with Chris and see how they worked out. And I was going to Los Angeles no matter what.
But I didn’t want to wait. Not when I was here, in his arms.
“You love me,” Chris said. It was a statement. I nodded anyway.
The next thing I knew, his lips crushed mine in a bruising kiss. The last one had been soft and sweet, but this one blazed with passion.
I’d tried to stay away from even thinking about Chris after the assault, but it had been next to impossible. He was like an addiction I couldn’t shake, and I finally had to admit the truth: I didn’t want to.
“Yes,” I whispered when his mouth dropped to my collarbone. His tongue teased the skin in between playful nips, each bite sending heat straight between my legs.
He only wore a simple shirt and jeans. I pulled his top off in a hurry, eager to see his body once again. I only had to unbutton his jeans and unzip them before they fell to the floor.
He attacked my clothes with a similar determination, and soon I was down to only my panties as he covered my breast with his mouth, his tongue swirling around my nipple and making me throw my head back in pleasure.
I found myself back in his arms and wrapped my legs around him as he carried me to the bedroom. His manhood was hard against me
through the thin lace of my panties, pressing against me with his need.
Within seconds of my back hitting the bedspread, he tore my panties off and tossed them aside.
Chris crawled after me, on his elbows between my legs.
“You are such a gorgeous creature,” he said, eyes intense as his gaze warmed my skin. “Every part of you.”
With that he dipped his head down and I felt his hot breath between my legs as he gently licked me all the way from the bottom to the top.
He took his time, first tasting, then eating, and then devouring. My passions rose with his intensity, energy crackling along my fingertips as bursts of sensation drove me higher.
The thing that pushed me over the edge wasn’t his tongue. It was his groans, the audible sign of how much what he was doing turned him on.
I clutched his hair as I came, his lips surrounding my clit and tongue giving it long, steady strokes.
“Chris! Don’t stop!” I shook as wave after wave overtook me, muscles contracting in their wake.
I pulled him up toward me and kissed him hard. His efforts had turned me on even more, and I wouldn’t be satisfied until I’d experienced all of him.
He held me close as he entered me, his cock filling me deeply. I’d missed the feeling, like a missing piece of me had returned.
“Make love to me,” I asked him. I wanted more than just sex. I needed him to show me how much I meant to him.
We kissed as he moved within me, his lips gentle, playful. He took my bottom lip between his teeth and held it there for a second, and I returned the favor.
He buried his head beside me as I kissed his neck and ran my hands along his muscled back. I encouraged him with my mouth, hands and body, showing him my love.
The climb to climax was slow and luxurious. Chris and I completely wrapped each other up, conscious of every breath, every heartbeat.
I could sense him getting to the edge, his hips moving more urgently, his manhood grew even harder and larger inside of me. His passion sparked my own, and as he came, I followed him off the ledge into a long, drawn-out explosion of pleasure.
He groaned and stilled as we caught our breath. My hands stroked his back, content to lie there and be in the moment, enjoying his presence.
“I love you,” I said the words again, getting that thrill, like I was doing something wrong. It couldn’t be wrong, though, because it felt so right.
He lifted his head back up so he could stare into my eyes. “I love you too, Leah. Now and always.”
“I’ll miss you.” I didn’t know how I would get through a couple months without him. Would we grow apart if I got the role and stayed in Los Angeles? What if there was another part after this one and I stayed out there?
“It’s just for a short time. We’ve survived worse.”
I smiled. “I hope you’re right.”
42
~ Chris ~
It’s a hell of a lot warmer here.
I’d never been to California before. I’d never been much of anywhere outside of New York. It was tough to justify spending money going on trips when you had to help support your mother and three little brothers.
The cabbie pulled to a stop. “Here’s the studio. That’ll be thirty-four bucks.”
I nodded and handed him two twenties. “Keep the change.”
As he sped away, I noted how easily I already threw away money. It was a bad habit to get into.
The studio was a big place, with lots of different buildings. I stopped in at the security booth.
“Hi, I’m here to see Leah Allen.”
He looked me up and down. “Does she know you’re coming?”
I grinned. “No, actually. But I’ve arranged it with Deborah, Herschel Drummond’s assistant. There should be a pass for me.”
“Chris?”
“That’s the one.”
“Can I see your ID, please?”
I passed it over.
“Here you are, sir. You’ll find them shooting in lot thirty-two.”
I thanked him.
It was a good walk to get there, but thankfully there were signs pointing out which direction to go. Once on the property with a pass around my neck, no one gave me a second look. I wasn’t able to say the same.
Was that Jennifer Lawrence?
I did a double-take, but she was already past me so I couldn’t see her face again.
When I got to the lot, they were in the middle of a shot. I crept in.
Leah stood at a bar with a handsome actor whose name I couldn’t recall. There were a bunch of extras milling around, pretending to have conversations as the cameras rolled.
“That’s the thing you’ve got to understand about me, Rick. I’m a woman with a lot of secrets.” Leah had on a stunning red dress that accentuated her curves.
The man leaned forward and put his hand on her arm. “I only care about one.”
“Cut! That’s the part we were missing. Take a break, everyone.” Herschel himself stood up from his chair and walked away from the set, holding his phone to his ear.
I edged closer to the actors standing on the set. The extras made actual conversation now, and it was impossible to hear anything over the general cacophony.
The male lead and Leah remained where they’d finished the scene, chatting. I snuck up behind her.
“I should give you one of my boyfriend’s songs. They’re amazing. It’s like the music just reaches inside of you and sets your heart racing.”
I placed my hand on her elbow. “Now, that’s nice of you to say. Do you always talk about me like that when I’m not there?”
She spun. “Chris!” Her arms came up around my neck and pulled me to her for a quick, deep kiss. “What the hell are you doing here? Did you get time off from the studio?”
I wasn’t able to give her the answer; she didn’t give me a chance. She kissed me again, this time long and slow enough to savor.
“Actually, I’m out here for good,” I said. I nodded toward the actor, who looked a bit sheepish at having a front row seat to our reunion. “I convinced Trevor to give us time at the Los Angeles studio instead.”
“You’re staying?” Leah’s green eyes lit up like Christmas morning. “For real?”
I wrapped my arm around her and brushed her hair back from her face. “I’m all yours."
43
~ Leah ~
I took Chris on a walk around the campus to show him some of the more interesting sights. There was a gigantic tank that held millions of gallons of water for shooting scenes as if they were at sea. At the moment two Spanish galleons stood off on the waters, cannons smoking as if they had shot actual cannonballs.
“This is so unreal,” he said, gazing at the tank. In real life, before the computer magic happened, it was obviously fake.
I smiled. There were two ways of looking at it. “We create dreams here, and weave stories from thin air. Even if the props aren’t real, the emotions they generate are.”
Those dark eyes sought my own, and as always my pulse pounded in my chest when he looked at me that way. “I guess that’s what we do, the two of us. My music and your acting… we try our best to make people feel emotion. We do what we can to pull people out of their day to day lives and make them a part of something bigger, if even for a moment.”
“Are you getting philosophical on me?” Chris had become more serious than I was accustomed to, and I couldn’t resist a chance to bring attention to the fact. We kept each other grounded.
“Maybe it’s just the moment,” he said.
“The moment?”
What is he talking about?
“I didn’t want to wait.” Chris took my hands in his and kissed me deeply. It wasn’t the bruising, passionate kiss that set instant fire to my loins, but rather the slow, deep kind that flooded me with love for him. The kind that showed me how much he cared for me.
He knelt down in front of me.
“Leah, I have never felt this connection, this fire with a
nyone else in my life. I know I’ll never feel anything like it except with you.”
He pulled a little box out of his pocket. It opened to reveal a sparkling ring, not small, but not ostentatious, either.
My breath caught in my throat. My heart hammered a crazed beat in my chest as my mind refused to connect the dots.
“Chris, what are you doing?”
He kissed my hand.
“Leah, will you marry me?”
I had thought of it—daydreamed about it. But I’d never in my life imagined that Chris would ask me, especially not this early in our relationship.
We had so little time together as a couple, but months of denial in which we’d discovered that no matter how much we tried to resist the temptation, there was an unstoppable pull that drew us together. An unlikely match, we perfectly balanced and complemented each other.
There was only one answer I could give.
“Yes. With all my heart, yes.”
When he slid the ring onto my finger and pulled me into an embrace, I kissed him with everything in my body.
Caught in his spell, I could hear his music in my pulse as it carried us away.
Afterword
Thank you for reading Pulse. If you enjoyed the story, please consider writing a review so that others may discover it as well. Share with your friends, family, and reader’s groups!
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Pulse: A Stepbrother Romance
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