by Emma Lea
It had been an exquisite kind of torture waiting for everyone to leave. From the moment the last notes had faded from the air, she’d wanted to slake her thirst with him. The need to be skin to skin with Nate had almost knocked her from her feet. She’d never felt something so powerful before, never wanted something so much. Part of her brain knew that it was the adrenalin. She’d seen how it had affected Nate in the past, not that she’d ever felt it before, but the other part of her brain, the cavewoman side, didn’t really give a damn why she felt it. She just wanted, she wanted him.
Darla must have sensed the pheromones in the air because she had whispered a warning to her before she left, but Stevie was way past warnings. She needed to satisfy this primal urge more than she needed her next breath.
The first touch of him as he’d slid his hands into her hair had cause tremors to vibrate through her and then he’d kissed her, too soft, too gentle, too careful. That’s not what she needed, not tonight. Tonight she needed the animalistic wild monkey sex that she’d only ever read about. Nothing else would satisfy the hunger that had overtaken her.
“Tell me to stop,” he said and she knew she couldn’t have that. She didn’t want him to stop, didn’t want him to treat her kindly or cautiously. She needed the raw power of sex without thought. Sex for the sake of sex. She didn’t care about the consequences. That part of her brain had shut down under the onslaught of dopamine that had begun to flood her system. He had become her drug and she couldn’t rest until she’d had a hit of him.
She reached up, closing the distance between them and kissed him, wrapping her arms around him and plastering her body against his. He got the hint and deepened the kiss, his tongue exploring her mouth, tangling with her tongue. She could taste the hops from the beer he’d had, the earthy bitterness heightening the experience. Her hands found their way under his shirt seeking skin and she was rewarded with the feel of fevered nakedness under her palms. But it wasn’t enough, she wanted - no needed - more.
She slid her hands up his back, feeling the ripple of muscles under her fingers. His hands moved out of her hair and down her neck to her shoulders before skimming lightly over her breasts to her waist. She felt her nipples tighten and she pressed her chest against his, seeking the abrasion of his body against the tight buds. His hands dipped lower, cupping her ass and pulling her tight against him. She could feel the ridge of his erection pressed into her belly and it suddenly became vitally important that they get naked.
She pushed at his t-shirt until he got the hint and let go of her long enough to remove it. Then his hands were on her, under her shirt, cupping her heavy breasts over her bra. That wasn’t enough, they both still had too many clothes on. She shucked her shirt and bra and rubbed herself against his bare chest, whimpering with how good it felt. Her fingers fumbled with his belt and he stilled her hands, breaking their kiss to look in her eyes. She could see the banked lust there, but still he asked.
“Are you sure about this?”
“Yes Nate, God yes,” she replied. “I need this, I need you.”
He searched her eyes for a moment before giving in to the desire and helping her to undo his jeans. He peeled his jeans off while she watched, kicking off his boots and tossing them aside. He managed to grab a condom from one of his pockets before discarding his jeans and kneeling in front of her. He tossed the foil packet down beside them and then went to work removing the rest of her clothes. He took off her boots first before sliding her jeans down her legs, taking her lacy panties with them. When she was naked before him, he buried his face in her mound and took a deep breath, his arms wrapping around her thighs and holding her still. Her fingers wove through the long lengths of his hair and she closed her eyes, relishing in the feel of finally being naked with him.
Somewhere in the back of her head she knew that what they were about to do would forever change the future, but at this point she was so deep in lust that she couldn’t muster enough responsibility to care. And when he opened his mouth on her, his tongue sliding between her wet folds, even that part of her mind shut down.
He was demanding; there were no tentative licks or soft kisses. He wielded his tongue like a weapon and his fingers complimented the assault. She felt her climax rush towards her and she was helpless to stop it. It crashed into her with force, causing her to stumble, but he was there, holding on to her, keeping her steady, lapping at the evidence of her orgasm as she lost herself in the pleasure of it.
The taste of her exploded on his tongue and he could have spent hours making her come again and again with just his tongue and fingers but his cock was aching with the need to slide into her and feel those same throbbing muscles pulse around it. When he was sure she had her balance again, he reached for the condom and rolled it on as quickly as he could with shaking fingers. God. He felt like a teenager having sex for the first time. He was worried that as soon as he plunged in to her he would come and he had to take some fortifying breaths before standing and pulling her against him.
He lifted her and she wound her legs around his hips, their centers aligning like they were made for each other. He took two steps until her back was pressed up against the wall and then slid home. The sound of their mutual groans was the only sound in the studio and it felt like they were the only two people on earth. He took a moment to enjoy the sensation of her surrounding him; her scent in his nose, her taste on his lips, the sound of her breath in his ear and the sight of her eyes, lazy and heavy with desire. Then he began to move, rocking into her gently at first, finding their rhythm, the rhythm that was forever and always theirs.
Her nails bit into the skin of his shoulders and her thighs squeezed around him, urging him on. He hadn’t wanted their first time to be like this, a rough and tumble liaison in the studio, but it seemed more than appropriate considering that it was music that had brought them together. It had also torn them apart, but he wasn’t willing to acknowledge that now, not when he had her in his arms and was buried to the hilt inside her.
“More,” she rasped out. “Harder, Nate, harder.”
He bit down on her shoulder and slammed into her, letting go of the control he had tried so hard to keep. It was no use trying to hold back, she had smashed through all his restraint. The sound of their skin slapping together and the grunts and moans of their coupling became the new music that filled the studio. He wanted it to go on forever but knew that he would barely last the next few moments. He felt her body tighten and she threw her head back against the wall, a keening cry breaking free of her throat as she came, her core pulsing around him. It was all he needed to push him over the edge and he came with a roar, a white light breaking behind his eyelids as he let the orgasm take him.
He dragged in a breath, willing his knees not to collapse as he slowly lowered Stevie to her feet. He pulled free of her with a groan, already missing her body. Stevie slid down the wall until she was seated on the floor, her head tipped back, her eyes closed and a look of bliss on her face. He couldn’t help but smile and feel a little smug that he had been the one to put that look there.
With great reluctance, he turned away from her to take care of the condom before returning to sit beside her, letting his head fall back against the wall and a contented sigh to escape from his mouth. He found her hand with his and entwined their fingers, not wanting to spoil the moment by speaking, although there were so many things he wanted to say to her.
The sound of ‘Blister in the Sun’ shattered the calm and Stevie jumped, before reaching for her jeans and pulling out her phone.
“Hey,” she said, her voice husky. “Yeah, I’m on my way… no I’m fine Nate and I… No, we were just listening to the playback… Yes… No, Darla, I’m fine. See you soon.”
She hung up the phone and closed her eyes before turning to him. Her brows furrowed and he knew what she was going to say, but there was no way he could let her run from him, not now. Whatever had happened between them was nowhere near finished, despite what they might have thought.
“Don’t say it,” he said, cutting her off before she could speak. “There’s something here Stevie, something we’d be idiots to ignore.”
“I can’t Nate,” she said shaking her head. “There’s too much riding on the band and the tour. I don’t have time for whatever this is. Besides, Darla would kill me.”
“So don’t tell her,” he said. “Don’t tell anyone. I don’t care if I’m your dirty little secret. I just want to do that, again, but maybe in a bed next time.”
She smiled at him. “It was pretty amazing,” she acknowledged and he grinned. Then she sobered. “I don’t know Nate. I don’t think it’s a good idea…”
He leaned over and kissed her, stealing the words from her tongue.
“I think it’s a very good idea,” he whispered, “and we’ll keep it under the radar. No one needs to know.”
“The press would have a field day if they found out and Jace and the girls—”
“Is there something going on between you and Jace?” Jealousy rose up swift and fierce.
“What? No, nothing like that,” she said with a shake of her head giving him untold relief. “It’s just that we’ve got a good thing going and I don’t want anything to mess it up. We’re just at the beginning of something great and I don’t want to jeopardize it.”
He cupped her cheek and turned her head towards him. “I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize it either. You’ve earned this. You deserve all the success that’s coming your way and I don’t want to stand in the way of that, but why can’t we have a little bit of fun along the way? You have to admit that what happened tonight was…”
“Fucking awesome,” she said and he laughed with surprise.
“You’re not wrong,” he said, leaning in to kiss her again. “So what do you say? Should we embark on an illicit and tawdry affair?”
She kissed him this time, long and slow, her tongue seeking his and stirring his cock once more.
“Yes,” she said and it took all his willpower not to pull her down on top of him for a repeat of what they’d just done.
Instead, he stood and held his hand out to her. “Then we should go and make an appearance at this celebration so that I can whisk you away later on and have my wicked way with you.”
She took his hand and let him help her up, but she looked troubled.
“Darla and Tom are staying with me… I don’t think I can get away tonight.”
“Leave it with me,” he said. “I’ll work something out.”
Chapter Sixteen
They arrived separately, him later. He’d had to make a stop along the way and it was for the best that they didn’t arrive together anyway. By the look of the empties on the table, the others had gotten a good head start on them, although he had no idea how long they’d been gone. Time had ceased to exist the moment he touched her and had only started up again when Stevie had gotten the phone call from Darla.
A cheer rose up as they saw him and Derek patted the chair beside him, conveniently at the other end of the table from Stevie. He didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but by the way Darla was glaring at him, he was more than happy to keep his distance from her. Stevie was huddled next to Darla and couldn’t quite meet his eyes when he sat down. Someone shoved a beer into his hand and he took a long drink, trying to get his bearings. He never imagined that it would feel this awkward.
“That was fucking killer,” Derek said beside him and he dragged his attention away from Stevie to look at his long-time friend. Derek had been the only true north in his life these last five years and he had no idea why the man hadn’t walked away from him years ago.
“Thanks man,” he said, shaking his head lightly. He was far too introspective for a party.
“You know it’s going to be a fucking number one don’t you?” Derek asked him.
Nate sipped his drink, so many things rumbling around in his head that he was having trouble staying in the moment. He felt like he was flying off in a hundred different directions.
“Tell me Derek,” he said. “Why’d you stick by me all these years?”
Derek sat back and took a long look at him, taking a slow sip of his beer, his eyes searching Nate’s.
“I never did agree with what Gina did to you,” he said eventually, “and that crap that you started producing under her direction was truly awful. I couldn’t understand why you did it.”
Nate huffed and dropped his eyes. “I didn’t know I had a choice,” he said truthfully. “And, if I’m honest, I was too full of myself to care.”
Derek laughed, a big booming sound that caught the attention of not only those at their table, but people at other tables as well. Derek clapped him on the back, almost dislodging him from his chair with the force of it. Slowly, conversation started back up around them and Derek leaned close, sobering.
“I knew there was something special about you Nate,” he said, “but I was never quite sure if you would ever find your way. I saw glimpses of brilliance from you, but you seemed to shy away from it, like you were afraid to fully embrace it. But this album, this track? It’s almost like you’re a new person, like all the old shit that’s been stickin’ to you has been stripped away.”
It was true, what Derek said. He did feel like he’d been stripped of all the barnacles that had been clinging to him. The thoughts that this whole ride had been nothing but a fluke, that people would eventually find out that he was an imposter, that he wasn’t the least bit talented, that he was a fake. He’d felt that way since walking away from Stevie… no, actually he’d felt it long before that. It was probably why he walked away from Stevie. She’d always been the one with the real talent and it should have been her that Gina had signed that night, not him. Maybe he’d taken the deal because he knew that it was his only chance, that one day some record label would come looking for them and sign Stevie and she would leave him in the dust. Maybe he’d left before she could.
But what about now? Did he see himself as a real artist now or was he just trying to recapture the magic he had with Stevie, had those reporters been right accusing him of trying to ride her coattails?
“I know that look,” Derek said.
“What look?”
“The look of doubt. You’re worried that the only reason this track is hot is because of those guys.” He tipped his head in the direction of Jace, Nadine, Vanessa and Stevie.
They were all relaxed and smiling and he could identify the flush of excitement that came from finding that sweet spot in a performance where everything just felt right.
He heard Derek sigh and shift beside him and he turned to look at the man who had always told him the truth. “I have a proposition for you,” he said and Nate raised his eyebrows. “I’m starting my own label. Court’n Jacks have agreed to sign with me and I’m negotiating with Lily Ames and a couple of other big names that are coming to the end of their contracts with other labels. I want you Nate, I want to sign you to my label, that’s how much I believe in you.”
Nate sat back, shock washing over him. He respected the hell out of Derek as a producer, the guy had an ear that was unrivaled in the business.
“It’s going to be a small label,” Derek went on. “Boutique.” He grinned. “And I am hand-picking the artists I want to sign. We won’t have the big budget that other labels have and I can’t guarantee you stadium tours straight off the bat, but I can ensure that you have creative control, decent royalty cheques and a stake in the direction of the business. Think of it more as a collaboration than a corporate label.”
“Derek, I don’t know what to say,” Nate said. “You really think I’m good enough?”
“If you keep producing tracks like that one, yeah I do. But I have to warn you, it’s not going to be the same experience that you’ve had with Rocksteady. I’m not going to hold your fucking hand or spoon feed you, you’re gonna have to work hard. If you think you can do that, then hell yeah, I think you’ll be a great fit.”
Nate
stuck out his hand and Derek grasped it in his larger one, a mile wide grin splitting his face.
“I’m honored,” Nate said. “Count me in.”
Stevie watched Nate walk into the bar and the memories of what they’d done together heated her blood. She felt the blush color her skin. Would everyone be able to tell what they had done only moments ago. Was it written all over her face?
Stevie tried to keep her attention on the conversations going on around her, but her mind kept drifting back to him and the way it had felt to finally have his hands on her. God, the man had talented fingers and he knew what to do with them. She shied away from thinking about just how he’d gotten the experience.
Darla grabbed her elbow and dragged her from the table, making excuses for them as she manhandled her into the bathroom, locking the door behind them.
“You slept with him,” Darla said to her as soon as they were alone.
“No, I did not sleep with him.”
“Fine,” she said with a huff. “If you’re going to get technical, you fucked him, probably up against the wall of the studio.”
Stevie could feel her cheeks heating and ducked her head, finding the tiles on the floor captivating.
“God, Stevie,” she said with disgust. “I know you’ve had a lady boner for the guy for years, but have you forgotten what he did to you?”
