What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 9)

by Kristine Cayne

  “It’s the price we pay. In some areas I can go about freely. It’s just in a city like New York, just before a concert… Going out was a recipe for disaster. I apologize. I could have put you in danger taking you out. It was stupid and impulsive of me, and it’ll never happen again.”

  Bo glanced up at the clock in the foyer and was shocked to see it was midnight. Disappointment rushed through him. He needed to get some sleep soon, even though he wasn’t tired in the least. The Madison Square Garden concert was a televised concert, so he needed to be on top of his game for it and getting a full night’s sleep was critical.

  “I’m going to have to turn in soon, so I’ll show you your room and perhaps we can relax for a short bit before heading to bed.”

  Bo also felt bad about the reporters. If they happened to get a picture of Hanna someone could easily recognize her – considering the fact that she worked in a public place and knew many people. Bo frowned, upset at himself and the reporter. He knew that if Hanna’s identity were revealed she’d be hounded by reporters and tabloid vultures. That’s the last thing he wanted for her. It was painfully evident how introverted and reserved she was; that was one of the qualities he adored about her. Being hounded by strangers would be hard for someone like her to deal with.

  Which brought him to another concern…

  If something developed between them, could she handle being his woman? He didn’t know, and the last thing he wanted was for either of them to get attached to the other and then deal with the hurt that would come along with a public break-up.

  “What’s wrong?” She frowned, looking up at him, as they climbed the staircase to the second floor.

  He forced a smile on his lips as they reached the landing to the second floor. “Nothing. I was just thinking.” He led her to his room, and ushered her in. “Okay, I’ll grab you something you can wear and then take those flowers and put them in water.” He looked down at the bouquet, which had become a crumbled mess. He’d be lucky to salvage half of the flowers. “What’s left of them anyhow.”

  “Thank you.” A faint blush coloured her cheeks as she shifted from foot to foot, her eyes scanning his massive, yet humbly furnished bedroom.

  He grabbed the first t-shirt and pair of boxers he came to and set them on the bed. “Why don’t you change here and then meet me in the kitchen for a snack before bed.”

  A wide grin spread across her lips and she raised a brow at him. “Milk and cookies?”

  Bo laughed. The milk and cookies idea didn’t sound halfway bad. “Chocolate chip as a matter of fact.”

  Crossing the room, he took the roses from her and exited the room, closing the door behind him. As he made his way to the kitchen, his mind quickly flashed back to a memory of him and Jeremy as kids sharing a bag of chocolate chip cookies and dunking them into their milk as their mother busied herself with housework.

  He grew up poor, but the shortage of money was made up by an abundance of love and affection. It taught him a valuable lesson. He may have everything money could buy, but he knew he wouldn’t be truly happy until he found someone to share his life with. Over the past several years he realized that he’d forgotten that very important detail, but spending the evening with Hanna made him realize just what he’d been missing in his life. And dammit, he wanted it.

  Chapter Six

  Pulling the t-shirt over her head, Hanna was amused to see the hem of the shirt fell to her mid-thigh area. She was about to pull on the boxers, but on impulse and with a sudden burst of brazenness, decided against it. Placing her clothing in a neat pile on the floor by the bed she made her way downstairs and found Bo in the kitchen.

  Hanna giggled as she spotted Bo, sitting on a kitchen stool at the breakfast bar, with a bag of chocolate chip cookies, a couple of glasses and a jug of milk in front of him.

  Bo looked up, was about to speak and paused. His eyes scanned her from head to toe, the look in his eyes turning from amused to heated. He lowered his eyes and when they returned to meet hers, the friendly amusement was back in them.

  “You look extremely sexy in that t-shirt, Hanna.”

  She was tempted to give into her shyness and look away, but forced herself to keep his gaze. “Thank you.”

  He pushed the bag of cookies across the counter. “Care to join me?”

  “Don’t mind if I do.” She perched herself on the stool across from him and pulled a couple of cookies from the bag and then poured herself a tall glass of milk. “I really should send a text to Jackie.”

  Bo cringed.

  “What?”

  “I doubt you’ll get a response. Jeremy sent me a text while you were getting changed.”

  “And?”

  “And, they’re –” Bo cleared his throat, looking slightly uncomfortable “– they’re busy.”

  “Ohhhhhhhh.” Hanna shifted her eyes downward and focused on dipping her cookie. It didn’t surprise Hanna, but a part of her wished she were bolder. But, then you’d just be another girl to him, a voice in the back of her mind chided. She could already hear Jackie’s gushing, telling her every single detail of her time with Jeremy. Every intimate detail.

  When she looked back up, the heat had returned to Bo’s eyes and there was tension in his body. “You know Hanna. I want you to know that I’m very attracted to you and I really want to…”

  “Me too,” she whispered. She wasn’t even sure if she’d said it out loud, but hearing his sharp intake of breath made her realize she’d indeed admitted it to him.

  Bo reached across the counter and took her hand in his. “I don’t want to rush this. I want you to get a feel for my life and what it’s like to be with me before we jump too deep.” He frowned. “If you were just ‘some girl’ then I wouldn’t care. But, I see potential with you.”

  Hanna’s heart skipped a beat. Bo Savage saw potential in her! Hanna had no idea how to respond to that; every response that came to mind would make her sound like a blubbering schoolgirl so she remained silent.

  “So would this be what is considered an awkward silence?” Bo teased, giving her hand a squeeze.

  Hanna nodded. “Little bit.”

  “Awkward because you don’t want to spend more time together to explore what might be between us, or awkward because you feel embarrassed to agree with me?” His smile widened, the humour reaching his eyes, but not overpowering the desire raging within them.

  Instead of replying, Hanna pressed her palm against his chest and leaned forward. She brushed her lips against his and moaned softly against his lips. Releasing her hand, he slipped his hand to the back of her neck, and threaded his fingers into her hair, kissing her harder.

  Her lips parted under his probing tongue, allowing him access. When his tongue touched hers, electricity shot through her, and the pulsing between her legs ignited.

  Don’t let yourself go. Don’t let yourself go. She urged herself silently, keeping a restraint on her passion, despite her rapidly increasing need for him. But it was hard – so hard. She’d never wanted a man more, and never a man she’d just met and barely knew.

  Bo slid from the bar stool and stood before her, turning her and pressing her back against the breakfast bar. He pinned her body against the cool wood, and pressed himself against her, his cock rising against her.

  Ending the kiss, Bo stepped away from her, leaving her breathless. Her knees felt weak and she was grateful to have this hard wood to cling to.

  Bo brushed a lock of red curls back from her face – a motion both tender and erotic at the same time. “I want you Hanna,” he whispered, his eyes confirming his words. “But we should go to bed now. Separately.”

  Her heart sunk, though she knew he was right. Sleeping with a man she just met wasn’t the kind of girl she was. But damn, he was temptation personified.

  Hanna turned her head and looked at the clock mounted on the wall next to the bed. Forty minutes had passed and she still couldn’t sleep. The room Bo had situated her in was beautiful, the bed large and so
soft she felt like she was sleeping on a cloud. In normal circumstances she’d have fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the down-filled pillow – but not here – not tonight.

  Instead she tossed and turned. Her lips remembering his lips on hers. The smell of his cologne still lingering with her. And the feel of his hands on her was still giving her goosebumps. She was filled with an abundance of emotions, none of them allowing her to drift into a peaceful sleep.

  Once the hour mark hit, she couldn’t take it anymore. Pulling back the comforter, she slid from bed and wearing only Bo’s t-shirt she padded her way barefoot across the bedroom and exited into the hallway. As she exited the bedroom, she could faintly hear the sound of a guitar.

  She followed the sound, until she reached the door of Bo’s bedroom. Standing outside Bo’s bedroom door, she could hear Bo’s voice, loud enough to know he was singing, but low enough not to be able to make out the words.

  He’s busy. She turned and scurried back towards her bedroom. Halfway to her room, she noticed the music had stopped. Chewing at her lower lip she spun back around and slowly made her way back to Bo’s bedroom door.

  Standing at his door a second time, she once again fought with herself on whether she should knock or not. She wasn’t even sure what she was going to say, or what she really wanted if she went into his room. She just couldn’t sleep, and the reason for her restlessness was on the other side of the door.

  No, I need to go to bed and not bother him, she reasoned as she turned away from the door once more.

  “I’m up, you can come in Hanna.”

  Hanna yelped and jumped back, not expecting to hear him call to her. She spun back to face the door. She thought she heard soft chuckling coming from the other side of the door, and rolled her eyes at herself.

  “Come in, Hanna. Or are you going to make me come out and get you?”

  She reached for the door handle and opened it slowly, slipped in, and closed the door behind her. “Hey.” Hanna’s heart skipped a beat as she peered over at him sitting at the head of the bed, bare-chested with the exception of a black cross on a ball chain around his neck and a pair of black lounge pants. He had an acoustic guitar in his hands, and a yellow writing tablet and pen beside him on the bed.

  “Couldn’t sleep?” he asked, lifting his eyes from the yellow pad and catching her gaze.

  “I could ask you the same thing,” Hanna retorted, making her way across the room to stand at the foot of the bed.

  He ran his hand through his dishevelled hair and gave her a sheepish grin. “Nope, so I decided to work. Get a song out of my head that’s been screaming to be written.”

  “Oh.” Raising a brow, Hanna leaned forward, trying to catch a peek at the words on the tablet.

  Bo patted the empty spot on the bed next to him. “Come on over, tell me what you think so far.”

  A giddy excitement rushed through her as she crawled onto the bed, and stretched out across the width of it. Rolling to her side, she braced her head up with her hand and gazed up at him as he poised himself, preparing to begin playing. Before he began to strum, his eyes lifted and his body tensed as he looked at her.

  Her brow furrowed as she followed his eyes. “Oh!” She felt her cheeks heating up as she pulled down the hem of the t-shirt that had inched up high enough to give Bo a flash of her pink lace panties.

  “Don’t pull it down on my account.” A grin touched his lips as his eyes shifted to meet hers.

  “Oh stop!” Hanna swatted his knee, but her blush deepened.

  Clearing his throat, he focused his attention back to the matter at hand. “Well, not sure if I’m going to be able to remember the chords now.”

  “Good thing you have it all written down then.”

  “Smart ass,” Bo grumbled, his smile widening as he prepared to play. “Now this is rough, keep that in mind.”

  “Okay,” Hanna edged a little closer to him, her anticipation heightening.

  Bo began to strum, a soft, easy melody. After a moment, his voice joined the soft sound of the guitar.

  “Could be her silken hair

  Cascades of fire.

  Maybe it’s the way she looks at me

  Such raw love and desire.

  I’ve never felt like this before.

  It always feels like the first time.”

  A smile spread across Hanna’s lips. His voice was like honey flowing through her. She couldn’t have pulled her eyes from him if she’d wanted to. The soft sound of the guitar mixed with his voice, pulled her in. No wonder women throw themselves at him, she mused, as she continued to watch and listen, fascinated with him.

  “As sweet as the first time…

  We kissed. We held.

  We confessed our deepest emotions.

  We laughed. We cried.

  We promised undying devotion.”

  “And that is all I have so far…” He shrugged. “A work in progress. Just started jotting some stuff down half hour ago.”

  “Cascades of fire, huh?” she gave his knee a playful slap. “If I had a narcissistic personality, I’d be thinking you were talking about me.”

  Bo laughed. Taking the guitar and carefully placing it into the guitar case beside the bed, he then tossed the notepad and pen onto the bedside table. Tilting his head to the side, Bo eyed her with an intensity that made her stomach do somersaults and made her pussy clench. “Maybe I was.”

  Had he? Written a song about me! Hanna eyed him, not sure if he was joking or serious.

  “I… Ummmm…” Hanna cringed.

  Dammit Hanna, get it together, she scolded herself. But it was hard. He was so damned sexy and oozed charisma. He’s a musician; it’s his job to woo women. And it was working like a charm on her.

  “You make me feel like a giddy fan, you realize that right?”

  Uncrossing his legs, he stretched out. “Nah, I don’t think so. There’s a little tiger in you, just may take some prodding to get it to come out.”

  Hanna’s eyes locked with his again and there was no doubt in her mind he wanted her as much as she wanted him. The struggle over what he wanted to do next was painfully evident in his expression and the tension in his body.

  Sitting up, she crawled over to him and without thinking, swung a leg over his lap so she was straddling him. As she settled down onto him, the wet strip of lace between her legs and the thin fleece of his pants were the only things separating her wet and throbbing pussy from his rock hard cock.

  Hanna lowered her forehead to his, her lips a mere inch from his, their breaths intermingling and breathing synchronizing. Placing her hands on his bare chest and running her fingers along the lines of chiselled muscle, she felt his heart rate accelerating.

  “You’re making this really hard,” Bo whispered, slipping his hands up her outer thighs to cup her ass cheeks and pull her groin tight to his. The ridge of his cock rubbed against her pussy and she moaned softly.

  “You’re making it equally as hard,” she countered. Her body began to move onto his, her groin gyrating against him, teasing his cock and revving up her desire.

  Closing her eyes, she lowered her lips to his, relishing the feelings of desire rushing through her. The dampness between her legs increased and her need for release was increasing rapidly.

  “But you’re the one that came into my room,” Bo murmured against her lips, pulling back slightly as he slid her from his lap and rolled her onto her back. He rolled with her so his torso covered hers.

  “Because you invited me.”

  “True enough.” Bo’s hand slid down her stomach to cup her lace-covered mound. “Oh fuck, you’re wet.”

  Being more brazen than she’d ever been, but not being able to control herself if she wanted to – which she didn’t – Hanna slipped her hand between them and under the waistband of his pants to grasp his thick, hard cock. She swiped her thumb across the head, and discovered a pearl of cum gathered at the head.

  “It appears I’m not the only one.”

>   A low feral groan escaped Bo’s lips seconds before his mouth came crashing down onto hers. The tenderness was gone as he nipped at her lower lip and, as she parted her lips, his tongue slipped past her lips, intent on dominating hers.

  She began to stroke him, as she gripped tight to his shoulder with her other hand. She spread her legs slightly as his fingers pulled aside the lace panties and slipped between her wet folds.

  Hanna moaned against his lips, her tongue wrestling with his as she bucked against his hand. She knew she needed to stop this. She didn’t want to become just another woman to him, but as he thrust two fingers deep within her, stopping him was not an option. Her body and desire were taking over all other thought or sense of reason.

  His fingers began stroking her inner wall, as his thumb found her clit, rubbing her clit in time with his fingers stroking her inner wall. She bucked harder against his hand, as her hand grasping his shaft stroked him harder, faster. More of his pre-cum, gathered at the tip, and his groans matched hers in frequency and intensity.

  Pulling his lips from hers, his grey eyes – filled with such an intense hunger it sent chills of pleasure through her – locked with her green ones. Her body began to tremble under him, as she came closer to the brink.

  “Oh Bo, I want you. Oh God, I want you so badly.”

  “I know,” he murmured as he lowered his lips to the side of her neck, alternating between his teeth nipping and his tongue lashing at the sensitive flesh. “Soon.”

  Soon…. The word echoed in the back of her head, but she didn’t have time to consider. Her body became a coil, tight and on the verge of breaking. Her pussy was throbbing, and every inch of her was preparing for release. The anticipation was so good it hurt.

  “Come for me, Hanna. I want to feel it.”

  His voice was soft and coaxing, sending a delicious shiver through her. Suddenly, she was there and toppling over the edge of her desire. Closing her eyes and arching her back, she cried out as her body tensed and then released with a gush of her juices greeting his probing fingers.