Zero teasing there. That fact had wetness pooling between her thighs.
He rubbed the spot he’d smacked, his fingertips skimming the crack of her ass.
“Jase!” She caught his hand, halting his caress.
“Mmm…more virgin territory.”
Her eyes widened. He grinned.
“Not happening, buddy, and you’re changing the subject.”
“Mmhm. Where was I?” He scratched at the beginnings of scruff on his jaw. Unlike the rest of the band he preferred clean-shaven. “That’s right, your stubbornness being sexy.” His thumbs created lazy circles against her hips, almost distracting her from the conversation. “It’s because of that stubbornness you tried to provide for Faith, without asking for government assistance. That was your only unwise choice.”
Pride had been behind that decision, and when she finally asked for aid, they’d refused because she’d admitted in an interview she knew who the father was. That’d left her with no other choice but to involve him.
“Okay, picking me as the daddy was your most irresponsible choice, but I won’t hold it against you.” Like that’d been a choice. He winked at her, and continued with his catalogue of qualities. “I’m a bastard because I’m kinda glad you struggled. It brought you to me sooner and the alternative…I don’t want to think about the alternative. Darlin’, I like your sweet nature, your shyness in my bed, but that you still allowed me to guide you on what I wanted tonight. That means I can teach you all the filthy things I like.” Her cheeks burned at the mention of how she’d masturbated at his request while he watched. “I love that you don’t care about my money or fame”—she bet that was impossible to find among most women—“and that you stand up to my assholery. I love that you came to my bed in a gown a nun should be wearing, but weirdly I found it hot as fuck on you.”
Laughing, he shook his head as if he couldn’t understand that one.
It was a sensible gown. In the evenings her apartment got cold and money was tight, so she couldn’t afford to turn up the heat. The gown had helped keep her warm. But she kept all of that to herself.
Both his hands cupped her ass, and he rubbed them up and down…up and down. “Is that enough or do you want more?”
“Enough.” She’d call all those traits he detailed malarkey, because he could find them in any number of women. So what, she had brains? Any number of girls was intelligent. That changed nothing. Guys like him didn’t shack up with the brainiac sort. Neither were they normally attracted to her brand of femininity. He thought her sexy, and she knew he was being honest because he and dishonesty weren’t known to be the best of friends.
She fiddled with the dog tags he wore, but in the dense lighting she couldn’t make out the name stamped into the metal. “You serve in the military?”
Jase shook his head. “They’re my dad’s. He was a Marine, and I wear them in his memory.”
Oh. That explained why he wore them all the time. Feeling awkward after bringing up the loss of his parents, she readjusted the navigation of her touch.
“Did these hurt?” Changing the subject to a safer topic, she trailed her fingertips along his tattoo-sleeves. It was an intricate piece of work that gave the appearance of mechanical apparatus beneath his left arm, while on his right arm a work of music intermixed with a host of differing skulls riddled his skin. She knew a fallen angel took up most of his back.
“Guess it depends on your pain tolerance.” He sounded hoarse, and she peeked at him. His gaze was locked on her mouth.
“I’m asking if it hurt you.”
“Certain areas hurt worse than others. Like my elbows and ribs.” He shrugged. “Nothing I couldn’t handle.”
Speaking of his ribs, she shifted her focus to the words inked there, tracing the tight lines: Music is the soul’s love song.
Jase’s breath hitched, and he caught her hand midway through the sentence. Lacing their fingers together, he kissed her knuckles before trailing his tongue along the pads of her fingertips.
“They’re sexy, Jase.”
“You’re sexy.” He nipped the tip of her finger and soothed the sting with licks. “You ever consider getting any ink?”
“Yeah.”
His eyebrows elevated as if her reply surprised him.
“What? Good girls get ink, too, you know.”
“Uh huh.”
Unsure what to make of that throaty agreement, she eyed him. “I considered getting ‘Faith’ tattooed on my wrist. Cash has been scarce so I….” Regretting mentioning her monetary situation, she trailed off with a wince.
“I’ll take you to get the tat or any other tat you want.”
There he went offering to spend more money on her. Unwilling to argue about it, she settled for asking, “Why would you want to?”
He released her hand and dragged his finger down between her breasts and belly, stopping at her bellybutton. His eyes shifted lower to where the sheet hid the juncture of her thighs.
“There’s an intimacy in first times I never appreciated until you came along.” His gaze slammed into hers, his dark eyes caging hers into holding his carnal stare. “I want to own all of your firsts.” Her heart pounded in her chest. She prayed he couldn’t hear it. If she rubbed her thighs together she suspected she’d go off, climaxing hard enough she’d yield anything to him. “Tell me you’ll give me this first.”
“I’ll…think about it.”
“Coward.”
“Okay, fine, I’ll let you take me to get my first tattoo if I get brave enough to do it.”
His pleased grin would’ve rivaled Satan’s when he succeeded in tempting the fall of mankind. “You really shouldn’t give into my wishes so easily, darlin’.”
“Now you warn me. Note to self: Jase Collins is a trickster.”
“In all things.” Why’d that sound more like he contemplated cheating at more important life altering choices? Those sinful thumbs of his went back to creating wispy circles against her hips, distracting her from her thoughts. “As much as I adore this sinful body…I need my beauty rest or I’ll kill a pap-fucker tomorrow. Might anyway, but it’s less likely to happen if I’m well-rested.”
Those words reminded her of how he’d defended her at the restaurant. Putting no thought behind her actions, Fallon kissed him. A platonic kiss where she brushed her lips across his, lingering a few seconds longer than customary for a nonsexual smooch. She took care not to rub her breasts against his chest even though she longed to feel the friction against her nipples. His fingers smoothed into her hair moments before her quiet smack echoed in the colossal room a second before she drew away from his mouth.
His thumb swished along the curve of her neck as his fingers tangled in her hair at her nape. His hold halted her from retreating too far from his biosphere.
His eyes were dark in the room, his expression unreadable. “We need to work on your delivery, darlin’.”
He shifted forward as he tugged her down, and his mouth latched onto hers. She followed his lead, parting her lips to receive his tongue. Fingers of his other hand clutched her hip, as he set a slow lap of his tongue against hers. His grip tightened moments before he flipped her over onto her back. Drawing away a fraction, he yanked the sheet from between them. He met her gaze as he divided her legs with his knee between hers. He dragged his leg upward along the flesh of her inner thigh, the hair on his leg tantalizing her sensitive skin. Another quick adjustment had her legs spread wide and him settling between them. All without breaking eye contact.
Lost to the demands of the professional seducer, Fallon whimpered and submitted to his advances.
Lazy wisps of his thumb created random designs along the line of her neck and shoulder, while he executed slow circular motions with his hips against her core. His erection rubbed against her clit and she sucked in a silent gasp, causing a grin to curl one corner of his mouth and a glint to sparkle in his eyes. She was so wet she could feel the moisture leaking from her core.
“Fai
r warning, Fallon. The next time I have you in this position, I won’t take the honorable route.” He punctuated his next sentence with tight, controlled rocks against her pussy, gliding his erection along her molten flesh in a naughty way. “I’ll put my dick in you and fuck you until you’re whimpering my name with god-like reverence.”
Jase watched as the reporter from Celebrity Beef was ushered into the game room. His agent-slash-PR-goddess-slash-jack-of-all-trades, Tab, had decided his home was the best place to conduct the interview. He preferred them on his soil, because that gave him leverage. The pap got out of line he could kick the motherfucker out the door. Rather Rain could kick the asswipe out the door.
The journalist gave Fallon a polite smile as Tab introduced them. “Fallon, this is Ralph Mendoza. Ralph…Fallon Morgan.”
Fallon shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“The pleasure is all mine. My filmographer, Lex.”
Lex tipped his head at them in greeting, but went about setting up the video camera without any further niceties.
Ralph eyed Jase. “Nice to see you again, Mr. Collins.”
Under normal circumstances Jase would permit him to use his first name. But he wasn’t in an affable mindset. He cared not at all that the man had aided Fang when it came to proposing to Sam. Or that Ralph Mendoza had never printed one mistruth about them. Unlike most pap he’d encountered, Ralph preferred the truth to scandal. What mattered to Jase was protecting his woman and child, which kept him in a guarded state of mind.
As a greeting, Jase nodded his head. He motioned to Rain. “Fallon and Faith’s bodyguard, Rain. I’m pretty sure his name is a euphemism for he’ll rain a good ol’ southern ass whoopin’ on you if you fuck with my girls’ reputation.” He didn’t mention that Rain wasn’t southern. That tidbit was an unnecessary side-note.
Ralph chuckled. “I swear I’m not packing.”
Tab shot Jase a glare. She knew him well enough to know he couldn’t be cowed, so he glared right back at her without any shame for his comment. Knowing him, he’d say much worse before they concluded the interview.
“She’s precious.” The journalist indicated a sleeping Faith who was nestled in his arms in her pale pink frilly dress. He’d picked out the dress himself. Sam had said something snarky about being surprised it wasn’t an Alabama dress to support his favorite college football team. She had no idea how tempted he’d been just to give the press something to hem-haw about his southern eccentrics. But he wanted his angel to be presented in a positive light. With that in mind, he’d chosen the sedate, very normal dress.
“Thank you,” Fallon said with a smile.
“She’s my angel.” That’s code for if you slander her or paint her unfavorable in any-goddamned-way I’ll fuck you up.
Ralph nodded, his features soft. “I understand. I have two girls, and I’m lovesick over them.”
In less than two weeks, Jase wasn’t just lovesick, his child owned him.
“You mind?” Celebrity Beef’s employee indicated his recorder. “I do it as backup just in case something goes wrong or something isn’t clear on video.”
“Nope.” He put the pacifier in Faith’s mouth when it fell out and she whimpered. “Remember you agreed you’d blur out Faith’s face on the video and any photos. The public isn’t to see shots of her face.”
“I remember. It’s a promise we’ll keep.” Ralph assessed the video-man a moment before turning back to them. “It’s a go. We’re ready when you two are.”
Jase glanced at Fallon. A nervous swallow bobbed her throat, and she gave him a wan smile. She nodded. Using his free hand, he reached out and laced their fingers together, giving them a little squeeze. “Relax, darlin’.” He leaned toward her and gave her a peck on the lips, then whispered, “I won’t let anything happen to you. Trust me to keep you safe.”
Wide-eyed she nodded.
“We’re ready,” he told the reporter.
A few moments later the videographer gave a signal with his hand and Jase knew they were live.
After thanking them for the exclusive interview, Ralph jumped straight into the questions. “So…a bodyguard. Do you feel like your family is in danger, Mr. Collins?”
“After the way your kind attacked her at work, I’d think you’d applaud my quick thinking.” No reason for him to know Jase had been conducting an interview at the time the incident at her workplace went down. “My family is my number one priority. Y’all should know that with all that’s gone on with Sam.”
“Your sister is an interesting girl and a pleasure to interview.”
As a response, Jase gave him a stare. Fallon’s fingers gripped his like a vise, and he ran his thumb along the flesh of her hand, hoping it’d soothe her a little.
“Ms. Morgan—”
“Please call me Fallon.”
Ralph inclined his head. “Fallon. How did you feel about the over-zealous reporters harassing you at work? I understand you lost your job because of it.”
“I was terrified. They were throwing questions at me so fast, I couldn’t process one before the next one came.”
“I’m sure if you watch the ViewTube video”—Jase assumed the paparazzi-man had—“you’ll see how terrified she was.”
“I think the world saw it, Mr. Collins. I understand you’re being sued.”
Fallon gasped at the news, and he could feel her stare. “None yet.” But he expected he’d be served any day.
Ralph asked, “How do you justify your violent actions?”
“For legal reasons, Jase shouldn’t address any questions regarding that incident.” He didn’t even look at Tab when she spoke.
“They were harassing her, Mr. Mendoza. Last time I checked that was a legal action as well. They wish to start a legal war, I’m pretty fucking sure I can outlast them financially. And….” He lifted Fallon’s hand and kissed her wrist. “I make no apologies for my actions when someone—anyone—stands in my way of getting to Fallon and protecting her. The same goes for my daughter. Fuck with my family, and you’re fucking with me.”
“Language, Mr. Collins. That’s a lot of bleeping.”
“Then fucking bleep it out. I don’t tone down for anyone, not even America.”
Fallon leaned against him, wrapping her other hand around his arm and squeezing as if she hugged. He looked at her as she pressed a kiss to his bicep. By the gleam in her eyes, he could tell his words meant something to her. “I’ve always got you, darlin’. Al-fucking-ways.”
She gave him a shy smile and not bothering to resist, he leaned down and gave her a quick, hard kiss. Let the press see firsthand how much she meant to him. Let the world know he’d staked his claim.
Ralph cleared his throat. “Some might say you exhibited excessive protection.”
Jase really didn’t give two-fucks what ‘some might say’. All he cared about was his family and maintaining their safety. In his insane world where the press considered every moment of his life newsworthy, safety measures had to be taken to ensure their well-being. Let the bastards sue him. It wouldn’t be the first time, and he knew it wouldn’t be the last time. If he had his way, he’d talk Fallon into pressing charges for harassment. Hopefully that’d teach them to never mess with what was his. “Any man in my position would’ve done the same. Wouldn’t you take any action necessary to protect your wife, Mr. Mendoza?”
“Fallon’s not your wife.”
“Since when does a woman have to be a man’s wife to receive his protection?”
Ralph shrugged. “Just playing devil’s advocate.”
In other words the paparazzi fucker probably would’ve reacted the same way. “Exactly. Judge me all you want, but she was trapped in a bathroom. I received a 911 call from a kind woman who came to her aid, and I could hear the buzz of the paparazzi in the background. I had no idea what might’ve been done to her. What might still be done to her before I got there.”
“Why didn’t you call the police?”
“Why didn’
t her boss call them?” Jase shot back. Really? The reporter wanted to blame him for his nuclear behavior, but wouldn’t single others out on their inaction. He might have his attorney file legal suit against her former employer too. He was furious enough that he might sue every fucker he could think of for distressing her. “It is his duty to protect his customers and his employees. He did nothing to aid her safety, and he fired Fallon afterward for causing the ruckus, as if she instigated it.” He clenched his teeth. Yep, that bastard was definitely getting sued on principle alone.
“Valid point.” Ralph conceded and addressed his next question to Fallon. “Did you not realize how the press could be?”
She shook her head. Despite her nervousness her voice came out strong. “No. This isn’t my world, Mr. Mendoza. Jase tried to explain to me, but I didn’t really believe him.”
“Take it from someone who has lived in both worlds, no one can explain the paparazzi-craze until it’s lived.” He released Fallon’s hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, permanently drawing her into his space.
Ralph nodded. “I can believe that. What’s it like being a parent?”
“My heart is filled with so much love it’s amazing.” She beamed a smile at him. “And it’s exhausting.” She laughed, and he could feel some of the tension leaving her body as she relaxed beneath him.
“Middle of the night feedings is the near death of every parent,” the reporter agreed with a grin.
“It’s hard work, but the payoff is worth it, worth everything I sacrifice for her.”
Jase would’ve kissed Fallon again for that obvious expression of love for Faith, but he restrained himself. Instead, he grinned at Fallon and said, “Faith and Fallon are the best moments of my life. I’d sacrifice my career to capture one moment of joy they bring to my life.”
“What would you say to the teens who idolize you and who might want to emulate you?” Ralph scribbled some notes on the pad in his hands. “What would you say to them about unplanned pregnancies and giving up your dreams for a child?”
“There should be better parenting if I’m a teen’s idol. Very little of my behavior is worthy of respect. My best advice, don’t do anything I do.”
Lost in the Beat Page 17
