by Bryony Kayn
“Good morning,” he said, his voice rough.
She grinned up at him, seeing only one eye through his tangle of dark hair. “Morning,” she replied, not taking her hand from his ass.
He glanced at her upper arm and frowned, turning onto his side so he could sit up. “Shit, Jae,” he said, touching the bruises gently. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know I grabbed you so hard.”
She sat back on her heels, her long hair covering her breasts as she gazed at him. “Sometimes you don’t realize how strong you are,” she said softly, not an accusation, just a statement of fact.
“I’m sorry, baby,” he said again, leaning forward to kiss the thumbprint bruise. “I never meant to hurt you.” Then he pulled her to him, holding her against his chest, her head against his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
Jake sighed, relaxing into his embrace. “It’s okay, babe. I’m okay,” she said at last, knowing he needed to hear it from her. “You just need to be careful. You know what Angel’s gonna say.”
Steve grimaced. Angel had always made his feelings clear about this kind of thing. “It won’t ever happen again,” he said, making it sound like a promise, and lifted her chin so she could meet his eyes. “I never want to hurt you.”
Her lips curved as she smiled and gazed into his dark eyes. “Then please me instead,” she said, slipping her hand behind his neck. “And let me please you.”
He lowered his head, his lips touching hers, and she opened her mouth to him. Suddenly he was holding her tightly, turning her until she lay on her back with him above her. He brushed locks of blond hair away from her, baring her breasts to his hands and mouth. He teased her nipples with teeth and tongue, and she ran her hands over his back, gasping and arching her back as the pressure of his teeth became almost painful. She caught her fingers in his hair, holding his head down to her, and cried out wordlessly as he sucked hard on one nipple, then moved to the other. His hands, so strong and skilled, moved over her body. He left her breasts to kiss her again, his tongue slipping past her lips; his hand slid down between her legs, fingertips touching the center of her pleasure.
She moaned against his mouth, opening her legs for him, and arched her back again as he manipulated that most sensitive point. It might have been hours or only a few seconds; suddenly she was there, riding a swelling wave of sensation that swiftly carried her to orgasm. Her nails dug into his back, and she threw her head back, crying out.
Steve put his mouth against Jake’s throat, sucking lightly so he would leave no mark. His fingers kept moving, keeping her on the crest of that wave. He ignored the pain of her nails on his back. He deserved it for bruising her. He’d said he was sorry, but that was only words. All he could do was try to make up for it like this, by giving her so much pleasure she would forget about the pain he’d caused her.
“Oh, Steve,” she moaned, eyes half closed and face flushed, “I want you. God, I want you inside me—”
He moved between her legs, guiding himself into her waiting warmth, and smiled when she groaned and lifted her hips toward him.
“All of you,” she whispered, her hands clutching his sides, “I want all of you.”
He penetrated her fully, leaning up on his elbows so he wouldn’t crush her, and gazed down into her face. When she opened her eyes to look up at him, he said, “I love you, Jae.”
“Steve—” she breathed, her hips moving beneath him, her stomach muscles rippling.
“Say it, Jae. Say it to me,” he urged, thrusting into her slowly, sliding out again, keeping the pace leisurely, although he knew he would be unable to do so for long.
She turned her head to one side then the other, as though trying to avoid his gaze. But her hands still clutched his sides and her hips still moved beneath him in wordless urging.
“I need to hear you say it,” he said, moving even slower. His heart was pounding in his chest, and it took all his control not to plunge into her wildly. “Jae, I need to hear it—”
“Oh, God,” she wailed, covering her face with her hand, and he felt her trembling beneath him.
“Baby, please,” he whispered.
She sobbed, putting her arms around him almost reluctantly, and there were tears in her darkened eyes, although they didn’t fall. “I love you, baby. I do. I still love you after everything.”
“Jae, my beautiful woman,” he said and increased his pace, unable to hold back any longer. She met him, thrust for thrust, crying out with each impact. “God, I love you.”
“…Love you…” she breathed, her hands tightening on his back. “Oh, Steve—”
Chapter 4
It was early afternoon when they pulled up in front of T.J.’s house. Angel’s red convertible was already parked in the drive behind Marlo’s full-size Chevy truck. Steve parked beside Angel’s car, turning off the engine. Jake sat in the passenger seat wearing one of his T-shirts, the sleeves just long enough to hide the bruises on her arms. She wore dark glasses to shade her eyes, and her hair was pulled back in a clip to keep it out of her face.
“We’d better go in,” she said, leaning close so she could kiss him. His lips were warm, tasting slightly of cinnamon, which he’d added to his morning coffee. When he put his hand behind her head to keep her from pulling away, she murmured wordlessly, her tongue lightly flicking across his lips. When the kiss deepened, she put her hand against his chest. “You’re gonna be late,” she whispered against his mouth.
“I don’t care,” he replied, his fingers caught in her hair, and he kissed her again.
She moaned softly, letting him pull her closer, and ignored the center console digging into her ribs. The touch of his mouth, especially at times like this when he was so concentrated on her, was enough to start her thinking about taking his clothes off. She let her hand slide down his chest, across his stomach, and to his crotch. She felt him smile against her mouth as she stroked him. She jumped when knuckles rapped on her window.
“You guys have got to be kidding me,” Marlo said, his voice muffled as it came through the glass. “Didn’t you get enough of that before you left the house?”
Jake laughed, taking her hand away from Steve, and grinned up at the drummer. “Never get enough, Bam-bam,” she replied and opened her door.
Steve growled under his breath, something about being interrupted, and got out of his side of the car.
Marlo put his arm across Jake’s shoulders and looked down at her with a fond smile. “Someday I’m gonna find a sweetie like you, and then I can spend all my time making out in the driveway.”
“The idea is to find one and keep her,” Steve said, waiting at the front of the car for them to join him. “Not find a new one every week.”
Marlo grinned, unabashed. “Still trying to find the right one, man. How’m I s’posed to do that if I don’t keep looking?”
Jake just shook her head, going up on tiptoe to kiss Marlo’s cheek. Then she took Steve’s outstretched hand and walked beside him into the house. Marlo stopped to grab something out of his truck and followed them through the house, then back outside and across the patio to the freestanding studio.
“Starting to wonder if you were gonna show,” T.J. said when they trooped inside. Angel was inside the soundproofed room, his guitar strapped over his shoulder. He nodded at Jake when he saw her come in, smiling in greeting, then went back to what he was doing. He’d been in the process of warming up before beginning to record.
“Jake wouldn’t let me out of bed,” Steve said nonchalantly, taking a seat in the leather chair next to T.J.’s.
“Huh,” she said, putting her hands on her hips. “Not quite how I remember it.”
He tossed black hair out of his face and smiled at her, a slight, sardonic twist to his lips. “If you’d stop being so sexy, I wouldn’t have any problems getting out of bed.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” she replied blandly and went to kick back on the couch. She spent the next couple of hours there, listening to Angel play, and then T.J. Eventually,
it got late enough in the day that she needed to get going. Glancing at the clock, she stretched leisurely, her arms above her head.
“It’s about that time,” she said, getting up and standing behind Steve’s chair. She leaned over, putting her arms around his chest, and just held him for a moment. “Who’s gonna lend me a car?”
Angel glanced at her from T.J.’s usual spot, his expression suddenly severe, but his voice was neutral as he said, “I will. Just let me walk out with you, Jake. I need to grab something before you take off.”
“See you at the club later?” she asked, and Steve nodded, turning his head to meet her gaze.
“I’ll be down as soon as we’re done here,” he said, leaning his head back a little in silent invitation.
She smiled, touching her lips to his, and moved her hands over his chest. Then she pulled away, letting her hands linger on his wide shoulders for a moment. “See you later, then,” she said and then waved to T.J. inside the recording room. He waved back, grinning at her. “Bye, Marlo,” she added, giving him a thumbs-up, which he returned. Then she exited the studio with Angel right behind her.
He didn’t say anything, just slipped his arm around her waist while they walked along the short path to the back door, then through the house to the front. Once they stepped outside the front door, however, he stopped her.
“What’s up?” she asked, guessing by his expression that he was upset.
Wordlessly, he slid the sleeve of her T-shirt up, baring the bruises on her upper arm. Before she could say anything, he checked the other arm, revealing matching bruises. “What the fuck is going on?” he asked, his voice controlled but angry.
Jake sighed, covering her eyes with one hand wearily. “Nothing,” she finally said, making herself look up at him again. If she didn’t meet his eyes, he would think she was lying. “Nothing is going on, babe. He just—” She paused, putting her hands on Angel’s waist. “He forgets how strong he is. You know that.”
“Are you hiding any other bruises?” Angel asked, his voice still tight.
“No,” she replied honestly. “This happened yesterday in front of Jezebel’s. I know you saw him grab my arms. That’s it. That’s all that happened.”
“I don’t want to see this bullshit starting all over again,” he said, finally relenting, his hands smoothing loose strands of hair away from her face. “I swear to God, Jake, if he starts hitting you again, I’ll break his fucking neck.”
She slid her arms around him, stepping forward until she leaned against him with her cheek against his chest. “He won’t,” she said softly. She was aware that she was trying to convince herself as much as Angel. “Don’t worry so much, babe. He just has to remember how strong he is, that’s all.”
“I’ll remind him,” Angel said grimly.
She sighed again, stepping back so she could look up into his face once more. “Don’t get into a fight over it, Angel-mine. We already talked about it this morning. He apologized for hurting me, even though it was unintentional. That should be the end of it.”
“I’m still going to talk to him,” Angel said stubbornly, and Jake quirked a smile.
“Good luck with that, babe,” she said wryly, glad when his set expression softened a little. “I’ve gotta get going, or I’m gonna be late. I still need to run back to the house and change.”
“Fine,” he said, walking the rest of the way with her to his car. He handed her the keys, and opened the door for her. When she was behind the wheel, she dropped her sunglasses from the top of her head back to her nose and smiled up at him. “I’ll see you tonight at the Neon,” he added, leaning over.
She lifted her face, giving him her lips to kiss instead of the cheek he’d been aiming for. The kiss was chaste, but lasted longer than it might have. Jake touched his face with her hand and smiled when he lifted up enough to meet her eyes, his own green eyes troubled. “Love you, sweetheart,” she said softly, meaning it sincerely, if not entirely the way he might have wanted. “See you later.” Then she started the car and waited only long enough for him to straighten before backing out of the driveway. When she glanced back once in the rearview mirror, she could see that he was still standing there, watching as she drove down the street.
Steve walked into the Neon, Angel following him inside, and headed directly for the bar. There was a scowl on his face, and his jaw was set. Angel hadn’t said anything while they were at T.J.’s, but as soon as they’d gotten in the car to head to the club, he’d started in about the bruises on Jake’s arms. Steve had explained what happened, had explained that he’d apologized and promised it would never happen again. But Angel wouldn’t drop it. All the way here he’d lectured Steve, reminding him how the violence between them had escalated before. Angel had also reminded him caustically that the solution to that problem had been for Jake to take off, abandoning her life here for the next three years.
Now, Steve stopped at the bar and nodded at Don. “Where’s Jake?” he asked.
The bartender motioned with his head toward the dance floor. There was no band tonight, so the DJ was playing random music and taking requests. The current song pounding through the speakers was a single off Blackstone’s last album, called “The Tease.” In the small crowd of people dancing, Steve caught a glimpse of Jake. He couldn’t tell who she was dancing with or if she was dancing by herself.
“Get me a whiskey?” he asked, turning back to Don.
“Sure, coming right up,” the bartender replied, turning to grab a glass.
“Make it two,” Angel said, leaning against the bar beside Steve.
Steve glanced at the taller man but didn’t say anything to him. When Don came back with two whiskeys, he pulled out a bill and dropped it on the bar. “Keep the change, man,” he said, picking up his glass and emptying it in one long swallow.
Angel frowned at him and took a sip of his own drink before turning to look at the dance floor.
“Make up your face and do your hair, you’ve got a certain savoir faire,” Steve’s voice growled from the speakers, and Jake appeared in a break between people dancing. “You’re on your way into the night. No one can say it’s not your right. You’ll pick them up just to throw them away, fucked up rules to the game you play,” the recording went on, heavy bass and slide guitar giving the song a strutting, raunchy feel. “Without even trying, pull the wool over their eyes—led by their balls, believing your lies—”
As the chorus kicked in, Jake backed even farther into the clear spot on the dance floor, her palms pressed against the palms of the person she danced with. She was smiling, moving her hips to the groove, and when the last couple who was blocking their view moved, Angel and Steve both saw that Jake’s partner was Spyk.
“You’ll swear on the Bible you’re not a whore, just leave the money beside the door—” Steve’s recorded voice rasped, and the two women moved closer together, putting their arms around each other’s waist. It appeared they were both singing along with the song.
Steve clenched his jaw so tightly he could feel his teeth grinding. The two women moved stomach-to-stomach, hips swaying in unison, and Spyk moved her hands sensuously up Jake’s ribs and over the outside curves of her breasts before sliding up to her shoulders and under the fall of her long, golden hair. The kiss Spyk had stolen in front of Jezebel’s yesterday was completely innocent compared to this display.
Angel glanced sideways at Steve. “Leave it alone,” he warned. “They’re just cutting loose a little, man. She’s not suddenly going to turn dyke and leave you for another woman.”
Steve sneered and turned back to the bar to get another drink.
“Years will pass and day to day, you’ll perfect your mode of play,” the song went on. “But when all is said and done—do you care about anyone? The party’s over; there’s no one here to see the tracks of lonely tears. But who would care if they saw your pain? You’ve played and lost your own heartless game—”
As the song moved toward the chorus again, Nikky
suddenly appeared in the crowd, an arm around each woman. Now the three of them danced together. Nikky pulled Jake between him and Spyk, and the three of them shimmied together, Nikky’s hands on Jake’s hips, Spyk’s hands on her shoulders.
“Fucking slut,” Steve swore.
“Who, Nikky?” Angel asked, holding a hand up between them as though to block Steve’s glare. “Fuck, Steve, calm down.”
“You’ll swear on the Bible you’re not a whore… Just leave the money beside the door…” As the song faded to silence and another began, Jake put her arms around Spyk and Nikky, saying something to them before dropping a kiss on Spyk’s cheek. When she went to pull away, Nikky held her back, presenting his own cheek for kissing. She laughed and stretched up to kiss his cheek just as he turned his head. Her kiss landed on his mouth, and she slapped his chest coyly with the back of her hand.
“Yeah, him too,” Steve said sourly, watching as Jake threaded her way through the crowd. She was wearing her usual skin-tight jeans, but instead of a tank top or T-shirt, she wore a button-front shirt with the long sleeves rolled up to her elbows. The top three buttons were undone, revealing her cleavage.
“Hey, baby,” she said a little breathlessly when she reached Steve and Angel. “When did you get here?”
“Just a few minutes ago,” Steve said, putting an arm around her waist and pulling her up short against him. “Having fun?”
She smiled, either unaware of Steve’s irritation or choosing to ignore it. “Yeah, actually I am.” She slid her hands up behind his head, pulling him down for a kiss. It was unhurried and thorough, and after a couple of seconds, he relaxed and enjoyed the touch of her mouth. “I’ve gotta get back to work,” she said, moving her hands down over his muscled chest in a teasing caress. “Will you be around when I take my next break?” She didn’t bother to ask him to dance. He had made it clear a long time ago that he didn’t dance, which was the only reason he let her dance with their friends.
