by Jaye Ripley
“You think I wouldn’t recognize another manipulating bitch if I met one?” I growl. “And what are you implying about Mel? That she forced herself onto that stage? You should have heard her at the end. She told me to get her off the stage so we could all stand in the spotlight and take our bows.”
Levi chimes in. “That was a fucking awesome ending to our concert. I never thought ‘Wind Blows West’ could sound like that. She deserved some of the spotlight herself.”
“No one’s questioning that she’s talented. That was a huge gamble you took with our show tonight, Hunter. It definitely paid off,” says Mac. “I just want you to be sure of what you’re starting, because regardless of what it is between the two of you, we’re all headed to Nashville in less than a month.”
Hart walks over to us. “Maybe before we get any further up Hunter’s ass about the girl, we should all watch this.”
The video on his phone starts at the point when Mel walks back on stage to sing the encore with me. She radiates even over the shaky video. I watch myself lean into her, asking her to sing the song as a duet.
“We didn’t even talk about how we were going to sing the song. I started off changing the lyrics as if I were singing to her. She naturally followed my lead.”
“Seriously?” asks Mac. “Then I’m even more impressed. And her harmony?”
The stupid grin on my face grows wider. “That’s all her.” She captivates me even on the small screen of the phone.
A random voice from the crowd on the video asks, “Who the hell is she?”
Good fucking question. And one I want to spend as much time as possible finding the answers to.
At the end of the video, the crowd explodes into screams with our over-the-top kiss. The guys continue to stare at the screen when the playback cuts off, saying nothing. One by one, they all settle back, finding a spot nearby to perch or sit.
EJ takes out his wallet and hands me the sixty bucks he just took. “Here.” He thrusts it at me.
“What’s that for?” I ask.
“Take her out somewhere nice.”
I laugh long and hard at my friend. “It’s after 2am. There’s nowhere to take her at this point.” Every restaurant and bar will be closed, and that amount won’t exactly pay for luxury accommodations.
“Still.” EJ stands up, shaking the bills at me. “I had no idea… you two looked like… take the money, Hunter. I don’t know. Buy her a nice meal in the morning. I’m gonna head out.”
The other guys also stand up, stretching and groaning. They gather up their things and talk to each other about the next time they’re going to see each other.
As EJ heads toward the side door, he turns and walks backwards. “Hey, Nana said to come over tomorrow morning to eat if y’all want.”
“Yeah?” asks Hart. “What’s she making?”
“Nana’s making waffles,” EJ replies in his best imitation of Donkey’s voice from Shrek. “But really, just text me if you want to come over. Peace out, fuckers.”
“I’m out, too,” adds Hart. He and Levi wave at me. “Tonight definitely was epic.”
“Hey Hart. Those videos are on our Facebook page, right?” Mac asks.
Hart rolls his eyes. “Yes.”
“We’ll have to go through to tag and share any that are on YouTube so that they show up on our subscription page as well.” Mac takes out his phone and starts swiping.
Hart scoffs. “Yeah, have fun doing that. I’m gonna take Levi back to get his truck. Talk to you tomorrow.”
“How ‘bout you let Levi drive and save your own damn wheels from all the potholes?”
Levi, with a smirk, holds out his hand for the keys. Hart flips both of us off. The two of them walk out fussing at each other, leaving only my best friend and me in the room. All the lights are off except a few around the perimeters.
In the quiet, my thoughts take over as I replay the few times Mel and I even interacted today. Can I be so enthralled after such a short time? Or is it simply that, as EJ so eloquently puts it, I’ve been denying myself any physical contact? I’m not a monk like he thinks. But he’s right. Gemma did a number on me, and it still affects me even after a year’s gone by.
As if in answer, instinctive tingles of tension break over my body. Turning in the direction of the hall toward the kitchen, I spot Mel’s silhouette standing at the entrance. Jumping up, I knock over a small table next to the couch. My empty beer bottle crashes to the floor. The sound of shattered glass echoes in the empty room.
“Shit.” Subtract any cool points I earned tonight.
The noise pulls Mac out of his phone. He follows my gaze. “Oh, hey, Mel. You, ma’am, have a gorgeous voice.” He stands up, tips his baseball cap, and offers out his hand. “I’m Mac.”
Mel, whose hips sway like a cat on the prowl, walks over to us and shakes his hand. “Pleased to officially meet you. You guys were on fire tonight.”
“I can’t believe you and Hunter hadn’t pre-arranged the last song. Have you had much musical training?” asks Mac.
I set the table upright behind me, and bend down to pick up my mess.
“Don’t touch the glass. I’ll tell Trey, and somebody can clean that up in the daylight. Be careful as you guys leave the area as some of the shards might have scattered,” she instructs. “As for my musical abilities? Well, I can read basic notes. Learned how to when I was a kid. But that’s about it. Can’t play any instruments.”
“You can play with me anytime,” I say, mesmerized by her eyes that watch me with care. “I mean, with us. And sing, not play.”
Wasn’t it just a little while ago I played the cool, dominating lead singer? Where the hell is he?
Her mouth turns up at the corners as she takes me in with her eyes. Her slight grin disappears when she talks business. “So Trey wants to talk to one of you about tonight’s take and what he’ll be paying out to the band.”
“I’m on it. Thanks again for tonight, Mel, especially for taking such good care of all of our families. Call me tomorrow,” Mac says as he heads toward Trey’s office.
Alone in the dim room, my hands itch to touch her. In two seconds, she can be naked underneath me on the couch. Or naked and spread out on the couch with me kneeling in front of her. Or leaning over the couch with me behind her.
The pants of my own breath fill the air. My dick encourages me to choose and get on with it. But as sure as I was earlier that she’d be going home with me tonight, the shit my friends gave me holds me back from taking what I want.
“Hey,” I say to her in almost a whisper.
Mel takes two steps, places one hand around my neck and the other on my face, and pulls me into her, crushing her mouth against mine. Where I had to convince her to give in earlier, she now seduces my mouth open, her tongue slipping in to dance with mine.
My arms snake around her body and pull her against my throbbing cock. Kissing her will never be enough. Touching her won’t satisfy the need growing inside me. Every inch of her needs to be touched by me, branded by me, until she can’t think of anyone else but me.
Our kiss is rough. My stubble scratches her face, but she never pulls back. Her tongue licks my top lip, and I suck her bottom lip, biting its plump mound. Something between a groan and a purr comes out of her, and it takes a Herculean effort not to rip off every stitch of her clothing.
We kiss until I lose all breath. Even as I try to pull away to recover, she increases the intensity of her attack, willing to suck all the life out of me.
If kissing Mel means death, then I’ll die happy, drowning in her.
10
Mel
Kissing Hunter is like going to the county fair. My stomach quakes with butterflies at the anticipation. My mind crowds with all the possibilities and choices of what comes next like a kid on her first time, wanting to try it all. Instead of waiting for him to make his move, I’ve taken the hammer to swing for the win. I’m sure if I bang long and hard enough, I’ll ring his bell and win priz
e after prize.
The biggest thrill that sends my body on its own Tilt-A-Whirl comes from Hunter’s responses to me. He grunts every time my fingers run through his hair, grabbing his head and holding him close. His teeth nibble at my lips, and his tongue entwines with mine. His hunger for more equals mine. By the way we’re going at each other, we’re both starved.
If I push my body against his and walk him backwards a bit, he could land on the couch. Then I could straddle him. Or take off his shirt and lick those abs-for-days I know he has underneath his shirt. Or unzip his pants and kneel in front of him. Choice after delicious choice makes my drenched pussy clench more than once.
Occasionally, he tries to slow down and pull away, but my idea of never letting go is so much better. A change in angle and sucking on his bottom lip keeps him attached to me for a few seconds more. It takes his hands moving from my ass to my shoulders and a concerted effort on his part to pull his hips away from mine for me to concede and give us a break.
Our chests heave. The sound of our panting combats the silent room. My eyes close as my body enjoys the sweet ache building inside of me. Hunter rests his forehead against mine. His hand touches my face, his thumb tracing over my swollen lips.
“Holy Hell,” he exhales.
Satisfaction blooms inside of me. “Hey, Hunter.” My eyes open to find his still closed as he catches his breath. I lean into his neck and whisper in his ear, “You know, I could strip naked and take you right here on this couch.”
Hunter’s eyes fly open, and his breath hitches. The grip from his one hand on my shoulder tightens, and he pushes me back.
“That’s it. We’ve got to get out of here.”
“What? Not a good idea? I thought that’s where we were headed tonight.” My pout is just playful enough.
He lets me go and rakes his finger through his messed up hair. Hat on or off, the man looks fan-fucking-tastic. But I think I prefer no hat. It allows my fingers to run through his dark hair.
“I don’t know where we’re headed,” he starts. “I mean, I know where I want to go, if you’re willing. But not right now. Not on the couch. But, yeah. Maybe? Shit, I’m fucking this up.”
Hot damn, look at the effect I have on the domineering sexy singer. One second, he has me submitting. The next, I’ve got him flustered. When we finally come together, it’s gonna be one hell of a ride.
“No worries. I wanted to thank you in the best way I knew how for tonight, and words didn’t seem like enough. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.” I kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you.”
His face softens, and his eyes finally meet mine. “The feeling’s more than mutual. And thank you for going with it. My God, woman, you can sing.”
My turn to feel self-conscious. “I didn’t know I could. Not like that at least. I think it’s the effect of a sexy man giving me commands.”
“And some bourbon,” Hunter adds. “You look beautiful, by the way.”
My snort surprises us both. His good lie breaks the spell surrounding us. “Yeah, right. This is my work uniform, and I’m a walking mass of sweat. Nothing beautiful or sexy about it.”
The space of the room swallows his genuine laugh. “I think we both have good reasons to be sweaty tonight. Being the front man of a band is hard work.”
“Oh yes, I’m sure being a sex god in front of all those screaming women works you hard, sir.”
My smartass remark earns me a light spank from him.
“Anyway, would you mind terribly if I took a quick shower in the locker room? I mean, if you need to go…you don’t have to stick around.” I give him a clear out—a last chance to stop things.
“That’s right. I forgot there are showers here. I could use one myself. Except I didn’t bring a change of clothes or even a clean T-shirt with me.”
I offer him my hand, and move us in the direction of the locker rooms. “We’ve got extra work shirts here.”
It takes no time to rummage one of the old logo shirts from a box in the storage room.
“You bad girl,” he rumbles in my ear after I give it to him.
“Damn straight.”
“Meet you at my truck in 10.”
And he’s back to being bossy again.
“Give me like 15, and I’ll see you there, sir.” With a short salute, I leave to take my shower.
Moving on from the Tilt-A-Whirl to the Zipper. My stomach flips at the rush of adrenaline of what comes after the next fifteen minutes.
* * *
The shower offers more than a chance to clean myself up. It refreshes me, and gives me the space to clear my head. No point in denying that Hunter’s still dangerous. But if I play my cards right, the two of us can have an incredible time tonight and maybe into tomorrow. Then he can go on his merry way to Nashville, and my body can go back to its deliberate celibacy having rebooted itself with a little booty.
Walking out of the club, my hand checks the placement of the red bandana one more time, making sure it still holds my hairstyle, looser now after my shower, in place for now. The bag full of condoms, thanks to Bee, rests on my shoulder. Each step toward Hunter solidifies my choice for tonight.
It doesn’t take me long to see his huge black Ford F-150. The motor runs while he waits for me, so he doesn’t hear me approach. When I knock on the window, he jumps a bit, dropping his cell phone into his lap.
“Caught me off guard,” he says as he steps out of his truck with a sheepish grin.
“You were expecting someone else? Okay, goodbye.” I turn on my heel, but he catches my elbow.
He pulls me in for a strong but quick kiss. “Not so fast. No turning back now. And look. I’ve got something to show you.” He hands me his cell phone. “Somebody already posted a video of us singing the last song.”
There we are on a shaky but clear video singing to each other a musical foreplay, oblivious to the world. The playback lasts until the final kiss, but I don’t want to watch the dull copy. I want to experience the real thing.
I hand him his phone back. “We’re not bad together, you and I.”
Hunter takes the phone and my hand. He lifts my warm hand to his lips. “No, ma’am. What we are is definitely not bad.” Even the lightest touch from him reignites the fire inside of me.
He twists my hand and plants light kisses on my palm and wrist. For someone I took to be a true Dominant, his sweet side confuses me. But it also touches the inner parts of me not meant to be accessed.
Yanking my hand away from his lips with gentle force, I reach for his face and pull it into mine. As soon as our lips touch, the inferno we started before flares back to life, and we lose ourselves to the rhythm of our tongues and other parts of our body we can merge together.
Hunter’s massive hard on presses against me, reminding me of how much he has to offer. Determined to reach my goal, my hand moves down the length of his torso toward his bulging pants. My brain barely registers his hard, cut muscles underneath his shirt before my hand reaches its target. His erection twitches underneath my palm slowly running up and down his hard length. A guttural groan escapes his throat as he matches my raw craving, and deepens the kiss.
Without warning, Hunter grabs both my hands and pushes me off his body. “Damn it, Mel. Slow down.” Both of our chests heave.
Puzzled, I try to move out of his grasp, but he holds on fast. Unwilling to give up, I challenge, “What if I don’t want to?”
“Then I’m going to have to tie you up to make you behave. And I really don’t want to do that with you. At least, not tonight.”
No talk of anything beyond what we have right now allowed. Changing tactics, I lick my lips to capture his attention. “I don’t mind being tied up. In fact, there are a lot of things I wouldn’t mind doing with you. Or to you.” My body leans forward against him, but he shifts his hold to my shoulders and pushes me back.
Rejection replaces the hunger coursing through me, and I jerk away from him. “If you don’t want me, just say so.” He�
��s wound me up so tight all night long that any more waiting will cause an explosion. And for all the fun and games, the flirting and the play, I deserve the payoff of hot sex, not mind fucks.
I turn to leave. “I’ll see if I can catch a ride home with Trey.”
That last parting shot is mean and uncalled for, but Hunter drives me crazy. If we aren’t going to fuck, then I want to go home to at least give myself some release with my Battery Operated Boyfriend. One way or another, an explosion is imminent—by his hand or by my own.
Before I take more than three steps, Hunter’s voice bounces off the brick walls of the club and empty parking lot. “Stop.”
My damn feet obey, exactly like before. I stand, waiting for the next command, a little pissed at myself for not moving and a lot more excited for the possibilities. My mind races to anticipate his next move.
Hunter walks up behind me, his body temperature warming my back. Instead of commanding me to turn and look at him, he wraps himself around me and gives me a hard squeeze. He holds onto me long enough for me to relax into his embrace. His breath tickles my neck from where he nuzzles into me, his stubble scratching my skin.
When I start to speak, he places his finger gently over my mouth. “Don’t speak. Give me a chance to process things and explain.”
Before he continues, he nestles further into my neck, inhaling me and brushing his lips lightly over my sensitive skin. If he thinks I can live in this erotic limbo for long, the fact that I may burst into flames will prove him wrong.
“I do want you, Melody,” he starts.
When I protest his use of my full name, he lightly nips my neck with his teeth.
“I will call you that, and you’ll let me. Not because it reminds you of things you don’t have to tell me about, but because it’s exactly what you are—my Melody. And after we just sang together tonight, I don’t know how you could even deny that what we have is worth more than a quick fuck.”
