“I want you,” I murmured, my eyes staring straight down the middle of my stomach into his. He stopped instantly and stared with concern. “We can’t. Not today, No condoms, baby,” he muttered in frustration and placed his mouth back on my pussy.
“I don’t care.” And I truly didn’t. Nothing was more important than Simon being inside me right then.
Simon sucked harder and within seconds a dizzy feeling engulfed me as my body tightened and immediately thousands of tiny lights burst behind my eyelids in a wave of ecstasy I had never experienced before.
From my toes to my head, every last nerve shook and quivered, as I became lost in the headiest orgasm of my life. I screamed, losing control as it all became too much. I fought to push Simon’s head away, but he continued to lap at me like he’d die if he pulled away.
Immediately after I came, he crawled up beside me and kissed me hard, then he tenderly pulled me close to his chest. Waiting until my body recovered, we eventually settled down, and my breathing returned to normal.
Softly, he kissed my temple and stroked my hair. I looked up into his eyes. Tears sprang to my eyes because I felt overcome with emotion; hurt because he didn’t do what I knew we both wanted.
“Shh, babe. I’m not having unprotected sex with you right out of the gate. Last thing I want is for you to regret any of this later. I’m really honored you trust me with this, but I’m not prepared to take risks with you for a few minutes pleasure.”
“You’re making me feel like I don’t know my own mind,” I pouted, hurt I’d been willing to go all the way and he'd called a halt to it.
“Look, I get you have all these feelings running through you and they can make you feel like it’s what you need, but one of us has to be responsible for the consequences of them. I’m not gonna take advantage of you like that. When we get down to it I want to know you’re protected.”
It was hard to be mad when deep down I knew he was right. I was in the moment and acting on impulse and my heart squeezed that even in the heat of passion, Simon had still been willing to forgo his own pleasure to ensure we made the right decisions that kept me safe.
Chapter Fifteen
Waking with an empty ache in my stomach, I groaned and stretched until my toes trailed down a hairy leg. My eyes immediately shot open and my heart leapt to my mouth.
Simon lay facing me sound asleep and my heart flipped over in my chest. I was surprised he hadn’t left. Oh. My. God. He stayed the night with me.
Stunningly handsome, he looked so peaceful in sleep, with his red shiny lips slightly parted, long dark lashes fanning his cheekbones and his soft, tan skin meeting his dark brown beard. His large hand lay palm down and was partially hidden by his pillow.
Wild feelings ran through my body when I thought back to what we had done, and my heart squeezed as my core clenched excitedly. Feelings of affection, desire, and lust filled my head and my chest felt tight because I never wanted to leave my bed. Even though he was right there, I was still struggling to accept he wanted only me.
Fighting off negative thoughts, I had decided to take the risk. Continuing to give him my trust, he’d have it unless there was overwhelming proof to the contrary.
It wasn’t as if he hadn’t already earned it from all the time we had spent at home in Colorado. I’d known him for over two years and from my perspective that was a long time for someone to hide their flaws.
“Are you watching me sleeping?” he murmured. His lips barely moved and his eyes remained closed. An instant smile graced my lips. Is he always good natured in the morning?
“I may have been,” I admitted, and he cracked a slow sleepy smile and moved his hand from under his pillow to scoop me into his chest. He placed his other hand on my butt and tugged me into his side. I moved my head over his heart and listened to his steady heartbeat.
“You’re so fucking delicious, you know that?” He muttered and kissed the top of my head.
“Delicious?” I asked, thinking it a strange choice of words.
“Yeah, exactly my taste,” he clarified before letting out a deep sigh of contentment. My heart swelled with his admission and butterflies joined the ache in my belly.
“Do you know what time it is?” he asked, and I rolled away to grab hold of my cell on the nightstand.
I groaned and dropped my head on his chest again. “Almost 7am. I need to shower and get something to eat. I missed dinner last night.”
“Didn’t you have Italian?” he asked, straining his head back as he looked down to see my face.
Immediately I chuckled and suddenly felt stupid. I may have been able to hide the physical evidence but not the smell. “I almost did, except you showed up and I threw it away. Ribs, spaghetti Bolognese… what is it about messy food and being around you?”
“You didn’t want me to lick it off your face, huh?” he teased, chuckling.
“Ah, it was stupid, eh?”
“Cute,” he corrected. He flashed me an affectionate smile before he slapped my butt firmly and gave it a soft squeeze.
“All right, get up before I pin you to the bed. My poor balls are aching. I’m only human and although I’m determined to ignore your hot little body, it’s confusing the fuck out of them,” he said snickering as he gently rolled away from me.
Getting out of bed he stood naked, his huge, thick cock at full mast and he stretched his arms above his head. “How about we get cleaned up and head over the road to that little pancake shack before you leave for work?”
“Sounds like heaven,” I replied, “I’ll shower first, you’ll be quicker than me. I have all this hair to wash,” I suggested gesturing at my matted bed hair.
“I guess,” he said, his eyes darkening when they dropped to focus on my breast poking out of the bedsheet. Bending, he pecked a small kiss on it, licked around the pebbled tip and gave it a sharp suck. A pang of delight shot through my body, but as quick as his lips were on me they were gone.
“Fuck,” he muttered dragging himself away and grabbing his shaft in his hand. “Shower. Now,” he mumbled as if there were conflicting thoughts going on inside and slumped back on the bed.
After washing myself in the shower, we swapped places and I left him to it as I went to get dressed. Once I had done this I headed back to the bathroom to brush my teeth and grab my hairdryer.
My feet stopped moving as soon as my eyes connected with the shower stall straight ahead of me. Simon stood naked and wet, in profile, less than five feet away from me.
Partially obscured behind the steamed-up window, he was supporting himself with one hand on the tiled wall, his head bowed under the jets of water rapidly pounding his shoulders from the showerhead.
My gaze dropped down his body and I noticed him working his cock at a punishing pace with his other hand. I swallowed roughly but didn’t move or look away because he looked so appealing as he stood there.
When he suddenly threw his face up toward the cascading water, I was rooted to the spot, both mesmerized and terrified at the sheer power he used to take him over the edge. I’d never seen Simon look more serious, stunning, or sexy, as I had in that pose.
With a dry mouth, I watched with feelings of unadulterated desire coursing through my body. The sight of him fisting himself to release rocked through me.
My giddy heart flipped over in my chest, the pulse of it tingled lightly in my mouth as I struggled to control the rush of want that gripped my body and soul in that moment.
My thighs clenched in wonder of how I’d cope with being on the receiving end of that kind of power. If watching him makes me feel this turned on, God alone knew how I’d feel when he gets inside me.
My body startled when his knees suddenly buckled a little as his head slumped forward. A sharp audible gasp rushed from his mouth, followed by a soft groan of relief. He continued to work his hand at a much slower pace after he came, wringing the last pangs of pleasure from his quiet moment alone.
His whole body jerked rhythmically as he squ
eezed the last pulses from his release.
Eventually, his hand fell away and joined the other against the wall, then suddenly he turned in my direction, wiped the window and stared directly into my eyes. When he didn’t look startled and instead flashed me his sexy smile, I knew he knew I’d been watching him.
Shock radiated through me and I instantly sympathized with all those rabbits caught in the headlamps of a speeding car because I had nowhere to run, so I waited for him to speak.
“Enjoying the view?” he asked in a low playful tone.
“Every minute of it,” I replied, matching his cheeky question. He grinned wider and shook his head. “You know, Piper, I think once I’ve taken you and taught you what to do, you’ll wear me out.”
“Because you’re getting old, or because you think I’ll be sensational?” I goaded, and he chuckled again at my unexpected response. “Damn, girl, I may need to up my game by the time you’re done with me,” he smiled and wrung his hands together under the water once again.
Stepping out of the shower, he stepped forward and grabbed me against him, his wet hard body soaking the thin cotton dress I wore. “Fuck, you smell so fucking alluring.” His eyes darkened even though he had only come seconds before, and I felt his cock grow stronger against my belly.
“From what I just saw, I may never be done with you,” I replied, with such frank honesty I shocked myself, but I jutted my jaw up in defiance. Letting go, he moved away and grabbed a large white bath towel and wrapped it around his waist. I felt lonely at the loss of his touch.
Smiling warmly, he walked back toward me and took my cheeks in his hands. I swear he stared right through me for a few seconds and I held my breath at the weight of the desperate look he gave me. Pulling my face toward his, he kissed me roughly, pushed me away and shook his head.
“We need to leave now, or I won’t be held responsible for the feelings I may unleash,” he admitted with a sharp slap to my butt. My knees felt weak from the demanding way he spoke with his sudden move and I fought for breath as he brushed right past me.
Stepping inside the small, independently-owned pancake shack, I glanced around and felt relieved to find Simon and I were the only two patrons for breakfast. Sliding into a booth, the single server placed two cups of coffee in front of us and slid the menu across.
After placing our order, Simon signed a few autographs, and we hastily made arrangements between ourselves to have a takeout dinner at my place in the evening to avoid further recognition.
I devoured my pancakes and ordered more. They were the first truly leisurely sustenance I’d had without interruptions or anxiety playing into my food, but as we were leaving the diner, that changed when my cell rang and I saw it was Gibson.
When I looked at Simon I was immediately riddled by guilt but too alarmed by the early unexpected call not to answer.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked with a note of concern.
“Nothing’s wrong, but I just wanted to touch base and give you the heads up about a possible spot supporting Layla Hartmann for a small tour next month. If you want it, I’m gonna talk to Thomas, but I wanted to ask you first ‘cause I know Thomas will force the issue even if you don’t feel ready.”
I looked wide-eyed at Simon and gave a silent scream, while I ran on the spot, “Oh. My. God. Are you serious? Of course I want the gig.” My heart swelled in my chest with the pounding it took.
Gibson told me the details and said he was forwarding the email she had sent him after he had played her a couple of my songs, but he swore he had introduced me as an up-and-coming artist he’d heard about.
“Nothing like a proud dad boasting about his baby to anyone who would listen,” Chloe shouted into the phone, making me chuckle.
Gibson again reiterated that was not what he did. I thanked him for sticking his neck out telling others about me. Then he said they were flying down on Friday to see me because they, but mostly Melody, needed to see me.
On the way back over to the apartment and our cars, I filled Simon in on what Gibson had arranged and Simon made a face. I knew he thought it meant I would be seeing him.
Although I didn’t want to keep Gibson in the dark, I figured I wasn’t ready to share the news about Simon and me yet.
Apart from Jeff, my life couldn’t have been better, but I wasn’t going to force things with Simon and Gibson, in the event it blew up in my face.
Thomas was true to his word and Jeff was nothing but polite toward me all day at the studio. The harmonious atmosphere allowed my creativity to strive. We were racing through the album numbers and Otto was impressed with my level of technical knowledge for a ‘newbie’.
Simon texted me around 4pm taking a raincheck on dinner at my place, as something urgent had come up, but said he’d try to make it back to my place later in the evening.
Fortunately, everything happens for a reason and his delay turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Otto also sprung dinner on me to meet with an image stylist and photographer, to plan the album cover artwork and look at my public image.
My professional future suddenly felt very real. Up to this point I had been doing what I had done for years—sing. Even as we were cutting the tracks for the album, I never once felt any pressure because I was mainly competing with myself to do better.
An introduction to the marketing and promotion teams, together with Gibson’s call about being a supporting act, had made me more nervous about the reality of what I hoped to achieve.
My connections were still my secret, and I hoped they would stay that way until I had reviews of my first album at the very least.
I wasn’t so naïve as to think people wouldn’t ever know who the people behind me were, but I wanted as many people as possible to know I had synched the recording deal with Gravity on my own merit and not because I had used their names.
Supporting Layla Hartmann was different. Yes, obviously Gibson had spoken to her, but from his account once she had heard me sing it was she herself who suggested it.
All the praise I received during dinner had me pumped with enthusiasm and when I saw the concepts for the album cover, it became clear they believed in me because they were pushing their budgets to the max.
When Otto sprang it on me they had already cut the first single from the second day’s recording, I almost fell over.
No one had spoken in terms of timelines for single tracks to be released. That was going to be taken care of as the album progressed, but I was obviously doing something right when they pushed the timeline up. It made sense to get people interested in some of the songs before the album began to be promoted.
I felt deeply humbled for their faith and support and swore to do what I could to ensure the album’s success.
I could hardly wait to tell them I had been chosen to support Layla during her tour, but as I hadn’t signed anything and had only briefly read the email, I knew a few days wouldn’t make that much difference to their plans. After all, her tour was still around six weeks out.
Leaving the restaurant at 9:45 pm, I arrived home and shoved my key in my apartment door just before 10pm. I was exhausted, and I hadn’t heard from Simon again.
Checking my phone one last time for a message I frowned, wondering why his sudden change of plans, but I was too tired to worry. Showering quickly, I remade my messy bed and climbed on in there.
Slipping between the sheets, I tightly gripped the pillow Simon had slept on, hugging it tight and inhaled his scent. It gave me a warm, calming feeling, and I passed right out until drool dripped from my mouth as my cell vibrated and pulled me from a deep, dreamless sleep. “Yeah,” I croaked, not quite with it.
“Morning, baby,” Simon’s voice sounded slightly slurry, “Sorry about last night. Had to go represent the band in Chicago at some last-minute invite interview for MTV. I tried to call you a couple times but your phone was off during the day yesterday, and the evening event I was at had limited media… something or other to do with security,” he in
formed me with a huge yawn.
“Anyway, I just got home, and I didn’t want you to worry, but I’m gonna get my head down for a while and I’ll catch up with you later. How does this evening sound to cash in the raincheck for take-out food?”
I wasn’t sure why Simon had felt the need to explain himself, plans changed, and he had to work. He owed me nothing.
Chapter Sixteen
“We’ll be done in another week to ten days at this rate,” Otto looked delighted with the progress as he held his finger on the intercom button to deliver his assessment into the booth.
Grunt muttered I was ‘the bomb’ and even Jeff had settled down to do what he was paid for.
Wyatt was a sweetheart and did as he was asked, then the rest of the time he played on his phone. I felt as if something had shifted in the team after Thomas’s call and everyone was finally on the same page.
Jeff didn’t interact with me at all outside of the booth except during professional group meetings and I was happy to live with this.
With each day that passed, the material we recorded made the album feel stronger and every track we nailed had the best arrangement we could possibly have achieved.
When Otto mentioned a meeting to decide what the track order of the songs should be, I knew he was already thinking in terms of us wrapping it up.
Ambition didn’t stop the wave of nerves that occasionally gripped me when I considered the time for the album to hit the airwaves.
Going to the studio was now an integral part of my routine and the conversations at the label were becoming more focused on the promotion schedule, so I decided to tell them about the opportunity presented to me by Layla Hartmann.
“How the fuck did Thomas pull that off?” Otto asked with wide eyes and a look of surprise shoving his brows to his hairline.
Piper: A Last Score Spin Off Page 14
