by Jenika Snow
“She has this idea in her head that I still want her.” Jacks gripped the other side of her waist and pushed the edge of her shirt up with his thumbs. “I told her there will never be anything between us. I love only you, Tanner.” He pushed her shirt up even more until the material was up and over her belly. His mouth was so close to her belly button, and his warm breath teased her skin. “There isn’t anyone else for me, Tanner.”
She felt his lips skim her stomach, and a shiver worked its way through her body.
“Your smell drives me insane.” He inhaled deeply, and his breathing became harder and faster with the passing second. “You drive me fucking insane, Tanner.” He dug his fingers more firmly into her sides, and a small sound escaped her. “I am always so hard when you’re around. It’s like I can’t control myself.”
And then she felt him run his tongue along the indentation on her belly, swirling it around and around until she was nearly closing her eyes as pleasure slammed into her.
“I swear I can smell how wet you are, baby.” He slid his hands up her side, taking the shirt with him until it was over her breasts and not going anywhere.
“Jacks—”
“Jackson. Call me Jackson, Tanner. It’s been so long since I’ve heard my whole name, and hearing you say it makes me so fucking hard.”
“Jackson…” God, it was getting hard to talk, but right now wasn’t this most opportune time to have sex. “There’s a party right on the other side of the door, and then the issue with Laura.”
“She won’t be bothering you anymore and trying to screw with what we have.”
Tanner didn’t know what he meant by that, or how he planned on making her leave them alone short of kicking her out of the tour, but she also wasn’t thinking clearly now and he was running his tongue up her chest and over her cleavage. “Don’t think about her. Don’t let her get between us a moment longer.” He slid his hands behind her, moved them up her back to where her bra clasp was, and in a second he had it undone. Her breasts spilled out the bottom of the bra since they were no longer confined. He pushed the fabric over her chest and stated sucking on her nipples.
Tanner couldn’t hold her head up any longer and let it fall back slightly. A gasp of pleasure left her, and she tunneled her hands in his hair.
“I don’t want sex right now, Tanner.” He murmured against her now wet flesh, and alternated between her breasts. “I just want to hold and kiss you.” Resting his forehead on her belly they stayed silent for a second.
“No sex is probably a good idea since you are still pretty drunk.” She exerted a little pressure so she could tilt his head back.
“Yeah, I am still drunk, but I know I am looking at the girl I love more than life itself.”
Tanner couldn’t help but smile.
“Lay with me, baby.” He let go of her and went to stand.
She took a step back and watched him go to the door and lock it. When he was before her again he removed his pants and underwear, and then helped her out of her clothes. He may say he didn’t want sex, but his cock was hard between his legs, and she was so wet it was almost uncomfortable.
“No sex, baby.” He cupped the back of her head and kissed her deeply, and right when she was about to tell him screw the no sex idea he pulled away and pressed his lips to her forehead. They moved into bed, and once the sheet and comforter were over them, Jacks pulled her close to his body. It didn’t take long for the warmth, the safety, and the feeling that he loved her just as deeply as she loved him, to seep into her and drift her away to a dreamless sleep.
Chapter Twelve
Tanner opened her eyes and blinked several times to clear her vision. She immediately closed them as bright sunlight slammed right into her and instantly made her head ache. She knew right away she was in bed alone, and when she slowly opened her eyes and saw the spot beside her empty, it verified that. For a second she lay there, still smelling Jacks’s scent covering her body. It was silent, and the clock on the bedside table told her it was not even ten in the morning, and although that wasn’t early, they had stayed up pretty late. How Jacks was already up after being so drunk the night before was beyond her. Rolling onto her back and staring at the ceiling, she heard the low, but clearly angry sounds of a male voice. It was too muffled for her to really tell who spoke or what they were saying, but she had a feeling it was Jacks.
Tanner got up and grabbed her clothes that were on the floor by the bed, and went into the bathroom. After she cleaned up and was dressed she made her way toward the bedroom door and opened it. Jacks’s annoyed voice came through loud and clear from the living room. Tanner stepped out into the hallway, and the first thing she realized was there were no random bodies passed out all over the floor. Had they left last night, or were they kicked out this morning? It certainly wasn’t the sight she had seen the last time she had partied with the band.
“I don’t really care, Laura, and this bullshit you’re pulling right now is getting old.”
“Jacks, man, can you tone it down a notch?” That was Matty talking.
“My head is killing me. You went all Rambo on everyone’s ass this morning when you kicked them out,” Beats now said.
Okay, so that at least answered the question about where everyone was. She moved down the hallway, and when she came to the living room it was to see Jacks standing by the picture window with his back to everyone who was sitting on the couch. He only had on a pair of sweats that rode low on his lean hips, and the tattoos that moved along his arms and over his shoulder blades stood out in stark contrast to his golden skin. For a moment she just stared at the sharp lines, harsh colors, and geometrical designs that were permanently etched into his skin. When she moved her gaze away from Jacks it was to see that bitch, Laura. Laura had her arms crossed and was a few feet from him. She still wore the same clothing as last night, and her hair was a rat’s nest around her head. The girl looked like she had been ridden hard and put up soaking wet.
“You think I’m giving you bullshit?” Laura asked in a squeaky outraged voice.
Just seeing her, even the back of her, pissed Tanner off to the point she curled her hands into tight fists.
“I have told you more than once to back the fuck off. We had sex one damn time, that isn’t a secret, but you think you’re the only groupie that I’ve fucked in the last five years?”
Hearing Jacks say that had a sour feeling settling in Tanner’s stomach, but he was right. None of that was a secret. Hell, most of that had been splashed across the front page of every tabloid in the nation. Of course she wasn’t naïve, and knew that over the years of being a rock star Jacks had probably been with enough women to fill a stadium. Okay, she was probably exaggerating, but she knew he had been with a lot, just like the other three Savage Light members. But there was a difference with Laura since this girl was a part of the tour because of her father. She saw Jacks every day, and clearly had this sick obsession with him and warped sense of what he was to her.
“I know you’ve fucked groupies more than once—”
Jacks turned around and glared at Laura with such a hard expression that even Tanner took a step back from the intensity of it. Matty whistled low, and Beats cleared his throat. Obviously she wasn’t the only one that felt that frigid draft come from Jacks.
“Who I fucked and how many times I fucked them doesn’t concern you.” Every muscle in his body was tight and bunched, and on a different day when he wasn’t so pissed she would have definitely appreciated the sight. But right now he looked scary from his rage. “What does concern you is the fact you keep interfering in my personal life, and thinking you and I will have something more than that dirty and regrettable experience all those months ago.” His voice was low, deadly calm, and actually had a shiver running up Tanner’s back. Laura didn’t respond right away, but hell, she probably was just as shocked by Jacks’s anger as everyone else in the room was. Jacks crossed his arms, and his biceps flexed. He lifted his gaze and looked right at Tan
ner, and she found herself licking her lips and holding her breath. “Hey, baby. Come here.” His voice was softer, calmer, and she could tell it was genuine.
“Shit.” Beats groaned out when he looked over at her.
Matty gave her a smile that was totally forced, and Laura looked over her shoulder at Tanner and narrowed her eyes. That had to be that girl’s trademarked look since she did it constantly, it seemed. All of that anger and annoyance that Tanner felt for Laura rushed forward with so much force she felt her cheeks heat from it. Tanner moved over to Jacks, but stopped when she was a foot from Laura. She stared at her for several seconds, and knew she wasn’t going to be able to control herself or what she said if Laura started with her bullshit.
Laura slowly smiled and lifted her hand to run a finger over the corner of her mouth. There was this glint in her eyes, and Tanner knew the bitch was making a nonverbal reference to what she had said she did with Jackson last night—or better yet what she claimed she had done, which was of course total bullshit.
In a voice so low Tanner didn’t even know if Jacks would be able to hear, Laura said, “He tasted as good as he did the last time.”
Something inside of Tanner snapped, this buzzing filled her eyes, and all she could focus on was this woman that was trying to take something from Tanner that she cared about a hell of a lot. She curled her hand into a fist, and her arm shook at the force it was taking her to keep herself under control.
Still speaking so low only Tanner could hear Laura said, “You ain’t nothing but a piece of ass to him, and once the tour starts back up I’ll be there and you’ll just be another fuck memory to him.”
Tanner had never been one for violence, but there was something about Laura that rubbed her the wrong way. That and she kept running her damn mouth. She was vaguely aware of someone saying her name, but all she could see was Laura still grinning at her, and running her tongue over her lips. Her red lipstick was nearly worn off, and a bit of it was smeared on her chin. Everything from last night came flooding back.
“He was good.” She ran her tongue along her bottom lip. “Tasted sweet—”
“You fucking bitch.” There were voices all around her, but it felt like Tanner was under water. The smile faded from Laura’s face, and her eyes widened. Before Tanner knew what was happening she had her arm cocked back and was bringing it forward again and right into the side of Laura’s face. The other woman’s face cocked to the side, and she immediately cupped her jaw.
“You fucking cunt.” Laura launched herself at Tanner, got in a hit that clipped her jaw, but before the fight could escalate Matty and Beats were pulling Laura away, and Jacks had an arm around Tanner’s middle. Her back was snug with his chest, and although her anger was still so strong inside of her, she didn’t fight Jacks to let her go. Everything came rushing back to Tanner: the sound, the feel of her heart racing, and of her blood pounding through her veins. Her knuckles ached, and when she looked at Jacks and then at Matty and Beats it was to see this surprised expression on their faces.
“You bitch.” Blood trickled out of Laura’s nose and out of the corner of her mouth. She took a step toward Tanner.
The metallic flavor of blood covered the inside of Tanner’s mouth from her teeth slicing open her cheek when Laura clipped her. That just pissed her off even more. “Do it, Laura. Make me hit you again.” Tanner gritted those words out, but they had Laura stopping. She had never felt this kind of anger, jealousy, or possessiveness before. “You are nothing but a lying whore trying to get between Jacks and me.”
Laura looked over at Jacks, and when she looked at Tanner again there was this blank expression on her face. “Screw this. You’re one crazy bitch, and I hope he fucking breaks your heart.” Laura went to move past them, but Jacks’s voice stopped her.
“Pack up your shit and leave the tour. We don’t need this kind of drama bullshit.”
Luckily Laura was smart enough to keep her mouth shut. She turned and stormed out of the room and slammed the door closed hard enough that the pictures on the wall shook. There was a moment of silence that filled the room as they all looked at each other.
“Well, damn. If that doesn’t wake someone’s ass up I don’t know what will,” Beats said and stood. He stretched and scratched his jaw.
Despite all the drama that had just happened Tanner couldn’t help but think of what Zoe told her about her and Beats.
“Everything good now?” He phrased it as a question, but didn’t wait for a response. He turned and headed out of the master suite, and a few minutes later Matty followed suit.
When it was just her and Jacks left in the room they stared at each other for a few seconds. Her hand still throbbed, and she looked down at it. Already it was starting to swell and was an angry shade of red.
“Come on, let’s get some ice on that.” He moved toward her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, but for a few moments he just held her. “You are one fierce chick, baby.”
She elbowed him in the ribs good naturedly, but was smiling.
“If I’m being honest, it turned me on seeing you put Laura in her place.” He cupped her cheek and leaned down to kiss her before she could answer. He pulled back and looked into her eyes, but was still close enough that she felt his lips touching hers. “God, I love you so fucking much, Tanner.” He kissed her once more, and it felt like long, drugging seconds before he pulled back. He held her wound the shoulders still and led her to the kitchen on the other side of her room. Beer and liquor bottles were scattered on the floor, as well as random pieces of clothing, cigarette butts and roaches, and some other less favorable things like used condoms. Jacks broke away from her and went to the small freezer and grabbed an icepack, and then grabbed a dishtowel that was on the counter. When he was back in front of her again he placed the rag covered bag on her knuckles gently and stared into her face. “You’re okay?”
She looked down at her hand and nodded. “Yeah. I honestly don’t know what came over me.”
He placed his finger under her chin and tilted her head back so she could look at him. “That shit was building since before you even joined the tour, and only got worse the last week. Laura has issues, and her being around the band is not good for anyone.”
“She’s a bitch, no doubt about that, but I thought she didn’t have anywhere else to go?”
Jacks shrugged. “Not my issue or the band’s. She brought this on herself, and this was coming anyway. Several of the roadies have talked to her dad, and I know for damn sure he’s spoken to her about her causing trouble. Before you she was starting crap with others, so don’t feel sorry for her. She is trouble, and the only reason she was on this tour was because her dad is a good guy and asked us for a favor.”
The sound of the hotel room door opening had them both turning around. Five walked in a little bleary eyed. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, and his physique and tattoos were just as impressive as Jacks’s. It was the fact he was only in a pair of boxers, and that his junk was hanging out in all its glory that had Tanner covering her mouth and glancing over at Jacks with suppressed amusement.
“I know I missed drama.” Five grinned and lifted his hand to scrub his hand over his hair, making it have even a more bedhead look.
Jacks started chuckling. “Dude, your dick is totally hanging out. Go back to your room.”
Five glanced down at said body part, tucked himself back in, and turned around to leave, grumbling all the way. When the door shut behind him there was this weird moment of silence.
“How many piercings does he actually have down there?” She had seen more than one, but she had looked away as soon as she realized it was Five’s penis all out in the open like that.
“Baby, you don’t even want to know. Five is way more freaky than he was back in the day, and so are Matty and Beats for that matter.”
All she could do was shake her head. She wanted to talk to him about Beats and Zoe, but she knew her friend didn’t want her business all put out in the ope
n like that. If Zoe wanted the others to know what had happened with her and Beats, than she would be the one to tell them. As it was, Tanner assumed Beats hadn’t said anything to Jacks since he didn’t say anything about it to her. But maybe he felt the same way she did about blurting out someone else’s business like that?
“Baby, you’re in my life now for good, and it is going to be one hell of a ride.” He leaned down and kissed her softly. “Hang on tight.” He murmured against her lips, and she couldn’t help but grin.
Yeah, it was definitely going to be one she wouldn’t forget, or regret.
****
Beats sat on the bed in his hotel room and stared at his cell. He drummed his fingers on the mattress, tapped his foot on the floor, and knew that what he should do was just leave Zoe alone. She hadn’t tried to contact him this whole time, and although he had sent a few texts to her, the responses had been short, yet friendly. He had hurt her, he knew that, and although that had not been his intention, the effect had still been the same. He picked up his phone and pressed all but one of the numbers to call her. But what could he say? How would he make this situation right? Did it even matter?
He shook his head. Yes, it did matter, because he cared about her, and he wanted her in his life more than anything. He dialed that last number and brought the phone to his ear. It rang, and rang, and rang for the third time, and when the voicemail kicked on he was tempted to hang up. But he didn’t, and when there was that beep for him to spill his heart out to her, he did just that.
“Zoe, I don’t know what to say that I haven’t typed out and deleted a hundred times before. I’d rather talk to you face-to-face, but until we can do that—if we can do that.” He closed his eyes and breathed deeply before he continued. He picked at the frayed edge of his pant leg. “Please, call me back so we can talk.” He disconnected the call and grabbed his headphones. After plugging them into his phone, and slipping them over his head, he put on “Frank Sinatra” by Cake, leaned back on the bed. It was up to her if she reached out this time, but Beats didn’t know if he’d be able to stay away now that he forced himself not to ignore what he felt for her.
