by Dawn Ryder
And she got the distinct impression he wouldn’t hesitate to do exactly what he wanted.
“Unless I make you nervous,” he said.
He might as well have called her “chicken” straight out.
“Dinner is cool,” she said slowly, relieved her voice came out even. “Holding my hand isn’t. We just met, after all.”
He pushed his lower lip out in a pout before he gestured toward the door. Jewel didn’t care for how much she hesitated. It was dinner with a prospective client. She picked up her bag and turned back around to face him. It was what she’d wanted when she’d taken Ramsey’s offer, after all. The chance to establish herself as a serious artist.
So why did she feel so hollow?
Chapter 5
Steven stuck with them, as well as two other bodyguards obviously attached to Rage. The three men had their hands full when Rage escorted her through the entrance of the hotel. The paparazzi surged to life, stepping past the barriers as they dispensed with civilized behavior.
“Jewel… Jewel… Are you dating Rage now?”
“Are you Ramsey’s submissive? Is he sharing you?”
Rage laid an arm across her back as the cameras closed in, shielding her while half-carrying her to the waiting car.
“Jewel isn’t the type of girl a man shares,” Rage said, distracting the horde of press by giving them something to listen to. “A smart man knows she’s the best there is and recognizes what a lucky bastard he is. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to wine and dine her as she deserves.”
There were shouts of agreement and more than one thumbs-up before he dropped into the limo beside her and the door sealed the paparazzi outside.
“That was—” Jewel began to protest.
“Good for image,” Rage cut her off. “As well as making it clear we hold you in high esteem. They’ll be a little less likely to run you off the road when they realize they might catch hell from both bands over it.”
“You heard about that?”
He sent her a serious look. “Security details need to be shared. You wouldn’t want me to make the same mistake with a girl, would you?”
“I guess not.”
He flashed her another one of those grins that implied he was getting everything he wanted. “But you’re not too sure you like me knowing your personal details?”
“Pretty much,” she answered.
He offered her a shrug. “Reality can be a real hassle from time to time.”
She ended up laughing, maybe at herself, but it really didn’t matter because it cut through the tension.
“I’m going to be really disappointed if you take me to a high-class restaurant.” She mimicked a yawn. “Like a…nice guy.”
“I see what Ramsey likes about you.” Rage pulled his cell phone out of his inner jacket pocket and punched in a text. The limo turned a few moments later.
When he made eye contact with her again, there was a sparkle in his blue eyes—he was plotting.
Well…bring it on.
* * *
Ramsey wiped his face the moment he made it into the performers’ room. His hair was full of sweat, and his chest was covered too. The crowd roared, and music started to blare outside in the parking lot as the fans made it to their cars and began the after-show party. It would go on until they were evicted from the property, only to be carried on to houses all over the city.
He seriously loved his job.
“Where’s Kate?” Taz asked.
Syon took a long drink from a bottle of water. He lowered the bottle and sent Ramsey a disgruntled look. “Sammy wanted her to deal with Rage and Dare. Flew them in early so she could measure them.” His tone made it clear he didn’t care to know his wife was anywhere near the other rockers.
“And you didn’t think to tell me that?” Ramsey demanded.
Syon drank again and sent him a confused look. “What’s your problem? Kate’s my wife.”
“The problem is Rage better keep his paws off Jewel. He’s a damned poacher, and you know it.”
“Careful,” Taz said, “it sounds like you give a shit. That sort of thing might ruin the perception that you don’t care about her.”
Ramsey flipped Taz off. Drake responded with a two-finger, profane English gesture.
“You two can suck my dick,” Ramsey said as he found his cell phone and swiped the screen. The moment he did, it chirped to life, multiple messages appearing.
“That son of a bitch!” Ramsey exploded. “I’m going to kick his ass! And Sammy can fuck off for all I care.”
Taz and Syon looked over at what had Ramsey pissed. There was a full color shot of Rage with his arm around Jewel.
“That’s kind of bad,” Taz agreed. “But you can’t kick his ass.”
“Watch me.” Ramsey punched at the screen of his cell phone, scowling when he didn’t get what he wanted from it. “Shit. Jewel’s cell phone location chip doesn’t work.”
“Yeah, we knew that,” Drake said.
“Brenton?” Ramsey called out. “Find out where Rage took her.”
Brenton weighed the request. Ramsey snorted and turned around to sit in a makeup chair. Charlene was used to him, but she hung back for a moment, judging his mood.
“What the fuck?” he demanded of pretty much everyone in the room. “I’m jealous. So what? I’d think you’d all be happy.”
Syon rolled his lips in to cover the grin he was fighting. Drake lifted a beer to his mouth to avoid the issue. Taz, on the other hand, gave him an approving nod that was salt in the wound. Charlene muttered something under her breath that sounded way too much like a prayer before she started removing his makeup.
He was jealous.
But there was no way in hell he was going to do anything about it.
* * *
“I cannot believe this,” Jewel muttered. “But then again…I can.”
The place Rage took her to was full of king-size beds. The restaurant boasted dining and the opportunity to take to one of the large beds for lounging and horsing around. There were giggles and pillow fights going on as wait staff shuttled food to the booths ringing the beds.
“It’s like a geek’s dream. Getting the girl into bed on the first date,” Rage offered as he watched her from where he was sitting across from her in their booth. “Want to try it?” he suggested wickedly.
“Isn’t it sort of old hat for you?” she asked.
He chuckled and raised his tumbler to her. He had a double shot of something very fine in that glass. He appreciated it too, sipping from it as his features tightened with the bite of the liquor.
“I believe you’re accusing me of being shallow.” There was a slight slurring of his speech, a hint of Scottish accent coming out.
“Maybe,” she agreed. “You did sort of ambush me into a date—”
“And now I’m asking you to bed,” he added. “Bet it’s already up on the tabloids.”
She felt her mood change, like the fun was draining out of the moment. Rage’s features became serious, his eyes hooded.
“You’ll have to toughen up a bit if you’re going to roll with Toxsin. Can’t give a shit about what the vultures say, or it will eat you alive.”
There was bitterness in his tone he covered well. It was the thing she saw in Ramsey and wanted to soothe. She suddenly missed him. Lamented not seeing the show. It was an opportunity wasted, and now she was keenly aware of it. There was a clock ticking in the background, her chances to be near him dwindling with the dates on her contract.
Rage groaned. “You’re thinking about him.”
“Excuse me?”
The singer rolled his eyes and took another sip of his drink before putting it down. “Ramsey’s a lucky shit. He’d better know it, or I’ll kick his ass.”
“I think you’ve got the wrong idea about me and Ramsey—” Jewel started.
Rage sat up, abandoning his playfulness altogether. She got a glimpse at the very serious side of his nature, the one that had t
o be responsible for his standing as a rock star.
“Another reason to kick his ass.”
It was a cryptic comment and didn’t make a whole lot of sense. Not that she was doing very well with figuring out the universe lately. No doubt the problem was on her end.
* * *
“Rage.” Brenton was in the suite with Dare when they made it back to the hotel. The road manager was on his feet, striding toward Rage as he offered his hand.
“I hear Kate has enough allure that she drew you two up here a few days early,” Brenton continued as he shook Rage’s hand.
“I won’t miss being parked on the coach,” Dare said from where he was sprawled across a couch.
“Enjoyed being in bed with Jewel a lot more than driving upstate,” Rage remarked.
Jewel rolled her eyes, but the vibe in the room changed instantly. There was a tightening of expressions, and she was pretty sure she actually felt the temperature drop before she heard a grunt from Ramsey. He’d been in the far corner, out of her sight, but he came into view fast, his attention on Rage.
“Problem, Rams?” Rage asked pointedly, clearly enjoying baiting the other singer. Ramsey faced off with him.
“Oh, I don’t think so,” Jewel declared. She lunged between the two men, shoving them apart as Steven made a grab for her. She turned on the bodyguard and warned him back with a finger. She turned on Rage.
“Cut the shit,” she said. Rage lost a little of his arrogance. “I don’t do this game, and I sure don’t do custom ink for jerks who want to use me. Start your own fights.”
She left just as fast, exiting the suite as her temper sizzled. She didn’t make it very far.
“Why the hell are you doing ink for Rage?” Ramsey cupped her shoulder and turned her around to face him.
“He asked,” she said.
“And you’re going to do it?” Ramsey demanded.
“Not after that dick move.” She pointed toward the suite. “The dude takes me to dinner and then rubs your nose in it? Screw him.”
He liked her answer, smiling slightly. It didn’t last long. His attention lowered to her mouth, hunger glittering in his eyes. That damned current linking them worked perfectly too, allowing the pulse she saw in his gaze to jump right across the space between them and set her on fire.
“I missed you,” he growled a second before he claimed her mouth.
That second felt too long. Like an eternity that she’d been starving for the taste of him. Maybe it had been the dinner with Rage. All of that time wasted on a man she didn’t crave. No, it didn’t matter how hard-bodied Rage was, she wanted Ramsey.
“My pants are coming off this time.” He’d ripped his mouth away from hers, looking like he was fighting to control himself long enough to make his intentions clear.
“You bet your ass they are.” She reached down, dug her fingers into the waistband of the leather, and found the lace that held the garment closed. She pulled it free as he cupped her nape and kissed her again.
But it was a fast kiss this time. Ramsey scooped her off her feet a second later and tossed her over his shoulder. It left one of his hands free to slide the key card through the door lock. He let the door slam shut as he took her to the bedroom.
He was working the lace through the eyelets as she bounced on the bed, pulling the thin tie loose and letting his cock fall into view. She let out a little sound of approval before reaching for it.
“Oh…shit…” he growled as she closed her fingers around his length. “You’re going to make me lose it, baby…”
She purred as she leaned down and licked his cock. “Good. High time I was the one pushing you around for a change.”
He captured a handful of her hair, raising her face so their gazes met. There was a hard glitter in his eyes. “Payback is my specialty.”
She shivered, excitement racing through her. She bared her teeth at him, unable to do anything but respond to him. At any other time, she would have labeled the behavior cheesy; with Ramsey, she felt like it was rising up from her gut. She cupped his balls and used her fingers to massage the sac. His eyes closed to slits, betraying just how much he enjoyed it.
“Suck me, baby…make me come.”
It was both challenge and plea. She opened her mouth and claimed his cock as anticipation surged along her insides. Her clit was throbbing, driving her insane, but so was the idea of pushing Ramsey over the limits of his control. The opportunity was hers, and she took it, sucking his cock deep as she teased his balls. She judged the strength she used against the sounds coming from him. She could hear him sucking each breath through his gritted teeth, feel his cock hardening as she swirled her tongue around it and beneath the circumcised head.
“Christ!” he yelped.
So she did it again and again, as he leaned back, thrusting toward her, gripping her hair as he fucked her mouth in those final moments before his come started shooting out in a thick stream. She sucked it down, pulling every last spurt from his cock before his hand relaxed and he landed on the bed. It bounced and rocked, the springs squealing.
“Jesus…you made me…light-headed…”
“Like that’s never happened before.” She wasn’t sure why her confidence was deserting her. But the words came across her lips, and she winced when she heard them.
Ramsey cracked open his eyes and looked at her. He rolled over, and she found herself scooting back against the headboard and a mound of pillows.
“Not since I was about sixteen.”
Each word was sharp. He was suddenly on all fours, looking a whole lot like the night jungle cat she’d mentally likened him to so many times.
“That rocked my world, Jewel.” He was coming closer, the mattress dipping under his weight. “And now…”
He caught her calves and pulled her toward him. The smooth cotton of the comforter made it easy for her butt to slide, and he had her on her back in two seconds.
Flat on her back as he loomed over her and pressed her thighs open. Her jersey dress ended up around her waist, leaving her in nothing but her panties.
“Now,” he drawled as he settled over her spread body, “it’s time for payback.”
He caught her panties at her hips and pulled them down her legs. For a moment, he was on his knees between her thighs, letting her see that his cock was hard again. The sight set her clit to throbbing along with the slide of her last bit of clothing as it was pulled free. Her dress was next, ending up nothing more than a flutter on its way to the floor before he hovered over her once more.
“You smell good…”
He’d settled back down between her thighs, pushing her knees wide so the folds of her sex spread. It was almost unbearably exposing. Part of her shied away, but he held her still.
“Do you think for one second I’m going to let you grab me by the cock, turn me into a howling animal completely at your mercy, and not visit the same on you?”
His breath hit the wet folds of her sex, sending a quiver of need through her. Her heart was hammering inside her chest, the need to feel his tongue against her sex so intense, she was sure she’d climax at the first touch.
“Oh no, baby… I’m going to make you scream,” he promised.
A second later, her cries were echoing around the room. There was no hesitation, no gentle exploratory touches. Ramsey lapped her open sex, pulling her folds even farther apart so he had full access to her clit. He claimed it and sucked it for seconds that nearly drove her mad, because she needed to climax so bad. Just as the torment felt like it was going to end in a spine-tingling orgasm, he released the little cluster of nerve endings and licked his way to the opening of her pussy.
She was writhing on the bed. He stabbed his tongue inside her, growling softly. The vibrations only added to the torment, making her squeal.
“Good and wet…” he muttered, teasing her pussy with two fingers. The wet sounds made her cringe, but she still lifted her hips toward him.
He worked his fingers in and out o
f her body, driving her insane with the need to climax. “Are you ready to scream for me?”
His tone was husky and demanding. She opened her eyes, the need to protest rearing its head, but his eyes glittered with determination. His face was drawn tight with his desire to push her over the edge. She recognized it as the way she’d felt when she’d been going down on him.
“Yes.” It was submission and a challenge.
His lips curved up with enjoyment. A moment later, the room was full of her cries again. He claimed her clit once more, sucking and rubbing it with his tongue. He kept up the motion of his two fingers in her sheath, driving her over the edge into oblivion. She twisted and bucked, felt like her lungs stopped working as her entire body seized up and pleasure wrung her like a dishrag. The intensity was off the scale, and when it passed, the room was spinning from how light-headed she was.
“Perfect.” He crowed with victory, but tenderly. His tone was soft as he smoothed his hands along her abdomen, gently massaging the tight muscles. He smoothed his hands up and over her ribs and onto her breasts, teasing the tight peaks of her nipples.
“Orgasm makes the nipples pucker,” he whispered.
“Ahh…okay…”
He smiled at her confusion. “I know a bullshit partner.”
The mention of his other conquests soured her mood, and she shifted, trying to slip away.
He caught her wrists and pinned them to the surface of the bed. She gasped, surprised by the sudden change.
“That was a compliment, Jewel.”
“It sucked,” she snapped back. “Want me to tell you about my dinner with Rage?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I want to fuck you to another screaming orgasm.”
She shivered, instantly reacting to him once again. He felt it, his lips curving in response. She was suddenly free as he lifted off her and grabbed something from the bedside table. She heard the crinkle of the condom packet, even if she couldn’t see it in the darkness of the room. He tossed the open package aside and sheathed his cock in one efficient motion.
And he was back, pressing her into the mattress again, leaning down and kissing her. It was slow and unhurried this time, his mouth exploring hers now that the edge had been taken off both their appetites.
