by Alexa Riley
He takes hold of my hand instead. “You can’t go out there like that.”
“I can’t?”
“Fuck no.” He leads me through the living room, past a gourmet kitchen with gleaming granite countertops and stainless steel appliances, and down a hallway to a door all the way at the end. He pushes it open and tugs me past the giant bed and into the walk-in closet. It’s so big that I could probably fit the apartment I share with three other girls inside it. Then again, our place is super tiny and barely fits all of us. I’m still gawking at the closet when he shoves a button-down shirt into my hands. “On,” he commands before disappearing through a door off to the side.
I slip it over my shoulders and am working on the last button when he comes back dressed in a pair of sweatpants—that do nothing to disguise the fact that he’s still hard—and a T-shirt that’s stretched across his big chest and hard biceps. Maybe he's a famous football player or something. He’s built big enough to be one.
“Who are you?” I echo the question he asked me when I first got here, but without the swearing.
“Theo Hayes.”
Theo Hayes? He did not just say that. I was sure he was going to say a name I didn’t know because I don’t watch football.
“Are you—” I can barely get the words out and shake my head, hoping his name is just a coincidence. “You’re not…holy crap, did I just do a singing telegram for an award-winning composer?” I’m not sure if I want him to say yes or no.
He nods, moving closer to me but stopping when I take a step backwards.
“While you were wearing nothing but a towel?” I can’t believe this. I get another nod.
“So, you’re telling me that I just gave my worst performance since I was in my junior high school choir to the man who’s written some of my favorite songs and won more awards than I can count?” As much as I enjoyed the view of Theo in nothing but a towel, I really wish I’d never gotten out of bed this morning. I don’t think I’ll ever get over the fact that I totally flopped while singing for him.
“If that was the worst you can do, I can’t wait to hear you sing for me again, my little muse.”
Chapter Three
Theo
There is music playing in my head again. The minute this beautiful girl opened her mouth and sang her first note, another melody began to take shape. And when I heard her voice, I knew. She was it. The thing I was missing. Why I’ve been feeling so lost lately.
My dick’s reaction made it pretty fucking clear too. As my eyes swept over her curvy body—in that scrap of material she’s trying to pass off as a fucking dress—with her reddish brown curls and jade-green eyes, I knew she was the woman I’d been dreaming about.
I found her. Or I guess she found me. Either way, here she is, standing right in front of me. My muse. My everything. I’ve never believed in love at first sight, but there is no doubt in my mind that she is meant to be mine. Now I just have to figure out how to make her realize it too. One thing is certain, she won’t be leaving until that happens. Or ever, for that matter.
It was pure instinct when I forced her into the house and slammed the door, clicking the lock right into place. The sound was loud and made me feel better for a moment. Not only was I furious that other men had seen her dressed like this, but I was suddenly terrified that she would disappear. Now she’s standing in my closet, wearing my clothes, and it’s hot as fuck. I want to growl as a possessive side I didn’t know I had surfaces. I can’t wait to fuck her in that shirt. And out of it. Maybe living out in the middle of nowhere all alone has sent me over the edge.
I step closer and run a finger down her soft cheek—pleased to see her instinctively lean into the touch—before brushing her hair back over her shoulder. “What is your name, little muse?” My hand caresses her shoulder, then I trail a finger along her collarbone and down the valley between her breasts. She doesn’t stop me. I feel her heart start to race at my touch.
She inhales quickly before answering with a tremble in her voice. “Shelby.”
“Shelby,” I repeat, loving the sound of her name on my tongue. I want to know what she tastes like on it too.
She clears her throat and shuffles her feet, the fingers of one hand toying with the top button of her shirt. “Thanks for this. I’ll mail it back, I guess? I should go. I have another stop to make before I’m done for the day.” She’s trying to leave me? That isn’t happening.
A growl escapes this time. No fucking way am I going to let my woman go to another man’s home. Especially in her “costume.” I decide that after I get her settled, the next thing I’m going to do is destroy that shit. “You’re not going,” I tell her, my tone firm.
Her green eyes widen and her pretty pink lips part in surprise. After a few seconds, she squares her shoulders and lifts her chin. “Of course I’m going. It’s my job to go where my boss tells me, Mr. Hayes.”
Just like that, my already rigid dick becomes hard as steel. I love that fire that lights up in her beautiful eyes. “Theo,” I correct her, then wink. “We’ll save ‘Mr. Hayes’ for when I’ve got you naked because”—I lick my lips and sweep my heated gaze over her once more—“it turns me the fuck on.” Who knew someone saying my last name could be such a turn-on. No, not someone. Her.
Her eyes fall once again to the bulge between my thighs, and I have to take a deep, calming breath. “Keep looking at me like that, my little muse, and that’s going to happen sooner than you are ready for.” I’m already having an inner battle and her sweet shy looks aren’t helping.
Shelby’s head snaps up and her cheeks flush as she quickly folds her arms over her chest. But not before I catch a glimpse of her hard nipples poking through my shirt. “I, um, I can’t stay, I can’t lose my job,” she mumbles. She doesn’t seem too excited about this job. Good, she isn’t going back to it if I can stop it.
“I have a proposition for you.”
A sour expression suddenly twists her features and she takes a step back. It takes everything in me to not reach out and pull her back to me. I hate the space she puts between us. “The costumes my boss comes up with might imply otherwise, but this isn’t that kind of job,” she spits. For the first time she actually looks mad at me.
I smile at how sexy she looks when she’s all riled up. “Thank fuck for that,” I reply, making her expression turn to confusion. “I wasn’t referring to a money-for-sex proposition, Shelby.” Oh, I'd give everything I own to have her under me, but I want her under me because she wants to be there.
“Oh.” Her arms fall to her sides, her defensive attitude melting away. I could swear a hint of disappointment fills her pretty eyes.
My hand shoots out and grasps her around the waist, yanking her forward so she stumbles into me. My other hand splays across her back, pressing our bodies together. Then I bend my head and whisper in her ear, “Make no mistake, my little muse, I’m going to have you in my bed. But it won’t be money that gets you there. It’ll be pure need.” I push my hips tighter into her, my cock digging into her belly, so she has no doubt how much I want her. “You’re going to be begging me to make you come.” Shelby gasps but doesn’t try to move away. She sways slightly and her hands come up to my shoulders to steady herself. “Then I’m going to taste your pussy and make you fall apart on my tongue before I bury myself inside you and make you come while screaming my name.”
I nibble on the shell of her ear before I pull back to look at her. My lips turn up in a satisfied smile when I see her eyes glazed over, the jade green bright with lust.
“Now that we’ve got that out of the way”—I force myself to step back but keep one hand on her hip and guide her out of the closet—“back to my proposition.” We make our way to the kitchen and over to a large island in the center of the room. I easily lift her and deposit her on one of the stools and turn her to face me, wedging myself in between her knees. She has to spread them wide to make room for me. My shirt rides up, giving me a peek of those white panties she has on. Who
the fuck knew simple white panties could be so hot?
“I want you to move in with me.” She opens her mouth, but I place a finger over her lips. I don’t want to hear a no come from her mouth. “You inspired me the second I saw you. Broke me out of the walls I’d somehow become caged in. I need you to be my muse, to keep me from the bleak place I was in before you landed on my doorstep. Your voice, it’s like the key to my own personal oasis.” It wasn’t only her voice, though. It was everything about her. I want it all.
I trace her lips once then drop my hand to rest at the base of her neck. Her pulse is racing and I suppress the desire to replace my hand with my lips. “I’ll provide you with anything you need. Make sure you want for nothing.”
“Just live here? Like roommates?” she asks hesitantly. I shrug, letting her read into the action however she wants. Disappointment flits over her face for a second, and I bite my lip to keep from grinning. She wants more than friends. Good, that will make this easier. “For how long?”
“As long as I need you.” I want to tell her forever, but that might send her running. I can’t have that.
Her head slowly moves from side to side as though she’s forcing the movement. “I can’t possibly,” she argues weakly. “I mean, I have a lease with roommates who depend on me for my share of the rent, and a job, and um…and…” She trails off as though she’s trying to come up with more reasons but isn’t able to find any.
“I’ll take care of everything, Shelby. Stay.” She’ll soon learn how true that is. She’ll never have to worry about a thing again.
She opens and closes her mouth a few times, the wistful look in her eyes betraying how close she is to giving in. She wants someone to take care of her. I can see it in her eyes. I want that privilege.
I capture her chin in my hand and seal my lips over hers, immediately demanding entry. She parts and my tongue slips in to explore. Her taste explodes on my tongue, and I groan as I change the angle of her head so I can deepen the kiss. She melts into me and I know I’ve got her, so I reluctantly draw back. Keeping a firm hold on her chin, I lock eyes with her.
“Stay.” It isn’t a request. She has to feel this. That kiss tilted my whole world.
Shelby nods, and I give her a quick, hard kiss. “But only for a couple of months,” she adds. I frown and start to argue, then think better of it. That will give me time to see what we can have together. I’ll take such care of her she’ll never want to leave.
“For now,” I agree, being deliberately vague. When I give her what she assumes is an agreement, there is a flash of disappointment like before. I’m confident it isn’t going to take much to convince her to stay indefinitely. As I step back, the hand on her hip brushes along her stomach before I let her go, and the perfect solution comes to me.
That’s it. I’m going to tie her to me in the most primal of ways. Forever. The image of Shelby, naked and spread out on my bed with a round belly and a ring on her finger, shifts the music in my head and already I am composing a second piece.
“You need to eat,” I inform her as I move around the kitchen. I want to make sure she has plenty of strength because I fully intend to have her in my bed tonight. I’m going to spend all night fucking my baby into her. And every night after until I know I’ve succeeded. Then I’ll keep doing it because I’ll never get enough of her.
“What do you need me to do to, um, be your muse?” she asks, breaking me from my thoughts.
“Sing for me.” Be my wife. The mother of my children. My whole world.
Chapter Four
Shelby
While Theo is searching his fridge for something to cook for us, the doorbell rings. I slide off the stool he’d set me on and take three steps toward the door before he moves around the counter and wraps his hand around my waist, pulling me into his big, warm body. “No way in hell are you going anywhere near the door. I don’t know who it is, but what I do know for sure is that I don’t want them to see you dressed like this.”
I should probably be offended by his bossiness, but I can’t seem to make myself react like a normal woman. Not when it makes my body all tingly and warm. I don't blame him. If he was still in a towel I might have had the same reaction. Instead, I’m secretly thrilled that I’m the reason for the flare of jealousy in his dark eyes. It doesn’t seem possible that he would feel that way about me. He’s Theo Hayes, and I’m just…me—a struggling singer who’s doing singing telegrams because I can’t get my career off the ground. I keep being told it’s because I need to lose a little weight and then my career would take off. I’m a healthy weight. If I lost weight I’d be unhealthy. I have no plans for that, so maybe singing telegrams is all I’m destined for. I can’t see Theo being my destiny.
He’s so far out of my league that we shouldn’t share a city, let alone the same house for a couple of months. Even if it’s just because he wants me close while I’m his muse for whichever incredible composition he’s going to come up with next. Super close based on the sensual promise he’d made me in his closet. Like, in-his-bed close.
I shiver a little just thinking about it, remembering how it felt when Theo whispered such dirty words in my ear. And, holy cow, the way he kissed me. The strength of my reaction to him is a surprise since I’ve never felt anything like it before. I’ve always been super awkward around men and couldn’t understand how my roommates fell so quickly for the guys they dated. Or how they could sleep with the newest one so soon after breaking up with the last. But after my reaction to Theo, I kind of get it now since I’m not sure I’ll be able to resist him for even one night. Although I can’t imagine ever feeling like this about anyone other than him. He’s all-consuming.
My lips turn down at the thought of a time when I’ll have to get over Theo. I only met him maybe thirty minutes ago, and I already can’t imagine not having him in my life. That’s how out of control my reaction to him is. It’s enough to make my head spin.
“What’s wrong?” Theo growls after he walks back into the kitchen, carrying two brown paper bags. He sets them on the counter and tilts my head back with one finger under my chin. “Why’re you frowning, my little muse?”
My cheeks heat in embarrassment at the idea of admitting my feelings to him. “It’s nothing.”
His thumb sweeps across my bottom lip. “I can only fix it if you tell me what’s bothering you.” God, that sounded so good. To be taken care of. I’ve been taking care of myself for so long with no one to lean on. Now he’s someone wanting to take care of me.
“Um.” There’s no way I can tell him the truth right now. Talk about outing myself as a stage five clinger. If I do that, he’ll forget about wanting to hire me as his muse and kick me out of his life forever. So, I blurt out the first thing I can come up with, other than that particular truth. “I’m just worried what my boss is going to say when I tell him I’m not going to be taking any assignments for a little while.”
His scowl puts my tiny frown to shame. “You don’t need to worry about what your former boss thinks when you quit. I told you I’d take care of everything. Give me his number and I’ll call him.”
“Quit?” I echo softly, shaking my head in an attempt to make sense of what he’s saying. “Why would I quit when I’m only going to be here for a couple of months? I’ll need that job later.” What will I do when I leave here? Be heartbroken and jobless?
“I don’t think you’re getting what I’m saying to you.” His gaze drops to the shirt covering my costume, making his dark eyes heat. “Me taking care of everything means that you’ll never need your old job back.”
My head tilts to the side and my hair slides over my shoulder. He twines a long curl around his finger as I ask, “It does?” My heart gives a happy flutter at the thought.
He holds out his hand. “Pull up your boss’s number and give me your phone so I can let him know you’re mine now.”
Before I realize it, my hand reaches into my purse, and I’m doing exactly what he asks. I don’t stop him w
hen he presses the button to place the call that will take away my only source of income. The one that lets me afford my share of the rent on my apartment, and clothes, and food. And I don’t stop him when I hear my boss’s voice yelling over the line because he’s angry about me blowing off my other gig today.
“I guess it’s a good thing I won’t need that job anymore since that bridge is definitely burned,” I grumble after he ends the call. I should be more upset, but I hated my boss. He was a jerk.
“You’re better off with that bridge burned.” He tucks my phone into the pocket of his sweatpants before bending down to brush his lips over mine.
“Better off?”
“You’re destined for bigger and better things.” His lips kick up in a grin when my eyes go wide with surprise. “Don’t forget, I’ve heard you sing.”
“Ohh,” I breathe out. “That’s probably the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
This time, it’s his eyes that widen. “That’s a damn shame because you deserve to have people in your life who treat you like the amazing person you are.” His eyes go soft.
“We just met. You don’t know what kind of person I am.”
“I know enough to be fascinated by you, and it won’t be long before I learn everything else,” he insists as my stomach lets out a loud growl. He gently grips my wrist and leads me back to the stool where I’d been sitting. After he gets me settled on it, he pulls a stack of take-out containers out of the first bag, and bottles of soda, wine, and water from the second.
I snag a garlic knot from the first box he opens and let out a little moan of pleasure when I pop it into my mouth. “Mmm, so good.” I only had a handful of M&Ms when I went running out the door this morning for work.
“Holy fuck,” Theo groans. “That sound.” Dropping his head low, he fists his hands so tight that his knuckles turn white.
