Playing With the Drummer

by Robin Covington

  “Rocky, I’m so close,” she panted, her hips grinding up into his mouth, seeking the thing he knew he could give her. He thrust two fingers inside her, pumping in and out with the same rhythm as his tongue—one, two—and she came. Inner muscles grabbing onto him, clutching pulls of her flesh, drawing him deeper inside, making him crave the moment when he would be inside her.

  You are so screwed.

  He pushed aside the thought as fast as it had surfaced. Yeah, this was stupid. Yeah, this had the high potential to end badly. Lita was like a song he just had to write. He was compelled to get her on paper, the melody of her laughter, the bass line echoed in the curve of her shoulder, and the harmony between her beauty and her brains. But like any of his songs, once he’d completed the process of spinning it all together, once he got it straight in his head— it lost its grip on him. He was able to move on.

  He’d let this play out over the next few days, and then he’d be able to put Lita behind him.

  For good.

  Chapter Nine

  Hot damn but that man could make her crazy.

  Her body still writhing from the pleasure ricocheting over all her nerve endings, Lita tugged hard on Rocky’s hair. He gave her what she wanted, his large, muscled body rising from between her legs to loom over her. She let her eyes wander farther than her hands could travel, enjoying every inch of his body—here for her pleasure—hers for the taking.

  His erection hung heavy and thick from his body, exposed where he’d pushed down his shorts, the swollen head shiny with his own arousal. The thought that he’d been so turned on that he’d had to touch himself made her crave all that power for herself.

  “Up. I want to suck you,” she demanded, loving how quickly he gave in as she rose to a seated position, and he kneeled in front of her, his fingers digging in the damp fabric of his shorts. Everything about his posture told her that he was hers for the taking, his unusual submission causing her to look up at his face to gauge his mood.

  “Do it. Please.” Eyes hot, dark with his passion, jaw tight, everything thing about him begged for her to touch him.

  She sat up and leaned forward, intending to take him in her mouth, but she detoured, heading for that sexy V thing that pointed straight to his cock and made all girls stupid. Lita traced up his body with her tongue, tasting his heat, his sweat, the lingering sun on his skin.

  Lita raised herself higher as she moved up his body, touching him only with her mouth. Rocky remained still, hands fisted in his bathing suit still bunched around his thighs, body tight with his extreme exercise of control. He liked to be in charge in the bedroom and his turning over the power to her even for a short time was intoxicating and arousing.

  She licked up his side, mapping out the outline of his muscles and squeezing her thighs together when his groan vibrated against her lips. She lifted up on her knees and flicked her tongue across his nipple, once, twice, until it hardened with his excitement. She bit down on it lightly, giving it a tug when he jerked under her attention.

  She lifted her eyes to meet his gaze and jerked at the heat there, the fire that licked out and burned her like the sun sitting high up in the sky over this boat. Maintaining the eye contact, she eased her way down his body, dipping her tongue into the sexy dips and riding the ridges of his abdomen.

  Lita kneeled in front of him, watching him as she eased the crown of his erection into her mouth, tongue bathing it with her wetness, caressing the bundle of nerves just under the edge that made him writhe under her. She released him, grasping his length in her hand and stroking as she shook back her wet hair from her face. His face was hard lines and knife-edge need, lids lowered so that his irises were dark and heavy. She shivered a little—in a good way—under his stare.

  His voice was softer, pleading, but also demanding when punctuated by his hand palming her head, fingers weaving into her hair and pressing her down.

  “Come on, Lita. Don’t make me beg for it.”

  “You’d never beg,” she teased and then recalled that he had done that very thing many years earlier. He’d submitted that night as well, allowing her to bind him to the bed, giving her access to his body for hours. The memory made her mouth water, and from the flare in his own eyes, she knew he remembered it as well.

  Unwilling to put off their pleasure any longer, she dipped her head again, taking him into her mouth down to the root in one smooth motion. He was hard, thick, and tasted like that delicious combination of aroused male and the unique scent that was purely Rocky. He let her set the pace at first, a slow slide up and down, alternatively tight or tender until his fingers tightened in her hair, his guidance now more of a demand than a suggestion.

  Lita moaned, lifting her face to look at his face, but he wasn’t looking down at her. His gaze was focused on the two of them reflected in the mirror that covered the wall behind the headboard. She followed his lead, drinking in the sight of the two of them locked in an erotic art display that made her thighs clench together with her own excitement.

  Rocky caught her gaze in the mirror, his upper lip curling into a tight smile as his hips snapped harder into her mouth. “We always did burn together.”

  Yes, they’d burned so hot that when it was over they were nothing more than a pile of ashes, unrecognizable as the living, breathing thing that had been their passion.

  “I don’t want to come this way,” Rocky said, his voice tight with just how close he was as he pulled back. “Can I have you, Lita? Will you let me in?”

  He leaned over and captured her mouth in a kiss, his tongue invading her mouth and his pressure causing her swollen lips to tingle. Rocky hauled her up against his body, wrapping his strong arms around her, his hands coasting all over her back, her hips, ass, and thighs. There wasn’t one part of her that didn’t feel marked, claimed by him.

  She was not passive, clutching at him, his hair, shoving down his suit even lower in her desire to have nothing between them.

  “I love tasting me on your mouth,” Rocky said as he broke off the kiss, maneuvering his body to kick off the damp swimsuit and leaning over to open the drawer on the side table. He rolled over onto his back, ripped open the condom, and slid it down over his erection.

  “Você é linda.” She stared at him, mesmerized by the sight of his long, lean muscled body laid out on the white coverlet. He was all hers for this little while, and she wasn’t going to deny herself the pleasure of his body. She knew how good this was going to be, and she wasn’t crazy, stupid, or a saint. This was all for her.

  “No. You’re the gorgeous one. So damn beautiful you hurt my eyes.” She didn’t have time to be surprised that he’d understood what she’d said when he leaned back against the headboard and crooked a finger at her. Normally, she would have wanted to break that particular digit for beckoning her like a dog, but with Rocky, all growly and hard, it flipped every single switch she had.

  She crawled over to him, milking every movement for maximum impact, and she was pleased with the reaction. When she was close enough to grab, he hauled her up onto his body, taking her mouth in a kiss that was more primal than finesse. She liked it, so different from the men in L.A. who screwed like they were auditioning for a part. Too slick and self aware by half. She ground against him, needing to get closer, to be closer.

  “Will you ride me, Lita?” Rocky asked against her lips, his tongue tracing the edges with deliberate slowness.

  “Yes.”

  She lifted herself up and straddled his body, the hair on his thighs rough against her own tender skin. Leaning forward slightly, she eased him inside her, gasping at the fullness, at the pleasure. Her eyes closed tightly to block out any other sensation than the exquisite joining of their two bodies.

  She remembered. How could she ever have forgotten this?

  Rocky thrust up into her, and the shot of spine-tingling fire forced her eyes open. He gazed up at her from below, his face taut with his effort, his fingers digging into her hips. Slow was not an option, it had b
een too long, and she was so close. So close to flying over the edge one more time, and it was impossible not to chase it like a juicy story.

  She leaned forward, kissing Rocky and capturing his gasps and moans and feeding her own back to him. Their bodies were slick with sweat, her nipples tight where they rubbed against his chest hair and rippled waves of heat down to her sex. She was close and bit down on her lip to stave it off.

  “Don’t hold back on me, Lita. I want it all,” Rocky said, his voice gravely and rough. He pushed her up slightly, increasing the tempo of his thrusts and easing a hand between them.

  The first touch of his finger against her clit was like lightning, and she saw her entire reaction, flared eyes, cheeks flushing a deeper red, in the mirror just in front of her. She was thunderstruck, unable to pull her eyes away from the image. She could see every drive up into her body, every sway of her swollen breasts, and the way his fingers rubbed against her core in a rhythm calculated to get her off.

  Rocky lifted his head and twisted to see what had her attention.

  “Damn, that’s hot, Lita.” His hips were moving faster, harder as she lowered her own body up and down. “You look like pure sex and heaven.”

  “I’m so close,” she groaned, never taking her eyes off her own image, the pleasure building and building until it crested inside her. It was white hot and temporarily blinded her as the blood roared in her ears. She fell forward, clutching Rocky as an anchor as his own orgasm rolled through him.

  They lay there a long while, and she noticed for the first time the sounds of the lake lapping up against the boat. She eased off his body, watching as he peeled off the condom and disposed of it before turning back to face her.

  “That was better than I remembered,” she said.

  “Yeah,” Rocky said, stretching out his long body and dragging her closer to him, settling down when her head was tucked under his chin, her cheek resting on his chest. She’d forgotten he was a post-sex cuddler. No rolling over to go to sleep for him— he barely slept five hours a night anyway. He’d told her that beds were wasted on sleep and had kept theirs rocking for most of three days. “I wouldn’t mind doing more of it over the next few days.”

  She stiffened. She didn’t mean to, and she caught herself before she physically pulled back, but he felt her reaction, her hesitation.

  “Lita.”

  “Rocky.”

  “What’s the problem? You aren’t up for a few days of doing the one thing we excel at together?”

  “What about Callie and Jake? The video?”

  “They can take care of themselves, and you’re going to do what you’re going to do. Neither of them has anything to do with our spending the next few days fucking every chance we get.”

  Anger and frustration brewed in the pit of her stomach, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the aching want in her chest for Rocky. His expression, watchful and placid, told her that he understood her completely. But there was more there, and she needed to hash it out before their chemistry swept them away.

  “What about Callie and Jake?” she asked again, hoping for a better answer.

  He shrugged and looked down to where his fingers lightly traced her collarbone. He wasn’t trying to distract her; she couldn’t help but play with his hair where it curled against the nape of his neck.

  “They’re grown-ups, and they’ve given me marching orders to hang out with you.” He lifted his head and caught her gaze, the heat in his eyes matching the sultry tilt to his mouth. “With you this close, it will not be a hardship.”

  Rocky leaned in for a kiss, but she pulled away, pushing her hand against his chest. He fell back on the bed, his weight and the big sigh that huffed out of his mouth shook the mattress underneath them.

  “I wish you trusted me,” she said, watching as he gave her the side-eye, his expression bewildered. “What? What’s that look?”

  “Why are you complicating a conversation that should be very straightforward?” He rolled up onto one elbow, his long, muscled body coming back into contact with hers once again. She swayed into him, the tension inside her chest unfurling a little with the connection. Clearly, her body had no problem with the current arrangement. “Why do you have to make this more than it is?”

  “Because it is.” Her tone was stubborn. Immovable Lita was in residence, and she could feel her chance at afternoon delight slipping away with every fucking question she asked and every honest answer he gave. But she had to get this clear. “You can try to shove this into the box of just sex, but I’m not one of your disposable blond bimbos that you change as often as you change your drumsticks.”

  “You are seriously killing my post-orgasm buzz.”

  She stared at him. He looked back, finally breaking eye contact with an eye roll and a sigh.

  “Every show.”

  “What?”

  “I change my sticks every show. Several times a show, actually.” He smirked as he snaked a hand around the back of her neck and drew her closer to him, so close that their breaths mingled. “And how would you know how often I change women? You must have been checking on me.”

  “It’s hard to miss when my job is to follow things like that.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “Well, okay. So what has been brewing between us is more than a set of your sticks that you throw into the audience. We had…something, and then it went to hell. My fault, in part, but half of that is on you, buddy.”

  “Fine.” He threw his hand up in the air in surrender, his expression becoming more serious. “I give. We both fucked it up.”

  “Good.” Lita paused, surprised at the admission. It was good to know she hadn’t been the only one to bring them to their knees. “Good.”

  “And I’m starting to trust you.” Shock caused her to stutter over her next thought, leaving her with her mouth hanging open. Rocky held his hand up. “But this isn’t going to end as rainbows, kittens, and a joint mortgage. You and me?” He gestured between the two of them. “Not gonna be a thing, and none of this ends up on your TV show. Agreed?”

  “So this is just what this is for this week? Friends…no…not-quite-enemies with benefits?”

  “Yes.” He watched her closely, his expression blank, and that was fine. She didn’t need to read his mind; he’d just laid out what he wanted and what she should expect.

  It wasn’t enough. She knew it, but she also knew that them together wasn’t going to happen. Her job would always be a problem, and it wasn’t something she would compromise on. He wasn’t going to suddenly embrace the press and his celebrity. At their core, they were just made of different stuff. So this was it. Did she want what time she could get with him or none at all?

  Four years hadn’t cooled down any of the feelings he brought out in her. They were wrapped up in the freedom of their beginning and the death spiral of how they ended. Maybe this could be a way to lay all the good and bad demons to rest?

  She settled back against him, glad that he couldn’t see everything she knew her face would reveal.

  “Fine. Just don’t bring us down in flames and leave me in the wreckage.

  Chapter Ten

  “Do you have somewhere to be?”

  Rocky looked up from the latest glance at his watch to find Jules Clare, the senior publicist for The Rift, glaring at him over the rim of her glasses, her hair falling out of the clip thing on top of her head. She was frazzled after hours of dealing with them and looked like she wanted to stab him with the pen in her hand. They’d been at this for a few hours, and he was ready to find Lita and drag her off to his bed, her bed, any horizontal surface would do.

  It had been amazing to wake up with her next to him in his room this morning and agony to leave her there to come to this meeting. A soft, naked, still-limp-from-pleasure Lita was a hard thing to walk away from and an even harder one to forget. He’d been fighting her memory all day. But this was a working vacation of sorts, and right now, they were definitely on the clock.

 
“Nope.” He settled back on the sofa, ignoring the snort of laughter coming from Dash who was sitting on his right. He reached up to scratch just behind his ear, using the movement to flip off his buddy at the same time.

  “He’s got a girl waiting for him,” Dash teased. “Rocky and Lita, sitting in a tree…”

  “Shut the fuck up,” he growled and returned his attention to Jules. “I vote Dash out of the band forever. And ever.”

  “You two stop clowning around for five more minutes, and then I’ll be happy to let you free so you can continue to debauch the young, blond hotel maid you seduced.”

  He paused. Jules would have been absolutely correct at any other meeting. He preferred blondes. and he had a habit of picking up women while they were in town—the tour bus leaving always made it a clean break. He decided to let it go.

  The other guys didn’t get the memo.

  “No tiny blonde for Captain Invisible this time,” Jake said. “She’s more like five feet nine inches with loads of dark wavy hair.”

  “Totally out of his league, actually. Not sure how he convinced Lita to sleep with him.” Laz joined in with the laughter as Rocky sunk farther down into the cushions. If he reacted, they would keep going. God forbid.

  “Wait. Lita Matthews?” Jules asked, her head cocking to the side like a puppy. The movement made her hair flop even more, but her hard expression cut off any grin he might have thought about letting loose. “Is that wise?”

  “Remember what you told me when I gave you shit about dating that douchebag concert promoter in Chicago?”

  Jules had told him to butt out of her business until she asked him to kick the guy’s ass. She’d never made the call, even when the guy lived up to his low expectations, but Rocky would have answered if she had. She got his message loud and clear. Conversation over.

  “Okay, so the promo is set up for the next couple of months, and you’ll have it in your inboxes later tonight.” She turned her attention to Dash. “You will be joining the guys in the studio for a couple of songs on the next album. We’ll solidify the dates. Yes?”