He knew she wasn’t disappointed in his response this time.
She pulled the bra off and he thought he was going to lose his mind. He had no idea if they were fake, but they were big and beautiful, and he thought his jaw was going to hit the floor as she touched herself. But she moved back down to the barely there panties and teased them off too.
She then danced her way closer to the bed. Her eyes were dark. She knew the power she had over him, and he could tell she was most definitely pleased at his response this time. She pranced over to him, grabbed his chin, and gave him a look. He wasn’t sure what she was thinking. “You like the boots, don’t you?”
He couldn’t contain his enthusiasm. “Hell, yeah.”
She turned back around, making sure he could appreciate her ass, and then she sat on the end of the bed, sliding the boots back on. She then turned and got on the bed on all fours. Jesus Christ, he thought he might come just looking at her. “You and me—we’re gonna get together again, stud, and I’m gonna be bossy, but tonight I just wanna make you forget about the bitch who broke your heart.”
She straddled him and he started to protest. “She’s not a bi—” But she covered his mouth with hers and he couldn’t talk. Instead, he thought he was going to be buried alive under her kiss, and he didn’t know how much more he could take. This woman was beautiful and she was his, even if for just a short time. And it dawned on him, as she began pulling at his jeans, that she had just made him a promise that they were going to have another night together. He wanted to make sure he’d survive this one first.
She pulled his cock out of his underwear and stroked him, eliciting another moan out of his mouth. Holy fuck, this woman. She giggled and then reached over to her nightstand, pulling out a condom. She had it unwrapped and on him in seconds, and he was glad, because that muted the feeling just enough that he thought he’d be able to enjoy the full gamut of sensations before he came this time.
She poised herself above his cock, those black boots stopping midway up her naked thighs. He could feel the rhythmic throbbing of his dick in time to his beating heart. Then she slid herself over him, and her pussy sucked him in. It was like she was continuing to dance, only this time with him inside her, and she threw her head back in ecstasy. When she looked back down on him, he placed his hands on her hips. He almost didn’t feel like he could touch her, because it felt almost like he wasn’t present, like he was watching it happen to someone else.
Oh, but no fuckin’ way, because he felt so goddamned incredible. She reached down and, with each of her hands, grabbed his off her hips and placed them on her breasts. As he touched her at her bidding, she let out a long sigh. “God, you’re so hot. I love your tattoos. They make you look so bad, so dangerous, and that’s why I want to fuck the shit out of you.” She slid her fingers down her stomach, another erotic move, and then touched herself until she moaned and started yelling like she was on fire. She was clenching against him, and that was when he couldn’t take it anymore. His eyes clamped closed as an explosion of pleasure washed over him. She continued grinding against him, prolonging it just a little longer, as her orgasm wound down too. He wasn’t sure what he’d done to deserve this sex goddess, but he felt like tonight had become his lucky night.
Chapter Thirty-five
AS SUMMER DRIFTED into fall, Brad and his friends fell into a routine. His job was fairly regular, whereas Val’s schedule was all over the place, but her boss worked around the dates they played. They always had at least two shows a week, but sometimes as many as four, depending on what Brad had been able to book, and the merch table was starting to pay for itself as more and more people became fans.
Jo had sent him a couple of risqué texts since he’d seen her, but nothing else had happened between them. She was a great memory, and if he ever felt desperate again, he was going to go to her club. She’d helped him through a low spot, and, for that, he’d be forever grateful.
He was finally able to allow some distance between himself and Val, and he was able to think of her as just a good friend again. Jo was a huge part of that. He wasn’t happy about her relationship with Ethan, but that was only because Ethan was continuing to be a selfish asshole. If the guy would make Val a priority and treat her like an angel, Brad would bless the relationship.
He started worrying about her, though. He was afraid she was going to fall prey to Ethan’s bad habits.
He was waiting for the perfect opportunity to talk to her—alone. He wasn’t going to say anything when anyone else was around. She seemed to be fine, but she was thinner, and he knew, if she was doing something like meth, that it could do that. He could see her indulging, considering she had a lot on her plate. She was working a lot and she walked to and from her job. She could have taken the bus but said it wasn’t far enough to bother. When it got cold or snowy, she might, but for now she was walking. And she was working hard on the music, often singing for hours to get a song exactly the way she wanted it. She was spending a lot of her leftover free time with Ethan. She also did extra work around the house, in spite of Brad’s best efforts to prevent it, but he was glad he’d set up all the schedules and lists he had when they’d first moved in, or she’d be doing nothing but cleaning.
Finally, one morning, all three guys were sleeping and Brad and Val were in the kitchen drinking coffee before both of them had to go to work. She was—she was lots thinner. She actually looked hotter than ever before, but he was worried that there was more to it. He had to be sure. He had to know everything was okay.
“Do you have a minute to talk before work?”
She seemed hesitant but nodded. “Sure.”
“Please, Val…please tell me you’re not indulging in any of the shit Ethan does regularly.”
She got a confused look on her face. “What? Why would you even ask that?”
“You’ve lost a lot of weight.”
She shook her head. “That’s not why.”
“Something I should worry about?”
She paused, then said, “Oh, no. No. Hell, no. I’m just…not eating as much and I’m exercising a lot. I’m not starving, and I’m definitely not doing drugs.”
“Okay. Good. Just…you really are our muse, Val. I…” He couldn’t find the words, so he struggled, looking in the cup in front of him for answers.
“What?”
It didn’t matter—he had to say it. “I feel the need to protect you.”
She smiled. “From what?”
“Lots of things. I…just want you safe.” That realization was when he knew he was completely over lusting for her and now loved her like a sister or another bandmate. And he felt that it was a good love, a necessary love—and much safer than the alternative.
“I am safe, right?” When he didn’t answer immediately, she said, “Right?”
“Yeah, sure. You are. Just…” He wanted her to know that he was there for her, no matter what happened with her and Ethan. “Just remember you have a friend here, okay?”
She rested her hand on top of his, trying to reassure him. “I know that.” And perfect timing. Ethan walked in the kitchen from the bedroom and sat at the table. He said nothing, but it was pretty obvious what he was thinking. As though Brad’s temperature had raised two hundred degrees in a matter of seconds, Valerie pulled her hand off his and wrapped it back around her coffee mug. She looked at Ethan. “Hey, how’d you sleep?”
“For shit.” Brad was glad to see Ethan was his usual self, a beaming ray of sunshine.
He said, “There’s plenty of coffee if you want it.”
“Nah. I know what I want.”
He glanced over at Val. Jesus, what the hell was wrong with the guy? He understood—if Val was his girlfriend, especially the way she was looking lately, he’d want to fuck her all the time too. Unlike his friend, though, he wouldn’t go around pissing on everything. Brad already knew Ethan had won the girl; he didn’t have to continue to flaunt it or, worse, continue to challenge Brad. Brad had already steppe
d back. And until Ethan could see that, their relationship was going to be strained, and Brad was beginning to wonder if their friendship could even survive.
But, if Brad could believe his senses, that wasn’t all that was going on. Ethan was challenging him, yes, but Brad was pretty sure he was on something. What the guy had in mind, he didn’t know. “Think it through, man.”
“Fuck off, Bradley.”
He maintained his eyes locked on Ethan’s. He was pretty sick of the guy’s shit. Val asked, “Can we please stop?”
Fine. She continued to make the same choice. Of course, she would defend her boyfriend, even when he was out of line. Okay—she’d made her bed. She could go lie in it. “I gotta go to work anyway.” He rinsed his coffee cup and set it next to the sink. “Nice talkin’ with ya, Val.”
Ethan, though? Ethan could suck his dick. He was pretty over his brother’s shit. He pulled his jacket off the back of the chair where he’d been sitting and put it on, shoving his hands in his pockets to make sure he had everything he’d need for the day, and he left.
After he walked out the door, he was even more pissed that he’d let Ethan get the upper hand. He’d been so distracted and angry that he’d forgotten to make a lunch for himself to take to work. That meant he’d have to eat out today, because no way in hell was he going back to the apartment. Yes, Fully Automatic was starting to earn more money, but Brad had plans, and they didn’t involve a daily Big Mac or Nachos Bell Grande. Well, once in a while wouldn’t hurt, but it led him to realize that he had to stop investing so much emotion into Ethan. Brad could talk a good game, but it was hard to play it well when so much was at stake—his friendships, his band…hell, his whole fucking life. It was damned near impossible to be objective about any of it.
* * *
Brad was at work one afternoon when he got a phone call from Jo. He thought it was strange, because she’d only ever texted him. They were between cars—one of the other guys was getting ready to drive the next one into the garage—so he answered. “Hey, Jo, what’s up?”
Her voice was low, almost a purr. “Brad?”
“Yeah.”
“I have been thinking about you all afternoon, and I think you need to come over here right now.”
He smiled. “I can’t. I’m at work.”
He could almost hear the pout in her voice. “Oh. Can’t you just tell them you have an emergency?”
“I really can’t.” He looked up at the clock on the wall, the one that constantly kept them on task, drove them to be quick and efficient with each car they worked on. “I get off at five-thirty. I could come by then.”
She was silent for a few moments, and then she said, “Fine. I’m going to keep myself plenty wet until then, but I want your tongue to get me off, so don’t waste any time.”
He sucked in a breath. Holy shit. He swallowed. Okay, so it was going to be hard to think about anything else the rest of the day. He managed a chuckle. “I’ll see you soon. Do what you gotta do, I guess.”
“Oh, I will.” He was glad he could do his job in his sleep by this point, because his mind was not on the job—it was in Jo’s busy apartment, imagining everything they could do once his body got there.
When he got off work, he was afraid that, at first, he wouldn’t remember how to get there. He’d call if he had to, but he did fine finding it.
He stepped out of the car and took a deep breath. He was looking forward to this more than he would have thought he would. As he made his way to her apartment, he could see her in his mind—her long dark hair, emerald eyes, shapely breasts, and her filthy mouth. That was probably what he was looking most forward to—he’d never had a girl talk to him during sex like she did. Even Misti, the older woman who’d helped him make the transition from awkward teen to more confident man, hadn’t talked dirty like Jo did.
Jesus…he could feel himself heating up just thinking about it.
When he got to the door, he didn’t even get a chance to knock, because she opened the door and pulled him in. Brad hardly had a chance to register that she was wearing some kind of lingerie in red, complete with black garters and heels, before she had him slammed up against the wall, her tongue in his mouth and her hands all over his body. She cupped his package in her right hand and said, “Sorry, stud, but you have to wait. Me first.” She stepped back, pulling his jacket off, and then she noticed his khaki overalls, grease-stained and more than a bit dirty. She grinned. “You really did come straight from work. What a good boy. Why don’t we get you in the shower?” She pulled on the zipper and he helped her, but he was going to have to take his boots off to make it easier. His overalls pooled at his feet, and he bent over to loosen his laces. “I’m gonna go start the water. You better hurry up.”
He didn’t take long to get his boots off, and then he rushed to follow her into the bathroom. She already had the water pouring out of the faucet and turned the shower on, pulling the curtain closed. “It’s a shame, really.”
“What?” he asked, pulling his t-shirt over his head.
“You can’t really appreciate the outfit I wore for you.”
He grinned and wrapped his hands around her waist, pulling her close. “Oh, I appreciate it, and I’ll be imagining it on you the entire time it’s not.” He kissed her then. “But we should probably get you out of it, unless you want me to shower by myself.”
“No, I’ll be there.” She stepped back and pulled a strap down, and Brad figured he’d better take the opportunity to peel off the remainder of his clothes. He pulled his socks off while she unclipped the garters and pulled her hose off one at a time, and then he took his jeans off. He was pulling his shorts off by the time she was removing the lingerie.
She slapped him on the ass and then pulled the shower curtain aside. “Get in there.”
He grinned again and got under the water—almost a little too hot—but he didn’t plan to be there long. She might have thought he was dirty but the overalls protected him from most of the grime at the shop. It was his hands that always got the dirtiest, and he’d washed them before leaving. He didn’t want to get the steering wheel filthy, so he always washed his hands before leaving work.
He grabbed the soap and started lathering up when she stepped in the tub and got close. He asked, “So, did I hear you right?”
She grinned. “What?”
“You said something about wanting my tongue to do all the work?”
Her smile grew wider. “Yeah, that’s what I want.”
“Then you tell me when you’re ready.”
“I was ready three or four hours ago when I called you.”
He grabbed her ass and pulled her close again, pushing her into him. “I’m sorry, Jo. I can’t just leave work whenever I feel like it.”
“Then you better make it up to me.”
“I will.” He lifted her up, wrapping her legs around his torso, and he kissed down her neck and the top of her breast. “I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty clean.” He looked at her. “You happy?”
She smiled and nodded, a twinkle in her eye. He set her down and she turned around to shut the water off. She stepped out of the shower and grabbed his hand, leading him out. He had a hard on now; there was no way to stop it. But he was going to make her feel great first. She yanked a towel off a stainless steel rack and patted herself off, then bunched it up and held it to Brad’s chest. He took it and patted himself off a little. It wasn’t too chilly in her apartment, so he didn’t care about getting completely dry. He tossed the towel back toward the rack, hooking it enough so he could let it go and the rest draped down off the front, but he already had her face in his hands and he was kissing her.
They took their time walking to the bedroom, spending more time kissing, but when they got to the bed, he said, “I also think you said something about staying wet until I got here.”
“Oh, I’m very wet.”
He grinned and ran his hand down her neck, past her collarbone, and to her breast. He cupped i
t in his hand and said, “I think I’m gonna have to check that out myself.” He licked her nipple and she drew in a deep breath. He sucked it into his mouth and slid it through his teeth. He didn’t want to hurt her but wanted her on the edge. She gasped, so he knew it was working. And then he slid his hand down her belly to her pussy where she had that tiny, trimmed patch of hair and worked his fingers down into the folds. Holy shit. “You weren’t kidding.”
“I told you.” She was smiling. “It’s been hell waiting for you all this time.”
“Well, I keep my promises.” He lay her down on the bed and wasn’t going to waste any time. He kissed her once more and then kissed between her cleavage, down her belly, and then he lifted her legs and draped them over his shoulders. It had been a long time since he’d done this with a girl, and he hadn’t done it enough that he felt like any kind of expert.
He ran two of his fingers down her slit, parting her, and then he flicked his tongue over her clit. “Mmm.” God, as promised, she was wet and ready. He moved his tongue up and down against her, and she let him know vocally that he was right on track. He kept it up—a steady but slow speed—until the muscles in her thighs clenched and she got louder. “Oh, fuck!” she screamed and then started moaning loudly, writhing. He felt himself grow harder, but he tried to maintain his focus on her, continuing to move his tongue over her until she relaxed and let out a loud sigh. “Shit.”
“You good?”
“Mmm. Thank you for making the wait totally worth it.”
“Let me know when you’re ready.” He moved up the bed and started kissing her neck.
Bullet Series Box Set Books 1-8 Page 117
