Her heart hammered in her chest as she held him through the residual effects. The salty taste of sweat lingered on her lips with each kiss she placed on his damp forehead. Her arms and legs turned as limp as rubber bands from exhaustion, and when Ethan finally lifted his head, she let them fall to the side.
He gave her a crooked grin. “That was…”
“Yeah,” she finished for him. Right now, her brain couldn’t even come up with the right words to describe sex with him. Mind-blowing, awesome, incredible—they all fell short.
He gave her one more tender kiss before rising from the bed and disappearing into the bathroom. The door closed behind him, and a chill bathed her bare skin.
Now came the awkwardness of the aftermath. It would be one thing if this was a cut-and-dry hookup or sex with someone she was in a long-term relationship with, but Ethan fell squarely into that gray area.
And the worst part was, she didn’t want this to be a one-night deal. Sex had only complicated the feelings she was developing for him, and if he didn’t feel the same….
She removed her boots and drew the covers up to her shoulders before rolling over to her side, her back to the bathroom door. It would save her the humiliation of reading too much into this if all he wanted was a quick fuck.
A band of light appeared on the wall in front of her, widening until a shadow filled its center. Then it vanished, plunging the room back into darkness. She held her breath, waiting to see if he would just grab his things and leave.
Instead, the mattress shifted under his weight, and his hard body curled around hers. “Do you mind if I stay a bit longer?” he asked.
She shook her head and smiled. “No.”
“Good, because I don’t want to leave just yet.” He draped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.
Chapter Nine
Ethan awoke to the scent of Becca’s perfume on the pillows and the sensation of a warm, soft body lying next to him. A faint light filtered in from behind her curtains, announcing the morning’s arrival. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes to make sure this wasn’t a dream. When the image of Becca lying next to him didn’t disappear, his lips curled into a grin.
I could get used to this.
Her breathing was slow and calm, so different from the shaking gasps she’d drawn when he ordered her to touch herself. He still felt a little bad about pushing her like he did, but it was the only thing he could think of to overcome his anxiety about making love to a woman sober. He didn’t want to ruin this chance by coming too soon or doing something she didn’t like. But in the process, he discovered another side to her. The more he told her what to do, the more aroused she’d become, even if it meant pushing her comfort levels.
Definitely something to keep in mind for next time.
He caught himself as soon as the thought materialized. Next time? Jesus, he’d only slept with her once, and he was already planning the next time. But he couldn’t deny the worsening hard-on he was getting from picturing what he’d do to her.
I’ve got to get out of here before I wake her up demanding seconds.
He slipped out of bed with the stealth of a ninja, a skill learned from one too many one-night stands, and found his clothes. But by the time he’d pulled his jeans on, he was second-guessing his decision to sneak out. She deserved better than that, especially after he’d asked her if he could stay.
He paused and ran his fingers over his head. He’d never asked to stay the night with anyone before, and yet, with her, he wanted to. Shit, I’m in over my head.
Coffee. I need coffee.
He didn’t bother putting his shirt on as he went to the kitchen. The apartment was still messy from the party, but an air of still silence hung over it in the early morning hours. After searching the cabinets, he found what he needed to start a pot of coffee, and leaned on the counter while it brewed.
So, how do I handle this?
He liked her. A lot, actually. Enough to even consider staying in town long enough to see where their relationship went. She was pretty, smart, adventurous, sexy…
The throbbing returned to his groin, and he groaned. There was no way he’d be able to get through another one of those NA meetings without remembering how it felt to be buried inside her. It wasn’t something he’d considered when he’d kissed her or accepted her invitation to take things to her bedroom. And he needed to go to those meetings, if only to stay accountable and not relapse.
As his stomach tied itself up in knots, he waited for the familiar craving to hit.
But this time, it wasn’t as intense as before. Instead of being a herculean task, it was something a mere mortal like him could handle.
He drew in a deep breath and exhaled, the craving passing as he remembered the hurdles he’d overcome last night. Becca had helped him in his moment of weakness. She’d helped him find the music again. And she’d given him the first night of peaceful sleep in over a month. She’d been far more instrumental in his recovery than anything else, and the last thing he wanted to do was mess up things with her.
I’ll just gauge her reaction when she wakes up and go from there.
“God, I could use some coffee now,” a sleepy female voice said from the living room.
Ethan spun around just as Ari came into the kitchen. They both froze and stared at each other. Her eyes widened, her voice full of shock. “I know you.”
He backed away. “Yeah, I’m Becca’s friend.”
“No, I know you.” She pointed to the tattoo of the tiger curling down his right arm. “I’d recognize that tattoo anywhere.”
Sweat prickled the back of his neck. He could’ve sworn he’d never met Becca’s roommate until last night, but who knows how many stupid things he’d done when he was high?
“You’re Ethan Kelly of Ravinia’s Rejects.”
Becca had warned him that Ari was a huge fan, but that didn’t give justice to the awe-like reverence that lit up her face as she continued to point to him. He half expected some pre-pubescent squealing to follow, but she managed to stand quietly where she was with her mouth still forming a perfect circle of surprise.
“Um, yeah.” He dropped his forehead to his shoulder to wipe the perspiration from it. So far, his first encounter with a fan since going into hiding was off to a fucking fantastic start.
She dropped her arm and came closer. “I’m a huge fan.”
“So Becca told me.”
“She is, too. We both are.”
He spied his jacket and helmet by the door and started calculating the best escape route. “Oh, really?”
Ari nodded, her eyes still star-struck. “I know all the words to all your songs.”
“Funny, so do I.”
She blinked several times, and the spell ended. “Oh my God, what am I thinking? I need to get my phone to take a picture with you.”
Shit! The last thing he wanted was her selfie with him plastered all over social media. It would blow his cover.
She ran back to her room, and he made a break for the door. He didn’t care that he was half dressed as he pressed the down button for the elevator half a dozen times. He needed to get away from her camera lens as quickly as possible.
The elevator dinged, and he ducked inside. Just as the doors were closing, Ari appeared in the hallway and turned in his direction.
The elevator started its descent, and he banged his forehead against the wall in frustration. Not the way he wanted the morning to end, but there was no way around it. The familiar craving simmered in his veins and tempted him to dive back into the abyss. He curled his hands into fists and waited for it to pass before pulling his jacket on. He slipped out of the building without any difficulty. His motorcycle was parked where he’d left it down the street, and he sped off for his loft.
He was pulling his bike into the freight elevator when his phone buzzed.
He pulled it out, thinking maybe it was Becca calling to ask where he was, but instead, Adam’s number flashed on the screen. Disappointment flowed out with a sigh, and he clicked the answer button. “Hey, Adam.”
“Don’t ‘hey’ me. You’ve had us all worried sick.”
“Oh, really?” he asked while unlocking the door of his apartment. His eldest brother sounded way too much like their dad when he was pissed off. “And why is that?”
“Because it’s the first time you’ve bothered to answer any of our calls in the last twenty-four hours.”
Ethan pulled his phone back and checked the call log. Sure enough, there were at least twenty missed calls from his family since yesterday. “Sorry, I had my phone on silent.”
“You need to come up with a better excuse than that. I was about to fly out there to make sure you were still alive.”
“I’m not Ty,” he replied, his voice tight with irritation. “I’m staying clean, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
“Then why the hell weren’t you answering your phone?”
“I already told you why.” He parked his bike along the wall by the door and hung his helmet on the hook above it.
“Why did you have your phone on silent?”
“Why do you and Mom feel the need to check in on me every few hours? I’m not helpless, you know.”
The anger melted from Adam’s voice, leaving genuine concern in its wake. “It’s just because we’re worried about you.”
“Well, stop worrying so much, okay? I have a great support system here, and she’s wonderful. She’s kind, thoughtful, smart, and has enough nerve to smack me upside the head when I’m being an idiot. She’s already helped me work through so much on the road to staying clean, so you can stop treating me like a child.”
Silence hung in the air for a moment, and Ethan’s stomach sank. When Adam was quiet like that, it meant he was dissecting something that was said.
“So, tell me more about this support system of yours.”
He could just imagine his brother’s response if he told him who Becca was. She still didn’t have the most stellar reputation, even though she’d retired from her party girl ways years ago. She’d tried to protect his privacy, and now it was his chance to return the favor. “That’s none of your fucking business.”
“There’s a nine a.m. flight to LaGuardia I can still make,” Adam warned.
“Just cut me some slack. I’m not a kid anymore.”
“No, but you are in a tough place right now.”
“News flash, Adam—Hell’s Kitchen has gone under some serious gentrification, so it’s not the shithole it used to be. You saw how much my loft cost.”
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
Ethan plopped down on the sofa and massaged his temple. Adam and his mom had no doubt researched narcotic recovery and probably already knew about the one-month speed bump. “Yes, I’m at the one-month mark, and yes, it’s been tough, but if I need any help, I can call on Becca.”
“So her name’s Becca, huh?”
Damn it! Adam had somehow managed to weasel her name from him. “Yeah.”
“And she lives in the city?”
“No, she lives in fuckin’ New Jersey.”
Instead of shutting his brother up, the comment only made Adam laugh. “Ah, the sarcasm’s back in full force. Always a good sign.”
“See? I’m fine. So lay off with the bedtime checks, okay?”
“Fine, and I’ll tell Mom to back off, too, but don’t be surprised if she calls wanting to know more about Becca.”
A lump the size of the Wall Street bull formed in his throat. “Why?”
“Because it’s the first time you’ve mentioned a woman who wasn’t some chick you banged while you were on tour.”
No, but there was last night…
“And from the sound of things,” Adam continued, “you think very highly of her.”
“Yeah, I like her. She’s cool, but there’s no need for Mom to start planning another wedding. In fact, it might be nice if you didn’t mention Becca to her.”
“Don’t want to get her hopes up?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
But the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea of being linked with Becca, of spending more time with her outside the NA arena, of being called her boyfriend instead of just her friend. He just had to figure out the best way to handle the transition to that point.
“I won’t mention it to Mom if you tell me where you were last night.”
Damn it, his brother never gave up. But that didn’t mean he’d have to tell him everything. “I was celebrating Rosh Hashanah.”
“Rosh Hash—what the fuck?”
“Shanah Tovah, Adam.” He hung up and made sure his phone was still on silent before slipping it back into his pocket.
***
“Becca, you have some serious explaining to do!”
Becca shot up in bed at the sound of her roommate’s irate screech. The first thing she noticed was that she was still naked from last night. The second thing was the still-warm impression next to her from another person. The pleasant ache between her legs reminded her of the previous night’s encounter.
Holy shit! I slept with Ethan Kelly.
Then another more worrisome thought followed. Where is he?
Becca yanked the sheets up over her chest as Ari burst into her bedroom. “Haven’t you heard of knocking?”
Ari stood at the foot of her bed, arms crossed and cheeks florid. “Oh my God. You fucked him?”
“No, I just suddenly decided to sleep naked next to a sexy man, but managed to keep my hands off of him.”
“Damn it, Becca! You know how long I’ve had a crush on Ethan Kelly.”
Becca rested her forehead in her hand. So the cat was out of the bag. “Funny. You seemed rather pissed off that he was even here last night.”
“That was before I realized who he was.”
“Um, sorry?”
“Don’t bother lying to me.” Ari plopped down on the edge of the bed, her arms still crossed. “Did you know?”
“Of course I knew, but he wanted to fly under the radar, and I respect that.”
“But I’m your best friend. You could’ve at least told me.”
Becca checked the clock. 7:14 a.m. Way too early to be having this conversation on her day off. “Speaking of Ethan, where is he?”
The redness in Ari’s cheeks spread to her ears and neck, and her ramrod straight posture wilted. She turned away, twirling a strand of blond hair around her finger. “Well, um, I think I scared him away.”
Becca jumped to her knees, still clutching the sheet to her chest and ignoring the blast of cool air that bathed her bare ass. “What happened?”
Ari gave her a nervous laugh and moved on to a new segment of her hair to twirl. “Well, I smelled the coffee he was making, found him in the kitchen with his shirt off—by the way, he’s way hotter in person than in any of his photos. No wonder why you wanted to keep him all to yourself.”
“Out with it, Ari.”
She released her hair and threw her hands down in her lap with an exasperated sigh. “I guess I went a little crazy fan-girl on him.”
“And then?”
“He freaked out and bolted.”
“Damn it, Ari! I expected better from you, what with Gabe being a movie star and all.”
“I’m sorry, but he was there—in our kitchen—half naked. I just, you know, lost it.”
Becca wrapped the sheet around her and climbed out of bed, searching for her phone in the mess of clothes on the floor. Once she found it, she dialed his number and counted the rings before it went to voice mail.
Shit!
She hung up without leaving a message and sank back down on her bed.
She’d try again later, and if she couldn’t reach him by phone, she hoped she could catch him at the next NA meeting and apologize for her roommate’s behavior.
Ari sat next to her, her head still bowed. “Sorry, Becca. I didn’t mean to scare him off.”
“It’s fine. I’m sure I’ll get hold of him and explain everything.”
Ari nodded, then asked, “So, how was it?”
Now it was Becca’s turn to blush. “Wow.”
“Wow?”
“Yes, definitely wow.”
Chapter Ten
“Rebecca, may I please have a word with you?”
A dozen pairs of eyes zeroed in on her after Elaine made her request at the end of the weekly staff meeting, all of them wondering why the lowly assistant had been singled out by the editor-in-chief.
Becca wiped her palms on her skirt and nodded. “Sure, Elaine.”
“In my office.” She beckoned her to follow her down the hall to the corner office with breathtaking views of Midtown. “Close the door behind you.”
Becca did as she was told and waited for Elaine to sit down behind her desk before taking a seat across from her. Her mouth was so dry, she doubted she’d be able to respond to anything her boss said, and she wished she’d brought the bottle of water from her cubicle with her to the meeting.
“You’re been here since January, correct?”
“Yes.”
Elaine put on a pair of designer reading glasses and skimmed over some of the papers on her desk while she spoke. “And while I appreciate you speaking up in our meetings with suggestions for articles, I don’t think you’ve firmly grasped who Moderne’s audience is. Our reader is a young, modern female who wants to stay on top of all the trends, be it fashion, beauty, or men. She is not interested in the need to educate schoolgirls in third world countries.”
Oh great, I’m about to get fired.
Becca curled her fingers into the nubby knitted fabric of her skirt. “Yes, Elaine.”
The editor set down her papers and removed her glasses to pinch the bridge of her nose. “I know you would like to write more serious articles, but that’s not what we do here. I’m far more interested in what you can give me through your social connections.”
Rockers After Dark: 6 Book Bundle of Sexy Musicians Page 102
