The Backstage Series Box Set

by Dani René

  “I’m telling you, there’s something strange about that one.”

  Ignoring the chill of fear that has goosebumps rising on my skin, I slide into the seat, grab the pint glass she ordered for me and take a long drink. I’ve gotten used to beer since I’ve been here, although it’s not my favorite, but I’m not about to pass up a free drink.

  “Yes, he’s creepy, but he hasn’t done anything or even said anything to me.” Shrugging it off and pushing it to the back of my mind, we change the subject to one I know she’s dying to talk about but I’m not. Liam.

  “Are you looking forward to it? To seeing him?” Her question sends another wave of panic through me.

  Am I?

  “I don’t know. He sent me a text and told me he’s picking me up at the airport, but it was… I don’t know, so formal. You know? Like… I mean we slept together. It seemed a little cold, to be honest.”

  Her expression changes as she considers what I’ve said. Sitting back, I wait for it. Margo is strange that way. She’ll overthink something before commenting, but she doesn’t have days to give me advice this time. The last time was the morning after I slept with him, I called her to tell her he invited me to spend the day with him. She told me to go for it. That was definitely the best decision I made because I had an incredible day. Liam was attentive and fun to be around. We got to know each other and I realized he’s never really dated a girl before, most of the tabloids show him with a girl once and never again. I’ve never seen him with a date, out doing normal things like visiting an amusement park or grabbing pizza at a small diner.

  “Have you responded?” she questions, and I shake my head, handing her my phone. She scans the message diligently. “I think you should.”

  “What do I say?” I don’t know why he makes me so nervous. Maybe it’s the age difference; I don’t want to come across as a silly little girl. I know I’m not, but he’s a lot more mature and probably used to older women. Would he even want me?

  “Love, you need to respond and let him know his chilly attitude doesn’t bother you. Men love to chase, and you should let this bad boy do just that. You’ll have him wrapped around your finger in no time.” With a cheeky wink, she slides out of the booth. “I’m heading to the bar. What do you want to drink?” My last weekend in London, I might as well have another.

  “Vodka and cranberry, please?” She scrunches her face at my choice.

  “I don’t know how you can drink that sweet stuff.” Shrugging, I relax and grab my phone. Unlocking the screen, I open the message and hit reply.

  * Just spoke to her, see you Monday. P. *

  Hitting send, I stifle a giggle. “What did you say?” I meet my best friend’s green eyes peering at me over the rim of her pint glass. I turn the screen to show her the message.

  “Do I want to know why he calls you, Peach?”

  “Probably not, you may be scarred for life.” We both burst into a fit of giggles. I know that if I ever have to explain why he calls me that I would turn crimson. The fact that he loved tasting me, telling me my skin was like biting into a juicy peach, he made reference to my ass while he gripped it when he had me bent over every surface of the hotel room.

  “Right then, don’t tell me. So, did you get that dress we saw for the wedding?” Nodding, I sip my sickly sweet drink and can’t help shuddering.

  “I did. I can’t believe my sister trusted me to buy a dress of my choice. She’s always worried about my taste in clothes, because I went through a few questionable phases. My emo goth was the funniest, and she hated it. But when I showed her my designs, she was pleasantly surprised that I’ve grown up and my tastes have changed.”

  “And you’ve finished her dress?”

  “Yeah, I need to make final adjustments, but it’s pretty much done. Napa is going to be amazing for the wedding. I can’t wait for Liam to see my dress.”

  “Only because there’s not much material to it.” Shrugging, I glance at my phone as it lights up on the table between us. “Is that him?” Swiping the screen, I see his name pop up.

  “Yeah.” I drop my gaze to the message and I can’t help grinning.

  * Looking forward to it, darling. *

  The words send a rush of excitement straight to my belly. Is he really looking forward to it? Or is he just saying that? Before I have time to think about it, Margo snatches the phone from my hand. “Yes! I told you.” At Margo’s shit-eating grin proudly in place, I giggle at my best friend. “Babe, you know you want another ride on that stallion. Don’t deny it.” Her voice rises a tad too loud, and the couple next to us glance at me.

  My cheeks burn with embarrassment. “God, woman. Can you keep it down? I don’t want the whole city knowing I had sex with him.”

  “Just saying, babe.”

  “Yes, I do want him, but he’s not relationship material. You know this. You’ve seen the videos of him online. I mean he fucks everything with tits.” As I whisper the words, I feel a stab of jealousy. He’s gotten to me more than I would like to admit, and as scary as it is, I like him. Those caramel eyes, rough, calloused hands, and that monster… well, you know.

  I can’t fall for him. It’s a bad idea.

  “Love, do you really think I am that stupid?” Margo’s thick English accent tears me away from my worrisome thoughts. She’s right, I am fucked. Well and truly fucked.

  “No, I didn’t say you were. All I meant was that he’s not going to be giving me a ring anytime soon. I would spoil his chances with all the groupies he gets to sleep with.”

  She reaches out and grips my hand, giving it a quick squeeze. “He’s a man. If he thinks you want a ring, he’s going to run. But, if he thinks you’re having fun… that’s another story. Then he’ll want to give you a ring.”

  “I doubt one of the biggest manwhores will fall for me and give me a ring,” I respond quietly. Even though I believe my words, there’s a spark of hope in what my best friend says. Liam would have to give up his womanizing ways and show me that he can be happy with one woman. Me. My feelings for him are stronger than I want to admit, and I don’t want to give in to his charms as soon as I land in LA; he’ll need to work for it. And I’m going to enjoy challenging him.

  “Callum did.” She’s right. We stare at each other for a little while before I shrug it off.

  “I can’t believe I am leaving in one day. I’ll be back in LA on Monday and I won’t see you for a while.”

  “Yeah, you big shot designer. Can’t believe you landed that job with Katherine Kidd.”

  “Neither can I. My designs aren’t as fluid as hers, but I want to learn everything I can. Who knows, maybe I’ll be offered a job at one of the bigger fashion houses after. Now that would be incredible.”

  “Maybe you’ll marry a stinking rich drummer, and he’ll help you open your own fashion house.” I pin her with an incredulous glare.

  “Seriously, Margs?” Her lips quirk and she gives me a cheeky wink.

  “Yes. You can have an amazing home with a picket fence and two point five children.” Her comment has me choking on my drink.

  “Who said anything about children? I am twenty-five, for God’s sake.”

  “He’s getting older, can’t wait too long.” This is what she’s like, blatant to a fault. Most people can’t handle her, but I love her sharp tongue. I can’t find a comeback for that, so I finish my drink and slip out of my seat to get a refill. “Seriously, love.”

  Shaking my head, I walk up to the bartender who’s leaning on the counter. “What can I get you, sweetheart?” He wipes his hands on a tea towel and offers me a sexy smile.

  “Another vodka cranberry and a pint of lager, please?” With a quick nod, he heads off to pour the drinks.

  “Can I buy those for you?” A deep baritone startles me, and I turn to find steely gray eyes the same color as the cocktail shaker that sits on the shelf behind the bar.

  “It’s fine, I can handle this. Thank you anyway.” Fear flows through me. Something about t
his man scares me. I didn’t think he was still here after Margo mentioned him. My skin prickles with awareness, and I’m so glad that we’re in public. The bartender places both drinks on the counter in front of me, but before I can pay him, the hand of the stranger darts out from beside me.

  “I insist.” He hands the money over and I can’t help gawking at him. Margo is convinced he’s following me, and I have noticed him around, but this is the first time he’s spoken to me. His accent filters between English and American, and something about him has my hackles rising.

  “Thank you. I have to go.” Without a second look, I rush back to the table and slide into the bench seat. “That creep just walked up to the bar and spoke to me. I thought he’d left.” I hiss, glaring at her.

  “Oh God, what did you do?”

  “I couldn’t do much, he paid for our drinks.” Her eyes widen, and I am sure they’re going to pop out of their sockets.

  “Did he put anything in them?”

  “No, I held on to them. He just creeps me out.” We nod in agreement and sip our drinks slowly. “Can we leave after this? I just want to go home.”

  “Yes, love, of course.” Inhaling a deep breath to try calming myself, I gulp my drink faster. The sooner I can get out of here, the better. My phone buzzes, and as soon as I unlock the screen, a small smile plays on my lips. Once I’ve read the message, I lock my phone and drop it into my purse. I look back up to the bar, and my face falls when my eyes collide with steely gray ones staring at me.

  Liam

  Flopping on my bed, I check my phone again. She hasn’t responded. This girl has me by the balls, and we’re not even in the same country, let alone in the same room. Laying back, I turn out the light and close my eyes. Hopefully I can get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow, Ryan and I are working on the track, and I need to focus.

  “Peach, you look gorgeous on that bed.” My words come out as a growl, and I don’t even recognize my voice. Her face is ethereal. There’s an innocence there that makes me want to corrupt her in the dirtiest ways. When she walked into the catering room tonight after the concert, I couldn’t stop myself from hitting on her. I knew she was Tayla’s sister, and she knew who I was.

  That long, chestnut hair hanging in waves down her back, those beautiful chocolate eyes, and curves that can make even the strongest of men drop to their knees. She’s incredible. Her beauty is unparalleled to any woman I have been with, and I know that tonight is going to be decadent. I can’t keep her, I can’t make her mine, but I can enjoy her while she’s in my room.

  “Are you just going to stare at me all night?” Her cheeky mouth makes me grin. Stalking toward her, I stop at the end of the bed, pulling off my tank top, and shuffling off my jeans and boxer briefs. I feel the heat of her gaze drinking me in. Every inch of my skin ignites as her eyes travel down until she reaches my hard cock.

  When her lips part, a small gasp flutters from them, and I groan in agony. I am going to do things to her that will make her gasp some more, whimper and moan, and eventually scream my fucking name. I crawl up between her legs, my body hovering over her. Our mouths only inches apart, I can smell the sweetness of her perfume. Soft, sweet peaches.

  “I want to savor you, darling. If we’re only going to get one night, I want you to remember me for the rest of your life.”

  Her hands trail over her bare breasts. Taut, pink nipples harden, and my mouth waters. There’s only one thing I want to do, and that is devour every inch of her. My mouth finds hers—it’s a soft kiss, but the hunger with which my tongue invades her is that of a man having his last meal.

  I swallow the soft moan that escapes her lips. Happily. I finally break the kiss, moving down to her neck, kissing, nipping and licking. When I reach her pebbled buds, my mouth latches on, teasing, sucking. I graze my teeth over each one.

  “Liam…” My name on her lips sends me into a primal overdrive, and the need to fuck her has my cock throbbing. Her hands fist in my hair as my tongue dips into her navel, and when I glance up, her body arches. Fuck, she’s beautiful.

  “Shhh, baby, just close your eyes and feel.” Planting a soft kiss on her inner thigh, I suck the soft skin into my mouth. Without warning, I bite down, wanting to mark her. Wanting her to remember me tomorrow. Her hands tug on my hair, and the bite of pain has me groaning.

  Her sweet scent of arousal is so intoxicating that I know I haven’t come across such perfection. Ever.

  “Please, Liam, just please?” Her begging whimpers have me smiling up at her. She peeks down, her teeth grazing her plump lower lip, biting down as my heated breath fans over her smooth, wet pussy. My thumbs tease the lips of her core, stroking up and down, and when I open her to my gaze, my heart thuds wildly in my chest.

  “You’re so fucking perfect.” I don’t even recognize my voice. Flattening my tongue, I lave at her sweet cunt. Again and again. Her hips buck against my face. She loses all control as she fucks my tongue, taking her pleasure, and it’s the most erotic thing I have ever seen.

  Her body is like a temple, and I want to worship every inch of it. As I slide two fingers inside her, the soft mewls that fall from her lips add fuel to the fire raging inside me. The ache to fuck her, to make her tighten around my cock, to feel her drip over me, it’s about to incinerate me.

  Pulling my fingers from her sopping wet pussy, I sit back and watch her eyes snap open. I lick her arousal as she stares at me. “I need you,” she whimpers, her chest rising and falling with her rapid breaths, and I can’t stop staring at her beauty.

  “I know you do. Before I fuck you, I want you above me.” I grip her hips and pull her up to straddle me. Her slick heat slides over my rigid cock, but I shake my head. “Not there, precious. Up here.” I point to my face, and her eyes go wide.

  “Liam.”

  “Now.” My command sends a shiver over her, and she maneuvers her way up until her pussy is at my mouth. “Good girl. Now ride my tongue, baby. Fuck that sweetness on my mouth.” Reaching up, I circle her clit with my thumb, and her hips buck wildly. Licking at her, I push my tongue inside her sweet tight hole.

  “Oh, God…”

  “That’s me,” I mumble on her sensitive flesh. Her hands grip the headboard above me, holding on, and I feel her pulse around my tongue. She’s close, and I can’t wait to drink every drop of her. My other hand grips her pert, peachy ass. She rolls her hips, lost in her pleasure, fucking my face, faster and faster.

  When I reach for that forbidden hole between her ass cheeks, she goes rigid, but the more I tease her clit, desire takes over and her body convulses. I slide my thumb over the tight entrance and squeeze her throbbing bud at the same time, sending her falling, tumbling, and screaming out my name.

  Her sweet cum drips into my mouth, down my chin, and I swear to God, I haven’t ever tasted anything sweeter than this. “You’re a decadent little peach.” The trembles that wrack her body subside, and her glassy gaze falls to me. My hands grip her hips, helping her shuffle down until her soaked pussy is once again rubbing against my dick.

  “I have never done that before,” she whispers, shyly. After what we just did, there’s no room for being shy. Moving my hand between us, I grip my cock, positioning it at her entrance.

  “Good, because there’ll be a lot more firsts for us tonight.” A cocky wink has her grinning as she slides down on my steel shaft. The heat of her envelopes me, and my eyes shut as I savor the incredible feel of her.

  She’s so fucking tight. Her soft hands on my chest have my body vibrating with lust. It’s deep and primal, and I can’t shake it. This girl is going to be the death of me. Her hips roll and the sensation is beyond belief. My labored breathing hitches as her cunt squeezes around me, as if she’s trying to suck all the cum from my balls.

  If that’s what she wants, that’s what she’ll get. I roll us over and pin her to the bed. Her thighs wrap around my waist as I drive into her. My hips buck faster, filling her deeper and harder. Her head drops back and those beautiful che
stnut waves fan the pillow, while her lips part in pleasure.

  The sounds she makes have my inner animal unleashing all hell on her body as my mouth devours her nipples. Biting and tugging on the pebbled peaks. Our bodies thrum like the beat of my drums, and we move in sync, in a sensual dance that I haven’t ever experienced. “You feel so fucking good around my dick, Peach. Let go, I want you to just feel me.”

  I fuck her deep, and her body tightens, pulsing. Her orgasm rips through her, and I feel my own following. Shooting down my spine, my balls tighten and I fill her deep with my cum. We hold on to each other, as if it’s the last time we’ll ever be together, and the thought has my chest tightening.

  The alarm rips me from the dream. Sitting up, I hit the clock. It’s six in the morning, and my mind and body are still shaking from the mind-blowing memory. “Fuck.” I feel like a fucking teenager having wet dreams. Swinging my legs over the edge of the bed, I get up. I need a shower and I have to get rid of this hard-on.

  As soon as I step under the spray, the hot water scalds my prickling skin. Fisting my shaft, I stroke it to the memory of my dream, to the images that play in my head. The feel of her beneath me, her moans, her hands, her lips. Every fucking inch of her driving me to abandon.

  Memories of leaving her in London disappear while I jerk off to the idea of how many more ways I want to fuck her. Own every part of her. Possess her till she can’t think straight.

  My eyes shut as pleasure takes over. White flashes behind my lids, and I growl her name as my orgasm leaves me shuddering and shivering alone in my shower.

  “Liam, are you ready for tomorrow?” Glancing at my best friend, I shrug nonchalantly, but I know he won’t be fooled by my calm facade.

  “Ryan, Liam, can I talk to you both?” Kierra walks into the studio dressed in a white sundress, and I notice my best friend’s eyes light up. He needs to grow a pair and ask her out, or fuck her. They’ve been dancing around each other for years now, and the air crackles with sexual tension whenever they’re in the same room.