by L. P. Maxa
He tapped his chin. “You’re asking a lot, Cher.”
I pressed the next button on the screen. “That’s fine. We can just watch more Reedus…”
Before I knew it the iPad was on the floor and I was on my back. Smith nuzzled my ear with his nose. “I can be slow.” He trailed sweet kisses down my neck. “I can be careful.”
“Can you be sweet?”
He pinched my nipple between his finger and thumb, sending shock waves down my body. “For you, baby? I can sure as hell give it a try.” His words flooded my body with warmth.
“That’s all I’ll ever ask.”
I could see the slight fear in his eyes, hear the shake in his voice when he exhaled. Emotion like this was foreign to him. I knew that heavy moments tended to make him uncomfortable. The fact that he was trying was more than enough. So when he skimmed his hand down my body and inched one finger inside me and asked, “This for me, Cher?” I smiled up at him.
“No. It’s for Reedus.”
His eyes narrowed and for a second I was scared my joke had pissed him off. And then he put his mouth on my neck, and started to suck. Hard. That asshole was giving me a hickey! I squirmed and bucked and screamed, but nothing worked. He stayed latched painfully onto my neck until he was done. He pulled back and studied his handiwork. “Holy fuck.” He chuckled, “You won’t even be able to cover that up with makeup.”
I covered my neck with my hand. “It was a joke, you ass.”
He kissed my lips softly. “I know it was, baby. Thank you.” He kissed me again, this time less softly. His fingers found my core again and he slid them in and out until he was satisfied I was ready. He tore open a condom with his teeth and then handed it to me, “Put it on. Correctly.”
I rolled my eyes, and then rolled on the condom. He pinched the tip and tugged on the base to make sure it was secure. This guy was like the prophylactic police. He positioned the head of his dick at my entrance. He looked up at me and I could see the caution in his eyes. I reached up and put my hand on his cheek, stroking my thumb across his lower lip. “I’m okay, babe. Promise.”
He eased in, ever so gradually. When he was fully seated inside me, he let out a sigh. “Nothing has ever felt as good as you feel, Cher.”
If he kept talking to me like that, I was going to fall head over heels.
***
I woke up to a loud banging. I opened my eyes and momentarily forgot where the hell I was. My hair was all over the place, but through the dark strands I could see Smith’s naked ass at the door. “What in the holy hell do you want?”
I could hear Lexi’s excited voice. “We get to see the baby today!!” Then there was some clapping which I’m sure was coupled with jumping up and down.
“Do you have any idea what time it is, Lex?” I sat up and pushed my hair back. Smith was standing buck naked at the door with his hand holding his junk.
Lexi shoved past him, completely unfazed. “Yeah. It’s baby-viewing time!” She stopped by the bed, hands on her hips. “Did you two bone?”
I snorted and looked past her to Smith. “We…laid pipe?”
He chuckled, “Laid pipe? No, that doesn’t work for me either.”
I shrugged and got out of bed, still wearing my huge Devil’s Share shirt. Lexi looked between us. “It reeks like latex in here.”
I nodded on my way to the bathroom. “It should. Smith only wears a condom for five minutes at a time before he replaces it with a new one.” Was it weird that I was discussing our new sex life with Lexi? Probably. But she was just one of those people that made you instantly feel like you could tell them anything.
She started cracking up. “Are you kidding me?!”
I turned back around. “I mean it’s an odd habit, but I didn’t think it was that funny.”
Lexi shook her head. “I got pregnant because our condom exploded on, uh, impact.”
I glanced over at Smith. “For real? That’s where your condom quirk comes from?”
He looked irritated. “Does it matter to either one of you that it’s eight o’clock in the morning and I’m standing here with my dick in my hand?”
Lexi shrugged and sat down in one of the desk chairs. “Not really.”
I grabbed my small suitcase off the ground before finally heading to the bathroom. “I’m cool with it.”
I could hear Smith growl as I shut the door. A few seconds later he came in with a pair of boxer briefs in his hands. “That girl has no boundaries.”
I pulled on a pair of jeans, giggling. “What do you expect? She’s lived with four guys and a dog for the past four months.”
We got dressed in comfortable silence, sharing a sink and moving around each other with ease. I had my hand on the doorknob when he grabbed me around the waist and kissed my shoulder. “Good morning, Cher.”
I smiled and squeezed his arms. “Good morning, babe.”
He spun me around to face him. “You feel okay?”
“Little sore…but I think that second round of ice really helped.”
He pressed his lips to mine. He tasted like mint and smelled amazing. I suddenly wished Lexi wasn’t in the next room. I wanted to drop to my knees and—
“ARE YOU GUYS BANGING IN THERE?!” Lexi shouted from the next room.
I threw open the door. “No! Come on, mama. Let’s go see that baby.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Smith
We were all crowded in Lexi and Dash’s room where Dylan had just set up the portable sono machine. Lexi lay down on the bed and Dylan squirted some light green gel on her stomach. She picked up a wand that looked like a giant dildo and moved it around in the gel with one hand while she adjusted some knobs with the other. “All right, guys, here it is.” The sound I’d come to recognize as the baby’s heartbeat filled the air. Lexi got teary eyed and Dash kissed her head.
Dylan pointed at the screen showing us the baby’s arms and legs, its spine and heart and fingers. I had to admit, I was in awe. This was the first time people I loved were having a baby…that I already loved. “It’s still a little early, but I can probably see the sex…You guys want to know?”
Lexi said, “No.”
Jacks, Luke, Dash, and I all said, “Yes!”
Jacks pointed at Lexi. “Ha! Majority wins.”
Dylan shook her head, smiling. “Sorry, guys, that’s not how it works when I’m the one holding the stick.”
Dash crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m the dad.”
Dylan looked down at Lexi. “You want him to know?”
A slow grin spread over Lexi’s face. “Nope.”
“Mommy wins!”
Dash looked really bummed out. “Kitten, that’s not fair. It’s my kid too.”
“I know. I remember when you put it in there.” She squeezed his hand. “Look, I’m not trying to be a bitch…. Well, that’s not true. It did feel nice to shove y’all’s majority vote up your asses…but I really just want to enjoy every stage of the pregnancy. Dylan said it was still a little early, so let’s just wait until the next appointment.”
The whole time Lexi and Dash were talking Dylan was moving the wand around on Lexi’s stomach. At one point she stopped, zoomed in, smiled and then moved the wand away. She knew the sex and I was going to torture it out of her, one way or another.
Lexi grabbed Dylan’s hand and I chuckled at the guilty look that came over her face. “Dylan thank you so much for sticking by my side in this crazy family full of— IS that a HICKEY?!” She sat up and pulled Dylan’s hand away when she tried to cover it. “It is! You dirty little girl.”
Jacks squinted his eyes, trying to see from across the room. “You gave her a hickey? What are you? Twelve?”
“Twelve?” Lexi’s gave Jacks one of her what-the-fuck looks. “You were giving girls hickey’s when you were twelve? What’s wrong with you?!”
He just shrugged. “Early bloomer.”
Lexi snorted, “Male whore from day one is more like it.” She turned her attentio
n back to Dylan. “For real, why did you let him give you a hickey?”
“I didn’t let him do it, he held me down. It was punishment.”
Luke nodded, lips pursed. “I figured you were into that BDSM stuff.”
I rolled my eyes. “It was a joke. She told me Reedus made her horny, so I gave her a hickey.”
“Reedus? Who…Oh, you mean Norman Reedus?” Lexi grabbed a towel and wiped the gel off her stomach. “You think he’s hot? I loved him in Boondock Saints, but I don’t get the appeal in The Walking Dead. He’s always really dirty and moody.”
Dylan put her hand to her chest, looking hurt. “Excuse me? He is an amazing actor. The evolution of his character in that show is phenomenal.”
Luke shook his head. “Great. Now there’s two of them.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Dylan
After the early morning sono appointment Smith and I had gone back to bed for a few hours before meeting the band for lunch. Smith tried to deny me orgasms so I would tell him the sex of Dash and Lexi’s baby. Silly man. He ended up almost coming in his pants, so he gave up. He’d been gone for a few hours now; he and the band had some phone conference with the label. He said they were really getting pushy about the new album, even threatening to drop them. Then he’d texted and said he was out getting the outfit I had to wear for losing the bet. He told me to make my hair big and messy and my makeup sexy. So I was pretty sure I was getting a slutty nurse costume from Strippers R’ Us. There was a knock at the door as I walked out of the bathroom to text Smith and find out when he’d be back.
I opened it to find a bellhop carrying a Nordstrom’s bag and Louboutin box. “Dylan?”
“That’s me.” Even if it wasn’t, I would lie through my teeth to get my hands on whatever was in those packages.
“These were delivered for you a few minutes ago.”
“Thank you.” I grabbed my presents and let the door fall closed. I rarely ever went shopping. Unless I was with Lexi. I wasn’t really into clothes, but even I was going to appreciate what was in these expensive boxes. I set everything down on the bed and opened the Louboutin box first, obviously.
Cher,
You opened this first didn’t you? Typical chick. I love your Converse, but when I saw these I pictured you wearing them and nothing else. The band ended up having to meet one of our promoters for drinks before the show. Chase will come get you and Lexi and bring you to us.
Enjoy,
Smith
I tossed the note to the side and dug through the tissue paper. He’d bought me the most amazing pair of black booties, with the tallest heel I’d ever worn. They were covered in black crystals and screamed sexual. The first Nordstrom’s box had a pair of soft black tight leather pants. I was in awe when I went to open the second box; this man who claimed to be completely unromantic was turning out to be the most thoughtful—
“Mother fucker.” I cursed when I pulled out the top to go with the leather pants. It was a heather gray, off-the-shoulder t-shirt that said SMITH JAMES IS A SEX GOD. Wonderful. Well, it was better than slutty nurse, right? Seconds after I finished getting dressed Chase and Lexi were at the door.
I threw it open, wanting to get all the jokes out of the way quickly. Of course the first thing Lexi noticed was my shoes. “Oh. My. GOD! Those shoes are to fucking die for! Where did you get those?”
I sighed, “Smith got them for me.”
She looked up at me, eyes wide. “Marry him.”
I laughed and pointed to my shirt, “They were to soften the blow of this.”
Her gaze dropped to my chest, she started laughing. “Why in the holy hell are you wearing that?”
“I lost a bet.”
Chase stuck his head in the door. “Come on girl’s we’re going to…” His words trailed off as he read the writing on my custom-made shirt. “Ha! The funniest part is we could actual sell those shirts at the merch table and make millions.”
We headed down the hall and Lexi looped her arm through mine. She looked stunning, as always. High heels, black pants and a flowy red racer back tank. For once I felt like I looked like her, rocking the rocker look. Her tiny bump was barely sticking out. “So, tell me about this bet.”
I glanced towards Chase. “I’d rather not.” I was now comfortable talking about sex with Lexi, and even joking about it with the band was becoming tolerable. But I didn’t really know Chase.
Lexi waved her hand in the air. “Oh Chase doesn’t care. He’s been head of security for these guys for years. He’s seen it all and heard it all.” She made a hilarious sex face and dry humped the air. “Like, literally. Heard it. Seen it.”
“Smith bet me that he could give me at least three orgasms in a row.”
Lexi threw her head back and let out a laugh. “And you didn’t think he could?” She patted my arm. “Oh, Dilly, you slay me. These guys major in sex. They fuck like it’s their job, because it kind of is.”
Lexi had become one of my favorite people in the world. It was impossible to not love her. She was funny and kind, and also a bit of a badass. And she did it all while rocking four-inch heels and baby bump. Once we were in the car on our way to the venue she turned to me. “So. Tell me what’s been going on with you and Smith. The real stuff, not just the sex. Well, the sex too. Tell me about everything.”
“Like you said, he fucks like it’s his job…so that’s been fun. But everything else has been really great too. He seems lighter, somehow. Last night he was cracking jokes and making me laugh. He has been really sweet and thoughtful. Happy Smith and Dark Smith are so polar opposite.” I leaned my head back against my seat. “I could fall for him, Lex.”
“Could fall? Or have fallen?”
“Honestly? Have fallen.” I sighed. “But I don’t want to be that girl, you know? I don’t want to fall for the rock star who will never settle down.”
She put her hand on my knee, “Did you ask him what he wanted?”
I nodded, “I did. He said he wanted to give this a shot. I told him that the dugs wouldn’t work for me, that I wouldn’t watch him kill himself. And he said he would try.”
She gave me a small smile. “So he’s being true to his word?”
“He’s gone above and beyond…but it’s only been two days.” I chewed on my lip, “What happens at the next bump in the road? The next mention of his past or his family? I don’t do lies, and I don’t do secrets. I mean, what happens if I fall in love with this man and he goes dark and never comes back?”
“You need to decide if he’s worth the risk.”
I nodded because I knew she was right. The Smith I’ve gotten to know over the last week was a good man. He’d had a hard life, and he’d come out of it on top…for the most part. He was strong and kind. He loved, even though he never received much of it growing up. I thought he was worth saving a few days ago, and I thought he was worth the risk today.
I was quiet the rest of the ride and Lexi didn’t try to interrupt my thoughts. But I heard her curse when the car came to a stop. They’d parked as close as they could to the venue but we still had a mob of reporters to walk through. Lexi sat forward in her seat and put her hand on Chase’s shoulder. “Doesn’t this place have guards at the gate? How did all these people get access so close to the door like this?”
He shook his head. “I have no fucking clue.” He pulled out his phone and started barking orders. He sounded pissed. Soon all the band’s security had come to stand outside the car. They were pushing the paparazzi back and clearing a way to the door. Chase climbed out and opened Lexi’s door helping her to her feet and then motioning for me to slide out next. Cameras started going off like crazy and people were shouting out questions: Lexi is the baby really Dash’s? What were you doing with Smith? Who’s your friend?
I kept my arms folded across my chest. I’m sure my shirt would cause a scandal. We were surrounded by large menacing looking men until we made it to the safety of the venue.
After that it was just Chas
e and two others that stayed with us. We were led backstage to the guys’ dressing room. When we walked in I threw my arms wide. “Bet paid in full, rock star.”
Smith let his head fall back as he laughed. I loved hearing him laugh. He straightened and walked over to me, wrapping his arms around my waist. He kissed my red lips and then picked me up so he could whisper in my ear, “You look hot as fuck.”
I kissed him once more before he set me back on my feet. “Thank you for my shoes. I love them, so does Lexi.”
He whispered, “You’ll be wearing those, and only those, when we get back to the hotel.” He smiled and added, “I didn’t want you to hate everything you were wearing.”
“If you tell anyone this, I’ll murder you in your sleep…but I’m actually kind of diggin’ the shirt too.” I shrugged when he chuckled. “It fits really well and it’s made of the softest material. How did you have this made so fast?”
“I called our merchandise people last night while we were in the bath.”
“Dilly, turn around and show the guys your shirt,” Lexi called.
Smith stepped to the side and I did a ta-dah! hand motion over my custom-made tee. All the guys started laughing. Luke patted Smith on the back. “I’m impressed, bro. You got the good girl and you got her to call you a sex god.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Smith
A week later we were all sitting on the bus, driving towards North Carolina, watching a documentary on the big screen. It was a rainy, dreary day and no one had even bothered to change out of their pj’s. Yep, that’s right, I said pj’s. Dylan was rubbing off on me in more ways than one. She kept me light and happy. I hadn’t had a “dark” day in a week and a half. Even with the festival in New Orleans getting close and lies in the press, I’d managed to stay light.
