The Complete Groupie Trilogy

by Ginger Voight

  She arched against him and his mouth found the hardened peak of her breast through her dress. Her fingers tangled in his hair as his tongue ran tiny, hot circles on the fabric. She didn’t stop him as he pushed the material away for a taste of her skin.

  Instead her legs scissored behind his hips as he sucked her breast into his mouth. Her fingers dug into his bare back as he toyed with her and teased her with the tip of his tongue. She had wanted him so badly for so long; she felt her whole body ignite under him.

  She, too, was tired of waiting.

  He lifted her up to unzip her dress, sliding it down over each milky shoulder. He made it a game to kiss his way down her body, across each little freckle, until he had her bare and beautiful underneath him. Her skin felt like silk to his touch, and his body hardened and reached for her through his own restrictive clothing.

  Her fingers unfastened his slacks, pushing them down over his hips, revealing his body to her at last. She had seen him naked many times, but this was the first time she saw him as a lover. He was all man as he strained for her, and her fingers gently wrapped around him.

  “Maggie,” he breathed into her mouth before he kissed her again. He shuddered as she caressed him, cupping him gently, stroking him decisively. Her hunger was tempered by her innate tenderness, driving him crazy with his desire for her. Every sensation was intense as the first time he had been touched by a woman. “I need you,” he pleaded, delirious to be inside her at last.

  She guided him between her legs. She felt so warm and wet, and opened up to him like a new virgin as he sank deep inside of her. At first he couldn’t even move. He luxuriated in how she felt around him. It was like finding the missing piece of a puzzle. He looked down into her eyes. The last barrier had been crossed.

  They shared hot, open-mouthed kisses as he started to move inside of her. She met each stroke, her fingers buried in each hip to guide him. Their passion grew more urgent, as if they were afraid they’d completely go up in smoke before they reached their destination.

  He filled her completely, with each stroke her eyes widened as he reached deeper within her. “Oh, Graham,” she would whisper over and over, as she saw the reflection of her desire in the depths of his darkened eyes.

  He toyed with her full bottom lip between his teeth as his hand slipped between them. The minute he touched her she shot off like a rocket. Her body shuddered around him as she moaned through the first intense orgasm, which he encouraged to linger through the nimble manipulation of his delicate forefinger.

  She bucked against him and he met each gyration with a forceful, possessive stroke. When he felt himself start to lose control he buried himself deep within her with an incoherent grunt. He felt her body spasm all around him, which only served to make his climax more intense.

  He was out of breath and couldn’t speak for moments after the last shudder passed. It was the first true orgasm he had felt since he was shot, but it felt almost like the first time he’d ever come with anyone. She looked lovely and sated as she traced his strong chin with her finger. “You are amazing,” he said softly. “I can’t believe I almost missed this. I’m an idiot.”

  She grinned as she wrapped her entire body around his, keeping him deeply sheathed inside of her. There was no way she’d ever let him go again. “But you’re my idiot,” she claimed.

  He kissed her softly. “All yours, Mags,” he said as he hugged her tight. “All yours.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  June 16, 2011

  Rancho Palos Verdes, California

  Candles illuminated the living room of Andy’s and Vanni’s house, while soft music played from their sound system. They danced around the living room, a fitting evening to their date. Bubbly sparkling cider and the remnants of Chinese takeout sat on the coffee table, where they had fed each other after a rare day off from the studio. Their wedding was the very next day; there was no way they could have concentrated on anything else.

  With Kelly’s help, Andy had thrown together an intimate backyard wedding. They had rented an archway due to be delivered the next morning. It was painted white, covered with dark green leaves and white roses. Under that archway they would pledge their devotion, one to the other. Vanni couldn’t wait. There were no cold feet, no second guesses. He didn’t want to wait another day before Andy Foster became Andy Carnevale. He bought her a diamond band to go with her engagement ring, and he was dying to put it on her finger.

  Their happily ever after was but a day away, and the minutes were ticking by at a snail’s pace. It was way worse than waiting to see what Santa left under the tree on Christmas morning. He knew what his gift would be, and he couldn’t wait to unwrap it. He hugged her close as they danced. “Just think. Tomorrow we’ll dance together as husband and wife.”

  She smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I can’t wait,” she said. She could hardly believe it was true.

  “I can’t wait for tomorrow night,” he growled playfully into her ear as he cupped her hips in both hands. Her big, pregnant belly prevented him from getting too close. “If someone will let me get past the gate,” he said as he rubbed her hard tummy. “I guess we can’t call her bean anymore.”

  “More like basketball,” Andy groaned. Her last doctor’s appointment showed that their little girl was a healthy size, and she had entered her eighth month of pregnancy with a clean bill of health. She was finding it more painful to walk as their daughter slipped further down in her pelvis, and teased Vanni that she’d be waddling down the aisle.

  He responded, saying she’d be the sexiest penguin he’d ever seen.

  He led her by the hand to sit in their large sectional sofa that faced the fireplace. “Maybe we should decide what we will name her for real,” he suggested as he pulled her down to cuddle her close. “Given it anymore thought?”

  She shook her head. With the wedding and the show, much thought of what would happen after their baby was born was put on hold. She’d think about at night, after he’d leave their house in Palos Verdes and return to Redondo Beach, but it didn’t seem right to come up with a name without him. She figured they’d come up with it together once they were married and could focus all their attention on the baby.

  They were in the home stretch now, with nothing more to do but wait for the blessed arrival.

  She had suggested they name the baby Giovanna, after him, but he shook his head. He wanted their daughter to have a clean slate, to be named something completely unique to her. He wasn’t even sold that she should have an Italian name, but Andy wanted to celebrate her daughter’s ethnic heritage. He’d shake his head after every suggestion. “Antonia? Francesca? Serafina? Madonna?” He gave her a pointed look. “How about Renata?”

  Vanni cocked his head thoughtfully. “What does it mean?”

  She reached for her phone on the coffee table. After a few seconds of research she said, “Reborn.”

  He smiled as he hugged her close. “I like it. What do you think” he asked her stomach. “Do you like Renata?”

  They laughed as they watched her tummy jump. “I guess that settles it,” she said.

  “Renata Rose Carnevale,” he said. He pulled Andy closer for a kiss as his large hand spanned her large tummy.

  She sighed as she submitted to his kiss. Her whole body came alive whenever he touched her. The last few weeks had been magical. He had given her a letter, to put into words how sorry he had been for all the things he had done. He had apologized for Lourdes and for Kat and finally for Holly. He told her he’d do whatever she wanted – that his life was hers now, and he’d never do anything behind her back again. He had presented to her what he wanted to do for Holly’s son, which included joint custody, something they could talk to Holly about together after her baby was born.

  So far Holly hadn’t pressured him to visit her or participate in her pregnancy beyond the occasional phone call or text message. This was a huge relief to Andy, who felt his giving in to these plaintive demands was unnecessar
ily leading her to believe they had a chance at a relationship. After he told her about buying Angelo, the bear for their son, she wasn’t surprised when he confessed about Holly kissing him.

  “It’s understandable, Vanni,” she told him. “You’re not setting boundaries.”

  They both decided that keeping his distance now, especially as he was doing everything for Andy and their family, was necessary.

  Holly must have understood on some level. When they talked, she’d give him reports on her health and the baby, but would never ask him to visit. She often said she was too tired to see anyone. After everything she’d been through with her pregnancy, he wasn’t surprised.

  It gave him the freedom to devote any energy he wasn’t putting into Fierce into his relationship with Andy.

  For Andy there were flowers and gifts, he’d make her dinner and massage her back, which had started to ache from the precious cargo she was carrying. He made sure that even if they worked long hours at the studio, he always spent a few hours with her before he’d go home for the night. They had a baby grand piano in the new house, where he’d toy around with new songs for her or their daughter, and he bought a toy baby grand piano for the nursery. He longed to pass his love of music to his little girl.

  She already loved the sound of his voice, as if she knew it was her daddy. He’d sing to Andy’s belly and touch her lovingly, and she’d always respond to the sound of his voice.

  Often they would raise Andy’s shirt so he could celebrate all the miraculous changes in her body. He thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and told her that constantly.

  She’d bemoan her stretch marks, so he’d rub lotion into her tightly stretched skin. She’d whine about her swollen ankles, so he’d massage her feet. He considered it his highest honor to answer her every need. He even painted her toenails, although both of them decided after he was through that he’d best stick to singing.

  This last night, the night before they would marry, she had only one need. She needed to be with her man. They had sworn to wait until their wedding night, but each time they touched their desire grew more urgent. They had dedicated the last few weeks to the dating and courtship process. Now all that was left was to come together and become one, in body and in soul.

  His kisses grew hungrier as her hands wound themselves in his hair. His body strained for her, unaccustomed to being denied for so long. Every time she got his motor revved, it got harder and harder to walk away from her unsatisfied.

  She seemed to know this on some primal level, because on this night she was being especially evil. Her hands danced along his body, slipping under his clothes, roaming over his hardened silhouette until he thought he might actually split in two.

  “What are you doing to me, woman?” he gasped as the tip of her tongue blazed fire along his solid chest.

  “Payback’s a bitch,” she said with an evil arch of her eyebrow, then dared to venture even lower. Her fingers unfastened his jeans, and he could hardly refuse her as she pulled away any restrictive material.

  Her hot breath and warm, wet mouth felt like heaven against his aching body. His hand wound itself in her hair as she teased him with her fingers and with her tongue. His head fell back against the sofa as he groaned for her. She would bring him right to the brink and then back away, letting the cool night air sweep around him where her mouth had been. He was crazed for her as he pulled her up to straddle his body. “It’s not our wedding night,” he tried to scowl.

  She bent for a kiss. The grandfather clock in their foyer chimed almost as if on cue. “But it’s our wedding day,” she said before covering his mouth with her own.

  He was beyond denying her as she moved her body over him. His hands ran along her sides to lift up the maternity dress she wore, revealing her womanly curves. Her breasts were fuller as they prepared to nourish their child. Her hips seemed wider and more rounded, and of course her tummy was full and round.

  “You’re beautiful,” he whispered, his fingers dancing across her flesh.

  “Say my name,” she instructed softly as her lips toyed with his.

  “Andy,” he complied. “Carnevale.”

  Easily he swung her around beneath him on the sofa. He fit against her perfectly, even with her pregnant tummy in between, thanks to the strategic placement of some pillows. When he slipped inside of her it was like coming home.

  This was the only marriage vow they really needed. He couldn’t tell where he ended and she began. She was an extension of him in every way that counted. As he slowly began to make love to her, he promised her each vow. “I, Vanni, take you, Andy, to be my wife,” he said in between kisses. “I promise to love you and keep you and be faithful to only you, whether in sickness or in health. In good times or in bad.”

  There were tears in her eyes as she cupped his face with her hand. “I, Andy, take you Vanni, to be my husband,” she repeated. “I promise to love you and keep you and be faithful to only you, whether in sickness or in health, in good times or in bad.”

  A tear fell from his own eyes as he continued. “I promise to honor you all the days of my life. Only death could part us.”

  She repeated the vow and he crushed his mouth on hers. He kissed her deeply as he consecrated his vows with his body. He savored each stroke that united them, until they were both delirious with their need for each other. When they came it was both explosive and in unison.

  They lay together for long minutes afterwards. It was as if they understood their lovemaking went beyond physical need. It had married them in spirit. Neither one of them spoke as he pulled apart to stand up. He bent and lifted her into his arms to take her to their bedroom.

  They never had to be apart again.

  She gasped when they entered the bedroom. Her wedding gown was on a hanger hooked onto the outside of their closet door. “Don’t look,” she instructed as he made his way toward their bed. “It’s bad luck!”

  He just grinned as he crawled into bed beside her. “The bad stuff is already behind us,” he said as he ran his hand over her body. “Besides. I think you should walk down the aisle exactly like this.”

  She giggled as she cuddled into crook of his arm. “You’re crazy.”

  “About you,” he said before he captured her lips for another kiss.

  In a Los Angeles hospital nearly thirty miles away from their sanctuary in Palos Verdes, a monitor filled the darkened room with all the vital signs of someone hooked up to machinery. The reassuring rhythmic beat of the heart monitor kept a steady pulse, and Baylee Wilke stared out at the world through deadened eyes that saw nothing.

  She was blissfully unaware of the figure that had entered her room, dressed all in black, with a gloved hand and covered face. She never noticed the steady hand that reached for the cords of the machines that kept her alive. Minutes would tick by and the mystery visitor would disappear as quickly as he or she had come, but the constant blip of a heart monitor no longer filled the room.

  Instead, Baylee’s eyes slowly closed… never to open again.

  A half-hour later, a phone rang at a Los Angeles hotel room. It might have been five-star accommodations, but a veritable arsenal filled the tiny space. Guns, knives, even a crossbow, lined the pastel-colored walls. After a brief moment, long enough to deliver the worst possible news a person could hear, the phone was pulled from the wall and smashed against the floor.

  When the sun came up on June 17, 2011, the weapons were no longer in the hotel room. And neither was Donny Wilke.

  Instead he waited where Leo had told him, in bushes near a gated community in Rancho Palos Verdes. He used the opportunity to sneak in the gates after he watched Vanni’s car drive out that morning, headed to no doubt pick up his tuxedo for his wedding day.

  Instead, it was going to be his judgment day.

  Donny made his way to their front door. When Andy answered, thinking Vanni had decided not to leave her at all, she didn’t recognize this as the assailant from the beach house. W
ith lightning fast reflexes he punched her right in the head, and knocked her cold before she knew what had happened to her.

  Before the hour was through, and before Kelly would show up to help Andy with her wedding preparation, Donny had secured Andy in the back seat of her car, her hands bound and a pillowcase over her head.

  He drove straight to Redondo Beach, where the house he had prepared throughout the quiet, early morning hours waited for the main event.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Rancho Palos Verdes

  June 17, 2011

  Vanni was walking out toward his car parked in front of the clothier’s shop, carrying a wardrobe bag slung over his shoulder, when he got the call. Kelly had arrived at the house to find it in state of disarray. There were blood platters on the floor, and Andy’s wedding dress had been cut to ribbons by a knife.

  He tried immediately to call Andy’s cell phone, but it went straight to voice mail. So he threw the tuxedo in the backseat like an afterthought as he jumped in his car and headed to the one person he knew could help him.

  Graham was already at the studio that morning, sharing a cup of coffee with Maggie in his office, when Vanni rushed into the room. From the crazy, windblown hair to the wild look in his eye, Graham knew immediately something was very, very wrong. He hopped to his feet. “What happened?”

  Vanni couldn’t have stopped the tears if he wanted to, but he was beyond macho pride. “Andy’s gone. Someone’s taken her.”

  Maggie took one arm as Graham took the other, and they led Vanni to the chair in front of Graham’s desk. “What? When?” Graham asked as Maggie poured some hot water for tea.

  Vanni shook his head. “I don’t know the details,” he said. “She was fine when I left the house this morning.” He started to crumble, thinking of how she had smiled at him as he dressed, then walked him to the front door as they talked about the next time they saw each other she’d be walking down the aisle. He had kissed her so softly on the lips before he turned to leave.