by K. K. Allen
He paused midphrase and just looked at me for a second before nodding and starting over, playing the starting notes of a new haunting melody.
I took the first couple eight counts to get into the mindset of the song, marveling at the rawness to his tone, the lyrics. It was like he poured his soul into the vocals and let them bleed onto his piano and into the air. So I tried to do the same.
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WATCH: Younger
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The song ended, I was breathing hard, and my chest felt heavy, while my mind reeled from the lyrics. Sebastian Chase might have had assholish tendencies, but they clearly came from a place he kept locked up tight… until he was ready to unleash them.
Without warning, he started another song, then he played another, then another until I was breathless from trying to keep up. I took a break and drank some water from the nearest fountain in the back then lay on my back in the middle of the stage, taking in each composition with my eyes closed and my ears wide open.
Not until he was on his sixth or seventh song did my breathing return to normal, and I stood. The stairs creaked as I made my way up, but that didn’t seem to distract Sebastian from the song he was playing. He sang each note like it was part of a finished live record, one that didn’t need any filter to enhance its sound or mask its flaws. It was simply perfect just as it was.
Sebastian looked up and smiled when I took a seat next to him. “Done so soon?”
“Not at all,” I replied, my eyes slowly wandering over the space. “I wanted to check out your view.”
Three rows of seats were set up like bleachers, creating a semicircle on the side of the platform, which was angled toward the audience. That was where the rest of the band played while Sebastian was front and center. He was a clear focal point of the show, giving the audience plenty of stimulation throughout the performance. “Wow, you’ve got quite the setup.”
He picked his hands up from the keys, winked, and pointed to a black stand next to him, cloaked with a tablecloth. “I even get my own refrigerator.”
I dropped my jaw in exaggerated shock. “Aren’t you special?”
He nodded toward the empty theater seats. “In this show, the people in the balcony have the best seats in the house.”
I curled my mouth into a smile. “Unless they’re here to watch the dancing, then I guess you’re wrong.”
He narrowed his eyes at me in a challenge. “Are you saying the dancing is more exciting than the band?”
I shrugged as I ran my fingers along the polished black piano. “Anyone can pick up the soundtrack to Angst and Grace. But can they visualize the story, truly, without the choreography?”
“True art doesn’t tell you why it’s beautiful. It sets the backdrop to allow your imagination to explore. If I’m doing my job right, you wouldn’t need any visualization to feel my music.”
Something inside me decided to drop the good-humored debate. Instead, I tried for honesty. “It’s powerful stuff. All of your music is like that, but when it’s broadcasted from a stage like this, with the walls almost acting like an instrument all its own—” I shook my head, amazed. “It gives me the rush I love to feel when I dance. How do you do it?”
He shrugged. “The same way you dance, I guess.”
“Can I feel it? What you do?”
His eyes locked on mine for a second too long, as though he was debating whether to let me in or kick me out—metaphorically, of course. I knew that, physically, we’d moved forward leaps and bounds. But Sebastian was a complicated creature with a past that still seemed to haunt him. I wasn’t sure if he was done shutting me out yet.
“Okay,” he said. “Sit on my lap.”
“Um,” I said while lifting an eyebrow.
He laughed. “You said you wanted to feel it.”
“I don’t have to sit on top of you to play a few notes.”
He glared. “Just trust me.”
I sighed and stood then let him shift me so that the backs of my knees hooked around his, my back pushed flat against his chest. Then he brought his arms under mine and positioned them on the keys.
“Put your hands over mine.”
My fingers slid over his, which practically doubled mine in size, and I swallowed at the intimacy of the moment. I was in Sebastian’s lap, his arms wrapped around me to reach the keys, and his breath was on my neck. My heart took off at a canter.
He started to play a familiar song, his fingers moving swiftly while managing to play a calm, beautiful melody. This was the one I’d heard the other day, the one that rose in a dramatic climax. Then he started to sing.
I’d heard Sebastian belt his vocals dozens of times before—during rehearsals and on the radio, but nothing topped the sound of his raspy vocals reverberating against my neck, sweeping against my hair, and warming my skin.
We were pressed together, his heart beating against my back.
When he crooned the last note, I felt a loneliness at a loss of his music. That feeling was instantly replaced by his hand, which wrapped around my middle, a gesture that hinted for me not to move.
I turned my head and locked eyes with him. “Let me help you.”
“I’m not following.”
I smiled. “Let me help you put together your next musical.”
“Trust me, Kai. You don’t want to get involved in all this. Putting together a musical isn’t just about the composition or the dance steps. It’s a game of politics I’ve never been great at. It took Dirk to get Angst and Grace in front of the right people. Without him…” Sebastian shook his head like he already felt defeated. “It will be a long road back to Broadway.”
My eyes met his with a blaze. “I don’t care how long it takes. Sebastian, when you play these songs, I can see it come to life in my head. And—” I shifted a little in his lap to get a better view of his face. “I’m not asking for you to let me choreograph. I’m not there yet. But let me at least help you get your concept down. Bounce ideas off me. Let me dance to your songs when no one’s watching. That’s all.”
“And what do you get out of it?”
I shrugged. My response sat at the tip of my tongue, but I wondered if it was the right thing to say. “Time with you.”
His eyes locked with mine in a challenging gaze. “Is that what you want?”
My headed started in a slow nod. “And in return,” I added, “you’ll continue to help me get comfortable with the ship after we sail away. I’m not sure how I’m going to feel about it all once we’re out there, but—” I swallowed, suddenly terrified. “I don’t know if I want to find out… without you.”
His gaze traveled down to my lips as he sucked in a breath. “Okay, Kai. I’ll agree to that.”
Chapter 30
Sebastian
Kai was still sitting on my lap, staring back at me with those big amber eyes of hers, when our sweet, innocent, honest moment transitioned toward something else. She felt it, too, as I grew hard beneath her.
She shifted some, but my arm was still locked around her waist, not allowing much room. She froze atop me. “Sebastian…?” she started to ask in a warning tone. Then she rocked her arse on my hips again as if to make certain what she felt was real. “Is that…?”
I flattened a palm to her middle and bit back a laugh. “Sorry. Just give it a minute. It’ll go away.”
Her eyebrows rose. “A minute? That’s all you’ve got in you?”
My eyes narrowed at her perfectly clear challenge. It was one I was happy to accept, with her bent over my piano. By the heat of her skin, I gathered she wanted that too. I rolled my hips and moved my mouth to her ear. “Wanna find out?”
Her cheeks darkened as her breathing turned shallow. When she didn’t respond verbally, I took her ear lobe in my teeth and slid my free hand on her thigh. I held it there for a second to give her a chance to reject me. She needed to be sure because once I got going, we wouldn’t be stopping.
After I was met with silence, I didn’t let it lin
ger. Instead, I started to drag my hand up, inch by inch, until I reached the fabric of her pretty little dress. “Your dress is so thin you can probably feel me inside you.” I moved my hips again, eliciting a little moan from her. “I want to know what you feel like, Kai. After last night…” My words floated along her neck as she relaxed into me “After you made yourself come. After I tasted you.”
Her head fell back onto my shoulders just as my fingers brushed the inside of her thigh. Her legs parted, merely an inch, but that was enough to make my chest feel like it was going to explode.
My forehead fell against her back, and I groaned into her sweet skin as my fingers ascended their throne. “Bloody hell,” I said as my fingers slid against her wet panties. “What are you doing to me?”
Then her hips moved as she pushed down and circled her bum on my lap. I was in heaven. Pure fucking heaven.
“Sebastian,” she hissed.
I froze, panic lashing through me at the thought of her looming rejection. This had been too good to be true, and I’d only just pulled aside her panties. “What?”
“The curtain,” she whispered.
Relief rushed through my veins. She wasn’t trying to stop me. She just didn’t want anyone else to see. I stood, bringing her with me as I removed my hands from under her dress. I brought her face to mine and kissed her, long and deep, until she started to melt into me. “Wait right here.”
“Where are you going?”
I moved toward the steps. “Taking care of the problem. Don’t move.”
I jogged down the stairs and toward the wall at the side of the stage and pushed the red button that closed the curtains. Then I raced back up to her, not stopping to catch my breath. I cleared the piano bench with a leap and pulled her into my arms.
“Wow,” she said with a laugh. “I’m not sure if I should be impressed or afraid.”
I took her hand and placed it on my bulky denim and smiled. “Definitely impressed, love.”
Her small grip tightened around me as gazed back into my eyes. “I’ll be the judge of that.” She looked down and bit her lip before flipping her lashes up as she unbuttoned then unzipped my jeans. Her hand slid down between my underwear and my skin until her small fingers met my cock with a firm grip.
I sucked in a breath, bit down on my lip, and growled. Innocent Kai knew exactly what she was doing. She stroked me with intention, slowly, becoming well acquainted with her biggest fan. By the determined look in her eyes, I had a feeling she’d continue just like that, torturing me, until I came, but that wasn’t how this night was going to end. Placing a hand on hers, I dragged her fingers out of my trousers then kneeled in front of her. I looked up with a grin while she stared down at me like she was ready to explode. She’d get there. In due time.
With our eyes locked, I brushed my fingers up her legs, over her knees, and up her thighs, then I paused with her panties in my grip. Slowly, I brought them down over her bum until they were pooled around her pointy heels. I didn’t expect her to step out of them, but when she did, I picked the fabric up and hooked them on the edge of my piano.
I felt fire in my eyes when I touched her legs again, this time lifting one up and propping it on the piano bench. Her pussy was right there, glistening in the dim backstage lighting, and I didn’t wait a second longer to run my tongue along her warm slit.
Suddenly, I was ravenous, parched for Kai and dangerously aware of what one simple meal could do to me. Kai was gourmet on a boat full of fast food, and I wouldn’t take a single course for granted. I sampled her intimately, testing each sweet spot and listening for her responses—her breathy sighs, her subtle moans, and her shaking legs. Everything was a cue that led to more, more, more until I couldn’t fucking stand it.
Her vag was practically riding my face when I shoved her dress up to her hips and gripped her round bare ass in my hand. I moaned against her clit, sucked it, then inserted two thick fingers when I decided I was ready for her to come.
She moaned out her release, her manicured fingers scraping my scalp and tugging my hair like she needed reins to keep her upright.
“Holy shit.” She sagged against the piano, playing a god-awful tune as she tried to catch her breath.
But I didn’t give her much time to relax. I wasn’t done with her yet.
I placed my arms on either side of her, caging her in and kissing her so hard she couldn’t help but taste herself on my tongue. Then I tugged her toward me, picking her up as I sat down on the bench. Her knees pushed into the black shiny surface on either side of me, and she crushed her lips against mine. I imagined it was a thank you for getting her off so brilliantly.
“I can’t wait to bury myself in you,” I rasped against her mouth.
She moved her hand between us, grabbed my dick, and held it there while she dragged her teeth down my neck. “Condom?” she asked.
I would be lying if I didn’t admit I was disappointed. I wanted to feel her bare, gripping me, fucking me, but she was right to ask for protection. I reached for my leather jacket, which I’d set at the end of the bench.
“Here,” I said, handing it to her.
She grinned in response, snatched it from my fingers, and ripped open the plastic with her teeth. I held my breath as I watched her roll the rubber over my length, jealous of the material for getting to feel her in a way that I couldn’t.
Our eyes met a second later as I adjusted her hips. The moment she started to sink down around me, I released my breath in a sigh. This woman… This torturous, beautiful piece of flesh who I once mistook as innocent, was now riding me like she was trying to catch a moving train.
Luckily, I lasted more than a minute. Sweat beaded on her face as she steadied her rhythm. I slipped off one of her dress straps and tugged the material down at the top. She wasn’t wearing a bra, which I’d thank my stars for later, revealing a perfect dark-brown nipple. With a slight bend, my mouth covered the hard peak as I swirled my tongue. Then I captured her nipple again, this time sucking it while she cried out with her release.
She convulsed around me, detonating me with her final moan. My entire body was buzzing, my mind spinning, and my blood rushing through my veins. I thrust into her again, unloading weeks of buildup in an orgasm to end all orgasms.
“Holy hell,” she said, her breasts heaving in the air as she tried to catch her breath. “What was that?”
I took another nip at her breast before fixing her strap and looking up into her eyes.
“I guess that was me crossing the line.”
She nodded, her lips flattening like she was trying to hold back her amusement. “I guess so. Does that mean I win?”
I shrugged, eyes blazing. “Deal’s a deal. Pick your prize, love.”
“Anything?”
I nodded. “Anything.”
She bit her bottom lip like she was pretending to contemplate all the things she wanted, when there was really only one. Then she sucked in a breath and smiled. “Okay,” she said. “Then I want more.”
A smile grew on my face. “Then I guess I win too.”
Chapter 31
Kai
“Brilliant,” Jimmy called, his eyes bright with excitement. “Best run yet. Let’s take an hour break, and then I want to see it one more time from the top. Costume changes and all.”
I squealed as Jake scooped me up in a massive hug—not in a sexual way but a “we killed it” way. The cast wasn’t blind to Sebastian and me. We were sloppy with hiding our flirtation. He even slipped me a kiss in the crew mess for all to see, at lunch the day before. My cheeks burned hot at realizing just how “official” we’d become in nearly two weeks.
After running backstage to my dressing room, I shut the door behind me to undress. I slipped off the one piece, leaving me in nothing but a lace black garter, panties, stockings, and sheer bra. My back was turned to the door when it clicked open.
I gasped and swiveled around to see Sebastian, a grin on his face, shutting the door behind himself.
“Nope.” He leaned back against it, raking his eyes over me, and folded his arms across his chest. “I considered it an invitation.”
Letting out a breathy laugh, I placed my hands on my hips and shook my head. “Well, it wasn’t. But since you’re here…” I turned around and started fiddling with the clip in my hair. It fell in waves over my shoulder, and I shook them out while eyeing him in the reflection. “Did you see the show? How did I look?” I was still giddy with adrenaline from our first full-out dress rehearsal.
“Can’t see much from where I’m sitting when all the lights are on. Maybe I’ll watch from the seats after lunch.”
Confusion took over my expression. “Um, then who will sing in your spot?”
He shrugged, the serious consideration in his eyes baffling me more. “My understudy can handle it.”
I almost dropped the clip in my hand. “I’m sorry. Who are you, and what did you do with my Sebastian?”
A grin lit his face. “Your Sebastian?”
One glance at my heated cheeks in the mirror made my color deepen with embarrassment. “You know what I mean. You’re not acting like yourself.”
He shrugged and pushed off the door to walk toward me. “Maybe you have it backwards. Maybe this is the real me. All it took was a pair of hot pink tights and a pretty mouth to fix me.”
I tried to ignore his wicked grin, but I couldn’t look away. With every step, he closed the distance between us, heating my insides to match my flushed exterior.
Clearing my throat, I shook out my hair and attempted to ignore the way he was looking at me—like I was a temptress and he was seconds away from devouring me. “I’m starved. Are you eating with me?”
