ANOTHER SKY

by Jayne Frost

  I’d seen the way men reacted to her, looked at her, including her douchebag dance partner. She could’ve had sex any time she wanted.

  “Fair enough.” Sliding my hand up her thigh, I let my lips graze her ear. “So about the movies. Sounds like they gave you a few ideas.” Smiling when the column of her throat bobbed, I dragged my nose along the soft pillar of flesh. “I’m at your service, little mouse. What filthy thing do you want me to do to you?”

  Gelsey

  “Stay still.”

  Jerking my head in the direction of Miles’s voice, my fingers balled into fists on my lap. I couldn’t see anything with the T-shirt covering my eyes. But then, that’s what I’d asked for. My fantasy.

  Only now it seemed a little like torture. The best kind of torture if the tingling between my thighs were any indication.

  I startled when his hand curved around my calf.

  “Loosen up, baby.”

  His voice was pure sex. Commanding. And I loved it. Even if I wasn’t sure what he had in store. So far, he hadn’t done more than strip off my clothes and make me sit here.

  Heat flooded my core when he draped my leg over the arm of the chair.

  “Fuck…” he hissed. “You’re so wet.”

  My cheeks went up in flames I could feel to my hairline. Because I knew he could see it all. Every part of me was open to him.

  Squirming, I waited for him to do…something. “Miles…”

  His breath fanned over my face, and I reached for him. But he caught my wrist before I made contact. Soft lips grazed my palm. “Don’t move. Do you understand?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  My stomach fluttered when his finger dipped between my folds. But I stayed still. Even as he teased my entrance.

  “Your toes are curling, little mouse. You like this?” I nodded. “You want more?”

  Did I?

  “Yes.”

  The word flew out before I could think.

  “You trust me?” I nodded again, and his dark chuckle made everything clench. “Open your mouth.”

  My mouth?

  It dawned on me then, what he was going to do. Fifteen minutes ago I’d been ready to swallow him in the foyer.

  But now…

  His thumb brushed my bottom lip, and my reservations crumbled. My mouth fell open and his finger slid inside. I could taste myself on him. “Suck, baby.”

  And I did. Eagerly. I tipped forward when he retracted his hand. And I could imagine how I looked. Mouth open. Searching. I didn’t have to wait long though, because something silky touched my lips. It was strange, the feel of it. In the back of my head, I knew it was his cock. Even before my tongue darted out and swirled around the salty tip. Maybe I should’ve felt embarrassed. And I probably would have without the blindfold. But the darkness was liberating.

  Miles groaned when I took as much of him as I could. Not all of it. I didn’t want to gag. Was I supposed to gag? I went a little farther and did just that.

  “Oh, fuck yeah…” he muttered, fingers gripping my hair. “Take it, baby.”

  Breathing through my nose, I braced myself, expecting him to guide me farther down his shaft. But he didn’t.

  “Touch yourself,” he bit out. “Finger yourself. Get yourself off while you’re sucking my dick.”

  That old adage about walking and chewing gum sprang to my mind. And I wasn’t sure I could do both successfully. But then I realized Miles just wanted a visual. My hand snaked between my legs, my hips tilting slightly to give him a better view. And all the while, I took him deeper and deeper, forcing my throat to relax.

  It was always Miles guiding us when we had sex. He was the one in command. But even though he was giving the orders now, I felt the power. Pushing myself a little farther, I swallowed, and a groan ripped from his chest.

  “Fuuuck.”

  And then he was gone.

  Disoriented, my hands flew up, searching for him.

  One strong arm banded around my waist while the other looped under my leg as Miles plucked me from my spot. “What are you doing?”

  His mouth crashed into mine as he eased me onto the bed. I reached for the T-shirt. “Don’t take it off,” he growled. “Spread your legs.”

  My knees fell open without hesitation, and I ached for the familiar heaviness of his body. The warmth. And the feel of his skin.

  “Oh…God…” I cried when his tongue slid through my folds. He found my clit and went to work, sucking and laving. My orgasm hit me hard and fast, and I clenched. Before I’d even ridden out the wave, he was inside me, and I soared back to the top of the mountain.

  He ripped the T-shirt off my head, and I blinked as intense brown eyes swam into focus.

  “Tell me you love me,” he demanded, stroking deeper.

  Taking his face in my hands, I pressed a kiss to his mouth. And in that moment, everything slowed. The thrust of his hips. My breathing. Our heartbeats.

  “I love you. Only you.”

  Always you…

  Wrapping him in my arms, I held him tight as he whispered praises into my hair and shuddered through his release.

  And I didn’t think any more about what I couldn’t give him.

  Only what I could.

  My body. My soul. My forever.

  Gelsey

  “Mmm.”

  Miles groaned, and I looked over my shoulder as I fastened the buckle on my strappy sandal.

  Soft, eyes locked on me, and the smile followed melted my insides. Until he realized what I was doing.

  “Where are you going, baby?”

  Rising up on one elbow, he shook off the sleep and looked around. Morning light poured in from every angle, thanks to the windows that took up a large portion of the wall space in the corner suite. It felt like we were on top of the world, with the whole city spread out in the distance. I understood now about the allure of a Central Park view. Because there were also trees, a thick blanket of green laid out below us.

  “Downstairs. Tatiana is meeting me in the restaurant.”

  I refocused on my sandals, because I didn’t want Miles to see how frazzled I was.

  Tatiana was here. At the Ritz.

  We still had a full day before I was supposed to meet with her and the director at the dance company. More disturbing? I hadn’t told her where I was staying. Because I knew how it sounded.

  I was supposed to be in New York checking out the apartment that would serve as my home until I got on my feet. The tiny space crammed with other dancers. But here I was in a luxury suite at the finest hotel in the city. The place where my rich boyfriend took me after we arrived in a private jet.

  Ivan’s parting words pinged around in my head.

  Try to fit in, dorogaya moya..

  That was a monumental feat under the best of circumstances. Because I’d never truly fit in here. I knew it. Russian, but not Russian enough. American, but not really.

  In the real world, it didn’t matter. The lines were fuzzy.

  But in this world—the dance world—I didn’t have a place to claim as my own. A home.

  Except with Miles.

  He was my home.

  As if he could register my turmoil, he stroked a reassuring hand down my back. I felt better instantly.

  “I thought you weren’t meeting with her until tomorrow.”

  “She texted me,” I replied brightly. Too brightly. And it didn’t fool him.

  “Why?”

  There was worry in his tone now.

  Shrugging, I tossed a smile over my shoulder. “Guess I’ll find out.”

  Miles caught my hand as I wobbled to my feet on shaky legs.

  We’d spent all night exploring my fantasies. And his. The sex was amazing. Transcending, even. And I’d lost track of how many times he’d been inside me. It was like he was trying to make good on his promise to live in my body. But now I was sore all over. And he noticed that too.

  “How’s your back?” he asked, brows drawn together in concern.

&nb
sp; “Back’s fine. I’m a little achy in some other places.”

  A smile formed on his beautiful lips. Like I knew it would. Miles was still a man. An alpha male no less. If he could slap a tattoo on my ass that read Property of Miles Cooper, he probably would.

  He gave me a tug, and I gladly complied, crawling over the mattress until we were face-to-face, with me leaning over him. I hadn’t bothered putting my hair up, and it fell around us in a golden curtain. Cupping my nape, he pulled me in for a kiss.

  “I love you, baby.”

  A frustrated groan spilled from his lips when his phone buzzed on the nightstand. He’d been ignoring it since we got here, sending all his calls to voice mail.

  I’d love to stay cocooned in this bubble we’d made. Tell Tatiana that I couldn’t meet her. And toss Miles’s phone out the window. But it was too late for that. Reality was calling. And it was time to answer.

  I sat quietly with my hands folded in my lap while Tatiana perused the menu at the swanky bistro on the ground floor of the Ritz.

  “You must eat,” she said, without bothering to look up.

  Her tone carried the same air of authority that Ivan had. And I found myself reaching for the leather-bound portfolio despite my queasy stomach.

  Darting a gaze to the window, my breath caught in my throat when I noticed a gaggle of reporters milling around on the sidewalk. Waiting.

  For me.

  I still hadn’t wrapped my head around the notion. It felt as if I’d walked into someone else’s life. Miles’s life, apparently. The one he managed by taking midnight flights on private jets and keeping a car service on standby. Not traipsing around Central Park like a tourist.

  “Do not look at them, Gelsey,” Tatiana said, as she picked up her cup of coffee. “You are only feeding the frenzy.”

  I nodded, my throat too tight to speak.

  With a sigh, she pulled a copy of the New York Post from the front pocket of her Hermes tote and slid the paper in front of me. I felt the blood drain from my face as I glanced over the headline.

  Miles Cooper Engaged to Pregnant Girlfriend. Iconic drummer leaving Austin and relocating to New York.

  A picture of us in the SoHo apartment with Miles’s hand splayed over my stomach took up the entire page.

  It was one thing to be told about the articles—which Tatiana had done the moment she’d met me in the lobby—and quite another to see it in black and white.

  “It isn’t true,” I blurted.

  Her lips tilted up at the corners. But there was no joy in her smile. Only concern. But I wasn’t sure it was for me.

  Clasping her hands, she tipped forward, locking me in her icy blue orbs. “Which part? The pregnancy?” I nodded. “But you were looking at apartments, yes?”

  I gripped my leg under the table to keep it from shaking. It wasn’t that I’d planned on keeping my relationship with Miles a secret. But I’d hoped that I could at least prove myself before I had to make any announcements.

  “My boyfriend was.”

  I held her gaze and even managed to keep my voice steady and true. Still, Tatiana wasn’t buying it. Irritation flashed across her features for the first time.

  “And you are not planning on living with him?”

  My back stiffened in defense. “What would you like me to say, Tatiana? What is it that will set your mind at ease?”

  The words flew from my lips with a velocity I didn’t expect.

  Taking a breath, I forced my muscles to relax, then continued in a softer tone, “Ballet is my dream, my life’s work. I’m committed.”

  I left it at that, hoping it would be enough. It was true. All of it. And until Miles, there was no other dream. Nothing beyond the stage. But with him, I saw another path. A parallel lane on the same road. I could have both. Somehow, I’d make it happen.

  This time when Tatiana smiled, I saw the affection in her eyes. Likely some lingering emotion she’d felt for my mother. But I’d take it.

  “I fear you are not revealing the whole story, but I trust that you are telling the truth.”

  “I am.”

  Sliding her napkin out from under the silverware, she placed the linen on her lap. “Good, Then we will start by having a lovely breakfast.” She looked around with admiration. “Your boyfriend has good taste.”

  My boyfriend has a lot of money. Which made it easy to have good taste.

  I didn’t say that though, just nodded my agreement.

  My stomach had just started to settle when Tatiana added, “And after, I will take you to meet some members of the corps at the brownstone in Brooklyn.”

  When I didn’t say anything, her attention shifted to my hand, balled into a fist next to my phone. Miles and I had plans today. Sightseeing and apartment hunting. A walk around the reservoir in Central Park. Lazy sex that went on for hours.

  She picked up her coffee cup, gaze digging into mine. “You do not have a problem with that, do you?”

  Forcing a smile to mask my disappointment, I shook my head. A small compromise. Not the end of the world. Miles would understand.

  “Of course not. I’m ready whenever you are.”

  Miles

  The minute Gelsey slipped out the door, I pulled out my laptop and took a seat on the couch. I had a feeling. More like a premonition. Things were about to get real.

  And it was all my fault.

  I’d been lulled into a false sense of security. Manhattan was ten times smaller than Austin, with twice as many people. And I was only one guy. Not even from here. Who’d notice me?

  But I knew the answer to that.

  Everyone.

  Sure, it was easier to get lost in this city. But staying lost was another story.

  My knee bobbed as I typed my name into the Google search box.

  Please.

  The one-word plea died on my lips when the screen populated with a dozen headlines.

  Miles Cooper and ballerina girlfriend take a bite out of the Big Apple.

  Miles Cooper relocating to New York after ballerina girlfriend snubbed by former bandmate Tori Grayson.

  Click the link for the 411 on Gelsey Howard, Miles Cooper’s hot new mystery girl.

  I sank against the cushions, unable to catch my breath. The press had Gelsey’s name. Which meant they had more. All the personal details that weren’t personal at all. The bits and pieces of her life just floating around, waiting for someone to pluck them out of cyberspace.

  Licking my dry lips, I tipped forward and hit the last link. A photo of Gelsey and me taken yesterday in Central Park flashed on the screen.

  BALLET’S NEWEST IT GIRL, RUSSIAN BEAUTY GELSEY HOWARD, STEALS THE HEART OF FAMED DRUMMER MILES COOPER.

  The article quoted “sources” who claimed that Gelsey and I were secretly married. Which, surprisingly, didn’t bother me at all. The rest was just fluff. Some biographical information about Gelsey’s mom. A link to the video of the Damaged reunion concert streaming on HBO. Stuff that anyone with an Internet connection and half a brain could dig up.

  But then I scrolled down, and a photo of the SoHo apartment appeared. Not just one. Several. Including interior shots.

  The fuzzy, off-center image of Gelsey and me gazing out the bedroom window proved who was responsible. Molly the realtor. Though I’m sure she’d never meant for that particular picture to be published. It was the bait she’d used to get the rag to buy the story. The proof that her claims were legit.

  Blood boiling, I brought up my email program. Three messages from Molly. All with links to pricy apartments. The bitch had some nerve.

  Firing off a reply, I made sure to c.c. the head of the brokerage firm, and Taryn, just because I knew my manager would make Molly’s life a living hell.

  Molly,

  I hope you got a lot of money for selling me out. Because you won’t be getting a commission. Next time you provide photos to a tabloid better make sure there’s not one that incriminates you. Needless to say, I won’t be requiring your services. Y
ou’ll be hearing from my lawyer.

  The last part was merely a threat. Bravado. Legally, there was nothing I could do.

  I got some measure of satisfaction knowing she’d probably get fired. Taryn would demand Molly’s head on a platter. And get it.

  But that didn’t do me any good. Or Gelsey. At this very moment, she was probably facing a shit ton of scrutiny from Tatiana.

  Gelsey must earn her way into the group. They will make or break her career. She will stand on their shoulders to achieve greatness. But only if they let her.

  This is what Ivan had warned me about. And you didn’t listen.

  After spending way too much time poring over the articles and ruminating on the best course of action, I decided to confront the situation head-on. My phone rang as I hauled to my feet, and I dove for it. Blake.

  “Sorry, dude. No time,” I mumbled under my breath as I pressed ignore.

  Rushing to the bedroom, I quickly threw on some clothes. I wasn’t sure if Gelsey wanted my help. But I had to do something. Explain the situation to Tatiana. She’d listen to me. I’d make her listen.

  Stepping into the hallway, I fumbled trying to get the Do Not Disturb sign on the doorknob. Maybe if I weren’t so distracted, I would’ve noticed the figure propping up the wall a few feet away.

  “It’s a mob scene down there,” came the familiar voice. “You should probably go back inside.”

  When I spun around, Daryl assessed me with his usual bland expression, eyes hidden behind dark shades.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?”

  “Taryn sent me. Came straight here from the airport. And it’s a good thing. It looks like you could use my help.”

  With every fiber of my being, I longed to send Daryl away.

  His mere presence reminded me of everything I didn’t want to be while I was in New York.

  A rock star. Someone to gawk at. And worst of all—a distraction that Gelsey didn’t need.

  Gelsey.

  Even if I could fend for myself, I wouldn’t risk her safety. The press had her scent now. Which meant I needed Daryl.