I waited until we were behind locked doors before I began to undress her. I didn’t want our first time to be a frenzied mess, but it had been a long time since I had been inside her and I was afraid one stroke of her long, attentive fingers would do me in.
“Slow down,” I ordered as she pulled my shirt apart, scattering the buttons all over the room. My past sexual experience with Crystal had always been a give and take. I checked my dominant tendencies at the door because I knew a woman like Crystal would never submit to any man.
However, I was feeling particularly brave today.
I clasped both her tiny wrists in one of my large hands and pinned them above her head against the door. She smiled wickedly, and for a second, I winced, thinking I might experience another knee to my man parts.
Instead, she nodded slowly, giving me permission to continue.
I picked her up and walked across the room and tossed her on the bed.
“I want you to hold onto the headboard and not touch me, do you understand?” I growled against her ear.
“Yes,” she panted and ran her pink tongue along her bottom lip.
“Such a good girl,” I praised her as she did what I asked.
I took my time undressing before removing the last of her clothing.
I started my merciless teasing by tracing wet kisses along her calf and the inside of her thigh, stopping only to blow my cool breath on her glistening pussy. My hard-on stood out like a flagpole, but I was not ready to give in. Not until I had Crystal screaming my name and begging me to stop.
I repeated my ministration on the other leg, working my way up her ankle, calf, and thigh, once again stopping to show attention to her moist center.
“Baden, please,” she begged through hooded eyes.
I didn’t make her wait any longer, and dove in like a starving man at an all you can eat buffet. I nipped and sucked on her clit before fucking her with my tongue. I heard the creak of the headboard from where it was taking all her resolve to keep her hands holding tightly.
I spread her wide and used my shoulders to keep her from burying me between her thighs. I continued to work on her clit with my tongue while using my finger to get her ready for the intrusion of my cock. It was bigger than average, and if my calculations were correct, Crystal had not had sex since our last time together. The same as me.
I reached under the pillow for a condom.
“No,” she shook her head. “I want to feel all of you. I haven’t been with anyone since you.”
“Me neither,” I confirmed.
“I know, Baden,” she smiled. “I trust you.”
Those words meant more to me than anything. We loved each other. That had not died because of my disastrous mistake. Her trust was what I lost. And somehow I earned it back.
“You can touch me now,” I rasped with need. I wanted her hands on me, touching, stroking, loving.
“Thank fuck,” she giggled as she ran her well-manicured fingernails down my back, marking her territory. By tomorrow everyone was going to know I was taken by the proof of the scratches that I would wear proudly.
She ran her hand behind my neck and pulled me down to meet her lips in a soul-searing kiss, the kind that brings a man to his knees and makes him lose his mind. I gave her everything she was asking for in that kiss.
My love, trust, loyalty, and my fucking life.
“Mine,” I growled into her mouth as I probed her wet pussy with my weeping cock.
She spread her legs, giving me complete access to her warm, waiting core.
I thrust my hips and filled her until my balls slapped her ass.
“Oh god, Baden, why the hell did I wait?” she moaned as I pulled out and slammed back in.
I had claimed her as mine, which meant I was hers and hers alone.
“Yours,” I whispered as I continued to piston in and out of her tight cavern.
I slowed my thrusts and leaned in to claim her lips. This time I nipped and sucked on her bottom lip before plunging my tongue inside her mouth and devoured her. I poured all my love, all my emotions into our kiss. I could feel the crackle of electricity that arced between us.
This was more than a quick, hasty fuck. I was going to make love to Crystal until I was too worn out to take a breath.
She raked her nails down my back with every slow slide of my cock. Her eyes were fluttering with pleasure. Still, she forced herself to keep them open, not wanting to lose the close connection that came when we stared into each other’s eyes.
“I’ve missed you,” she moaned as I lowered my lips to capture her perky breasts. Her nipples, rosy and ripe with desire, stood at attention as I gave them the nurturing they deserved.
I released her nipple with an animated pop, causing a moan to escape her lips.
“I love you,” I sang into her ear, meaning every word with everything I held dear.
She held my head in her hands and looked deeply into my soul. “I love you,” she whispered, and I knew she meant every word.
Her eyes glistened and a smile ghosted her lip as I felt the first quivering of her thighs. She was close to coming, and I knew her well enough to know how to get her there.
I put my thumb in her mouth. She sucked it in and out and licked the tip. My cock swelled inside her. I ran small circles around her clit with my wet thumb and increased the thrusting of my hips.
The first ripples clenched around my cock and threatened to take me over before she had fully come.
“Don’t hold back, Crystal. I’m close, but I won’t come until you let go,” I confessed.
I saw the moment she gave in and let her orgasm ripped through her body. Her face, neck, and body flushed a pale pink as she thrashed her head from side to side, screaming my name.
That was all it took for my own orgasm to shoot up my spine as I spilled inside her.
It seemed to last forever. It must have been months of abstinence that had me coming the hardest I could ever remember.
“I’m never letting you go ever again, Crystal Divine.” I didn’t care if I sounded possessive or cavemanish. I meant every word, and I would do whatever I had to do to make it happen.
“You can start by calling me Chrissy,” she sheepishly announced.
Chrissy was the name reserved only for her family. It was short for Christmas. She’d taken down the last wall she had erected to protect herself. That was all the confirmation I needed to prove she was indeed mine.
Exhaustion took us over as we left everything in the past and began a future full of promise, love, and trust.
Epilogue
Crystal
I paced nervously in the hallway of my parent’s home. Baden was coming for dinner. This was the official meet the relatives night. The one that should have happened Christmas Eve.
My father was going to be the worst to get past. I was a daddy’s girl, and Baden was well aware of this fact from the beginning.
Baden had caused me pain, and no matter how much he had done to make it up to me, it was my father that he was going to have to convince that he was worthy of my love.
Damon explained to the family on Christmas Eve the circumstances that led to the infamous video that died almost as quickly as it began, thanks to Baden’s impromptu interview in front of my parent’s home.
The doorbell rang, and I raced to answer before anyone could beat me there.
I opened the door and took a long lingering look at the man standing on the front stoop.
He didn’t look like the bad boy rocker his reputation portrayed him as. He was clean-shaven and had gotten a haircut. Gone were the long stands on top that could be styled in a mohawk should he choose. I was going to miss those locks. I enjoyed tugging on them while Baden was busy making my lady bits quiver. He dressed in black dress pants, a light blue button-down shirt, and a grey sports coat. He could have passed as one of my father’s associates.
None of it took away from the strong chiseled jaw, muscular arms, and six-pack I knew were hidden
underneath.
“Hey,” he greeted me with a bouquet of roses, similar to the ones he had brought me when he came to apologize. Also in his arms were a bottle of merlot and a box of Belgium Dark Delights chocolates.
“What, no mixed tape?” I teased, remembering the items he came to bribe my bandmates with.
He reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a CD.
I reached for it and froze, remembering the last gift he had brought that night.
I smiled politely as I took the CD from his hand.
“Well, invite the man in, Chrissy,” my mother's voice echoed from behind.
“P-please come in,” I stuttered, almost forgetting why Baden was here. When he entered and made no attempt to present any other gifts, I let out the breath I had been holding. I thought the hardest part of the night was going to be standing aside while Dad treated Baden to an inquisition.
Turns out I was wrong. Hoping Baden did not pull out that enormous engagement ring had me on pins and needles.
He leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “You look like you are about to make a run for it, Chrissy. Relax, I didn’t bring the blue box with me tonight,” he whispered in my ear, and I caught him grinning like a fool.
Now I could rest easy and relax.
“Mr. Dogger, a word in the study,” my father commanded, leading the way without waiting to see if Baden followed him.
I shrugged and pushed him in the direction my father had gone. I suppressed the giggle that was attempting to escape. At least until Baden was behind closed doors and couldn’t hear it.
I joined my mother and the rest of the clan in the kitchen preparing dinner. My mother would have a conniption if my father held up dinner. What I wouldn’t give to be a fly on the wall in that office, but I’d let Dad have his fun.
I was assigned to set the dining room table. My mother had pulled out the good china and silverware. If she only knew how many meals we’d eaten on paper plates with plastic utensils. Not to mention all the cardboard pizza boxes and paper towels. I guess she wanted to make a favorable impression on Baden. Which was in contrast to my father whose mission it was to intimidate.
My head snapped up when I heard the distinct sound of Baden’s bold laugh. He and my father were approaching the dining room, each with a tumbler of amber liquid.
I gasped. The Macallan single malt. A luxury my father shared with very few people. Yet here was the bad boy of rock, Baden Dogger, enjoying a privilege I had never been blessed with.
The rat bastard.
My father, not Baden. I had no doubt Baden could charm the panties off all the ladies, but my hard-ass father? I knew I should be thrilled that Dad had accepted Baden. But fuck me, the Macallan, really?
I put on a smile as I confiscated the crystal tumbler from Baden’s hand and cherished the amber liquid that slid down my throat. It was merely a sip, but I had a point to prove. I was not going to be the submissive daughter waiting for Daddy to hand me over to a suitable husband. Not that my father would ever attempt such a thing. However, it did piss me off that it took Baden less than half an hour to turn my father into a groupie.
We were ordered to take our places at the table, and once we were all seated, I introduced Baden to the family members he had not met, my Aunt Anne and Uncle Derek, Ashley, Amber and Keith’s parents.
“Of course you know Damon and Jen.” I reached out to tickle the tummy of the toddler sitting to my right. “And this is my nephew DJ.”
“Our son,” Jen quietly clarified.
I knew the three of them had a come to Jesus moment during their little chat. By the expression on Baden’s face, I would have to guess that little bit of information had been left out. Baden plastered on a genuine smile and congratulated them on having a child fortunate enough to inherit it’s mother’s good looks.
Everyone laughed, easing the tension that had been hovering.
As the evening progressed, it became apparent that Baden was going to fit into my family as if he had grown up with them. Which in Damon and Jen’s case, he had. Knowing Baden had truly moved on from his past left me excited about our future.
I rewarded Baden’s good behavior by allowing his fantasy of ravishing me in my childhood bedroom.
Sated and exhausted, we lay beside each other and cuddled.
“I never asked you about your tattoo. What possessed you to put the Tarot card for Death on your shoulder?” I had wanted to know his motivation for his choice of artwork displayed on his body. I had waited, hoping he would explain without me asking.
I was at Skulls & Roses the day he had his appointment with Charlie. It seemed a long time ago, yet it was merely months.
“Have you seen Damon’s skull tattoo?” Evading the topic by answering a question with a question. I would play this out and hopefully, get the answer I sought.
“Yes,” I replied. “It’s hard to miss, especially with how often he goes shirtless,” I snickered.
“Haven’t you noticed that Adam has the same one on his shoulder?”
I had to think really hard. Truth was, I never paid much attention to Adam. “Not really,” I shrugged. “I’ve never taken the time to pay attention where Adam was concerned. Besides, he has more than one tattoo. Why would I notice that particular one?”
“I had one just the same before Charlie revised it for me.” He pulled me against his hard muscular body and let out a loud sigh.
“When Charlie was apprenticing at the shop, myself, Adam and Damon let him practice on us. We got skulls on our shoulders, and Shelby and Jen got a rose tattoo on the inside of their wrist.”
“What about Maddox?” It seemed odd to do a right of passage and not include his brother.
“Maddox was still a minor and was very vocal about inking anything permanent on his body. Personally, I think he was just a pussy and afraid of the needles,” he snickered.
“But he has Kitt’s name tattooed on his chest,” I blurted.
“You didn’t notice that Adam has the same tattoo as Damon, but you noticed Kitt’s name on Maddox’s chest?” His tone was low, with a hint of possessiveness.
“I know because Kitt never shuts up about it.” I turned to face him and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. “Now I understand why. Wow, that was quite the statement he made.” If I were Kitt, I would be gushing over the implication of what Maddox had done as well.
“Okay, I still don’t get how that’s pertinent to your current tattoo.” History lesson aside, I was no closer to an answer.
He raised his eyes to the ceiling as if praying for patience.
“Around the time we were in negotiations with a legit label, Adam decided he wanted to make a commitment to his girlfriend, Nicole. He was going to propose on his birthday. He took her to Charlie and had him tattoo a rose on her wrist like the one Jen and Shelby had. Solidarity and all that.” Baden closed his eyes, and when he opened them, they sheened with unshed tears and pain. “I told Adam that the tattoos were a curse since neither Shelby nor I were with our respective others. I gave him shit about it. It was meant as a joke, but a month later, Nicole died in a car accident.”
I remembered the accident. It was all over the news. The story of Adam’s girlfriend catapulted their first single. It was a tribute to his lost love.
“After all these years, what made you want to alter the tattoo now?” Surely he still didn’t believe the tattoo was cursed?
“I was tired of holding onto the past. After Theo’s accident, life as we knew it was about to change. With that, I decided that I needed a change. The Death card doesn’t necessarily translate literally. It signifies the death of something old to make way for something new. The death of an old life so that a new chapter could be written.”
I prompted him to turn around so I could examine the tattoo. I traced the outline with the tip of my fingernail, enlisting a lusty groan from the naked man in my bed.
“You can see where the old tattoo had been incorporated into the new one.” He
seemed to be enjoying my exploration of the ink on his skin.
As I traced the artwork with my tongue, Baden reached down and began working my clit between his fingers.
“When I saw you at Skulls & Roses, my first impression was that you would be perfect for Maddox,” Baden chuckled.
I could see why he would think that. I was the exact type of woman that Maddox Dogger had typically dated.
“By the time you came to Bentley,” he continued, “Maddox had met and fallen in love with Kitt.”
“Speaking of Skulls & Roses,” I jumped off the bed and returned with an envelope. “I was the highest bidder for the gift certificate Charlie donated for the fundraiser. I planned on giving it to you as a Christmas gift.”
“How would I look with your name on my chest, right here?” He took my hand and placed it on his chest above his heart.
A smile split my face.
“After I met you and we spent time with each other, it didn’t matter that you were Maddox’s type. Even if Kitt wasn’t in the picture, I knew you were going to be mine. I wouldn’t let Maddox within breathing distance of you if I thought for one second he was interested.” His confession warmed my heart.
“I might not have brought the little blue box with me tonight, Chrissy, but one day I plan to get down on one knee. When I know in my heart that the only answer you will have to give me is yes.” He pulled me in for a soul-searing kiss that stole the breath from my lungs.
Living with Baden Dogger was never going to be easy. Our careers would send us to different places, and weathering the time apart came with its own challenges. We would fuck up and make up. There were no guarantees.
The only thing I was one hundred percent set on was that one day, I would be Mrs. Baden Dogger.
Bonus Scene
Meeting in Cafe between Damon, Jen, and Baden from Damon’s POV
I squeezed Jen’s hands as we made our way to the trendy coffee shop I recommended when Baden requested we meet. It was nice to see all the gentrification happening in the neighborhood. Hopefully, the fundraiser sponsored by Bentley Records will entice other benefactors to follow suit.
Rock Gods: Baden Page 25
