Intrigued By You, page 17
Fuck. This guy was going to be the end of me. But what a way to go. Instead of a blaze of glory, a feast of orgasms.
“Just like that.” I gasped as he shifted his angle. “Fuck. Yes. Christ.” I circled my finger faster and faster, and Joz matched me with smooth thrusts, his ink covered abs contracting every time he pushed inside. “Coming.”
My orgasm hit me like a freaking tidal wave, the wall of water knocking me on my ass, my inner muscles rippling along his dick. I squeezed my eyes closed, my body boneless, sated yet still wanting more. With Joz, I always wanted more.
He muttered something I didn’t catch. Lowering me to the mattress, he stretched out over me, his lips dotting kisses along my neck, a soft moan of pleasure the only sign he’d found his own release. He allowed himself to rest on me for a few seconds, then rolled off to the side. Almost in synchronicity, our chests heaved, breaths sawing in and out as we fought to catch our breath.
“That was… life altering.”
Joz found my hand and placed it over his heart. “My life changed the moment you turned up at that bar and gave me an earful when all I could think was how much I wanted to suck your nipples through your soaked dress.”
I shifted onto my side. “You’re not going to run again, are you?”
He broke out a grin I’d begun to recognize as a distraction technique. “This is my place. You trying to run me out of town, Spitfire?”
In response, I gave him my you’re wasting your time, buddy hard stare. “Joz.”
His smile fell, but he held my gaze. “No, I’m not going to run. Although, I’ll be honest, I thought you would. Once I told you everything, I mean.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Because.” One shoulder popped. “Doesn’t exactly show me in a glowing light. I’ve got more baggage than Heathrow on a bank holiday weekend getaway. Who’d want to attach themselves to that?”
I moved my hand from his chest and cupped his cheek. “Me. And you want to know why?”
“I don’t know. Do I?”
For a man who owned the stage, exuding the kind of confidence that, if bottled, would make billions, he sounded so hesitant that it broke my heart a little bit.
“Our flaws are what make us interesting, Joz. Who wants perfection? Not me. It’s as fake as a Grammy smile when you’re on the losing side.”
“Yeah, but there are flaws and then there’s a man who’s responsible for robbing a little boy of his mother.”
I sighed. “You won’t believe me when I say this because you’re not ready to hear it, and for all I know you’ll never be ready, but Caroline was responsible for her actions. Not you. Blackmailing someone into sticking around is a horrible thing to do. Caroline made a terrible decision in that moment—one that had lasting consequences for you, her mom, and her son, but that doesn’t make what she did to try to make you stay with her any less abhorrent. One day, I hope you’ll see that and stop blaming yourself and start seeing the goodness in yourself. The man who sticks around to make sure her son wants for nothing and that her mother has the support she needs. And all for a boy you didn’t even know existed before his mother died.”
His expression was filled with doubt, but I swore I saw a flicker of something in his eyes. A strand of truth hitting its mark. I grabbed onto it like a life raft in the middle of a storm and doubled down.
“You can’t coerce someone into loving you, yet that’s what Caroline tried to do. You’d already gone above and beyond, staying with her long after the relationship had died, even when you had your own addiction problems to deal with. And look what you did after she passed away? You checked yourself into rehab and came out the other side a different person. A man who her son and mother can rely on. Don’t you see the good in that? The good in you? I wouldn’t be here if I thought you were an asshole. I’ve dated enough of those, which is why you’re the first man I’ve been with in a while. I don’t need the hassle. But you… you’re not hassle. You’re fucking epic.”
The briefest of smiles tweaked his lips. “You’re good for a man’s ego, Spitfire.”
“Don’t spend your life drowning in guilt. If Caroline taught you anything it’s that life is brief and precious. You didn’t buy her those drugs and make her take them. She did that, and it’s dreadfully sad. I wish for both your sakes she’d reached out to a professional for help, but she didn’t. That doesn’t mean you have to spend the rest of your life living in torment.”
“Yeah.” His voice was rough as gravel. He squeezed my hand. “I hear you. I’m not there yet, but I want you to know that I’ve heard everything you’ve said.”
“That’s all I can ask for.” I snuggled back into his side. “Will you come back to New York and finish the album?”
“Yeah. I’m sorry I walked out. That wasn’t professional of me or fair on you. Besides, how can I keep an eye on one cocky little fucker I’m starting to regret bringing into your life if I’m on the other side of an ocean?”
Ah. With everything that’d happened since I got on a plane to come here, I’d forgotten about the altercation with Presley.
“What? Not coming to his defense?” Joz chuckled, his fingers tracing circles on my upper arm. “I expected you to tell me I’m being too harsh.”
Should I keep it from him? No. That was the wrong call. He’d been honest with me, so I owed it to be honest with him.
“Presley tried to kiss me.”
Joz’s hand stilled. “He fucking what?” His voice might have sounded steady, but it was loaded with menace.
“It’s fine. I dealt with it. I just wanted you to know.”
He sat up in bed, every muscle on show pulled tight, the veins of his forearm protruding even more than they usually did. “It is not fucking fine. I knew that little shit had a crush on you, but I never expected him to actually act on it.”
I sat up, too. “I didn’t mean him trying to kiss me was fine. It isn’t, but he won’t try it again.”
“How do you know?”
“I drew a firm line in the sand, and he gets it. Look, he’s young and living away from his family. He’s been thrust into the spotlight and misread my enthusiasm and support for something more because he’s too inexperienced to see it for what it was. I’ve put him straight, and that will be the end of it.”
A muscle danced in his cheek, his lips thin, his expression thunderous. “Right.”
Ah, the loaded “right”, which actually meant “wrong.”
“Joz, leave it. I’m perfectly capable of handling Presley, and I have. I’m handing him off to another member of my team. I don’t intend to be alone in his company again.”
“I see.” He didn’t see. He was lost in that alpha male fog where evolution went to die.
“Let me ask you something.”
“Go on.”
“Do you think I’m a strong woman?”
“Yes.” No hesitation. Good. He got to keep his manhood intact for a little while longer.
“A capable woman?”
“Extremely.”
“Okay, so you agree I’m strong and I’m capable, but you also think I need a man to rescue me from a situation I’ve told you is already dealt with. Am I reading that correctly?”
A muscle flickered in his jaw. “No, I don’t think you need a man to rescue you. Me telling Presley to keep his filthy fucking hands off you doesn’t mean I’m rescuing you.”
Men. They were an irritating species at times. If I didn’t like dick so much, I’d choose a woman every time. Far less complicated.
“But it weakens me. It weakens my stance and the point I made to Presley. It’s typical male behavior, and I hoped for better from you.”
A faint redness inched over his cheekbones. “Ouch. You don’t pull your punches, Spitfire.”
“No, I don’t. So, please, leave it. You’re bound to come into contact with him at the studio, and when you do, I want you to smile, be nice, and act like the bigger man. Can you do that?”
One of his shoulders popped up. “I guess.”
“Good.” I cuddled into his side and laid my head on his chest. “Now I won’t have to murder you, which would be very inconvenient.”
He chuckled, his body relaxing. Thank God.
“Besides,” I continued. “If I did have to murder you, then I’d have to find a new date for my mother’s sixty-fifth birthday party a week from Saturday, and that would be a pain in the ass at such short notice.”
Stiff Joz made a return, and not the fun kind of stiff I liked to play with. “You want me to come to your mother’s birthday party?”
I looked up at him. “Yes. Is that a problem?”
“No.”
“Did you know you have a habit of making no sound like yes?”
He scratched behind his ear. “Sounds like a three or four-month dating kind of thing.”
“Oh, stop. It’s a party, not an ambush. My family are the coolest people on the planet. Cooler than you.”
“Lies.”
I prodded him between his ribs. “Please come. You’ll have fun, I promise. I’ll bring an array of vibrators if that makes the medicine go down a little easier.”
He flipped me until I was beneath him, then settled between my legs. “Now, that’s an invitation I can’t say no to.”
Chapter 24
Joz
And now for a not so friendly warning.
“That’s a wrap.” Carl put both his thumbs up. “Good work, Joz.”
“Thanks.” I eased my guitar over my head and propped it against the wall. “Do me a favor and don’t tell Aspen it’s in the can. I want to tell her.”
“You’re the boss.” He grinned. “Well, technically, she is, but who am I to stand in the way of a man who wants to surprise his girl?”
I pointed my finger at him. “That’s privileged information, buddy.”
He made a zipping motion across his mouth. “My lips are sealed.”
“They’d better be, or I’ll glue them for you.”
He laughed. “Right, man, I’m headed home. My wife has probably forgotten what I look like.”
I winced, guilty that I’d kept him away from his family. Ever since I flew back to New York the day after Aspen landed in London and handed my arse to me on a silver platter filled with mind blowing orgasms, Carl and I had pulled a fair number of all-nighters. I’d wanted to ensure the entire album was done before my flight to Seattle first thing tomorrow morning for Aspen’s mother’s birthday, and he’d agreed to put the hours in to help me.
A family party, though. I had regrets. Not about seeing Aspen. I’d never regret that. But I hardly ever saw my own family, yet I was expected to pony up to celebrate with a bunch of strangers.
Still, it was one night. I’d do it for Aspen. I’d give her anything. She already owned me, and I couldn’t be happier about it. What we had, in and out of the bedroom, was pure decadent indulgence. I fucking loved the way she’d take control in one breath, then hand it to me in the next. I craved both obeying her and commanding her. Relationships like ours rarely worked, yet we’d fallen into a rhythm as if it had always been there, waiting for us to discover it.
By the time I’d gathered my stuff and left the recording booth, Carl had gone. I exited the control room and beelined for the studio exit. Halfway down the hallway, a door on my left opened, and a guy came storming out, almost crashing into me.
“Hey. Watch it.”
He turned to me, eyes stormy. Presley. Now, there was something I regretted far more than agreeing to go to Aspen’s mother’s birthday party. If I hadn’t introduced him to Aspen, she wouldn’t have had to deal with his unwanted advances.
“Oh, it’s you.” He fiddled with the hem of his T-shirt and glanced over my shoulder. “Aspen with you?”
Aspen’s warning not to engage this twat circled my mind, but I was all out of fucks. Snapping a hand around his throat, I shoved him against the wall.
“You listen to me, you fucking prick. If you ever lay a hand on my woman again, I will chop them off and ram them down your throat until you choke to death. If you ever say her name, I’ll cut out your fucking tongue. If I hear you’ve disrespected a single woman for the rest of your miserable life, I will make sure you live to regret it. You feeling me?”
He grabbed my arm, wrestling to get free, except a twenty-one-year-old scrawny fuck who was barely out of nappies was no match for me. I tightened my grip, my fingers digging into his flesh.
“You. Feeling. Me?”
“Yes,” he rasped.
I let go. He bent over, coughing, both hands braced on his knees.
“Right answer.” Pivoting, I continued walking toward the exit. I had a bag to pack and a flight to catch at nine o’clock.
“You’re gonna regret this, man!” Presley yelled after me.
A standard line when someone didn’t know how to respond to a threat. I almost yawned. Instead, I flipped him the bird. He shouted something else, but I was too far away by now to hear him. Just as well. I doubt it was complimentary, and I didn’t need much of an excuse to put that jumped-up little cunt on his arse.
When I got to Seattle, I’d tell Aspen what happened. She’d probably rip me a new one for doing the exact opposite of what she’d asked of me, but that little prat had it coming. I doubt he’d cross either of us again.
The look on Aspen’s face when I emerged into the arrivals hall at Sea-Tac Airport chased away any regrets I might’ve had about coming here. She kept it professional while we were in public, although no one batted an eyelid at either of us. The second the car door slammed shut, though, she pounced, straddling me and smashing our mouths together. Not that I was complaining. I cupped the back of her neck and deepened the kiss, breathing in the scent I hadn’t realized I’d missed until now.
Breaking apart, I caressed her cheek with the back of my hand. “That’s some greeting, Spitfire. Now, as much as I’m enjoying you rubbing yourself on my dick, I need you to climb off me and put your seat belt on.”
A wicked grin combined with her rocking her pelvis against me had me groaning. “I thought your flight was never going to get here.”
I caught the driver looking at us in the rear-view mirror. At my glare, he glanced away. “The flight was on time.” I palmed her neck, drawing her closer, and whispered in her ear, “Your driver is catching a live sex show. Next time, pick a car with a privacy screen.”
“Oh.” She bit her lip and grimaced. “Gotcha.”
Dismounting, she plunked herself in her seat and clipped in her belt. “My parents are looking forward to meeting you. So are my brothers. They’re both huge fans of yours.”
“What have you told them?”
“About us? Oh, not much.” She leaned in, her lips virtually touching my ear, voice low to avoid being overheard. “Just that you have a magical pierced dick, and I enjoy bouncing on it.”
She sat back, eyes gleaming, a teasing smile curving her mouth at the corners.
For a second, my heart almost stopped. “Liar.” At least I fucking hoped so, or this might be the shortest meeting in history.
Her smile broke into a full-on grin. “You got me.”
“You’re having too much fucking fun, Spitfire.”
“No such thing.” Reaching across the space between us, she captured my hand. “Relax. I told them we were seeing each other, but it was new, and I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.”
“And they’re cool?”
“My parents are very cool. You’ll like them, promise. Just watch out for Dad inviting you to his study for after dinner cigars. That’s code for ‘time for the chat.’” She laughed again.
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t make me regret agreeing to come.”
“Oh, shush. By the time tomorrow rolls around, you’ll be fully absorbed into the Kingcaid family, and you’ll wonder why you were worried.”
“Who said I’m worried?”
“I did. Just then. Are you going deaf? I mean… with your advancing years and all, I suppose it was inevitable.” She winked.
“You’re pulling the tiger’s tail, Spitfire. Keep going, and I won’t care that there isn’t a privacy screen.”
“Ooh, promises, promises.”
“Just wait until we’re alone.”
Before she could answer with another of her trademark, quick-witted responses, her phone rang.
“It’s Mom.” She swiped the screen. “Hi, Mom.” Pause. “Yes, we’re on our way.” Pause, and a glance at me. “He’s really excited about meeting you. He even said he couldn’t wait for Dad to have ‘the chat’, as long as it was accompanied a nice Cuban cigar.” Another wink.
I drew my forefinger across my neck and mouthed, “You’re dead.”
She blew me a kiss. “About ten minutes out. See you soon.” She dropped her phone back into her handbag.
I shook my head and sighed. “What am I going to do with you?”
“I have a few ideas.”
“I’ll bet you do.”
“Okay, I’ll give you a break and talk about something far safer. How’s the album coming along? Still on track to finish next Friday?”
Ah, here’s an opportunity to a have a little fun of my own.
“No. ‘Fraid not.”
Two faint lines appeared between her eyebrows. “Oh. That’s not good, Joz. It’s a hard deadline.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t have come this weekend? Could’ve worked instead.”
“Hmm. Yeah. Maybe.” She fiddled with the strap on her handbag, deep in thought.
“Should I go back to New York?”
“No. No, we’ll work it out. Somehow. How late do you think it’ll run?”
“Who said it would run late?”
“You did?”
“Did I? When did I say that?”
She rubbed her forehead. “Just then. I asked if you were on track to finish Friday, and you said no.”
“What I actually said was ‘fraid not. And the reason I said that was because…” I paused for effect. “I finished it yesterday.”
