-27-
Tara
When I couldn’t escape, I went the opposite direction and clung to Grant for dear life. He was solid and firm, keeping me steady, and as I sipped air into my body, I regained control.
“You’re all right,” he reassured. “I’m here. You’re fine. Everything’s fine.”
“This is so stupid,” I whispered to him. “I want this. Fuck, I want it so much, and once I get on that stage, I know I’ll be okay. So, I don’t know why I’m acting like this.”
He stroked a hand down the back of my neck, tickling the tendrils of hair that wouldn’t be tamed into my bun. “It’s all right. If you can recognize it’s just anxiety, it can help you work through it.” His voice was soothing. “I looked up some stress relief ideas earlier—”
“Have I been this bad all day?” I drew back just enough so I could look at him.
He looked sheepish. “No. I, uh, looked them up for me.”
Grant was nervous too? It made me feel so much better. “Oh my God,” unexpected laughter burst from me, “I love you.”
We both froze. I’d meant to say, “I love that,” but the anxiety had fried my brain. My eyes went so wide, I wondered if they’d fall out.
“Um,” I blurted, “that came out wrong. Pretend I didn’t say it. I have no idea what I’m doing right now.”
What was that flicker in his eyes? Had he . . . liked hearing that I loved him? Because surely he thought it was too soon, and it’d make him want to put distance between us.
Great. This fuck-up gave me something else to worry about. “Okay,” I added, “what are some other ways to fight our anxiety?”
A shift went through him. I didn’t believe he was nervous, because the man in front of me looked like he had plenty of confidence. His tone was heavy, right on the edge of seduction. “I can think of one.”
Oh.
There was so much adrenaline in my body, the need instantly became overwhelming. Crushing. I didn’t resist as he took me by the hand and pulled us behind the equipment cart. He put his foot on the side of his open cello case and pushed it out of the way. As it slid across the carpet, the lid slammed shut with a thud.
Grant didn’t pay any attention to it. His gaze was locked onto me.
The cart wasn’t very tall—it came up to my natural waist—but it was long, and we were easily hidden behind it when he lifted me off my feet and laid me down on my back. The carpet was rough against my skin, but I ignored it, wrapping my legs around his hips as he hovered over me.
Was he going to kiss me? I reached up, grasped his chin, and pulled him close, but his mouth veered to the side at the last moment. “Your lipstick,” he murmured against my cheek, “looks better on you than me.”
I grinned and closed my eyes. His lips against the tender spot on my neck lit me up like fireworks.
A sigh seeped from me as he coursed a hand between my legs, rubbing me through the lined shorts I was wearing. He was skipping over the other foreplay we usually did first and went right for the kill.
And when he eased his fingertips beneath the top of my shorts, I nearly broke apart. He was taking too long. I needed him to touch me now, and jammed my hand into the waistband, working the stretchy material down.
He gazed at me in surprise. He rose onto his knees and peered over the top of the rolling cart to make sure we were still alone, and when he confirmed we were, his gaze returned to me. It sucked all the air clean from my body. Grant’s expression dripped with lust. It was wicked. Carnal. He grabbed the shorts I was still struggling out of and jerked them down until I had one leg free.
“You’re not wearing underwear.” He said it like it was a secret he wasn’t supposed to know.
“I don’t need panty lines, thank you. Is this a problem?” I teased.
His face was intensely serious. He knelt between my legs, planted his palms on the carpet on either side of my hips, and dropped a line of kisses down my trembling stomach. His voice rasped, thick with desire. “Just that I’m going to break a rule.”
It came from him as a challenge. A threat. If I didn’t want him to do it, I had to speak up now. Instead, I spread my legs wider and moved my hips, bringing his lips closer to where I wanted them. The tip of his tongue traced a line dangerously close to my clit.
“We’ve waited long enough for this, don’t you think?” His voice was sinful and echoed the wicked one inside my head.
“Yes,” I whispered. It was all the permission he needed.
He let out a tight, sharp breath, and leaned in.
The first stroke of his tongue made me flinch, the pleasure was that acute. I made a fist and bit down on my index finger to keep myself from moaning too loudly. He swirled his tongue against my clit, and I lifted my head to look down and watch.
He shifted on his knees, finding a better position, and pressed one of his wide hands against my stomach, keeping me pinned to the carpet and under his command. Heat spiraled and grew with each flutter he delivered. I moved as best I could, riding his face as he fucked me right back. It was insane and fantastic.
It felt like we’d waited a lifetime for this, and once one rule was broken, I was ready to throw them all aside. “I want your fingers inside me,” I begged.
“Do you?” He sucked and teased, extracting whimpers from my lips.
“Please,” I amended.
He granted my wish, plunging one long finger deep inside. The sensation caused me to buck and groan. That finger, working in tandem with his tongue, was going to annihilate me.
I bit down so hard on my knuckle, I left bite marks, but it didn’t matter. I needed this. Release, or him, or all of it. I was crazy, out of my mind desperate.
“Tonight, I’m going to put my cock,” he eased a second finger inside, “right here.”
An earthquake shook my body.
Bliss ruptured in my core, shooting sparks across every nerve ending, heightened by the chemicals my emotions had created. I seized, contracting in waves, but he kept licking, and I had to shove his head away before I screamed.
Gasps poured from me. The fire of the orgasm was fierce and consuming. It burned until there was nothing left but me and him.
“Holy Mother of God,” I whispered, struggling to catch my breath. “That was amazing.”
Rather than seem pleased, his eyes were intense and determined, and he asked it like I needed to be scolded. “Do you think I’m done? I’ve wanted this pussy for so long, you’re not going to rush me.”
I stared at him, stunned. The more intense the session, the more I brought out the alpha in him. It kind of made sense. His music brought out the best in me when I danced.
He nuzzled in between my thighs, and as soon as I got over the hypersensitivity, I started the climb once more. Sweat dotted my forehead and temples. I was going to have to redo my makeup, but . . . worth it. So fucking worth it.
My second orgasm took longer to achieve, but Grant never showed signs of fatigue. He was quite at home, one wide hand sprawled on the inside of my thigh, and the other pumping his fingers in and out of me. When I came, it wasn’t as strong as the first, but it lasted twice as long, and when it was over, I felt relaxed.
I was myself again.
I closed my eyes and put my hand on my forehead. The absence of the panic made me feel like I could do anything, even walk out on that big stage in front of a panel of judges and cameras, and perform my fucking heart out. And he’d be with me no matter what.
When I sat up, it forced him back on his knees. I reached for his shirt, lifting it out of the way so I could get at his belt, but he grabbed my hands. “Wait.” He looked strange. Like he was full of guilt. “We broke two already.”
“I don’t care about their rules right now.”
He looked pained. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I do. I wanted to make a good impression on them.” Grant settled back on his haunches and raked a hand through his hair, putting it back in place. “It’s better this way. Next time, no restrictions, no time limits, no worrying if someone’s going to catch us and throw us out.”
He made excellent points.
I was still naked from the waist down. I grabbed my shorts and hurried to pull them back on.
“Okay,” I said reluctantly. “But what about you?” He’d given me two amazing releases and hadn’t gotten any in return.
His smile was dry. “Don’t worry about me. Do you feel better?”
“Much.”
“Good.” He helped me to my feet, kissing my neck as I stood. “Then I do too.”