Tempt Me Like This

“I don’t want you to hold back, Drew. I’m desperate to feel you come inside of me.”

His eyes dilated nearly to black right before he threw back his head and thrust into her so hard that she could barely hang on. He felt impossibly big inside of her as he took her again and again and again, and she loved every single second of it. Especially when every thrust brought her closer, took her higher, until the perfect moment when he gripped her hips and erased any distance that had remained between them, his climax setting off hers in a sequence of fireworks inside her body. The brightest, most brilliant and beautiful fireworks she’d ever experienced.

All because of Drew.

Chapter Twenty-Three

“Sooooo....” The disk jockey drew out the word, then paused for dramatic effect, clearly hoping to keep listeners in suspense over what she was going to ask Drew next.

But he knew exactly what was coming. The same question he’d been asked a million times during the past few years.

“Are you seeing anyone? Are millions of hearts around the world going to break if you tell us you’ve finally found that one special girl?”

The previous night, Drew had told Ashley that he wanted the whole world to know she was his. And this morning, after making love with her again and wishing he could just keep holding her instead of getting ready to do this interview, he wanted that more than ever. But she’d asked him to keep their new relationship private, at least for a little while, and he needed to respect that.

Still, he hated lying. Hated it even more when Ashley was watching and listening to the interview only a glass wall away. He caught her eye through the glass and hoped she could read his private message: You’re mine, Ash. I’m yours. And the second you give me the thumbs-up, I’m going to let the whole world know.

Finally, he told the DJ, “This tour has been crazy busy. There’s no way I could go on a date with anyone right now.”

That, at least, was true. This tour was the most jam-packed he’d ever done—and he and Ash weren’t actually dating. One day really soon, however, he wanted to be able to take her out to dinner or a movie like a normal couple.

But he was trying to see things from her point of view. She likely wasn’t only worried about what her father would think, but also about the inevitable complications that came with dating a guy like him. Like the fact that her picture would be everywhere and people would want to know more about her...and then whatever they could find out would likely end up on the Internet, too.

The thing was, he’d met enough people like Smith Sullivan and his fiancée, Valentina Landon, and like Nicola Sullivan and her husband, Marcus, to see that relationships in the spotlight of fame weren’t impossible as long as your partner was strong.

Drew had seen Ashley’s strength from that very first night they’d met. She clearly hadn’t felt like she fit in, but she hadn’t let that stop her. Being scared was perfectly normal. But transcending those fears was extraordinary.

Just as extraordinary as the way she made him feel.

Because after all these months of wondering just what the hell he was doing, Ashley had helped him understand again why he wrote and played music. In the wake of his mother’s death, he’d been making the mistake of using his music to shove his feelings, his emotions, down. Only, instead of working, it had made him feel more blocked by the day.

Finally, he understood that when he faced the pain and the fear—and when he allowed the joy to flow back in every second he was with Ashley—that was when the music started playing in his head. Playing so fast and clear that even now he was trying to memorize the melodies and lyrics rushing through him.

“In that case, Drew,” the DJ said, “tell us what kind of girl you’re looking for. What qualities will the perfect girl need to steal your heart?”

Again, Drew couldn’t stop his gaze from moving to where Ashley was sitting behind the glass wall. He was pretty sure she was blushing, even though she’d lowered her head to look at the tablet on her lap. James was sitting next to her grinning like a fool. He and Drew hadn’t talked about Ashley—even if his bodyguard had asked, he’d never kiss and tell—but his friend had clearly figured out that everything had worked out all right last night after Drew had left the party to look for her.

“My perfect woman is smart. Fun. Caring. Insightful. And so beautiful that every time I look at her I’m stunned by her all over again.”

“Wow.” The DJ fanned herself. “Do you think you’ll ever be able to find a woman like that?”

He grinned and finally told the truth to the whole damned world the way he’d wanted to all along. “Yes. The answer is definitely yes.”