Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR_
MAGGIE
I didn’t know what the hell I was doing listening to Ryder. Or Lyric. Or Jamie. Or … okay, pretty much every member of Eleven, plus their entourage. They were all encouraging me to throw myself at my bodyguard, and I resisted as long as I could.
A week was totally resisting. This man was so … so … I couldn’t think of a word for every girl’s fantasy of a man. It was an amazing show of self-restraint that I’d made it a whole week without accidentally losing all my clothes.
But maybe they were all right. I needed a night for me, and Domino was the first man since John that piqued my interest.
He had to know I was playing games. That I was trying to seduce him. I could have sworn I saw him checking me out whenever we were together. He was trying to be subtle, but he really wasn’t. I thought I even heard him apologize to John once for doing it. That made me laugh.
A genuine laugh.
I laughed with my Kaylee all the time over silly things she thought were funny.
I laughed when Riff peed on Ryder and was in stitches when Kaylee asked Ryder and Lyric when they were getting married, and they both had only “Umm” and “Uh” to say in response.
But the idea of a man finding me that attractive that he felt he had to apologize for looking?
I hadn’t felt that wanted in a really long time.
And it was cute he thought John would care.
Being deployed, we both knew coming home safe wasn’t a guarantee. We always said that if something happened to one of us, we were to move on, but when it actually happened, I couldn’t see past the devastation of losing him to really notice anyone else.
Domino was the first to turn my head.
And even though it was most likely going to be a fling—what single man wanted to settle down with a mother of two children who she shared custody with a famous person?—I was finally ready to move on.
Dating was horrible, and I hadn’t been interested in anyone. Not even enough to even sleep with them. But I was ready to bang the hell out of Domino.
I wanted to feel that connection, that passion I once had.
So, when Domino followed me into the crowd at the overfilled stadium, and we took our spots in a VIP area where it was still crowded but we had enough room to move, I purposefully stood closer to him than probably necessary.
He didn’t move away, which could have been because he was in charge of my safety or because he liked being practically up against me.
Domino’s body heat radiated my skin, and slowly, inch by inch, song by song, I closed the miniscule gap and ended up standing in front of him, moving my hips with the songs. My ass brushed over his crotch at least twice before he finally put his hands around my waist to stop me.
“What are you doing?” He whispered in my ear, but it sounded more like a growl.
I didn’t pull away and neither did he, so I leaned back, turning my neck to say in his ear. “Dancing. Why do you ask?”
“What’s your end game?” he asked.
It made me flinch because none of the men I’d dated or been with had been so blunt. Not even John.
I turned away from the stage and spun to face Domino. The fire in his eyes set my body alight, turning on all those sensitive zones I thought had dried up.
I could have kept playing games with him—I was sure I was supposed to play coy or make him chase me or some other old fashioned bullshit etiquette—but the bottom line was, even if this wasn’t going to turn into anything, I could’ve at least put myself out there for tonight.
I pressed myself against him and leaned into his ear once more. “My end game, to put it bluntly, is to have sex with you.”
When I pulled back, his eyes were wide and he was stoic and still.
I kept talking. “When the guys hired you for the tour, they specially assigned you to me in the hopes we’d hit it off. And I fought them on it every step of the way. Until I met you.”
“But John …”
“He died ten years ago. I’m ready to move on. That’s not to say I want to move on from him with you or that I’m hoping for flowers and romance and forever or some shit. Right now, all I want is to put almost nine years of celibacy behind me.”
Just when I thought his eyes couldn’t get wider, they did. “Nine years?” he exclaimed.
I laughed. “I haven’t been with anyone since the night Kaylee was conceived.”
Domino stuttered. “N-n-nine …”
“If it’s too much pressure—”
He blinked out of his trance. “Not too much pressure at all.”
This time, it was Domino who closed the small gap between us. He put his hands on my hips, long fingers splayed so close to my ass.
And as he lowered his head, bringing his lips within inches of mine, he said, “I can be that man for you.”
I wasn’t sure what he meant, but I also didn’t care to ask in that moment.
Sex, a night, a week, a tour … I didn’t care how long he could give me, just what he could give me.
Then it all came crashing down when he said, “But I’m on duty right now.”
I wanted to scream in sexual frustration, but instead, I squared my shoulders, looked him dead in the eyes and said, “What did I tell you about not needing a bodyguard?”
We were so close, I could feel the rumble in his chest. The weak protest. The beginning of giving in.
His tongue darted out to wet his sexy mouth, and I bit my bottom lip to stop me from asking to suck on his.
“You’re going to get me in trouble.” Even though his words were serious, his delivery wasn’t. He sounded resigned with a touch of eagerness.
And when he finally relented, he relented hard.
Domino’s mouth met mine, firm and strong. It had been so long since I’d even kissed a man. Not as long as since I’d had sex, but still longer than I wanted to admit.
I was a firm believer that a woman didn’t need someone to fulfil them. Or complete them. I was raising a daughter, and I wanted her to be independent. While I still believed that with all my heart, Domino could fill me in other ways. Hot, scorching, amazing orgasm ways.
But my life couldn’t be that easy. It never was.
On what I’m assuming was a hot mic moment from Lyric getting fitted for his earpiece and mic backstage while he waited to come on, his voice wrung out through the arena.
“Go Mags! Oh, shit.”
We pulled apart.
Eleven were onstage, singing one of their hits, but with Lyric’s interruption, Ryder broke and laughed, which made Denny snicker. The only one who remained professional was Harley, but even he gave up eventually.
It was only a brief break in the song. A momentary pause where the instrumentals played unaccompanied by voices.
Yet, when all five started singing again and the majority of the crowd were back to being fixated on them up on stage, there was that tiny ring of VIPs.
The ones who could see us. Were so close to us, with no barriers cutting us off, that they could scream.
And scream they did.
“Kaylee and Riff’s mom!” Someone screamed.
“Who’s the guy? Is Riff even Ryder’s?” Another voice yelled.
Just what I needed: more shit to swallow from Ryder fanatics. It had been crazy over the years. From being called a fame whore, to getting death threats for being the mother of Ryder’s child, it really was an insane industry to be a part of.
Like anything with a fandom attached, ninety percent of the people in it were great. The other ten percent? They lived so far outside of reality that their obsessions were dangerous.
“Still don’t need that bodyguard?” Domino asked in my ear.
“Let’s get out of here before the claws come out.” I took his hand and pulled him toward the barrier where venue security were stationed.
We almost made it there too, but we were cut off.
The next part became hazy, but in my line of sight, it looked like a horde of zombies crowding around us.
Domino wrapped his arms around me, protecting me from the crowd, but we couldn’t just stand there all night.
"Okay screw this." Domino scooped me up in his arms and bulldozed his way through the crowd.
I couldn't help laughing because there were a lot better ways to get me out of there, but at the same time, it felt so good to be taken care of in that way.
He carried me as if I weighed nothing all the way through to the open pathways than lined the arena. Once we got out of the VIP area, he put me down on my own two feet again, but people were still following us. From there, we had to run. Domino held my hand the whole way, refusing to let go.
We dodged people with drinks, people dancing, and made a beeline for the steps to get the hell out of here.
A lot of the rabid fans gave up, but not all of them. We were still being followed, and it was going to be impossible to shake them until we could get back around to the backstage door and show our passes.
It was possible the fans still chasing us just wanted an autograph from me—something I never, ever, ever got used to over the years because I was a nobody—but from my experience, if someone was that desperate to get to me, it was because they didn't think I deserved to have Ryder's babies and had no trouble telling me that to my face.
It got tiresome, and even though all of the Eleven PR crap told me to take it on the chin and ignore that bullshit, sometimes it was hard. But when I spoke out about it, I was whiney and entitled and telling people how they should or should not feel.
It was always a no-win situation, so I didn’t want to stick around to find out who was genuine and who wasn't.
Our running must have garnered attention from more people, because once we were on the mezzanine level, it was as if the group chasing us had multiplied again.
Eleven zombie-fans were everywhere.
"I have no idea how to get to the backstage area," Domino said.
I smirked up at him. "Some bodyguard you are."
I, on the other hand, had been to this specific arena many times. I'd chased Kaylee around it when she was younger while the guys rehearsed. Shockingly, an active six-year-old would not sit still and watch a concert, even if it was only a five-minute sound check.
"This way." I led him into dangerous territory, but if we could get passed the bar, it was only a couple of stage doors until there was backstage access.
Only, when we got there, because it was the middle of the concert, the backstage door was unmanned, and we didn't have the swipe cards to get in.
"Shit," I hissed.
"I thought you knew where you were going?" Domino taunted.
Across the way, on the other side, I saw a utility closet. We could have kept running and gone around to the other side of the arena where it was more likely to be someone to let us in, but it was risky.
The more people who saw us, the more chance of being ambushed by them.
The round structure of the building meant we were hidden by those currently chasing us down for now, so before I could change my mind, I pulled Domino toward the closet.
"I do," I said with more confidence than I felt.
It was thankfully unlocked, and when I pushed him through the door, I quickly closed it behind me and flicked the little latch.
Even if anyone did see us coming in here, they would give up eventually.
The concert was still going.
Why chase me when they could see their idols performing the songs they loved?
"This was your plan?" Domino asked while promptly tripping over a mop bucket. The lighting was non-existent.
"It got us away from them, didn't it?"
"Yeah, but now we're stuck inside this room which is smaller than a jail cell for the foreseeable future." He took his phone out, hit the flashlight option, and then propped it up on one of the shelves so we could see.
I stepped closer to him. "I could think of worse people to be stuck with, couldn't you?"
He licked his lips. "Were you always this forward? I swear John said you were this shy, timid thing." He winced immediately, as if thinking the mere mention of John would send me into a spiral, but I lost John years ago now. I'd dealt with it.
By the time I was discharged from the army, I had put John's death behind me, so it didn't hurt to talk about him anymore.
"I was around him," I said. "I was young. But having kids changes you as a person."
"It does?"
I stepped closer again.
He backed up, his large body pressing against the shelves. I should have been offended he was trying to get away from me, having second thoughts about my proposition while we were dancing, but I wasn't.
He was trying to be respectful of John. I knew that.
"When you're a parent, you get so little free time to yourself. Very few chances to get what you want. So you learn to take those moments unapologetically."
We were so close now, that he couldn't move back any farther.
I needed sex so bad. It had been way too long. I wasn't above begging, but I could already see Domino's resolve cracking.
He broke once already, kissing me like he was a starved man and I was the only meal he'd seen in a long time. If I could get him to do it again—
He surged forward and pressed his lips to mine.
It felt so good to have that connection with someone, the sense of needing to be close, to be physical.
Domino's body was something like out of those Magic Mike movies, and it was tempting to rip his shirt off him, but I wouldn't. Him having to walk around shirtless later would draw even more attention to me.
Domino groaned, long and loud, his hips jutting forward. I could feel his hard length push against my abdomen, but I needed it lower. I was too short, and—
As if reading my mind, Domino lifted me so I could wrap my legs around his waist. He spun us so my back was up against the wall, and he was boxing me in.
This was what I wanted. No, this was what I needed.
I hadn't felt attraction to anyone like this in recent years. I wanted Domino, and I could feel how much he wanted me.
His cock rubbed against me in just the right spot, sending tingles all over my body.
I wanted more. Wanted him inside me. But I also didn't want to stop this.
It felt too good.
He was still kissing me, his tongue teasing me with its talents that I wouldn't get to experience. At least, not in this dirty closet.
I rubbed my hands all over his wide chest, wanting to feel his tight muscles beneath my fingertips.
Before too long, his lips broke from mine, and he whispered two small, tiny words, that had me melting into him. Falling.
"Want you."