Chapter 27
Twenty-Seven
XANDER
A knock at the door startles both of us. Jade moves off my lap, leaving a void only she can fill. Her eyes flick to mine in confusion when I stand.
“I ordered room service while you were in the shower. Figured you were probably as hungry as I was.”
The attendant sets the tray on the desk and thanks me when I slip him a hundred-dollar bill. After closing the door behind him, I turn to find Jade lifting the lids to see what I ordered for us. She looks over at me, a hint of amusement in her eyes.
“Did you order enough?” She gives the five plates a pointed look.
“I wasn’t sure what you would want.”
“So you opted to go full buffet?”
I shrug. “Better to have options.”
She grabs the chicken quesadilla and the Diet Coke which I ordered for her specifically. I opt for the burger and fries. We each settle onto one of the chairs at the small table tucked in the corner of the room and dig in.
I watch as she pulls the towel off her head, her hair falling over her shoulders in a cascade of damp, red waves.
The scent of her shampoo hits me like a gut punch.
I haven’t smelled it in years, usually her scent is from the jasmine perfume she wears.
But now I’m awash in nostalgia, memories of nights spent wanting her from afar and then finally having her.
Our time together was short in hindsight. We gave into our attraction in June and were torn apart by August. That doesn’t change the intensity though. She’s the closest I’ve been to having a girlfriend, despite many trying for the role.
Her eyes close as she does her Diet Coke happy shimmy dance. I can’t fight the smile that lifts my lips. When she opens her eyes and looks up, her cheeks turn pink.
“Don’t.” She points a finger at me.
I hold my hands up. “I can’t help it.”
“Ugh.” She rolls her eyes. “You wouldn’t understand the joy those bubbles bring me.”
“Maybe not, but it doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate watching you.”
She holds my gaze for a second and then looks down, biting into her quesadilla. I wish I could hear her thoughts. Is the air clear between us for her, too? Is she willing to entertain being open to us?
We’re both lost to our own thoughts as we eat.
I don’t want to leave her when I’m finished.
Or ever, for that matter. Sleeping beside her was the best feeling.
I’ll take anything she wants to give me, even crumbs.
I’d sleep on the floor if she’d let me. But especially tonight, after tearing open all our wounds.
I can’t think of a better way to start healing than holding her in my arms all night.
She grabs the slice of chocolate cake after she finishes her meal and looks at me. “I’m not sharing.”
“Fair enough.”
Watching her eat the confection is just as delicious as tasting it myself would be. She’s always had a sweet tooth. I know better than to think she’ll share with me, but as she works her way through the piece, she glances up and offers me a bite.
“It’s really good.” She holds the fork out to me.
Instead of taking the handle and feeding myself, I grab her hand and guide it to feed me the bite. She wasn’t lying. The chocolate flavor bursts on my tongue, enhanced by the rich ganache between layers and silky frosting.
“Holy shit.” I release her hand. “Can I have another bite?”
She surprises me by pushing the plate over.
“Really?” My eyebrows lift.
“Yeah.” She rolls her eyes. “In honor of our truce.”
“A truce?” I take a bite.
“Isn’t that what this is?”
“No.” I reach over and wipe frosting from her lip with my thumb. Her eyes follow my hand as I bring my thumb to my mouth and lick the frosting off. “A truce implies that we’re still on opposite sides.”
“Then what is this?”
“The beginning.”
“Beginning of what?”
“Us.”
She sighs. “Xander, I told you. The kiss was a mistake. We can’t be together.”
“Says who? I know it isn’t in your contract.” I made sure to read through for any clauses related to relationships with the band before she signed it.
“Says professional ethics.” She tosses her hands in annoyance.
“Fuck ethics.” I hook my foot around the leg of her chair and drag it to me. “You can’t tell me that you don’t miss me. Miss us. The way you kissed me tells all your truths. The chemistry between us has never faded.”
“Of course I’m still attracted to you.” She gestures at my body. “Look in the mirror. Half the women in the world and probably even more men think you’re hot.”
“It’s more than physical attraction but thanks for the ego boost.” I reach over and cup her cheek, bringing my lips within a whisper of hers. “Give me another chance. One more to prove I can be who you need. That I can make you happy.”
I press my lips below her ear. Her head tilts into my hand, giving me greater access to her skin. When I run my thumb along her lower lip, she opens for me. I groan when she lets me slide it between her lips and runs her tongue over my fingertip.
Her eyes open, heavy lidded when I withdraw my thumb and bring our mouths close.
“Tell me to stop, and I will.” I search the green depths of her gaze and, when she doesn’t pull away, close the distance between our lips.
Instead of the frenzied hunger of our backstage kiss, I move with deliberate intention. Every slide of my tongue against hers is an invitation. A reminder of how good we are together. A promise of how I’ll spend the rest of our lives worshipping her.
She tastes like chocolate and home.
I stand, taking her with me as I walk her backward to the bed.
I pull the duvet back and lower her onto the mattress.
She watches me with parted lips as I pull my shirt over my head and drop it to the floor.
I slowly crawl over the bed until I’m hovering over her, no part of us touching aside from my knee against her thigh.
She needs to understand that she has the power to stop me.
To my surprise she lifts her hand to the back of my head and pulls my face down.
Her nails drag along my scalp in a familiar caress that sends desire rocketing through me.
I kiss her slow and deep, dragging my piercing against her tongue and lips in a reminder of how good it feels buried inside her.
Her thighs press together. I brace my weight on one arm and lift my other hand to the button at the bottom of her shirt. I pause to communicate my intention. She flicks a glance down and then back to my eyes.
“Yes.”
I push the button through the hole and drag my pinky along the exposed skin as I move to the next button.
As I reach the top button she parts her legs, allowing me to settle my hips between her thighs.
I slip my hand under the silky material of her shirt and let it fall to the side, exposing one of her perfect breasts.
They’re slightly bigger than I remember, a few silvery stretch marks run along the bottom.
I slide the other side of her shirt open, exposing the other side of her chest. Both of her dusky pink nipples point upward. I circle one with the tip of my finger, teasing myself as much as her with the featherlight touches. Satisfaction surges through my body as she squirms beneath me.
She gasps out my name as my lips close over the other nipple. I run the metal ball in my tongue in a circle around the hardened tip. Her breaths come quicker, another sharp gasp when I nip the piqued tip just shy of painfully. Good to know she still likes a little pain.
I lean over and take her other nipple in my mouth, giving it a similar treatment.
While my mouth stays on her I let my hand wander down the hollow of her stomach and over her navel to the elastic of her shorts.
I run my fingertips just under the edge back and forth in teasing strokes, waiting for her permission to continue their journey.
She lifts her hips, and I take that as an invitation to continue. My fingers slip beneath the fabric along the bare skin beneath. I release her nipple with a pop, happily surprised to realize she’s not wearing panties. I turn my head and smile down at her.
“Aren’t you a naughty girl.”
She gasps when I slide a finger between her folds. A deep, guttural moan rumbles from my chest when I find her already soaked for me. I drag my finger up to her clit as my mouth covers hers, swallowing her whimper as I work the nub with consistent speed and pressure.
She looks up when I break our kiss, reaching to bring me back down for more.
I shake my head. “I want to watch you fall apart. It’s been so long since I’ve seen the beauty of you shattering around me.”
I slip my finger down, sliding two inside her and using my thumb on her clit instead.
Her juices coat my fingers as I thrust them in and out of her.
She cries out when I curl them upward, hitting the perfect spot as my thumb continues its assault.
Her breasts rise and fall with her shallow, short breaths.
She arches her back and digs her fingers into the sheets.
I lean down and flick her earlobe with my tongue. “Come for me, Jade. Give it to me,” I whisper into her ear.
I can’t help it. As soon as her walls tremble around my fingers and her thighs press together, trapping my hand between her legs, I cover her mouth with mine. This kiss is sloppy and wet, a mess of need and years of repression being lifted.
I pull my fingers out of her once she stops trembling, taking her shorts with me. She raises her hips off the bed to help. When I stand up to take my pants off, she sits up to lose her shirt completely.
She surprises me by scooting to the edge of the bed as I step out of my pants.
Her legs bracket mine in a sinfully sexy move as she wraps her hand around my shaft.
I watch her hand move up and down the length in deliberate strokes.
She runs her hand over the tip, gathering the bead of cum leaking out and rubbing it back into my skin.
I tense as she leans forward and runs her tongue around me. Her hand rolls to the base of my cock as she takes me into her mouth. I twitch at the wet heat surrounding me. She hollows her cheeks and drags her lips to my tip. Her tongue swirls around me.
“Fuck,” I groan when she surges forward, taking me to the back of her throat. She cups my balls, gently squeezing and tugging them while she gags on my length.
My fingers dive into her hair, pulling at the roots. Her answering moan vibrates around my cock. I feel my orgasm building and try to hold it off with my usual thoughts. Even cookie cutter sharks don’t slow the build, though, so I pull my cock free from her lips.
It takes superhuman strength to not unleash myself and fuck her face when she looks up at me with swollen, wet lips pulled down in a sexy pout. But the only place I’m coming tonight is buried deep inside her pussy.
“I was enjoying myself,” she says as I wrap an arm around her and pull her with me back onto the bed.
“So was I.” Probably too much. “But I need to be inside you.” Like I need air to breathe.
Her legs part for me, and she holds my gaze as I push into her, so slow it hurts. Her lips part, eyes heavy with need as I work my way into her inch by inch. She palms my cheek, and I turn my head, kissing her hand once I’m fully sheathed inside her.
“Kiss me,” she whispers.
I glide nearly all the way out as I lower my mouth to hers. As soon as our lips meet, I thrust forward. Her hands roam my back, nails digging into my flesh as I rock in and out of her. We moan and pant through the kiss, each stroke bringing us closer to the edge.
“Deeper,” she begs against my lips. “I need you deeper.”
I sweep my arm under her back and sit up on my knees with my cock still buried inside her.
She grips my shoulders and moans a long yes when I wrap my hands around her hips.
Our position gives her all the control as she bounces on my cock.
Her head falls back when I snake a hand between us and rub her clit.
She rocks against me, grinding and gliding her way to climax.
I capture one of her nipples in my mouth and bite down. Her body goes stiff as her pussy clenches down on me. Powerful contractions of her walls around me sends me off the edge.
My cock surges inside her. Filling her with hot spurts of my cum. I squeeze her in my arms, holding her so close I can’t tell where I end and she begins. Her fingers in my hair and face buried in my neck give the impression she feels the same way.
My softening dick slides out of her when she shifts upward and then lays down. I stay kneeling between her legs and run my hands up her thighs. She watches my face as I focus on massaging her muscles, working upward slowly until my fingers graze her swollen center.
“What are you doing?”
“Memorizing this view.” Using my thumbs I spread her open. A neanderthal level of pride fills me seeing my cum run out of her. I run a knuckle over her hole, and her whole body jerks.
“I can’t.” She grabs my hand and pulls me up. “I’m too sensitive. I need a break.”
My lips lift in a satisfied smirk. I grab the covers and pull them up to our waist as I lay down beside her and rest my arm over her stomach. She curls herself against me, claiming the space that’s always been hers.