Chapter 19
MADDY
THE PAST – EARLY AUGUST – 10 MONTHS AGO
At Hayley’s Bar in Pasadena, I stepped out of my town car in towering stilettos, a short, tight black party dress, and the need for some fun. I was near the end of the publicity tour for my show’s new season and would spend the next few days in LA jumping from TV talk shows to radio guest appearances to interviews with magazines to photoshoots. Vancouver Heights was now one of the Top 100 prime-time TV shows across the USA. Totally freaking awesome.
But I had tonight off.
Bridget was with Mom.
I got to spend time with my friends.
This was one place we could go in LA without being harassed or attracting too much attention.
I wasn’t sure that would last much longer. The Flintlocks had chart-topping hits. Their global tour was a few months away. My show was growing each season. So I wanted to savor the freedom I had while it lasted...including my secret hookups with Slip .
Lewis and Tia had known about us for just over three months, since Cole’s birthday in April. They’d been as secretive as we were, sneaking around, working out if what they felt for each other was serious or not. But last month, they’d been busted by Cole and had caused their fair share of problems in the band. Cole hadn’t been happy Lewis was banging his sister. Tension had led to Lewis moving out of Cole’s place and in with Slip. Until things settled between the guys, Slip and I’d agreed to delay telling everyone we were together.
I was more than happy with that. The thought of telling everyone still made me nervous. I had this constant lump of nausea sitting in the pit of my gut. What would happen when we told everyone? Would Slip and I lose what we had? Our game of flirting, driving each other crazy with jealousy, then sneaking off together, fucking, and returning to our friends and acting like nothing had happened was hot. Steamy. And super sexy.
We didn’t like keeping secrets from our friends, but hiding the truth was easier. We’d both been burned by previous partners. Everyone accepted we liked our single status. But the notion of being honest with everyone still plagued me. Slip didn’t need to know every detail about my past, did he? Was what happened with Noah the reason for my concern in our relationship? It played a part. I had been scarred for life.
But tonight, we weren’t telling our friends we were seeing each other. This evening was purely about having fun.
At the entrance to the bar, I met Molly, the manager. She gave me a warm hug hello. I’d met her a couple times when I’d been here with the guys. Then, a solid, brick wall of a bouncer guided me through the growing crowd to the small VIP area at the back. He unclipped the rope, spoke to the other security guard standing in front of the section, and waved me in to join The Flintlocks, Sutton, and Tia. They sat on high-backed stools around a bar table covered in shot glasses, bottles of vodka, bourbon, and beer.
“Fancy seeing you here.” I flicked my eyebrow upward at Slip as he grabbed the champagne out of the ice bucket beside Sutton. He poured a flute and handed it to me.
“Always good to see you, Mads. Didn’t know you were in town.” Slip threw me a playful wink.
He knew exactly where I’d be and what time I’d be there. We had our secret hookups down to a fine art thanks to our constant flow of text messages. So much fun.
“Thank you.” I took the flute. “But you should know I go everywhere with Sutt. It’s a given.” I took a sip of the bubbles, hugged Sutton sideways, and pressed my cheek against hers. “Hello, beautiful.”
“Hey, gorgeous.” After a smile full of warmth and a big air kiss to one side of my face, then the other, she clapped. “I’m so happy you made it.”
“Yes. Finally.” I did the rounds, saying hello and giving quick hugs to Lewis, Tia, Cole, and Flint.
“How’s your mom doing?” Sutton topped up her champagne.
“She was exhausted after a long day of appointments.” So was I. Three interviews and a flight from San Francisco, done. “Bridget offered to stay with her to make sure she was okay.”
“So you have nothing to worry about. Awesome.” Tia hooked her arm around my shoulders and squeezed me tight. “We’re gonna have a great night. Get that drink into you, and let’s enjoy the band. Duke and the boys are on in twenty minutes.”
“Cheers to that.” I raised my glass and took another mouthful.
Since Sutton and I had met The Flintlocks fourteen months ago, we’d become a tight knit group of friends. I dreaded losing that connection if Slip and I didn’t work out. Ergh! Don’t think about it. Not tonight.
As we jostled around the tiny area catching up, every time I caught Slip’s gaze, too much heat embedded in my cheeks. Each time he licked his lips, need grew between my legs. He brushed my arm, and a flurry of sparks skipped toward my chest and hardened my nipples.
Oh, yeah.
Not sure we’d be here long.
What excuse would he come up with tonight to give me a lift home?
By the time Duke and his band took to the stage, and the band’s friends and family had joined us in the VIP area, Slip and I had ended up mushed in the very back corner. We stood behind the others sitting around the bar table, and Lewis hovered beside Slip.
Music blared from the speakers, reverberating throughout the packed venue. Duke’s mad voice and his band’s energy had a whole Imagine Dragons vibe. Partygoers sang along, jumped, danced, and waved their arms in the air. I jigged and bopped on the spot, swaying and clapping along to the beat.
But Slip edged in closer, standing with the front of his shoulder against the back of mine. I tried to step sideways to keep a friendly distance, but my elbow connected with the wall. I glanced behind me. Yep...nothing but black drapes covering full-length windows.
I was trapped.
Heat rushed in waves across my skin. Well...this is cozy. Too cozy.
“You look fucking amazing, Mads,” Slip murmured in my ear as he slid his hand across my ass and cupped my butt cheek. His body heat melded with mine, gluing me to the spot. It took all my strength to keep my eyes on Duke’s band. But every cell in my body wanted to turn toward Slip, kiss him, and fuck him against the wall. I’d missed him. It had been a month since we’d last been together. Our hot sexting and video calls had made the time apart more bearable.
I could wait a few more hours until we were alone.
I could control myself. Maybe . . . yes.
“Mads, I mean it.” His hand squeezed my ass. “So fucking sexy.”
Blushing, I stole a sideways glance at him. A subtle, mischievous smile curled across his lips. “Thank you.” I dipped my chin and blinked my false eyelashes slowly. Floaty and fun was my usual go-to dress style. Slip made me feel sexy in whatever I had on. His eyes always blazed with fire when I wore a super-short dress or a miniskirt...like tonight. Unlike my mother, who’d made me feel like crap as I walked out the door. “Mom said I looked like a muffin stuffed into a party dress.”
“Hmmm. I love muffins.” His sultry voice reverberated through my system, sending heat straight to my core. “I’d unwrap you out of that dress. Explore every part of your delectable flesh with my tongue. Eat you. Taste you. Lick every part of you.”
My knees weakened. But sirens went off in my head. I glanced around our gathering of friends. Their eyes were on the band. They were drinking. Dancing. They weren’t paying any attention to us.
We shouldn’t be doing this. Be this close. But God, he was so addictive.
I shut my eyes and swayed on my feet. I could feel Slip all around me. His warmth. His want. His hunger.
“You rock dresses like this. But there are consequences.” He slid his fingers up the back of my leg, tickling my skin and trailing up the inside of my thigh. He caught the bottom edge of the fabric and eased it higher. Then he dipped his hand underneath my skirt. “Keep watching the band. Let me touch you.”
Oh . . . I wanted him to. But not here .
“Slip. No.” I pathetically shook my head and wiggled away from his touch. “Watch the band.”
“Mads?” His voice deepened, turned commanding. Heat coiled down my spine, hardened my nipples, and pooled between my legs. “Watch the band. No one can see.”
Shit... As if they had a mind of their own, my feet parted a few inches. What am I doing?
Grinning, Slip leaned over to the table, grabbed a shot of vodka, and downed it. As he straightened, his dark eyes smoldered in the flashing lights. Returning behind me, he pressed his bulging crotch against my hip. His lips hovered near my ear as he looked straight ahead at the band. “You make me so fucking hard, Mads.” He glided his hand under my skirt again, up my thigh, and dipped it between my legs. He teased his fingers over my pussy through my lacy G-string. “You’re wet. Hot. Want me to make you come?”
“Slip...” My pulse quickened as I leaned back against him. Secrecy was part of our thrill. We’d always been careful. Diligent. I didn’t want to be photographed and make the headlines. “I don’t want anyone to find out about us. Not tonight.”
“I promise. They won’t.” He pressed his fingers against my clit. “Fuck, Mads. Say yes.”
I was powerless against his touch. A moan tumbled across my lips. This was insane. “ Yes .”
“Hmmm.” He tugged my G-string aside and eased his finger through my folds, slicking me with my arousal, circling and pressing my clit. “ Bel girasole . You are mine.”
I struggled to breathe, keep a straight face, stand upright, and listen to anything other than Slip’s hypnotic voice. Then he plunged his fingers into my depths, prodding and fucking me slowly. Oh. So. Slow. Pure pleasure. Pure torture. Pure heaven. Oh, geez...
“You like that?” he whispered .
My eyes fluttered closed as I nodded.
“Mads? Eyes open.” His lips pulled into a wicked grin. “I love you coating my fingers...feeling you clench around me. Your greedy pussy wants my mouth, doesn’t it? I’ll give it to you if you say please.”
I bit my lip so hard I could taste blood. God, I wanted to say please. I rocked against his hand, swayed to the beat of the music and his unrelenting touch. I should’ve told him to stop. Why couldn’t I form the word? No one had ever made me feel this amazing, daring, sexy, bold. I reached back and clutched his thigh and dug my fingers into his leg. “No. Later. This is dangerous enough.”
“But it’s fun.” He jutted his chin toward our friends and the band. “No one’s watching. No one can see. So relax.”
He slid another finger inside me and pumped them, rubbing me closer and closer to the edge. My walls clenched around his fingers. My nipples strained against my push-up bra. With the way he ignited my body with sensual strokes and circled my clit into a frenzy, there was no way I could fucking relax.
He hovered close to my ear. “You’re so beautiful, Mads. You make me want more. More of you. Us. This.”
Did I dare to dream we were a good thing? We had so many issues. So many hurdles. Life was one crazy mess. But something ignited deep in my heart. Something I’d lost control over. Shit. Shit. Shit.
“Watch the band, Mads.” His voice was strained. His body was as tense as mine. He quickened his pace, pumping and pulsing his fingers inside of me. Pressing and teasing my clit. Oh...wow.
My vision blurred.
My breath panted.
My hand on his leg trembled.
I dug my fingers into his jeans. I wanted to touch him. Kiss him. Fuck him. But no. God , this was so fucking hot.
“Mads?” He brushed his nose across the rim of my ear. “Want to know something else?”
His fingers hit the spot deep inside me. Oh...
“No. I’m gonna...oh, shit.” I quaked against his touch. My orgasm shot through me like laser lights set on strobe. Fire coiled through my veins as goose bumps shot across my skin. My heart thundered. My pussy throbbed with delectable pulses.
He leaned in, smiled, and whispered into my ear. “ Ti amo. ”
“Aaaargh.” My knees buckled, and I collapsed into the wall. Pain and light exploded in my chest. “Oh, shit!” I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Sing or scream. He loves me. Oh, God...he loved me!
Sutton spun around, jumped off her stool, and caught my arm. “Maddy? Are you okay? Shit. What happened?”
“Um. I don’t know. I...I don’t feel very well.” No, I didn’t. I was a complete and utter hot mess.
“Mads?” Slip caught me around the waist. A devilish smile curled across his lips. “Geez.” He touched my forehead. “You’re burning up. You got a fever?”
“Yeah” was all I could mutter. Heat blazed across every inch of my skin.
Worry swam through Sutton’s eyes. “You want me to take you to the restroom? Do you need to throw up? Or you want me to take you home?”
“Um...” Dizziness spun through my head. I needed all of the above. I straightened and realigned my dress lower over my butt. “Just home.”
“Sutt, I don’t mind giving her a lift.” Slip shrugged, cool and casual. “I’m tired after a long day. You can stay out with Flint. I know you haven’t seen much of him lately.”
“Would you?” Sutton squeezed my arm. “That would be amazing. Is that okay, Mads? ”
I still struggled to catch my breath. “Sure.”
As Sutton turned to grab my purse off her chair, Slip turned to me. His dark eyes burned with wildfire as he licked his fingers—fingers that had been inside of me. He leaned close to my ear. “You taste fucking fantastic. When we get home, I’m going to have more of that. Okay?”
My heart hammered in my chest. My head pounded with the loud beat of the music and his words... He loves me.
That wasn’t supposed to happen. We were never supposed to go on for this long or take things this far. We should’ve stopped seeing each other months ago.
Problem was . . . we hadn’t.
I couldn’t.
I was in too deep.
Fuck. Fuck, FUCK!
I’d fallen for him too.
And that terrified me.