“They have a seasonal garden inside. It’s gorgeous.”
Sully plants his hands on my hips, pulling me closer. “I’d rather return to the room,” he says, his voice low.
The way he looks at me—like I’m the only woman he’s ever wanted—makes my breath hitch. His gaze doesn’t waver, intense and hungry, as if he's already imagining exactly what he’ll do once we’re alone.
“I’ll call the town car to pick us up.” Sully nods and grabs his phone.
As we walk toward the pick-up area, a girl squeals and runs over to us, dragging her friend along. The friend trips on the curb and almost drops her three-foot-long drink. She glares at me like it’s my fault.
The strange girl gawks at Sully, touching his upper arm. “You’re Sully from Scarlet Failure, right?”
“Unfortunately.” His voice is flat and his face turns to stone.
“I love you! Saw your show tonight. It was amazing, of course!” She waves her angry friend closer. “This is the bass player in the band we saw tonight.”
Her friend nods, sipping her drink, unfazed by her near fall.
“Can we help you with something?” I dare to ask, crossing my arms over my chest.
The girl frowns, realizing I’m with Sully and not just someone walking by.
“Oh…yeah…” She grabs her phone and shoves it into my chest. “Can you take our picture?” The girl says in a rush. She tries and fails to snake her arm through Sully’s. He has his arms pinned to his sides with the meanest look on his face.
“Sure. One photo.” I open her camera and snap a single shot.
She’s all smiles, beaming like she’s just met her idol. But Sully—he’s still. His face is tight, jaw clenched, eyes slightly narrowed like he’s bracing for something. He doesn’t even fake a smile.
He almost looks like he’s in pain, like just being there costs him something he doesn’t want to explain.
“Bye now.” I toss her phone back and she catches it with a wild look in her eyes like she can’t believe I did that. I can’t either, but she’s annoying me.
The girls rush off, whispering to each other. Sully sighs and rests his arm along my shoulders. “Let’s go before anyone else comes.”
I laugh despite myself. “No wonder people say you’re colder than a fish. Your face in that photo was terrible.”
“I don’t like pictures. Fans are cool, but not when they’re all in my face. I like my space.”
“What about me?” I kiss his cheek. His scruff scrapes against my lips. What I want that scruff to rub against tonight sends my stomach into cartwheels.
“You’re different. When I saw you at the base of the stage, I knew you weren’t like the others. It was almost…I don’t want to say it. You’ll laugh.”
“Come on.” I bump my hip against his. “Promise I won’t.”
He glances down at me and caresses my cheek with his thumb. “Magic. Seeing you was like magic.”
My heart turns to slush. What the hell is with this man? He’s like a romance character fresh out of the pages of a book.
But it won’t last. We’re from different parts of the world and our jobs don’t align.There’s that dark voice, ruining my mood again.
Sully takes my hand and points to the black car pulling into the parking lot. “Here’s our ride.” He wraps an arm around my waist and leads me to our town car. His hot breath lingers on my neck, quickening my pulse and killing any negative thoughts.
As soon as we’re behind the closed door of our hotel room, Sully kisses my lips hungrily and presses himself against me, pinning my back against the wall. “You have no idea how long I’ve been dying to do this.”
He picks me up and I wrap my legs around his waist. I can already feel how swollen he is and it makes everything low in me clench. “Only you can drive me this crazy,” he growls in my ear, dropping me onto the bed.
His tongue thrusts into my mouth, desperate to tangle with mine. His kiss is deep and then his hands whisk my shirt over my head. His hungry mouth meets mine again as his fingers unhook my bra and toss it aside. My breasts pulse and ache when he cups them. I feel him smile wickedly against my mouth before his lips trail down to my breasts. He teases my left nipple, pinching the bud until it painfully puckers. He sucks on the other until it’s a desperate peak of need. His tongue strokes it in punishment and I moan.
Sully pulls away and my body aches in his absence. “I need to grab a condom—”
