Eyes on Us

ACE

The bride and groom are onto me. Sure, I’m here to enjoy their wedding, but who says I can’t enjoy ~my~ time here as well? All I did was switch seats at the party to be next to Addie’s sister—what’s the big deal?

Laney’s a grown woman who can take care of herself. Laney Michaels. Just the sound of her name gets my mouth watering.

She’s exactly my type. Artsy, intelligent, and sexy as all hell. The fact she’s a little shy only makes me more intrigued.

I know I promised Addie I wouldn’t pursue her sister, but so far, I’m not breaking any promises.

Just being friendly.

And if Laney decides she’d like to pursue me…well, that’s a whole ’nother story.

She sits back down with a stiff drink—bourbon, by the looks of it—and I raise an eyebrow, impressed. “Good taste,” I say, nodding.

She shrugs. “I hate sweet drinks.”

“That makes two of us.”

I raise a glass—straight gin in mine—and we toast, both taking a sip, eyes lingering on each other.

“So, what does a rockstar think of a boring party like this?” she asks.

I look around. The band’s playing Sinatra. People are swaying on the dancefloor. It’s typical wedding stuff and, Laney’s right, not my kind of thing. But I don’t mind it right now.

“Can’t always be partying hard,” I say. “People think that’s all we do on the road. But it’s a lot of physical, grueling work.”

“Yeah, you got it so bad,” she teases, and I find myself laughing.

“What about you, Laney?”

“Oh, I don’t go out much at all. I prefer to be painting.”

“So, how do you find time to date?”

She blushes, taking another sip. And I know I’m pushing it regarding my promise to Addie. So I hit the brakes.

“My bad,” I say, shaking my head. “Sometimes, I can’t help myself.”

“From flirting?”

I stop, eyeing Laney up and down. This is forward, especially for an introvert like her. She seems just as surprised by her own nerve.

“Is that what I’m doing?” I ask.

“I wouldn’t know,” she admits. “But I wouldn’t…take offense…if you were.”

That’s about as bold an invitation as I’m gonna get when it comes to this girl. I scoot a little bit closer toward her, feeling her body stiffen in response.

“So, if you don’t take offense,” I respond quietly, “why not answer my question? How do you find time to date?”

“I don’t,” she says. “Not often.”

“Because you don’t want—”

“No,” she cuts me off. “Because I haven’t found the right person.”

And now, from the way her eyes meet mine, I understand what she’s saying. Just because she’s shy doesn’t make her prude. And those eyes are screaming to be taken.

“What about you?” she asks. “Many girlfriends?”

Again, I am surprised by how little Laney knows about me. No, I don’t have girlfriends. I have “friends” who happen to be women and who I happen to please occasionally. And vice versa.

You would think Laney would know that. The media’s always circulating photos of every new side-piece on my arm. Especially now that Vagabond is selling out stadiums around the world.

A girl this oblivious is rare to come by. In fact, she may just be one-of-a-fucking-kind.

“I don’t have a girlfriend at the moment,” I reply, watching her carefully.

Laney bites her lip, and, fuck, I can feel myself hardening just at the implication of that bite. Oh my lord, am I in trouble.

“Do you want to maybe…?” I start, and I don’t need to finish, because Laney’s grabbing my hand and we’re hurrying out of the party as fast as we can.

Don’t hate me, Addie, I think. ~But how can I help myself?~

LANEY

I had a feeling this was going to happen. From the first second I laid eyes on Ace Flanagan, I knew…he wasn’t just another guy.

Now, as he pushes me against the hotel door, blue eyes looking wild, I can see what makes him a rockstar, all right. The man is absolutely magnetic.

And, damn, does he know how to keep a girl in suspense. He keeps teasing me with his lips, kissing me anywhere but my mouth. I finally grab him by the neck.

“Kiss me already,” I demand.

And thankfully, this time, Ace does.

ACE

Nothing in the world has ever felt as good as Laney’s lips on mine. As I kiss her softly, I look into those gray, endless eyes, knowing I could write a million songs about ’em, and they still wouldn’t do her justice.

While I kiss her, I fumble with the hotel key, sliding it in, unlocking the door, and pushing both our bodies inside. She presses me against the wall, a more proactive partner than I could have possibly imagined from her shy girl act.

And now, she’s kissing me fiercely, gripping my arms, moaning softly as she presses against me, rubbing and fondling everywhere a man wants to be touched.

Laney yelps in surprise as I pick her up and throw her on my king-size bed.

LANEY

As I land on the bed, every thought in my mind disappears, and all there is this moment, here and now.

I need him.

I want him.

Now.

“Take off your shirt,” I tell him.

Ace, aiming to please, unbuttons his dress shirt. Slowly. Too slowly. I sit up to help him, racing to finish with the buttons, unbuckling his belt next. I am restless for him, and he can sense it.

“Your turn,” he says, in a low, raspy breath. “Take that fucking dress off before I rip it off.”

I like that tone of voice and smile slyly. I sit up on my knees and slowly, sexily, pull up my black dress. He helps me remove it completely.

ACE

She’s left in nothing but black lingerie. Her perfectly curved body, absolutely beautiful. I can’t wait to touch every inch of it.

I take off my dress pants, leaving me only in my boxers. This time, when I kiss Laney, it’s more urgent than any kiss before. I only have a few hours with this girl, and I intend to make every single moment count.

I lay her down on the bed, pressing my hardness against her. She pushes back with her heat. I feel her hand wrap around me, over my boxers, then under, and I moan in ecstasy.

I can hardly take it. I move my lips from her cheek to her jawline to her neck and lower. I pull her black thong off and throw it aside without looking.

I want to taste her. Every inch of her.

LANEY

His tongue is dancing and teasing exactly where I want him. I arch my neck back, fingers curling into the bedsheets, moaning uncontrollably. My thighs tighten around his head, pushing him inside me, deeper.

How does he…?

He’s going to make me…

I can’t…

I orgasm, and I can hardly breathe it’s so good. And it’s only my first of the night, because now, Ace is climbing back up, pulling down his boxers, about to…

ACE

I enter her, and she’s so tight, I can hardly fit. The tightest I’ve ever had, dear fucking God.

I watch her face as I press into her—slowly, softly at first. Her eyes shut so tight…her mouth open slightly…soft sounds escaping her.

I rub and kiss her erect nipples as I continue to push myself inside of her. Her hands on my back, nails scratching me. But I don’t care. I left my mark on her; now, let her leave her mark on me.

“Harder,” she whispers, and her wish is my command.

LANEY

Now he’s pummeling into me so hard I feel like my whole body is about to split wide open, and I’ve never loved the torture more. This is ecstasy. This is everything. And as we both release, at the exact same second, I stare into his eyes and know.

This is not a normal night for him or for me. This is different. We both cry out in rapture, losing ourselves completely.

How we are ever expected to return to normal life after this, I have no idea. Right now, we have become one, and there’s no going back.

ACE

This can’t just be another one-night stand, can it?

As I finally roll off of Laney, both of us breathing profusely, laughing, still in complete and total ecstasy, I realize only now, too late, I didn’t wear protection.

Not that I’m worried. Laney doesn’t strike me as the kind of girl I’d have to worry about. And I’m assuming, she would’ve told me if she’s not on the pill or something, right?

Whatever. Right now, none of that matters. All that matters is, Laney Michaels just gave this rockstar the best sex of his entire life. I cannot wait to see her beside me in the morning.

Hell, we may even have time for a round two.

With that happy thought on my mind, I feel my eyelids lowering…slipping…fading into the most peaceful sleep imaginable.

***

When I wake up in the morning, Laney’s gone.