“Albert, have you seen Harlow?” I question.
“Who?” I don’t have time for twenty questions with him.
“Asher’s sister. I saw her come back here.” I’m getting frustrated.
“Oh, yeah. She headed to the truck out back.” He says this like that is the most plausible thing to do at this time of night.
“She doesn’t have the fucking key to get in the truck. You didn’t think to check on her or at least send someone else? Goddammit, Albert.”
“Hey. She isn’t my priority—” I don’t even listen to the rest of his negligent bullshit. I rush out back to make sure Harlow is okay. I find her sitting on the ground next to the tire with her head slumped over her knees. She is asleep. I want to fucking punch something. I’m such an asshole. My heart slams against my chest in a feeling so fucking foreign, it steals my breath.
“What the hell are you doing out here, Harlow?” My presence startles her awake.
“Oh. I got tired of being in there. Thought I’d come out here and wait for you guys to finish.” She stands up and wipes the dirt from her jeans like this little stunt is no big deal. Before I know it, I have her pinned against the truck with my body.
“Are you trying to get yourself raped?” She closes her eyes for a split second to hide her emotions from me before delivering a snarky ass comeback.
“Worry about your fans, Phoenix. I can take care of myself,” she retorts. “Get off me.” Her face is mere inches from mine as I peer down at her; I intake her every breath.
“Make me,” I taunt. I want her to see the exact predicament she put herself in, had I been an attacker. She reaches up and grasps my biceps to shove me, but I don’t budge. After a few more unsuccessful tries, she easily gives up. I tilt her chin up to look at me. “See, you’re powerless,” I say more calmly. She just stares at me, and something in me snaps. I capture her lips with my own. I nip and lick at the seam until she opens for me. And when she does, holy shit. She gives just as good as she gets. The kiss is raw with passion, all pent-up frustrations released. I pick her up and wrap her legs around my waist. I know she can feel the hardness of my dick poking her.
My hands tangle in her hair as I allow myself to get lost in her kiss. Our tongues duel in an epic exchange of lust and need. Her moans have me wanting to take her right here against this fucking truck. I palm one of her tits, and the weight is just right. Through the shirt is nice, but I crave the skin-on-skin contact. I begin to do just that, but we are interrupted by a loud cough.
“What are you doing, man? Asher is looking for you and Harlow. If he catches you like this, he is going to beat your ass to a pulp,” Ren warns. Harlow jumps down like a frightened cat. The mention of Asher’s name has officially killed the mood. I got carried away. I didn’t mean to pounce on her like that, but she sure as shit didn’t mind.
“Yeah. Thanks, man.” I know this is not the end of this conversation. He is going to have plenty of questions when he gets me alone. Harlow looks down and hurries to the other side of the truck. Ren clicks it to unlock, and she doesn’t hesitate to get inside. I walk past him to go back into the bar and let them know I found Harlow while Ren is still standing there flabbergasted. I don’t know what to think right now. I want her more than ever, and I won’t stop. At some point, this became more than just a challenge to prove I can fuck any woman.
I’ve been waiting for her to fall at my feet like the rest and beg for the dick. Clearly, that won’t come to pass, but it is even more apparent that she wants me just as badly as I want her. We’re at a stalemate—a battle of wills. I don’t chase, but fuck it. Tonight we took a step toward the inevitable. She wants me, and that is exactly what she’s going to get. It’s time that I show her what her body craves. She needs a tender and gentle approach, and I’ll give her that right before I fuck her world. My dick jumps with excitement for what’s about to come.
Harlow
I sit here at a loss for words. That kiss was off the fucking charts intense. I don’t know how to feel right now. Phoenix and I can’t happen. I was just pissed with his performance in there, for fuck’s sake. That being the case, why did every second of that moment feel so right? Animalistic desires are brought to the surface. I could feel his hardness through my jeans, and I wished there was no barrier between us. All of my anger toward him from earlier had dissipated. Maybe “we” can happen if I let go of any expectations for more. For a small window of time, I was able to let go of the pain that usually holds me captive. I wanted this man to devour me.
I didn’t care about the skanks in the bar, probably still lined up to get a piece of him. He was with me. He chose me. Maybe we don’t need to define what this is and just go with it. I’m deep in thought, replaying our kiss when the guys show up outside carrying their equipment. That was quick. I guess they are foregoing their usual sexcapades that go on after the show. These guys are super talented, and they’re only playing gigs for local bars right now. I can only imagine the ass they’ll have lined up when they make it to the big stage. I will have to keep this in mind going forward with Phoenix. I can’t let my heart get invested. If we give in to temptation, there will be no expectations of a relationship. The sex can be the building blocks I need to reinvent myself and take back my sexuality. Nothing more. Nothing less. Just sex.
During the ride home, the guys discuss how they think the show went with the mix of cover songs. They talk about starting to gradually introduce more of their own material. Phoenix notifies them that he has some record labels he plans to get in touch with. He seems unaffected by tonight’s occurrence. I’m anxious to see how he will proceed. Will he pretend it never happened, or will he make the next move? I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was hoping for the latter.
I disappear to my room as soon as we get back to the lake house, in part because I’m afraid this emotional storm passing through me will read easily on my face. Asher will sense something is wrong. Also, I don’t know if Ren told Killian what he walked out on. I don’t want things to be awkward. I turn on my night lamp to dimly light the room. I connect my iPhone to my iHome so that I can drown my thoughts out with some Adele. Her latest single, “Hello,” plays through the speaker, and I set it to repeat. I love her music. I lay across the bed, getting lost in the sultry lyrics when my bedroom door opens. Phoenix stands there for a few beats before coming in and closing the door behind him. I sit up as my heart slams against my chest. I can see his intent in his eyes.
“Oh, you don’t have to get up for what I have in mind,” he warns. “If this is not what you want, speak now.” I swallow the lump in my throat. I’m speechless. I want all that he is silently offering me. “Okay then,” he says with finality. He crawls onto my bed in true predator form. I watch as he pulls his T-shirt over his head. Sweet baby Jesus…this is really happening. I tremble slightly at the thought. Phoenix grips my inner thighs before pulling me down closer to him. I lie flat on my back as he undoes the button on my jeans.