RECKLESS - Part 3 (The RECKLESS Series) (5 page)

Jace reached down and grasped my chin between his thumb and fingers. “But the point is that you didn’t keep on believing it,” he said, a small smile pulling at the edges of his mouth. “You sought out the facts, dug a little deeper so you could uncover the truth. That’s what I... I really like that about you. You search for what’s really underneath all the smoke and mirrors. So thank you.”

As he lowered his lips to mine, I couldn’t help but think how wrong he was.

Becca had been the one to uncover the truth; I had only assumed and accused. I’d allowed my fear of hurt and rejection to cloud what had been right in front of me the entire time. I should have been thanking him—for believing in me, for pulling me out of my depression, for showing me what it meant to live in the moment. If I wasn’t careful, the list of things to thank him for would outweigh anything I could ever offer him.

I lost track of how many bands we listened to before Reckless came up on the roster, but I knew that none of them stood a chance. Certainly, a few had been good, but none of them had the stage presence or the skills that Jace and his band had... my theory was confirmed when they stepped out on stage.

Security guards were standing at the front, practically beating back the rabid fans. Girls were throwing everything from letters to panties up on the stage. Even I was taken aback by the energy buzzing and bouncing off the concrete walls. But I wasn’t an innocent bystander, not in the least.

Becca and I screamed until our throats were raw. We clapped, stomped our feet, and cupped our hands over our mouths to intensify the complete fangirl sounds we were making. We’d made such a clamor that I actually felt dizzy when Jace stepped up to the microphone; or maybe that was just the fact that I was on this side of everything, seeing his presence and pairing that with the heated moment we’d had behind the very speakers that were making the squealing sounds when he first spoke.

“Good evening! We are Reckless, and this song goes out to my girl.”

The women in the crowd went even crazier (if that was possible), each of them probably imagining that he was referring to one of them. But I knew the truth, and my heart told me so through its uncanny ability to swell inside my airway.

“Andy! He’s talking about you!” Becca shouted, nudging me with her shoulder.

I couldn’t respond through the tears and swollen heart clogging my throat so I simply nodded and leaned against her shoulder. This man... God, what was I going to do?

I didn’t think he’d simply toss me aside and abandon me for another woman, not after Becca had set everything straight, but what would it look like after the six weeks was over and he had nothing more to prove? We’d only been “together” for a day, and here my heart was already aching at the thought of us falling apart afterwards. What would it feel like if it turned out that this was nothing more than lust and sexual attraction?

“Stop it!” Becca shouted, squirming beneath my head. “Quit overthinking it and enjoy the music!”

“But, what if—“

“No but, Andy.” Becca wrapped her arm around my shoulder and pulled me into her.

Together, we swayed to the music, lost ourselves in the trance that only Jace Richardson could place on you, relished in the moment that was present, right then and there, but would be gone in the very next second.

Moments are like that... fleeting, that is.

In fact, if my relationship with Sean had taught me anything, it was that nothing lasts forever. Not even the things you’re certain of.

After our harrowing adventure of trying to leave the auditorium, everyone piled into their respective vehicles. At first, I thought we were just headed home, but just a little ways up the road, Jace pulled into a Denny’s parking lot.

“What are we doing here?” I asked.

Jace shrugged and killed the engine. “Eating,” he said.

When I cocked an eyebrow at him, indicating that I wanted a better explanation, he shook his head. “Always looking for answers,” he said, chuckling. “It’s a band tradition. We always go to Denny’s after we play.”

“Tradition?”

“Quite.” Jace slid out of the truck and then offered his hand to me.

I took it and allowed him to help me to the ground. “Care to explain?” I asked, still holding his hand as we walked toward the entrance of the restaurant.

“I’ll let the guys do that.”

I spotted our group immediately. They were the crazy people, over in a large corner booth, spitting straw wrappers at each other. Becca was right there in the mix of it all, her arm threaded through bass guitarist’s arm. They actually looked pretty cute together.

“What’s the bass’s name?” I asked Jace quietly, mortified by the idea of not knowing his name and having to engage in conversation with him.

“That’s Zane,” he said, nodding his head at the dirty blonde bass guitarist. “Robert.” Jace nodded at the tall, curly-haired guy sitting across from Zane. “And Thomas. He does a lot of our solos when I’m too wrapped up in singing. I get a little lost in the music and forget to actually play sometimes.”

As we slid into the booth with Jace’s bandmates, I couldn’t help but feel like I’d instantly been welcomed into their little family. Each one of the band members held out their hands, some of them ribbed me about the interview I’d done with Jace, and still others asked me about Seattle. But all of them—everyone except Robert—warmed up to me instantly.

Once they’d satisfied their curiosity about me, they all went back to goofing off, mostly at Jace’s expense.

“About damn time you brought a girl around,” Zane said, wrapping his arm over Becca’s shoulders. “We were starting to think you might be gay, man.”

In true Becca form, my best friend elbowed him in the ribs. “Be nice,” she ordered. “He’s buying you dinner. He might tell the waitress to spit in your food if you aren’t careful.”

“Naw, Jace wouldn’t do that.” Zane shook his head, a smile quirking up on his boyish face.

“You never know what I’ll do,” Jace said, eying Zane over the top of his glass.

For a second, I thought he was being serious, but then he busted out laughing. “Anyway, man, if there was anyone who knew about being gay, it’d be you. What’s it been? Three? Four years since you’ve had a chick as awesome as Beck’s backstage?”

“She is pretty stellar,” Zane said, turning to Becca for a kiss. She stuck her tongue out at him at first, but then smiled and melted right into his arms.

Wow, that was fast.

I envied my best friend right then and there. I wished I had that kind of courage, the kind it took to just fall blindly into a relationship, especially when that relationship involved swarms of hot girls practically falling all over themselves to get a piece of the guy you were with. Speaking of which... where had Barbie gone?

I looked at Robert, who seemed to be a little distant from the group. “Hey, where’s... “

“Amelia?” he offered, rolling his eyes as though the girl he had his arms wrapped around just half an hour before was yesterday’s news.

“Yeah.” I nodded.

“She took off with the guy from one of the other bands.”

Becca lifted her eyebrows at me, all too knowing.

“I—I’m sorry,” I said, lowering my eyes.

“For what? It’s not like you’re the one missing out on getting laid tonight.”

“Robert!” Jace barked. The look on his face was downright deadly; if I didn’t know him better, I would have thought he was about to jump across the table and grab Robert by the collar. “What the fuck, dude?”

“I don’t’ know, man. You tell me.” Robert stood and then tossed a ten dollar bill down on the table. “Whatever. I’m out of here.”

After Robert left, there were a few moments of tense silence. Jace gave Thomas a quick nod, who then went out after Robert. Zane cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. And all the while, Becca and I stared at each other from across the table, completely dumbfounded.

“What was all that about?” she asked.

Of course, she’d be the one to ask.

Jace and Zane stared at each other for a moment, as if silently holding a conversation about how much they should share with us.

“Robert’s... Robert,” Zane finally said with a shrug. “He’s the drama queen of the group. He gets pissy over shit, but he comes around.”

“But that seemed rather directed at me,” I said, quietly, almost afraid to speak up.

Jace wrapped his arm tighter around my waist. “Trust me, that had nothing to do with you, babe. He’s just angry over getting dumped and that we’re relocating sooner than thought.”

“Sooner?” I asked, turning to look straight at him, surprised by the sudden news of him leaving. “When?”

Jace cleared his throat and then glanced quickly over at Zane. “End of the semester.”

“What? How? Why?”

“That’s why this gig was so important. We were so close, have been for a long time. With our winnings, we have enough to head out there. It might be tight for a bit, but I think we’ll be fine.”

“And Robert doesn’t,” I said, suddenly understanding the altercation a lot better.

Jace shook his head and averted his eyes for a moment, looking toward the door, as if Robert might walk back through it at any moment. “No, he doesn’t.”

“So, why not stay another year?” I asked. “Six months, even?”

Jace inhaled and then blew out a huff of air. “It’s complicated,” he said, again, avoiding my gaze. “But it all comes down to wasted time. We’re hot right now, and we need to move forward. If we sit around and let ourselves get stagnant, we might not ever make it.”

“Make it?”

“Yeah,” Jace said, nodding, finally bringing his eyes back to mine. “That’s what every band wants. We might not do a record deal with a big name record company, but we at least want to get some labels out there. Seattle gives us the means to do it; there are plenty of Indie run companies that would record us, help get us out there in the hands of fans. That’s all we really want.”

“So, no fame? No big money?”

“Man, money’s over-rated,” Zane said, pulling my attention (and the heat) from Jace. “It’s all about the fans. You saw them, right? That’s what we do it for. Why we do it. Robert just has some bigger goals in mind.”

“Do you think it will hurt the band in the long run?” I asked, not really caring who answered at that point. “I mean, bands break up all the time.”

“Maybe,” Jace said. “But we have to do what’s best for the collective. If he’s not on board... it’ll be hard, but we all know what we have to do. Even him.”

Per Denny’s policy (I was sure it was written somewhere in their employee handbook), our waitress finally arrived, and at a time when the conversation was just starting to get awkward.

“Can I take your orders?” she asked, hand on her hip, that Midwest twang so syrupy it made my teeth hurt.

We all placed our food orders, Jace ordering for both Robert and Thomas, and then went back to a light and airy conversation after she left. Right about the time our food came, Thomas returned to the table.

“Couldn’t get through to him?” Jace asked as Thomas took his seat.

“Nah, he’s good now,” Thomas said. “He said he’d be back after a few drinks.”

Only, he never did.

Jace was all silent and broody the whole way home; I hated to admit it, but it was kind of making me nervous. We’d all had such a great time that night, up until Robert’s little temper tantrum, and I hadn’t wanted it to end. But now I feared he was going to take me back to the dorms, tell me goodnight, and our weekend together would be over.

Except that wasn’t what actually happened.

Rather than turn on campus, Jace drove right past it. Suddenly confused, and maybe even a little nervous as to what he might have in store for me next, I stared out the window and watched the tall brick buildings come and go.

“Where are we going?” I asked, turning to look at him.

“My place,” he answered, still not looking at me.

I chewed at the inside of my lip, contemplating how much I was comfortable with that idea, given his recent mood. I decided I wasn’t okay with it at all; not so much because of myself, but because he seemed like he needed a little space right then.

“Jace,” I said, scooting in my seat to sit next to him. “I’ve had an amazing time this weekend... but maybe you should just take some time, you know, after the whole Denny’s thing.”

“Andrea, I may be a little quiet, and I may have a lot on my mind, but this is just the sort of thing—“ He paused and cleared his throat. “This is life with a band. Members have disagreements. We fight. Sometimes, you can’t work it out, and the band breaks up. But most of the time, you remember that you’re friends and family first. Robert will come around.”

I wasn’t so convinced, not after the way he’d practically attacked me and then stormed out of the restaurant. But then again, Jace knew him a lot better than I did. I decided that, instead of pushing the issue, I’d go for another approach, maybe something that would put him in a better mood before I prodded any further. “How long have you and Robert known each other again?” I asked.

That brought a smile to those sexy lips. “He was the first member. We met freshman year of high school. He was the new kid. Divorced parents, going through a crap ton of the stuff I’d been through just a few years before that.”

Jace’s expression went sad for a moment, but he shook his head and cleared his throat. “Anyway,” he continued, shooting me a quick glance. “We just kind of clicked. When he told me he played drums, well, it just made sense for us to practice together. Then we turned it into a band. The rest is history, I guess.”

“So that’s, what? Six years?”

“And counting.”

“Why do you think he has such an issue with Seattle?” I asked. “Is it just going, or is it going right now?”

Jace slid his eyes in my direction, as if trying to decide whether he should share his band drama with me, before shrugging and turning his eyes back to the road. “Honestly? I think it’s a little bit of both. He’s all about signing with a big record label. The rest of us, we’re not in line with that vision. We don’t want to be global.”

“But even if that was your goal, to be global, Seattle would be the place to do it,” I pointed out. I knew all too well that Seattle was America’s music hub.

“Yes, you’re right,” Jace said, nodding. “But Robert doesn’t seem to agree. He thinks we’d have a better chance in New York.”

My face scrunched in confusion. “New York? What big bands have come from New York?”

“Nothing in our genre. Nada, Spin Doctors, Kiss.”

“How could I forget Kiss?!”

He shrugged and then shouldered me, playfully. “Easy when you have Eddie Vedder.” With that, he killed the ignition and opened his door.

Somehow, I’d completely lost sense of time and direction and we were sitting in his driveway. That realization sent butterflies into my stomach. That didn’t make much sense, of course, since it wasn’t like he hadn’t seen me naked already. But something about being at his home, in his bed, seemed so much more... real.

“Well, come on,” he said, holding out a hand to me as I hesitated inside the cab of his truck.

I took it with a great deal of hesitation, but he didn’t get impatient, didn’t seem offended, hadn’t even acted like he’d noticed.

God, this man was a saint.

No sooner than we stepped inside of his apartment, I was against the wall, Jace’s mouth claiming mine.

“I’ve wanted to do this since Denny’s,” he growled against my mouth.

Where in Sam hill had all this come from? Not that I cared. I was just enjoying myself, allowing myself to get lost in the moment, lost in the heady sensation left over from the concert, in the feel of his hand gliding up my bare thigh.

Oh, I was in trouble. Serious, serious trouble.

“I need you out of this thing, now,” he said, tugging at the leather jacket, pulling the sleeves off my arms, and then tossing it onto the sofa. “And this.” With expert hands, pulled the dress up over my head. It, too, landed on the sofa. Next went the bra and panties.

Standing naked in front of Jace made me a little self-conscious, but as if he’d sensed my hesitation, my desire to hide, he grabbed my wrists and pulled them away from my body.

“So fucking beautiful,” he said, his eyes sweeping over my stark nakedness. “And all mine.”

My heart fluttered as his words bounced around inside my soul somewhere. That fluttering turned to swelling as he peppered gentle kisses along my bare skin. Then came the flames as his hands wandered freely over my exposed flesh. My stomach plummeted and then rose again when he suddenly dropped to his knees in front of me, his mouth running so gently over the course hair between my legs that it sent tingles up my spine, all the way up to my scalp.

“Can you stand while I do this?” he asked, looking up at me with those molten brown eyes.

I gulped. I wasn’t sure. I’d never tried something quite like it before... not that it mattered because Jace wasn’t waiting for an answer.

A gasp escaped my lips when his warm tongue made immediate contact with my clit and my knees almost gave way. Rather than let up, he lifted one of my legs and then placed it over his shoulder. The position gave him even better access which he took complete advantage of it, running his tongue in long strokes all the way from my entrance to the top of my sensitive bundle of nerves.

Just as my hips started to rock, just when I thought I might be getting the hang of this standing up thing, he removed his mouth and stood. The hunger in his eyes reached deep into my chest, practically seizing my lungs and holding them hostage as pulled my arms above my head, holding them against the wall.

“I’m going to fuck you, Andrea,” he whispered against my neck, rocking his still clothed body into me. “But I want to know what that pretty little mouth of yours feels like first.”

Before stepping back and giving me a little room to catch my bearings, he bit the tender flesh of my neck. Only, I didn’t need room to breathe because my mouth was already watering at the thought of tasting him, holding him in my mouth, bringing him the same climactic pleasure he’d given me during our camping trip. So, without missing a beat, I dropped to my knees, unzipped his pants and released him from his boxers.

I’d never seen a more beautiful cock in my entire life.

His head, so perfectly shaped, felt perfect against the tip of my tongue. His shaft, hard and bulging from his excitement, fit perfectly in my mouth. And, as he looked down at me, flicking my tongue over the tip, swirling it around the shaft, and then opening my mouth wide to take him all in, he released a moan that instantly created a flood between my already moist thighs.

“That’s it, baby,” he moaned, rocking his hips with me as I created a rhythm. “Oh, God. I knew that mouth was fucking amazing.”

I lifted my eyes to look at him and our eyes made contact. Something there, something in that moment, made me felt more sexual, more free, than I ever had. I needed more. I wanted... I grabbed his hand and placed it on my head in a silent plea. He answered by wrapping his fingers in the messy tendrils. As my pace picked up, he tightened his grip, pushed and pulled my head to meet the rhythm he needed from me.

My God, I’d never experienced anything quite like it.

But then, just as I was sure he was about to finish, he pulled away and yanked my head away from him. “Holy shit!” He bent over and grabbed his knees, trying to catch his breath.

Afraid, worried, and panicked, I crumpled on the floor. “What? Did I do something wrong?”

“What?” He lifted his eyes to look at me, brow pinched in confusion. As soon as he saw my panicked state, he dropped to his knees on the floor next to me. “Oh, Andrea. No. It was just that perfect. I—I almost lost it.”

“But... I wanted you to.”

A soft smile pulled at the edges of his lips. “I know, baby,” he said, running a finger gently across my cheek. “And I will, but not that way.”

After standing, Jace pulled me to my feet and then carried me off to the bedroom. I couldn’t help but feel like I’d ruined something, maybe given away the fact that I wasn’t as experienced as maybe he’d hoped, or that I’d somehow disappointed him. But if I had, there was no evidence of it as he sat me down on the bed.

“Lay on your stomach,” he said, still standing next to it.

I did as he asked and then waited, anxiously, for what was about to happen. I wasn’t a total prude; I pretty much knew what was probably coming... or so I thought.

Wet and soft, his tongue brushed against the inside of one of my thighs. I jerked a little at the sudden, unexpected contact, but then relaxed as he made his way up toward my ass. Again, I tensed as he ran the tip of his tongue from my entrance to the crack of my butt. I’d never thought I’d be the kind of girl to enjoy that sort of thing, but as he repeated the strokes, gently and then, little by little, with more force, my breathing started to pick up. When he reached between my legs to thumb my clit, those pants turned to moans.

“God, you taste so good,” he said, shoving one finger inside my entrance. “I want every part of you before this weekend is over. Your beautiful mouth.” He inserted another finger. “That tight pussy.” He curled his fingers inside of me and I gasped in surprised pleasure. “Even that gorgeous ass of yours.”

I yelped when his finger made its way into my ass, but he quickly removed it. I wasn’t sure what I’d thought of it, other than it’d felt strange and a little painful. But then, as I was contemplating the sensation, he licked at the area again, bringing back my moans.

“Maybe not this weekend,” he said, chuckling lightly. “We may have to work up to that.”

I didn’t have time to protest because he immediately tossed me on my back. My legs were hanging over the side of the bed and he wrapped them around his waist. Somewhere along the way, he’d managed to get a condom on without me looking and he was immediately inside me, thrusting with long, hard strokes.

“Relax, baby. We won’t do anything you’re not ready for,” he said, running his hands along my legs for a moment before grasping my hips and pulling me into him, deeper, harder.

But I wasn’t thinking about that, or anything else for that matter. I was too busy riding the wave that was already cresting, building intensity as it prepared to wash over me; any moment and I’d be crashing against the shore. Only... that didn’t happen either.

Holy mind fuck!

I whimpered when he pulled out, tried to buck my hips against him as he stood there, hovering just away from my body’s reach. I was begging, pleading with my eyes, desperate for him to calm the raging storm inside. Instead, he looked at me with those warm brown eyes and smiled.

“I know, baby,” he said, soothing circles with his thumbs on my hips. “Just a second longer. I want you to remember this moment for the rest of your life.”

What the fuck was that supposed to mean?

Again, I lost my opportunity to ponder because he was back inside of me, pounding away, pulling me into him, groaning with each forceful stroke. It didn’t take long for the climax to build again, for my body to remember where it had been before and then for it to surpass that checkpoint. I was falling apart, coming undone, grasping at the sheets, screaming out his name until my throat was raw as he pushed further and further into me, each stroke more brutal than the last.

“That’s it, baby, let it go,” he growled, reaching up to grab a hold of my breasts, twisting my hardened nipples just enough that I felt a surge of electricity between my legs. “Now baby. Now.”

Together, we fell into oblivion. We crashed against the shore like the water against the rocks, hard and violent, as our strained cries filled the room. But it didn’t end there. It was as if my body were riding the longest wave in existence, like the orgasm was still building, even though I was right in the middle of it. Jace didn’t let it go to waste either; he pumped away, even with his fading erection, letting me ride it out until it was completely over, until my limbs felt like useless lumps and my head tossed back and forth lazily.

“Holy shit,” I rasped out, breathlessly. “How did you--?”

“Sexual tension,” he said, pulling out and then flopping down on the bed next to me. “Law of physics. Hell if I know, but I’m glad it worked.”

I snorted and then curled up against his side, not really caring that my feet were hanging over the edge of the bed still.

He wrapped an arm around me and, despite our cattywampus position on the bed, he pulled the covers up over our bodies and allowed me to lay my head on his chest.