Slow Burn (Feverish #4) Page 12

  No more dancing, though.

  While Brian had responded to her kiss in the elevator, she knew damn good and well that he was probably gun shy—and he had every right to be. After the stunt she’d pulled when they first met, she would be surprised if he’d ever feel like he could trust her. More than that, maybe he shouldn’t. Tonight, though, she knew what she wanted—and if she had her way, she was going to get it.

  She needed to fuck Brian Zimmer, bassist of Last Five Seconds. That was the only thing that would salvage the evening. It could maybe even make it the perfect night.

  She didn’t really want the drink that Brian had offered, although she appreciated the gesture. More importantly, however, she was going to accept the invitation to come to his room, because chances were that was the only time she would ever get an offer like that. And, after everything tonight, she needed this man like she’d never needed one before. No other man would do.

  But maybe he really did just want to share one last drink.

  There was really only one way to find out if he was willing to take a chance—and if they hadn’t been interrupted in the elevator, she would’ve already had that confirmation. Now, she’d have to find the courage and the opportunity to try again.

  When they walked in the door to his room, he flipped on the light switch and held the door for her to enter. God, she was still feeling pretty keyed up, so she had to keep herself in check, something she was used to. At the same time, she wondered if maybe a little levity would help her relax. “No fair. My room looks like a crack house compared to yours.”

  Throwing his wallet on a small table just inside, he asked, “Who booked it?”

  “Mark did. He booked my flight, too.”

  “That cheap son of a bitch. I suppose he also put you in coach.”

  With a giggle, she said, “No, I’m just messing with you, Brian. My room looks exactly like yours, except for the artwork on the wall. That’s the only thing that’s different. They even have the same color scheme.”

  Grinning, Brian nodded his head and walked toward the minibar, bringing him closer to her. “You had me there for a sec. So what’s your poison, Sophie?”

  This was her only chance before her courage completely fizzled. Before he could even pick up a bottle, Sophie wrapped her fist around his collar to pull his face close to hers. Without any thought or hesitation, their mouths collided. Like two stars pulled by each other’s gravity, there was an explosion, and it was like magic. She’d felt it the first time, but now their kiss was deeper, more intense. Relief flooded her veins as Brian responded, but then her body filled with other chemicals just as fast. All other emotions fell by the wayside as desire took their place, and passion burned in her belly. Even the way he wrapped his arms around the small of her back made her blood pressure rise instantly.

  What was happening now formed an unspoken agreement between the two. Maybe they would always be enemies, but tonight they could find common ground. Tonight, they could explore each other’s bodies, appreciate each other as sexual creatures, enjoy themselves together just one time—just once, long enough to let off the pressure that had been building. Then they could go back to normal. But for now, just for tonight, they belonged to each other.

  One thing Sophie noted right after Brian’s tongue entered her mouth was that he was a hell of a kissing artist, and she didn’t know that she’d ever been kissed quite the way he did. His tongue was warm, soft, and questioning, probing her mouth for answers while at the same time confident and in control. She sensed that this man would be that way from head to toe throughout the entire act—and with just that deepening kiss, she felt her pussy clenching in response, needing to feel him pounding inside her, but she was going to try to be patient. They could still have plenty of foreplay before that.

  And then she thought, to hell with foreplay. Not only was she too impatient, but her body was on fire. Every nerve tingled, every muscle yearned to be wrapped around this man like a second skin as he brought her to climax. She had far too much pent-up energy and aggression that she needed to expend. This was where the night had led and she refused to wait any longer. Quickly, her fingers moved down the front of his shirt and she played with the hem for just a moment before pulling it up. Brian even helped her get the t-shirt up and over his head—as she did so, though, Sophie made the mistake of opening one eye to peek, and the sight shocked her. Brian, from his fingertips to his shoulders and then back down over his chest and belly, was covered in ink. He was like a canvas with not a single blank dot. While she didn’t have a chance to examine every design or picture in the mix of color, she immediately realized that this man had a serious addiction to tattoos. “Holy shit. I had no idea—”

  Brian was chuckling before she could even finish her sentence. “It’s not like my tattoos have ever been a secret.”

  Rather than laughing, though, Sophie eyed him, feeling ravenous. She was not in the mood for conversation.

  So her lips were back on his quickly, planning to ponder his words at a later time. Maybe pillow talk if she didn’t run the hell out of here as soon as they were done.

  The next kiss merely ramped up her desire. She didn’t even want to try to remember the last time she’d been with a man, but it had been so long she couldn’t remember anything about the experience. Obviously, it hadn’t been memorable enough to bother saving it in her brain. Her desire was so bad now that she couldn’t even recall ever wanting someone so badly. That notion, coupled with the fact that she knew they shouldn’t be doing this, only made her want him all the more, and she refused to deny herself this one opportunity.

  Now that his chest was free from clothing, she allowed her fingers to explore the hardened flesh. Underneath her cool fingertips, it seemed to respond as if it had a will of its own. It was almost like there was electricity arcing from his flesh to her fingers as she ran them up and down, enjoying the way every inch of it felt. At the same time, his warm hands were sliding over the flesh of the small of her back just above the waistband of the leather skirt, and now they were slowly moving their way up. As she slid her hands up his neck to his whiskery cheeks, her nerves began to tingle again, her nipples tightening in response to his touch. God, yes, she wanted this man.

  No. She needed this man.

  As she ran her fingers through his hair, she could feel his fingers playing with the back of her bra, working the clasps apart slowly.

  Too damn slowly.

  “I want you to fuck me, Brian. I don’t need to be wined and dined and fawned over. I just need to feel you inside me now.”

  Opening his eyes, he flashed her a sleepy grin as he popped the last clasp on her bra apart. “Maybe I need to be warmed up a bit.”

  He talked a good game, but she knew he was full of shit. Sliding one hand back down his pecs to his firm belly before cupping his package through his jeans, she could feel the monster rising. Just with the slight attention she was giving him, his cock swelled further. So she sucked on his lower lip until he closed his eyes again, letting out a short breath. “Now are you ready?”

  “Jesus Christ, woman.” As he lifted her blouse over her head, Sophie raised her arms. When he tossed it aside, her bra draped around her frame loosely. Sophie got to work unbuttoning his jeans, pulling the sides apart while he almost lovingly pulled the bra down her arms in such a way that it tickled her skin, making her nipples pebble up again. Sliding her hand into his underwear, Sophie tried to estimate his size but had no idea. All she knew was he was huge and that big fella needed to breathe. Meanwhile, Brian gently nibbled at her neck, causing goosebumps to form over all her exposed flesh again, making her pussy wet once more.

  Before she could demand again that he fuck her, he leaned over toward the table where he’d tossed his wallet moments earlier and picked it up. Now that she had his cock out, she was stroking it lovingly, enjoying all the hard ridges along its length, and he let out a groan. She was almost grinning by the time he had the condom unwrapped and began slid
ing it over his member. As she pulled down her panties, there was no denying how soaked they were, leaving a trail down her inner thighs, reminding her that maybe it had been far too long that she’d been with a man.

  Once his cock was sheathed, Sophie was eager to pounce on him, but he had other ideas. Pressing his lips into hers gently, he slowly pulled her skirt up between her legs and his fingers brushed against her thigh.

  It didn’t take him long to realize that she was more than ready, and she let out a soft sigh, digging her fingernails into his back. She didn’t need to say a word for him to know she needed him inside her. He knew what she wanted, and she was pretty sure his little exploratory feel had simply been to make sure that she was definitely ready.

  And, God, yes, she was.

  At last, the moment she’d been waiting for. Once Brian’s cock was properly enveloped in a condom, he placed his hands on her hips and lifted her up as if she weighed no more than a feather. Then he guided himself inside her and she gasped as her legs clenched against his hips. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d felt a man inside her and now that she was experiencing those sensations again, shivers ran throughout her entire body. “Oh, God.” As she shuddered in response, she closed her eyes, tilting her pelvis more, and even with all that motion, Brian held her close. When the hell had she felt this good, this free, so close to the edge of ultimate pleasure? When she opened her eyes again, she looked at Brian. His eyes were closed, his brow furrowed as he held her, grinding with fury.

  She hated this man…but she fucking loved what he was doing to her.

  Jesus, he was hitting all the right spots inside her, all the ones that amped up the pleasure. Her breaths grew deeper, hitting the bottom of her lungs, and she tried like hell to spread her legs farther apart, but they were as wide as they could get—and still she couldn’t swallow him up like she wanted. Instead, she wrapped her legs around him, her ankles pushing into the back of his thighs as if she could push him to the depths. His hands squeezed her ass harder, causing her to gulp another deep breath as some ungodly noise flew out of her mouth. “Fuck me,” she growled, and Brian responded by smashing his lips into hers with fury.

  Taking a couple of steps, he pressed her back into the wall and pressed his entire body against hers, his cock plunging into her core. “You want that?”

  “Hell, yes.”

  His blue eyes glinted like sapphires aflame and Sophie moaned as he pounded into her. Closing her eyes, she focused on his motions, trying to give as good as she got. Why was she being so damned loud? To shut herself up, Sophie kissed Brian’s neck with her open mouth, savoring the sweet saltiness of his skin, taking in another whiff of his cologne through her nostrils.

  How the hell had she fallen for this man so quickly? And how could she hate and love him at the same time? Maybe she could hate his heart but love his body.

  With that thought, she realized she was close. As Brian continued grinding like all reason had left his brain, that sensation of climbing built in Sophie’s head, almost like a rubber band ready to snap. Sensing she was on the verge, she took another deep gulp of air and just then something in her brain exploded. It was like thunder and lightning, violent yet awe-inspiring. And just like the most brutal storm, it was followed by the gentlest rain as she descended from the highest mountain.

  That was when Brian seemed to be letting go as well. His pounding slowed into a careful motion, almost as if he were trying to absorb every last drop of pleasure this encounter had to offer. Sophie opened one eye to peek at him as she felt the beating of her heart slowing down. A light sheen of perspiration covered his forehead, and even though he looked like he’d had a hell of a workout, he appeared to be at peace, too.

  Just like she felt. And what the hell was up with that?

  Chapter Fifteen

  When Brian placed Sophie’s feet on the floor, it was almost reluctantly. Try as he might, it was hard to remember the last time he’d wanted a woman so badly. On top of that, there had been nothing disappointing about this encounter.

  In fact, the only thing he could wonder at the moment was how the hell had it happened. Normally, he knew exactly how to woo and charm a woman—and the girls who knew the band already loved him for who he was. Stranger yet was that, over the past couple of days, he’d actually begun seeing Sophie in a brand-new light, appreciating her more for who she really was, not the spiteful bitch he’d first encountered weeks earlier. He was beginning to see her as more than a cold shrew or vapid model. Instead, she was human, vulnerable and real, but not fragile, either. This woman was strong and smart, her flesh sweet and tempting. But he didn’t know how she felt, if this had changed anything for her. So he decided to move forward with caution. Optimistic caution, but caution, nonetheless.

  He wasn’t sure when Sophie’s shoes had fallen off her feet, but he almost stepped on one as he backed up, removing the condom and zipping up his jeans. “I don’t know about you, but that wore me out. Want to lie down for a bit?”

  Even though Sophie’s face appeared more relaxed than usual with no scowl or pinched brows, the light inside those green orbs had that skittish look again—like maybe she was starting to feel like she’d made a mistake. And yet, looking back, Brian could see that this had been inevitable. Had she not approached him after that concert a couple of months ago seducing him, it wouldn’t have led here. And, of course, had she not followed it up with that half-assed apology, this hookup might have never occurred—but it had and there was no denying that something had passed between them.

  Sophie seemed to search his eyes as if trying to translate his intent, all while bending over to pick up her blouse. “No, I better go back to my room.”

  Goddamn. Brian really wanted to ask so many fucking questions, but now clearly wasn’t the time. Any wrong move at this point could send her scurrying for her rabbit hole. If she would just give him a real chance, she’d see he wasn’t the asshole she’d built him up to be in her mind.

  Gentle. “You’re still breathing hard, honey. Just come sit down for a little bit.” Tossing the evidence of their lovemaking in the trash, he kept a distance between them and waited patiently.

  He could almost literally see her defenses drop and, whether that meant she was giving up or merely letting her guard down for a few moments, he didn’t know—but she walked over. “Maybe just for a few minutes.”

  “Atta girl. I promise I won’t bite you.” She arched one of those beautiful eyebrows at Brian, and his heart started to pound in his chest. Jesus Christ, he was beginning to love what she did with those things. “If I was gonna bite you, I would’ve done that a couple minutes ago.” Unexpectedly, Sophie started laughing hard. “What? What did I say that was so damn funny?” She continued laughing raucously as if she’d lost her mind. Brian was starting to wonder if maybe she really did have a bolt or two loose, and this was how he was going to find out.

  But, finally, she sat down next to him on the bed, holding her stomach. “I dated a guy like that once.”

  “Like what?”

  “Maybe he thought he was a vampire—but every time we had sex, he’d bite me when he was coming. It was weird.”

  “I guess you never know what gets a person off until you fuck ‘em.” Sophie started laughing again, while Brian pulled the comforter down just past the pillows. “I don’t know about you, but that wore me out more than it should’ve. I think I’m gonna rest my head for a minute. If you don’t want to join me, I understand.”

  But, after a few seconds, she said, “Okay.”

  After kicking off his boots, Brian grabbed a pillow and scrunched it before resting his head on it, thinking for just a moment that it was a little too fluffy. Over the years, though, he’d gotten used to hotel rooms having overly stuffed pillows and slightly too crisp white sheets. It always took him a few days at home to get used to his own bed again. For now, he was going to enjoy this warm soft woman, and she was actually letting him wrap his arm around her to hold her clos
e—but not too close. And even though he was on the verge of sleep, his brain wouldn’t let him drift off. He kept turning over the idea of Sophie in his mind and the possibilities of the two of them together. If she would just give him a chance—them a chance—they could work. There was something about her that felt right, even after all the crazy shit they’d gone through already.

  Although there were a million deep questions he wanted to ask her, he settled on a stupid and safe one. “So why did you color your hair, Sophie? You looked really good as a blonde.”

  “I could be asking a similar question, Brian. Why did you cut your hair?”

  He started laughing. “Fair enough. I cut it because it was more trouble than it’s worth. I got tired of being ambushed and questioned and looked at funny for being a hippie. Long hair and tattoos draw the eyes—and even though I love my tattoos, those are harder to get rid of. Not that I would. But the hair? That was easy. Besides, it hasn’t hurt my chances or my reputation. I’m still a bassist in a rock band—and Sam? He cut his hair a few years ago, and the girls still go crazy over him. They don’t give a shit that his hair’s short or even that he’s married. So I figured it wouldn’t hurt my standing as a rock star—and the added bonus is it’s a hell of a lot easier to take care of.”

  “I hear that. I had short hair a long time ago.”

  Brian thought about it for a second. “I can’t picture you with short hair.”

  “You don’t want to.”

  “’No, I bet you’d look cute as hell with it short.”

  “Don’t even, Brian Zimmer. That is not going to happen.”

  “So why’d you change the color?” he said, snuggling up closer. “Tell me about that.”

  She didn’t seem to mind, but maybe it was because he was distracting her with conversation. “Dark brown is actually my natural hair color. When I started bleaching my hair a couple years ago, I had to touch it up every three or four weeks because my roots would show—so I’ve been wanting to go back to my natural hair color for a long time. Now that my star is kind of on the rise, I figured this was my only shot, so I did it before anyone—not my agent or my roommate—could talk me out of it. And I have to tell you it’s been kind of nice looking in the mirror at the reflection of old Sophie.”