Bad Nymph (4 page)

Inside I was
burning—it was painful, like nothing I had ever felt before. But it was
divine.

I moved my own hands down
into his waistband, begging, tugging them forward in a plea. He brought his
fingers to the front of my pants, undoing the button and zipper within seconds,
and pulling the denim down over my hips, his fingers grazing the length of my
thighs and legs.

I stepped out of my pants,
kicking my shoes off as I kissed him hard on the mouth, undoing the front of
his pants and bringing them down, trying to concentrate as his fingers found
the sliver of cotton covering my aching mound. He coaxed his fingers against
me, causing me to gasp into his mouth, unable to suppress the feral instincts
that took over as the deep pressure flooded my body.

I felt him pause for a
minute, and I opened my eyes to follow his hands. He kicked off his shoes and
dug a metallic square from his pocket, holding it up to me as if posing a
question. I nodded and kissed him fiercely, excited by the promise of the back
of his hands as they occasionally bumped my hips and navel.

Lost in the pull of his
tongue, I hardly noticed his hands working at my thighs, pulling down my
underwear. It wasn’t until I felt the warm jab of his cock against my stomach
that I became aware that we were both completely naked. I ran my hands down to
his bare ass, squeezing the firm flesh and smiling into our kiss. Then, without
so much as a warning, he gripped his own hands into the space where my cheeks
met my legs, and swept me up against his stomach, effortlessly, like I weighed
little more than a pillow. I yelped, nearly falling backwards into the air, but
he placed a hand against my back, steadying me as he carried me across the
room, pressing my body into the space next to the window, the cool wall
smacking against my back.

“You’re perfect,” he growled
into my ear, kissing it greedily, nibbling my lobe as he searched my inner thighs
with one hand, keeping my body suspended in the air with the other.

“Do you have super human
strength or something?” I sighed, only half-joking.

“Something like that,” he
breathed heavily, his warm breath raising the hair on the back of my neck. Then
I felt the hot plunge, searing like burning metal into my wet slit. I couldn’t
help the cry the left my lips, shooting through the air and shattering any hope
for quiet, tight-lipped love-making. He growled, a clear approval of my lusty
howl, and plunged his white-hotness into me again, sending my mind into a
dizzying frenzy. He pulled out and in, slowly at first, long and hard strokes,
and I could do little but hold on for dear life, digging my nails into his
shoulder blades as I slowly lost my sanity. The heat was insatiable, rumbling
through my body and cracking through my bones. I belonged to it—I was
gone.

The thrusting came faster
and harder, and I lost myself in the pulsing heat. I lost awareness of anything
but the pleasure—my body, the air around us, even my name. Nothing could
reach me except the shattering bliss that crashed over me like a tidal wave,
searing hot and then cool, agonizing and then tender. My muscles seized and
then rolled with delicate satiety, and I felt
Aamir
tense inside of me, expanding and pressing as he groaned and shivered. He threw
his head back and bit his delicious lip, bucking his hips into me as he came.

It was like he was losing
his sanity, his eyes shut tight as his face twisted into a contorted look of
pain. I patted his hair, and he moved his cheek into my palm, kissing it as he
kept his eyes shut, trying to catch his breath in his come down.

“Damn,” he finally managed,
opening his eyes and giving me a weak smile. I laughed lightly, curling a piece
of his hair around my index finger. “That was incredible.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. He carried
me over to the bed, laying my body down delicately against the soft sheets,
suspending his delicious body over mine. I was so exhausted, but it was a
different kind of exhaustion. Hollow and cold, like something had been emptied
out of me. Sort of like what I had felt when he touched me in the parking lot.

 
He brought the back of his hand to my
cheek, staring into my eyes with a tenderness I wanted to lock away in my heart
for always. His touch was warm, rejuvenating. It was almost like he knew I was
so drained, and was trying to comfort me.

“That was the most
incredible sex of my life,” he said, moving his face to kiss my forehead.

“Do you mean that?” I asked
in disbelief, trying to catch my breath. Everything just seemed so surreal.

“Of course,” he said, moving
his thumb over my face and pushing the stray strands of tawny hair behind my
ear. “I knew the first time you kissed me that you would be incredible.”

My stomach burst with
giddiness and I couldn’t suppress my girlish smile. He just beamed back, and I
swear we could have stayed there forever, looking into each others eyes, if it
weren’t for the pounding at the door that disrupted us.

“Hate to be the bearer of
bad news…” It was
Zac’s
voice on the other side of
the door.

“Again?”
Aamir
sighed.

“Yeah, well, we have to
go…like now. It’s already past seven.”

“Oh!”
Aamir
muttered, jumping off of me and turning away as he disposed of the condom. I
rolled out of the bed and pulled my clothes on, falling over as I tried to pull
my pant leg up over my suspended limb.

“Are you okay?”
Aamir
asked, whipping around to look at me.

“Fine,” I mumbled, a warm
blush coming over my face. He saw my expression and fought back a grin as he
extended a hand, helping me up off the floor.

“Careful,” he said, kissing
the side of my face. My knees weakened at his touch, and I wondered if I’d ever
get used to it. Still, it was a wonderful problem to have.

But I could only push the
nagging voice that wondered about my debilitating sluggishness to the back of
my mind. It was the same voice that didn’t trust
Aamir
.
The one that knew he was more than just a hot guy who played guitar.

The show was incredible. The
venue was small, but every single person there was there for Fun Aim, and they
were the most ardent fans I had ever seen. So many of them had t-shirts and
signs, more than one addressed to
Aamir
directly. I
couldn’t even pretend to be jealous of “KISS ME AAMIR!” though, because
throughout their incredible set, he looked back to me more than once, his voice
taut with raw emotion.

I won’t deny I was in
heaven.

I pulled out my phone to
text Sierra, noticing a missed call from Jason that I ignored without a second
thought.

“Everything is PERFECT,” I
typed, with a big fat smile on my face. Whatever she could tell me about the
boys reactions could only bring me down by so much. I slipped the phone in my
pocket and watched the sea of excited faces as they called out and sang along,
their ecstatic expressions illuminated by the venue’s blue and purple lighting.

After the show
Aamir
came and swept me in a huge hug, his sweaty body
pungent with the smell of life and aftershave.

‘God,’ I thought, giddy as
he pressed his face into my neck. ‘
How
come he doesn’t even get smelly like a normal person?
’

“What did you think?” he
asked, as if it were a matter of opinion. But I could tell by his puppy dog
eyes that he really cared what I thought.

“You guys were fantastic,” I
said, and he gave me a big kiss square on the lips. It felt natural, like we
had been kissing each other for years.

“I have a surprise for you,”
he whispered in my ear, just loud enough for me to hear over the roar of people
chanting, “encore, encore, encore…”

I laughed and pushed my hand
into his chest. “Go out there and play! We can talk later!”

He put me down and gave me a
final kiss on the cheek, picking up his guitar and running out onto the stage
with an arm raised to the crowd. They burst into a roaring applause, and the
rest of the band followed him out, big grins plastered on their faces.

My phone buzzed in my
pocket, interrupting all the thoughts about my surprise later. It was a text
from Sierra. “Great! We can talk later.”

My heart sank. Part of me
wondered if it had anything to do with that thing she wanted to talk about in
Atlanta, but I knew it was probably about the guys reactions—more
specifically Trent’s. I put my phone away again, trying to will my attention to
Fun Aim’s fantastic encore. Their music was filled with a coursing energy,
roaring loud, creating a new heat. It was amazing. I wanted to be happy for
them, to feel like I was a part of their story.

But I couldn’t stop
imagining Bad Moon in their place.

And I couldn’t help but
wonder how Trent would look up on that stage, his hands
 
running up the length of his guitar, his
black hair hanging low over his brow…

‘
Stop it
,’ I chided myself, trying to wipe the image from my mind.
They took their final bow and came back, and I suddenly felt strange and out of
place. What was I supposed to be doing? Matt and Austin were in charge of the
merch
. Waters were already set out on a small table,
waiting for them. I was forbidden from trying to lift anything.

I suddenly felt useless and
empty. I forced a smile as
Aamir
came back and gave
me a big kiss before grabbing a water and guzzling it down.

“Hey, come outside with me,”
he said, slipping his hand in mine. “I want to take you somewhere.”

“You don’t want to go see
your fans?” I asked.

“I do. But I want to be with
you more.”

I knew I looked like a little
girl who finally got her much anticipated pony, but I didn’t care. I followed
him out the back and we walked around to the front of the venue.

A sleek, gray Lexus IS
pulled up to the curb, loud music blaring inside. Austin emerged from it,
laughing as he tossed
Aamir
the keys, giving him a
small wink. “All yours. Now get this out of here before you get a ticket.”

Aamir
grinned at Austin and shook his head as he passed
by. It was a small smile, one that communicated a playful tension. I wondered
with an excited thrill how aware everyone in the band was about me. I
remembered what
Zac
had said that night at the party,
but it just didn’t seem real.
Aamir
seemed kind of
quiet, the type to keep to himself.

I gaped at the car for a few
moments, wondering whose it was and what I was supposed to do with its
presence, when
Aamir
stepped in front of me and
opened the passenger door, looking at me expectantly.

“After you,” he said when I
didn’t budge. I just nodded, confused as I slid into the white leather seats,
soft and pliant against my thighs. He closed the door and came around the other
side, starting the car and wincing at the loud music that blasted from the
speakers. He lowered the volume and gave me an apologetic smile.

“Sorry about that.”

“Where are you taking me?” I
asked, taking in the luxurious interior and the sharp smell of new car.

“It’s a surprise,”
Aamir
reminded me, smoothly pulling the car out of the no
park zone onto the small street.

I was kind of freaked out
and amazed. Where were they suddenly renting cars from? How could he afford
something so luxurious? How the hell did he know where we were going? I turned
to him and opened my mouth but then paused, unsure of which question I should
even ask.

“I know, it seems very
sudden, but I planned this even before you agreed to come on tour with us,” he
said, and he looked a little diffident.

“Well that’s a little
premature,” I teased, but couldn’t help but be flattered. No boy had ever tried
to surprise me. First the flowers, now a romantic getaway. This guy was making
it hard not to want him all the damn time.

“I know. But I can hope.
Besides, it worked out in my favor, didn’t it?”

I smiled, sinking back into
the leather seat. “True. But how do you know you’re way around this place?
Don’t you need directions or something?” It amazed me how he navigated the
streets, coolly zipping between small gaps and taking calculated turns, as if
he knew the city like the back of his hand.

“Let’s just say I travel
quite a bit.”

“For the band?” I asked, but
I remembered what he had sad to me only hours before. I had a sneaking
suspicion that that wasn’t it.

‘
I have secrets, Bailey
.’

“For the band…and for other
reasons,” I could hear the hesitance in his voice. There was something he
didn’t want to tell me. My mind raced with the frightening possibilities. There
was little doubt in my mind that it was something I was afraid to know, yet
desperately curious about.

“
Aamir
,”
I said lowly, trying to assert myself as we made our way onto a highway. “I
really like you. But…well, I need to trust you.”

He nodded slowly, and
considered my words for a few moments. “I know. And I’ve always intended on
being upfront with you. Forgive me for being a little nervous. I’ve never
really had to explain things…quite in this way before.”

‘I
make
him
nervous
?’ the
thought seemed absurd to me.

“I know a lot about you,
Bailey,” he continued, giving me a quick glance before focusing back on the
road. “And I know that you’re at least some what aware of…well, the stranger
things in life.”

“What do you mean?” I took
in a deep breath, willing him to say it.

“Well, you know that your
friend, the singer, is a werewolf.”

“Trent,” I managed.

“Right, and the bassist. And
that your drummer is a demon.”

I watched the cars zip by
and I felt the anxiety shoot through my veins. “And what are you?”

“Please don’t be nervous,”
Aamir
reached for my hand, taking it in his. A warm,
soothing sensation shot through me, turning my panicked thrills into clouds,
soft and round inside of me. I looked at him, confused. I should have been
scared, but I was so far away from fear that I could hardly remember it. There
was a distant memory of the hot, bubbling sensation, but little more.

“What are you?” I asked
again.

“I’m an
empath
.”

“What does that mean?” I
asked, but the intoxicating flow of energy inside of me spoke volumes.

“It means that I can do
things like this,” he said, lifting my hand in the air for a moment. The warm
stream turned into an exited electric force, jumping through me and whirring
against my insides. I couldn’t help but laugh, and loudly, an intense glee
bursting forth from my mouth as I thought of the absurdity of it.

He dropped my hand and
brought it back to the steering wheel. The elation left me, and I suddenly felt
a little tired, like I had in the hotel room.

“What did you just do?” I
moved my hand over my mouth to cover a yawn. I should have been terrified, but
I just felt drained.

“I’m sorry, I spent some of
your energy by exciting you. Calming someone doesn’t really do that, but most
other emotions do.”

I studied him for a minute,
the long hard line of his aquiline nose, his wide cheekbones. He looked over at
me, and I saw a small fear as he waited for me to react.

‘
Damn. He means it.
’

“Well, I guess it’s not
weirdest thing I’ve experienced,” I said with a small grin. The intensity of
the fatigue was already fading, but I continued to watch him lazily, taking in
his soft beauty. It was strange, but even though his features were broad and
angular, he looked so gentle. Like someone who possessed a lot of strength but
chose to reserve it. I should have been more afraid of him, but I wasn’t. There
were no snapping fangs. No horrific howls. Just something gentle and guiding,
like a delicate melody.

“Well I’m glad I don’t
terrify you,” he laughed.

“So you can make people feel
good? That’s not the worst thing.”

His mouth turned flat and he
frowned for a minute. “No, but I could do worse things. I could make people
feel awful, or manipulate them by making them feel so good.”

“Oh,” I said, and it all
suddenly made sense. “Like what I felt in the parking lot—”

“Yes. And I’ll never forgive
myself for that. But although I can control what other people feel, and I can’t
always control my own emotions. And if I touch someone and I don’t keep myself
in check, well…”

“They feel what you feel,” I
finished.

He nodded.

I took it in for a moment,
wondering about the sex we had had. Was that all just manipulated by his
desire? But still, it felt so real, it felt like it was mine…

“You’re wondering about
love-making, aren’t you?”

I gave a small laugh. Even
if I thought the word, I didn’t really say it aloud. “How’d you know?”

“I can read you. Sometimes
better than others. That’s why I feel like I know you so well.”

“You can read my mind?” I
said, the fear coming back to me.

“No, nothing that extreme.
It’s more like…an aura of your thoughts. After reading emotions for so long,
you can kind of guess what people are thinking about based off of the
combinations. You may not realize it, but most of our thoughts are connected to
memories, which in turn are connected to distinct energies and feelings.”

“That sounds nuts,” I
murmured, trying to wrap my head around it.

“Yeah,” he laughed. “I guess
I’ve never had to explain it to an innocent before, but it is.”

“I hate that word,” I said,
balking a little.

“Noted,” he smirked. “And
yes. I can control your desire.”

I whipped my head around to
stare at him so fast my ponytail came around to hit me on the cheek.

“But I would never do that.
It just so happens that you can feel my yearning as well. But I would never
touch you unless I sensed your desire first.”

“But it still intensifies
the feeling,” I said, understanding the intense electric heat I had felt.

“Yes,” he nodded. “I can’t
help that, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s kind of
awesome.” I blushed a little, bringing my gaze back to the windshield. “But
what about the first time? It didn’t feel quite as amazing…not that it was bad
by any stretch of the imagination. But it wasn’t so intense.”

“Hard to affect someone who
is so controlled by another substance. Some
empaths
can do it, but I’m not that good.”

Empaths
. Plural. But of course there would be more of them.
My mind was teeming with questions I could hardly keep track of.

“I promise, we’ll get around
to all your questions soon enough. We’ve got two solid months ahead of us.” He
turned on the blinker and moved the car effortlessly onto an exit ramp. “But
now I have a question for you.”