Authors: Susan Scott Shelley
Captivated (9 page)
He drew her close. His
mouth flicked up in a teasing smile.
“You’d be surprised at
what I’m interested in.”
She let her fingers trail
over his arms, tracing the cords of muscle. When they reached his neck, she
grazed her nails against his skin and pulled him down to kiss her. His teeth
scraped her bottom lip, then he soothed the spot with his tongue. Her stomach
flip-flopped and her bones melted.
“You’re really good at
that.”
He smiled against her
mouth.
“You
taste better than any of the stuff we had tonight.”
Her gaze landed on her
band. Responsibility put a damper on arousal.
“I should let you
get back to your hotel before it gets too late.”
Dom kept his hand cradled
at the back of her head.
“Another few minutes won’t matter.” He
pulled her into one more head-spinning kiss, and his other hand traced the
scalloped neckline of her dress. Hot fingertips brushed her skin. Wanting to be
closer, she shifted and banged her knee on the gearshift. She cursed the
confined space.
Dom lifted his head.
“You
okay?”
Laughing, she rubbed the
spot.
“I
guess that’s my cue to leave.”
Moments later, he was
gone.
Irisa walked over the
sand. Warm wind whipped her dress against her legs. Brendan and Landry splashed
through ankle-deep water, tossing a football to each other under the hotel
’s
floodlights.
Zander looked up from his
spot next to Jayne on the sand.
“How’s Dom?”
“Fine. Where’s Luke?”
“In his room. He didn’t
want to come.”
She chatted for a few
more minutes, then left to check on their singer. She
’d
knocked twice and finally decided he’d either gone to sleep early or didn’t
hear her when his door opened. His clothes were rumpled and his dark hair
disheveled. “Hey.”
“You okay?” She checked
for signs of sickness or sunburn.
“I’m fine. I figured I’d
catch up on my social media.”
Uh-oh.
“Good
social media or bad social media?”
He smirked.
“Don’t
worry. I haven’t written a word.”
“Why don’t you come
outside and join us? It’s a nice night and better than sitting in here.”
“No thanks.”
“Please. It would be nice
to get a few candid shots of you guys having fun together for your fan page. So
what do you say, think you can outshine Landry or Brendan with throwing a
football?”
He crossed his arms over
his chest, then laughed.
“I know you. You’re just going to stand
here until you win. So I give in. Let’s go.”
“Great.” She waited while
he grabbed his room keycard.
She
’d
use anything at her disposal to remind the guys of how much they liked each
other and how strong a friendship they had. Hopefully they’d remember the night
the next time tempers threatened to flare.
The warmup band trooped
off the stage. Irisa strode by him and stopped a member of the crew. From what
he
’d
observed since he’d arrived, she was a champ at solving problems and making
sure the band’s needs and preferences were met. But she looked flustered. “The
merch boxes were labeled and in the designated area. Now they’re gone.”
“We’ll find them.”
“We better. I need my
guys to stay calm.” She reached into her pocket. He recognized the roll of
antacids that had been on her desk in the hotel. She’d eaten one during sound
check. She shouldn’t be popping anther one now.
She turned away from one
crew member and issued instructions to another, then disappeared down a
hallway. Dom glanced at his phone. Five minutes to go until The Fury were
supposed to start.
Liam slapped him on the
back.
“This
is great. I’m glad you brought us.”
The hum of voices around
them grew louder. The Fury walked toward the stage. Zander caught Dom
’s
gaze and came over. “Glad you could make it.”
“Break a leg out there,
man.”
A quick smile.
“You
know, I actually did that once. See you after the show.” He followed the rest
of the band onto the stage, and even with lights turned down, the crowd went
wild.
Irisa slipped into the
open seat next to Dom. The temptation to touch her was too great. He
immediately slid his arm around her. Tight muscles greeted his fingers. He
kneaded the back of her neck.
“You okay?”
“Sure.” She leaned into
his hand. Her eyes closed for a moment, reminding him of her expression when
he’d stroked her skin in her hotel room.
They
’d
spoken on the phone every night since he’d left her in San Diego. He’d call her
after his old man called to chew him out over his game performance. Talking to
her calmed down the fire in his blood. She had no idea what she did for him,
but he wanted to do the same for her.
Zander and his band put
on an electric show. They went all out, full energy. Music pounded through the
arena. Dom couldn
’t have asked for a better concert, or a
better companion. Irisa’s expression beamed with pride for her brother. And
after meeting the guys, Dom felt a more vested interest in wanting them to
succeed.
The strains of an
unfamiliar song started. Irisa leaned in close to his ear.
“This
is the last song. I’ll be back.” She and Jayne slipped away.
When the house lights
came on, organized chaos again took over. He again did his best to stay out of
everyone
’s
way, until a security guard came over and directed him and his teammates to the
green room, promising the band would be in soon.
Liam grabbed a soda from
the table laden with food and drinks.
“Is it weird for anyone
else? We spend most of our time as the guys people wait to see. This is sort of
a surreal experience.”
“It is.” Dom chose a
water bottle. “But it’s good to be out of the spotlight.”
“Says the guy dating the
band’s manager.” Slade nudged him.
The door banged open, and
the band piled inside, saving Dom from forming a response. The guys looked
exhausted. All four of them made a beeline for the sports drinks. A few other
people with VIP passes filed in. Every time the door opened, Dom looked for
Irisa. Finally, she and Jayne came in with members of the crew.
Zander walked over to Dom
and his group.
“We’re going to cut out of here soon. Come
out to the bar with us.”
Adam jangled his keys.
“Thanks,
but I’m just going to head home.”
“I guess that means we’re
leaving now, too.” Liam gestured to himself and Slade. “He’s our ride.”
“You have to come, man.”
Zander tapped Dom’s shoulder. “Especially since we didn’t get a chance to hang
after the ball game.”
“That would be awesome.”
He wanted to hang out with the band, but not if Irisa didn’t join them. When
she came up to them, he reached out and caught her hand. “Do you want to go out
with the band?”
Her gaze swung to her
brother.
“All four of you are going?”
He nodded.
Her lips pressed
together.
“If you’re all going, I guess I am, too.”
Not exactly a resounding
yes
,
more like a resigned
if I have to
, but she squeezed his hand and offered
him a smile.
Downing
drinks at a noisy bar after a show wasn
’t something Irisa
indulged in often. But Dom had wanted to go, and whenever the band did
something together, she liked to be close by. Especially lately. They fought
too easily otherwise. Sipping wine, she chatted with Jayne and kept her eye on
the guys. Brendan, Landry, and Luke by the pool tables in the back of the room,
and Zander and Dom beside her, trading stories like old friends amid the
constant barrage of fans interrupting them for an autograph or a picture. She’d
always appreciated the band’s fans, but pangs of jealousy grew stronger with
each female who fawned over Dom like he was a piece of meat set before a
starving den of lionesses.
He looked uncomfortable
with the attention and kept glancing at her, talking to her, and touching her
shoulder or her hand, and the women rewarded her with dirty looks or cold
disinterest.
She drained her wine.
This really wasn
’t fun.
His big body shifted
until they were torso to torso. He bent low, lips to her ear.
“I’m
sorry. We shouldn’t have come.”
“Why?”
“I wanted to hang out
with your brother and spend time with you. Not all that other stuff.”
“It’s important to be
nice to the fans.”
A grim smile set on his
lips.
“I
love my fans, but I don’t love the women who came over here when I’m obviously
with you, and tried to give me their phone numbers.”
Her jaw clenched at the
reminder.
“I don’t care if baseball is supposed to be a team
sport. I’m not sharing.”
Dom set his beer on the
bar and reached for her glass.
“Dance with me.”
She wouldn
’t
have thought him a dancer, but she wasn’t about to let the chance to touch him
slide away. He linked their hands and led her across the scarred wood to a
darkened corner at the edge of the dance floor.
The bass beat matched the
rhythm of her heart. Dom
’s hands traveled along her back, down to
the waistband of her jeans, then roamed lower, into her back pockets, and
squeezed. The move brought her tighter against him.
Her breath caught. No
doubt about his arousal. Her nipples pebbled into his chest. She gripped his
hair with one hand and traced the line of his shirt collar with the other. His
eyes glazed when her nails scraped his skin.
His lips hovered a few
inches from hers, and they watched each other as their bodies moved in a slow
bump and grind. He kept her close, tucked into the corner, with her back to the
wall.
He was more aggressive
than he
’d
been before. She welcomed his strength and let him lead them where they both
wanted to go. His lips took hers hot and fast; his tongue stroked hers, and
then moved to her neck. She angled her head to give him better access. He
pressed the sensitive spot below her ear and his stubble scraped her skin.
Teeth nipped and the sensation zinged through her nerve endings. He soothed the
spot with his tongue.
“I want you.” His voice
rumbled low in her ear. The words set off a rush of heat. He sounded desperate,
like a junkie waiting for his next fix.
“Yes,” she breathed, then
nipped his earlobe. “Me too.”
A groan vibrated from his
throat. His hands pulled her harder against him, arms banding around her. She
wished they were at the pub in their building, with relief only sixteen stories
away. Enduring any amount of time in a car ride wasn
’t
ideal.
No more fighting the
attraction. She leaned in closer.
“I’ll say good night to
the guys and we can take this someplace private.”
His eyes darkened as her
words registered. One more slide of his jeans against hers weakened her legs.
Then he lowered his arms. Her heart beat wildly and she had trouble catching
her breath. He smoothed her shirt then readjusted his jeans.
“Let’s
go.”
He wrapped his hand
around hers and led her toward the bar.
She scanned past Brendan
and Landry, holding court with a small army of groupies, and spotted Zander
dancing with Jayne on the opposite side of the room, a little too close to be
considered just friendly. But where was Luke?
A thunderous crash
drowned out the music. Loud male voices rang out, one very angry and very
familiar. Dread welled in her stomach.
Luke stood by the pool
table, fists raised.
Not good. Not now. Not
him again.
Leaving with Dom would
have to wait. Muscles tight, she released his hand. She sailed across the room,
heading toward Luke and the biggest, most pissed off biker she
’d
ever seen. What the hell was he doing?
Keep him calm, keep him
calm.
Defuse and distract.
“Luke? Come on,
we’re leaving.”
The singer spared her a
glance, then resumed staring down the biker.
“This asshole took
my game. We were next up.”
“Just let it go.” She
touched his elbow. “Come on.”
“No.”
The biker smirked.
“I
suggest you listen to your little lady.”
Luke edged in closer.
“Fuck
you, dude. Get the hell out of here.”
The biker
’s
gaze turned blazing. “What did you say to me?” He cracked his knuckles and
stepped closer.
“Come on, Luke.” Her
heart hammered. Luke was tall and tough, but the biker was huge. Her peripheral
vision picked out at least five more dressed just like him, matching patches on
their leather jackets.
The biker eyed her with a
stare cold enough to make her shiver. His hand tapped her shoulder and then
pushed hard. She stumbled to the side, right into a waitress carrying a tray
laden with drinks.
They both fell. Glasses
smashed, drinks splattered, and right above her, a fight broke out.