Joy Ride (32 page)

Emma blew out a breath. “Okay, then. Let’s go. I guess.”

Her legs were trembling as they approached the back door, and Annie pressed the buzzer. The door opened and music blasted out at them at a very high decibel. Her friend shouted their names to the guy in jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt, and he checked his list.

“Oh, yeah.” He grinned and shouted back. “Ron’s cousin. Sure. Come on in. But I warn you, it’s packed.”

“That’s okay,” Annie told him. “We’re used to it.”

Emma couldn’t make herself move, but Annie grabbed her hand and pulled her into the club.

The Rock Den was larger than Aftershock but no less jammed. Again Emma realized there were very few booths, mostly a huge dance floor crowded with people watching the band and moving to the music.

“I don’t think we can get to the bar for a drink,” Annie yelled in her ear.

“That’s okay. I couldn’t swallow anyway.”

They were right at the edge of the stage and her gaze was focused on Marc, caught up as usual in his music, doing a bass solo that reverberated through her entire body. She’d wondered if her feelings for him would have lessened, if the humiliation and pain would have blotted everything away. But the moment she saw him, she was struck with an emotion so strong it stole her breath.

Around her, people stamped their feet and gyrated, the energy so high octane it was almost visible. Emma blocked out the rest of the band, watching only Marc until the song ended. The applause was deafening.

She saw Rick’s gaze land on her, his eyes widened, and he nudged Marc. The minute he spotted her, the familiar heat and electricity rushed through her with a force that made her weak. They stared at each other for a long time, while she tried desperately to read the expression on his face, but the shifting lights made it nearly impossible. Then Rick nudged him again, Marc whispered something to him, and he nodded and spoke to the other two members of the band.

In the next instant, a wailing intro flowed out from the lead guitar, almost insubstantial in the air without the other instruments. Emma waited for Danny, the lead singer to step up to the microphone, but instead it was Marc who moved forward to the mic on the stand in front of him. His deep bass voice blended perfectly with the mournful sound of the guitar. He looked straight at her, his arm outstretched, his hand pointing in her direction.

“
There she is, Music Lady
…”

One long underscoring note on the bass.

“
All I want, all I need. Music Lady
…”

Another long, resonating note.

Emma felt as if her entire body had turned inside out and chills raced through her. Music Lady! He was singing about her and the words were pure poetry, about a love like no other. Strong. Forever. A forever love. He was singing a love song for her!

Ohmigod!

She clutched Annie’s hand, squeezing it.

“…
And lives in my heart forever, Music Ladyyyyyy
.”

Her own heart cracked and swelled, packed with all the emotion she had guarded so carefully. The words poured out to her so powerfully they reached every corner of her being.

Then the tap, tap, tap percussive staccato of the drums, the harmony from the lead singer and finally the full-bodied bottom of the bass. As the full crashing sound of the song exploded, Marc’s body began to move with it as he usually did. The song reminded Emma of Eric Clapton’s original version of
Layla
in its heavy sound and power and intensity. She stood completely immobile the entire time the song played, enraptured, until the final notes blasted out into the air and died away. When it was finished she was weak, unsure if she could keep standing. The applause was deafening and sustained. People whistled and shouted.

Vaguely she heard Rick say, “Thank you. We’ll be back in a few.”

Annie was shaking her arm to get her attention, pulling her back to earth. “Here comes Marc.”

And then he was there. Right in front of her. The heat in his gaze burned into her, searing her soul. People were trying to talk to him, sliding curious glances at her at the same time, but he ignored them all.

“You came.”

She nodded, staring up at him. “I did.”

“We need to get out of here.”

“Hi!” Annie interjected. “I’m Annie. Remember me?”

“Yeah, sure.” But he didn’t stop staring at Emma’s face.

“Uh, just so you know, I drove her,” Annie told him. “She doesn’t have her car with her so if I leave, she’s got no ride home.”

“I got it covered,” Marc said, already moving Emma toward the back door.

Emma was hit with a sudden case of nerves.

What’s going to happen? What will he say? Will he listen to me? Will he—shut up, Emma. You came here to do something. Give it a chance. Let him know you’ve finished growing up and you want a life with him. In his world.

The guy with the clipboard smiled at them and swung the door open. “Fifteen minutes,” he reminded Marc.

“Got it.”

Marc had a firm grip on her elbow as he walked them to the farthest corner of the lot, away from the smokers and the direct beam of the parking lot lights. When they stopped, he turned her to face him, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her as if he’d never stop. His tongue was a living flame, sweeping every surface, sliding across her own small one, sucking it into his mouth. His fingers threaded through her hair as his hands cupped her head, moving it this way and that to give himself a better angle. When he pressed his body against hers, she could feel the hard thickness of his erection even through two layers of clothing.

They stopped only to drag air into oxygen-deprived lungs but he never let go of her, fingers curved around her skull and holding it so he could look directly into her eyes.

She tried to read his face but he was doing a good job of keeping it blank. Damn!

At last he spoke. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”

“I wasn’t sure I
wanted
to see you again.”

“I figured.” He brushed his thumbs along her cheekbones. “What changed your mind?”

She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. “My friend Annie told me I’d probably break both legs jumping to conclusions, that I needed to quit running away from things and should have given you a chance to explain.”

That special Marc smile curved his lips. “Remind me to send Annie a dozen roses.”

“She also said if I cared for you, I needed to talk to you.”

His dark irises were like lasers boring into her. “And do you? Care for me, Music Lady?”

“Y-Yes.” She wet her lips. “I-I do. Guitar Man.”

“Good. Because I care for you, too.” He looked at her as if he wanted to see every thought running around in her head. “I love you, ML. I want a life with you. A home. Kids.” He grinned. “Breakfast. You stole my heart and I never want it back.”

Relief swept through her. She hadn’t blown it after all. But she sure as hell had probably run out of chances. “I’ll do my best to take good care of it.” Her voice was shaky. “You wrote the song for me.” She hardly believed it.

“My heart was breaking.” His expression was pained. “I had to do something. I made the band rehearse it so if you ever showed up we could play it.”

Her heart was beating so hard she could hear it hammering against her ribs. “I love it.”

“I love
you
.” He kissed her again, long and deeply, as if he’d never get enough of the taste of her. “If you believe nothing else, believe that. Take a leap of faith, ML.”

This was it. Fish or cut bait. She wanted what he was offering more than she wanted her next heartbeat. And she hoped that he could accept the blending of her two personalities—Emma and ML.

Do it, Emma. It’s now or never
.

She let out a slow breath. “Okay.”

“But before anything else I want to clear up last Sunday night. Don’t say anything until I finish. Okay?”

Emma nodded, shoving her hands in the pockets of her jeans.

Pacing back and forth in front of her, raking his hands through his hair every so often, he told her everything, going all the way back to the first time he’d met Lacey and how she’d put the moves on him. And his rejection of her.

“I’m no saint,” he said. “I’ve certainly been with other women. But I’ve always stayed away from groupies like Lacey. They just aren’t my style. I’m not sure if she actually wanted to be with me Sunday night or if she just saw a way to get back at me by hurting you.” He came to a stop in front of Emma and looked hard into her eyes. “So. Do you believe me? Please?”

She took her hands from her pockets and wound her arms around his neck. “After listening to that song you wrote, how could I not? No one could write those words and sing them the way you did without meaning them.” She lifted on her toes and brushed her mouth over his. “Besides, Annie pointed out to me exactly how stupid I was being. That if I cared for you and had half a brain, I had to at least listen to your explanation.”

He chuckled softly. “”Maybe I should make that
two
dozen roses.” His gaze locked with hers. “You’ll come home with me?”

She laughed nervously. “Well, yes. I guess you’re my ride. Besides, this isn’t a very good place to talk.”

“No, but then we’ll have all night.”

At the thought her entire body trembled.

***

The energy in the Jeep was so intense during the drive to Marc’s house, Emma thought she could actually touch it. Emotional energy. Sexual energy. The power of it vibrated in the enclosed space. They didn’t talk, didn’t say a word to each other but every few moments, Marc reached over for her hand and squeezed it. Emma’s body was a volatile cocktail of anxiety and sexual awareness.

I am so far out of my element here
.

Then she thought,
but I don’t have to be
.

When they reached Marc’s home, he took her hand again as they walked up to the porch and he unlocked the door, pushing it open and tugging her through it. He flipped the switch, turning on the table lamp and a warm glow bathed the room. Emma stood there, tense, anxious again, until Marc turned her to face him. He studied her for so long all the doubts began creeping back.

“What?’ she asked, wondering what was going through his mind.

“I thought I’d never see you again.” His voice was thick with emotion. “I just want to look my fill.”

Then he kissed her, slow and sweet, heated with the underlying passion but also packed with enormous emotion.

His arms tightened around her and he pulled her into his body. “I’ve never said this to you before tonight, but I need to say it again now. I don’t even know your name or as much about you as I plan to but I love you, ML. I’ve never said that to anyone else. And I can wait for you to say it to me when you’re ready.”

Wasn’t she ready now? She opened her mouth but somehow the words wouldn’t come. She’d said them to Andrew but so matter-of-factly she wondered now why she’d bothered. This was so much more. This was…everything.

Suddenly she felt lighter than air, as if a burden she’d been lugging around had been lifted and tossed away. With Marc, she could face anyone or anything because he made her whole. His love was the nourishment that fed her.

“Not only do I love you. I adore you. My heart belongs to you, Guitar Man. So does my soul.”

Heat darkened his eyes and he kissed her with intense passion that seared her to the soles of her feet. Every nerve fired, every pulse point throbbed, her sex dampened in anticipation of him and her breasts ached for his touch. She fit so well against his muscular body, the hard ridge of his cock pressing into her mound and the soft flesh of her tummy. Oh, God, she wanted him. Wanted him badly.

When he broke the kiss they were both breathless, dragging air into their lungs. Emma stroked his cheek, faint stubble just now rasping the skin.

“I read about the band on the Internet. I can’t wait to hear all the details about what’s happening. I’m really excited for you.”

“Later. First I want to tell you again how much you mean to me. How special you are and always will be.” He brushed his mouth against her. “Since I’ve been with you my music is stronger, my life is brighter. I look forward to getting up every day because the night might be one where you would come to the club.” His body tensed. “Damn it, ML. I was so afraid it had all gone to hell, I was sick over it.”

“Me, too.” She nipped his jaw. “I don’t think I’ve ever cried that much in my life.” She raised her eyes to his. “I want you to understand I grew up with everything very rigidly defined for me. There were expectations, and I didn’t dare not live up to them. Until….”

“Until?” he prompted.

“Until an old friend came through town and I realized how dull my life really was. I had a dead-end job and a dead-end boyfriend and the only people who were happy were him and my parents. I wanted more. That’s how I ended up at Aftershock the first night.” She shook her head. “That was the boldest thing I’d ever done. And it scared me. Can you understand that?”

He took her hands in his. “Yes, now that I know you better. You were driving on a highway with no roadmap.”

“Exactly. Not telling you my name was my safety net. If it all fell apart I could run back to being who and what I was before and you’d never find me. I could pretend none of it ever happened.”

“But it did happen.” He lifted her hands and kissed her knuckle.

“Yes, it certainly did.” She smiled at him. “I didn’t know I’d meet the man who’d steal my heart and make my body sing. Who could teach me the wonders of making love with someone who really cares, and who loves giving pleasure as much as getting it.”

“I always want to pleasure you.” He trailed kisses across one cheek. “You’re so beautiful, and you taste like heaven. When you’re not with me I dream about kissing you, about holding your breasts in my hands. About drinking your essence and feeling myself inside you, all tight and wet and hot.”

She shivered as desire coursed through her. “I…think of us naked in the shower.” Heat crept up her cheeks. “You know I’ve never done that with anyone else.”

“Yes, and I’m damn glad.” His hands slipped down her back to cup her ass. “We’ll take a lot of showers together from now on, Count on it.”