She was so soft and warm and willing. He loved that her touch was both tentative and eager to please. He was going to shower her with so much pleasure, starting the minute she got out of the bathroom that, unlike a certain other person, she’d never want to leave him. Maybe he’d be able to change her mind about dining out too. Room service here was pretty darned good, and that way he could feed her strawberries dipped in champagne, and sup fizz from her navel.
‘Bad,’ Xane chastened himself. That kind of imagery wasn’t going to help him wait patiently. Wanking, even with her watching, had done little to slake his lust. He wanted to get right inside her, lose himself in her soft curves and her heat and forget about everything else. Given they were alone in a hotel room with a
DO NOT DISTURB
sign on the door, that shouldn’t have been proving so hard. Then again, he ought to have realised that it wouldn’t be as simple with her. The fact she was untypical of the girls he usually attracted was half the reason he liked her so much. Any other woman he’d have fucked bandy the previous night and forgotten by now. But then, no other fan had ever shown quite such a genuine interest in him as a person.
Few people ever showed interest in him as a person.
Xane rubbed his jaw and then plonked his arse down on the bed.
It didn’t help that she’d worn his clothes all day. When he’d arrived at her tiny flat to collect her, he’d expected to find her dolled up with a view to enticing him. Instead, she was still sashaying about in his cast-offs as though they were the most comfortable thing on the planet. For some reason that really got to him. He wasn’t used to being associated with comfort. No one ever came to him seeking the sort of hug that made everything better. They went to Rock Giant for that. Mostly, they came to him looking to make money, or else to do naked and depraved things.
Sure, he had talent in all those areas, but it’d be nice if someone occasionally recognised that there was more to him than that. He thought Steve was one of the few people who did. It’d been he and Steve that had formed the band. He and Steve who’d said bollocks to the rules and made their own music, with their own sound. If he’d had to pick one person from around him who was the least likely to abuse his trust, then Steve was the guy on whom he’d have bet his money. All of which apparently proved how fucking little he really knew.
Elspeth, of course, was a different matter. He couldn’t even find it in himself to be surprised at her actions. He’d turned a blind eye to her often selfish behaviour while they’d been together, but deep down he’d always known she’d loved him more for what he could do for her than out of genuine affection.
Yep, not going there, he reminded himself. This jaunt was supposed to be about distancing himself from all that crap, and maybe just maybe finding some perspective.
At some point he was going to have to deal with the band. What that entailed rather depended on what his gut told him after he’d been away from them a while. Despite what he’d been saying to people, he had his doubts about the split. Aspects of the whole situation might suck big time, but that didn’t mean he necessarily wanted to call it quits. Black Halo was what he did. It was pretty much all he knew how to do. Maybe Ash’s suggestion could work, and changing the line-up would be enough to set things right again. Maybe it wouldn’t. Either way, they’d have to figure out where they stood with regards to contracts and future commitments.
Right – he was thinking about legal documents. That wasn’t a good sign.
How long was Dani intending to take? He was good with zips if she needed a hand, although normally he pulled them down, not up.
He supposed he ought to pull on some clothes if she wanted to go for dinner, though his appetite was only for her.
Not that he only wanted her for sex, contrary to blinking Ash’s insinuations. This was not about using her as a crutch. He wasn’t falling back on old habits. Dani just inspired him sexually.
He smiled grimly, imagining Ash’s face when he realised he’d been given the slip. Xane gave him a one-fingered salute for good measure. What the hell did Ash know anyway? He’d never had a relationship that lasted more than five hours, whereas Xane had been looking to the long term most of his life. Admittedly, he wasn’t much cop at it, but the intention was there, and maybe Dani would be the one. He liked her. She didn’t just look at him as if her were a piece of prime steak. Nor was she fixated on his fame or his money.
And no other woman had ever opted to watch him wank, rather than slip his cock between her thighs. Not that he was entirely sure if that was a good thing, given how horny he remained.
Puzzled, he scratched his head.
‘Are you all right in there?’ he called.
‘Yep. Won’t be long.’
She’d already been too long. What was she doing? And why was he forbidden to enter? He’d never been banned from his own bathroom before. Normally he only got barred from super-posh restaurants and the quarterly finance meetings his brother called for Bletchley Holdings.
To avoid slipping into thoughts about his estranged family again, Xane concentrated on picturing Dani’s endless legs. She had this cute way of swaying at the hips when she walked that resulted in a very enticing wiggle.
He scratched his chest as the image morphed to one of her legs wrapped around his waist, and his libido perked up again.
Xane formed his hand around his cock, only to withdraw it straightaway. Wrist action wasn’t going to quell his need. Only the woman on the other side of that door was going to do that. And she’d promised he could have her any way he wanted.
He did want. Like now, preferably, and in a whole variety of poses.
And if she didn’t hurry up, he really was going to pounce on her like some slathering beast the moment she walked out of there, and rip all her clothes off before he’d even had a chance to admire her in them.
‘Hurry it up, Dani. Please.’
Dani spent a full minute with her back to the bathroom door trying to settle her emotions, before she crossed to the wash basin and scrubbed her face. She wasn’t sure she could do this and remain detached, much as it was a very sensible plan. She wanted him too much. He was Xane Geist, for Christ’s fucking sake! Of course she wanted to climb into bed with him and never get out. She’d be there with him now if the skin of her upper thighs and lower back wasn’t marred by rows and rows of neatly tallied lines. She had come here to share some good times with him, not to divulge her past. Nevertheless, the scars existed, each a vivid reminder of why she’d left St Agatha’s and never wanted to go back. Every refusal, every time she’d spoken out of turn, or expressed an in any way normal opinion, it’d been scored indelibly into her psyche. Her whole adolescence was inscribed onto her skin, and, worse, for too many years she’d believed that was normal.
Dani still struggled to act without fear of repercussions. Even now her insides were knotted over the possibility that she’d be found out. Nor did she want Xane to see her sins. She didn’t want anyone seeing them. Couldn’t bear the questions, the looks of pity she’d receive. In Xane’s case it’d be triply bad. Who knew how he’d react to the fact that whole rows of those neat little cuts were because of him.
Once she’d convinced herself that Xane wasn’t about to burst through the door, Dani wedged the waste bin before it as an alarm system, then stripped down to her underwear and rubbed camouflage make-up over the markings. It was clever stuff, film-grade, designed for covering birthmarks and tattoos, and virtually waterproof. Bloody expensive too, hence she only put it on when there was a chance someone might see her undressed.
Scars concealed, Dani shimmied her way into the dress she’d picked out. The hem of the full skirt sat an inch or two above her knee, while the neckline scooped low at the front, making a display of the upper curve of her breasts. Considering the simplicity of the cut, it settled over her body in a particularly flattering way. It certainly emphasised her assets, in addition to giving her an air of sophistication she hadn’t previously felt. Dressed like this, with her hair in an up-do, maybe she wouldn’t be recognised. She didn’t look or feel like herself.
Xane rapped his knuckles against the door. ‘Are you ever coming out of there?’
‘I’m ready,’ Dani announced, giving herself a last once-over in the mirror before she stepped back into the bedroom. ‘What do you think?’
She expected to find Xane still lying naked on the bed, but he’d dressed. He wore a deep-dyed black shirt tucked into a pair of perfectly tailored trousers. Dani made a second sweep of his face, to ascertain it was actually him. The abundance of silver jewellery and his cascade of shiny black hair confirmed it. Dani’s fingers curled with the urge to run her fingers through that rakish sweep. She smiled. ‘I didn’t know you owned a shirt.’ Let alone one made of silk and so obviously handmade. ‘You look … wow! Kind of amazing, in fact.’
He chuckled at the compliment. ‘You look pretty good yourself.’ He made a motion with his hand, indicating she should turn.
Dani performed a pirouette.
‘Very, very nice.’ He held out his hand to her. ‘Of course, it just makes me want to unzip you.’
‘Do you ever think of anything besides sex?’
‘Only when I’m thinking about music.’
‘Ah.’ She pressed her index finger across her lips. ‘And you don’t want to go there right now, am I right?’
‘Hm,’ he dipped his head to one side. ‘I reckon you might inspire a song or two.’
‘Flatterer.’
‘Let’s go to bed.’
She shook her head. ‘I’m all dressed up. Let’s eat.’
* * *
Xane took her to a friendly bijou restaurant overlooking the shore that specialised in serving fresh local produce. Dani spotted a photograph of him behind the bar with his arms around two scantily clad ladies. ‘We’re not going to keep tripping over your exes, are we?’ she ribbed him gently, as they sauntered along the seafront after the meal. She felt more relaxed away from the hotel room, without the spectre of nakedness looming over her, despite the increased risk of being spotted. Although, seriously, how many people of her acquaintance were likely to be hanging out in Monte Carlo at night? ‘You don’t have to pretend you’re some kind of saint. I realise you’ve probably bedded enough women to fill a stadium.’
‘Perhaps not quite that many, but there’ve been a few,’ Xane admitted. He squeezed her hand. ‘I’m not Ash, though. I don’t hump everything that offers.’
‘Ooh, selective.’ She laughed, giggly after two bottles of wine.
‘I selected you, didn’t I?’ He grabbed her from behind and entwined his arms around her waist in order to swing her in a circle. ‘And how many partners have you had? Less than I can count on one hand?’
‘I’m ultra, ultra selective.’ Dani looped her hands behind his neck, letting him know she’d chosen him, before she tugged him down so that their lips met. Every time he kissed her, it fired up her blood to near boiling point. Maybe this wouldn’t and couldn’t last, given who he was and how their lives were worlds apart, but for now Xane Geist was hers and she was enjoying it.
Funny how, earlier, she’d been worried about getting her heart bruised, while now her libido had taken charge she was more concerned with making use of Xane’s extraordinary talents. After all, she thought, wondering if she was channelling Ginny, what was the point in having a rock star if you weren’t going to rock out with him?
Xane hugged her close to his chest. He kissed her slowly, waltzing his tongue against hers until she was jelly-legged and breathless. ‘I want you,’ he whispered into her ear. ‘I want to possess you until we both ache too much to move. I want to suck you, lick you. I want your hands all over my body, and to hear you screaming out my name as you beg for more. I’d like to see you tied up while naked, and so aroused that you come even while you’re fighting to restrain yourself.’
‘Yeah? That’s a lot of things.’ She couldn’t keep the stupid smirk off her face. ‘Shouldn’t we get back to the hotel? We’ll get arrested if we try any of that out here.’
‘Hm,’ he agreed, though he seemed to be more focused on seating her bottom against his loins than on walking anywhere. ‘Then again it seems such a shame to waste such a beautiful night.’
Shocked, Dani strained her neck trying to catch a glimpse of his face to work out whether he was being serious. Surely he was as keen as she on maintaining a low profile. However, judging by the way his burgeoning erection kept on stroking along the crease of her bottom, he was prepared to overlook that if it meant getting her closer a little sooner.
‘Xane, we can’t. Not here. We’re too exposed.’ The palm tree they stood beneath offered a few paltry shadows, nothing deep enough to hide one person in, let alone two.
‘Can’t?’ His mouth lingered over her pulse point. ‘Didn’t anybody ever tell you there’s no such thing?’
He hugged her closer, so that the sweet scent of his aftershave mingled with her perfume. She couldn’t help succumbing to his will. It might be asking for trouble allowing his hands to wander all over her body in a public place, but she couldn’t deny there was a certain satisfaction in it too. It was like he was stamping his mark all over her, proclaiming her as his, to anyone who happened by. Thankfully, there wasn’t another soul in sight.
To their right white boats bobbed up and down in their moorings, while to the fore the ocean stretched out like a vast jewelled blanket. Only from the rear could anyone approach on foot, and they’d hear whoever was coming long before they were close.
‘Ever done it out of doors before?’
‘Never.’
‘What about indoors?’
‘I’m not a virgin.’
‘I just thought I’d better check.’ He drew closer so there was no space between them and her legs became so tangled around his that she had to brace herself against the railings to stop herself falling. His hands roved over the front of her dress to cradle the swell of her breasts.
Dani’s pulse raced. If they were seen …
‘It’ll look like we’re hugging one another.’ Xane put a hand beneath her skirt, and proceeded to tickle the space between her stocking top and the leg of her panties.