Forbidden Ballad - Rock My World (20 page)

I’m hanging on her every word.

“They began to argue and Walker said you were back together.”

“That lying shit!” I exclaim, jumping up.

“It’s not true?”

“No, it’s not true!” I cry, pulling a robe on over my slip. “What did Leo do?”

“He got really upset, said some nasty things and then left. Like I said, I was trying not to listen but it was hard not to.”

“I need to go!”

I rush out of my room in my bare feet, not sure what I’m doing. Something about the fact that Walker stopped Leo and lied to him. I keep picturing Leo with flowers, and I don’t know why but I suddenly need to see Leo, I need to talk to him. Because once I saw Walker outside my dressing room, I realized that it was Leo I wanted, faults and all. Walker had intentionally hurt me, had intentionally been deceitful behind my back. The only crime Leo had committed was being himself.

And while I didn’t like what Leo did, or the way he handled the situation, he came clean and explained his reasoning. Was it my job to judge Leo? Could I live with the way he handled getting Skyler pregnant? And the truth was, yes I could live with it. I would rather help Leo through this and be supportive, than to not have Leo in my life at all. I didn’t care if anyone understood or not; I had fallen for Leo, and I accepted him faults and all.

“Leo!” I cry out, as I turn and make my way towards his dressing room. I hurry around the corner and nearly run into Jacie.

“Jacie, have you seen Leo?”

She gives me a hard look. Crap.

“Please, it’s important. I need to speak to him. There’s been a misunderstanding.”

“I don’t know if he wants to see you,” she says honestly.

“Jacie, please!”

“He went that way,” she points towards the stage.

I hurry towards the stage and slip through the wings. The curtains are drawn, even though I know the audience hasn’t been let in yet.

“Leo!” I exclaim when I see him with his back to me. He’s fiddling with the piano on stage.

He turns around, and his face shocks me. He looks defeated, a look I’ve never seen on him before. And I swear his eyes are wet, but I’m not close enough to tell for sure.

“What do you want?” he asks gruffly and I can see his guard is up.

“Leo, I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you that it doesn’t matter about Skyler. We can deal with it together. And Walker is a damn liar! Mae Li told me that he said we were back together. I’ve been telling him to get lost since last night,” I growl.

I see a glimmer of hope flicker across his face, but then he replaces it with a mask of indifference.

“And I should believe you?” he asks coldly.

I wasn’t expecting this.

“Yes, you should believe me! When have I ever lied to you?” I demand. This catches him off guard. “I’m standing here telling you that I’m falling for you and I want nothing to do with Walker. Nothing happened between Walker and I.”

Leo cracks. “Really?” he asks hopefully.

“Yes, really.”

In three long strides, Leo is facing me, and then he pulls me roughly to him, tilting my head as he crushes his lips to mine.

“Carly,” he gasps, kissing me hard.

I match his own passion, my skin burning from where he touches me and I can’t get enough of him, can’t get close enough.

“I’m sorry I screwed up so badly. I should have been honest with you. I was such an ass.”

“Please don’t apologize you. Please just promise me that you’ll be upfront with everything from now on, even if you think it will upset me.”

“Promise.”

I kiss him again, softer now, the passion waning as our kiss turns more sensual. It’s only been a few days but I feel like we’re making up for lost time.

I pull away and look at Leo.

“I think tonight’s the night,” I say coyly, smiling at him.

He blinks, not following me. Then comprehension dawns on him.

“Oh!”

“I have to finish getting ready for the show, but why don’t you come to my bus afterwards.”

He raises his eyebrows and pulls me back towards him. He’s so sexy that I can barely breathe.

“It’s a date,” he murmurs.

I giggle and break away before hurrying off to finish getting ready for the night’s performance.

~~~

The show passes more quickly and I feel even more comfortable on stage tonight. Mark pulled me aside afterwards and said that the record label wanted to sign me as a solo artist. It was more than I could even comprehend and he laughed, saying we would get down to business once the tour wrapped up.

I thought of nothing but Leo as I hurried back to the dressing room and grabbed my things. Once back on my bus, I showered and scrubbed off my stage makeup. I had no sexy lingerie, nothing that seemed appropriate to wear. Instead, I choose my favorite turquoise bra and panties set and threw on a simple white t-shirt and little black shorts. That would have to do.

I fretted over blow drying my hair and applying more makeup, and I compromised on blowing my hair out a bit, and applying just a touch of blush, gloss and mascara. I was so nervous that I felt like a virgin all over again. My stomach was filled with butterflies, and while I knew that I should eat something, I could barely stomach more than a few sips of Ginger Ale.

It had been so long since I had been with anyone but Walker. I had known everything about Walker; the way he smelled, the way he moved, the way his back seamlessly curved into his shoulders and the small mole that was on the back of his hip. I knew the way his tongue felt against my body, and I knew how he fit inside of me. We had reached what I had thought was every level of intimacy.

And while Leo and I had been intimate in almost all ways but one, I was still terrified. What if Leo thought I was bad? Or what if he compared me to the countless number of women he had bedded?

And would I compare him to Walker? Already, my intimate moments with Leo far exceeded anything I had known with Walker. And before Walker wasn’t even worth mentioning. I had had two boyfriends before Walker while I still lived in Baltimore, and I was only eighteen at the time, and those experiences were nothing more than a girl learning about her sexuality.

This night with Leo seemed like it was the culmination of all our time together, as well as the beginning of something bigger. I had given myself to Leo, but not all of myself. Now I was giving Leo everything. And I wasn’t just giving myself physically; I was giving myself emotionally, because I still hadn’t been completely unguarded with him.

A knock at the door makes me jump nearly a foot in the air, and I try to calm myself before pulling the door open.

Leo stands there on the street, leaning against the bus, looking effortlessly gorgeous. He too appears to be freshly showered, and he’s dressed in black jeans and a gray t-shirt. His hair is still wet and it looks even darker than normal. His eyes look deep green tonight and again I marvel at how they seem to change colors.

“May I come in?” he asks, giving me a sexy grin.

I nod, momentarily speechless, as I hold the door open. He steps up into the bus and his eyes move greedily over me.

“I didn’t really dress up,” I whisper.

“You look good enough to eat,” he manages to say, and I feel a swell of relief. Why did I care about what I was wearing? And let’s be honest, Leo is more interested in getting my clothes
off
.

“Can I get you something to drink?” I ask, moving towards the pantry. I had managed to find some time to stock my kitchen this morning.

“Carly, you are killing me in those shorts,” he moans, and I turn around to see him eyeing my backside. “Your ass is practically hanging out!”

“They’re just lounge shorts,” I say somewhat defensively, but then turn back to the cabinets and grin.

“I’ll take a beer, if you have it.”

I pull out a beer and hand it to him, before opening a bottle of Riesling and pouring myself a glass.

Leo and I sit at the table and quietly sip our drinks.

“You kicked ass again tonight,” he says, breaking the silence. I think that we are both nervous and I’m shocked that Leo might be suffering from nerves.

“Thanks. I still can’t believe I’ve had this opportunity.”

I take a long sip of my wine and do something that is out of character for me. I stand up and sit on Leo’s lap.

“Mmmmm,” he murmurs, burying his head in my hair and inhaling deeply. “I could get used to this.”

I take another sip of wine, place my glass down and wrap my arms around his neck.

“I’m sick of waiting Leo,” I say softly, “Take me to bed.”

His eyes widen and then he quickly places his beer down. “You don’t have to ask me twice.”

He scoops me up like a baby doll, which makes me laugh and then he effortlessly carries me back to the bedroom.

I run my hands along his defined biceps. “I guess those sessions with your trainer really paid off,” I joke.

His eyes smolder as he lays me down on the bed, and I sit up, taking in his handsome body. He sits beside me on the edge of the bed and I turn my body to him. We move towards each other at the same time and our lips seek out one another. The kiss isn’t rushed or urgent this time; we know what’s coming and we have all night.

We kiss softly, tasting each other and I run my tongue along the ridges of his teeth. Leo’s hands knot in my hair, and he gently tugs his fingers through it, as he sweeps it to one side of my shoulder. His hand caresses my neck, and then traces small circles around my collarbone; all while his pillowy soft lips work against mine.

My own hands knot in the back of his hair, tugging gently, and I can feel his excitement as his hands travel down to my bare things. He runs his hands along my skin, leaving goosebumps in his wake, and I scoot closer to him before he pulls us both down on the bed.

Leo climbs on top of me, and I easily slide beneath him. Our kiss intensifies, though we both remain clothed. Leo makes the first move, pulling his shirt up over his head before tossing it carelessly on the floor.

I wiggle beneath him, wrapping my thighs around him, and Leo’s hands move higher up my thighs, his fingers slipping beneath the hem of my shorts. He runs his palm along my behind, before his fingers find the lacy edges of my thong. He toys with my thong inside my shorts, but doesn’t make any move to remove either.

I run my hands along his bare chest, feeling his solid muscles. His flesh is warm and smooth, and I moan softly, knowing soon that Leo’s skin will be pressed against mine, no more barriers, no more waiting.

My fingers glide to his biceps, feeling the sinewy muscles beneath his skin and I grip him tightly, my fingers digging into him with my obvious need.

Leo kisses me harder in response, and his hands fumble under my shirt, pushing it up over my chest. I lean forward, and Leo yanks my shirt over my head and stops to gaze at my chest. I look down and try to picture what he sees through his own eyes. My breasts are pushed high in my bra, my cleavage full and plentiful and Leo makes a sound deep in his throat, before he drags his tongue through the crevice of my two breasts.

He leaves a warm trail, and ever so smoothly, he slips one finger into each of the cups, and pops my nipples out. My breasts spill over my bra and Leo’s mouth moves to one and then the next, taking my tender nipple into his mouth and teasing it between his teeth until they both harden into ripe peaks.

The sensation travels directly to my groin and this time I don’t hold back as I cry out wantonly, bucking against Leo’s hips. I feel Leo smile against my nipples and that only turns me on more. He deftly reaches behind my back and pops the clasp of my bra open. I scramble to pull it off and once I’m free of it, Leo’s hands and mouth are everywhere, each of my breasts getting equal attention.

My skin is literally on fire, and I toss my head from side to side as I feel the wetness seep through my panties. Leo has me completely under his power, and I somehow know with all of my being that sex isn’t always like this; we’re connecting on some kind of primal level that only few people ever experience.

Just when I think I might come from the nipple play, Leo stops, as if he senses it himself. I take advantage of his pausing, and lean up eagerly, hungrily unfastening his jeans, and trying to tug them down his legs. He grins a salacious smile and helps me. I nearly cry with joy when I see that he has opted to go commando tonight. His glorious member springs from his pants, pointing to the ceiling, a clear indication of Leo’s desire for me.

I feel sexier than I’ve ever felt, and bolder than I’ve known. I take Leo’s throbbing cock into my hands and feel the weight of him. My body sings for him, and I’m nearly knocked over by the intense wave of desire I feel for him.

Emotion overcomes me. “Leo,” I choke, before taking him into my mouth.

“Christ!” he gasps as I lick him. I pull off, and gently push him on his back. I want to make him feel good.

I
desperately
want to make him feel good.

I want to thank him for helping me discover who I can be around him. For making me realize that I’m a better person because of him, and to make it clear that I accept him flaws and all.