Groupie Love (A Rock Star Romance) (Love in Shades) (6 page)

Chapter 13

Everson

Raucous laughter erupts down on the beach just outside of the studio window.

I like to party just as much as the next guy, but we have a six-week deadline on the horizon to have this album completed
and
we have a country-wide tour to rehearse for. My band mates know this. Still they’re living it up by the bonfire without a care in the world. If I have to share my royalty checks with those skives, then they’re going to have to share the hard work as well.

I throw open the screen door and make my way across the sand. Kid is the center of attention as usual. His arms are around the waist of a slim blond and they’re swaying playfully while Razor provides a tune with his guitar. The blond seems to be showing Kid some dance move or other. She whirls around laughing and that’s when I realize that it’s Julia.

My heart picks up its pace and my eyes immediately dart around the crowd looking for Mackenzie. After a few moments of scanning the group, I spot her sitting on the sand, huddled next to Willow, a dark bottle of beer in her hand. Her hair blows in the wind and she brushes it back in one elegant movement.

So pretty…

All thoughts of Tasha’s threats and our album deadline float away and all I can think about is being near Mackenzie again, smelling her skin, hearing her laugh. My cock starts to harden at the idea.

“Everson!” Claudie calls out to me as I approach the group, my hands buried deep into the front pockets of my low-hanging jeans.

“Well if it isn’t Romeo himself,” Razor jokes. “Thought you said you couldn’t hang out tonight,” he says, his gaze darting over to gauge Mackenzie’s reaction.

Her eyes are wide as she stares at me. She fidgets with the bottle in her hands. “I’m just dropping in to say ‘hi’,” I mutter unable to take my eyes off of that dark-haired girl.

“Hey,” she mutters so quietly that it’s barely audible as I sink to the sand beside her.

All eyes are on us. I can feel it. Everyone’s watching to see how we’ll respond to each other. But I don’t care what anyone else is thinking. I just need to be next to her. She’s fucking intoxicating.

“How ya doing, Babes?” I smile at her and brush a lock of hair out of her face.

When my skin makes contact with hers, she tremors and drops her bottle, beer spilling into the sand at her bare feet. Her face is flushed, her breathing short. “Water.”

“What?” I give her a perplexed look.

“Water,” she croaks out. “I need water.”

Before I can respond, she’s already on her feet, halfway back to the house. Willow throws open the cooler sitting on the sand beside her. “Mac – we’ve got water out here,” she calls out brandishing a bottle of h
2
o in the air.

Julia chuckles. “I have no idea who that girl is. The Mackenzie I know is a sassy, little firecracker. I’ve never seen her like
this
– tongue-tied and flustered. You really have an effect on my friend, Coal.” She throws a wink my way.

“Haha – the feeling is obviously mutual,” Razor says, dipping his stick into the fire to roast a marshmallow. “Because I’ve never seen Everson, the lady-killer, so messed up over a girl. Not even Tasha.”

Ugh – why’d he have to mention her name?

“Tasha? Who’s Tasha?” Julia asks. I can almost see her ears perk up at the mention of my ex.

“Nobody,” I grumble, shooting Razor a look that says ‘shut the hell up’ as I stand and dust the sand off of my pants.

But Claudie chimes in. “Tasha is his ex-girlfriend. If you see that evil bitch lurking around here, you call me immediately. I owe her a good beat down.”

“Would you guys drop it?” I scowl at my sister and Razor in turn. “I’m gonna go check on Mackenzie…make sure she, uh…found a glass…y’know, for her water.” My excuse is lame, but I’m sticking with it.

“Yeah, yeah,” Kid calls after me as I head back to the house.

I find Mackenzie leaning against the sink, taking deep gulps of water from a tall glass. She doesn’t acknowledge me when I walk into the room, but her body language lets me know that she is
very
aware of me. Her nipples tighten against the thin fabric of her t-shirt. Her breathing pattern changes.

I say the first thing that comes to my mind. “Is, uh, is that glass big enough?”

You, todger! Is that the best you can do?

She nods as her tongue darts out and greedily licks a drop of water from her bottom lip. My cock twitches.
Is she trying to kill me?

“Yeah…” She looks timid as she brushes the back of her hand across her mouth, wiping away the moisture there.

I lean against the sink next to her. “So, did you take some time to reconsider my request?”

Her eyebrows furrow as she looks at me. “Your request?”

“Still wanna take you to dinner.”
I wanna
have you
for dinner, but that’s a whole different discussion.

She laughs softly as she turns towards the faucet to fill her glass again from the tap. A blush covers her cheeks, all the way down her neck and into her supple cleavage. What I would give to just rip off her shirt right this minute and set those beautiful babies free.

She glances at me over your shoulder. “I can’t believe you’re still trying to get into my pants. Didn’t you find a groupie to hook up with last night and make you forget all about me?”

She brings the glass to her lips and I watch captivated as the water works its way down her delicate throat. “Not a chance.” My voice comes out low and raspy.

I’m so into her. I hate that she doesn’t realize it.

I’m a rock star. I usually don’t care about people’s opinions of me. But for some reason, this girl, I care what she thinks. I don’t want her to chalk me up as some bad boy musician who just wants to get in her pants. I
dig
her, as the Americans say, and I want her to know that.

“I didn’t bring anyone home with me last night, Mackenzie.” I want to tell her that my bed is now reserved for her, but I think that might be a bit too much.

Hunger flashes in her eyes, so fast I almost missed it – fuck, she wants me, too. But then, her mask slips right back into place. “Ha – don’t lie, Everson. It brings on stress lines and premature aging,” she jokes, her delicate nose flaring slightly as she fights the urge to grin. She turns to refill her glass for a third drink of water.

Play it cool, mate. Play it cool…

She steals a peek at me over her shoulder, lips wet and swollen. My poor cock throbs against my zipper.

Fuck playing it cool.

I go up behind her and press my body into hers. Her movements still, her breathing stops completely. But she makes no effort to push me away.

I press my lips to the warm flesh behind her ear. “Come on, Mackenzie. You know you want to.” I suck lightly on her skin, my lips travelling from her earlobe, down her throat to the nape of her neck.

“Umm,” she gasps involuntarily. The glass slips from her hands and falls into the sink, cracked in two.

She pulls away and turns to face me. “I’m sorry,” she mutters, glancing back at the shards in the sink.

I crook my finger and direct her face back towards me. “No worries,” I grumble, entranced by the softness in her eyes, the plumpness of her mouth.

My lips seal over hers, desperate to relive all the sensations she provoked in me when I kissed her last night. I pull her flesh between my teeth and suck lightly. She makes a little whimpering sound and my cock stands at attention. I move closer to her, trapping her between the sink and my growing erection. Her mouth parts willingly and my greedy tongue darts inside.

Her hands fist the waist of my shorts and she pulls my body closer. The only thing separating her skin from mine is her annoying little t-shirt. I ask myself if I’d get away with ripping it off of her right here in my kitchen. I quickly decide against it; anyone could walk in on us.

Instead, I slide my hands down her back and squeeze that supple ass as our lips find a rhythm, dancing together.

I die a little when she suddenly pulls away.

“I have to focus on my dancing,” she says breathlessly.

“And I have to focus on my album. What does any of that have to do with this?” I gesture to the small space between us.

She has nothing for me. No response.

My hands go to her hips, drawing her closer to me. I trace my fingers up her spine and she quivers, tiny goose bumps rising along her skin. Her fingernails dig into the flesh of my back as she tries desperately to remain in control of her actions. I love that she’s so reactive to me.

“Everson…” she says softly. “My friends are probably worried about me. I should go.”

It’s a pathetic excuse.

I laugh slightly. “You’re friends aren’t worried about you at all. They know you’re with me and they saw our chemistry last night. Everyone saw it.”

Lust flickers in her eyes when I say it. I touch my lips to hers again.

“You –“ I point my chin towards her “—belong in there.” I tip my head in the direction of the open door of the guest bedroom. I’m grinning wide.

“I bet,” she says rolling her eyes dramatically.

I chuckle at her reaction. It’s cute. She’s cute. My lips meet hers again and this time, her hands travel up and down my back before clasping at my waist. I let my hands roam under the hem of her t-shirt, allowing myself to luxuriate in the softness of her skin, the warmth of her body. I hold her tight and let myself get lost in the kisses, in the caresses, in all that she’s giving me.

“Get a room.”

Mackenzie pulls away so quickly that she stumbles against the sink. I glance past her shoulder and see Razor bopping through the kitchen with a very eager-looking, purple-haired girl on his arm. He tosses me an irreverent wink as they disappear out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

I’m quick to draw my attention back to the pretty girl in front of me. Her hair is a mess, her eyes are hooded, her lips are red and swollen. “So…”

She looks up at me from under her lashes. “So…”

“Shall we?” I ask, only half-joking as I motion with my chin towards guest bedroom again.

She laughs. It’s a carefree and beautiful sound. “No – we shall not!” She pulls her fingers through her disheveled hair and edges around me. “That kiss – that was a momentary lapse in judgment.”

“Oh really?” I challenge.

Her face turns earnest as she looks up at me. “Really.”

“And what about the kiss last night, Babes?” I smirk at her. I
really
love the way her cheeks redden every time I refer to her as my ‘Babes’.
I should call her that more often
.

“That? You ambushed me. With your lips. I had no say in the matter.” The innocent act is adorable but she’s not fooling me.

I step close to her and interlace her fingers with mine as my lips drop to her ear. “It’s a crime, you know.”

She looks at me, confusion on her brow. “What?”

“You denying us something that we both want so bad…We’re both suffering, Babes. Show some mercy.” She laughs. My eyes stay on her as my tongue slips slowly between her lips. “Give me that pussy, Mackenzie. Admit that you’re mine.”

She swallows hard before she eases away from me, and despite the longing in her eyes, she pulls her hand from my grasp. She spins towards the door. “Focus on your album, Everson. And I’ll focus on my dancing.”