Rock Chick 07 Regret (48 page)

That’s when I remembered Pretend Sadie and what she was going to do for me.

And I realized I needed her even more than I thought I did.

Because she was going to get me free, with my heart guarded but she was also going to get me the memories I’d need in order to go on, alone, without my Mom, without anyone.

“Oh all right,” I gave in, blowing out a huff of air. “I want it.”

That’s when Hector’s eyes grew dark, warm and intense and I stared in order to memorize that look so I could hold it with me for a long, long time.

While I was staring at his face, he pulled the covers down to my thighs. He watched me as his fingers moved to the buttons of the shirt and undid them (he’d only done up two) and he spread the shirt wide.

I pulled in breath and started to cover myself when he mumbled, “Don’t.”

It was hard but I made my hands settle and his eyes went to my chest, his hand followed and, slowly, it trailed down my chest, between my breasts, over my ribcage and midriff to my belly. The whole time, his eyes watched his hand and, when his hand rested at my belly, that belly melted.

This was because his face got this expression, an expression I’d never seen on him before. It was more intense and warm than normal, but it was also soft and bizarrely, at the same time, hard. I got the impression it was like him cupping my breast. It signified possession.

At that realization, I couldn’t help it, my bones went liquid.

“Hector –” I breathed and his eyes came to mine, his fingertips moved across the top edge of my panties and his head descended.

That was it. I gave in because it was Hector, I wanted him (he was right, obviously), I wanted the memories of “us” and I wasn’t disappointed.

It was just as amazing as before.

It was a mixture of hot and urgent but slow and sweet and the only difference was, when I tried to shrug off the shirt, he wouldn’t let me. He made me keep it on, even when we were ready, breathing heavily, kissing hard, my nails scraping at his skin and he rolled to his back, taking me with him. He yanked up my knees so I was straddling him, guided himself inside and pushed me up so he filled me.

It felt
great
.

I started moving, our eyes locked, his hot on me, mine had to be the same because my body felt hot, everything felt hot, my eyes
had
to look as hot as his.

His hands moved on my body under the shirt. I put mine over his and his kept going, taking mine with them. Then one of his hands went between my legs, shifted, pressing my own fingers to me and manipulating them.

“My God,” I breathed, tingles shooting from between my legs down the tops of my thighs as it started happening, the tingles gathering, getting tight.

I bent forward slightly, resting my free hand on the bed, giving me more leverage to move faster, grind down harder. His free hand went to my jaw, his thumb trailed my bottom lip and at his touch, I parted my lips, touching my tongue to his thumb then my teeth tagged it, biting softly before I sucked it inside my mouth.

The minute I did that, his face went darker, his eyes went hotter and everything happened at once.

I came, hard and delicious, at the same time his hand left mine between my legs. His arm sliced around my waist and he threw me to my back and started pounding into me, prolonging and intensifying my orgasm as he took my moans in his mouth then, before I was finished, his groans mingled with mine.

When we were done, while my hips jerked softly under his in the aftermath, my hands moved along the skin and muscle of his back, I replayed the last fifteen minutes,
burning
it into my brain to carry with me forever.

“You still with me?” he asked, his voice gruff.

“Yes.”

“Don’t shut down on me,” he muttered and I felt guilt slide through me that he’d even think that but it was my fault. In a short time I’d conditioned him to it.

My hands stopped roving and my arms got tight.

“Okay,” I said.

He rolled to the side, rolling me with him but keeping my leg around his hip with a hand behind my knee. Then his fingertips slid gently from the back of my knee to my bottom and back again and again and again.

I tucked my face in his throat and memorized the feel of what his hand was doing too.

“You wanna talk about yesterday?” he asked quietly.

“What about it?”

“In Lee’s office.”

My body went tight and I immediately shook my head.

He stopped stroking my leg and his arm went around me.

“That’s okay,
mamita
, you don’t need to talk about it.”

I relaxed.

Then Pretend Sadie asked, “Can you do me a favor?”

It was his turn for his body to grow tight.

“What?”

I tipped my head back to look at him and his chin dipped so his eyes could lock with mine.

He looked great after we had sex, his eyes still intense but his expression satisfied. It was his best look
ever
.

“The Rock Chicks have called a powwow,” I told him. “Do you know what that is?”

He shook his head but I felt his body relax and his mouth twitched.

“I don’t either but I’ve been ordered to attend. If Ralphie’s not invited, can I call you? Will you take me there? It’s at noon.”

The intensity in his eyes faded and they went soft.

“I think I can do that.”

Pretend Sadie relaxed into him and she smiled.

Real Hector smiled back.

Real Sadie’s heart clenched so hard it hurt.

Then she memorized his smile too.

* * * * *

“You aren’t allowed here. Go!” Daisy demanded, pointing at Hector the minute he, YoYo and I walked into Fortnum’s.

“Daisy!” I snapped.

“What a cute dog!” Roxie cried.

Daisy’s ignored Roxie (and YoYo) and her glare settled on me. “This is a Rock Chick Powwow. The rules of a Rock Chick Powwow are, you gotta be a girl, a gay, Duke or Tex. No one else is allowed.”

“Why are Duke and Tex allowed?” I asked, bending over to pick up YoYo and cuddle her to my chest. This, unfortunately, gave her access to my throat and chin which she licked exuberantly as her little, chubby body wiggled happily in my arms.

Daisy, still ignoring YoYo, answered, “Who knows? Who cares? It just happened. It was organic. But now it’s Rock Chick Law.”

Rock Chick Law?

They had a phone tree and laws?

Blooming heck!

“Can I get a coffee?” Hector asked in an amused voice, the arm he had slung around my shoulders curled and he pulled me and YoYo mostly into the front of his body (this gave YoYo the added target of Hector’s throat, something to which Hector seemed totally oblivious). I looked up at him and his face was blank but his eyes were dancing like he found Daisy hilarious but dared not laugh out loud.

“Can I play with your dog?” Roxie called and my gaze slid to her for a smile before Daisy started speaking again.

“Coffee and leave,” Daisy clipped at Hector then she turned to the couches where all of the Rock Chicks plus Mace (who was sitting on the arm of the couch by Stella, her back turned to him and resting against his thigh), were lounging.

“You too,” Daisy ordered Mace. “Vamoose.”

Mace’s eyebrows went up but other than that he didn’t move a muscle.

“I’m not kidding, Mace. These talks get deep. There’s usually detailed descriptions of Hot Bunch on Rock Chick sexual activity. Do you wanna know how you compare to Hector? I don’t
think
so,” Daisy went on.

My eyes got huge. Not only because of what she said but because she had an audience. And that audience not only included Indy, Ally, Jet, Roxie, Jules, Ava, Stella and Shirleen but also a bunch of customers I’d never seen before
in my life
.

Not to mention, she was telling Mace what to do. I knew Daisy was a little bit crazy and over the top, but I suspected that was taking her life in her hands.

“Fucking hell,” Hector muttered over YoYo and my heads, clearly thinking along the same vein.

“You can say that again,” I whispered, staring at Daisy.

He caught my whisper, his eyes scanned my face and his arm gave me (and YoYo) a little squeeze.

Then Hector decided to intervene.

“You’re not talkin’ to Sadie about our sex life,” he told Daisy, my body went tense and Daisy whirled.

Then her eyes narrowed.

Oh no.

That might not have been the right thing to do.

YoYo yapped at Daisy or Hector, I didn’t know which, she was wiggling so much, she could be yapping at a random customer, how would I know?

“Hector –” I started, trying to control YoYo and the flow of conversation.

“I don’t care if you are a badass mother ex-DEA Agent hot guy,” Daisy snapped, interrupting my attempt to smooth over the situation. “You can’t control the Rock Chick Powwow. The Powwow goes where it goes. We just follow.”

“Sadie’s had a rough few weeks,” Hector reminded Daisy.

“You think I don’t know that?” Daisy shot back.

“Whatever the fuck this is, you aren’t gonna fuck with her head. She’s got enough fucking with her head,” Hector warned.

Daisy’s eyes bugged out and her brows went to her hairline.

“We’re not gonna
fuck with her head!
” Daisy screeched.

“Can we
not
say ‘fuck’ so loud in front of the customers?” Indy threw in a request.

Jet and Ava looked at each other and let out small giggles.

“I get back and she’s shut down, I’m not gonna be fuckin’ happy,” Hector clipped out, ignoring Indy’s request to avoid the f-bomb.

“The point of the Powwow, Hector, is not to shut her down but to
sort her out,
” Daisy threw back.

It was time to step in before the Battle of the Badass and Southern Diva escalated any further. I put YoYo down and she immediately ran to Roxie who was bent over, clapping and making kissy noises.

“I don’t think I need to be sorted out,” I put in.

Daisy’s Mother Hen on a Rampage eyes focused on me and she snapped, “Shirleen said there were problems.”

Shirleen, sipping a latte, calm as could be, chimed in from an armchair opposite Stella, “Looks to me like it sorted itself out. The girl’s been laid, my guess, fairly recently, guessin’ again, good and proper. Next problem!”

I closed my eyes.

Someone, please tell me that Shirleen didn’t just announce to the entire store that I’d been laid “good and proper”.

I opened my eyes again, looked up at Hector and whispered, “Please, tell me Shirleen didn’t just announce to the entire store that we’ve had sex.”

Hector bit his bottom lip and again I didn’t know whether he was biting back a smile or anger.

If it was my choice, it would have been the latter.

“Hate to say it,
mamita
,” he said, eyes scanning the crowd, some of whom were surreptitiously watching us, others settled in and openly enjoying the show, “but it seems she did.”

“Are they always like this?”

I could tell now he was fighting back a grin. “Far’s I can tell, yeah,” he replied.

“Why is my life so
difficult?
” I blurted out before I could think better of it.

I watched as Hector’s eyes went gentle and he replied, “This isn’t difficult and Sadie, it isn’t bad. They don’t mean you any harm, they just care.”

I knew he was right.

But still.

Everyone in the entire store knew I’d been
laid
.

His hand went to my neck and slid into my hair, his thumb against my hairline.