Rock Me (New Adult Romance) (6 page)

I breathed in deeply. He entered slowly,
letting me feel every inch. I felt excruciatingly full and aroused. He paused
mid-way in, letting me breathe and adjust. I looked up into his eyes. They were
full of wonder, urgent desire, and, yes, something like happiness. He pushed
further in, then, leaving me with an exploding feeling of fullness and
satisfaction.

We moved together, reveling in the
pleasure of sensation and closeness. He gently teased me, moving in and out,
giving me time to enjoy each sensation. We eventually gave into an overwhelming
feeling of desire and need, rocking back and forth wildly and insistently,
abandoning ourselves to our connection and our desire for release.

His face was flushed with desire and
concentrated passion. His sweaty, muscular body rubbed against my curves
sending me into new heights of ecstasy. He kept bringing his eyes back to mine
as we yelled, gasped, moaned, and gasped out words to each other.

Eventually he threw his head back and let
loose his release, groaning passionately.

Meanwhile, I was experiencing a crazy
mixture of sensations in my lower belly—constriction, release, a flooding
of warmth, a powerful spasm deep inside. Confused, I couldn’t do anything but
let it loose and overpower me, which threw me into wild, confused, and utterly
blissful release. Utterly drained, I let darkness enfold me while Liam’s
sticky, warm body curled up close to mine.

* * *

Liam played with my bare toes as I sat in
a comfortable lemon yellow leather chaise lounge in his hotel room. If he
looked cute during the day, he sure looked even better half-naked and disheveled
from a night of sleep (and, uh, things that didn’t have anything to do with
sleep).

But there were also other important
things to consider like the room service menu. I’d worked up a crazy appetite
and it needed to be addressed pronto. Should I order the French toast or the Brie
and mushroom omelet? Boy, were things getting tough for me in New York.

“Get both, baby,” Liam interjected. “It’s
my treat. After all, you earned it.” He winked at me, his green eyes clear and
shiny. His hair was adorably messy and I reached over to run my fingers through
it. “But don’t wait too long, after all I’m looking forward to hitting the
shower with you.”

Blushing furiously, I quickly went back
to surveying the menu. How was it that I could be so embarrassed after we’d
spent a night horizontal and naked? That question would have to wait though
until after I’d eaten my French toast and drunk a very strong cup of coffee. I
lazily picked up the phone and dialed in my choice, plus bacon and eggs for
Liam.

Our order arrived with
The New York
Times
and we settled in comfortably at the little table for two by the
window. Liam dove into the sports section while I idly looked out at the city
and its endless number of towering skyscrapers.

In between sips of dark, strong coffee
and fluffy raspberry French toast, I stole glances at Liam. He was wearing only
a pair of gray boxer briefs, his rippling muscles and strong arms fully on
display. His learn fingers, calloused from years of playing the guitar, flipped
idly through the paper. He glanced up and an amused look crossed his face.

“Like what you see?”

I blushed. “Not bad.”

“Same to you,” he said with a devilish
half-smile. “Though I’d rather you nix the robe.”

“I’d rather you nix the shorts, but we
have to at least try to be decent,” I shot back, pulling his white terry
bathrobe closer.

He grinned. “Wow, you’re saucy. Guess I
should have let you sleep more.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. There were no
words to describe what had gone on last night. The way he aroused such
incredible longing in me had blown my mind. I wasn’t a virgin but I was sure
lacking in both experience and satisfaction. Liam had let me know that life
between the sheets could be one heck of an adventure that could bring
satisfaction to both of us. Any alarm bells previously ringing in my head had
been silenced by the roar of my orgasm(s). The man had me.

He must have read at least part of my
thoughts because a look of pure satisfaction crossed his face. He went back to
his paper and eggs looking nothing less like the cat who got the cream. We sat
in contented silence for a while longer until Liam’s cell began to buzz
insistently.

He looked annoyed but picked up the phone
anyway. Within a minute his look of casual indifference had changed to
excitement.

“What, no way!” he blurted out. “You
gotta be kidding me? Yeah of course, email me all the details. It’s on!”

He hung up, a look of pure exhilaration
on his face. “That was our manager, Dan. He said we’ve got the Bowery Ballroom
this Friday night.”

“No way!”

“Even better, we’re gonna headline!”

I was so shocked I immediately got up and
hugged him. “That’s an amazing venue! I’m so proud of you.”

He put his strong arms around me and
brought me onto his lap while kissing my hair.

“Thanks, I’m so stoked.” He pulled back
for a moment. “You’ll come, right? You’ve never seen us play live before.” His
green eyes searched mine.

“Of course! I wouldn’t miss your first
big solo gig.” He flashed me a gorgeous smile and pulled me close again for a
kiss. I melted into him, enjoying his sexy smell and the feel of his supple
lips.

“Hey, you know what we should do to
celebrate?” he asked, his voice muffled as he began to softly kiss my tender
neck.

“Shower?” I squeaked, my toes beginning
to tingle.

“Nah.” He moved up to kiss my earlobe. I
shivered. “I don’t think we’ve really earned that shower yet.” He stood up,
carrying me with him. I sat suspended in his arms, looking down into his
playful eyes.

“So what do I have to do to earn it?” I
asked faintly.

He headed towards the bed, still
grinning. “You’re going to have to try remaining very, very still…”

Aimee and I sat backstage at the Bowery
Ballroom later that week gossiping and noshing on candy and chocolate. The band
was in strategy mode on the other couch, discussing the set list. I snuck
admiring looks at Liam who was dressed in a white wife beater and tight black
jeans that showed off his tats and lean bod. He met every look, gifting me with
that gorgeous smile.

“Wow, you are so into him!” Aimee teased,
poking me in the side. “And he you. You guys can’t keep your eyes off each
other.”

I ducked my head, trying to look modest.
After a few days of non-stop togetherness, I finally felt like we’d reached a
point where I’d stopped worrying so much about
why
he was with me and
started focusing on just enjoying it.

We’d been record shopping, gone for a
walk on the High Line, and eaten way too many burgers at Shake Shack. Aimee and
Felicia had joined us for ramen and I’d been sneaking out for coffee dates with
Aimee.

I was happy that I was finally getting
some quality girl time with her. We’d gotten dressed up before the concert, me
in a black belted dress with heels and her in cute sequined silvery top and
jeans. We’d gone out for Chinese food before heading backstage to live the rock
star life. Liam had made sure that we could watch the concert from there, an
experience we were sure we’d never forget.

The opening band, a group of cute indie
guys from Brooklyn, soon took the stage. They were solid but I knew who I was
there for. When they exited and the stage had been set up, the manager Dan, a
solid guy who looked like a former wrestler, bellowed out

“You’re on guys! Don’t mess it up, for
Christ’s sake.”

I ran up to Liam and flung my arms around
his neck. “Have I told you lately that you look smoking?” he whispered.

“Like five minutes ago,” I teased.

He patted my bum affectionately. I
couldn’t help noticing his band mates were sending disbelieving looks my way.
But that day, nothing could have crushed my happiness. Almost nothing.

“You’re going to be awesome,” I said,
standing on my toes to receive a kiss.

“I sure hope so. Man, I could hardly
sleep last night.”

“You got this,” I said, looking into
those striking green eyes.

He gave me his bravest smile, planted
another kiss on my lips and then tore himself away, called off by his insistent
band mates.

Felicia, Aimee and I crowded in. As the
guys took the stage, a huge roar came from the crowd. My heart pounded to see
the crush of people in the audience, struggling towards the stage, waving and
screaming. Aimee and I looked at each other with excitement.

“Wow, people
love
them,” she
whispered. “I had no idea they’d gotten so big already.”

“I guess there’s been a lot of buzz
online in the past couple months after they released their EP online. That show
with Black Dawn must have really tipped them over.”

“Yeah, I’ve been keeping tabs on the
Hazard 41 thread on BD’s message boards.” Aimee was just as obsessed with the
latest BD gossip as I was. “The love on there is unreal.” She grinned. “And now
you’ve bagged their lead guitarist. Girl, you know how to do things!”

I rolled my eyes at her but gave her an affectionate
squeeze so as not to seem too harsh. Hazard 41 took up their instruments and
without any warning launched into the title track off their EP, “Darkest Hour”
(Liam’s tribute to Black Dawn). The soaring guitars caused the audience to
scream even more. I hoped they were after the lead guitarist and not Liam,
though I couldn’t tell.

Liam looked totally in his element. I was
so used to seeing him as a guy drinking coffee next to me in a café, or
slurping up ramen, or smiling at me from a very rumpled bed. But there he was,
tall and lean in those tight black jeans, with his muscular arms pumping away
at his prized guitar. The notes that came out resonated through the hall, each
chord soaring higher and higher. He leaned back, eyes closed, letting the music
flow off him in ecstatic waves.

Meanwhile, the lead singer belted out
Liam’s powerful lyrics.
The darkest hour / is before the dawn / I’ve always
wanted something / That turned out to be wrong. / I’m fighting for a new vision
/ But there’s no light ahead / I reach into my past for inspiration / But my
past is dead.

I sang along; I’d memorized every word on
his EP. Sometimes, OK well
often
, he confused me and when I listened to
his music I felt closer to him.

The band ripped through more of their EP
as well as older songs from their catalogue and even a couple of Black Dawn
covers. The crowd danced, sang along at the top of their lungs, and screamed. I
could hardly believe that not long ago I was one of them, reaching for Black
Dawn. Now I was backstage. I could feel a silly smile plastered on my face and
I just didn’t care.

As the set wrapped up, Hazard 41 launched
into my favorite track, “Waiting For An Answer.” The song was about a guy who’s
got this question in his head: does his dream girl actually exist? He knows
what he’s looking for but he’s just as sure she doesn’t exist. If she does,
he’s convinced he wouldn’t deserve her. It was so powerful and yet so
vulnerable.

As Hazard 41 was about halfway through
the song, a fan leapt up on stage. Security was pretty lax at the show so
nobody moved to stop him. The guy, clearly drunk, started to dance on stage
while a woman in the audience below, probably his girlfriend, cheered him on.
At first I thought it was funny: he was a big guy and his dancing was truly
awful.

I soon realized though that the guy was
completely gone. He reeled around while getting tangled up in the cords,
shouting incoherently, and almost crashing into the band members, who looked
pissed. The lead singer gestured impatiently at one of the security guards who were
lazily watching from the edge of the room.

Just then, drunk guy started trying to
gyrate with Liam who moved back, clearly annoyed. “Dude, chill out and get
down,” I heard him say. But drunk guy was clearly far too gone. He started
bumping into Liam in his excitement. Liam staggered back, trying to regain his
balance. Not noticing he had him cornered right against the edge of the stage,
he body checked him, sending Liam flying off.

I gasped as he landed hard in the crowd
and then slid down to the floor. The music stopped abruptly and the security
guards finally rushed forward to pick up him out of the panicked crowd. I ran
out onto the stage edge, crying “Liam!” Aimee ran after me but the band
confronted us and held us back.

“Get back!” Callum, the lead singer
barked. “You can’t be out here.”

Tears flooding down my face as Aimee
dragged me backstage. Instantly we were in the middle of chaos. Dan was rushing
out, his cell phone pressed to his stony face.

“Dan, what’s happening?” I pleaded.

“I gotta go,” he said sharply.

“Please call me and let me know what’s
happening,” I begged as he raced out. The rest of the band milled about
distractedly, punching messages into their cell phones. Felicia appeared,
looking stunned.

“What’s going on?” I said, clinging to
her.

She shook her head. “I don’t know, Shay.
The security guards got him out and I’m pretty sure an ambulance is on its
way.”

“Is he hurt? Can I see him?”

Callum must have heard me, because he
stepped in. “’Licia, can you get these girls out of here? The last thing we
need right now is some hysterical chicks.”

To her credit, Felicia threw him a
disgusted look. But she gathered us up anyway and put us into a taxi.

“I need to see him!” I protested.

“Listen Shay,” she said from outside the
window, her pretty face creased with concern. “Liam is going to get excellent
medical care. I’m sure he’s OK. You girls go home and sit tight while I figure
things out. I promise I’ll call as soon as I hear anything.”

Aimee and I found ourselves imprisoned in
the house that night, glued to the phone. I sat by the window where Liam had
appeared not long before, singing and playing just for me. I even trolled the
Internet looking for updates but reports were vague. There were cell phone
photos of the incident plus truly hysterical accounts of Liam’s condition from
fans.

I snapped closed my laptop in disgust.
The last thing I needed was to worry more. I waited for Felicia to call or even
better, a text from Liam, but nothing came. Aimee hovered around me nervously,
making me tea and trying to get me to watch old episodes of Toddlers &
Tiaras, with no success. I eventually fell asleep in the chair by the window,
my cell phone clutched in my hand, Liam’s words in my ear buds chasing me into
an uneasy sleep.

* * *

I was on the phone with Felicia,
impatiently pacing by the window in her apartment.

“What do you mean he doesn’t want to see
anyone!” I protested. It had been a week since his accident and every attempt
I’d made to see him had been stonewalled. I was totally and completely fed up.

There was an awkward pause at the end of
the line. “That’s the gist of it,” she stammered. “He’s asked that no one be
let into his hotel room except his band mates and Dan. He won’t even see me.”

“But, but…” I tried to wrap my head
around the situation. “You told me he’s fine physically, right?”

“Just a few cuts and bruises. Nothing
broken, thank God.”

“OK, so he’s not sick. But, he’s been
cooped up in there for a week. He won’t respond to my calls or texts, he
doesn’t want to see me, I just don’t get it!” I froze suddenly. “Wait, when you
say he doesn’t want to see anyone, does he just not want to see me?”

“No, no,” Felicia said
quickly.
“I really mean
nobody. Listen Shay, you and Liam had a good thing going but I need to level
with you, you might not know him as well as you think you do. From what I’ve
heard, the man has demons and right now I think he’s busy dealing with them.
That’s all I’ll say—I’ve already said too much.”

My mind whirled with possibilities. What
would cause Liam to act this way? Was it really not because of me? I didn’t
deal well with uncertainty and in that moment I decided I’d have to take
action. Liam meant too much to me to just stand on the sidelines and pray
things would get better.

“Alright, just keep me posted, OK?” I
said casually before hanging up.

I headed straight for the shower. Aimee
watched me with eyebrow lifted. “What’s up?”

“I think I’m gonna take a little walk to
clear my head.”

Aimee looked skeptical. “You want me to
come with?”

I shook my head. “Thanks, but this is
something I have to do by myself.”

Twenty minutes later I was showered and
dressed in jeans, T-shirt, and shorts, my hair thrown up in a quick ponytail. I
grabbed my bag and jetted out to the subway before Aimee could think twice
about my sudden enthusiasm for walking.

The subway was confusing, dark, and
crowded, as usual. I pushed my way into the train, only to be confronted by a
crazy guy in boxers, a full mariachi band, and a couple of punks with spiked
hair. I took a deep breath and turned up the volume on my iPod.

It took about 45 minutes to get to Liam’s
hotel in midtown. I bustled up to the front desk, trying to look important.
“I’m here to see Liam Carter,” I said confidently.

The pretty blonde behind the desk gave me
a sympathetic look. “Uh who?” she asked. I realized that Liam must be staying
under a fake name. From the tone of the message boards, I was sure other girls
had tried to scope him out.

“Please, I know you’ve seen me come in
with him.”

The blonde’s look changed from sympathy
to mild irritation.

“I’m sorry miss, there’s nobody here
named Liam.” She then leaned in slightly and said in a whisper, “And if there
was, I’m pretty sure no one would be allowed to see him. OK?”

I tried staring her down but I was never
good at that. I retreated to one of the shiny black leather couches, muttering,
“Just let me call him first.”

The blonde shrugged her shoulders and
went back to her computer. I sat down and pretended to play with my phone.
What
are you going to do next, crazy woman?
I thought wildly.

Someone must have been looking out for me
because the blonde soon received a call that sent her scampering off. Seizing
my chance, I got up and slid over toward the elevators, quickly punching in the
right floor and then gliding into the first available elevator. A minute later
I was outside Liam’s door, knocking gently.

“Liam?” I called. ‘It’s me. Please open
up.”

The only thing that came back was total
silence. But I’d already made a total idiot of myself; I might as well go the
whole way.

“Liam, I’m not leaving until you open
up,” I said in a louder voice. “I know you think

I’m just some nice girl from Minnesota
but you have no idea how cold the winters are there. I’m made of some seriously
hardy stock. If I need to stay here all night and day I’ll do that, you got
me?”