Searching for Neverland (31 page)

I watched him roll a condom over his hardness as the longing in me doubled. And before I could think twice about it, Josh was poised above me. I reached out for him, wrapped my hand around his length, and guided him into me, lifting my hips to meet him and my eyes to meet his, which were watching me in anticipation as he finally sunk into me.

And it was better than I ever could have imagined. It was like we just fit together, and the pleasure he was delivering kept building and building as he drove into me again and again, rough but rhythmic, and so measured, as if he knew just how far he could go and keep me from tumbling over the edge.

My hands gripped his back, raking his skin, and my legs wrapped around his waist, as he built me up as high as I would go, held me there for a few seconds, and finally let me fall from the precipice. I cried out with sweet release as everything exploded inside me. My back arched in response, and my head fell back against the pillows.

Josh’s lips landed on my exposed neck. “I think that was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” he said breathlessly, as he kissed and sucked my skin while simultaneously rotating his hips in an effort to seek his own release and drive me to the brink yet again.

“Oh, my God, Josh,” I cried out, completely void of anything more coherent in that moment.

I just held him against my body, my hands splayed along his strong back, and relished the feel of skin on skin and our bodies entwined as one.

He pulled up to look at me, his tender yet intense, driving gaze locking with my satisfied, loving one, as he hit just that right spot once again, and I exploded around him, crying out his name. And a few seconds later, he groaned in bliss and collapsed on top of me, sweaty and sated and completely mine.

“I love you,” he breathed out, his chest rising and falling on top of mine, and his heart pounding out a rhythm against my chest.

“I love you too, Josh,” I said, as my arms snaked around his back and I held him clos
e, never wanting to let him go.

Chapter 17

“Josh!” Taryn shrieked when she spotted us walking toward her and Noah where they were standing outside of Main Bar in St. Petersburg.

She dropped Noah’s hand and took off running, jumping on my boyfriend and practically tackling him to the ground. His hand flew out of mine, as he reeled backward.

“Hey Taryn,” Josh said, returning her hug, as Noah ambled toward us.

Taryn jumped back and appraised us, grinning from ear to ear, as Josh’s arm went around my shoulders and he pulled me against his side.

“You guys are together?!” Taryn shrieked, jumping up and down and pointing back and forth between us.

“Yes,” I said, unable to hide my own grin as it crept up on my face.

Josh and I had been together for just a day, but it had been the most perfect day. We hadn’t ever gotten out of bed except to eat the night before, and we’d stayed up late talking until I fell blissfully asleep with his arms around me. Then to make things more perfect, when I woke up, his arms were still holding me tight. I watched him sleep for a few minutes before I woke him up with a kiss and finally let him make love to me nice and slow
,
the way he’d originally wanted.

We finally got out of bed around lunchtime, and he convinced me to take a shower with him, which was wet and sexy and probably louder than we’d intended. We were seriously like a couple of teenagers.

For two hours, we came back down to earth and actually left the house for a meal, and I forced Josh to listen to the progress I’d made on the bar while he’d been out of town. Then we came back home and had a solid repeat performance of the night before, with multiple orgasms served straight up.

And an hour later we were out the door to meet my sister and her boyfriend for the Liar’s Edge concert.

“Aww, yea!” Taryn cheered, clapping her hands like a little girl. “Tay told me about your kiss and run, Josh, and I’m just glad you were noble with your intentions.”

Josh threaded his arms around my waist from behind, pulling me back against him. “I’m not sure my intentions were noble,” he teased, and I swatted him on the hip.

“Whatever, you love me,” I said, turning halfway around to look at him.

“I do,” he said, as he landed a sweet kiss on my lips.

“Dammit, Noah,”
Taryn said, smacking Noah in the
stomach with the back of her hand. “You could seriously take lessons from Josh.”

Noah just raised an eyebrow at her and shook his head. “Don’t start, Taryn.”

I didn’t know what that meant, but Taryn just rolled her eyes and dismissed him with her hand. “Come on,” she said to us. “Let’s go inside. Liar’s Edge awaits.”

“Um, Tare, isn’t there a line,” I said, as she started to lead us toward the door to the club. People at the front of the line that was wrapped around the back of the building started to pay attention to us and murmur to each other.

“We’re on the list,” she called over her shoulder. “And I don’t even have to suck off some roadie to get backstage. Score.”

“Geez, be more vulgar,” I chastised her under my breath, but Noah just chuckled. No wonder he didn’t want get serious with her.

“Taryn Ellison. I’m friends with Emily Cole,” she told the bouncer who consulted his list and opened the door without a word.

Inside the huge club it was mostly empty. A band I didn’t know was doing a sound check on stage, and a soundboard operator was calling out commands to the musicians. A few scantily dressed waitresses gathered behind the bar, but other than that, the place was deserted. That was until the thousand or so fans lined up outside were let it.

Taryn led us backstage, tugging Noah by his good hand. His injured shoulder was still in a post-surgery sling. When we reached an unmarked black door, she knocked a few times.

A few seconds later, a tiny blond, who I assumed was Taryn’s friend Emily, answered it and her face lit up as she recognized my sister and Noah. “You made it!” she cheered, her arms flying around Taryn’s neck and then gentler around Noah’s.

“Hey Em,” he mumbled. He was definitely not a winning conversationalist.

“Damn girl, you look hot,” Taryn gushed.

“Like a rock star’s fiancé?” Emily questioned, posing with her hands on her hips, and my sister nodded earnestly.

“Totally!”

“Oh,” Emily gushed again, as she hugged Taryn once more. “I’ve missed you. It’s so good to see you guys.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure Zack’s going to agree with you,” Noah muttered, looking over Emily’s head into the room beyond.

Taryn glared at him. “Just don’t try to
hit
him, and you’ll be fine,” she muttered back, which made Noah scowl and Emily shoot him a knowing look.
Then Taryn turned to me. “Zack was the guy Noah tried to punch at formal, because he was there with Emily, and Noah is best friends with Emily’s ex Ben, who was jealous of Zack.”

“Shut up, Taryn,” Noah growled.

She turned to him. “I’m sorry, is that not an accurate recap of what happened that night?” she asked, her tone full of innocence, but it was obvious she was goading him.

“It is what happened, Noah,” Emily said in a softer tone. “But it’s okay. Zack doesn’t hold a grudge, and neither do I.”

She smiled sweetly at him.

“Whatever,” he mumbled back, looking like he wanted to leave, but he stayed put for some reason.

Taryn just looked away from him and back to Emily. “Em, this is my sister Taylor and her very new, very hot boyfriend, Josh.”

Emily was adorable. She had a bright smile, straight shoulder
blond
length hair that was super-shiny, and she was
wearing a short, strapless turquoise romper
, that few people could actually look good in, chunky gold jewelry and snakeskin flat sandals. I immediately liked both her and her style. Even the diamond stud in her nose was cute on her.

“Thanks so much for coming and supporting Liar’s Edge,” she gushed. “It’s so nice to meet you guys. Come on in.”

She stepped back and allowed us entry into the small room that was somewhat chaotic. A really good looking guy with dark brown hair was pacing the room talking on his cell phone. I
could catch glimpses of his conversation, and it sounded like he was talking to a child. He had a finger pressed against his exposed ear to drown out the noise of guitar chords being played by a guy with short blond hair who was sharing the couch with a guy with shoulder length blond hair and two girls who were perched on his knees. The guy playing the guitar was pretty much ignoring what was going on next to him.

In the corner of the room, a very tall, very lean guy was nodding his head at a girl with long, white blond hair that looked like it had been dipped in electric blue dye at the ends. She was decked out in black combat boots, gray skinny jeans and a loose white t-shirt and would have looked fairly normal had it not been for her hair, the tattoos decorating her arms, the spike jutting out of her lip and the thick kohl eyeliner surrounding her lids. She was very rock chic, and I caught Josh gazing at her in what seemed like a mix of confusion and panic.

“I’m thinking that might be a good look for me,” I whispered in his ear, hoping to lighten him up a little. “What do you think?”

“Sorry,” he muttered, blushing as he looked away. “I didn’t mean to stare at another girl.”

“She’s really beautiful,” I said, eyeing the punk girl who was gesturing wildly with her hands. “Are you into the whole tattoo, piercing look on women?”

Although Josh liked body art on himself, I’d never known him to be into girls with excessive tattoos or piercings.

He looked down into my eyes. “I was at one point,” he mumbled. “Um, Tay, I sort of need to tell you something.” He swallowed hard, and I started to panic.

“Josh?” I suddenly heard from across the room in a British accented voice. I looked up to see the punk girl crossing the room. “Josh Nolan?”

“Molly?” he answered, as she pulled him into a hug and my heart started pounding.

“Yeah. What the fuck are you doing here?” she asked crudely.

Josh swallowed hard, and I noticed he was turning an interesting shade of green when she finally released him.

“I, uh, um, I – this is my girlfriend, Taylor,” he said, unceremoniously yanking me forward. “We’re in love.”

I gave him a funny look as the girl, Molly, smiled brightly. “Nice to meet you, Taylor,” she said, sticking her hand out to shake mine.

“Uh, you too,” I responded, as calmly as I could. “And how do you two know each other?”

Josh swallowed hard again. “Um, this one summer a few years ago, some of my friends and me, we spent two weeks in the Outer Banks, and Molly and I sort of met.”

“So you slept together?” I reasoned, and Josh’s face went dead white. Molly just laughed. “Wow, okay. Good to know.”

I couldn’t help it. I started to laugh along with her. Josh was so uncomfortable, and it was sort of funny, but at the same time, now that we were dating, coming face-to-face with someone Josh had seen naked was a little unsettling – especially when the girl was edgy and beautiful and exotic looking. Laughing made things a little less awkward.

“I’m sorry, Tay,” he said, gripping my hand tightly, as he pulled me toward him.

“So, you mean to tell me you had sex before we got together? Josh, I’m appalled,” I said, again trying to get him to calm down.

On the inside, I was freaking out just a little bit and wondering how on earth I could ever compete with someone as sexy and confident as Molly, but at the same time, I knew how Josh felt about me, and for some reason, that made everything okay. It wasn’t like they had some long romance with lingering feelings. It was a onetime thing.

“I didn’t know she’d be here,” Josh continued. “We haven’t talked in three years. I swear I didn’t know.”

I actually believed him, because when I’d told him the name of the band we were seeing, he hadn’t flinched. He had no idea this girl would be there that night.

“What are you doing here?” he asked her.

“I’m the manager for Liar’s Edge,” she responded, as her tongue p
ush the spike in her lower lip o
ut a little farther.

“Oh, congratulations. They’re an awesome band,” Josh said politely, and then he turned to me, pleading with his eyes. “I had no idea that was her job. I swear.”

“Josh, it’s fine,” I encouraged. “I’m not upset.”

“You’re not?”

I shook my head, well aware that Molly was watching our exchange like a hawk. “No, it’s fine. We both have pasts. I’m okay.”

“For the record, it really was just sex,” Molly chimed in. “A lot of sex, but just sex.”

“Molly,” Josh admonished, as my jaw dropped open.

“Too much? Sorry,” she said, looking apologetic.

“Molly, are you being a bitch?” Emily asked point blank as she sauntered over to us. I reeled back a little, and a part of me really wanted to say yes. But at the same time, I had to kind of appreciate Molly’s honesty.