Front & Center (Book 2 of the Back-Up Series) (37 page)

“You are so beautiful.” I voice my thoughts. I trace the shape of her lips with the pad of my thumb. Her lips part just as her eyes darken with desire. A flush appears on her cheeks, and her chest is rising with each breath she takes. She grips my shirt between her fingers, pulling me even closer. Our bodies pressed against each other are like two perfect puzzle pieces. Our lips are just an inch apart.

“Jack, kiss me.” She pants breathily.

I lower my head, closing the distance. I swear I felt a tingle from the connection. So strong is my draw to her. So powerful, that after all the kisses we’ve shared, and all the caresses I’ve bestowed, and all the times I’ve sunk deep into her proclaiming my love, it still always feels like the first time.

I duplicate the kiss she claims she loves. The one she said she uses as a bench mark for all kisses. She duplicates her response
by sliding a leg in between mine, lacing her fingers in my hair, and opening her mouth to allow me access. It’s perfection. This woman is perfection, and she’s mine.



Since we got home from our tour a week ago, life hasn’t stopped to take a breather for one minute. Leila and I have bounced back and forth between her place and mine, still living out of a suitcase. The good news is today I official move into her apartment in Hoboken. Seems fitting that it’s also Valentine’s Day, and our first one together. Initially I wanted to take her away for a few days, just the two of us. But I hate inflicting more travel and suitcase living on her. So after much thought, I decided the best way to celebrate this day would be to give her a romantic night at home…our home.

Last night was our end-of-tour bash at Granite. We had a really nice time, in spite of all the publicity and marketing crap Jen inundated the night wit
h. I get it was necessary, and she constantly needs to work us. This is how it is now, and we all may as well get used to it. We aren’t complaining by any means.

Cliffhangers and
MACE played an impromptu short set for our guests. The night was the perfect ending to our tour and the perfect segue to our futures. My band got rip roaring drunk. Hunter needed to be carried out, but not before a very public twerking display. The highlight of his night was seeing Trey and Trini hitting it off. You would think the man had invested his life savings in waiting for the day that Trey finally finds love, and not just a measly hundred bucks. I have to give Trey tons of credit though. He laughed and ignored Hunter’s antics, not letting it spoil his getting acquainted with Trin.

The
whole Trey and Trini thing blew me away. I have no ill feelings towards them hitting it off and getting together. Trini and I were nothing more than friends with benefits. However, I sat and wondered all those times I was hooking up with her, what was Trey thinking in his head.

My gorgeous Leila was also very tipsy. She just loves those Jell-O shots. Our rendezvous on the back patio brought us as close to public sex as we’ve ever gotten. We almost needed a firehouse to break us apart. I had to fight the overwhelming desire to drag her into the restroom to take her. Instead, I suffered through an unbearable hard-on for the rest of the night, appeased only by thoughts of getting her
naked and fucking her senseless. The irony was, once I got her back to my apartment, she passed out fully clothed on my bed.

Her hangover could have hampered our morning romp and our packing and moving day, but it did no such thing. After screwing for a solid hour, she jumped up and started the day. She plastered a smile on her face, excited as all hell to get me to Hoboken. Hunter and Amanda helped pack my stuff. Scott and Trey offered to help as well, but since all my belongings were able to fit into a half dozen boxes, and they both wanted nightly solo’s on our next two tours, I told them to take a hike.

We caravanned to Leila’s place, her little Honda and Hunter’s piece of shit on wheels loaded up with my stuff. We had me settled and unpacked in a few hours time. Hunter and Amanda stayed for a bit, relaxing with us as we reminisced on the tour highlights, filling Amanda in on Trey’s antics. They left a little while ago, having Valentine’s plans they needed to get ready for.

Having my own scheme that I hatched up in my head, I had Lori insist Leila come to her place to approve her outfit choice for her date with Matt tonight. Leila, being difficult, asked her to text
pictures of the choices to her, exasperated with her demands. Lori, being Lori, ranted and yelled on her end of the line loud enough for me to hear the gist. I listened quietly to their conversation. When Leila hung up, she huffed with little explanation and flew out the door. I owe Lori, big time. I’m guessing I have about an hour to get things ready.

Leila
thinks we are relaxing quietly…and we are. But I also have a few surprises for her that I know she will love. Mr. Romance is here tonight, and I don’t want to disappoint her. I watch from the window as she walks to her car, gets in and drives off.

Like a man possessed, I bolt out of the apartment, needing to pick up some last minute things. As I zip line across four Hoboken blocks, I load up with flowers, a card, champagne, chocolates, and a box of cannoli. Lori’s text of warning is my only line of defense that she is on her way back. The text comes just as I’m lighting the candles.

I’m no cook, so take-out will have to do. It should be arriving shortly after Leila does. I’ve dressed up for her, wearing my blue button-down that she loves so much. I have my playlist ready and waiting on the mp3 player. When I hear the key in the door, I hit play.

Her smile spreads slow and sexy on her gorgeous face. “What’s all this?” She scans the apartment, the candles flickering giving off all the light needed in the room. The music is playing softly in the background. The table is set for two, displaying her flowers, waiting for our meal to arrive.

“Happy first Valentine’s Day, baby.”

She drops her bag and melts into my arms. “Jack, this is so sweet. It’s just perfect.”

“You’re not disappointed that we didn’t go away somewhere?”

“No…this is where I want to be.”

“Good…me too.” I kiss the top of her head gently and ask, “Did you help Lori choose a dress?”

“
How did you know that’s what she…” she narrows her eyes suspiciously at me and asks, “wait, you did that?”

My response is to shrug.

“God, I wanted to kill her. Seven…seven dresses she made me sit through and three sets of lingerie.”

“I’m sorry, baby. I had things to do.”

She relaxes in my arms, and smiles warmly. “I forgive you.”

When I skim her lips with my thumbs, they part automatically just as her head tilts up towards mine. Her response to me is immediate, my response to her as well. It’s an automatic, involuntary reflex.

When I bend to connect our lips, the current runs right to my cock. I will never tire from the feel of her lips against mine. I’ve kissed this woman thousands and thousands of times. I can’t explain how the touch of her lips can still send jolts through me as if it’s the first time all over again.

Still standing in the same locked embrace, the kiss quickly builds as we grip each other with clenched fingers in an attempt to eliminate the space between us. The door buzzer loudly interrupts.

She pulls away first, panting audibly. “Holy hell.”

“I know. It’s insane what you do to me.”

The door buzzes again. “Who can that be?”

“Our dinner?” I shrug apologetically. “Sorry, babe, I didn’t want to ruin our night by forcing you to eat my horrible attempt at preparing a meal.”

She kisses me again before I go to retrieve our Valentine’s takeout.

When I get back inside, she’s waiting for me on the couch, holding a large box. “What’s that?”

“Your present.”

“Baby, you’ve already given me my present. The day you accepted my proposal.”

She smiles shyly and shakes her head. “You’re so damn perfect. Here, open it.”

The box is practically as big
as she is. As I tear the paper and lift the lid, I’m stunned to see a brand new high-polished
Fende
r acoustic guitar. “Babe.”

“Do you like it?”

I run my hand over the shiny wood, it’s dark and striking and gorgeous. “I love it.”

“Look at the back.”

When I flip it over, etched into the back of the body is a quote from her song.

“
There isn’t a doubt, my love runs too deep.

With my blood in my vein
s, it controls my heartbeat.
”
LML

A small lump lodges in my throat at the
amount of thought that she put into this gift. I skim my fingertips over the words.

“Thank you,
” I say, as my emotions swirl in my head, forcing any coherent thoughts to fail to rise to the surface. She takes my face in her hands, tilting my head down so we are eye level.

“
You’re welcome,” she whispers, understanding what I’m struggling with.

“This is the best gift I’ve ever gotten, besides you.” 

Her response is to kiss me gently. “I love you, Jack Lair.”

“Me too. So much.”
I pull her into my arms, holding her tightly. My body pathetically responds to her being in my arms. “Come, let’s eat so I can show you how much I love you.”

We eat our meal with light conversation. She tells stories of
when her and the guys started Cliffhangers. I tell her of similar tales with my own crew.

“I’m really glad they all get along so well.”

“Me too. I look forward to how our futures will progress. You’re friends are on their way. They are very talented.”

She smiles proudly. “They are. I’m really happy for them. I feel sometimes I abandoned them.”

“You didn’t babe.”

She shrugs. “Yeah, I sort of did. But I know they don’t feel that way.”

“Are you ready for your present?”

She nods enthusiastically. I head to our room to grab her gift. When I hand it to her, she looks up wid
e-eyed like a kid on Christmas.

She unwraps her box to find several more wrapped inside. The first is a sexy
lace teddy that gave me a hard-on just imagining her in it. I’ll have to share that store visit that I took with Hunter and Scott with her later. I felt like I was shopping with two ten year olds.

“Is this for me or for you?”

“Me, of course.”

She nods knowingly and touts, “I thought so.”

Her next gift is a framed picture of us at the Mississippi. “I love this.”

“Me too. It’s my favorite picture.” 

“It reminds me of what followed.”

The memory of our lovemaking once we got back to the hotel floods my mind at her admission. “Yeah, me too. Hurry, open the rest.” I request impatiently, wanting to get her on our bed to re-enact that memory.

There are a few more wrapped trinkets in the box. A CD of our playlist, a gift certificate to a fancy spa in the city, a few sex toys…those are for me also.

The last present is an envelope. She looks up curiously while gently opening it. Inside is a confirmation of the two-week honeymoon I booked for us on a private villa in Antiqua.

“Two weeks?” she asks earnestly.

“Two weeks.”

She throws herself in my arms. “Jack this is the best present ever. Can we go now, can we leave today?”

I chuckle at her request. “I wish we could, but we have a little thing called a wedding to hang around for.”

“Oh, yeah,” she concedes and smiles warmly. “Thank you babe, I love it. I can’t wait to go on our honeymoon.”

I take the paperwork out of her hands before lifting her and carrying her into our room. “Time for the best present.”

“Do you want me to model my teddy?”

“Yes, please.”

“Are we using the toys?”

“Definitely later.”

As she leaves me to change into the scraps of black lace I gave her, I light candles in her room and patiently wait for her.

The sight of her in the doorway simply takes my breath away. “Oh
, fuck.”

“Good choice, Mr. Lair,” s
he croons as she comes closer. “Do you want to remove it for me?”

I meet her halfway, before nodding wordlessly.

My eyes rake over her, taking in every inch of her beauty. I skim the outline of her breasts with my fingertips, causing her eyes to close and her chest to heave from my touch. I run my hands over her shoulders, and down her arms. Turning her, I gasp at the sight of the black lace skimming her curves, barely covering her ass.

Gently, I lower
the thin straps until they hang loose. “Sweet Jesus, this looks incredible on you.” I wrap her in my arms, pulling her back and shamelessly pushing into her ass to show her how much her body affects me. Dragging my lips from her shoulder up to her ear, she tilts her head to give me better access. The goose bumps that appear over her arms tell me how my lips are affecting her. When I turn her around to face me, her eyes are hooded with desire. While pinning her with my gaze, I slowly peel the lace off of her until it pools at her feet.