King of Rock (Lions of Pride Island Book 1) (11 page)

B
eau squirmed
in his chair as he waited for the auction to begin.

He hadn’t been at any of these things before, so he couldn’t say for sure, but he thought maybe the organizer here, Angel or whatever her name was, was taking things a bit far.

He was sitting in a throne-like chair in the middle of the stage, and she’d tied each of his hands to an arm of the chair with a silken handkerchief. He wore a typical white graphic tee, tight over his muscles, and dark designer jeans with his favorite boots. But looking out at the audience, he felt totally naked.

Maybe this had been a big mistake. Oh well. He’d given his word, and now he’d go along with it. Even if he did find the position vaguely humiliating. He was aware of his status as a sex symbol, but he hadn’t expected them to be this exploitative of it.

Well, it was all for a good cause.

It was a little ironic that he was sitting on a throne, given that now he would probably never have a chance at one. Stacy had disappeared from his life, and as soon as the auction was over and his debt was paid, he’d have to go tell his brother what had happened.

He’d failed.

He wondered if it would have been different if he could have been a little more patient, a little less sensitive to rejection. If he’d stayed after the fight and explained things in person rather than in a letter. His brain was full of what-ifs.

When he was able to calm down after the fight, he remembered the way she was looking at him was completely different. Almost hopeful. So why the hell had he just walked away?

He looked out at the sea of faces and didn’t see her there. Even if she was, he knew she would never be able to match the bids that were coming. In the couple days leading up to the auction, it had been heavily publicized. Some of the richest women in the world were here.

He tugged at his bonds slightly, testing them. He hoped the women realized a date with him was just that. A date. But given the hungry, glowing look in a lot of the eyes in the audience, he wasn’t sure they got the picture.

In the past, maybe he would have been excited by the prospect. Maybe a long time ago. But now that he was in love with Stacy, all of that had changed.

All he wanted was her.

Where was she?

His lion was distraught, pacing and roaring. What if she was still considering him and saw him being part of the auction as a betrayal?

A part of him was still angry she’d thought so little of him without giving him a chance to share his side of the story about that night in the forest.

But he realized she was younger than him and had been terrified and lost nearly everything that night.

That’s why he wanted to spend the rest of his life making it up to her.

He absentmindedly wondered if he could just pay off his date so he didn’t have to go on it. If Stacy was still considering him, he didn’t want her to see him going out with another woman as cheating. Sure, nothing was happening, but when someone was your mate, all bets were off.

But that was just wishful thinking. She wasn’t even here.

Lights flashed over the stage, focusing in on him, and he squinted up through the hair that had fallen over his face.

Angel was standing at the podium, her hand stretched out in his direction. “And now for the main event. What you’ve all been waiting for. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, so open those wallets, and remember, it’s all for the children!” She looked out over the audience, and Beau suppressed a shudder of distaste at the situation. “What will you bid for a night with Beau Hunt?”

“Hey,” he growled because that sounded totally wrong.

Angel glared over at him and gestured to a security guard to come forward with a handkerchief, gagging him.

The audience tittered, girls giggling, and Beau raised an eyebrow.

This was sort of messed up.

He rolled his eyes. It was still for a good cause, and no matter how helpless they made him seem, with his lion build and strength, no one was going to be able to take advantage of him. So he decided to just go along with it, sending the audience a calm smile over his gag.

It would all be over soon, hopefully.

“Ten thousand,” a woman in red called out.

“Fifty thousand,” countered a woman in black.

“One hundred thousand.”

“Two hundred.”

The bids quickly climbed, and Beau stirred uncomfortably in his chair. He couldn’t keep track of all the bidding. Too many faces in the crowd. His heart sank as he realized Stacy really wasn’t coming.

Why should she?

He’d pushed her around since he’d met her, ignoring how she felt about him. Ignoring her misgivings and just thinking he could press through everything and win her with charm. But there were some things charm couldn’t fix.

“One million dollars,” a deep voice called out.

Beau squinted into the crowd, trying to see, but all the light was on him, making the audience dark.

But wait, a dude was bidding on him? Maybe he was bidding for a woman on the phone.

Titters traveled through the crowd, and then the woman in the red dress, visible only because she was dripping in diamonds, answered, “Two million.”

There was a pause, and he held his breath. Was that it?

Angel raised her gavel. “Two million going once, going—”

“Three million,” the male voice shouted.

Grumbling and whispers erupted over the audience, then shouts of protest.

The woman in red folded her arms and backed down.

“Sold! For three million dollars,” Angel said, fanning herself as if even she couldn’t believe how high it had gone.

Beau couldn’t be mad. At least it would go to help a lot of sick kids with their medical care.

But it wasn’t Stacy. Disappointment ran through him, but he told himself to buck up as the security guard came up with the guy who’d won and started to remove his gag.

The man was wearing a basic black suit and had an earpiece in his ear and seemed to be listening through it. “Keep the gag on.”

“Excuse me?” Beau tried to say, but it came out muffled.

“And tie his hands,” the man said, tone completely flat.

The security guard looked confused, but Beau just shrugged. What did it matter now anyway? They could put the silk around his wrists, but he could tear out of it anytime he wanted. He’d play along for now.

He still had no idea who’d bought him. Security and the guy who’d bid on him walked him outside to a waiting limo, ignoring the hordes of women following him. Damn, that looked like a dangerous crowd.

He balked at getting into the long, black car but then realized it was better than taking his chances with the hungry crowd already screaming and trying to push past security to get to him.

Reporters were already filming about the record-breaking bid.

Ugh, why had he ever agreed to this?

When he was shoved into the limo and the door slammed behind him, he looked up to see a familiar face as his eyes adjusted in the darkness.

“Ace?” he asked in disbelief after his brother had leaned over to pull the gag out of his mouth.

Ace raised an eyebrow at Beau’s bonds, and a slight grin quirked his lips. “Interesting look for you, brother.”

Beau pulled at the ties unsuccessfully for a second and then stared at his brother with open-mouthed shock. “What the hell are you doing here? Someone just bid on me. I have to—”

“I bid on you, stupid,” Ace said flatly.

“You did?”

“Well, I sent someone in by proxy.”

“Why?” Beau asked. It didn’t make any sense for Ace to suddenly interfere in his business.

“How’s the mate thing going?” Ace asked.

“Awful,” Beau admitted. “Everything got messed up.”

“Well, at least you didn’t try to lie to me about it. Anyway, I already knew.”

“So why’d you come save me?” Beau asked.

Ace cocked his head. “That’s for me to know and you to find out.” He gave the driver directions, and they headed out.

“Where are you taking me?” Beau asked nervously. He didn’t know what his brother would do now that he’d messed up the mate thing. He didn’t like that Ace looked deadly calm either.

“It’s a surprise,” Ace said dryly.

Ugh
.

Beau leaned back against the leather, letting stress pour out of him.

“Look,” Ace said. “I know I haven’t always been the best brother. I had to take on a lot of responsibility at a young age. I haven’t been around as much as I’d like. But I still care for you. You get that?”

Beau nodded, warmth going through him.

“So no matter what happens, we’ll work it out, right?” Ace said.

Beau nodded. “Thanks for bidding, then.”

“If you want to thank me, stop calling me Ace. My name is Axel.”

Beau wrinkled his nose. “I like Ace.”

Ace just rolled his eyes. “Incorrigible.”

“So what are we going to do, then?” Beau asked.

“I don’t know,” Ace said. “Right now, I’m taking you somewhere to settle a debt, and we’ll figure out where to go from there.”

Beau sat up straight, prickles of unease going through him. “What?” He tugged at the silk again because it wasn’t funny anymore. “Look, I know you’re pissed at me for screwing up the mate thing, but you can’t just—”

Ace leaned over and put the gag back up. “And don’t try to break out of those. That’s special material right there. Enchanted. My bidder switched out the scarves just in case I needed to detain you. You’ll hurt yourself.”

Beau’s eyes went wide. His brother was a psycho. He pulled on his bonds, but Ace was right; there was nothing he could do.

They pulled up in front of a beautiful hotel, a five-star luxury joint, and Beau gave his brother a disbelieving stare as two men from up front came back and pulled him bodily out of the car.

“Have a good night, brother,” Ace said calmly. “We’ll talk when you’re free in the morning.”

Beau gritted his teeth together at his brother’s audacity, but then the limo door was shut and the men were escorting him into the lobby, keeping him between them and moving quickly before anyone could ask questions.

One of them pulled out a room key and showed it to the bellhop as they walked to the end of a row of elevators and went up in the last one.

Nearly to the top floor. Penthouse.

Beau let out a growl as they shoved him out of the elevator. He was so getting Ace back for this. The men rang the doorbell of the suite, and someone hit a buzzer that unlocked the door. They pushed it open and brought him in, and he took in the sights around him.

A beautiful living room with designer furnishings in navy and white and a huge window spanning the wall.

They deposited him on a couch, tossing him down, and then one grinned and told him to be good.

He yelled a muffled curse at them as they walked out of the room and shut the door behind them.

Then a door on the other side of the living room, probably the bedroom door, started to open. Beau held his breath, waiting to see who came through.

When he saw who it was, his jaw dropped.

“Stacy?”

S
he walked forward
, a slight grin on her face as she looked him over. Then her expression tightened as her eyes found his bonds.

“He didn’t have to go so far,” she said, pulling at the handkerchief that held his wrists. She got it loose, and he rubbed the skin there, though it wasn’t damaged.

She pulled down the gag as well. He cleared his throat. “Knowing Ace, he enjoyed it.”

She laughed. “Hey, he was actually really helpful, so be nice.”

“Yeah, well, he didn’t have to be so weird about it. That was torture,” he said. “Do you have any idea what I went through?” He gave a playful shudder. “All those women looking at me like I was meat.”

She laughed and sat beside him, and he enjoyed her quiet warmth, still unable to believe she was here.

“So how did you do it?” he asked, still rubbing his wrists because he didn’t know what else to do with his hands. His heart was still pounding, wanting to know why exactly she’d come back.

“Well, I realized I couldn’t let you go to anyone else in the auction. And I wasn’t sure one million dollars would be enough. So I went to your brother.”

“How?” Beau asked.

“You know, the funny thing is he called me. Said you were avoiding his calls and he knew you were with me. When he called, it gave me the idea. He’s the king of a country. He for sure has money.”

“Yeah,” Beau said. “We don’t collect taxes, but Ace is good with money and investments. Between his stock market knowledge and my earnings, we do fine.” He rubbed his head. “I’ll have to pay him back, but at least it’s going to a good cause.”

She nodded.

“How did you get him to agree, though? Ace rarely gets involved in things like this.”

“I just told him if he wanted me to mate you, he had to do this for me. He was more than willing.”

Beau narrowed his eyes. “And are you? Going to mate me?” He shook his head. “Because if you just did it to get me out of the auction, you needn’t have bothered—”

She grabbed the neck of his shirt and pulled him in for a harsh, demanding kiss. She bit his lower lip, dragging it through her teeth as fire surged through him.

Then she gentled, sensing his shock, as she pressed her lips softly to his, locking them together, pulling back only to allow his tongue entrance so it could softly sweep against hers in a hot, building dance.

“I want you,” she said. “I always wanted you, but I fought it. I’m sorry I misunderstood you. I’m sorry I reacted without all the facts. Sometimes something you’re told as a kid really sticks with you, and you never think to question it.” She leaned in against him and ran a hand over his chest as she rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry about your father. About your parents. I’m sorry your family goes through a lot and no one knows.”

He nodded, struck dumb by what she was saying. It was like something out of a dream. Everything he wanted, happening all at once. Had he fallen asleep on the auction chair and now this was happening?

“I love you, Beau Hunt. Will you mate me? Despite how stupid I’ve been.”

“Hey, how could I not love a woman who’d go groveling to Ace for me?” he joked.

She frowned. “I didn’t grovel. I just gave him terms. I told him it could be a wedding present.”

Beau’s eyes brightened. “Awesome. Still, I wish I could have seen his face. You telling him how it was going to be.”

She nodded. “I guess I’m more natural at this leading thing than I thought. Also, your brother is a lot nicer than I pictured.”

Beau nodded. “He has his moments.”

She looked at the handkerchiefs. “I can’t believe they tied you at the auction.”

“You watched?”

“I saw it from a video feed. Ugh. The lion in me was going crazy. I went to Ace because I couldn’t stand for anyone to touch you. I think I knew I loved you even before the fight with Rick. Probably before we made love. I was just fighting it. Scared of it. And when I had that dream and remembered everything, it gave me my out.” She lowered her eyes, clearly emotional at the thought of how everything had gone. “Can you forgive me?”

“There’s nothing to forgive,” he said, taking her in his arms. “Can you forgive me for throwing a tantrum and walking out?”

She nodded. “You needed me to come to you. Show you I was willing to put myself out there. Well, here I am. Putting myself out there.” She took a deep breath. “I’m Stacy Anderson. I like cookies more than cake. I like to sew in my free time. I’m terrible at chess. I—”

He put a hand to her cheek. “All I need to know right now is that you want to mate me.”

She covered his hand with her own. “More than anything in the world. I want to spend the rest of my life going to your concerts, sharing quiet time in the evening, and laughing at your goofy jokes.”

He felt so warm inside that he could explode. In a few moments, he’d gone from worried and depressed and apprehensive to the happiest he’d ever been in his life. Stacy. His. Forever.

She looked gorgeous tonight in a tight red dress and sparkly heels. Her dark hair was down over her shoulders, slightly waved. He licked his lower lip.

“Don’t do that,” she said, teasing him. “It’s too hot.”

“Might make you want to claim me right here, right?” he bantered back.

She grinned. “Why do you think I got the room?” She grabbed him by the hand and pulled him behind her to the bedroom. She flicked on the light and shoved him in, surprisingly strong. That was the lioness in her, he guessed.

He landed on the bed and looked up at her with a grin. “Be gentle with me.”

She unzipped her dress and shrugged out of it, standing before him in black bra and panties and heels. Her curvy figure looked perfect. “I told you. I don’t promise gentle.” Her eyes lit up. “Wait a minute.”

She disappeared out of the room and came back with both silk handkerchiefs in her hand. “Might as well use these.”

He narrowed his eyes.

“Oh, come on,” she said. “It’ll be fun.” Then she grew more serious as she got on the bed and reached for one of his hands. “Let me show you how much I want you.”

That
did
sound fun. So he let her tie one of his wrists to the headboard and then the other, grinning as she did so.

She looked down at his shirt disapprovingly. “Gotta do something about that.” She disappeared again and came back with scissors, which she used to cut down the center.

“Hey, I liked that one,” he said, grumbling.

“I won’t want to look at it again,” she growled. “Not after it’s the one you wore at the auction where other women drooled over you.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Jealous?”

“So much I could barely breathe,” she said, locking her dark eyes on him as she tore the rest of the fabric away.

Then she went to work on his pants. This was a side of her he’d never seen. Harsh, taking charge. Wanting him badly. It was nice to feel like he wasn’t the one pushing. Or like she was split on her feelings about him.

She seemed completely sure now as she opened the button of his jeans and slid down the zipper, revealing his tight, straining member in his boxer briefs.

“Already hard, huh?” she asked, shaking her head. “Did you actually enjoy the auction?”

“Hell no,” he said, testing his bonds again. “I got hard the minute I saw
you
. Because I’m always hard around you. Because I want you to be mine so damn much I’m always ready to explode.”

She threw her head back and laughed, and he grinned up at her, feeling secure and happy.

She pulled off his jeans, leaving him in his boxer briefs, and straddled him, running her hands over his chest and then down each rippling ab.

“You’re so hot,” she said. “I’m glad no one else gets to see this. All mine.”

“And you’re mine,” he growled, loving her heavy breasts in her bra, aching to get his hands free so he could push the material aside and hold them. Tweak her nipples and put his mouth over them. He tried to raise himself but couldn’t because of his hands. And because of the size of his muscles, which really inhibited his movement when tied.

“Not yet,” she said. “It’s my turn to play.” She leaned forward and ran her tongue over his collarbone, kissing his shoulder lightly as her hand sank lower, diving into his boxers to grip his member, which jumped in her hand.

“Stacy, you’re driving me crazy.” He wanted to please her. Wanted to get free and flip her over and take her, hard and fast and passionate this time.

Her hand stroked over his head and then moved to the base, squeezing just above his balls. He was painfully hard, and he arched against his bonds.

“Stacy,” he pleaded.

“Just a moment,” she said. “I’m exploring you.” Her hands moved over his thick thighs, making him ticklish and impatient. Then she went over the lines in his hips, grazing his belly button. His breathing was rapid, not because of the way she was touching him, but because every moment, it was plain how much his mate wanted him.

There was no more hesitance in her eyes, like she was fighting against herself. Just pure, wanton lust. And caring as well.

“I love you,” he gasped out. “Did I mention that?”

“You did,” she said, untying the handkerchiefs one by one.

He sprang forward, flipping her under him, loving the feel of her curves beneath his thighs. He flicked her bra open and flung it aside, baring her to him, her dusky-tipped nipples begging for his mouth.

He licked one, swirling his tongue around it, and then moved to the other, leaving his hand in its place. He sucked until she arched, her breathing increasing, and moved his hand down over her wet, hot center.

“Stacy,” he said, “I need to be inside you. I need to make you mine. Right now.”

She growled in approval, lifting her hips against him. He pulled off his underwear and tore hers off with one hand, leaving them completely exposed to each other.

She was so beautiful, so soft, so curvy. And so strong. He loved everything about her, and he’d spend the rest of his life showing her just how much.

He readied himself at her entrance and then pushed in with one hard thrust.

Her hand flew to her mouth, and she gasped and then moaned as he started to move.

It felt so right. Here, alone and naked, with nothing between them but the heat in the air and the rising sensations in their bodies. Her hands gripped the sheets, and then he grabbed them and wrapped them around his neck. “Hold on,” he said. “I’ll always be here for you to hold on to.”

She grinned and did as he said, and then her jaw dropped as he stroked even faster, filling her tightly with each thrust. Their bodies slapped together, the sound erotic as the tension built within him. He could see the glazed focus in her eyes, the lost look she always got just before she came, and he readied himself for the moment when he would be one with his mate.

She came hard, wrapping around him, her body convulsing, her nails scraping hard as she held on to him, and he felt his body let go in return.

It was unlike anything he’d ever felt before. Even with her. It was freeing, like they were both flying together, up above the world and anything that mattered. Locked together in a whirlwind of pleasure too great to even be conceived.

He locked his arms around her, holding her through the storm of emotions that went through him and he knew must be going through her. He could tell this was what was supposed to happen. He was always meant to be with Stacy.

His body, his heart, belonged to her totally. He’d never be free of her hold on him, and he didn’t want to be. As her body slowly calmed in his arms, he looked down into her face, which was wet with tears. He stroked them away with the pad of his thumb.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I’m just happy.” She laughed, looking embarrassed, and then threw her arms around him again. “It all just felt so good. I guess I’m overwhelmed.”

“I’m going to overwhelm you for the rest of your life,” he vowed.

She sighed and nodded against him. “Somehow I always knew that would be the case.”

He lay beside her, tucking her in against him. Everything was right with the world.

She pushed herself up, leaning over his chest to look into his eyes playfully. “Hey, what are you? Some kind of rock star?”

He blinked. “What?”

“Because you just rocked my world,” she said, biting back a grin.

His jaw dropped, and then he leapt up, tickling her as he switched their positions, pinning her under him. “Cheesy pick-up lines, huh, mate?”

She nodded.

He stared down at her. “Almost like you want another round.”

She wet her lips. “Encore?”

He’d never heard sweeter words. He laughed and pounced on his mate. Then he gave her the encore of a lifetime.