King of Rock (Lions of Pride Island Book 1) (6 page)

“Shh,” he said. “You aren’t supposed to talk.”

She pushed him back. “I’m not?”

“No,” he said. “You’re just supposed to sit back, or lie back, and enjoy everything I have to offer.” His handsome face lit up. “You can moan, though. That’s fine.”

She sighed. She didn’t know what she’d say anyway, so she just leaned forward and gave him access to her neck again, which he quickly took advantage of. He licked his way to her collarbone, setting her body on fire with soft, tentative touches. Then he bit down lightly on her shoulder, grazing her with his teeth, dragging them over the delicate, wet skin in a way that made her writhe against him, trapped against his body, his hands anchoring her there.

“Beau,” she repeated.

“That’s right,” he said. “You can say my name, too. That’s fine.”

“Good to know, your highness,” she said sarcastically. At least, she was trying to be sarcastic, but she was too breathless for it to be convincing, and it just came out sounding sultry.

“I love how sensitive you are,” he said. “I’ve only touched your neck and shoulders, and you’re probably already wet.”

She gasped at his audacity but was helpless to do anything but wait for his next move. His hands were dominant as they roved over her waist. The next second, he lifted her in the air against him and then put her down in the chair beneath him, pushing a button to release it so it lay flat.

Then he came over her, planting one knee between her thighs as his hands clasped hers over her head.

“Can I check?” he asked, eager.

She shook her head, embarrassed.

“Darn.” But he didn’t seem surprised. He ran his hands over her shoulders where her robe had already fallen off and was hanging on her elbows. He helped her remove it fully, and her old tee hung lopsided, exposing one shoulder.

“You’re so gorgeous,” he said, tracing a finger over her skin along her collarbone and then playing with the neckline of her shirt, tickling the skin there.

He was so close, his thighs over her, his huge body shading her, shielding her.

And he was right. She was already totally wet.

He settled his lips over hers, slanting the full, curved shape to fit perfectly, and then gently parted them to slip his tongue inside to entwine with hers.

She met him thrust for thrust and felt herself get even wetter, combined with an ache. She pressed her hips up against him, and he answered by grinding back down against her.

Beau. She wasn’t doing this with Beau. And he wasn’t even Beau Hunt, famous rock star, anymore. No, he was just goofy, sandwich-eating, bad joke-making Beau. Who was already winning her over if she didn’t watch herself.

Her body trembled as he ended the kiss, and she looked up into his eyes to find him just as lost in the sensation as she felt.

If she didn’t stop this now…

She couldn’t do this on the first night.

She pushed on him suddenly, summoning all her self-control to stop what was happening.

He stepped back immediately, getting off of her, staring at her with confused eyes.

She stood, grabbed her robe, and pulled it around her, glaring at him. She wasn’t really angry with him. She was angry with herself for losing control. For being so horny that she could easily have let it go much further.

It wasn’t his fault, though. Except for the fact that he was so sexy.

He looked even sexier now. The sweats he’d been wearing were pushed lower on his slim hips, showing pronounced Ken doll lines on either side. Lines that led down to what was surely an astounding package, based on what she’d felt against her.

If they’d gone much longer, he probably could have taken her, and she’d have no protest.

But she appreciated he had stopped. He easily could have seduced her and gotten everything he wanted. All he needed to do was have unprotected sex with her, and they’d be mated.

And then his future would be assured.

But he didn’t look concerned about his future right now. He looked concerned about her. How she felt about him.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

“It’s too fast,” she explained. “I mean, it’s my fault, but it’s too fast.”

He nodded slowly, pushing his hair back again. It was mussed now, messy and sexy and tousled, and the different blond shades were apparent even in the moonlight, glinting silver rather than gold.

“It’s not you; it’s me,” she said. “Well, it’s somewhat you. Dammit, I have to go.”

“Can I walk you back?”

She shook her head rapidly, embarrassed by how much her body liked the idea of him coming back to her room. By how hot and wet she still felt from simply
kissing
him. “I can do it. I want to go alone.”

He nodded slowly, letting her go.

She could feel his eyes on her all the way back to the house. She felt like a coward. Knew she was one. But had no idea what to do about it.

Nothing was working out the way she’d thought it would be. Especially things between her and Beau.

When she got to her room, she shut the door, locked it, shut the window, and climbed into bed, hiding herself under the covers.

As if she could somehow lock him out of her mind if she tried hard enough. But all she could see was his face watching after her. All she could feel was the throbbing between her legs, telling her how much she’d wanted to go further.

Was she an idiot? How had she forgotten to think about her job?

She shook her head and tossed and turned, trying to sleep. When she did finally drift off, Beau was there even in her sleep, doing the naughty things to her that she’d wanted but hadn’t allowed him to do in person.

When she woke, throbbing, in the middle of an orgasm, she gripped the sheets and cursed. As she flopped back on the mattress, thinking about the dream and how she was disappointed it hadn’t really happened, she realized those sexy images of Beau were going to cause her nothing but trouble.

She covered her face with her pillow and turned over, convincing herself she’d just been pent up too long, and kissing Beau had stirred her up.

But she knew the truth. It was more that Beau was already inside her. Her thoughts, her feelings. He was getting more inside her all the time. And given that, it probably wouldn’t be long until all her dreams came to fruition.

She could almost see his smug face now.

Ugh, she needed to sleep. She felt she’d sleep soundly now that she’d had some relief.

But still, she wasn’t looking forward to breakfast. The most important thing was to not let him see he’d gotten to her.

If he knew she’d gone to sleep and come just dreaming about him, she’d never live it down.

She let out a little scream of frustration and burrowed into the blankets even farther.

L
uckily
, the next day, they were going to do a charity event where Beau would meet up with seriously ill children at a local hospital. Kids in a burn unit, to be exact.

“Who sets this stuff up for you?” Stacy asked, pulling on her ponytail to make sure it was straight as they walked out of his car and toward the hospital building.

He looked at her sideways. Something was different about her this morning. Was she that embarrassed about just a little kissing last night? She hadn’t seemed to be when she’d cut it off and gone to bed. Did something happen he didn’t know about?

Something was suspicious. She kept avoiding his eyes and getting a slightly red flush on her tawny cheeks. Her dark eyes were shy but glittered at him when he wasn’t watching.

She wanted him; he knew that for sure. But he knew rushing her wasn’t right. He’d been happy to back off when she wanted him to. Well,
happy
wasn’t the right word. But he’d been perfectly
okay
with it.

He was getting to know her better, and it was only their third day together. Hopefully, by the end of seven, she’d be ready to commit.

He scratched his head at that one and then took a deep breath. Time to focus on what was ahead.

She was wearing a little black blazer over a tailored white shirt and belted black slacks. Very professional but perfect with her curves. He just wanted to undo all those buttons and pull off that belt, but that was neither here nor there.

The kids he was going to see needed him, and he loved doing things like this.

“To answer your question, I set up this kind of thing. Yes, sometimes I get calls to my manager. Calls like the ones you make, I guess. But I pick and choose what suits me. Often things to do with kids. I’m a sucker for them,” he said.

She grinned, the first uninhibited expression she’d displayed around him that morning, and then corrected herself back to her solemn, reserved mood.

He took her by the arm and pulled her aside, just in case it was something they could sort out before going inside. “Hey, is something wrong? Did something happen last night?”

She made a little noise and jerked away, her eyes darting to the ground, and he narrowed his gaze.

“Has someone threatened you?” he growled, and she looked at him with startled eyes.

“No.” She gaped at him. “Of course not.”

“Then why do you look scared?” he asked. “No, I guess not scared. Shaken.”

He didn’t like seeing his mate bothered. Even though she hadn’t accepted him, as far as he was concerned, she was his to take care of until she didn’t allow him to.

That thought was a very sad one. Not being able to take care of Stacy? That would suck.

“It’s just… Never mind. Can we just go in?”

“If you can cheer up and put a smile on,” he said. “You look like death warmed over when you scowl like that. These kids need smiles aplenty. Not scowls.”

She gave him a hesitant grin at that. “All right. I’ll chin up.”

He gave her a gentle chuck under the chin, and he suppressed a grin as he saw her hide a shiver as she reacted even to that small touch.

She had to be his mate. If she wasn’t, why would she ever react like that?

“So do you know any of the kids here?” she asked, changing the subject.

“No,” he said. “But I like all kids.” He held up his guitar. “And as long as I’m providing the entertainment, they seem to like me.”

She rolled her eyes, but her frequent eye rolls were coming off as more playful than annoyed lately. He hoped that was a sign he was winning her.

“All right,” she said, “let’s go in and play for some kids before your head gets any bigger.”

“Oh, my head can always get bigger.” He wiggled his brows. “Much bigger.”

She widened her eyes at him and then scoffed, waving a hand and walking in front of him into the hospital.

Flashes went off as they entered the lobby, and he put a hand up to block them. There was a small stage set up where he’d be performing, and chairs had been put in place for the kids to sit in. Then there were rows behind that.

He rubbed the back of his neck. He hated the hospital was being overrun with reporters, but hopefully they’d planned for this since they weren’t tossing them out. Maybe press releases about it would raise donations.

Nonetheless, he forced himself to think about the kids instead. All of them were seated up front, ignoring the cameras. Some of them were so young it broke his heart.

As they walked forward, a reporter got too close to Stacy, and Beau moved protectively in front of her, tucking her into his side.

As much as he liked being able to influence the world for good and play his music, this was his least favorite part. The cameras shoved in his face and the people who felt totally entitled to him.

Still, she gave him an encouraging squeeze on his arm, and he made it to the small stool they’d set up with a microphone. Then she sat in front with the kids.

She looked so right there, just right in front of him where he could see her. A tiny shiver of nerves fluttered through him, which was surprising. He hadn’t experienced stage fright in a long time. But this was different. He wanted to impress her.

He played a few notes to make sure his guitar was tuned, smiling at the kids who were waving at him as he did so. Then he took a deep breath and let himself get into his mood so he could play the best show possible for these little people who deserved it more than anyone.

He locked eyes with Stacy as he sang the first note, and when she smiled at him, he relaxed into the music and everything else faded out. It was just him and the songs and the children and his mate.

The flashes disappeared, just the way he liked it.

He didn’t need any fame. He just needed her. But how could he make her see it?

* * *

T
he whole ride
back from the hospital, all Stacy could think about was how adorable Beau had been with the kids. He’d played his tamest songs, and she was surprised as they all sang along. He really had impacted a lot of the world with his music.

He was quiet as he watched the roads to make sure paparazzi weren’t following him. His manager had helped deflect them by saying he’d be coming out a different exit, and meanwhile, they’d snuck around to the side exit after signing autographs for all the children.

“I think you really made a difference today,” she said. “At least those kids seemed to really have a good time.”

He flashed her a grin. His skin glowed slightly from the sweat of performing his heart out for several hours, and his hair was mussed and he had to push it back from his face where it wanted to stick.

Still, even like this, flushed and disheveled, she thought him incredibly sexy. How many people got to see Beau Hunt like this? After the performance, when everything was winding down.

He focused on the road, which she appreciated, and she pushed the recline button on her comfortable seat and leaned back.

“You have such a good life here,” she said. “Why do you even care about your family’s political stuff? It hurts so many people.”

“What do you mean?” he asked. “You mean uprisings hurt so many people. We never want to hurt anyone.”

“No, but you’d fight back to keep power.”

“Depends on who wants the power,” he stated. “Not all pure-blooded lion families are as diplomatic as we are. At least with the human world.”

“What do you care about the human world?” she asked.

“Seriously?” He snorted. “Like those kids, the rest of the world means a lot to me, too. Right now, things work well; they’re in balance. Shifters aren’t persecuted, and for the most part, they’re kept in line so they don’t persecute others. But there are people, lions, who think that’s all messed up and we should be
ruling
the humans. Or rounding them up and slaughtering them so shifters can take over the world.”

“There aren’t enough of us,” she said.

He shrugged. “There are some who don’t care. Me and my family have been fighting for years to ensure they don’t get the oracle behind them.”

“Why does it matter so much?” she asked.

“Because the oracle controls the dragons,” he said. “And if the dragons moved from protecting shifters and humans to going after anyone who disagreed with the ruling lions, a lot of people would be in a lot of trouble.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I know it’s really complicated, and a lot of it you just aren’t gonna understand. At least not yet. Not until you’re a part of it.”

She’d already been a part of it. She didn’t want to say so, though. She was sure he could just defend it. But still, was she putting too much on a simple childhood moment?

No, the death of her parents wasn’t a small childhood moment.

“Do you remember the fight of the windless summer?”

His expression went tight, but he nodded. “I do.” He gave her a mysterious look, appraising her. “What do you remember about it? It was near your city as I recall.”

“A lot happened that year,” she said. “I don’t want to remember it.”

His expression was shuttered, and he turned away. “I understand.”

It had been shortly after his family had visited her village. An attack at night. Fire everywhere. All because of him. Her village hadn’t even been able to fight back well. They had human blood from lions who had married and mated on the mainland and come back to the island. They weren’t strong enough to fight back.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked. “I’m sorry if I brought back something painful.”

She shook her head. “It’s fine. Bound to happen sometimes. I don’t think about the island a lot. But being with someone who’s also from there… stirs things up.”

“I’m sorry,” he said and looked like he really meant it. “When we pull over, I promise to give you a hug.” Then he gave her a playful grin, but she could tell his eyes were still sad that he was causing her trouble.

Oh well. She supposed she’d have to deal with her past at some moment. And really, despite everything, he wasn’t such a bad guy. In fact, all signs were pointing to the fact that he was a really good guy. One she’d be lucky to be with.

If she could give up the past.

When they pulled over in front of the house, she was already in a better mood, but she didn’t resist as he reached over and pulled her into a tight hug. His music resonated in her head, echoing like an unsung melody as she enjoyed his warm embrace. He was becoming more than a potential mate to her. He was also becoming a friend.

When he pulled back, brushing his hand through her hair, she nearly flinched at the look of caring in his eyes. He was such a kind person. It was clearly easy for him to love. But was she any different from the many fans or staff or other people he was so good to?

From the look he was giving her now, she thought so. And it made her a bit nervous.

“What’s wrong?” he asked as the tension in the car grew higher, hotter, even as the crisp AC was still running.

“I don’t know,” she said, rubbing her arms. “I think I need to go in and make a call. Maybe spend a few hours on work this evening.”

“You need some time alone.”

She nodded.

He sat back, studying her. It was clear he really didn’t want to go along with it this time, but she knew he would. Despite how much he wanted her, how much he mysteriously seemed attracted to her, he wouldn’t push her. She knew that to be true.

The problem with that was it put the ball in her court, and she wasn’t sure she knew how to make the right move with it.

“Okay,” he said. “It’s not like you’re a prisoner. I’ll miss you, though. Do you want dinner in your room?”

She imagined eating with him again. Each time they’d eaten together, they’d learned more about each other. The warmth and friendship between them had grown stronger. The sexual chemistry sharper.

And the lingering sense of uneasiness, like being around him was pushing something from her memories forward. Something she wanted to keep back at all costs.

“I’ll eat in my room,” she said.

He got out and opened the door for her, then took her by the hand as they started up the long front walk into the mansion. She looked down at his hand in question, and he grinned but cast his eyes around the grounds.

“Here’s the thing,” he said. “I know my estate is safe with the security system, but when we’re outside, I still want to keep a close eye on you.”

“It’s not just that you want to hold my hand?” she asked, her uneasiness melting away as they walked together, touching.

He gave her a crooked smile. “Maybe that, too.” When they reached the front door, he opened it for her and let her in and then followed her to the bottom of the stairs.

The look he gave her as she started up them made her mouth dry. She could see just how badly he wanted to follow but knew he wouldn’t.

“You have a good night, then,” he said. “But if you change your mind and want some company, come see me. I’m always around if you need me, Stacy. You’re welcome anytime.”

The lion in her let out a little purr at that, and she inwardly groaned as she took the stairs two at a time to her room.