London Calling: BWWM New Adult Romance (Chase Brothers Book 2) (23 page)

S
o this was
what freedom and happiness felt like. Excitement coursed through her veins as the giddy happiness skipped along her synapses. There was nothing like the high from a performance. The audience had given her a standing ovation.
Her
. Holy hell. Charles had been yammering about how she needed to gear herself up because she'd be too busy to even think over the next few months.

With the music Jasper was spinning blasting out of every speaker and her new friends dancing and laughing, Imani felt alive. From the bar, Xander spoke to Alexi, laughing at something his brother said. Suddenly he looked up and caught her eye. The grin he gave her was wide and unguarded. Imani finished her drink and leaned over to Fe. "Listen, I'm going to try to drag my boyfriend out of here for some wild sex. You okay here?"

Fe whooped. "It's about fucking time. Go shag your brains out, movie star."

She laughed and took a gulp of Fe’s drink. Since the crowd consisted of the cast and crew and their friends, people made room for her easily. When she reached the two brothers her stomach gave a hint of a flutter. "Excuse me, Alexi, but if you don't mind, I'd like to drag my boyfriend off for a shag."

Xander sputtered, spraying his drink. Alexi's laugh cracked through the air like a whip. "Finally, a woman who knows how to take my brother well in hand. You two kids have fun."

She reached for Xander's hand and threaded her fingers though his. "You ready to get out of here?"

His lips turned up at the corners, that slight smile that drove her nuts with desire. "You realize you’d be running from your own party, right?"

Imani nodded. "There's something else I'd rather be doing right now."

"I'm not daft enough to argue with a beautiful woman. Let’s go home."

That’s where her plan tilted on its rails a little. She had no intention of going home. She wanted to be adventurous for him. Wanted to be spontaneous. "Who said anything about wanting to go home?"

Xander cocked his head as if needing clarification. But his eyes had darkened to almost black. He knew exactly what she wanted. "Imani." The way he said her name sent a shiver through her. It held promise of seduction and fun and satisfaction. But he still seemed hesitant when he leaned in to whisper close to her ear. "All your friends are here. And this is a very public place."

"I don’t care. For once I want to throw a little caution to the wind."

His gaze dipped to her lips and she could feel the rumble of his chest against hers.

“I don't want the possibility of anything interrupting us. I want you all to myself."

How could she possibly convey what she wanted? The alcohol was fuzzing her brain just a little and she inhaled deeply to try to clear it so she could make him understand. "I want you. I want you to see me as sexy and spontaneous and adventurous. You've had—" She cut herself off and tried for better words. "I want to try something different. Give you something. You've implanted me into this fairytale for weeks now and I just want to show you how that makes me feel." Fuck, she was getting this wrong. "You've had a lot of women and I know you—"

He pressed his thumb to her lips when he lifted his hand to caress her face. "Would you stop? One woman or a hundred—not a single one has come close to making me feel what I feel with you. I don’t need you to try to be anything else. All I want is you. However you'll have me."

She tilted her chin up. "And if I said I wanted you now? And it turned me on to sneak off with you? I want you so hot for me you can’t be in control."

Xander was a coward. And he knew it. After he'd dropped his bomb, he'd retreated quickly to the safety of the front row to avoid her response. If she didn’t love him back, he didn’t want to know, at least not right away. He wanted to pretend for the rest of the night. And if she did love him, well, then he'd feel even guiltier for not telling her he'd gone to see her father.

But it was hard to think about anything as Imani danced in front of him. His semi-erect cock went instantly rock hard when she ground her ass into him. Fuck. Just thinking about his fingers slipping through her wet sex made him throb.

The throng of people dancing around them. The knowledge in her eyes of what he was doing to her made him hotter. That they were in plain sight. He loved feeling like that with her. Knowing that he could make her so needy she forgot who she was, where she was.

She leaned back into his chest as her ass ground onto his cock. "You dropped a bomb then ran from me. I thought we had an arrangement to stay and deal."

Oh yeah. Just the first of many promises he’d broken. He swallowed hard as his brain scrambled for what he could possibly say. “I know.” She canted her hips, popping her ass right into his cock and his eyes crossed. Of course it prompted an image of him taking her while standing. Maybe she’d even let him have her ass. Just the thought had the base of his spine tingling. “Imani, fuck.” She was doing what she accused him of doing. Using sex to control him.

She turned in his arms and reached a hand up to cup his cheek. "Xander." Her voice was soft. "Please, look at me."

"What?"

"I love you too."

He stilled. "What?"

"You heard me. I love you. And if you'd given me half a chance earlier, I would have told you so. And total dick move telling me right before I had to go on stage, BTW."

She loved him? Slowly the understanding of what she'd said seeped into his consciousness. She
loved
him.

Like a blind man on a mission, he wasted no time dragging her through the club to the stairs that led to the roof. When he reached the top, he went first. When he was assured they were completely alone on the roof, he locked the door. There were perks to being a VIP.

Dragging her to the central bench overlooking Mayfair, he kissed her hungrily, stroking deep into her mouth, sliding his tongue against hers. His hands were desperate to be on her and he gripped too tight. Her gasp of shock had him gentling his hands and his kiss.

He slid his lips over hers in a barely-there caress, relishing how soft she was. Her tongue dipped out to tease. Muffling a moan, he kissed her a little deeper, chasing her tongue. Grinding his hips against hers. His cock was like a rocket primed and ready to go.

With a series of tears and contortions, she had his shirt off then helped him with the buckle of his belt, then his jeans, managing only to get them shoved over his ass and free his aching erection.

He knew what she was going to do. And he backed up onto the bench to brace himself. There was no way he was going to survive her mouth on him. The anticipation was enough to kill him.

When she lowered herself between his legs, he gripped his cock at the base, ready to feed it to her. “You’re sure you want to do this, Imani?”

Slowly, she nodded. “I’ve been wanting to try this for a while now. But you’re always too impatient.”

“That’s because your pussy is like a velvet vise. Hand to God, it’s my favorite place to be.”

“You know, I don’t think I said thank you properly for bringing my sister and father to my show.”

He bit his bottom lip. “By all means, thank me.”

Imani wrapped her lips around his cock and he wanted to go off before her tongue even started to lick him. She hollowed her mouth out as she sucked him deep, cupping his balls at the same time.

“Oh shit. Imani…Fuck. Jesus. Fuck me.”

She alternated stroking him with one hand while she licked the length of him, paying particular attention to the underside, with deep pulls into her mouth. But it was when she massaged his balls and scraped his perineum with her fingertip that his control snapped.

He gripped two handfuls of hair and pulled her wet mouth further onto his aching cock. But it didn’t matter how crazy she made him, he was careful with her not pushing too far.

She had other plans though. She took him all the way inside her mouth until the tip of his cock slid into her throat. Xander squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to control the fire that licked at his senses. When she released his balls and used both hands to stroke him in time with her mouth, his vision crossed. “Imani, God. You have to stop, I’m going to—”

She sucked harder, coating his cock with saliva. But it wasn’t until she gently scraped her teeth just over the tip that he erupted, all brain functions ceasing.

I
t had taken more
than fifteen minutes for Xander to be able to walk again, let alone talk and or provide anything useful to a conversation. There, on the roof, under the stars, he held Imani tight, unwilling to let her go. She loved him. And deep down he knew it was true. He also knew that he'd never properly loved anyone outside of Lex before. He could be a selfish bugger and most things were all about him. With Imani, things were different.

When she stirred, he kissed her temple. "You realize you've completely broken me, right? I can’t talk, hell, I can barely move."

She lifted her head and grinned up at him. "So you like how I said thank you?"

Hell yes he liked it; he fucking loved it. But something about what she said gnawed at him. "You know, you didn't have to blow me to say thank you. I just wanted to make you happy."

"Xander, I know. I'm teasing. I wanted to try something new in a, uh, new environment. And I wanted to blow your...mind."

The laugh bubbled out of him before he could contain it. "My mind, huh? Consider it blown. But since this is your party, how about I take you back downstairs so you can enjoy it."

"I'd rather stay with you."

He groaned. "You say things like that and I’m liable to go back to my selfish ways and keep you all to myself."

She shrugged before snuggling back into him. "What's wrong with that?"

"Oh no you don't. Plenty of time for that when we get home. And for the record, you'd better get your fill of your friends for tonight, because I plan on keeping you in bed for a very long time. They might not even recognize you when I finally let you out, it'll be so long."

"Promises, promises,” she laughed. “You'll be the first one to complain about needing sustenance."

"This is London, everywhere delivers."

She rolled her eyes, but she eventually stood and tugged him to his feet. The smile she gave him was so unguarded he fell in love all over again. "You were fantastic tonight. Just in case I didn't say that already."

Imani ducked her head. "You did. Thank you."

"Well, it's the truth. When you get up on stage, I cannot take my eyes off of you."

"And how is that different from any other time?"

He laughed, for the first time in a long time feeling truly light. "It's not. But it's especially true when you're on stage. You're beautiful to watch." With little effort, he wanted her again. He wanted to spread her out on one of these benches and show her all the ways he could love her. But he recognized what it was. He wanted to feel close to her, to see her happy. But he knew enough now that he could also do that without sex. His cock, of course, complained.
Wanker
. "Come on, let's go."

When they returned downstairs, the party was in full swing. Nick and Fe had sandwiched some girl and were grinding to some dance track Jasper was playing. Several of the cast members had started dancing on the low tables around the VIP section. Some had already started on the backs of the seating area. Since it was a private party no one would complain. And well, he'd paid enough to rent the VIP room for that purpose.

Imani was immediately surrounded by Abbie, Tamsin and Sophie and dragged off to the dance floor. He'd even invited Miriam, who sat at the bar with a friend holding court. He owed her more than she knew. Without her, he wouldn't have Imani.

Unfortunately, he’d had no choice but to invite Ryan. "I saw you and my girl vanish earlier." Ryan sauntered up to him and knocked back the amber liquid in his glass.

Xander gritted his teeth. If he had had his way, there was no way Ryan would have been invited. But he was part of the cast. He was just happy that after their show tomorrow Imani wouldn’t have to see him again. "Saying she's your girl implies that she can actually stand you. And both of us know that's not true."

"She likes me enough to not quit the show. What you and she don’t understand is that she never got over me. Why else would she stay if she hated me so much?"

"You're pissed." And Xander wasn't pissed enough to keep talking to this git and not care.

"How does it feel to know you have my scraps? The great Xander Chase with my sloppy seconds. Though, I don't know how you can stand the cold-fish routine with her just lying there in the sack. Fuck, and then the crying afterward." Ryan's words slurred together and Xander's hands twitched with the urge to hit him.

"Shut the fuck up."

Ryan put up his hands, then weaved, then listed to the left a little. "Don't be mad at me, mate. Just telling you like it is. And a piece of friendly advice. I'd get your slander lawyer ready because the moment things go bad, she'll start screaming rape. You won’t even get a chance to explain."

Xander froze. "What the fuck did you say?"

Ryan stumbled backward again and his words jumbled together. "She's lying you know. I didn't hurt her. I loved her. She'd been teasing me for a year. And she wanted it to happen. Then after I finally gave her what we both wanted, she said I forced her. Fuck that slag."

Fury set Xander's blood to boil, but it also temporarily immobilized him. "I will fucking kill you."

But Ryan seemed unconcerned. "You have to ask yourself why she kept coming to rehearsals with me. Saw me every day. It was because she still has feeling for me. I didn't do what she said. Then you swoop in and start interfering with my plan to get her back." He stumbled forward with a wild swing.

Finally, Xander snapped out of the frozen fury. His knuckles connected with Ryan’s jaw in the blink of an eye. Recoiling quickly, he hit him again. And again. And again letting out the anger and the fear and the panic. This asshole had hurt Imani. Hurt
him
. And soon, Xander wasn't seeing Ryan, he was seeing Silas and Alistair. Ryan feebly tried to land a punch or two, but Xander didn’t stop until someone strong grabbed him from behind.

"Xan, fucking stop it." Lex's voice growled in his ear.

He struggled, but Lex didn’t let go. "Sod off. Let me go."

Lex dragged him forcibly into a back room to the right of the stairs. "I'm not letting you go until you bloody calm down. What the fuck is the matter with you?"

Still seething, he shouted at his brother. "H-he hurt her, Lex. He fucking hurt her."

"Who?"

"Imani. That asshole hurt her."

Lex's voice went flat. "What do you mean he
hurt
her?"

"He just as much as admitted to raping her. The fucker is so twisted he thinks he cares about her."

Lex released him. "Son of a bitch."

"Now you see why I was kicking his arse."

Lex scrubbed a hand over his face. "Yes, but you can’t do this here. Not in front of all these people. I saw him take a swing at you. That's why I came over. But you obviously didn’t need my help."

Xander leaned against the wall. "For fucking once, right?"

"Xander." Lex shook his head. "As much as you want to kill him, you can't. He's not Silas or even Alistair."

"Would you be so fucking calm if this was Abbie? If you’d been the one to find Evan?

Lex shook his head. "No. But then I'd count on you to keep me from killing the bloke. You need to get out of here and cool off. I'll take care of Ryan."

"Alexi." He wasn't going to let his brother save the day.

"Alexander," Lex said more firmly. "Get some air. It's not the end of the world. Let me help."

Everything inside him shriveled. That twat had hurt her. And she'd never told him. Worse, day after day, she'd gone to rehearsal, putting her in harm's way.
She never told you. That's not love.
He needed to get out of there. "You're right—I need air."

"What do you want me to tell Imani?"

Xander shook his head. "Don't tell her anything."

Imani let herself back into the flat. She’d spent the whole morning out looking for Xander. How could he just abandon her last night? Lex had told her that Xander left, but hadn't said why or where he was going. Not long after, she saw Ryan being carted out with a black eye and a bloody nose.

She’d tried to call and text, but her texts went unanswered and her calls went straight to voicemail. Was this how it ended? He'd just vanish on her? She'd gone over the possible scenarios a million times over. Had he just been waiting for her to say the words? Was it all a game to him? But that made no sense. He’d said he loved her and looked terrified when he'd done it. He'd looked even more scared when she had said it back.

Maybe he hadn't thought she would. He thought he could say it and pretend he'd never said it? None of it made any sense at all. She needed to talk to him. Lex, unfortunately, was no help. She'd gone to the barge first thing in the morning to see if he'd turned up there, but it had only been Abbie and Lex. No sign of Xander. And while she thought Lex would cover for him, she was pretty certain that Abbie wouldn't. Hell, she'd wanted to come hunt him down with her.

Her next stop had been to check the Notting Hill flat, but no one answered. Granted he could have been on the other side with another girl. Her stomach twisted at the thought. No. She was going to choose to believe that he loved her.
Then where the hell is he?

She'd even gone to her place and checked to see if he was there, just in case he'd assumed she went home and was looking for her. But he was nowhere to be found.

After tossing her keys on the kitchen counter, she dropped her purse on the couch and toed off her shoes. Maybe after a long, hot shower, she'd figure out where to look next.

She’d been so worried, she’d sat up the rest of the night waiting. She'd only washed her face and tossed on some sweats to go on the hunt his morning.

As she stepped into the hallway, she heard the shower going in Xander's bedroom. Heart stuttering into a gallop, she ran down the long stretch, calling for him. "Xander? Are you in there?"

The bathroom door was ajar and she could see him in the shower. One arm braced against the wall, the other—what the hell—was he? Oh yeah. His eyes were screwed shut and he ran a soapy hand over his massive, pulsing erection.

She stood on the threshold watching him, his strong body doing one of the things he did best. The man was made to have sex. But the tight lines around his mouth told her he wasn’t enjoying himself. The rapid jerky movements looked more like punishment.

She shed her clothes quickly and opened the door to the giant shower stall. Xander's eyes flew open and he staggered backward. "Imani, what the fuck are you doing?"

"I'm giving you a hand. You look like you could use one."

His hands shook, even as his cock bobbed in front of her. "You should go."

"And what? Run away like you did last night? You can't run me off. You think I don't recognize the pulling away? I'm a master at it. I love you and I'm not going."

Xander shook his head and backed up another step. "No. Don't touch me. I'm not in a good place. I don't want you to see me like this."

She very deliberately stepped into his space. "Like what, Xander?"

He backed up again but hit the wall. "Fucking broken, Imani. If you touch me, I don’t know what will happen."

"I have a pretty good idea. We'll make love. And then we'll talk about why you ran out on me and left me there alone. And we'll also talk about why you let me worry about you half the night and day. But as you like to say, we're going to fuck first, because despite all that, I still want you. I need you."

"Imani." Her name sounded like a plea.

But she was in no mood to let him run from her again. She'd opened herself up. It was too late for her; she loved him. She wasn’t going to let him run. "Touch me, Xander."

He shook. Even with makeup smudges under eyes and her hair a wild tangle of curls, he wanted her desperately. He’d spent the night at a hotel trying to get his mind around what the hell had happened to her. The things he'd done and said to her. He felt like shit about it all. And worst of all, there was still a need to do some serious violence coursing through him. He needed to let the tension out before he could talk to her. To help her. Something.

But he was also furious with her. How could she not tell him? How could she keep putting herself in harm's way? It was like she had a death wish. Or didn’t care that he'd be shredded if something happened to her.

Now she was standing in front of him asking him to fuck her first.
Shit
. They were so fucked up. But he needed her too. There was no way he was turning her down. He prayed he had the control she needed from him.

"Turn around."

She complied with no resistance, bracing herself against the wall, the shower spray soaking her hair. Water, sluicing down her arched back, ass canted upwards as if on offer from the gods.

With one swift step forward, his cock twitched against her and he adjusted his hips so that he nudged her pussy.

His name came out on a whisper and she pushed back against him. He didn’t need the lube he’d brought into the shower with him. She was wet, slick for him as if she'd been waiting for him to come home just for this.

She moved her hips back and his dick slid into her moist depths easily.
Home
. Fuck. How could she love him? She had no idea what he’d done. He wanted to hold on to her forever now that he'd found her, but why would she? How could she want to be with him?

Reaching around her body, his hand sliding down her taught belly, he slid his fingers into her slick folds, seeking her clit. When he found it, he pressed gently and rubbed circles with a slow, well-practiced precision. "Oh, Xander. OhmyGod. OhmyGod. OhmyGod."

Her inner walls milked him tight and the blissful spread of his orgasm started in his toes as always and he leaned into the release, desperate for it. Desperate to bond with her as always, but the more he chased the orgasm, the more elusive it became.

Gritting his teeth, he sank into her hard enough for her to gasp and his fingers dug into her flesh, pinning her in place, ripping another orgasm from her. Never yielding on his motions over her clit.

"Please Xander, I can’t take any more."