Owned (Rockstar Romance) (Lost in Oblivion Book 5) (20 page)

“No, but I have another delicate area pierced.”

Lila tilted her head. “Really?”

“Oh yeah.”

“Didn’t that hurt?” Lila crossed her legs and made everyone laugh. “A lot?”

“It wasn’t anything compared to childbirth, lemme tell you that.”

“Enough said.”

“But the bennies are numerous.” Jazz glanced around. “I’m talking lots and lots of gifts with purchase, if you know what I mean.”

“She means orgasms,” Harper said.

“I deduced that, but thanks.” Lila slid a glance at Margo, determined not to think about how many of those “gifts” Jazz had experienced during her brief thing with Nick.

Who had never mentioned Jazz’s piercing, probably to avoid certain death.

“Is that true for you too?” Lila asked Margo.

“It definitely helps things along. Being pierced in any erogenous zone does.”

“Hmm.” Lila tapped her fingers on her chin. What better way to throw caution to the wind and just live? “Okay, yes. I want to do it. When can we go?”

Jazz leaned forward. “Can we all go?”

Lila tried not to jump back. The fierce gleam in Jazz’s eyes was almost scary. “I’m not sure if all of you seeing my breasts strikes the right tone considering our work relationship.”

“But Margo can? No fair.”

Harper patted Jazz’s hand. “It’s okay, sweetie. I’ll take you upstairs and show you boobs on the internet.” She turned her head toward Lila and Margo. “Second trimester. She’s turned on by this coffee table right now. Just ignore her.”

“It’s not about being turned on. I’m all about the celery stalk, not the tomato. I just enjoy women freely expressing pleasure in their bodies. It makes me happy. And Lila really needs that. I mean,
really
.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means go to the piercing place with Margo and have fun.”

Lila set aside her plate. Have fun. Right. “Okay. Let’s go.”

“I wasn’t pierced here. We’d have to find a place.”

“Got one,” Jazz called, holding up her phone. “Downtown Trunbull. Dragon Tattoos and Piercings.” She looked up and started to laugh. “It’s fate.”

Lila jumped to her feet before she could chicken out and reached over to grab Margo’s hand. “Come on. Let’s go.”

“Girl, you don’t mess around.” Margo put down her half eaten pastry and rose. “Will you tell the guys where we went?”

“We’ll tell them you went on an errand. Save the surprise for later.” Harper winked.

“Thanks.” Lila smiled.

This would be perfect. She’d reclaim a little of her missing sexiness, and do something crazy and fun.

Maybe she’d even be in the mood for some naked times when they got back.

A girl could hope.

* * *

T
hree hours later
, Margo stopped the car near Happy Acres main entrance and turned off the ignition. “It’s no big deal, you know.”

“Yes, it is.” Lila frowned down at her chest, barely visible in her sweater. She’d chosen carefully today, going with warm and shapeless over something that revealed curves.

Happy accident, since she wasn’t in a hurry to reveal her body right now.

“I’m like a lopsided bunny.”

Margo laughed. “No, you aren’t. You heard the guy. He said some women only get one.”

“That’s lame. There weren’t any with one in that book of his. All pairs.”

“So you’re a trendsetter. Trust me, Nick won’t mind one bit.”

Lila sighed and dropped her head against the headrest. “I don’t think I’m meant to be wild. I keep trying and it never goes well.”

“It’s no big deal you panicked. Lots of people do. I still can’t believe Jazz pierced her—you know.”

“Me either.” Lila started to say more, then just spun her engagement ring around her finger and shut up.

Margo really didn’t need to hear why she hadn’t been able to go through with the piercing, and she definitely didn’t want to say it. Panic hadn’t factored in much.

A little, sure. She’d gone over twenty-seven years with her unadorned nipples, and she didn’t mind them. But she would’ve forced back the nerves and followed through, if not for the fact that the actual piercing had made her want to scream.

Her nipples were not in the mood to be plied with needles. In fact, just closing her bra around her breasts was enough to make her grit her teeth.

That happened sometimes when her period was due too, so that was probably all it was.

February first wasn’t that far away. Surely everything could just…calm down until then.

The one piercing thing sucked, though. Seriously sucked.

Lila sighed again. “The next time I get any bright ideas, stop me.”

“Nah. You’ll be happy with the results of even one.”

Lila tried to return Margo’s sly smile. Hopefully she wouldn’t try to deck Nick if he dared even think about her breasts. Right now it wasn’t looking too good.

“Thanks for taking me. I better get inside. It’ll be time for dinner in not too long, and I’m helping Mama making buttermilk biscuits tonight.”

“Yum. I’m already hungry.”

“Me too.” She’d been hungry since about an hour after breakfast.

Not weird at all.

They got out of the car and walked up to the front door of the store. On impulse, Lila tugged Margo in for a hug. “I’ve never had a girlfriend before. Well, not in a very long time. It’s fun. Thank you.”

“It’s fun for me too. Besides, it helps to have someone to commiserate with over those insane men we hooked up with.”

“Truth.” Lila pulled open the door and came face to face with the insane men they’d hooked up with, standing in mirrored poses with their arms crossed.

“Uh oh,” Margo said under her breath.

“Where have you been?” Simon asked.

Margo and Lila exchanged looks. “On an errand.”

“Not another one of those.” Nick moved forward to grab Lila’s hand. “Let’s go upstairs.”

“Wow, that’s subtle, even for you.”

He rolled his eyes. “I have something to show you.”

Margo laughed. “Great line, Crandall. You must have one about etchings too.”

“He doesn’t even know what etchings are. His lines are more of the variety of ‘wanna fuck?’” Simon glanced at the customers standing nearby and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry.”

“Later.” Nick didn’t seem to care about Simon and Margo’s commentary, instead dragging Lila with him toward the staircase that led to the second level.

“What’s the rush?”

He ignored her, tugging her along until they reached their room. He pushed open the door and nudged her toward the bed. “Okay. What do you think?”

She frowned and sat on the edge of the mattress. “About what?”

Grabbing the iPad off the nightstand, he swiped a couple times and held it out to her. “This.”

A beautiful black horse filled the screen.

“Oh my God. She’s beautiful.”

“Her name is Priscilla. She’s for sale. Her family farm’s outside Petaluma, so a bit of a drive. But I figured we could go up there to meet her once we get back home. They’re willing to house her until we have some land of our own.”

“Land of our own? Land?” She set aside the iPad and stumbled to her feet. Eyes already blurred with tears, she strode away from the bed. “Petaluma’s hours away from LA. My job’s in LA.”

“I know that. So’s mine, in case you’ve forgotten. But your parents told me you want a horse and a farm, so dammit, you’re going to have a horse and a farm. We can hire people when we can’t be there. As many as it takes.”

“Do you have any idea how much it costs to run a farm? Even a small one? The man hours are extensive. Animals need lots of care.”

“Luckily I have lots of money, and together, we’re going to make more.”

She stared at him across the bed. “Who are you, and what have you done with Nicholas Crandall?”

“Maybe I’m growing up.” He shrugged. “Maybe I like it here, and I want some of that for ourselves. It sucks New York is so far away from California, but they have plenty of land there too. We can buy some. Some goats and chickens and whatever the hell else you put on a farm. A pig? I don’t know. Beavers and shit too.”

She laughed hard enough to jostle her new piercing against her bra. For once, it didn’t cause agonizing pain, just a flare of heat. “You don’t have to stock a farm with beavers. Depending on the area, they’re just part of the deal. Along with a variety of other creatures.”

“Okay, cool, so we don’t even have to buy them all. Perfect.” He sat cross-legged on the bed and pushed the iPad toward her again. “Don’t you like her? Ricki said she was a great horse. Comes from good stock and all that. She’s a huge animal freak.”

Overwhelmed, Lila grabbed the iPad and scrolled through the pictures. Priscilla was gorgeous, with kind eyes and a glossy coat that gleamed in the sun. “Why are they selling her?”

“Older couple wanting to downsize. But they’re not in a huge rush, so like I said, we can leave her there until we’re ready. I’m thinking once we find like a hundred acres, we can—”

“One hundred acres? Are you nuts? Do you have any clue how big that is?”

He grinned. “Go big or go home, baby.”

Shaking her head, she climbed on the bed and pushed him back into the pillows. She straddled him and braced her hands on his chest, waiting until his eyes settled on hers before she tipped her forehead to his. “You don’t have to do this. I’m not expecting you to turn into Farmer Crandall. I’m happy with you as you are. Just as I hope you’re happy with me.”

“Yeah, that’s why I want to try this new stuff. You’d never expect it, and hell, I love it here. I’m not kidding.” He reached up to brush her hair away from her face. “I know there’s no snow in California, and the extended family thing can’t happen out there, but if we could have a slice of the rest of it…I want it, Lila. I’ve never had a true home. Never had roots. I want my own pig.”

Helplessly, she laughed again. The tears in her eyes were strictly happy ones, and that was a gift of its own. “Ten minutes ago you didn’t know if a farm should even have a pig. Now you want one.”

“Yeah. And one of those sweet tractors like your dad has. I could drive that shit right up to Ripper Records’ office and give Donovan a heart attack.”

“And me. Driving one of those through downtown LA? Lunatic.” She shuddered and he laughed, anchoring his hand in her hair to tug her face to his.

“I put a deposit on the horse.”

“You’re nuts.”

“Don’t you like her?”

She kissed the wrinkle between his brows. “I love her. She’s a lovely horse. But we haven’t even met her. Do you even know how to ride?”

“Um…”

She laughed again. “I can teach you.”

“A hot blond teaching me how to ride bareback. Hmm.” He rubbed his lips over her jaw. “How fast can I say yes?”

“No bareback for you. Saddle all the way until you know what you’re doing.”

“That worked for us too. I think I’ve figured it out now.”

By the time she focused on his words and not his sexy little kisses down her neck, his dexterous fingers had already slipped under her sweater to tease her belly button. She stiffened as he touched her stomach and relaxed when he moved on, until he followed his usual route up her midriff to her bra.

Specifically, her left breast. The pierced one.

“What the hell is this?”

Without giving her time to answer, he dove under her sweater and peeled down the cup of her bra. She started to laugh, hard, until his lips closed around the tiny gold hoop.

Lo and behold, it didn’t hurt at all. Just felt really good.

So good that she cupped his head and held it against her. She didn’t even jump as he slid his other hand up to caress her other breast.

Warmth spread through her and she reached up to pull off her sweater. Might as well let him see the damage as well as learn it with his mouth.

Not that she had any problem with that at all. Especially since her breasts were reacting just as they should.

Happy breasts.

“Holy shit.” The reverence in his voice made her eager to unclasp her bra and let the cups fall away. She hadn’t taken more than a second to check it out herself, but the way he was devouring her with his gaze made her think he didn’t have an issue with just one piercing.

Turned out Margo was right.

“I was supposed to get two.”

“It’s fucking perfect. Beyond perfect. Did I say holy shit?”

She grinned. “Yes, I think you did.”

His hands came up to sculpt her breasts, his thumbs tipping up the rosy tips until she closed her eyes and released a long sigh. The small hoop on the left pulled just enough to make them hard. Both hard, not just the pierced one. The signal went right to her clit.

Pretty soon she’d be saying “holy shit” too.

“What made you do this?”

“Margo has them. I wanted to do something fun. To be fun for once.”

His silence caused her to open her eyes. “You are fun. You’re great just as you are.” He lifted his hand again and fisted it in her hair, even tighter than before. “I hate that that asshole made you doubt yourself. I wish I could go kick his ass.”

“He didn’t make me do anything. That was my choice.”

Just like it’s my choice to be afraid that if I am pregnant, that you’ll react just like he did.