The Monster of Fame (The Price of Fame Series) (12 page)

Another expert swirl of his tongue and she burst into euphoric ripples of pleasure driving through her whole body. In the distance, she could hear a shattered cry, but she was too lost in the sensations to pay much attention. Stars burst right in front of her eyes.

Anna closed her eyes, relishing in the delicious sensation of bliss, surrounded in his musky scent and the warm glow in her chest. She must have died and gone to heaven.

* * * *

Miles had never seen a woman come apart with such wild abandon. He found it turned him on impossibly. He gazed down at the huge smile spread across Annabelle’s face and fought the urge to chuckle. She was so beautiful, even more now that her cheeks were flushed pink and that euphoric smile lit her face up like some bedraggled angel of purity.

He kissed her eyelids softly. “You’re not falling asleep on me, are you?” he teased, trying like a bear to hold onto the desire to bury himself deep inside her. He’d seen the vulnerable look in her eyes when they had first arrived in the bedroom and didn’t want to push her.

“Mmm. Depends on whether I can get more of that.”

He did chuckle this time, a strained, tense laugh. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Lowering his lips to hers, he plundered her mouth, drowning in the sweet taste of her. Desire burned through his veins, almost searing with its intensity. He’d promised her more and didn’t want to disappoint, so he delved his fingers into the valley between her thighs and stroked the silky, swollen nub.

Annabelle moaned into his mouth and he shuddered, temporarily distracted. Again her hips thrust and her thighs tensed. He became aware of his erection throbbing against her stomach and suddenly panic washed over him like a bucket of icy water.

What if he did disappoint her? Sure, he was harder than a steel girder now, but what if it didn’t last? Wouldn’t be the first time…

He tried to concentrate on her imminent release, the smell of flowers that drove his senses wild, and the almost desperate way she was wriggling around against his thigh. But it was no use, as her body convulsed and his mouth swallowed her scream of release, panic clawed up his throat and his erection swiftly dissolved.

Shame washed through him like a tidal wave and he broke the kiss, needing to get away from the look of disappointment he was sure to see in those jeweled eyes. They were closed now and the smile was back on her face, but it wasn’t enough. He’d failed her already.

“Make love to me, Miles,” she whispered, still not meeting his gaze.

After cursing himself internally, he jumped off the bed and left the room. Anger and self-hatred tore him apart, and he paced through to the hall. The urge to hit something—preferably himself—was overpowering.

“Miles.”

He turned to see Annabelle standing in the doorway to his bedroom. Her mahogany curls wild and her cheeks flushed, wrapped in one of the dark blue sheets from his bed. Her eyes were huge and sparkled with unshed tears. He felt more humiliated in that moment than he ever had in all his life.

“Don’t.” He turned away again, but heard Annabelle’s soft footsteps on the wooden floor behind him.

“Miles, what’s wrong?”

Without turning, he ground out, “You should leave, Annabelle. I’m useless, I can’t do anything right, never mind pleasure you.” He started to walk away, frustration and humiliation cutting him deeper.

She skirted around him, blocking his path. Her chin tilted and her brows furrowed with annoyance. Good, she should be annoyed. He wished like hell she didn’t have to be though.

“Do you want me to leave?” she asked levelly, her face smoothing out.

What could he say? ‘No, Annabelle I don’t want you to go, I want to be able to make love to you all night long and keep you here for as long as I can, except I can’t, because I’m not enough of a man to manage it.’

Instead he closed his eyes and touched his forehead to hers.

“Right, I’m not going anywhere then.” She stepped away from him and he looked at her, shame still burning through him. “You are not useless, Miles Oliver. You are kind and caring and have given me more pleasure than I’ve ever experienced. Don’t dare think you can’t! You already have.” Again, her brows were creased with annoyance, but now he understood. She was annoyed because he doubted himself.

She wrapped her arms around his torso and he reveled in her warmth and floral scent. After a moment, he relaxed and the anger washed away, right along with the shame. He encircled her in his arms and pulled her closer.

“See, you’re not useless. You’re pleasing me now,” she said, and he pulled his head back to look at her. Her eyes were sincere and he felt like an idiot. It was doubt that had been holding him back, not a malfunctioning of his manhood—which was now jumping back to attention. Annabelle smiled wryly. “Do I have to ask you again?” Her eyes flickered to the bedroom door and Miles grinned.

“No, it would be rude to make you ask twice.” He threw her over his shoulder—bedsheets and all—carried her back to the bedroom, and lowered her onto the bed. This time, he removed his trousers and boxers before he pulled a condom out of the drawer and joined her.

She watched with huge eyes as he sheathed himself, and pride swelled in his chest. It was crazy that she still wanted him, but he wasn’t going to complain—or give her a chance to change her mind. Rolling her over, he settled between her thighs and brushed his lips against hers.

Annabelle lifted her hips, allowing him better entry, and the last of the tension and worry drained out of him as he saw heat darken her sparkly eyes. This felt so right that the panic was long forgotten. He positioned himself at her entrance and slowly glided in.

Her inner muscles fisted around him like a glove and he had to retreat slightly before he thrust forward another few inches. She cried out in pain, and he retreated immediately. She couldn’t be a virgin, could she? Her face was twisted into a grimace and he moved back to look at her better.

The dark spots of blood on the sheet confirmed his suspicions and Miles’s mind froze for a second. “Annabelle, why didn’t you tell me?”

She winced. “I didn’t think it was important.”

Pain sliced through him. It was definitely important, to him at least.

* * * *

Why would Anna tell him something like that? Obviously, if she knew it was going to be so painful she would have been better prepared to hide her reaction. The fact that she was a twenty-four year old virgin was hardly something she was willing to boast about.

He shifted to lie beside her on the bed, turning to study her with furrowed brows. “You should have told me. I could have made it…better.”

Now she was the one frowning. Did that mean he was giving up? “Miles, you said you wouldn’t make me ask you twice.”

Closing his eyes, he murmured a curse under his breath. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Again the warm feeling exploded in her chest at his words. “You won’t. Please, Miles.” She scooted closer, her straining nipples scorching as they rubbed against his chest. “Don’t make me ask again.”

His lips met hers with a groan and she felt the sweet victory of his surrender. His hands slid over her skin, fanning the flames of arousal as his mouth caressed hers. Every stroke, every kiss, made her feel cherished and cared for. He was introducing her to how good life could be and she was lapping up every second of it.

As the pleasure built uncontrollably, he rose above her and slid into her with one long thrust. Her hips rose to meet his of their own accord and he continued his sensual kiss, which grew deeper and sweeter with every dip of his tongue.

The warm feeling in her chest blossomed into something more, something that felt an awful lot like love. She opened her eyes and looked up at his face, the moonlight shining on it from the side, his eyes fixed so tenderly on hers that her heart melted.

The words were on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to tell him how much she cared for him, that she was falling in love with him.

Before she could open her mouth to let the first word out, Miles changed the angle he was entering from. Heat coiled and whirled in her stomach. Seconds later, she exploded into a million pieces and cried out her pleasure, her body convulsing around his and pulling him toward his release. He collapsed on top of her and his mouth caught hers in a kiss so full of hunger and gratitude and joy that she thought she might cry.

She realized then that she wasn’t just falling in love with Miles Oliver. She’d probably been there for weeks. He rolled off her and pulled her against him. Anna rested her head against the damp skin at his shoulder and closed her eyes, reveling in the warmth and love coursing through her.

At that moment she was able to think clearly, and she was glad that she hadn’t declared her love for him. He’d been married before, been in love with another, and his shattered heart was just beginning to heal. If she were to put the pressure on him to love her now, it would only add to his burden.

So for now she would keep her mouth shut until she was sure he was ready to hear how she felt. The only worry then was could he love her back? Anna hoped so with all her heart.

Chapter 9

Stolen Moments

“I’ve missed you,” Miles groaned before pressing his lips against hers. They didn’t have much time. Soon his acts would arrive in the recording studio and he’d have to help them with their songs for the semi-finals on Saturday.

“I’ve missed you too,” she whispered when he freed her mouth to feather kisses down the narrow column of her throat.

It had been more than frustrating only being able to see her for these stolen moments. They’d both been so busy rehearsing and working on the show that there was no time for conversations, much less kissing or making love.

And now that his manhood was no longer on the fritz, he was more than eager to spend time with her. This Friday, he’d ask her to stay with him and planned to spend the night with her tied to his bed. Although the way she was currently wrapped around him made him think that restraints wouldn’t be necessary.

“I have to go.” The words came out like a sulky child’s moan and he laughed, understanding her disappointment completely.

“I know.” He sighed and bent to taste her again. There was something so sweet about Annabelle’s smell. It had him hooked. The rest of her was pretty awesome too.

He deepened the kiss further as his mind clouded with a mixture of desire and panic. She’d sailed through the competition and was now officially the favorite to win. He had to step up his game if he wanted to convince her to leave the show. The papers were digging deeper into her life and although they hadn’t found anything too upsetting yet, he feared they might bring up her family’s debts.

He’d noticed too that her sweetness and kind, innocent nature were still her best traits, but after the weeks of good press and sailing through to the semi-finals, she’d become more confident. Just not stronger.

“I really have to go,” she said and chuckled when he only moved his lips to her collarbone. He pulled her closer in a vise-like grip. “Keep this up and I’ll end up exploding.”

Miles raised his face to hers and forced his lips to curve, but knew she’d see the pain in his eyes.

“Miles, it’s okay,” she assured him, cupping his cheek with her palm. “We’ll have some time together next week. I know you’ve been swamped having three acts in the semi-finals.”

He sighed and touched his forehead to hers. “If not, I’ll make time.” It was part of the reason he was down, he really had missed her these last few days. More importantly, he was terrified that she’d get through. If Annabelle ended up like Cassie, he didn’t think he’d be able to go on.

She pulled away, an apologetic smile on her face. He tried to brighten his, but must have failed because she winced. “I’ll text you later. Have fun with the boys.”

“See you later.”

Annabelle closed the door behind her, and he waited until the sound her footsteps trailed off.

He pulled his iPhone out of his pocket and said “James Simpson” into the mouthpiece. The speed dial function connected him to his assistant.

“Hey, boss,” James greeted him.

“Have you found out anything about the debt I asked you to look into?” he asked, too panicked to be polite.

“Yes. I should warn you though, it’s a lot more than you initially thought.”

Miles shook his head. Honestly, he didn’t care. He just wanted the weight of Annabelle’s family’s debt off her shoulders. “Buy it all and then send me the paperwork.”

“Miles, don’t you want to know how much it is?” James’s voice rose a few octaves.

“It doesn’t matter. Just buy it and get the papers to me asap.”

Without waiting for James’s answer, he hung up. His chest felt lighter knowing he could save her from the hell to come. The only problem now was getting her to leave the show. It wasn’t something he was feeling great about, nor was it something he was looking forward to. But he’d have to do it, just as soon as he’d taken the burden of her family’s debt off her shoulders.

* * * *

“Wow, Jess. This is too much, you really shouldn’t have.”

Anna looked around the large, swanky hotel suite her friend had booked them for the weekend. The lounge was whitewashed and hosted a mini-bar and a balcony looking out over London. The luxury red leather sofas faced a fireplace which was centered by a 3D television. There were separate rooms for them, both with double beds and en-suite bathrooms. This must have cost a fortune.

“Relax, Anna, I’ve been saving up for months. Now that you’re through to the semi-finals tomorrow, I thought you deserved a little bit of luxury. Especially since those stuck-up house mates have been ignoring the hell out of you.”

If Anna had known Jess was going to go to all this expense just to come to the semi-finals, she wouldn’t have invited her down. Truth be told, she missed Jess terribly and knew she’d pay her friend back for this one day.

So, in the spirit of not spoiling their time together, she pushed the guilt away. “I know, I’ve missed you like mad and we have a celebrity party to go to tonight. You in?”