Beale Street Blues (2 page)

At the corner of Beale and Second, he flagged down a carriage. Adorned in orange and white lights, maybe in preparation for Halloween, the Cinderella inspired buggy pulled up in front of them. He winked at her as he assisted her into the back of the carriage. He spread a blanket which had been neatly folded in a corner across her lap and draped his arm across her shoulders.

The fitted sweater dress she wore was all she really needed on an October night in Memphis. But, she snuggled a little closer against his solid chest and pulled the blanket higher on her lap.

"Downtown Memphis is beautiful at night," he said. "Nashville is where I spend most of my time. It's beautiful, too, but there's something about Memphis." He rubbed his chin against the top of her head.

"I just moved here from Charlotte," she admitted. "I get lost every time I hop into my car, especially down here with all the one way streets." She laughed. "You don't want to know how many times I've crossed the bridge into Arkansas and had to loop back around."

"You don't have a GPS?" he asked while he rubbed his hand up and down her right shoulder.

Darling snuggled a little closer and let the madness of the night take over. "I have an app on my phone, but I don't really go out that often. I never really think to use it."

She listened as he shared his love for Memphis with her. The carriage driver drove by historic landmarks pointing out things she didn't know about her own hometown.

When they pulled up to one of the old bars she'd hung out at before, he asked the driver to stop. "Have you been to this place before?" he asked.

"Sure." They had a monthly free wine event. She'd been a few times. "But, not recently. Why?"

A slow sexy grin spread across his face. "Did you know it's famous because back in the old days, it used to be a brothel?"

No, she didn't. Was he hinting at something, finally making his move? "No."

"They're also famous for their burgers." He winked again. "Are you hungry?"

She'd been having such a great time, she hadn't thought about eating. Now ,that he'd mentioned it. Her stomach responded.

He paid the driver, and helped her out of the carriage.

Inside the restaurant, she sipped at another martini while they waited on burgers and fries. "So, why'd you bring me here? Is this your way of hinting at what you want?"

"Hinting." He reached over and rubbed his hand along her thigh. "I'm a more direct guy." Jaxon pulled his hand away and combed his fingers through her hair. "If you have a question, you should ask me."

What was she thinking? This man was too damn beautiful. Her ex was beautiful, too. A beautiful cheat and liar who had no problem spreading that
beauty
around. This one was probably no different. But, he wasn't her husband and she expected nothing from him at all. She smiled right back at him. "Who are you Jaxon?"

"That's all you want to know?" he asked.

"For now." She bit into the burger the waitress sat in front of her.

"I'm in town for business." He bit into his own burger. After he swallowed, he continued, "My family's business allows me to travel a lot." He stared at her for a moment, and then said, "I'm not married, if that's what you're asking."

"No, I wasn't asking." But, it was good to know. She had no plans to be similar in any way to the woman who ripped her home apart.

He wiggled the knot of his tie, loosening it. "Sorry, I thought you might be curious."

She was right this guy was so out of her league.
His family's business.
Maybe he could give her a job. On second thought working for a man like him wouldn't be a good idea. She'd never think about anything, but getting him into bed. "You like your business?"

"It gives me what I need." He drank from his beer, allowing his eyes to roam her body as he leaned back in his chair. "And what about you Miss Darling?"

"Me?"
Separated. Broke
. "Moved here from Charlotte. Not sure what's next, yet." And she didn't want to talk about it anymore. "Where are you staying tonight?"

"Are you asking out of curiosity?" he asked.

"Is it far?"

Jaxon leaned near and whispered against her ear, "I'll give you one chance to change your mind." He pulled back and locked his gaze on hers. He waved over the waitress and paid the tab. "I'm staying at the Peabody."

From the suit he wore, she knew he had money and his choice of hotel confirmed it. There wasn't much more
traditional
Memphis than The Peabody, Beale Street, and the freaking Mississippi river. All of which he'd shown her tonight. He must be
old
south. Old Memphis. Full of tradition and expectations.

When Jaxon closed the door of his hotel room behind them, emboldened by the liquor raging through her blood, Darling released the pent up passion she felt for her southern gentleman stranger. The first man in a long time that made her want to be where she was and about to do what she was about to do.

She pressed him into the door behind him and touched her lips to his. The softness of his lips against hers increased a hunger inside of her that she'd either forgotten or satiated with liquor and her own talented fingers. But, tonight those fingers slid through his hair pulling his head down to her and still, she needed to crane her neck and stand on her tiptoes to reach him.

Thick arms tightened around her waist, lifting her from the floor. One hand held her tight to his body, the other traveled down her back to her butt. "Wrap your legs around my waist," he commanded with that damn southern drawl.

Darling readily obeyed.

Her butt rested in his hands. Slowly, he lifted her body, and then let it fall, repeatedly. With each motion she could feel the firmness and fullness of him grow—it fed her hunger for him. She reached between them and wrapped her hand around the bulge pressing against her most sensitive skin. He moaned in response to her touch. Hot and thick in her hand, she ached to feel him inside her. Maybe he could help her forget everything. "Where is your bedroom?"

He motioned to a room on the right.

She dropped her feet to the floor and dragged him through the suite behind her, now almost desperate with need. Red and blue lights from Beale Street below cut through the darkness of the bedroom. Darling used the weird glow to lead him to the edge of his bed and pushed him onto it.

Jaxon stripped his suit jacket off and she helped with his shirt. His shoulders were broad—not bodybuilder crazy—but defined. With her fingers, she traced the reflection of the red and blue lights that streaked across his chest. The feel of his warm skin beneath her fingertips further intensified the desire building within her to know everything about him. The need—for him—became more urgent the longer she touched him.

He stripped his pants away and dropped them on the floor…Waiting.

Her eyes crawled over his body, but she couldn't decide whether to focus her gaze on him or watch his hand as he massaged his swelling cock. The sleeves of the dress she wore slipped from her shoulders, the fabric sliding down to pool at her feet. She stood in front of him with only her thong separating them. "Condoms?"

He grabbed his pants and pulled his wallet from one of the pockets. When he was too slow rolling it on, she reached out, impatiently, to help. Crouching to her knees, she rotated between using her hands to push the latex down the length of him, and her mouth to tease. His body arched and thrust forward before she pulled away to kiss the tanned skin of his stomach.

One powerful arm reached out and pulled her to her full height. "Come here." With a finger he hooked her panties and pulled them from her body before laying her across his bed.

The weight of his body on top of hers warmed her, not from the cold, but something inside of her began to wake. It'd been a long time since she'd felt the touch of a man and she ached for so much more than just a touch from this man. His fingers worked her body until the only thing that would satisfy her was him. He moved his hand and flipped them both over, so that she was on top of him and he rested against the headboard. She lowered herself onto him, slowly. For a moment, he waited for her to move again. But then, he grabbed her hips, and pulled her tight to his body.

Jaxon's head fell back to the headboard, his eyes closed, as he thrust himself deeper inside her. The thickness of him filled her and she moaned with pleasure

His eyes opened.

One hand reached toward her face, but she grabbed it and his other one and pinned them to the bed while she slowly grinded her body against his. The upward movement of his hips increased with his moans.

The feel of his hot damp skin, his moans and the energy building inside of her…excited her. She wanted more and more and she took it. She threw her head back and arched her back, enjoying every moment of her ride and every inch of her southern gentleman.

The muscles of his arms and stomach tightened. She stared into his eyes as she jockeyed back and forth. The intensity of his gaze, a mixture of pleasure along with hunger claimed her, and she didn't want to see it fade. Harder and harder she moved.

He bit his bottom lip as he matched his thrusts to hers. Tanned pecs flexed and he groaned, "Darling."

Her name from his mouth sparked a flame buried deep within her; she flexed her hips while eliciting one last moan from him and herself. The nerves of her body tingled from her toes to her nipples.

As the ripples of her orgasm seized, all she could think about was jumping on top of him again. But, with the stillness of her body, came sanity. Months had passed since she'd had sex. No matter how many men she'd given her number to since moving to Memphis, she never bothered to return any of their calls. What would she do when they came to pick her up for their date? Sure, she could meet them for a while and go to their place, but eventually, they'd want to come to her home or spend the night. That wasn't going to happen anytime soon. So, if she couldn't go on a date, that meant she definitely couldn't take any of them up on their offers or promises of being the
best
she'd ever had. She didn't think anyone could make that promise again, because the man beside her now had that honor.

Her ex always needed a little assistance from her favorite vibrator to get her to where this man got her with just a touch and a kiss. She slammed her eyes closed, and tried to will her senses back to normal. What was she doing? No matter how lonely she'd been, picking up a strange man on Beale Street wasn't going to fix any of her problems. She rose from the bed, and inside of minutes, she'd gathered her clothing and dressed, then sprinted toward Jaxon's hotel door.

"Wait." He trailed behind her, naked. "Can I see you again?"

She stood with her hand on his hotel door. They never should've had sex and it definitely wouldn't happen again. What did she have to offer
him
? She stared at the naked man in the middle of the room. She didn't want to, but couldn't resist another opportunity to commit Jaxon to memory. Damn, expensive clothes or a paper bag, he would look gorgeous. Although, they'd just left his bed, the thickness and length of his rod didn't seem to know that. "What for?"

Jaxon took a step back as he stared over at the bedroom they'd just left. "I don't know—dinner." He snatched a pad from the nearby desk and scribbled something on it, then handed it to her.

His number.
"Maybe."

The whole night had been a huge mistake. Fun—but a mistake. Her body quivered at the freaking thought of what he'd just done to it. There was too much she had to do and screwing around with some rich guy who wouldn't know where the poor neighborhoods of South Memphis was if she circled it on a map, wasn't going to help her any. Darling tossed the piece of paper into the trash before she stepped onto the elevator. She didn't need anything to remind her of how pathetic she'd become.

CHAPTER ONE

D
amn.
Darling sprang up from her sleep, instantly awake and annoyed. The train rumbling over the tracks nearby rattled her bedroom windows as it passed. Why did the engineer drag out the loud horn? Weren't the lights and big freaking automatic arms enough? As the horn faded into the distance, she snuggled back under the covers her mother had layered onto her bed. It wouldn't matter, but maybe, this time, she'd be able to fall back to sleep. Every night it was the same thing. How was she supposed to be prepared for the next day, when she could never get enough sleep?

Her eyes were open long before the chime of her cell phone sang at her. She heaved one leg after the other and dragged herself out of bed toward the bathroom. The closed door and scent of cigarette smoke told her it was occupied.
Dad.
She turned around and headed back to her bedroom.
Three grown people. One bathroom!

Her head fell into her hands. Tears filled the palms of her hands. The plan had been to move back in with her parents until she could get things back together. But, she'd been living with them for four months now, because she wasn't making enough money to cover her debts. She also fought every day with her ex over the divorce. The longer he dragged it out, the more her accounts dwindled. Leaving Charlotte had made sense when she did it, but now, it just seemed plain dumb.