Cadence (Ruby Riot Book 1) (13 page)

Chapter Seventeen

TEGAN

Meal over and a second bottle of wine later, we head out of the restaurant onto the cobbled street. The Spanish climate is milder than England at this time of year but still cool. I pull my thin jacket closer and look around.

“Where’s the taxi?” I ask.

“I don’t know. I called one half an hour ago.”

“Maybe they didn’t understand your accent?”

“Sure, Tegan. I think they’re used to tourists.”

“Not rock stars?” I rub my arms. “Call one of the tour cars, someone can pick us up.”

“I don’t think so! They’ll be followed from the hotel. We’ve been lucky so far with no media.”

I’m about to retort that he’s not that famous, but he is. I saw what happened outside the club in Portugal and the reaction wasn’t just because Blue Phoenix members were there.

“Fine, we walk instead.” I head down the cobbled pathway in the direction of the main street and stop when I realise Jax isn’t with me. “Come on!”

“Walk?”

I giggle at the incredulous look on his face. “Walk.”

Turning away, I continue to find a taxi on the main street.

“Tegan!”

I turn to face Jax and walk backwards away from him as I reply. “Is walking too lowly for you?”

“You don’t know where you’re going!”

“That’s what I like about my life, Jax, otherwise, I wouldn’t be here with you.”

Jax strides toward me, his tall figure catching up quickly, before he sweeps me into an embrace, seizing me around the waist. I hold a hand out to steady myself, but our bodies meet and mould together, Jax’s lips on mine. He drags me into his hips and holds my head steady as he surprises me with the strength of the kiss. I grasp his hair, desire for Jax firing as his tongue strokes mine. He runs a hand along the nape of my neck and I shiver.

Too soon, he pulls away.

“Too public,” he says hoarsely and drags me by the hand to the edge of the pavement. I stumble as Jax pulls me around the corner of the white rendered building. In the narrow alleyway, he presses me against the wall, and holds my head in both hands. “I didn’t kiss you properly yesterday and I want to.”

“You just did.”

Jax kisses my face, moving gradually to my mouth until he runs his tongue gently across my lips. The heat rushing through my blood, from the sudden passion of Jax's kiss a minute ago, is intensified by his hard body against mine.

“I can do better than that,” he whispers against my mouth.

“Still public,” I murmur.

“Isn’t that part of the fun?” He sneaks a hand beneath my shirt and his palm closes around my side as his mouth pushes back against mine.

If my legs buckle now, Jax will laugh; but even if I remain standing, he won’t be able to miss how I’m shaking with the overwhelming physical effect he has. This pulsing with desire merely from a touch or kiss never happened with anybody before Jax. Maybe the possibility of being caught pressed against the side of a building and the question over how far he'll take this is what intensifies the arousal.

Jax’s lips are soft but firm and he grips my hair with his other hand, tugs my head back, and kisses me. Now I understand what he meant by kissing me properly; his mouth claims mine as he delves his tongue deeper into my mouth. He plays his fingers lightly along my side and I snatch my chance to explore the defined muscles of his chest, running a hand along from his pecs to his abs before gripping his shirt to stop myself exploring any further.

Jax pushes me harder against the wall and I pull my mouth away as his lust threatens to consume the last part of awareness of where we are. “Jax!”

His response is a switch back to the slow, teasing kiss of yesterday, but the sweetness does nothing to quell the burning need he’s ignited. My mouth smarts as he pulls his mouth away and rests his forehead against mine.

“Fuck,” he mutters under his breath and rubs his lips together, his darkened eyes meeting mine.

Until Jax moves, I’m not calming down anytime soon, especially if he looks at me like this. I wriggle against him. “We can’t stay here.”

“True.” Jax sighs and steps back taking my hand and pulling me back into him. He strokes my hair straight where he’s mussed it and smiles. “You’re one hell of a kisser.”

I rest a finger on his lips and return his smile; my heart hammering so loudly I swear Jax will be able to hear it. “So are we going for a second date?”

He takes my hand and kisses my palm. “And more. Where was that contract? I’m happy to sign it.”

I giggle as he wraps me in his arms and kisses the top of my head. “I’ll have one drawn up.”

****

At 1 a.m., high on the adrenaline of my passionate clinch with Jax, I climb out of the taxi into the shadows of the hotel car park. We part with one more snatched kiss, and Jax waits outside as I sneak into the hotel like a naughty teen attempting to hide from my parents. I pass through the quiet lobby, where the young guy working behind the reception desk glances up then returns to his work on the computer.

On the fifteenth floor, I creep along the hallway to my room, half-expecting Bryn to jump out when I pass his. The hallway is silent, even in the direction of the Ruby Riot boys’ rooms. Either their party finished early, or they’re still out and haven’t started yet. Something twinges in my chest. If they do come back and party, will Jax join in? And if he does, will Jax forget about everything that happened between us tonight after he’s had a few more drinks? Although I shake that thought from my head, the image of his hands on another girl still niggles. I don’t have any claim on him, and he knows the score. I’ll wait and see

“Tegan!” a voice half-whispers behind me, rapid footsteps catching up. Jax grabs my hand and spins me round. “Don’t go yet.”

The tingling that’s lingered since I walked away from him spreads through my body as he pulls me close again, mouth immediately on mine. I put a hand between us. “Not here, Jax!”

“Come back to my room,” he whispers against my ear. “I don’t want to let you go yet.”

My body aches, the presence of this man clouding my already poor judgement. “Don’t get any ideas if I do.”

He strokes my hair from my face. “Jesus, Tegan, my mind is full of ideas, but I’ll behave.”

“Will you? I doubt that.” I brush my mouth against his and he pushes me against the wall again.

“Up to you.”

I catch Jax’s hand as it sneaks around to my ass. “Jax! I said not here.”

“Come with me or I’m going to keep kissing you here, and I don’t give a crap who sees.” Jax’s hands slide up my sides, and he grips my waist.

“Okay.”

This could be a big mistake.

Clothes cover Jax’s room, the bed unmade. I didn’t count on him only having a room, imagining he had a suite like me. A bed. A chair. A desk. Not much else. I hover in the doorway. Climbing onto the large bed with Jax would definitely not be good for my self-control.

Jax sits on the edge of the bed and leans back, arms behind him as he looks at me from beneath his fringe. “Come here and kiss me.”

“No,” I reply and cross my arms. “You come here. I’m not climbing onto that bed with you.”

The heavy tension hovers in the room between us, drawing us together. Even if I wanted to, I doubt I’d walk away now.

“I respect what you said about sex, Tegan, but I have more imagination than that. Let me show you what I mean.” My stomach tightens at his suggestion and ideas flood into my mind. “Come here and kiss me or I’m going to come over there and get you.”

I purse my lips. “Yeah?”

He doesn’t take his eyes off mine. “Yeah.”

“Who put you in charge?”

Jax sucks in a breath and leisurely sweeps a gaze along the length of my body. “You want to be in charge? Go ahead.”

This is the only way. If I yield to him, even for one second, all my good intentions will leave. Without replying, I cross to the bed, place a hand on Jax’s chest, and push him backwards onto the mattress. A smile creeps across his face as I straddle his lap. Placing one hand either side of Jax’s head, I look down, meeting his eyes in challenge.

Jax seizes my head and presses his mouth hard against mine; I fall down onto him until our chests meet. He shifts beneath me, arousal evident as he grips my hips and pushes against me. When he slides a hand along my legs to my ass, I’m relieved I wore skinny jeans tonight. A barrier between us isn’t stopping my dampening arousal, but this keeps away the fingers I don’t want touching me. Wrong. I ache for him to touch me, but I can’t. Not yet.

The lust-fuelled kiss earlier is chaste in comparison to this; Jax sweeps his tongue against mine, and I surrender my control. When Jax switches his attention to my neck, his short, hot breaths spike my own arousal. He dips his tongue into the hollow of my neck and I shift until closer, allowing his mouth to reach the skin at the neck of my t-shirt.

The action brings my breasts closer to his face and he buries his nose into my skin, digging his fingers further into my ass.

“Fuck!” Jax flips me over on the bed, roughly pushing up my top and placing his lips on my belly. My body fires with sudden heat, the intensity surprising me, as he trails soft kisses toward my breasts.

Before I can catch up to what’s happening, my bra’s unclasped and pushed upwards, Jax’s hands and mouth on my breasts. He swirls a tongue around the swell before taking my nipple into his mouth. His other hand dips under my ass as he presses himself into me.

My mind protests, but my body yields, the way I promised I wouldn’t. The confidence in his actions, the surety I’ll let him do this, arouses me further. I’m used to guys being cautious, nervous even, but this I like. Too much.

I lift my arms and allow him to pull my t-shirt off. How many other girls wearing their Ruby Riot shirt tonight would like to be in my position? He sits back and drags his shirt over his head too and I finally have a close-up look at the taut muscle I saw glistening after his performance the other night.

When he moves forward for a kiss, I giggle and grab his arms. Catching him off-guard, I twist around until Jax falls beneath me again. I’m under no illusion; I know he let me because the strength in the firm biceps I’m holding is obvious.

Nudging apart his legs with my knee, I rest on him and meet his eyes in challenge again. Jax looks back, eyes darkened with desire. My nipples brush against his naked chest and he runs tickling fingers along my spine.

“You’re trouble,” he says hoarsely.

“Absolutely.” I smooth a hand along his jeans and lightly run my fingers over where his erection strains against the material.

Jax takes a sharp breath holds my hair from my face. “Don’t do that.”

I still my hand. “Why?”

“Because you fucking turn me on, Tegan, and I’m trying to control myself.”

Beneath me, tricking me I’m in control is a man I’ve craved since the moment we stood alone in the confined space of the elevator last week. We weren’t touching, but I came close to giving in to the arcing energy between us even then. Now that energy has control of me.

I’m tempted to help him out of the rest of his clothes, but I’m not being one of his random girls. Jax needs to do more than take me on one date to get what he wants.

I sit back against the solid muscle of his thighs, and smile down at him, loving his loss of the rock star cool he usually blasts at girls. I drag fingernails across his abs instead, and, teasingly, I dip my fingers lower, running my hand along his erection again.

“Shit!” Jax grabs my hand and I giggle. “Stop teasing me!”

“Sure. If you say so.”

His look is fixed on my breasts as he runs a finger around my hardening nipples. “Your tits are amazing.” He seizes my arms and pulls me down, pushing me over until I’m the one lying on the bed. I wriggle against him but he holds my shoulder hard against the soft bedding.

I surrender to his attention, to the teasing tongue and his hand sliding toward my belly. Jax’s mouth on my skin, the unleashing of the sexual charge that exists between us dizzies me and I fall toward allowing his bad intentions.

Jax unbuttons my jeans, yanking the zip down. “Take these off. Let me touch you.”

Blood carries lust through my body, but I squeeze his hand, fighting the inevitable. “No.”

“Tegan!” he groans.

“I’m not getting naked for you, Jax. You haven’t earned that yet.”

His eyes widen in surprise. “Earned? What do I have to do to earn it?”

“I haven’t decided yet, but you don’t get into my pants that easily.”

He cocks a brow and gives me the annoyingly sexy smile. “You wanna get into mine?”

I beckon him closer with one finger and when he does, I slam my hands against his chest and push him over on the bed. “Yes. But I’m not going to.”

“You’re fucking killing me!” he growls up at me and we grapple until he manages to pin me down again.

Our breath comes faster with the struggle – with each other and control - and I laugh. “Good. About time you had to work for something.” I push against Jax’s chest again, but this time he catches my arms and pins them above my head.