Hearts on Fire (7 page)

Drew slipped his hand
to her back, urging her closer until every hard inch of his body
pressed into the softness of hers. She slid her arms around his
waist, and reached up under the hem of his T-shirt to touch the warm
supple skin of his back. He pulled back, looking at her through
heavy-lidded eyes. His breathing was labored, as if he’d been
running. Hers was too.

“I want you.” The
husky cadence of his voice awakened a need she’d long
suppressed—the need to connect with someone on the most intimate
level. She’d only been with three guys in her whole life, and none
of them had evoked within her what Drew had with just two kisses.

Holding his smoldering
gaze, she motioned with her head toward the bedroom. “Show me how
much,” she said softly, and then sanity prevailed. “Wait. Do you
have —?”

“In my wallet.” A
wicked smile curved his lips as he stepped back, took her hand and
led her to the bedroom.

Seconds later, as they
stood next to the big bed, a sudden feeling of shyness enveloped her.
Drew put his hand on her chin and forced her head up. “Have I ever
told you how beautiful you are?”

“No.”

“I remember seeing
you at the Opry when you were seventeen. It was the first time you
performed there.”

“You were there?”

“My father took me.
It was a surprise for my eighteenth birthday.” He lifted his hand
and brushed a stray tendril of hair from her face. “You were the
prettiest girl I’d ever seen. I was floored by how confident you
were. You didn’t seem nervous at all.”

“My knees were
shaking.” She offered him a slight smile. “Kind of like they are
right now.”

“Would it help if I
told you I’ve had a hard-on for you since the first night we met at
the MC?”

Surprise caused her
knees to stop shaking. “Not my finest moment. I was a
little…um...
over served
.”

“You think?” Drew
chuckled, then hooked a finger in the waistband of her jeans and
pulled her closer. His clean scent enveloped her and caused her skin
to tingle. “I wanted you that night. More than I’ve ever wanted
anyone.” His gaze lowered to her mouth. “Are you sure you want me
to stay?”

“I’m sure.” She
tugged at the hem of his T-shirt, suddenly feeling way more
confident. “Take off your clothes.”

The corner of his mouth
kicked up ever so slightly, as he gathered two-fistfuls of fabric,
pulled the shirt over his head, and tossed it onto the floor.

Jessie’s breath
lodged in her throat. Who knew he’d been hiding six-pack abs under
his shirt? Not her. She took in his lightly tanned skin, his
well-defined pecs, and the trail of light brown hair that started at
his naval and trailed down toward the waistband of his jeans, and
swallowed. Hard.

“Your turn.” He
grinned and lifted his hands to the top button of her cotton shirt.
“How ‘bout I help you out.”

Her heart raced as he
made quick work of the buttons, and then, with her help, he slid her
shirt off and let it drop to the floor.

“Nice bra,” he
said, admiring the lacy white cups that covered her breasts. He slid
his finger under the front clasp, and with a quick flick, unhooked
it.

She shivered as he
smoothed his palms up her arms to the straps of her bra and slowly
pulled them down. The cups fell away; her nipples hardened as cool
air washed over her breasts.

The second her bra hit
the floor, Drew lifted his hands to her breasts and cupped them. A
soft moan escaped her lips as he brushed his thumbs over her taut
nipples. “Do you like me touching you?” he asked, in a low, husky
voice.

“Yes,” she
whispered.

“I’ve wanted to
touch you like this for so long.” He lowered his hands to the
waistband of her jeans, freed the top button and tugged down the
zipper. “Turn around.”

Mutely, she obeyed him.
His arms came around her from behind, pulling her against him. The
hard, thick ridge of his erection pressed insistently into her
buttocks, and his warm chest came into contact with the bare skin of
her back, sending another rush of heat between her legs. She stared
unseeingly at the bed, as he slid a hand down her stomach to the top
of her underwear. She sucked in a breath, waiting for him to touch
her where she wanted it most. Finally, after what seemed like hours,
he slipped his fingers beneath the elastic band. “Are you wet for
me?” His sultry breath caressed her ear.

“Find out for
yourself,” she said, then inhaled sharply as he slid a finger into
her soft, wet folds. She gasped as her knees buckled.

He held her tight
against him and played her as skillfully as he played his Fender
Strat. As the tension built, Jessie trembled and rubbed against his
hand, shamelessly seeking the release that only he could give her.
The sweet ache became almost unbearable. She closed her eyes and let
out a long shuddering moan as he gently rubbed her clit, and the most
intense pleasure she’d ever felt exploded from within her, and
radiated throughout every inch of her body.

Before the delicious
sensations had a chance to fade away, he slipped his hand from
between her legs, turned her around, and crushed his mouth to hers.
His kiss was fierce, demanding, thrilling. Then, just as suddenly, he
pulled back and eased her down onto the edge of the bed.

Her heart pounded in
double-time as she braced her palms on the smooth bedspread. She
lifted her hips and extended her legs so he could pull her jeans and
underwear off. When the last of her clothing hit the floor, she
tilted her head back and watched as he reached into his back pocket,
pulled out his wallet, and quickly withdrew a condom before flinging
the wallet to the floor. He handed her the condom before proceeding
to unbutton and unzip his jeans.

The jeans didn’t make
it far before he let out a frustrated groan. “Damn boots,” he
muttered, then sank down on the bed next to her so that he could pull
them off. Once the boots were history, he stood and rid himself of
his jeans and briefs. The multi-colored light streaming in from the
partially open curtains highlighted the lines and planes of his lean,
muscular body. Unabashedly, she admired every inch until, unable to
resist, she reached out and touched his hard shaft.

He drew in a deep
breath as she slid her thumb over the clear droplet that had formed
on the head of his cock. “Give me the condom,” he said, his voice
rough.

She dropped the foil
wrapped packet into his outstretched palm, then scooted to the center
of the bed. Her heart thumped erratically as she watched him unroll
the condom over his erection.

“Spread your legs,”
he commanded as he joined her on the bed and moved to settle between
her parted thighs. With his palms flat on the bed on either side of
her, he braced himself over her, then lowered his head and pressed
his mouth to hers. She lifted her hands to his ribcage, then smoothed
her palms over his warm, supple skin. He kissed her deeply, and with
so much tenderness that moisture gathered in her eyes. She’d never
been kissed like this; with such passionate reverence.

A heartbeat later, Drew
lifted his head. Jessie’s eyes fluttered open and her gaze locked
with his as he rocked his hips and slid into her wet, throbbing
center. He sank deeper, filling her completely. He flexed his elbows,
and lowered himself until his chest pressed against hers. Then,
wasting no time, he thrust forward into her.

Her whole world shrank,
and in that moment it was just her and Drew. Her nails raked over his
back as she eagerly met his every thrust.

“Jesus, Jessie. You
feel so fucking good,” he said hoarsely, as he hooked his hand
under her knee to lift her leg. She wrapped it around his hip and
gasped as he went deeper. She’d never felt anything more amazing.

“Ohhh,” she cried
out, as he pushed her relentlessly towards another release. “Don’t
stop.”

“Not a chance.” He
growled into her ear and moved faster.

Desperate to ease the
coiled tension inside of her, she writhed against him. His name burst
forth from her lips and echoed throughout the room as the first wave
of her orgasm hit and licked through her body. Moments later, he gave
a final thrust, let out a low groan of pleasure and then collapsed on
top of her.

As the sound of their
ragged breaths filled the room, Drew pressed his lips against the
hollow of her throat, and although she wouldn’t be able to take his
weight for much longer, at this moment, there was no other place on
earth she wanted to be.

An hour later, Jessie
sat across from Drew at the round table in her suite’s main room,
wearing nothing but his T-shirt. Her hair, dark as polished wood,
spilled over her shoulders; she looked so gorgeous, he was having a
difficult time keeping his hands off of her.

During the time he
played with her band he’d taken the time to get to know her, and
imagined—quite frequently—what it would be like to touch her the
way he had this afternoon. And now that he had, he had no idea what
was going to happen next.

Now there was no
question he wanted more than friendship. Not seeing her or talking to
her for the past four months had been like a slow form of torture.
The only thing that had helped to distract him during those months
was his music. When he wasn’t working at the MC, or sitting in with
Garrett and the few local bands that sometimes asked him to play with
them, he’d been holed up in his apartment writing songs. And thanks
to Jessie, he now had enough songs to record a full album, and then
some. Maybe someday he’d record that album, and when he did, he’d
dedicate it to her—his muse.

“I’m starving,”
she said, reaching across the table.

Drew stared pointedly
at her outstretched hand. “If you wanted fries, why’d you order a
salad?”

“Because I like
salad.” She stole another French fry from his plate, popped it into
her mouth and wrinkled her nose at him. “And I also like fries. If
I’d ordered some for myself, I would have scarfed them all down.
Have you seen my ass lately? It doesn’t need fries.”

“As a matter of fact,
I
have
seen your ass
lately, and I like it just fine.” Stuffed from the cheeseburger
he’d just finished, he pushed his plate aside. “Where’s your
next stop?”

“Oakland.” She
picked up her iced tea and took a sip.

“I was there once.
Well, not Oakland, but across the bay in San Francisco. Nice city. A
little too congested for my taste though. I prefer Nashville.”

“Me too.” She
sighed and set her glass on the table. “But I’m not sure I’ll
live there much longer.”

Drew suddenly he felt
like he’d had the wind knocked out of him. “Why?”

She averted her eyes
and stared at the large flat-panel TV that was mounted in the center
of a wood-grained, built-in wall unit behind him. “I—we moved
around a lot when I was a kid. I’m not used to staying in one
place.”

“You never talk much
about when you were a kid.”

She swung her gaze back
to him and stared at him thoughtfully. “Neither do you.”

“There’s not much
to tell,” he said, as he shifted uncomfortably on the cushioned
chair. “I grew up just outside of Nashville, and I had a pretty
normal childhood.”

“You told me once
that your dad died right after you graduated from high school. That
must have been tough.”

“It was.” He forced
away the image of his father’s gaunt face, staring up at him from
the hospital bed. Cancer had taken a strong, able-bodied man, and
reduced him to a shadow of his former self. The only thing the
insidious disease hadn’t destroyed was his father’s spirit. “I
still can’t believe I’ll never see him again,” he said,
blinking away the sudden moisture that blurred his vision. “I still
have the guitar he bought me when I was eight years old. He taught me
how to play.”

“Your dad was a
musician?”

Drew nodded. “Dad was
a damn fine guitar player.”

“So is his son.”

The admiration shining
through Jessie’s impossibly beautiful eyes took him by surprise.
Until this moment, he’d had no idea how much her opinion of him
mattered. “Thank you.” He cleared his throat. “If you want,
I’ll finish out the tour with you.”

Her brows lifted.
“You’d do that?”

“Sure. It’s only
three weeks.”

“But what about the
MC? Don’t you have to work?”

“I’m sure I can get
the time off.” Sudden doubt clouded his mind. Maybe she didn’t
want him to finish the tour with her. He hadn’t considered that
possibility. “Did you want to get someone else to sub for Kenny for
the rest of the tour?”

“It’s not that, I
just didn’t want you to think that I expect you to drop everything
just to help me out.” She pushed up from the table and moved to
stand before the window that overlooked the strip. “And I don’t
want you to feel like you have to stay on because of what just
happened between us.”

Drew got to his feet
and moved behind her. “What just happened between us was pretty
damn amazing, but it’s not the reason why I’m offering to stay
on.” He slipped his arms around her slender waist, pulled her
against him, and lowered his head to inhale the sweet smell of her
hair. “You and Wally took a chance on me a year ago. Being on tour
with you got me noticed.” He tilted his head and spoke quietly, his
mouth right next to her ear. “It’s why I got on the first plane
to Las Vegas when Wally called. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t
do for you, Jessie.”

She relaxed the curves
of her body into his. His T-shirt, which looked better on her than
him, brushed against his bare chest. “Do you really mean it?” she
asked softly. He’d pulled his Levi’s on right before room service
arrived, and now his cock strained against the denim as she nestled
against his groin. He’d only had the one condom in his wallet, but
he could think of several things they could do that didn’t require
one.