Hell Bound (Seventh Level Book 2) (2 page)

“I’m interested.” She left her answer hanging, hoping he got the hint she was interested in more than only his show. A look of pure wickedness crossed his face and she instantly regretted her words. There was something about him. It made her wonder if he was more than she could handle.

“Time to go, Wade!”

He glanced over her shoulder and motioned he was on his way to whoever yelled for him. A spike of longing hit her without warning. She didn’t want their time to end. When his eyes met hers, she wondered if he felt the same way. “Maybe I’ll see you afterwards,” she said attempting to keep the hope from her voice.

The bright lights from the stage flared to life and he smiled. The change in him was almost miraculous. She felt the happiness inside of him fire skyrocket, and she had to stop herself from pushing him toward the center of the stage in order to feed his obvious passion. “Go,” she said urging him on when he still hesitated. “You’re keeping me waiting. I’m excited to hear you sing.”

“Now how can I resist such a statement?”

“You don’t. Now go,” she ordered and he walked backward toward the stage while keeping her in his line of sight. She wanted to laugh at the playful look on his face. When it became obvious, he wasn’t going to go away until she did, she shook her head and pushed her way through the swinging door.

“Morgan,” he called, stopping her. Looking back over her shoulder, she raised her eyebrows in question. “I’m interested,” he said causing her to freeze in her tracks and turn completely around. Without waiting for her to respond, he jogged onto the stage. She kept her eyes locked on the way his wrangler jeans hugged his sexy ass and his white t-shirt stretched across his shoulders until he was out of sight. She was in so much trouble with this one.

*

With his mind only half on his job, Wade spent the rest of the night watching Morgan. She seemed detached from the rest of the crowd. She drank as she listened to the music, but she didn’t dance or even smile. Several men attempted to speak to her and entice her onto the dance floor, but she sent each one on his way. Every time one spoke to her, he wanted to kick the man’s ass, and each time her eyes returned to his, Wade wanted to crow with pride. He sang more slow songs than he intended but the guys kept up without question, and he couldn’t look away from Morgan. He didn’t want to over analyze things, and he’d never consider settling down, but neither was he going to be able to let her pass him by. When he strummed the final note of their last song for the night, he rushed from the stage without a backward glance. He couldn’t get to Morgan fast enough.

He almost lost sight of her in the crowd as everyone pressed toward the exit, but he managed to slip through and reach her side right outside the door. “How are you getting home?” She jumped in surprise when he spoke next to her ear and she spun clutching her chest.

“You’re always sneaking up behind me,” she said. Her smile let him know she wasn’t upset by his sudden appearance. The people pouring out of the club were forced to go around them, but neither of them paid any attention. They could’ve been completely alone for all anyone else mattered.

“Behind you is a nice place to be,” he said feeling outrageous. “Of course, the front of you is great too,” he added. He could hear the lust in his voice, and he could tell by the flare of her eyes, she’d not missed it either. “How are you getting home?” he asked again, not giving her time to respond to his flirtation.

She held her car keys up in answer. He snagged them before she could pull them away and crammed them in the front pocket of his jeans. “No way in hell are you driving out of here after drinking all night.” He’d not meant the bite in his tone, but the thought of her wrapping her car around a tree pissed him off. Instead of appearing angry, her eyebrows lifted in challenge. “Do I need to wrestle you to the ground to get my keys back?”

The picture of her body straining against his, flashed through his mind catching him off guard. “I’m willing to let you try,” he answered past his rapidly drying throat. “But I was thinking more along the lines of driving you home.”

In an unexpected move, she closed the distance between them and ran her hands up his chest before encircling his neck. Her touch brought instant chill bumps to his skin and his nipples hardened along with other parts of his anatomy. “What if I’m not ready to go home?”

It seemed the most natural thing in the world to bury his hand in Morgan’s hair and touch his lips to hers. Almost as if they’d kissed a thousand times before, she immediately opened for him. It didn’t matter if hundreds of people were watching. He almost preferred things this way. Now everyone would know she belonged to him. She tasted like alcohol, strawberries and desire. His dick was on board with all those things, so much so, when she pulled away holding her keys between her fingers it took his brain a moment to catch up. Thankfully, she didn’t give him time to work up an ounce of anger over her trick.

“I’m still going to let you take me home, but you’re not keeping my keys.”

“Fair enough,” he conceded and because he hated that he was now questioning her reasons, he snagged her waist. Hauling her against him, he made sure she could feel the way his body reacted to hers. Her lips were swollen from his kiss and they parted on a breath giving her away. She was turned on even if she was trying to hide it. Her gaze dropped to his mouth and he shook his head as a shiver ran through him. He was stone cold sober and while she had some liquid courage going for her, he doubted she was up for a public show. He wanted her too much and it was a feeling he’d never experienced before. Hell, he’d not thought such a thing was even possible before catching sight of her bare ass in the parking lot, but he was almost scared of himself. That was how badly he wanted to be inside of her.

“I need to grab my guitar, but my truck is parked out back so we can cut out through there.”

“Okay,” she agreed without an ounce of hesitation. Her eyes moved back to his and he didn’t think he’d be able to move. Desperation was an emotion he was all too familiar with, but never like this. “Are we going?” she asked, reminding him they were standing still. He had to clear his throat before he could answer.

“Um, yeah.” Linking his fingers through hers, he pushed his way against the throng until they reached the same door he’d sent her through earlier. Leaving her at the edge of the stage, he grabbed his guitar before returning to her side and leading her out back to his truck. If she thought any less of him after catching sight of his beat up ninety-two Chevy, she didn’t show it as he held open the door for her. He dumped his guitar case in the back of the truck, then climbed in behind her and buckled her in as if she were a child. She giggled and his heart turned over in his chest at the sound. “I don’t want anything to happen to you,” he explained.

He didn’t attempt to question the protective side coming out in him. Circling around to the driver’s side, he slid behind the wheel. “Which way are we heading?”

She seemed almost disappointed by his question. “If you turn right out of the side entrance, then I only live about five minutes from here.”

An irrational spark of fear ignited in his gut. What if in five minutes time she left him at her door and he never saw her again? “Are you in a hurry to get home?” he asked with another idea in mind and her face lit up.

“No.”

At her one word answer, he turned the key in the ignition and headed in the opposite direction of her house. She didn’t ask where they were going and he didn’t volunteer any answers. As long as she was with him, it didn’t really matter. Twenty minutes later, he turned down a dirt country road. They’d made the trip in relative silence but it was comfortable, as if they’d known each other forever.

“What is this place?” she asked as the trees cleared away, revealing a wooden pier leading out into the middle of a huge pond. Pulling up along the tree line, he made U-turn before backing up to the edge of the pier.

“My uncle Jack used to bring me here a couple times during the summer to go fishing,” he explained. “It’s really not much more than a catfish pond, but it’s peaceful, and I always liked it here.” He wasn’t sure why he’d ended up here. He didn’t revisit his past ever for any reason, but this place was one of the few happy memories he had.

“It’s beautiful,” she said as she threw open her door and slipped out. He grabbed a blanket he kept behind the seat, followed her and dropped the tailgate on the truck. After spreading out the blanket, he climbed up into the bed and patted the spot next to him. Morgan didn’t hesitate before scrambling up next to him. Draping his arm over her shoulders, she cuddled into his side. “I bet this place looks amazing when the sun comes up.”

He nodded. “Give it another two hours, and you’ll get to see it firsthand.”

“I’m not even going to ask why you’re carrying a blanket around with you,” she remarked causing him to laugh.

“How badly will it damage my reputation if I say it’s in case I’m too poor for a hotel room and I have to crash in my truck?”

He felt her shrug. “Not at all since I’ve been poor my whole life. Who needs a room when you have all this?” He liked that about her. Down to earth folk were rarer than most people knew. He wasn’t much more than a country boy who carried his guitar from place to place, barely making ends meet, but sometimes people saw him perform and assumed he must have money. It was one presumption that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“You smell good.” Yep, it was a lame-ass line and he knew it, but she did smell good. It had more or less popped out of his mouth without his permission. She didn’t laugh and he took it as a good sign.

“Thank you, so do you.” Since she hadn’t laughed at him, he figured it wouldn’t be fair if he did. However, he couldn’t help the smile pulling at his lips. Luckily, her head was tucked beneath his chin and she couldn’t see it. “Your face changed. When you sang earlier,” she said in way of explanation. “You looked happy. I sort of wanted it to go on forever and now I feel a little stupid for saying it out loud.”

“I don’t know why. I’m only happy when I’m on stage.” Something about her made him admit things he didn’t intend on, but he didn’t like her feeling stupid. Her hand came to rest on his stomach and her touch burned through his shirt. To keep from pushing her down on the hard bed of his truck, he reached around her and towed his guitar case over to him. With one hand, he popped the lid and pulled it out. Turning it where the moonlight gleamed off the wood, he spoke without thought, “This is another thing my uncle Jack taught me along with how to fish. To most people this is just wood and string, but to me, it’s freedom. If a man is jotting all his feelings down in a journal, well then, that’s just a girly pastime.” She chuckled at his description but didn’t argue. “But if I have this in my hands, then everything trapped inside me becomes acceptable. Let me show you,” he said, handing it to her. Changing positions, he slid his leg behind her until she was positioned between his knees and he could wrap his arms around her. Cradling her against his chest, he showed her how to hold the instrument. He covered her hands with his on the strings. “Hold this one down like this.” Positioning his fingers alongside hers, he demonstrated a few chords before guiding her hands into a slow rhythm along the strings. “Most people use a pick, but starting out it’s good to learn without one so you can feel the vibration and let it guide you.” Her head fell back against his shoulder and he held onto her hands as he buried his face against her neck. With his lips brushing her skin, he sang the first words that came to mind. “Our hands. Our night. Our song.”

The music fell silent and he could feel her heart racing at the base of her throat. He touched his lips to her pulse and every muscle in her body tensed as if she waited to see what his next move would be. Moving slowly, hoping not to spook her, he dropped the guitar back in its case. Sliding it out of the way, he tilted her chin up so he could look into her eyes as he lowered his mouth to hers. Her eyes fell closed and her lips parted in acceptance. He swore in that moment it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. As her tongue slipped across his own, he knew it wouldn’t be only this one night. She made him want more than just her body. Her hand touched his cheek and he inched her dress upward until he was cupping her bare hip. When her fingers moved to his hair and she pulled him even closer, he dipped his hand between her legs, finding her soaking wet. He’d not thought it was possible for him to be even more turned on, but the sound coming from the back of her throat at his touch caused his cock to harden to a painful point.

*

Morgan wanted all of him. The combination of the glimpse she’d caught of his beautiful soul, his touch, and his taste were her undoing. She couldn’t get close enough to him or hold him tightly enough. Pleasure pulsed where his fingers circled her clit, and she wanted to feel him stretching her wide, but she was almost scared to let him go long enough to let him inside. He didn’t feel real. It was as if she was grasping last wisps of a dream she didn’t want to wake up from. One finger slipped inside her channel and she allowed her knees to fall open. A second finger joined the first and her hips lifted to meet the palm of his hand. She locked her muscles around his fingers and he groaned as if it could feel her around his dick already. A blinding orgasm took her by surprise and she rode his hand until the final wave passed leaving her almost lethargic. Her limbs felt heavy and in her haze, she barely noticed the tinkling sound of Wade’s belt slipping loose or the crinkling of the condom wrapper as he ripped it open. She couldn’t remember ending up on her back, only the feel of his touch. As he pulled her knee over his hip and the blunt head of his cock brushed against her entrance, she thanked the stars above them she’d left her panties behind. She didn’t want to think. She only wanted to feel.