More Than Once (16 page)

That was it. I was a total goner. If she wanted me, I was hers. Completely.

“You’ve got him.” I picked her up, wrapping her legs around my hips, and when I kissed her, I could taste the excitement on her lips. I walked us into the bedroom and set her on the edge of the queen-sized bed so I could remove her clothing slowly.

She looked up at me with eager eyes as I undressed her and pressed a kiss to every inch of skin I uncovered. First, her combat boots, with a kiss to her cute little toes with black nail polish on them. Then I worked my way along her legs, using my mouth on her ankles, her knees, the insides of her thigh. She relaxed with each touch, tangling her fingers in my hair.

Our eyes locked as I moved up her body, sliding the dress higher and higher, replacing the fabric with my mouth on her bare skin. The curve of her hips, the slope of her stomach, the tattoo on her ribs: I made it all mine.

The dress hit the floor, and I trailed light kisses across her shoulder and neck. She tilted her head to the side, and her eyes fluttered shut as I nipped at the soft skin below her ear, then tugged on the lobe with my teeth.

I reached behind her to unhook her bra and then worked my way down her arms, kissing her elbows and wrists, dragging the bra off them as I went. When her beautiful breasts were freed, hovering in front of me, I moved in for a taste. Her nipples were already taut, but they hardened even more as my tongue slid around them. First one breast, then the other, giving them both equal amounts of attention. No pinching, no teeth, not this time. Just long, slow licks, over and over, until she was writhing and moaning against me.

Once again, she wore nothing except a little black thong that looked very familiar. I hooked a finger under the elastic and raised my eyebrows. “Is this the one?”

She nodded, tugging at her bottom lip with her teeth. “You remember.”

“I remember everything about that night. You were the first girl—no, you are the
only
girl—I’ve ever been completely myself with.” I slid the thong down her legs and off them, trailing after the fabric with my mouth. She let out a beautiful sigh, and I eased her onto her back. “Becca, you set me free.”

I replaced the thong with my mouth, licking at her wet warmth, tasting her sweet skin. I ate her out slowly, like we had all the time in the world, until she begged me to go faster, until she tore at my hair and tightened her thighs around my head and screamed my name.

One orgasm down. Many more to go.

She gripped my shirt and pulled me toward her, so my fully clothed body covered her naked one. Her fingers found my jaw, tracing the stubble there, wet with the taste of her.

“I need you,” she whispered, her lips finding mine, her legs wrapping around me. “Inside me.” As the kiss grew deeper, her fingers clutched my face, her eyes pleading. “Hurry, please.”

“I still owe you many more orgasms,” I said as my hand slipped between us to stroke her down there. “We don’t need to rush.”

She whimpered at my touch, her back arching, and I loved seeing how easily I made her come undone. As I rubbed her in slow, lazy circles, she pushed my shirt up my stomach and slid her hands under it, her palms against my chest, fingers digging into my skin. She was panting now, making soft little cries against my lips as we kissed, and I slipped a finger inside her warm depths.

“I love touching you,” I said as I slowly moved my finger in and out. “So warm and wet.”

“You do that to me,” she said, and now she’d found the front of my jeans and unzipped them, sliding her fingers inside. “You always have.”

Her hand wrapped around me and I groaned into her mouth, and that’s when she came a second time, like my pleasure set her off. I felt it the second it hit her, the way her body clenched up, the way her fingers tightened around me, the way she bit at my lips and moaned my name. I watched her face the entire time, so beautiful in its surrender.

When she returned to me, she pushed at the top of my jeans, nudging them down my hips. “I want the next one with you.”

We sat up and she removed my clothes, and now it was her turn to kiss me all over, until I was so desperate with need for her I thought I’d lose my mind. I gently pushed her back on the bed and covered her body with mine, and we fit together skin to skin, perfectly made for each other. Not opposites at all, but a complete, matching pair.

We didn’t bother with the condoms. She’d said she was on the pill, and we’d had no one else since our first night together, all those months ago. I trusted her.

I entered her slowly, so that we both felt every inch as our bodies connected. Her red lips parted as I sank deep inside, our eyes locked the entire time, and she looked at me with an expression that was both intense and adoring.

Before, I’d been rough with her, desperate to forget everything else in the world. Our sex had been frenzied and frantic, hungry and wild, like we were using each other to lose ourselves. Together, we’d freed ourselves from our inhibitions and found ourselves in the process.

But now, being gentle, taking my time to savor every moment, it brought about a new kind of intimacy between us, one that was almost devastating in its intensity. This was what I’d been missing all these years and what I’d failed to find with any other girl, no matter how hard I tried.

We came together, and it felt like it lasted forever. I kissed her the entire time, her hands clutching my face, her quiet moans vibrating deep in my chest. As she tightened around me, I released myself inside her one with long, shuddering groan, and we both gave ourselves up to each other completely.

I took her into my arms, breathing in her scent, basking in her warmth and her taste and the way she made me feel. Sex with Tara had always been good, really good. But with Becca… I lost my mind with her. I lost
myself
. But in doing so, I found myself, too.

And that’s when it hit me: I could fall in love with this girl.

Not could. Was.

I
was
falling. Hard. Even though I barely knew her.

But that wasn’t true. I knew Becca inside and out and not just on a physical level. Maybe I didn’t know all the details of her life yet, but I knew
her
. And she knew me, too, down to my very soul.

I’d sworn to myself I would never fall that hard a second time, not for Becca or anyone else. Tara had destroyed me, and I’d convinced myself that I’d never love someone again, not like that.

But Becca made me want to try.

I
stared at the black door, but couldn’t muster the courage to open it.
You can do this
, I told myself.
They invited you here. You, not anyone else.

But I couldn’t quiet the other voice in my head, the one that told me I was a complete fuck-up, that I would never be good enough, that I was doomed to repeat all of the same mistakes over and over.

That voice told me I should turn around, get back in my car, and drive home. I clutched my guitar case tighter, unwilling to run away, yet unable to take that last step.

“Is it locked?” a smooth voice said behind me.

Jared.

I turned around slowly, bracing myself for the impact of seeing him again. I remembered when that voice could turn me into a puddle at his feet with just one word. When a glimpse of his handsome face and piercing blue eyes would make my panties instantly wet. When one touch from those talented fingers made my entire body nearly sick with desire.

Now? I stood in front of him and didn’t feel a damn thing.

Jared almost always wore a villain shirt when he wasn’t on stage, and today’s had Jack Nicholson’s face from
The Shining
in black and white. With his tattooed arms, low black jeans, permanent five o’clock shadow, and dark, spiked hair, he looked as sexy as ever. But geeky guys with glasses were more my type now.

Okay, maybe just
one
geeky guy.

I ignored his question and asked, “How’s the hand?”

“It sucks,” he said, holding up his arm so I could see the cast. His words were casual, but I knew Jared well enough to know there was real pain behind them. And fear.

“I bet. But I know you’re going to recover quickly.”

“Hope so.” He glanced over at the door, then back at me. “Hey, thanks for helping us out with the show. I know things have been…messy between us in the past. But I’m really glad you’re here.”

“Me too,” I said and was surprised it was the truth. “Though I still don’t know why you wanted me. You could have found someone else.”

“You’re a damn good bassist. The best we ever had.”

I rolled my eyes. “True, but we both know that’s not why.”

He frowned and ducked his head, running a hand through his dark hair. “Okay, you got me there. The real reason is I felt bad about what happened between us and I wanted to try and make it right.”

I snorted. “You? Felt bad? I don’t believe it.”

“Believe it or not, it’s true. Losing you was a huge loss to the band, and it was completely my fault. I fucked things up between us, and I take all the blame for what went down. I was an asshole and I’m really sorry.”

Wow, Jared really had changed. Gone was the cocky, arrogant player who did what he wanted and damn the consequences. Now he was actually
apologizing
? Maybe I needed to give Maddie a little more credit for taming that bad boy.

“It wasn’t
all
your fault,” I said, lowering my arms with a sigh. “In fact, most of it was my fault. I got us drunk and dragged you into bed. Then I got pissed when it made everything awkward. And I’m the one who quit the band in the end. But I’ve changed since then, and it seems like maybe you have, too.”

“Do you think we can move forward and forget all the stupid shit we did in the past? A second chance for both of us—and for the entire band. What do you say?” He held out his hand, the one not in a cast.

“I say…” I took a deep breath and took his hand, shaking it. “I say yes. I’m excited to join you guys again for one show. But I’m warning you, I might be a bit rusty.”

“That’s why we’re here in Austin a few days early. Though no one warned me it would be this fucking cold,” he said with a grin, gazing at the cloudy sky that threatened rain at any second.

“It’s unusually cold this year in Texas. But hey, you’re not in California anymore. You can’t walk around in T-shirts and flip-flops all the time.”

He pressed a hand to his heart. “Becca, you wound me. When have you
ever
seen me wear flip-flops?”

I looked down at our feet, at our nearly matching black combat boots. “Good point. We’d both sooner be caught dead than wear anything other than our boots.”

“Damn straight.”

Our eyes lingered on each other for a minute, both of us smiling. We hadn’t worked out as lovers—maybe because we were too similar or something—but there was an understanding between us. If we kept this up, Jared and I might be in danger of becoming friends.

He rubbed his arms. “Come on, let’s head in before I freeze my ass off.” He opened the door and gestured for me to go in first. “The rest of the band is already in the studio.”

I took a deep breath, clutched my guitar case tighter, and walked through the door. That voice in my head that told me I wasn’t good enough was still loud, but drowned out by the excitement I felt as Jared led me into the studio they’d rented for the next few days.

Inside, Maddie was laughing at something, while Kyle grinned and Hector shook his head. Their instruments were already set up around the room, but they lounged in chairs on one side, sipping coffee while they waited.

For a second I just took them in. Maddie, with her black-rimmed glasses, long brown hair, plaid shirt, and friendly smile. Kyle, covered in tattoos and piercings, wearing an old Sex Pistols T-shirt, with the same blue eyes as his brother. And Hector—big, dark, muscular Hector, wearing his signature Villain Complex baseball cap and twirling a drumstick in the air.

Damn, it was good to see them again.

They all jumped up when they saw us walk in. They stared at me for the longest moment ever, and my heart seized up, worried they didn’t want me here after all or that it was going to be uncomfortable.

Then Kyle rushed over and gave me a hug. It took me by surprise at first, although it shouldn’t have, since he’d always been a hugger. “It’s been way too long, Becca. Thank you so much for coming.”

Hector slapped me on the back, maybe a little harder than was necessary, but hey, at least he was enthusiastic. “I knew you’d change your mind.”

Maddie was last, and to my surprise, she gave me a quick hug, too. I always figured she must hate me after everything I’d done or would feel weird about the fact that I’d slept with Jared before she met him, but from her warm smile that didn’t seem to be the case. “I’m really glad you’re here,” she said, and it sounded like she actually meant it.

I felt myself tearing up a little, which was not okay. That totally did not go with my bad-girl image. I blinked quickly, hoping they wouldn’t notice the myriad of emotions flowing through me. “Thanks, guys. And thanks for giving me a second chance. After all the shit I pulled, I never expected one, but I’m grateful for it.”

“Becca, everyone deserves a second chance,” Kyle said.

“Not to mention, you’re a much better bassist than this guy,” Hector said, nodding at Jared.

“Hey now,” Jared said, but he was grinning.

“I’ve seen you play,” I said. “You’re not bad. But Hector’s right, I’m better.”

“Maybe you can teach Jared a few tricks,” Maddie said.

“You mean, assuming I can ever play again?” he said, his mouth twisting.

“You will,” she said. “I have no doubt.”

Jared put his arm around her and kissed her forehead, and I could see that the two of them were perfect for each other. This time, I
really
wasn’t jealous. I was just happy for them. Like me and Andrew, the two of them seemed to balance each other out. Maybe opposites really did attract.

It had been only hours since I’d last seen Andrew, after I’d reluctantly left his bed this morning so he could get to work and I could get ready for my trip to Austin, but I already missed him.