going from a steady buzz to hard pulses and back to a steady buzz. Her body jerked involuntarily as a quick and dirty orgasm caught her by surprise.
She tore her mouth from Gabe’s as her head dropped back and she called out to the moon roof of the car.
“Wait. There’s more. Are you wet?” Gabe whispered in her ear.
“Mmm,” she moaned.
His index and ring fingers slid against her pussy lips, holding them apart as the speed of the rod rotating in her opening picked up and the vibration against her clit continued to alternate patterns. The warm tingles against both lips made her rock her hips into his hand.
“Oh dear God,” she gasped. The pleasure was so intense she couldn’t do more than cling to his shoulders.
“You like it?”
“Yes!”
Within seconds she was coming again. This time she grabbed the back of his head and buried his face into her chest. “I need cock,” she said and when he didn’t immediately fill her, she tugged his head from her breasts and yelled, “I need cock, Gabe! I need it now.”
“Here?”
“Yes, yes, anywhere. Fuck me.”
He began fumbling with his belt. Fly open, he lifted his hips so he could free his cock. Thank God he was already hard. She took his thick shaft in one hand and gasped when his gloved hand moved away from her throbbing pussy.
“Condom?” he asked breathlessly.
“We don’t need one.” They’d already discussed not using them, but she was glad he had the sense to ask in the heat of the moment in case she’d changed her mind.
Melanie took him inside, riding him hard. Forcing him deeper and deeper with every downward motion of her hips until she finally felt full. So full. Now she just needed some friction.
“Oh God, Melanie,” he said. “You feel so good. So good.”
He felt amazing inside her, but she was too worked up to form words. She murmured something and rode him faster and faster, trying to rub the ache away. More, more, more, she thought. Until the pleasure finally exploded and she called out in bliss. He lifted his hips off the seat to pump up into her, once, twice, and then groaned as he joined her in climax.
She went limp against him, trying to catch her breath and regain her senses, but both eluded her.
He rubbed his mouth against her temple. “You made me come way too fast, baby. I’ll probably to need to fuck you like that a few more times this weekend,” he said, “and then I might be able to keep it together long enough to make love to you slowly and thoroughly.”
She smiled against his shoulder. “I don’t mind the fucking,” she said. “Really, I don’t.”
There was a knock on the window, and Melanie stiffened. Had she really gotten so wrapped up in this man that she’d forgotten they were in a limo parked outside a sub shop? That would be a yes. A yes, yes, oh God, fuck me, Gabe, yes.
Melanie lifted her hips, not quite ready for Gabe to fall free of her body, but she didn’t have time to dawdle. Especially not when the locks thunked open and she heard the door handle lift upward. She tugged her skirt down her thighs and searched for her panties while Gabe shoved his cock down his pants, removed his glove of delight, and started buttoning his fly. Melanie had her panties in her hand when the back door popped open and Nikki appeared, with some guy holding four drinks for her while she held the sack of sandwiches.
She grinned knowingly at Melanie when her gaze landed on the panties in her hand.
“Oh, did I interrupt something?” she said. “I never thought you’d have her out of her panties that quickly, Gabe. You stud.”
Melanie was slightly embarrassed that Nikki had caught her just after the act, but mortified that the good-looking man behind her was biting his full lower lip in appreciation of her sluttiness. Melanie tossed her panties on the seat beside Gabe and sat on them. She found her discarded glasses and fiddled with them, her hands trembling as she tried to get her glasses back on her face.
“It smells like sex in here,” Nikki said as she leaned farther into the open door. “You guys already did it, didn’t you? Or did I interrupt you mid-coitus?”
“Nikki!”
The girl needed to install a filter on that mouth of hers.
“Can’t blame you for jumping him,” Nikki said, giving Gabe the twice over. “Will you look at the size of those feet? You know what they say about guys with big feet.”
Melanie’s pussy clenched as her thoughts immediately fixated on that which correlated with Gabe’s shoe size. And in his case, he fit the statistics.
“I have a really big, uh, foot,” her drink-toting companion said in a deep voice. His brown eyes twinkled as he smiled, and his white teeth flashed bright against his dark-skinned complexion.
“I bet you do. This is Michael,” Nikki said, tossing her head in the guy’s direction. “He saw me struggling to carry my order and offered to help. Since my friends were otherwise occupied.”
“We need to get going,” Gabe said, tapping his nonexistent wristwatch. He had a reddened ring around his wrist from his glove device. Melanie hoped he hadn’t injured himself just to get her off. She stroked his chafed skin, fighting the urge to kiss it all better. She was pretty sure he wouldn’t appreciate the gesture in front of Nikki and her latest lackey.
Nikki climbed into the back of the limo and handed Gabe the bag of sandwiches. She then took the drink cups from Michael one at a time. She passed one to Melanie, another to Gabe, and knocked on the driver’s window so that Parker would lower the glass and she could hand one to him.
“Aren’t you going to sit up here with me, Nik?” Parker asked.
“She’s staying back here with me and Mel,” Gabe said.
Gabe pulled sandwiches from the bag and determined which belonged to whom while Nikki gave her phone number to her very nice-looking drink caddy. Unfortunately, fast-food restaurants didn’t hand those out through the drive-thru window. If they had, Melanie might be tempted to always order her beverages in fours.
“I gotta get me a limo,” Michael said as his gaze flicked from Melanie to Nikki and back to Melanie. “Dude’s got two hotties all to himself.”
Nikki giggled and took her cup from Michael’s hand. “You better call me,” she said, and closed the door in his face.
“Did you give him your real number or your fake standby?” Mel asked.
“Real one.” Nikki popped a straw into her drink and took a long draw. “He was a gentleman. They’re not easy to find these days.”
It didn’t take much to impress Nikki, but she was right about the difficulty in finding a gentleman. Melanie wasn’t sure if it was because men no longer wanted to protect and care for women or if women brought it upon themselves by insisting they were strong and independent. There had to be a middle ground somewhere.
Melanie removed the wrapper from her six-inch turkey club and scarfed down her sandwich. She hadn’t realized how truly hungry she was until she started stuffing her face.
“I love a woman with an appetite,” Gabe said, winking at her.
“Screw you, Banner,” she said with her mouth full.
“Especially one with that particular appetite.”
Nikki giggled. If she started flirting with Gabe, Melanie was going to throttle her. Nikki didn’t require all the masculine attention for herself, did she? Couldn’t she just let Melanie have this one without interference?
“Thanks for letting me hang out with you and Melanie back here,” Nikki said. “I was starting to feel left out.” She sighed happily. “I can’t wait to see Shade again.”
“About that…” Gabe said before pausing to glance at Melanie.
She had no idea what his questioning look meant, so she shrugged, and he turned back to Nikki.
“He’s sort of seeing someone special right now. It’s probably best that you keep your distance.”
Oh, so that’s why he’d been asking for her silent approval. Prepared for a meltdown, Melanie swiveled her attention to Nikki.
/> Eyes downcast, Nikki took a delicate bite of her veggie sub and shrugged. “You win some, you lose some,” she said after a long tense moment.
Okay, who had stolen her best friend and replaced her with this docile facsimile?
“I can still hang out backstage with Melanie while you’re onstage, right?” she asked, her blue eyes large and beguiling as she gazed at Gabe.
Oh, there she is. Holding her cards close to her chest.
“I guess so,” Gabe said while Melanie tried not to cringe. It wasn’t that she didn’t want Nikki to be with her while she felt all awkward and alone watching the show from the wings, but she knew how this woman operated. She’d use every card in her hand to get what she wanted and she wanted Shade, whether Shade wanted her or not. Melanie would just have to keep Nikki away from the man if she could. It would be easy enough to keep them separate when Shade was onstage, but what about before the concert? And after?
“So what are we doing after the show?” Melanie asked as nonchalantly as possible. Gabe had already told her, but she wanted Nikki to hear.
“We’re heading directly to an airstrip and taking a private plane back to Austin. We won’t make it back to my place until really late.” He stroked Melanie’s back soothingly. “You can nap on the plane if you get tired. I won’t be offended. In fact, I’ll likely join you.”
She took a sip of her drink, trying to form the most tactful version of her next question. “And Nikki…” was the best she came up with.
“Oh,” he said, glancing at Nikki’s hopeful face. “Well, uh…”
Yeah, awkward. Melanie was sorry she had to put him on the spot like this, but Nikki would figure out a way to weasel herself into all of Melanie’s plans if she didn’t have Gabe’s backing. It wasn’t because Melanie was spineless. Nikki was just that skilled at getting what she wanted.
“There’s only room on the plane for five passengers,” Gabe said.
“So Melanie can’t fit on there with the band either,” Nikki said.
“Well, Adam and Kellen aren’t going back this trip.”
Melanie’s math brain cringed. It took Nikki a few seconds longer to do her adding and subtracting. “That leaves a spot for me.”
“Sorry, but no. Lindsey’s flying back with Owen,” he said.
“Who’s Lindsey?” Melanie asked. “His girlfriend?”
Gabe visibly paled. “Uh, fuck, I hope not.”
“Who is she then?” Melanie pressed, wondering why Gabe seemed so flustered.
“Just some chick he’s taking home with him.”
“So, then, what am I supposed to do?” Nikki asked, that little lost puppy look on her face. Perhaps Melanie should encourage her to go into acting. Lord.
“You can spend the weekend in New Orleans,” Gabe suggested. “I have a room at the hotel I won’t be using until Sunday night. You’re welcome to use it for free until Mel and I return.”
Nikki ducked her head and stared at the sandwich in her lap.
“That sounds like fun,” Melanie said brightly, hoping Nikki didn’t mope for the rest of the night and wishing more than ever that she’d shoved Nikki out onto the tarmac back in Wichita. It would have saved them both some grief.
By the time they got to the venue, Nikki seemed to be okay with their plan to dump her in New Orleans for the weekend. By focusing on the positive (lush, free hotel room in the heart of New Orleans), Gabe was almost as skilled at manipulating Nikki’s mood as Nikki was at bending men to her will. Melanie had to admit that she was both impressed and grateful that Gabe had handled Nikki so well.
Melanie did a lot of gawking when they got out of the limo. There were so many people lined up outside the arena’s doors that the lines stretched out into the parking lots. There was a loud cheer as Gabe stepped from the vehicle. She guessed his mohawk made him instantly recognizable, even at a distance. He offered the folks waiting in line a friendly wave and instructed the driver to make sure Melanie’s bag made it to the plane heading for Austin after the show and that Nikki’s luggage was taken to his hotel room. Parker grinned at this. Either he thought that Gabe was banging both women separately, but equally, or he felt privileged to know where Nikki would be staying. Alone. For the entire weekend. Melanie gnawed on her lip, wondering if employing Parker to distribute their luggage had been the best idea. She didn’t want the guy hanging around Nikki. She got a bad vibe from him.
Gabe’s arm went around Melanie’s lower back, and he held her securely against his side as they were ushered through barriers. After the third time Nikki got stopped for not having a backstage pass, Gabe wrapped his free arm around Nikki’s waist as well, and he guided them both toward the doors.
Melanie understood why Gabe was touching Nikki in that easy, familiar way of his, but it didn’t stop her from seething. He was hers, and she was not in the mood to share him. Not even a little. And especially not with her best friend.
Chapter Seven
Gabe wasn’t sure why Melanie was walking so stiffly beside him. Was she worried that someone would recognize her with him? Had she spotted a tattoo that freaked her out? Had he done something wrong? He was at a complete loss as to how he could have messed up between the limo and the building. He wracked his brain for things he might have said that she could have taken the wrong way. All he’d done was tell the driver what to do with her luggage. Why would that anger her? Maybe she didn’t like him speaking on her behalf.
At the back entrance, a security guard let his small entourage enter the backstage area of the stadium. The guard offered Gabe a wink and Melanie and Nikki an appreciative grin as he checked them both out with interest and envy. Half an hour ago, Gabe would have said the dude was welcome to take Nikki off his hands, but God help him, he was starting to understand Melanie’s proclivity for keeping the woman out of trouble. His own protective instinct was starting to show. He wasn’t particularly fond of Nikki, but she seemed so, well… helpless. Something that Melanie was not, for which he was immensely thankful. Neediness quickly grated on his nerves. He knew some guys loved Nikki’s type—Shade for example. His ex-wife was needy, so he must like something about it. But Gabe would rather have an equal at his side than a pretty puppet at his feet.
Melanie grew stiffer with each step. As soon as they could be alone, he’d ask her what was wrong, but this was not the place for a falling out. Strangers watched him very closely backstage. Halfway to the dressing rooms at the end of the hall, Melanie stopped abruptly, sending their trio into an angled trajectory toward a wall. Melanie jerked out of his grasp and stared up at him with sparks of anger snapping in her hazel eyes.
Okay, so he wasn’t imagining things. She was pissed. Fuck him if he had any idea why.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, deciding they were going to have to have it out after all, whether strangers were watching them or not.
She glared at his left hand, which was draped casually at Nikki’s shoulder.
“Are you going to hang all over her for the rest of the evening?” Melanie asked bluntly.
“Hang all over her?” He wasn’t hanging all over her. Much.
Nikki shrank from beneath his arm to stand beside Melanie, and he dropped the apparently offensive appendage to his side. He’d only wrapped his arm around her so that she could get through security with less of a hassle. And he told Melanie exactly that.
“I don’t see any security here in the corridor,” she said.
Nikki clutched at Melanie’s sleeve. “I would have told him to stop touching me, Mel, but—”
Melanie slashed out a hand to stifle Nikki’s words.
“You’re jealous?” Gabe asked as the realization dawned on him. On closer inspection, Melanie was practically green. And he had the lack of sense to laugh at her misguided emotion.
“I’m not jealous,” she sputtered, crossing her arms over her chest and turning her head to glare at the nearest wall.
“Good, because you have no reason to be. Next time, I’ll leave h
er to her own methods of getting backstage.” He moved a fist back and forth in front of his mouth while poking the inside of his cheek rhythmically with his tongue. Apparently, Melanie did not find his pantomimed blowjob humorous.
Her mouth dropped open and she glared up at him. “You wouldn’t.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” He dropped his hand and shrugged. “I’m not interested in her. I’m interested in you. I only brought her along because you want her here.”
The slight flutter of Melanie’s eyelashes made it clear that she didn’t really want Nikki there either, but she evidently saw reason in his words, and she dropped her crossed arms to her waist and then relaxed them at her sides.
Nikki gasped, drawing Gabe’s attention. Her eyes were wide as she stared at something or someone just behind Gabe. She shifted Melanie before her and did her best to hide, her forehead pressed against the back of Melanie’s shoulder as she feigned invisibility.
“Did he see me?” Nikki whispered.
“Who?” Melanie said and then a look of recognition spread across her face. “Yeah, he looks pissed. I’d say he saw you.”
“Why is she here?” Jacob said to Gabe in greeting.