Hard Rock Love Box Set, page 13
Lillian laughed as he chased her in circles around the couch, finally catching her around the waist and swinging her around to land on his lap as he sat down with a decided “hrumph.”
“I was hungry,” she whined, “and I wanted your pancakes!”
“I knew I shouldn’t have made you those pancakes before. Now you’ll always be asking for them.”
“I think the rewards are well worth the consequences,” she said with a coy smile, landing a quick kiss on his lips before standing. “Now come on, I’m starving.”
As Ash made them both breakfast, they decided to broach the subject of a relationship.
“Do you want to be in one?” he asked after she brought it up. “Be exclusive, I mean, only dating each other.”
“I don’t think it would be much different from what we already have, and yeah, that would be nice. But only if you’re up for it.” She added on the last part quickly, worried that she might make Ash feel cornered and then he would back down.
“Lillian, I think you’re something really special, and I’m not going to let that go,” Ash said, flipping the set of pancakes he was on. “You make me feel something I haven’t felt in a long while, and I definitely think that deserves an exclusive relationship, at least.”
She blushed, looking down at his table. “Then let’s go for that then.”
“It’s not going to be easy though, you know,” he said, and Lillian looked back up.
“Aren’t all relationships a little difficult?”
“That’s…not what I mean. I still have a lot of stuff I’m working on Lillian; you know that. I want to be a better man for you, but that might take some time. And…there is the matter of me going on tours. Now that the band has had more success, I am going to have to travel to play shows. I know you have a job and a life here, so I’m not asking you to come with me, but during those times we’re definitely going to be apart.”
“We’ll call,” Lillian offered, and Ash only smiled in response.
“We’ll try, Lillian. Long distance is difficult, unpredictable.”
“You’re not going to be gone all the time.”
“I know. And that’s why I’m determined to make it work. And—” He left his post at the stove, walking over to where she was and planting a kiss on her forehead. “—to make the most of the time that I am here.”
Lillian giggled, entwining her fingers in his hair and pulling him close to kiss him.
“Your pancakes are burning,” she whispered, but Ash shushed her.
“You, my little gremlin, are way better than pancakes.”
The last story in Lillian’s series on Ash was a large success. Mainly because of how intimately it portrayed him, how raw of emotion the images were able to capture.
She had chosen to do this story on the true off-stage Ash, not being quite satisfied with their adventures around New York City. She wanted the real Ash, the candid Ash, the Ash that only she saw.
So, she had continued to take pictures of him, some with her phone for matters of convenience, and the result was extraordinary.
Because for the first time in any of his photographs, Ash looked completely and wholly human.
Laughing. Tearing up. Flipping pancakes on a stove. These were all human images, and so they grounded him among the realm of mortals, painted him as intricate and close.
Painted him exactly as she saw him now.
Fifteen
Sebastian sighed as he hung up and put his phone down. His friends were trying to convince him to come out with them. He knew they were only trying to help him get over Lillian—which had left him in shambles, but he wished they would at least give him a little more time. After all, they did have more history than just being a couple week fling, and rejection of that kind wasn’t the sort of thing you processed within a day or two.
Annoyed by the constant nagging and prodding, he decided he’d finally gave in. Sebastian massaged his temples at the thought of the night to come, what spending it with them would mean. They would most likely drag him out to one of his older frequent haunts—fancy nightclubs where he was VIP. Hopefully they wouldn’t take him to one of the more niche clubs he secretly indulged in. That would be embarrassing.
It’d been a long time since he had dabbled in those interests. It’d been something he was hoping to explore again with Lillian, but—well, that definitely wasn’t an option anymore. And thinking about it made him feel sick. There was nothing to do but wait these strange emotions out and see what the world might throw his way next.
Apparently, the world was in a pleasant mood that day, because something quite unexpected happened. It had started like any other clubbing experience. Pre-gaming at a friend’s place, calling a cab, and filing into the longue. It was boy’s night, so they grabbed a VIP section with their own private drinks upstairs. Sebastian grabbed a gin and tonic and observed the crowd on the dance floor.
The music was too loud, and the cocktail he was holding absent-mindedly was too sweet for his tastes. His friends had all abandoned him as soon as they entered—so much for trying to set him up. He wouldn’t sin them for their interests though. Sebastian took another sip of his cocktail and made a mental note to himself to cancel his membership with this club and find somewhere that had better taste in music…and a better drinks menu.
And in that moment, another group of girls walked in, and Sebastian’s attention was inexplicably drawn toward them. At first glance, there was nothing particularly special about them, or their group. There were four of them, dressed in typical club-goer attire, all looking attractive with their makeup and hair, but then Sebastian locked eyes with one. She had that delicate and innocent look to her—fine bones, large eyes, long dark hair, and lashes that he could make out even from his position. Dainty rose gold jewelry adorned her supple wrists and neck. The white lacy dress she wore almost made Sebastian feel like she didn’t belong in this place.
Almost.
That dress was tight, accentuating her curves in all the right places, and the neckline dipped dangerously low, though the lace edges made it seem higher at first glance. And the back of her dress was open, crisscrossed with straps in a way that made Sebastian shudder with desire. And the way that she moved—blinking slowly at Sebastian before sauntering into the crowd with her hips swaying—she knew exactly how much power she had over everyone in the room, and she wasn’t afraid to use it, despite her innocent appearance.
In that moment, Sebastian made up his mind. He was going to talk to her, maybe buy her a drink, and definitely take her home if he could tonight. It had been too long since he had done things like this for fun. It was time to get back into the swing of things.
Sebastian kept his gaze on the girl as he made his way down the stairs and onto the main floor of the club, weaving his way through the people until he came upon her and her friends. He was reluctant to approach them at first, but he felt such a magnetizing pull that he couldn’t just ignore it. They giggled as he smiled at them and then turned to her. God, she was even more breathtaking up close.
“Is it alright if I buy you a drink?” he asked, his tone suggesting he wanted to do much more than that.
She winked at her friends before taking his offered arm, angling herself to him in a way that made his body feel hot. “Of course. I’d love to have you buy me a drink.”
Sebastian guided her over to the bar, ordering another old fashioned for himself and a strawberry daiquiri for his new companion. His gaze ran lazily up and down her body before returning to her eyes—resting briefly on her perfect rosebud mouth. “You’re quite a sight, you know,” he said, and she giggled, leaning forward ever so slightly as the two of them leaned against the bar.
“Oh? Is that right?”
“Yes. When you came into the club and I saw you from across the room, I couldn’t resist but to come over. Has anyone ever told you how beautiful your eyes are?”
“I’ve been told…but please, do go on.”
“I wasn’t prepared for how…” He looked her over one more time. “…charming you would be.”
She made a small sound of pleasure, and took a step closer to him, laying a hand on the lapel of his expensive black velvet suit. “If I had known I would be approached by someone as flattering as you, I would have put a little more effort into my outfit.”
He laughed, sensual and seductive, one hand resting on the small of her back, pulling her ever so slightly closer so that he could feel the heat radiating from her. “Believe me, you’re perfect just the way you are…for now at least.”
She laughed, as she was taken by his directness, “and what is that supposed to mean?”
“I think you know perfectly well what that’s supposed to mean,” he teased. His thumb was instinctively rubbing circles into her skin.
“Well, I at least, need your name first.” She said, smiling and giving him the puppy dog look.
Fuck. This girl was going to be the death of him.
“It’s Sebastian. And what’s your name?”
“Bella,” she replied, “but you can feel free to call me anything you’d like.”
“How about mine for the night?”
“We’ll see,” she gave him a raised eyebrow as the bartender handed them their drinks.
“I’m going to go back to where my friends are, you wouldn’t happen to want to join would you? It’s in the VIP area.” He teasingly beckoned her, gesturing towards the balcony where he had been sitting before.
“A VIP lounge? How very classy,” Bella teased back, nudging him with her shoulder. “I would love to come join you in your very classy VIP lounge, Sir Sebastian.”
Sebastian smiled down at her as he put one arm around her shoulder, leading her around the crowd and up into the balcony, helping her sit down next to him on the plush sofa. He leaned back, crossing one leg over the other, holding his glass in a way he knew exuded dominance. Then he looked at Bella, pleased to see that she was blushing.
“So, you were watching me from up here then?”
“I couldn’t help it. I was drawn to you the moment you walked in.”
“Were you?” She took a sip of her drink, keeping eye contact as she did so, and then set her drink down on the table. She angled herself towards him, hands on her knees, arms propping her breasts up and forward. She looked up at him with a look that was half innocent, half devious, knowing she had just as much power over him as he did her. Sebastian couldn’t help it. He was imagining that expression on her face as she kneeled down in front of him, doing everything that he asked of her.
“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath, trying to conceal the words, but Bella heard them, and she smiled victoriously.
“What’s the matter?”
“We both know you don’t need to play dumb.”
“Why?” she asked, leaning farther forward. Sebastian was surprised he was able to restrain himself at all, knowing that she wanted him, knowing that he wanted her.
“Because.” He set his glass down, then laid one hand on her knee, whispering in her ear, “You make me want you, it’s unbearable. And you know what you’re doing don’t you?”
Bella shivered with delight. “Is it really wrong of me to use my natural charms?”
Sebastian pulled away for a moment, surveying her again. Bella smiled innocently, batting her eyelashes and tilting her head to the side. “It’s wrong to take pleasure in how they torment me.”
“Well then I’m very wrong indeed.”
“We may have to remedy that,” Sebastian said. His finger found its natural place under her chin making her look at him straight on. “But for now, I’m enjoying it.”
She made a little humming sound, and Sebastian considered kissing her for a moment, but then decided against it. He knew that when they got there, there wouldn’t be any substantial conversation for the rest of the night, at least, not any that would help him get to know her more. He felt the urge to leave her as just a name and a body in his mind, feeling the slight betrayal he couldn’t seem to shake off. But, to be honest, the night was unfolding with much promise of good things to come. He gave her a sly look instead and withdrew his touch, settling back into his position of dominance. Bella pouted, but she didn’t make any more moves to initiate anything, and Sebastian found this turned him on more than anyone’s forwardness ever had.
“We’ll get to that later. For now, I want to know more about you,” he said with coy curiosity.
“What would you like to know?” she asked, her eyes flickering suggestively down.
“Let’s start with the basics, what do you do here in New York, Bella?”
“Hmm…if I answer your question, will you answer my question?” she asked, biting her bottom lip.
“How about I’ll decide that after you give me what I want first.” His voice was low and controlling which made Bella shiver with avidity. He continued, “If I find your answers satisfactory, I will let you ask a question or two.”
“I see how it is Sebastian,” saying his name with a purr. “I grew up in the countryside, not too far from the city, and I’m here studying fashion and visual arts at Parsons. Does that answer your question?”
“Hmm… and what are you doing here specifically?”
“At the club, or in the lounge with you?”
“Both.”
“It’s a Friday night, and we’re here just having fun after a stressful week. And as far as for why I’m up here…well…what can I say? A handsome man invited me, and I found I couldn’t say no.”
Sebastian gave a half-faced smirk, reveling in her half compliment, “You can feel free to ask a question now.”
“Oh yeah? What is it that you’re doing here?”
“Did you just steal my question?”
“I don’t know if that would count as ‘stealing.’”
“You did just ask the same question I did, I thought you would be more original than that, Bella.”
“Well, it was such a good question, how about you try answering it?” she was becoming even more bewildered by his secrecy.
“Are you telling me what to do?” Sebastian raised his eyebrows, folding his arms across his chest and looking down at her.
“If I was, would you be mad?”
“Depends on the situation, darling.”
“Answer the question.”
“I suppose I shouldn’t leave a lady in awestruck. I’m here because my friends dragged me out, kept calling me out for being a workaholic and wanted me to have some fun like the old times.”
“Is there a reason you stopped having ‘fun’?”
Sebastian shook his head. “That’s not a question to broach tonight, trust me. I’d rather focus on you.”
He leaned forward, unable to contain himself anymore. He wanted her, desperately, wanted to feel her delicate little frame under his hands, under his body, wanted her hands tangled in his hair, wanted her voice to squeal his name. He had one hand on her knee with the other one supporting her back. He leaned in to stop momentarily at her lips so that the gravity between them lingered for one moment of intense unbearable lust. He kissed her, sweetly, then more aggressively. She responded to his eagerness in kind, letting him guide her to fit properly against him, her hands traveling up his back, allowing her nails to dig into his skin.
With a grunt, Sebastian pulled her onto his lap so that she was straddling him, the skirt of her dress pushed up. The music pulsed through his bones and in his bloodstream as he pressed her against him, biting at her bottom lip and grunting as she teased him with her tongue. Sebastian knew this wasn’t the place to be doing these things, not in a busy club, not in public, but he also didn’t care if anyone was watching. In situations like this, sometimes a little unintentional exhibitionism was justified.
When Bella pulled away to take a deep breath, her cheeks were flush and she whispered, “I haven’t even known you for that long and it feels like I’ve been waiting forever for you to kiss me.”
“I was going to make you wait longer, but you make it so hard.”
“You devil, you shouldn’t have.”
“On the contrary, my dear Bella, it is you who is devilish for foiling my plans.”
“Says the man who can’t stop himself from kissing me.”
“Stop.” he growled, then kissed her again, this time more passionately. There was roughness in this kiss, and Sebastian could sense that Bella was enjoying it, that she liked this dynamic. Her hips were pressed up against him and she was letting out little moans as he rubbed her back and played with the straps of her dress.
“I think we should call it a night,” he whispered in her ear, and Bella pulled away, pouting.
“What do you mean call it a night? We just got started.”
“Oh, I don’t intend to stop. I only mean that we should retire to somewhere more private. My apartment has a lot of room if you’re interested.”
“I think you already know the answer to that question,” Bella replied, and then kissed him again.
Sixteen
When Lillian picked up the phone, she wasn’t expecting the first words out of Ash’s mouth to be: “Sorry Princess, but I got in a bit of an accident. I’m currently in the hospital.”
“You—what?” She could feel the panic building in her chest, thinking of all the awful situations Ash might have gotten himself into. Was he injured? Was he going to be alright? He was going on tour soon; would he be okay to do that?
“I—shhh…don’t worry baby doll, it’s nothing too serious,” he said, his voice soothing.
“But—but you’re in the hospital.”
“I got in a bit of a motorcycle accident—but I’m not badly hurt, I promise. They actually want to release me in a couple of hours, but they want someone to drive me home.”
“Ash,” Lillian suppressed the start of a sob. “Please don’t scare me like that.”
“I know, I’m really sorry, I never meant for anything like this to happen, and I’m sorry to have to ask this of you, but do you think you could come get me? I’ll pay for the taxi.”
