Now she was downright wet, her throat tight in antic.i.p.ation. "I never liked baseball anyway. And as long as you f.u.c.k me against a wall, I'm going to leave very, very happy."

"I've never felt luckier than I do right now," he said.

She was starting to feel the same way.

"Would you rather win the lottery or spend the night with a rock star?" he asked.

"Win the lottery. But the rock star is one h.e.l.l of a consolation prize."

The corner of his mouth turned up. "Then I have a goal. Make you forget all about the d.a.m.n money."

"Go for it, my friend." She straightened up a little, shifting uncomfortably. She could see he had a huge erection, and she knew her panties were damp. "Are we there yet?"

Marco opened the door to his house and ushered Allison in. He tried to see it through her eyes. He'd bought it five years ago and initially had hired a designer to remodel the kitchen and the bathrooms, and decorate the living room. But he'd never gotten around to doing his bedroom or the reptile room. On the lower level he had a recording studio that had state-of-the-art equipment, but no particular style. He didn't bring women to his house. Other than the wives and girlfriends of his friends, and Sharon, his a.s.sistant, he hadn't had a woman spend the night at home with him since his last relationship had ended three years earlier, in a big dramatic exit from her. He'd gotten drunk at a show and pa.s.sed out on her in the middle of s.e.x. She'd stormed out in nothing but a robe, announcing she was sick of being fifteenth on his list of priorities, behind music, alcohol, and each one of his lizards. She'd had a point, so he hadn't been able to fault her, nor had he particularly missed her after she'd left. He hadn't been in love with her, any more than she had been in love with him.

She had wanted to be Marco Lucky's girlfriend.

He had wanted the concept of having someone to come home to, but hadn't wanted to give up any of his independence or freedom, or put any work into making her happy. It hadn't been the right time, and it was better that it had ended when it did, and that they hadn't been stupid enough to get married or have kids together.

That was the last female presence to be invited into his personal s.p.a.ce, and he felt that by bringing Allison there, his impulse was crossing a certain line. But he was comfortable with that. He was ready to break his celibate streak and he was enjoying being around her. She made him laugh, she made him think, she made him humble. He didn't know what that meant beyond this trip, but he was going to roll with it.

"Chez Marco, huh?" she asked, her eyes sweeping around carefully, a.s.sessing his house. "Very nice, and I like that it's not gargantuan like some of the houses here. Why does one person need eight thousand feet of living s.p.a.ce? But maybe that's the New Yorker in me."

"I wanted to live at the beach, but it's impractical with traffic when I usually need to be downtown, so I figured this was a good compromise to be here in the hills. I like this modern California ranch style. I also agree with you that eight thousand square feet is unnecessary." Marco dropped his bag on the floor, and set his guitar down next to it. He took Allison's suitcase and rolled it next to his, then he went over to the drapes and hit the b.u.t.ton that made them draw open automatically. He'd lost the remote control to do that three years earlier and had never bothered to replace it. "The view here is amazing."

"Wow." She moved in beside him as he opened the retractable doors. "That's beautiful. Look at all those lights."

He loved this feature of the house. The whole back of the house folded into gla.s.s panels and slid inside the walls, like pocket doors. Beyond his pool was the cascading Hollywood Hills, and a sprawling view of the city. "After you."

It led out to the pool and back patio. He didn't have any yard, which was perfect for him.

"Shut your face," she said, eyeing him over her shoulder. "This is the bomb.com." She peeled her leather jacket off. "And warm."

"Glad to see you haven't left your nineties slang back in the Big Apple." He took his own jacket off, enjoying the way the night air kissed his face. He would never get tired of the California weather. So much better than the cold or the sticky summers in Florida. "I'm also glad you like it. I'm on the road a lot, but I like to come back here. This is my own private Idaho, you know?"

"I do." She spun around on her flat shoes, and he enjoyed the way her skinny jeans hugged her body. "It's like a secret garden."

He'd like a view of her secret garden, though he would never say something so f.u.c.king cheesy out loud. He'd settle for watching her get down on her knees, bend over, and dribble her fingers across the surface of the water while he kept his d.a.m.n mouth shut. He had the pool underlit, and she was bathed in a turquoise glow as she tested the temperature of the pool water. Allison looked back at him, her eyes wide.

"It's warm," she said. "Can we go swimming? I haven't been swimming since I went on vacation with my parents four years ago and my mom got drunk on Shiraz and confessed she was pregnant with my brother when she and my dad got married. It was not the relaxing weekend off I'd been hoping for."

He laughed. "Of course we can go swimming." To prove his point, he sat down on the stamped concrete, pulled his boots off, and tossed them to the side. He peeled his socks off and drew his T-shirt over his head.

"What are you doing?" she asked, though her grin was so huge it was clear she knew exactly what he was doing. "And nice abs, by the way. I'm getting a lady b.o.n.e.r."

Marco almost choked. G.o.d, the s.h.i.t that came out of her mouth. "Then I must be doing something right." He stood up and undid his jeans. Without hesitation he shucked them down. The bracelets he always wore, leather and chain, clinked noisily as he kicked the denim aside.

"I'm scandalized," she said.

"You're also a total liar." He walked over to the outdoor kitchen in his boxer briefs, enjoying the freedom of near nudity. He'd felt like he'd had to wear too many layers in New York. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"What do you have?"

"I don't have any alcohol, I'm sorry. I can pick something up for you tomorrow if you want." He opened the fridge and pulled out an iced tea for himself.

"I don't need booze. Can I just have a soft drink?" Allison sat back on her a.s.s and let her hair cascade down her back. She slipped her shoes off and set them neatly to the side.

"Diet or regular?"

"Regular." She dipped a toe delicately into the water.

Marco opened the panel that controlled the music system he'd had installed. He turned on some cla.s.sic rock.

She looked back at him. "Surround sound? I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but I am. So California."

He brought a can of soda to her and dropped down onto the ground. "I have lounge chairs, you know."

"You probably have a bathing suit too, but that doesn't seem to be an issue."

"I can't argue with that." Marco set his drink down beside her and let his feet and ankles dangle in the water. "Are you going to go change? I can show you where the bathroom is."

"Now why would I bother to do that?" Allison gave him a mischievous look and stood up. "If you an kick it old school, I can too."

Her thighs were inches from his face. She slowly and tantalizingly unb.u.t.toned and unzipped her jeans, drawing them down and exposing red lace panties. Of course they were red. They had to be red. His c.o.c.k was already going hard, and when she wiggled a little to get her denim down, it brought the apex of her thighs and that sc.r.a.p of lace within licking distance of his tongue. He wanted to just reach out and drive his tongue into her, but that wasn't going to be how he played this.

"Do you need any help?" he asked her, holding his hand out to her.

"Thanks," she said, a little breathless. She slipped her fingers into his grip and used him for leverage while she dragged first one pant leg, then the other off.

With his free hand, he took a sip of his iced tea, watching her, enjoying the way her flesh rose in gooseb.u.mps as the night air hit her exposed skin. Straightening back up, she kept his hand, and her legs were as long and lean and glorious as he had imagined. Then she peeled her sweater off over her head, her hair catching for a brief moment before it spilled all over her shoulders. Her small b.r.e.a.s.t.s were covered with more red lace, and his throat tightened in appreciation of her lean and sensual body, her waist dipping in enticingly. To his amus.e.m.e.nt, she folded her clothes up carefully before sitting back down beside him and easing her feet into the water. He wouldn't have expected her to be concerned about wrinkles. Allison was an intriguing combinations of recklessness and conservatism.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" he asked her.

"Yes." She sighed and popped the tab on her soda. "I'm in heaven."

Marco reached over and put his hand on her chin, turning her to him. "So am I." He studied her amber eyes, trying to plumb the depths of them, but all he saw was her desire for him, so he kissed her, teasing at her bottom lip with his tongue until she parted her mouth for him. He dipped inside, wanting to taste her fully, loving that moment when she relaxed into his touch.

Allison sighed. He loved that sound. For a woman who talked a lot, and a fair amount of her words were in the form of sarcasm, he liked when she showed her softer side. It made him feel like he'd won a victory. Her soft moans of pleasure acted to spur him on, making him tighten his grip on her, opening his palm and sliding his fingers up into her dark hair. He nipped at her bottom lip and was rewarded with a groan.

With his free hand, Marco found a breast and cupped it, brushing his thumb over her nipple. It was already hard, and he teased across the taut bud, testing her reactions to his touch, before moving to the other breast. "You like that?" he asked.

"That's a stupid question," she murmured, pulling back to look at him with languorous eyes.

"Is it?"

"Yes." She ran her fingers across his chest. "And yes, you turn me on. And yes, I'm hot for you."

"It's like you're psychic," he teased her. "So you're hot? Really, really hot?"

She nodded, eyeing him cautiously. She seemed to know he was planning something.

So before she could question what he was about to do, he tipped himself into the pool and took her with him. They went under the warm water with a loud splash, a tangle of limbs, and a violent shriek as Allison cursed him to h.e.l.l and back, but the end of her sentence was cut off by the sudden submersion. He actually had the pleasure of seeing her p.i.s.sed-off and amused expression underwater, and he wiggled his eyebrows at her before bursting back through the surface. He flung his hair back off his face and gave a sound of satisfaction. The sides of his hair were short but the top was getting a little long, so he smoothed it back.

"f.u.c.k yeah. Now that feels good," he said, as she came up in front of him, pawing at her long hair and sputtering.

"You're a jerk." Treading water, she wiped her face.

"Don't play injured party with me," he told her. "You knew what I was going to do. You took your clothes off. That was a clear indicator you wanted to be thrown in the pool."

Her look was so incredulous he had to laugh. "No?"

"No. I was going to ease myself in." She splashed water at him. "I was going to savor, d.a.m.n you."

"You can savor tomorrow. Tonight you just needed to get wet." He didn't mean it as a s.e.xual innuendo, but her eyebrows rose and that turned him on all over again. The pool was only four feet deep, and he walked to her through the water, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her to him. Their chests collided softly. "You didn't come all the way across the country for a pillow fight, remember?"

"No. But I also didn't come across country to be manhandled." Her words had no bite to them, nor did she pull away.

"No manhandling? But here I could have sworn you said you wanted me to f.u.c.k you against the wall. I can be tender and gentle, though, if you'd like." As he spoke, he stroked his fingers down her sides under the water until he reached her a.s.s. He cupped her bottom and eased her hips forward until the apex of her thighs was b.u.mping against his c.o.c.k. He wished he had taken his briefs off before he'd gotten in the water, but then again, there was something wonderful about the torture.

Marco nuzzled her neck as he ran his hands up and down her body, exploring, his touch light and teasing. "Doesn't the water feel good?"

"A lot of what is happening right now feels good," she murmured, dropping her hand back so he could access her neck better.

"You're very beautiful," he said. "I like the way your skin feels."

"You don't have to play the seducer with me, you know," she said. "I don't want you to bulls.h.i.t me. Just be you."

That made him pause. He pulled back and looked at her. "I am. I already told you I haven't had s.e.x in a year. If I wanted to seduce someone, I'd go for an easier target. I like you. You are beautiful. And your skin does feel good. You have to trust me or this isn't going to work."

He didn't know what he meant by this, but he was starting to suspect he meant more than two days and three nights of stolen time together at his place. He ran a finger across her bottom lip. "I've shown you my a.s.s, so to speak, so you have to be comfortable doing the same."

He didn't want her to respond with something flippant or sarcastic, and she didn't. She nodded. "You're right. But I feel... exposed. That freaks me out."

Honestly, that was the s.e.xiest thing he'd heard in a long time, because he knew that wasn't an easy thing to admit. He didn't get a lot of people being truthful with him, and he felt grateful she had. It made him feel a wave of territorial protectiveness. "I feel exposed too, you know. I've told you things that are personal, and I've let you into my private life. No other woman has been in this house in three years. Just so you know."

"It's weird, isn't it?" she asked, c.o.c.king her head, her fingers brushing across his chest in a way that both aroused and gave him gooseb.u.mps. "Two days ago we'd never even crossed paths."

Marco kissed her, feeling the unmistakeable tightening in his throat that indicated he was way the f.u.c.k in over his head. This was new territory. She was right. It was weird. Worse than weird. It was crazy. He tangled his tongue with hers and kissed her deeply, pa.s.sionately, letting go of his carefully controlled desire. "Is this weird?"

"No." Allison's arms wrapped around his neck and she hooked one foot behind his ankle so that her inner thighs ground more readily against his d.i.c.k. "And I trust you."

Okay, now his heart swelled right along with his d.i.c.k. "That means a lot to me." He'd been avoiding exploring any of the front of her body, but now he dipped his head down and slid his tongue alongside the swell of her breast. He rubbed his lips over the bead of her nipple through her bra. He was glad she wasn't wearing some kind of seventeen-inch-thick bra like a lot of women did. Her cleavage sat where it should naturally, and he could actually feel the shape of her breast and her nipple.

Allison sighed, her fingers gripping his shoulders tighter. "You have ridiculous control," she said. "I would have rushed us to naked, but this is better. Torturous, but better."

"It is, isn't it?" It was all part of getting to know her. Now he knew that she preferred him to suck her nipple versus bite it, and that she had a beauty mark above her right breast that he was fascinated with. He knew that she ducked her eyes when she was embarra.s.sed and that she worked her tongue over her bottom lip when she was aroused. Like she was now.

He peeled the fabric of her bra down and placed his warm mouth over her cool nipple, drawing it into his mouth. Closing his eyes, he thoroughly tasted, his c.o.c.k throbbing with need. She may think he was in control, but it was hard as h.e.l.l to take it slow. So worth it, though. He moved back and forth between both b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and as his need climbed, he squeezed her b.r.e.a.s.t.s together and took both nipples into his mouth at the same time. Allison gave a deep moan.

Her hips were rocking against him, and he let go of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s so he could grind her a.s.s and push her heat onto his c.o.c.k. He lifted her up, wrapping her legs around his waist, and walked her to the edge of the pool.

"Where are we going?" she asked, pulling his earlobe into her mouth with a gentle suck.

"Right here." He set her down on the ledge and settled in between her legs. Pausing for a second, he drank in the sight of her. Her bra was yanked down partially over her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and her chest was rising and falling rapidly with desire. Water trickled down over her belly and her hair clung to her shoulders. She was beautiful and exotic and he was actually a little in awe that she was willing to be here, doing this, with him. He knew what she had initially thought of him, and how she disdained groupies. He felt a deep appreciation and desire that she was allowing him to touch her body. He wanted to see and feel all of it.

Using his thumbs to hook under the waist of her panties, he started to peel them down. She helped him by lifting her backside up off the concrete. As he started to bury his mouth between her legs, sliding his tongue across her slit, it occurred to him that sitting naked on the pool surround wasn't going to be the most comfortable thing in the world. Pulling back, he said, "Let me go get you a towel to sit on."

"I'm fine." She tugged his head back and down. "Keep doing that, please."

That made him smile, and he kissed the cool flesh of her thigh, flicking his tongue over a few water droplets. "You sure?"

"Yes. I appreciate your determination to be a gentleman, but it's time for you to give me the nasty you promised."

He wasn't quite ready for the nasty. He was enjoying drawing out the antic.i.p.ation. So he nudged her legs further apart, tugging her forward a little so that she was spread right in front of him. It was an excellent view, and her body was bathed in the aqua glow of the pool lights, but he could see her s.e.x clearly, see that her c.l.i.t was swollen. Using his fingers, he ma.s.saged her folds, opening her for him, his d.i.c.k hardening both at the intimacy of the view and the sharp intake of breath she gave.

Then he tasted her. Slowly, languidly. Eyes half closed, the scent of her arousal filled his nostrils. He moved up and down, exploring, probing inside her just a little bit, wanting to experience her reaction, wanting to know how wet she was for him. It was satisfying to learn she was, in fact, very, very wet. He gripped her thighs more firmly, sliding his hands under her a.s.s so he could haul her closer to his mouth. She gave a soft cry of surprise, then put her hands back behind her to brace herself. A glance up the length of her body showed her head back, her hair starting to dry as it clung to her shoulders. With one hand he reached up, straining to get to her, but wanting to free her b.r.e.a.s.t.s from that bra. He got it unhooked and dropped lower in the water again.

Allison discarded her bra, and then she was gloriously naked poolside, legs spread for him while he drove her crazy with his tongue. It felt good to pleasure her first, to give instead of take. To not be standing there while a woman whose name he couldn't remember was down on her knees in front of him. This was something else entirely. This was s.e.xy on a whole different level. It was a connection, drawing out mutual satisfaction, not banging or f.u.c.king or s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g or s.h.a.gging. He'd done all of those many times. This was something else.

He sucked her c.l.i.t, drawing her swollen b.u.t.ton into his mouth, feeling something powerful when she gave out a violent cry of ecstasy, her o.r.g.a.s.m sending her thighs tighter against his shoulders, a hot rush of moisture cascading forth. It was the s.e.xiest thing ever, feeling and watching her let go and shatter for him.

Bringing her home with him had the best idea he'd had in a long f.u.c.king time.

Next up was the wall she wanted and his c.o.c.k buried deep inside her.

Allison came with Marco Lucky between her thighs and wondered what in the h.e.l.l had happened to her life. Nothing was the way it had always been and was supposed to be. She wasn't supposed to attract the attention of a rock star then wind up staring down at the top of his head of damp hair while he sucked her c.l.i.t until she screamed, the warm California air coaxing gooseb.u.mps out of her damp flesh. It was surreal.

Not that she had complaints. Quite the opposite. It seemed that her a.s.sumptions about musicians, or at least about Marco, had been wrong. He wasn't selfish. He was thoughtful, generous, and clearly determined to have her satisfied. It seemed like guys wanted ma.s.sive quant.i.ties of oral s.e.x and total access to your a.s.s at any given moment, yet made faces and pouted when you asked for a little reciprocation. Going down on a woman had lost its place among men in their twenties, and Allison resented the h.e.l.l out of it. So she was perfectly willing to arch her back while stark naked and let Marco do what he would to her.

When he sent her over the edge with that little tug of his lips on her c.l.i.t, she wasn't shy about expressing her pleasure. He deserved to hear his time had been well spent and effort much appreciated. "Oh my G.o.d," she murmured as the last waves of ecstasy subsided, and she opened her eyes to stare at the sky. It was an intriguing navy blue, shot with stars and a peripheral ribbon of warmer color that was likely light pollution. She tried to capture her breath, think of something to say. There were no words, though, just a complete sense of abandonment, of letting go all the burdens that had been weighing her down.

She was outside completely naked and it was liberating, freeing. It made her feel alive, more firmly rooted in her own skin. Marco kissed the inside of her thigh and she shivered.

He hauled himself out of the pool, water splashing over her legs. He looked s.e.xy and dangerous, his eyes lit with desire, his nostrils flared. The bulge in his wet boxer briefs was very close to her face for a tantalizing minute before he sat down beside her. She looked over at him, knowing she should sit up but unable to make her muscles cooperate.

"That was certainly an icebreaker," she told him.

Marco laughed. "I wasn't aware we were having an awkward intro. But I'm glad you enjoyed it." He leaned over, invading her s.p.a.ce, and gave her a deep kiss, her scent on his mouth. "I did too."

That was all it took to get her juices flowing again. That had been satisfying, but she still ached to feel the weight of him over him, and the thrust of his c.o.c.k into her body. "I bet there are other things we could enjoy."

"Undoubtedly." Marco took a sip of his drink and set it down. "And I think I need to take my wet drawers off."

"Drawers?" she asked in amus.e.m.e.nt. "Definitely. Take those drawers off, sugar." She tried to inject a little Southern into her voice, but her accent was way off.

"That was not even close," he told her. "I know people think Florida is old timers and South Beach, but in the Panhandle, it's the South. Like Georgia, but not."

"Well, that explains it all right up." She shifted on the cement. Despite her rea.s.surances to Marco, it wasn't actually all that comfortable. Her b.u.t.t was going numb. "Show me your bed." She faked an exaggerated yawn. "I'm tired."