Black and Blue
Black and Blue
by
Renee DeMarcus
Copyright © 2010, Renee DeMarcus
Cover Art Design by Kim Jacobs
Electronic Release, August, 2010
Published by Turquoise Morning Press for Smashwords
Turquoise Morning, LLC
Turquoise Morning, LLC
P.O. Box 43958
Louisville, KY 40253-0958
Smashwords Edition, License
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Chapter One
“No. Absolutely not. I am not comfortable with weapons in a club while I’m singing, Tim.” Kat Chastain stared at the reflection of her band’s lead guitarist in the mirror as she dabbed foundation on her nose. “You know this.”
“Security’s weapons are not your responsibility.”
“The hell they’re not. We are responsible for anyone we hire and bring into a club. Someone gets hurt? Our fault. Besides, the last guy you hired? Please. He couldn’t have wrestled a two-year-old off the stage. And he was so covered in sweat by the second song that if he’d drawn his gun it would have slipped out of his hand long before he aimed it. So, no.” She put the foundation bottle and sponge down and turned to face him. “No.”
“Technically we would not be responsible, he would, but that’s beside the point because Derek, the new guy, doesn’t carry.”
“Derek? Hold up. Derek as in Derek Black, your linebacker friend from college?”
“He wasn’t a linebacker, he was a point guard. Basketball, Kat, not football, not that it matters.”
“Oh, so now we’re doing favors for buddies?” She picked up her plastic cup from the makeshift dressing table behind her and took a slow sip of her cold honey-iced tea, knowing she’d scored. Hiring friends was against the band’s rules. Unwritten rules, of course, but everyone had agreed.
Tim was silent. Yep, argument over. She turned back to the mirror and focused on her make-up. She always wore heavy eyeliner on stage—black above her lashes, electric blue below. The black matched her hair and made her blue eyes really pop. She got busy sharpening the liner.
“Kat, I didn’t hire him because he is my friend. Hell, I haven’t even seen him in years. He has skills.”
“Another off-duty cop?”
“No, Derek used to be a cop but now he runs a Martial Arts school. He doesn’t carry a weapon because he doesn’t need to. He is the weapon.”
“Whatever. If a weirdo wants to jump on stage, I doubt some has-been linebacker with karate-chop-action is going to be able to stop him. I’ll end up fighting off the weirdo on stage and then the come-ons from the linebacker, sorry—karate-man—in the dressing room. Just like with the off-duty cops and the security wannabes.” She sighed for effect. “But it’s cool, I’m used to it.”
Tim adjusted his black framed glasses. “He won’t hit on you. I told him not to. He agreed. And he knows you’ll be shaking your ass and fondling your tits in front of him every night and he is not to take it as a come on. It’s just part of the performance.”
“I do not fondle my tits!” Much. There was the one time recently, but it was the song. She’d written such sexual lyrics, probably because she’d gone without a man for so long. Tim and the rest of the band had put the lyrics to an incredible sensual rhythm. It got to her. Unfortunately it had gotten to her while she was performing, in front of at least three hundred people. But what the hell. At least attendance was up. “I don’t see you complaining about ticket sales, guitar-man.”
“Oh, I’m not, trust me. Fondle your tits through the entire set. We have people lined up around the block tonight and while I know my riffs are unmatched, I’m pretty sure it’s not my guitar that has them whipping out their wallets.”
“I know you are not about to say it’s my tits, Tim, because I will so lay you flat, right on this grungy floor. And whipping out their wallets had better be all they whip out.”
“Relax. Damn, what is with you lately? Hiring security will keep them from whipping anything out that you don’t want whipped out. Face it, Kat, the gigs are becoming more crowded and the band is getting more attention. You are not the only one on stage. We need security. Deal and drop the bitch attitude.”
Kat took a deep breath. Lately she had been out of sorts. Dancing more provocatively on stage and she was having explicit sex dreams every night. She had sex on the brain.
But no more. Tonight it was all about the vocals. Maybe a few seconds of breast massaging had cranked up attendance, but the music was the show. “Okay, fine. Maybe I’m being a little bitchy. Go ahead, hire your friend.”
“Well, thank you very much, boss.” He clipped the last word. Tim wasn’t just the lead guitarist; he managed the band as well and was a bit of a control freak.
She smiled sweetly. “You’re welcome, underling. But he better not hit on me or give me smarmy looks while I perform. For real, Tim, or I will so kick him in the head.”
“He will not hit on you.”
****
Derek took a deep breath, focused on the thick humid air moving into his lungs, through his nostrils, and exhaled out of his mouth. He could do this. He was a professional. Sort of. He was one hundred percent capable of not focusing on Kat, the amazing dark-haired beauty he’d had a thing for back in college.
The amazing beauty who just tweaked her nipples. While looking at him.
Derek turned his head and stared into the crowd. He had imagined the eye contact. She wasn’t looking at him specifically, she never had. He’d watched her perform countless times and she had never noticed him. Every guy in the audience thought she was singing to them personally. She wasn’t. It was just part of the show, an act.
But damn, she was hot.
She was even more incredible than he’d remembered, which was saying something because he still had an occasional dream about Kat, dreams that he always woke from sweaty and spent. So he was fighting an erection. He was winning the battle, almost completely. Semi-hard did not count as an erection. And he wouldn’t even be semi-hard soon because he was not focusing on her anymore.
Derek turned and faced the crowd. It was a drunken lot, a weird mix of beatniks, Goths, and frat boys. Typical Clifton crowd. He hadn’t seen Blue Down for a couple of years, they seemed to have developed a following.
He held up a hand and shoved a beefy college kid back from the stage. Something pressed his shoulder from behind as he regained his position in front of the stage. Kat’s foot. He glanced over his shoulder, she was singing a sultry piece with lyrics he was trying not to listen to… Fly me, baby, fly me. Suck me. Burn me. You know me, you know you know me. Be in me. Inside. Fly me, baby, fly me. Suck me. Burn me… He wasn’t sure what the fly me part meant, but he was ready to comply with the rest of the instructions. So was his cock. He shook his head to clear the images.
Focus on the crowd.
Tim took center stage, the spotlight moving to him for a guitar solo. Suddenly, a presence shadowed him, then a warm breath near his ear. “Hi, Derek.”
****
Well, she couldn’t claim she hadn’t fondled her tits now. Nope. She had definitely fondled. What the hell was wrong with her? It was the new security guard. Derek. She’d seen him, watched him, and had gotten hot. In front of the audience. Again. Only this time it had been worse because she wasn’t just a little hot, she’d been completely aroused and had taken her fondling further than before, trying to entice him.
It wasn’t like her. She never paid any attention to members of the audience or security while she sang, unless they jumped on stage.
So much for her having an attitude about the security guards coming on to her. Derek could come on to her anytime.
She’d never realized what a perfect male specimen he was. Tall and lean. His face was all hard angles and brown eyes, with skin a shade that reminded her of coffee with a bit of heavy cream. She couldn’t remember ever being that close to him when they were in college. He had been around with Tim, but always at a distance. Not tonight. Tonight she’d had the opportunity to check him out thoroughly while she sang. And something about his dark looks and protective aura had immediately ignited an ember of excitement in her core, one that had grown and flamed to life. Kat decided Derek was the perfect solution to her problem of too many lonely nights.
She pulled her damp hair into a loose bun and shimmied out of her faded torn jeans. This club was her favorite for one reason—the dressing room had a little shower. She reached in and turned the shower on full blast, removed her top, grabbed her portable toiletry basket, and stepped under the lukewarm spray.
She had a few minutes before Derek found her, if he decided to take her up on her earlier, suggestive offer. He’d be busy securing the backstage and ensuring no one slipped through for awhile. The water wasn’t hot, barely warm really, but she didn’t care. Performing always left her sweaty and feeling like a sticky mess.
The shower felt cool and refreshing. She soaped up quickly and rinsed, happy she’d indulged in a wax earlier in the week.
A repetitive knock filtered through the open bathroom door. Derek? Her stomach surged in an little excited flip. “Be right there.”
Switching off the water and stepping out, she grabbed her thick, folded towel off the sink, wrapped it around herself and glanced in the mirror. Make-up still intact. Thank God for waterproof mascara.
She raced to her duffle bag and rummaged through it looking for a fresh change of clothes. She paused. Maybe she should answer the door in the towel? No. She grabbed her white lacy thong and matching push-up bra. She couldn’t be that forward. Could she? On stage she had basically just masturbated with her breasts to entice him. That was different, though, she was different on stage.
Off stage Kat didn’t blatantly come on to men—except her reserved practice with men hadn’t landed her many dates. She hadn’t even had so much as a coffee date in months. Lots of months.
The repetitive knock sounded again. Derek had responded to her boldness on stage. He was knocking on her door. Her forwardness tonight had produced more results than months of waiting for men to approach her.
She wanted Derek, and had decided to go after him. She could do this.
“Coming.” Tossing the lingerie back into her bag, she flipped on the switch of her CD player. Low sounds of Evanescence filled the air, surrounding her with a familiar rhythm, and she immediately relaxed. She opened the door. “Hi.”
Oh, he was tall. Long, lean, and dark in all the right places.
“Hi,” he replied as his eyes gave her a thorough once over. One that had her holding her breath. “Did I interrupt your shower?” His eyes sparkled, as if he liked what he saw.
Releasing air, Kat grabbed his arm and tugged him into the room, shutting the door with her heel. “You can interrupt my shower anytime.” Adjusting the towel, fearing it would loosen and fall, she led him to the couch. Definitely should have gone with clothing. “Sit.”
Derek sat on the worn red loveseat, taking up more than half of the space. He was a big man. So strange she didn’t remember him like this. She knew he was tall and attractive, but she had missed his incredible…sex appeal. Yes, Derek was absolutely sexually appealing. If she were wearing panties, they’d be wet.
“I don’t think I should be in here.”
“Why not?”
“Tim made it clear you were off limits.”
“Did he? Good thing he isn’t in charge then, huh? Um, listen, Derek, Tim and I are just friends.” A lot of people seemed to think she and Tim were an item and she’d often wondered if it kept men away from her.
“Yeah, I know. He just said not to hit on you.”
Kat laughed. Derek got to the point. “You’re not hitting on me. I’m hitting on you.” She sat next to him on the little couch and wriggled to be sure the towel covered her ass. No way was her bare bottom touching any part of that ancient crushed velvet.
Derek cleared his throat and made room for her on the couch. “I still think Tim would be pissed.”
“Derek, what we do is none of his business.” She moved a little closer, until their legs touched. The contact sizzled through her and she found her eyes glued to his thigh. “You know, I remember you. You used to come to our shows on campus.” She slowly raised her gaze up his torso.
She remembered him alright, but the details had definitely escaped her notice years ago. This man was sporting some serious assets.
His eyebrows rose as if in surprise. “You remember me?” He sounded skeptical.
She liked his eyes, had never been close enough to notice them before. They were a light brown, the color of a café au lait, and almost matched his skin perfectly. The effect should have been bland, but it wasn’t. “Mm-hmm. Why didn’t you ever hang around after the shows?”
“Ah, I have guardianship of my younger brother. Back then he was too young for me to leave without a sitter. So I had a pretty early curfew.”
She moved her hand to his thigh. It was firm. Masculine. “Wow, that’s a lot of responsibility. Do you still—”
A shrill beeping sound interrupted her. Derek’s cell phone. He adjusted in the seat, pulling it out of his pocket and flipped it open.
Kat scooted back on the couch to give him more room and adjusted her towel, her budding arousal disappearing.
So much for her plans of seduction. Somehow this little fantasy held more appeal when she’d been singing on stage.
The combination of Derek and the music had excited her. And it had been so long. She’d never had any luck with men, so she’d decided to take a different approach. Go for what she wanted. But this was a little awkward.
“Yeah? Where are you?” Derek’s tone was serious.
Kat eyed her duffle bag. She could make a quick escape into the bathroom and be dressed before he finished his phone call.
“I’ll be there in ten. You will not get in that car, Ty, do you hear me? Uh-huh, well that better be all you do.” He flipped the phone shut and let out a gust of air, running his hands up and down his denimed thighs. “Sorry, Kat, looks like I have to leave.”
“Your brother?” Kat eased off the couch, careful of the towel’s edges and headed for her duffle bag, tugging the back of the towel to be certain it covered her ass.
“Yes. He needs a ride home. He and his buddies decided to have a few beers and now no one is sober enough to drive.” His voice suddenly sounded tired. “Stupid and willing to get behind the wheel, of course, but drunk.”
She grabbed a tank top and jeans out of the bag. No way was she pulling out her panties, she could go commando for awhile. “So he’s old enough to drink?”
“No. We just have an agreement. He isn’t allowed to drink, but if he does and he can’t find a sober driver, then he calls me and I don’t get pissed. I just pick him up.”
Tucking her clothes under her arm, she eyed him on the couch. His posture was stiff. “Hmm. You seem sort of pissed.” His jaw twitched. But he grinned at her comment, a cute sideways grin that seemed impossible with his full lips. It should have made his face look off balance, but it didn’t.
“I am pissed.” He stood. “But I won’t say anything. I’ll just work him so hard in class tomorrow morning that he’ll think twice before indulging again. Then I’ll work him over again in class in the evening. He’ll get the message and I’ll keep my word.” He headed for the door. “Unfortunately, I really should go.”
Kat scrambled after him, feeling ridiculous. And nearly naked. Not a good combo. So much for the sexy, take charge come-on plan. “Wait.”
He turned and looked at her. Golden brown eyes framed with long black lashes stared into hers. She didn’t want to lose her momentum, she’d come-on to him on-stage. She could push it further. Tomorrow night she might lose her nerve. “Um, are you busy tomorrow? We could go on a picnic.”
“A picnic?” His eyebrows rose again, creating a sexy furrow in his dark brow.
“Yes, a picnic. As in food. Eaten on a blanket. In a park.” He paused as if considering her offer. Or maybe thinking of ways to decline. “Are you working tomorrow?” There. If he was searching for an out, she’d make it easy on him.
“Yes. I have a teen black belt class from ten to eleven-thirty and then my evening schedule begins in the afternoon at four. And of course, I’m doing security for your show tomorrow night.”
“So you could do lunch.”
He smiled. “I could do lunch.”
He didn’t seem too eager, but Kat was tired of being lonely. Pursuing was perfectly acceptable, it was just challenging in a towel. “I’ll make us some sandwiches, grab a blanket and pick you up. How does that sound?”
Hesitating, he fidgeted with the door, opening and closing it slightly as if considering his options. The movement flexed his biceps and Kat tried not to stare. “Okay. Do you know where my school is?”
“Nope.” She went to her purse on the dressing table and pulled out a pen and uncrumpled an old receipt to write on. She jotted down the directions. “Cool. Your school isn’t far from Devou park.”
He smiled. “I’ll see you around noon tomorrow then.”
Kat leaned back on the dressing table and tried to look sexy as she watched him leave.
Not a second after the door closed it re-opened and he popped his head in. “I like the towel. You look perfect in it.”
And he was gone.
Chapter Two
Derek kicked the padded Wavemaster bag with his right heel for the twenty-second time, still trying to convince himself it was real flesh, not leather and padding. The psych-job was failing and his exercise was less than satisfying. He needed a real body to release on. Soon.
The door to his private bathroom opened and his brother, Ty, appeared. Freshly showered and dressed completely in black clothes, three sizes too big. His head hung, not looking for eye contact, sporting his usual shitty attitude. Ah, the joys of observing adolescence.
“Not cool, man. We had a deal.”
Derek had insisted Ty serve as the example in every exercise in the black belt class earlier, which meant nearly every other black-belt in training had had a go at him. Although all of the students wore padded gear, Ty was knocked around repeatedly and his left cheek looked slightly swollen. The hit that caused the injury must have had some serious force because his cheeks were protected by the gear almost entirely.
“I kept to our deal.” Derek grabbed a hand towel and wiped his brow, steadfastly ignoring the twinge of guilt he felt over Ty’s swollen cheek. That would bruise for sure. Damn. Bad parenting.
He glanced at the clock. Eleven-forty, he still had time for a quick shower. “Get real, Ty, you had more than a few beers. You’re seventeen, not twenty-one. And alcohol makes teenage boys stupid.” He held up his hand. “Make that more stupid.”
“Whatever. I’ll be in the front answering the phones. Doing my duty. Maybe I’ll even drink some milk like a good little boy.” Ty turned on the mat and headed for the office, barely breaking his stride to slip into his sneakers at the entrance of the office space, a space only defined by the desk and lack of matting on the floor.
Following, Derek slid into his flip-flops as he stepped off the matted floor. “Hold-up, Ty, I’m serious. This partying shit has got to stop. I have too much to deal with right now between the school and the extra security jobs I’m taking. I can’t be worrying about you when you’re out.”
Silence.
“These guys you’re hanging with party pretty hard.” Derek was getting used to talking to the back of Ty’s head. He saw more of it than the kid’s face. “Maybe you should stay at home a few weekends. We could hang.”
The security work was a bad idea, it kept him out late. He should have thought more about it before accepting. Ty needed more supervision. Guidance. And not the black-belt-beating kind.
His brother’s head whipped around and he swung his long, black bangs out of his eyes. He and Ty were actually half-brothers and Ty was bi-racial. Unlike Derek’s, his father had been white, or so their different-boyfriend-every-week mother claimed. So Ty’s hair wasn’t as curly as Derek’s and he wore it long. Annoying, because Derek couldn’t remember the last time he had actually seen his brother’s eyes, but he tried to choose his battles carefully. Hair was pretty low on the list.
Silence.
Ty stood up, walked to the front door and left, slamming it with all of his might behind him, rattling the glass of the door and the surrounding windows. Damn. What was he going to do with that kid? He’d had guardianship of Ty long enough that he should have been able to instill more discipline, develop a closer bond. But the effects of his brother being raised initially by their uncaring, present-but-not-really-there mother had been long reaching. Either that or Derek was just flat out shitty at parenting, which was a strong contender for the real issue.
Derek took a deep breath, getting a not-so-fresh-whiff of himself. He tossed the hand towel into a netted laundry basket in the corner and headed to the back for a quick shower, leaving the front door unlocked.
He showered quickly and dressed, exiting the bathroom just as the front door opened, jingling the little bell attached to the top of the door frame.
Kat.
She looked good. Different than last night. He nearly grunted in appreciation. Her hair was down and she wore a thin, flowy top and short shorts. He could see a band of her bare abdomen above the low waistband of her shorts. Her belly wasn’t completely flat, swelling just ever so slightly in that soft womanly way he loved.
Kat just did something to him that no other woman did. It had been that way since he’d first glimpsed her years ago in college—he’d been struck stupid by her presence. Stupid and silent. He was never much of a talker, especially in his youth, but around Kat he was pretty sure he’d never opened his mouth. She was so sexy, confident, and crazy sultry in her manner. Every man in close proximity to her picked up on her appeal and she had never seemed to be lacking in companionship as far as he could tell. Not surprising.
The woman personified sensuality in every move she made.
Seeing her today was so not a good idea. Wild women were not for him. He knew that. He had learned his lesson the hard way. More than once. He had a daily reminder in Ty of just what a bad idea getting involved with a wild woman could be.
Derek had born the brunt of his mother’s promiscuity while growing up, always worrying she wouldn’t make it home safely after a night on the town; indeed he often woke to find her gone, only later realizing she’d been too busy screwing around with some nameless man.
Derek learned to look the other way, try not to think about it. Eventually her promiscuity led to the arrival of Ty and later to her departure from their lives. His mother couldn’t resist the lure of the fast life and Derek was left picking up the pieces. Derek had seen the pattern of his mother’s behavior and had watched the men come and go, often leaving heartbroken and wondering why they couldn’t tame her ways.
Fast women were a fast way to heartache.
But damn, Kat was fine. And he had been all too aware of that fineness for a long time. Years.
He shook off his thoughts and went for casual. “Hey, Kat.”
“Hi.” She glanced around the room in a shy way.
“Want a tour?” A complete tour should take about fifteen seconds even if he dragged it on as much as possible. His place consisted of the front office—an entry area and desk, a large open matted exercise room, a bathroom for students, his private bathroom, and two good sized storage closets where he kept supplies.
“Sure.”
Derek moved behind her and placed his hands on her bare shoulders. Her skin was pale and creamy. Smooth and warm beneath his hands. She had a sprinkling of freckles on her shoulder blades. Resisting the urge to caress, he watched her chest rise in a sudden inhalation, as if jolted by the contact. His groin tightened.
“Okay, this is the front office.” He turned her slightly. “There, beyond the desk is the exercise room where I teach. The two doors on the back walls are bathrooms.” Her scent filtered up to him, a soft floral fragrance he couldn’t quite place. Damn, she even smelled fine. This woman was pure temptation. He released her. “That’s it. Basically the no-frills Martial Arts school.”
“It’s awesome.” She turned to him. Reluctantly he dropped his hands and stepped back a step. “Is this why you quit the police force? To open up the school?”
Derek moved behind the desk and shut down his computer. “Yes and no. I wanted to stay on the force but I thought opening the school would give me more flexibility with my schedule and more time with Ty. After we opened, I liked it, enjoyed the connection I made with the kids. And, the school has given Ty something to do. He works here with me and, while he’d never admit it, he likes working with the kids too.” He grabbed his keys out of the top drawer, walked to the adjacent wall, flipped off the lights and pulled the shades. “Ready?”
“Ready.”
He put his arm around her shoulders and guided her out of the door. He inserted his key into the deadbolt and turned. Decision solidified in his mind with the action.
Kat was wild, promiscuous, everything he should avoid. Should. But the main concern in his mind had been the security job. As he talked to Kat in the school, he realized he shouldn’t keep the job anyway.
Ty may be nearly grown and old enough to stay on his own late at night, but it didn’t mean he was ready for that level of independence. Their conversation earlier had proven it.
Derek would call Tim later and resign. He’d finish out Blue Down’s current contract at the club, two more shows, but that was it. Ty needed more time with him.
With the knowledge his job wasn’t in jeopardy and he wouldn’t be doing anything terribly politically incorrect by being with Kat, his mind had begun rationalizing reasons to be with her.
He had wanted her for so long and she was showing signs of interest, even though he wasn’t totally sure. It was possible Kat walked around casually in even less than a towel, especially after a show. He knew if she was after him, it was only for something casual. Brief. An easy lay.
Party girls like Kat did not settle down with one man. She probably did the innocent girl in a towel routine with a different guy every week.
No, a girl like Kat wasn’t for him long term, even if every move and sound she made went straight to his cock. He wasn’t looking for a relationship. Kat was obviously a woman into casual liaisons, so he could let his concerns over her wild ways slide.
Having a brief affair with her was acceptable—falling in love with her was not. Spending too much time with her was not a good idea, either. But Derek could keep her at a distance, protect himself from the pitfalls. Avoid the traps.
Promiscuous women only hurt you if you cared—if you were in a committed relationship. He didn’t, and they weren’t.
Simple. Easy. No worries.
****
The drive across the river into Kentucky was short and bumpy in her old Kia. Her car had needed new shocks for ages and Kat had just adapted to the bumpy ride, but she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a passenger in her car. Judging by the way Derek had jerked and held on with every jolt, she assumed he was used to a smoother ride.
It was a cool day for July, only seventy-eight and surprisingly, the humidity was comfortable, so she kept the air off and the windows down.
Enjoying the wind blowing in her hair, she played old Pat Benatar CD and tried to focus on the lyrics, and the road—and not the all too masculine presence sitting next to her.
Kat wanted him. Definitely. No doubt about it. Dating Derek Black had become a top priority. Everything about him appealed to her. From his big, sexy dark looks to the cute way he talked about his school and complained about his brother.
Kat was going to seduce him. Today. Now. That was the plan.
It was the plan that had kept her tossing and turning all night.
She pulled into a parking lot, humming along with the lyrics. “We’re here. This is it. I have the perfect place in mind for us to eat.”
“Cool. I’ve never been here.”
“Never?”
“Nope. Never even heard of this park.” He looked out of the windshield. “But that is one hell of a view of the skyline.”
Devou was famous for its pristine bird’s eye view of the city skyline. It was a favorite spot for wedding photos and teenage, foggy window, make-out sessions.
“How can you live in Cincinnati and not know about Devou park? It’s what, like, fifteen minutes from your school?”
“Sorry, sweetheart, it might as well be on Mars. I hardly ever cross the river into Kentucky.” He opened his door and climbed out. The Kia creaked, rocked, and lifted as his weight exited. He stretched his long body full length when he stood, as if the tiny front seat of her car had cramped him. This was not a man built to ride in a Kia.
She gasped, feigning outrage. “Got something against Kentucky?”
“Hell, no. I like to go barefoot as much as the next guy. Love that asphalt burn on the soles of my feet, can’t get enough of it.”
Another outraged gasp, this one genuine. “Listen, karate-man, I’ll have you know I was born and raised in Kentucky.” She popped the trunk and pulled out a thick green comforter, tossing it to him.
He caught the blanket and tucked it under his arm. “Sorry.”
She lifted her cooler and Derek took it from her. “It’s okay, I forgive you.” She reached back into the trunk and grabbed her portable CD player.
“No, I meant I’m sorry you were born and raised in Kentucky.”
She laughed. “Oh, you are so asking for punishment, karate-man. Just you wait.”
“Punishment, huh? I’m thinking I can handle anything you dish out, sweetheart.”
“Hmm… Don’t be too sure.” She could think of a lot of things to dish out to Derek, all of them sexual.
She led the way down off the hill top parking lot, through a wooded glen, and into a gentle valley surrounded by mature trees and lush greenery. It was a place where few park visitors ventured, most opting to stay in the areas where the picturesque skyline view was visible.
In high school she and her girlfriends would come to this spot on weekends and sunbathe topless. They had never seen another soul anywhere near them. Which made this the perfect spot for their picnic because Kat planned to do a lot more than picnic. Or go topless.
Taking the blanket from Derek, she spread it out over a nice, flat spot under a shade tree and sat her CD player near the edge of the comforter. Derek placed the cooler in the grass and they both slipped off their sandals. She sat cross-legged and flipped on the CD player, turning the volume down low.
“Wow, you’re prepared.” Derek stretched out on the blanket with his hands under his head, looking relaxed.
Kat took a deep breath and tried to still her rising nerves as Derek took in the park’s scenery around them.
It was ridiculous—she could behave so wantonly on stage, acting the wild-girl, rock-n-roller. Off stage was another story. Her stage persona was just an act, one she enveloped herself in as she stepped on the stage. Kat had never thought of her stage self as a true part of her. With men she was shy and reserved sexually. She’d never even made the first move with a man, let alone planned and executed a full-blown seduction.
But that was all history. This was now and Kat believed fully in living in the now. It was why she was singing at night and waiting tables part-time instead of using her college degree.
Kat was a dreamer and wanted to live life everyday in a way that fulfilled her, made her happy.
Obviously, stage Kat was a real part of her. A side of her that she couldn’t be too out of touch with, she was able to access it on stage at least three nights a week.
She busied herself with their lunch. Derek had stopped his perusal of their surroundings and was watching her quietly. Assessing her.
“So you really remember me from college?” he asked, taking a paper plate from her hand.
“Sure I do. Why wouldn’t I? You and Tim were pretty tight back then.” She unwrapped a turkey and cheese sandwich on whole wheat and placed it on his plate delicately. The plate slumped and Derek had to steady it with both hands. Definitely should not have gone with the sale items.
“Yeah, but you were always busy.”
“Busy? Oh, you mean singing? Well, I still saw you around. You’re pretty hard to miss.” She winked, trying for cute. “But you seemed quiet.”
“I am quiet. But I meant that you were busy with boyfriends.”
She laughed, scoffing at his sarcasm. Kat had never really had boyfriends. A few brief relationships and some scattered dates, but nothing meaningful. Nothing satisfying. “Boyfriends? Me? Yeah, right.”
Derek smiled that little lopsided grin she’d noticed the night before. She could get used to looking at that grin in a hurry. “Yeah you, busy, busy.”
“Oh, sure, that’s me, super-popular-Kat. Just call me Homecoming Queen.”
“I bet.” His tone was sarcastic but his eyes were playful. “Sweetheart, I think you sure as hell should have been Homecoming Queen.”
“Do you?” She placed her own sandwich on a plate and ripped open a bag of potato chips, grabbing a handful and dropping them on Derek’s plate, which he had placed on the blanket between them. She’d forgotten dip. Dip would have been good. She filled two plastic cups full of sweet tea from a thermal carafe in the cooler and handed him a cup. “I would have brought wine but you said you have more classes today. I thought you probably would rather stick to tea.”
He sipped the iced tea and Kat tried not to stare at his lips. He had beautiful lips. Full and dark, darker than the brown of his skin. They contrasted starkly with his white teeth. “Thanks. Tea is great. I’m not much of a drinker.”
“Neither am I.” Kat took a small bite of her sandwich and chewed slowly, uncertainty rising within her.
So far their lunch date was pretty bland, like two new friends taking their lunch hour together. Kat just wasn’t experienced enough in the art of the come-on. Apparently she needed a stage and lights to be bold.
“Really? I would have thought a girl like you would love to party.”
How was she going to take this to the next level? And should she? Maybe he wasn’t interested in her sexually.
She looked up from her food. Maybe she should start by trying to follow along with the conversation. Way to connect. “A girl like me? Oh, you mean because I’m in a band?” She listened for the music, the volume was too low but she found the rhythm and allowed it to calm her, filter through her. She’d chosen a mix of sultry acoustic guitar pieces without lyrics, trying to set the right mood. “Well, the music scene is full of parties if you’re looking for them—which I don’t generally. I’m pretty tame. I just like music and love to sing, to perform.”
Derek reached his hand over and laid it on her bare thigh. His hand was so dark next to her pasty white thighs. It made her wonder if his skin was that shade everywhere.
“It’s okay to be a party girl, Kat, I wasn’t criticizing. You can be any way you want to be.”
Criticizing? Had she sounded defensive? She needed to concentrate on their conversation and not his body parts. “Listen, Derek, um…you’re not seeing anyone are you?”
“No. If I was then I wouldn’t be here with you now.”
She smiled and relaxed, not realizing she’d been holding her breath. Kat didn’t know how to entice, so maybe an honest, direct approach was best. “Okay, um, because, well…I’m really attracted to you.”
Derek sat up and looked as if he were about to speak—then didn’t. He just stared at her. Was it shock? Oh man, he wasn’t into her and she’d just made a monumental ass of herself. Oh, God. So much for dating.
Long seconds passed and still he just stared as if bewildered.
Kat’s mind raced for something to say but words didn’t come. She was just stupidly mesmerized by his expression.
Finally she rallied enough brain power to formulate a plan. She’d apologize and break this awful silence. She’d say she was sorry and to just forget everything. They’d finish lunch and go their separate ways. But still, seconds crept by and he just stared.
“Derek… I…I’m—”
Chapter Three
Derek probably shouldn’t have tackled her to the blanket. It was a gentle take-down, but he’d obviously scared the hell out of her and their lunch had gone flying. Lying there, watching the object of his fantasies shyly admit her attraction to him was more than any man could reasonably endure.
Especially a man who had decided to forego his sex life to parent his kid brother.
“Kat,” he whispered her name on an exhale and stroked a piece of her long black hair from over her eyes. “Tell me again.”
“Huh?” Her eyes were wide with shock and she glanced around as if looking for what he’d protected her from.
“Tell me again.”
She blinked a couple of times in confusion. “I… I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable.”
Kat lay beneath him, half on the blanket, half off. His straining cock had unerringly found the sweet juncture of her thighs.
“No you didn’t.” He stroked her right cheek with his fingertips, enjoying her petal soft skin. “Tell me again.”
He noticed she had freckles across the bridge of her nose and on her cheeks, freckles that must have been concealed under her stage make-up last night. Wondering just where else she had those adorable dots, he allowed a fingertip to stroke one little light brown freckle as his shaft swelled further.
Freckles. Little brown spots on her skin were making him rock hard and tightening his balls. This woman just turned him inside out. Everything about Kat Chastain made him hard and aching.
Puzzlement filled her eyes and her delicate, black arched brows veed together. “Huh? Tell you what?”
“Tell me you’re attracted to me.”
Her eyebrows separated and rose in surprise. “I’m attracted to you?” It came out like a question.
He rocked his hips back and forth, grinding his cock into her mound with a gentle pressure. “Yes, tell me again. I want to hear you say it again.”
Her body relaxed. “I’m attracted to you.” Her expression softened further and she added, “and I want you.”
He leaned down closer, until their noses nearly touched. “Mind if I kiss you now?”
Her eyes widened at his soft request but instead of answering, she lifted her mouth to his. Rubbing back and forth slowly, she kissed him tentatively. Sweetly.
Pulling back, he studied her in silence.
“I want you.” Her words were straight, but her voice was hesitant, her tone cautious.
He pressed his cock into her, wanting her to feel his physical desire. He replayed her words over in his head, stifling a groan as he spoke, “you can have me.”
“Kiss me.”
He emitted the suppressed groan at her husky invitation and complied, kissing her leisurely, almost reverently.
Parting her lips with his, he felt her tongue slip into his mouth. Seeking. The aggressive move sent his arousal skyrocketing and he allowed his passion freedom, claiming her mouth in an uninhibited, wide mouthed invasion full of more aggression than finesse.
He wanted all of her, wanted to climb right inside of her and experience her essence, every cell and fiber. Everything that was Kat.
Former Kat fantasies flashed through his mind—Kat in a filmy, see-through negligee. Kat, laid out naked on his bed telling him to fuck her with her legs spread wide and her finger rubbing her clit in an erotic invitation. Kat on her knees, taking his cock between those luscious lips while she stroked his balls and sucked him hard.
He couldn’t believe he was actually kissing her.
The whole situation seemed sort of unreal and all he could think was, I need to fuck her, I need to fuck Kat. Now. He was dangerously close to coming.
Wrapping her arms around his back, Kat let out a little moan into his mouth and moved her hands down to his ass.
He pulled away from her mouth, realizing this was not only real, but he could maybe even live out a couple of his fantasies. God knew there were plenty to choose from where Kat was concerned, but he needed to get a handle on his cock before he spilled prematurely.
“Kat. I can’t believe this is happening.”
Her eyes were glazed, darkened with passion to a gorgeous deep blue. “I can’t either. Why did you stop? Don’t stop.” She squeezed his ass and pressed him into her harder, grinding herself into his aching erection. Even through the barrier of their clothes, she felt soft, welcoming.
“Believe me, I won’t. I want to see you. All of you. I’m dying to get you out of these clothes.”
Immediately her hands were on his shoulders, eagerly pushing. “So do it.”
He rolled to her side and reached for the edge of her top. Then stopped. “I have a better idea. How ‘bout you strip for me?”
She leaned up halfway, resting her weight on her elbows. “Strip? Here?” Her eyes darted around, looking for an audience as if she’d just realized what they were doing and where.
Derek looked around and sought to reassure her. “It seems pretty private. If we turn off the music, then we’ll be able to hear if anyone comes close.”
Kat kneeled and looked around, biting her lower lip in indecision. He reached around her and flipped off the CD player, surrounding them in silence.
She watched his movements, obviously still making up her mind. Then suddenly her chest expanded in a deep breath and her hands lifted her top deliberately from her waist in an unhurried, drawn-out movement. “Okay, but you asked for it.” She began to lift the shirt over her head hesitantly, almost shyly.
He assumed her reticence was due to the public locale and he attempted to ease her concern. “Don’t worry, no one will—”
She wasn’t wearing a bra.
Kat pulled the top over her head and tossed it to the grass, giving him a bashful questioning look.
Derek couldn’t think.
Could. Not. Think.
Nothing. His mind was blank.
Kat had the most amazing tits he’d ever seen in his life. The rack of all racks. Nothing in his fantasies came close to the reality, and he had been pretty damned generous in his imaginings.
Large, firm, and topped with soft pink nipples. He’d never been with a woman with such fair skin, had never seen such beautiful, light rosy colored nipples.
His mouth watered.
The outer edges of her areolas were only lightly defined. The dusky color of the nipple just gently faded into the white, lightly blue-veined skin of her breast.
He reached out to cup them with both hands. “Damn, you feel good.” He squeezed and heard her chuckle in amusement.
No doubt he looked like an idiot, struck completely stupid at the sight of her. He closed his mouth, suddenly aware it had been hanging open.