Текст книги "Rock Me Two Times"

Автор книги: Dawn Ryder

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Текущая страница: 8 (всего у книги 16 страниц)

Syon started to get up, but Taz caught his arm and twisted it, so he sat back down with a twinge in his elbow. The little pain cut through the haze of alcohol.

“Maybe I’m a little drunk,” Syon admitted.

Taz nodded, smiling at the horde of girls gyrating on the floor in front of them. Tops were going up, nipples flashing at them as the dancers worked themselves into a frenzy that had the men in the club howling with approval. The bartenders were sweating as they tried to keep up with demand while Toxsin’s music blared.

“Don’t worry,” Taz said softly, handing over a beer bottle. “Your wingman is here.”

The bottle was filled with water, but no one in the place would know. Taz was sipping off a similar one and grinning at the dance floor. He nodded his head in time to the beat, doing a good job of making everyone think he was buzzed on suds. In the dim light, no one was able to see how focused his eyes were.

He was stone sober. Taz rarely got drunk, and when he did, they had a blood oath between them to be there and keep each other from doing something stupid.

Syon tipped the bottle back, trying to hydrate. He was only a little buzzed. Just enough to make him stupid. Like letting someone onto his lap in a public place. At least Cid would be pleased with that.

“Did I let her kiss me?”

Kate wouldn’t like that.

“Almost,” Taz confirmed. “Another few seconds, and she would have had you in a lip-lock.”

His brain hurt, but he tried to focus. “Uh…” The thought escaped him, dropping off into the haze clouding his head.

“You’re welcome.” Taz motioned to some of the security guys to keep the horde of partying fans back. “Got a car coming.”

“I love you.” He couldn’t ride.

Ramsey was on the dance floor, the girls pushing in around him. Cid’s security detail was keeping watch, but Ramsey was living it up.

When the car arrived, they followed the security guys out past the pole dancers. The guys in the club instantly filled the void, coming out of the shadows to hook up with the disappointed girls on the dance floor. The owner of the club shook Cid’s hand before he piled into a second car with his personal assistants.

Yeah, the business side. Cid was working out great.

Ramsey hooted and ripped off his shirt. He tossed it out the window as they pulled away from the curb, to the delight of the screaming fans.

* * *

The door burst in, and Kate sat up with a start. Sound asleep, she ended on her feet and wobbled as she tried to make sense of her surroundings.

“Right here, Ramsey!”

A topless girl was laughing as she danced through the suite. “It smells like leather in here. So hot. I’m going to suck you off right here.”

Ramsey was grinning at her, his erect cock already jutting out through the open fly of his pants.

“I’m going to rip those pants off you,” the girl declared.

“No ripping,” Kate instructed, her wits clearing enough to talk. She realized she was watching Ramsey slip on a condom and turned her head.

“Stay out of my business, bitch. He’s mine.”

There was a wet sound and a groan from Ramsey. Kate stumbled through the door and made it down the hallway to her personal suite. The clock read four thirty in the morning. She didn’t bother turning on the lights, but yanked off her clothes before crawling into the bed.

It was lonely without Syon.

Don’t be a wimp…

Exhaustion took her back down into sleep, but it wasn’t a complete escape. She still felt Syon, longed for him, and knew he wasn’t there with her.

And that she had no logical reason to expect him to be.

* * *

Someone pounded on her door. Kate rubbed her eyes as she heard a key card being used.

“Rise and shine. Check-out time in forty-five.”

It was one of Cid’s guys, one of the black-polo-shirt-wearing dudes that seemed to always be dodging the road manager’s heels. There were girls too. Marketing personnel, publicists, or so they claimed. From what she could tell, they were Cid’s personal entourage. Catering to his whims, always on his coattails.

Among other things, she was sure.

Ramsey’s escapades from the early-morning hours rolled through her memory.

Yeah, catering was the word alright.

You knew what you were getting into.

True.

And yet, she was still struggling to get into the flow.

She heard more pounding on doors up and down the hallway.

Kate rolled over and stretched. She was still tired, but the clock read eleven fifteen. Guess it was a good thing someone was in charge of making sure they were all on schedule. She showered and dumped her clothes back into her suitcase.

She needed to get into the rhythm of life on the road. Staying up until two wasn’t going to work.

But it had been worth it.

She made it down the hallway to where her studio had been set up. She hesitated only a moment before knocking on the door. She gave Ramsey exactly ten seconds before she used her key and entered the suite.

The rocker was nowhere to be seen.

Neither were the pants she’d spent the night making.

Horror flashed through her, raising her hackles. She forced herself to take a breath and take a second look.

Nope. No pants hanging on the rolling rack where she’d put them.

Instead, there was a scattering of women’s clothing, empty beer bottles, and torn-up pieces of leather. The pants Ramsey had been wearing were on the floor, torn beyond repair.

“I’m going to kill him.”

Ramsey’s voice sounded off in the hallway. Kate turned and caught sight of the rocker by the elevators. He was French-kissing a blond woman who was in the elevator. The doors started to close, and he pulled his head back. Kate gained just a glimpse of the girl as she waved good-bye, but it was long enough to see that she was wearing the pants she’d made for Syon.

“Stop!”

Ramsey flipped around, but the doors shut.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Kate dove toward the control panel, slapping the button, but the car was gone.

“You got a hard-on for my date?” Ramsey asked.

“No, I want the pants I spent last night making back,” Kate snarled at him. “What the hell do you think you’re doing letting her take my work?”

Ramsey flattened a hand over her mouth. “My head is splitting.”

Her eyes bulged, and she started to lift her knee. Ramsey jumped back, allowing her to see how many people had come out to watch.

Well, she wasn’t backing down. “You and your date tore through all of my work.”

“Easy now…”

Cid hooked her and crowded her through the doorway of some suite.

“See…here’s the thing,” the road manager said.

Kate shoved away from the guy, but he pushed her farther into the room.

The road manager pointed at her. “Image is key.” He stressed each word like she was some high school student sitting in the principal’s office.

“No kidding. That’s what I’m pissed off about. I spent all night making those pants,” she snapped.

“That’s why you weren’t at the show?” Syon’s voice was like a live current, stroking her senses.

Awakening her.

She looked past Cid, losing interest in the road manager. Syon had walked into the room, Ramsey and Taz on his heels. His hair was tousled, and his shirt hung open.

And he made her mouth water.

“You’re out of pants,” she answered. “Of course I was working. I needed that draping to start…”

A horrible thought occurred to her.

“Ramsey better not have screwed with my patterns.”

Cid waved her off. “Make some more. The publicity will be worth it.”

“And what kind of publicity will you get when your performers go on stage in their jock straps?” she demanded.

Cid’s expression tightened. “That’s your problem, and I’ll pack your ass out of here if you let it happen.”

He started to poke her in the chest with his finger. He went stumbling as Syon pushed him out of the way. “Keep your hands off her, Cid.”

“Then tell her to mind her mouth.”

“What the hell?” Kate demanded. “You’ve got security set up around the room where the instruments are, but not around my studio?”

Cid looked at her like she’d lost her mind. “Your work doesn’t rate on that scale.”

“I don’t what?” She propped her hands on her hips. “You can find yourselves another leather artist if that’s where I rate.”

“Like hell,” Syon cut her off. He hooked her around her waist and pulled her away from Cid.

“Get the fuck out. Everyone.”

“I am not staying in here with you.”

She wasn’t sure why she was pissed, just that it hurt to see him. Uncertainty was eating her alive.

Ramsey made sure everyone else went out the door and closed it without a backward glance. It left her alone with Syon. Which hurt.

And that pissed her off.

She tossed her hair back and faced off with him. But that allowed her to lock gazes with him, and the moment she did, it felt like a spear went through her. He was so close. So within reach. She suddenly questioned why she was mad or if it was worth it.

That hurt her pride. She was folding, crumpling under the weight of her attraction for him.

“I worked all night on those pants.”

For him.

Syon had crossed his arms over his chest and stood watching her from behind a guarded expression.

“Cid’s attitude is…counterproductive,” she added.

She was struggling to dredge up professional language. Really struggling because all she wanted to do was cuss.

“He’s an asshole. It’s his job,” Syon said offhandedly, obviously not interested in the topic. His gaze cut into hers, something else on his mind.

She blinked at him, surprised by how easily he’d agreed with her. “Well doesn’t his job include not letting your wardrobe walk away on Ramsey’s party partners? I put my heart into my work.”

His expression cracked at last, his lips twitching into a genuine grin.

It confused her and frustrated her. She tossed her hands into the air. “Why are you grinning?”

He moved toward her, opening his arms. She recognized the intent in his eyes and instantly recoiled.

Ha! You mean you’re retreating.

Yeah, whatever worked. If he touched her, she’d lose track of the conversation. Her pride wasn’t willing to bend.

“We’re not done talking, Syon.”

He captured her, gathering her against his chest so her face was buried in the open front of his shirt. One breath, and she was struggling against a rush of pheromones.

“I heard what I needed,” he muttered against her hair.

She flattened her hands against his chest and failed to push, because she was too delighted to be in contact with his flesh again.

Had it been less than twenty-four hours?

It sure felt longer.

“I missed you.”

She froze.

“At the show. Thought you didn’t think it was important.” He threaded his fingers through her hair and pulled her head back so their gazes met. “It was sold out, and I missed you.”

“I wanted to…get the pants finished. The pair you have pinch.”

He scooped her off her feet and carried her backward. She had no idea where he was taking her and didn’t really care.

She was in his arms.

He sat her on a table, kicking a chair out of the way. He cupped her cheeks, gently rubbing them. “I wanted to sing to you.”

She gasped, something tearing inside her. His voice was thick with emotion, and her eyes grew glassy.

“I got caught up in my work.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, you’re passionate.”

“That’s the pot calling the kettle black.”

He made a low sound of agreement and slid his hands down to her cleavage. “A trait you love about me.”

“Maybe.” The word “love” was a little heavy. But everything about Syon was over the top. He was a study in extremes.

He lifted one eyebrow. “The lady requires proof.”

“I thought we were checking out.” It was a halfhearted attempt to maintain her sanity.

He popped the first latch on her corset top as one side of his mouth curved up roguishly. “The crew is still tearing down the stage. We can handle a late check-out charge.”

“But…” She suddenly noticed how many footsteps were moving around in the hallway outside the closed door. Other doors opening and closing. Conversations as the rest of the band and entourage made their way out of the hotel. “Everyone will know what we’re doing.”

“I hope so.” There was a blaze of determination in his eyes.

“Syon,” she admonished him, her cheeks feeling like they had caught fire. “I am not that kind of girl.”

She was working her way away from him, wiggling across the tabletop. He cupped her hips and slid her back, spreading her legs around his.

“I know.”

He caught the sides of her dress and pulled it up. “That’s part of it, though. I love knowing I push your buttons so hard you can’t resist me.” He stroked the outside of her thighs, sending ripples of sensation up her spine. “I love knowing it isn’t in your nature to give it up so easily. I want everyone to know I drive you that insane.”

“You sound so arrogant. So full of yourself.”

Territorial.

He caught her underwear and twisted it until it snapped. His eyes glittered with intent.

“Tell me you don’t like hearing me say that.” His tone was challenging.

He leaned down and drew in a deep breath. “Tell me you don’t like hearing me say that my cock is so hard I don’t fucking care who is waiting on us.”

She shivered, her insides clenching with need.

“I…I…oh shit.”

She leaned back as he tugged the ruined scrap of her underwear off her and tossed it aside.

“Brace your hands behind you.”

“Why?”

His lips twitched menacingly. “Because I want to see you waiting for me.”

Her belly did a flip as excitement tore through her. She braced her hands behind her, intensely aware of how easily he’d reduced her to a quivering mass of need. He hovered over her, his breath hitting her lips and making her tremble.

“And I love smelling how wet I make you.”

Her lips parted as she gasped. A soft, desperate, betraying sound. “I hate how easily you undermine me.”

Her heart was on display now. Wide open for the wounding.

“I hate how bad it hurt not to see you there last night.”

“I—”

He cut her off with a kiss that stole her breath. It was softly seeking at first. Slipping and sliding across her mouth as he licked and teased her lips with his. He cupped her cheeks, holding her head softly as the kiss continued.

Tender.

But so hot, it felt like her core was melting. She sat up and pushed the open shirt over his shoulders, needing more contact with his bare flesh.

He shrugged out of it and opened his fly, earning a soft sound of appreciation from her as he pulled his length into view.

“Back,” he ordered.

She hesitated.

One of his eyebrows rose. “Lean back and wait for me to touch you, baby.”

“I’ve never been one for dominance games.”

“I’m not playing games,” he said. “I’m going to tease you.”

He pumped his hand along his cock. He was so hard the veins stood out along its length. Anticipation pulsed through her. She leaned back, curious about what he had planned.

“Now open your legs.” His tone was sin incarnate, beckoning her closer to whatever he wanted to do with her. “Show me your pussy, Kate. I want to see if it’s glistening.”

It took more effort than she’d anticipated to do as he commanded.

Shit. He is commanding me.

Her pride reared its head but her logic shot down the protest. She liked his demand. It made her feel more desired, more attractive than she had ever felt before.

“Beautiful,” he offered as she opened her legs.

He stepped forward between her legs. He grasped each of her heels and set her feet on the table. The position bent her knees up, and he cupped them, pulling them even farther apart.

But what she was focused on was how close his cock was to her slit. It was an unbearable bit of information, tormenting her with just how much she wanted him inside her.

“Fuck me.” She was done waiting.

“With this?” He gripped his cock again. “Or these?”

He released his cock and stroked her open sex with two fingers. She yelped when he glided across her clit. He chuckled.

“With your cock.” She was breathing hard, making speech a challenge. “Deep…and hard.”

“An interesting proposal.”

He teased her clit with the head of his cock, slipping it through the fluid coating her folds. She arched back, surrendering to the storm of need. It was even more intense when she just let go. Let every thought slip out of her mind in favor of enjoying the sensation the connection of their flesh produced.

It was off the scale, mind-blowing. Pride, sense of self didn’t come into it. She folded into the sensation, becoming part of it.

He cupped her hips, bringing her closer as he slid into her. She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him toward her as he sank farther.

“Hard and fast?” he questioned, burying himself so deep she felt his balls against her butt cheeks.

She opened her eyes and shot him a challenging look. “Try to impress me, if you can.”

A savage light brightened his eyes. His cock twitched inside her, making her eyes close as she hummed with pleasure.

“Uggh…” he growled, pumping two hard, fast thrusts into her.

She moaned, matching him, straining toward each thrust, groaning when he penetrated all the way.

“Too hard?”

He’d caught her nape, lifting her head back up so he could see her expression. His was savage. She was mesmerized by it, by the sheer lack of boundaries. He was sweating, his jaw tight as he struggled to hold back his desire.

“Kate?”

“Harder,” she demanded, tightening her legs and lifting herself off the table to take his next thrust.

His fingers tightened on her neck. “I don’t want to…”

“Let go?” she finished for him. “Completely?” She reached out and drew her fingernails down his chest. “I want you to. I don’t want to be alone either.”

Her voice was sultry and demanding. “Harder,” she insisted, straining toward him. Her thighs ached from the way she was lifting her body off the table, but the burn mixed well with the hard motion of his hips.

He jerked and grabbed her hips, holding her in place as he hammered off another round of thrusts.

“Is that all you’ve got?” She had no idea why she was saying what she was, only that it fed the tension coiling inside her gut. All of the frustration and uncertainty was combining to make her bitchy, and the bitch inside her craved satisfaction. “More!”

His lips split and curled back. It was savage and hard, just like the rest of him.

She purred with approval.

The table was rocking, groaning, but she didn’t give a shit if it collapsed. Syon ground into her, working his body. They were both gasping, straining toward each other, demanding satisfaction.

When it came, it burst inside her like a grenade, blowing everything to bits in an instant of white-hot insanity. She never knew what hit her, could only ride the shock wave as it rolled her into oblivion.

Syon cussed as he came. “Shit! Goddamnit…fuck. Fuck, fuck.”

He ended up catching his weight on his hands, his head resting on her chest. They were both panting, the silence in the room deafening as they let their heart rates slow down.

“Fuck,” he said again, this time with a touch of guilt. He lifted his head and slid his hand along her cheek. “Did I hurt you?”

She shook her head, suddenly shy. Had she really just done that? Had dirty, hard sex? She tried to look away, but he kept her head in place, his gaze boring into hers.

“I’m not sure I’m comfortable with the way you get under my skin either, Kate.”

It was the same thing she’d been thinking. He pulled free with another groan and arched to stretch his back.

“I need a shower after that,” Kate said.

He grinned at her and wiped his hand through the sweat on his forehead, pushing it up into his hair. “You’re a demanding one.”

She hopped off the table. “Well, if you can’t keep up…”

He swatted her on her butt. Her dress had fallen back down, but she jumped and ran toward the bathroom.

The best part was Syon was hot on her tail.

* * *

Ramsey caught her arm when she made it back into the hallway. All traces of his hangover were gone. She stared at him for a moment, impressed.

“I was drunk,” he offered, “and being stupid last night.”

“Could only wingman one of you,” Taz said as he passed by. “Couldn’t risk Syon’s cords. You can play with a cold.”

“Wingman?” Kate asked.

Taz stopped and offered her a shrug. “Yeah. One of us always stays sober. In case we need to keep one of us from doing something stupid.”

“Taz was covering my butt last night,” Syon explained. “Rams slipped the leash.”

“Like I said, I was being stupid,” Ramsey said. “I wasn’t that drunk.”

Drake spoke up. “I didn’t think you were, or I would have stuck on your tail.”

“Won’t happen again,” Ramsey finished. “The messing with your studio part, anyway.” He sent her a wink and a satisfied smirk that had his band buddies rolling their eyes.

“Thanks.”

Kate caught herself looking at the members of Toxsin in a completely new light. They were serious musicians and devoted to one another. But they’d made it a priority to talk to her together.

That rocked.

Cid whistled from the end of the hallway. “Let’s load and roll!”

She bristled at the sound of the road manager’s voice. Syon hooked an arm around her back and massaged the tight muscles of her nape. He leaned in and kissed her temple. “Someone has to be the detail stickler, ’cause I don’t want the job. It might take up all my free time.”

She cut him a side glance. “Well, I suppose I could see benefits to you having free time.”

* * *

Her phone rang somewhere between Oregon and Washington. Kate sat up and missed the ceiling of the bunk by about an inch. The bus was rolling smoothly along, the sun setting outside the window.

“Hello?”

“Sweetie!” Percy drawled on the other end of the line.

Kate crawled out of the bunk, grinning. “Hey, sorry I haven’t called.” She had to brace herself against the vibration of the bus.

Percy brushed her apology aside. “Don’t worry about it. I know I would have kept my mind on my clients, if I were there. And my eyes and hands if they’d let me.”

She blushed beet red. “I bet you would.”

Percy laughed. “I’m terribly jealous. That Korean drummer looks positively decadent. Steve drooled over the pictures of you two.”

“Huh?”

Percy scoffed. “You’re all over the tabloids, my dear, and all over him, I might add. Being carried off in style.” His voice became a purr. “Caveman style.”

“What?” Horror cut through the fog sleep deprivation had left her in. “What pictures?”

Percy laughed at her.

“Percy.”

“Just google Toxsin, sweetie.”

She sat down at the desk and turned on the computer.

“I hear you tapping away, so I’ll go. You’ve got a package waiting for you in Seattle. Steve helped me pick out some luscious skins for those man animals.”

“Yeah…thanks.”

She ended the call as the mobile hotspot engaged on the computer. She clicked on one of the links, and a picture of her slung over Taz’s shoulder filled the screen.

“Oh, shit.”

Cussing didn’t change the full-color image of her, butt up, on the guy’s shoulder. But there wasn’t any mention of the fight. She trolled through the other links, but came up dry when it came to the fight Syon had had with Conan.

Shit.

And double shit.

She was in over her head. Cid had done his job alright. Bought off the right people and left the juicy bits out to fan the flames of Toxsin’s reputation. She felt nauseated but not because of the motion of the bus. It was the sheer size of the road manager’s reach. His cronies suddenly seemed a lot more threatening than they’d been before. Not a single one of them was a fool; that was for sure.

She’d better watch her back, because her reputation wouldn’t survive if they turned on her.

* * *

“This is frustrating,” Kate groused.

Syon kept her head where he wanted it with one large hand threaded into her hair.

“Yeah. Glad we fucked first.”

Perched on his bike, with the Space Needle behind them and the light from a half-moon, he was kissing her senseless. Long, deep, hungry kisses that were melting her insides.

“Smooching is fun…until I realize how much I want to get inside you.”

He angled his head and kissed her throat. A wet, full-contact kiss that ended with a soft bite. She shivered, her toes curling as her clit throbbed. Cars buzzed past them on the road, and a soft giggle came from another couple who were a dozen yards away in the roadside pull out.

“But you wore the skirt,” Syon cooed appreciatively as he slid his hand along her thigh.

“Kinda stupid on a bike.”

He raised his head. “I’ll keep you off the pavement.”

The picture of her over Taz’s shoulder came to mind and she froze. Syon’s hand stilled against her.

“What’s on your mind?” he asked.

She shook her head, not wanting to kill the moment. She tried to kiss him, but he held her back.

“Spill it, Kate. Something’s bugging you.”

She shrugged and rolled her neck, but he didn’t release her. “Cid managed to keep all the pictures of your fight with Conan out of the media; couldn’t he have stopped that shot of me on Taz too?”

The road manager could have. She knew it. The real issue was why he hadn’t and what Syon thought about it.

“Cid is an asshole,” Syon said, pulling back a few inches.

It felt like ten feet.

“But a useful one. He knows how to pack the seats.”

“You know how to pack the seats,” she said. “I get the whole argument, but honestly, it’s starting to piss me off a little bit to hear your music sold short. Those fans don’t scream because of some pictures in the tabloids. It’s something your music touches inside them. Sets loose, really.”

His expression became very sensual. “I like setting loose your inner desires.”

She pointed a finger at him. “That’s a two-way street.”

His expression tightened, becoming guarded again.

“Not even.” She reached out and stabbed him in the chest with her finger. “Don’t think for one second I am going to surf this insanity current alone. Your ass is coming along.”

Syon’s lips twitched. But his expression stayed hard. “Being around me means you’re going to end up in the tabloids.”

“I’m not griping about that.”

“Yes, you are.” He started to pull his gloves on. “You’re used to having control. You won’t have it completely with me.”

“No shit.”

She hadn’t meant to let that slip out. Something flashed in his eyes that set off a tingle of warning in her.

“I don’t like part of it either,” he said, “but not enough to live in a cage. I pay Cid and a couple of good lawyers a lot to deal with the worst of it.”

“Cid must be good, or you would have been in jail over that fight. Even with Conan vouching for you. The cops could have slapped you both with disturbing the peace violations.”

“I’m not sorry. He was asking for it.” Syon offered her a looked that said “bring it.”

She ended up laughing at him. “That’s part of Conan’s charm.”

“Mine too.”

He was dead serious. She eyed him for a long moment. “Maybe.”

Something flickered in his eyes. It set her on edge, because she got the feeling he was planning something. He leaned in, flattening his hands on the seat of the bike on either side of her hips. Her heart reacted instantly, beating faster.

“I want to take you somewhere I can fuck you.”

Her lips went dry.

His eyes narrowed. “Do you want me to do that, Kate?”

She rolled her lips in, a surge of lust igniting her insides. “How do you do that?”

One of his eyebrows rose. “Turn you on?”

She nodded, fixated on him, on his mouth, and the fact that she desperately wanted to kiss him again.

“It’s only fair, since you make me crazy.” He pressed forward, connecting with her mouth. He teased her lower lip with two slow licks before pulling away.

“You’ve only known me a week.”

He pressed another kiss against her mouth, this one harder, more demanding.

“And you took your clothes off first.”

She stiffened, but he kissed her again and kept kissing her until she stopped trying to wiggle away.

“It keeps me sane”—he was kissing his way across her cheek and onto her throat—“knowing I’m not alone. I’d be on my knees if you refused me.”

She scoffed at him. “You wouldn’t have to go far for solace.”

He lifted his head and locked gazes with her. “Don’t sell me short. I’m more than the tabloid persona. I want to be liked for more than Toxsin.”

“I know. Sorry, that was hitting below the belt.”

His eyes were lit with need. “I like that game too, but we need the right venue for it.”

He offered her a hand and pulled her off the bike when she took it. He swung his leg over the Harley and waited for her to mount behind him. He was more complex than she’d ever expected, more real. Guilt chewed on her because she’d judged him before getting to know him.

But she was glad to have been proven wrong.

When they were riding, he was in control completely. Maybe it was one of those things she shouldn’t dwell on too much, but at the same time, she got the feeling that he enjoyed being in command of her. They wove through the streets, making their way to the hotel near the center of town.

The horde of fans was there, wearing Toxsin T-shirts and plenty of leather. A few hopefuls were playing guitar on the sidewalk, trying their best to be noticed. Not to be outdone, the paparazzi were there too, their cameras ready.

Syon drove up the main driveway, ignoring the entrance to the parking garage. The crowd roared with approval. He lifted his helmet off. A group of Cid’s polo-shirt crew started pushing the fans back from the walkway to the entrance doors. Fans screamed louder as they good a good look at Syon.

Cell phones were lifted up, a hundred little flashes going off like fireflies. Syon offered Kate a hand as one of the crew members took their helmets. She put her hand in his, conscious of the people watching. He pulled her along toward the doors but stopped halfway from the curb to the revolving entrance.

Syon pulled her against him and kissed her.

It was a hard kiss of ownership. A declaration of intent. He pressed her lips apart, capturing her squeal as he turned her in a small backward circle to hide the fact that she was recoiling.

The crowd went crazy.

“Great ass!”

“Sexy redhead!”

“Give her some tongue!”

Syon didn’t disappoint his fans. He kissed her thoroughly. She wanted to resist, wanted to hold on to some small part of her dignity, but all that went through her mind was the fact that she hadn’t found another picture of him kissing anyone.

It was an admission. A very public one, but a very personal one too.

“Lucky!”

“Bitch!”

Syon finally lifted his head from hers, sending her a very satisfied smirk before he turned her around and pushed through the huge rotating door that led to the hotel lobby. One of Cid’s guys was there with a key card, but when Kate extended her hand for one, Syon shook his head.