Myrna leaned forward to gaze out the windshield. A gorgeous view of the Gulf of Mexico stretched as far as the eye could see. Tall palms punctuated the narrow strip of white sand beyond the grassy dunes. Rough waves sloshed against the shore as the storm clouds in the distance continued to march across the landscape. Brian had driven half an hour into the middle of nowhere, but their venture off the beaten path had been well worth it. Here, she could imagine they were the only two people on earth.
"How did you know about this place?" Myrna asked.
He smiled. Smugly. "I persuaded our waitress to disclose her secrets."
She couldn't explain the pang of jealousy that pierced her chest. "Persuaded? Did it have anything to do with those amazing fingers of yours?"
"Not telling."
She slapped his shoulder and then opened the door. He grabbed her and pulled her across his lap, wedging her between his body and the steering wheel. "I just asked her where I could find the most romantic beach in the area. She called you a lucky girl and pinched my cheek as if she were my Great Aunt Stella."
"I am a lucky girl," Myrna whispered. She touched his face, staring deeply into his eyes. She expected him to kiss her, but he didn't. He held her gaze until she had to look away.
"Let's go watch the waves," he said.
She nodded and slid from his lap.
They walked hand in hand to the beach. Brian settled on the sand and urged her to sit between his legs in front of him. He tugged her against his chest and rested his cheek against her hair as they gazed out at the water.
"There's something about the ocean that feels eternal," he murmured, his breath tickling her ear. "I get disconnected when I don't see it for a while."
"I find it soothing," she said. "Being from the Midwest, I haven't seen the ocean many times."
"Then what makes you feel connected to the universe?"
She thought for a moment. "Gazing at the stars at night. You can't really see them well in the city. Whenever I go visit my parents in the summer, I look up at the stars for hours."
His hands stroked her bare arms. "Can I look up at the stars with you sometime?"
"I would like that."
"And meet your parents?"
"I wouldn't like that."
"Are you ashamed of me?"
She could tell by the tone of his voice that he was teasing, but he wasn't far from the truth. She wasn't ashamed of him, but they'd be ashamed of her for dating him. Brian wasn't what they would consider son-in-law material, or even boyfriend material. But they had adored Jeremy, so they obviously were poor judges of character.
"Of course I'm not ashamed of you," she said.
And she didn't want to discuss her parents. She wished he would stop trying to pry into her private life.
She kicked off her sandals and wriggled her toes into the warm sand with a contented sigh. She reached for Brian's left boot. "Take your boots off." He helped her tug it free and then the other one. She pulled his socks off and tucked them into his boots. He drew her close to his chest again and she stroked the tops of his bare feet with her fingertips—tracing the ridges of tendons and toying with the light dusting of hair on the top of his foot.
"Even your feet are sexy," she murmured.
"Is that your favorite part of me?" he asked, his low voice so close to her ear goose bumps rose on her nape.
"You should know my favorite part of you."
"Do you call it The Beast?"
She grinned. She figured that's what he'd think. "No, but The Beast made the top ten."
"Top ten, huh?" He kissed the edge of her ear. A shiver raced down her spine. "Is it my lips?"
She shook her head. "No, but they're also in the top ten."
His tongue brushed against the pulse point beneath her ear. "Tongue?"
"Nope. My top ten seems to be awfully crowded."
He laughed and hugged her. "It's obviously my hands." He held them in front of her and flexed his fingers.
"Wrong again. Good guess, though."
"Okay, I give up," he said.
She turned her head to look at him. "It's your brain."
He covered his surprise with a laugh. "Well, I can honestly say that was the last thing I thought you'd say."
"Why? It controls all your other parts. It's responsible for your amazing talent, both on the guitar and in bed." He grinned. She'd never figure out why he needed her to compliment him when he had groupies screaming his godliness at the top of their lungs. "It makes you say things that make me laugh and make me think. And it gives you that sweet, romantic streak that I try so hard to resist. Your personality, your talent, heart, soul. What makes you, you. It's all in that amazing mind of yours. Don't get me wrong. The body that carries it around is fabulous, too."
"I think I'm blushing."
She turned to face him, kneeling between his thighs, and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Is that really all it takes to make you blush?"
She kissed him tenderly. He kissed her in return but didn't turn up the heat like he usually did.
When she leaned back to look at him, he smiled and said, "Let's go for a walk."
"Did you lock the car?"
He sighed. "You're always so practical, Professor."
"You mean boring."
"Yeah, that's what I meant." He rolled his eyes at her and shook his head. He stood and helped her to her feet. While she brushed the sand from her skirt, he scooped his boots and her sandals from the sand and tossed them into the car before locking the doors. When he returned to her side, he claimed her hand and led her toward the angry surf. The cool wind from the approaching storm blew Myrna's hair against her face and her skirt tangled around her legs.
"Great day for a walk!" she called over the crashing waves. "I think we're going to get caught in a downpour."
Brian glanced up at the sky. "We might."
He kept walking, her hand tucked in his. The wet sand squished between her toes. She curled them under with each step, liking the way it felt. A wave washed across her feet and she danced sideways. "That's chilly."
"The water's really churning. If you want to go back—"
"A crab!" Myrna bent to snatch a half-dollar-sized crab out of the sand. She held it up by the edge of its shell to show Brian. The creature's legs wriggled as it tried to run away in mid-air. "Isn't he cute?"
He chuckled. "He's a little small to make a good meal."
"I wouldn't let you eat him." She turned the crab to look it in its stalked eyes. "Isn't that right, Pinchy?"
"You named him?"
She carefully placed the little crab back in the sand and nudged it toward the surf. "Run for your life, Pinchy. I've seen the way this man eats."
"Hey!" Brian grabbed her from behind, his fingers digging into her ribs. She laughed and struggled out of his grasp, taking off at a full sprint along the edge of the water. She could hear Brian's steps just behind her. She slowed slightly so he could catch her. He collided with her back and she stumbled. Her arms shot forward to catch her fall, but Brian rescued her from an impending face-plant and scooped her up into his strong arms.
She laughed, slightly breathless, and gazed up at him.
"I almost bit the dust," she said, "or I guess it would be sand. You rescued me."
"Does this make me your hero?"
"You were already my hero."
He grinned and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. I've never met a woman who needed saving less than you do."
"That's not true. You've saved me from loneliness." She kissed him. "And sexual frustration." And she hadn't heard Jeremy's accusations in her head for a while now.
He chuckled. "Then you must be my hero, too."
She kissed him again, her arms stealing around his neck, her fingers intertwining with the long silky hairs at the nape of his neck.
"Don't get me all worked up," he murmured against her lips.
"Why not? We've got the beach all to ourselves."
He groaned into her mouth and hugged her closer. She deepened the kiss. He pulled away. "That's enough of that."
He set her to her feet and she wobbled unsteadily. He took her hand and started walking again. She walked beside him silently, pondering his reluctance. This wasn't like him. Had she done something wrong?
"Have you worked up the courage to ask yet?" he asked, scooping a piece of driftwood from the beach and flinging it into the waves.
"Huh?"
"Why I'm not rutting around on you in the sand yet?"
"Oh that. I hadn't noticed."
"We're here to get to know each other better. And I don't mean in the biblical sense of the word. We already know each other that way. I've decided no sex until after the show tonight."
"No sex?"
"That's right."
"And why do you get to decide?"
He grinned. "It's more of a personal challenge. Do you have any interest in getting to know me at all? Personally, I mean."
"Can't I just Google you? Isn't your entire life somewhere online?"
He scowled. "Probably."
She reached up and smoothed his forehead with her fingers. "Don't make that face. Tell me how Sinners was formed."
He glanced at her. "Do you want the real story or the more theatrical, online version?"
"The real story. I can always read the online version later."
He smiled nostalgically. "Trey and I were the outcasts of Beverly Hills."
"You lived in Beverly Hills?"
"Yeah, my dad got rich and famous when I was a kid and Trey's dad is a plastic surgeon, so we lived in the Hills."
"No shit? I never would have guessed that in a million years."
"We didn't really fit with the other rich kids and everyone else on the planet hated us because we were rich. So we stuck together. We played guitar. A lot. In eighth grade, we started a failing band—"
"Crysys."
He chuckled. "I thought you hadn't Googled me."
"One of Trey's groupies mentioned it."
"Ah. Anyway, we got seriously heckled during a party gig in the tenth grade. By Eric Anderson."
"Eric Anderson?"
"He's since changed his last name to Sticks."
Myrna chuckled. "I always thought it was strange that a drummer had the last name Sticks."
"Yeah, he's lame that way and had it legally changed. Anyway, when he heckled us, Trey got so pissed. I honestly don't think he'd ever been that pissed before. He dove off the stage and tore into Eric. Trey was always fighting back then, but this was beyond brutal. Blood everywhere. Shattered Eric's cheekbone. Good thing Trey's dad is a plastic surgeon."
"Trey?" She found that hard to believe. He didn't seem the type to hit someone that hard.
"Yeah, I was always breaking up his fights. I got my ass kicked more than once because of that chip on his shoulder. He's chilled a lot in his old age."
"Yeah, twenty-eight is ancient." Myrna rolled her eyes at him.
"It's a hell of a lot older than sixteen. Anyway, after he and Eric beat each other to a pulp at this chick's birthday party, Trey said something like, 'Yeah, well, if you can do better, why don't you prove it?' And Eric did. He's fucking gifted, you know?"
"He is a great drummer," Myrna agreed.
"That's what he plays now, but he can play guitar, too. Bass. Piano. Sax. Violin. Ukulele. Fuckin' kazoo. You name it, Eric wails on it."
"I didn't know that."
"And he has a fantastic voice. He sang and played bass for Crysys until Sed found us, and then he switched to drums permanently."
Myrna's brow furrowed. "Why did he switch to drums?"
"He's the best drummer in the business. And… Sed gives him an inferiority complex."
"Sed gives everyone an inferiority complex. The man has more self-esteem than fifteen supermodels combined. I think he was a monarch in his past life or something."
"Henry the Eighth, probably." He made a cutting motion across his throat complete with sound effects.
Myrna laughed.
"Sed's always been confident like that," Brian said. "He came up to us after a Crysys gig and insisted he was our new singer. Sixteen years old and he knew his place on the planet. He said he'd been looking for a band to front. Told Eric point blank that he didn't have the star quality or looks to front a band and he should go hide behind the drum kit."
Myrna flinched. "That was harsh."
"He was right. We were going nowhere. If it weren't for Sed, we'd still be playing birthday parties for spoiled rich girls. He had a plan, knew where he wanted to go, how to get there, and he made it work. For all of us. Sed changed the band's name to Sinners and we searched for a bassist to replace Eric."
"Jace."
"Nope, we had a different bassist before Jace. Jace has only been with us for two years. Our first bassist was Jon Mallory—Eric's best friend in high school. Unfortunately, Jon was usually too high to find the stage. If you could swallow it, snort it, smoke it or shoot it, he'd do it. We tried to help him get through it. He was in rehab half a dozen times, but he almost brought us all down with him, so we had to let him go. It was hard to kick him out of the band. Just making the decision was hard, but watching Sed tell him… Fuck. That was brutal. He was like family, you know, especially to Eric. I feel sorry for Jace at times. He has big shoes to fill and Eric sure doesn't make it easy for him."
"Drugs and alcohol mess up so many lives." She'd probably still be married to Jeremy if it weren't for his drinking problem. "So how'd you find Jace?"
Brian smiled at her. "He came highly recommended by Trey's older brother." He winked. "Okay, your turn."
"My turn?"
"This isn't a one way conversation."
"Wait. What do you mean he came highly recommended by Trey's older brother? Wink. Wink. Were they lovers or something?"
Brian's shocked expression was quickly replaced by raucous laughter. He stopped walking and wrapped his arms around his belly as he continued to laugh. She thought he'd fall into the sand and start rolling back and forth at any moment.
"What is so funny?"
Brian wiped tears of mirth from his eyes. "Oh God. I needed that laugh."
He hugged her to his side, still chuckling sporadically.
"I still don't understand what's so funny. Trey is gay, isn't he? I mean he doesn't really look or act the part, but…"
Brian tugged her by the shoulders to face him and looked down at her. "Gay? No, not really. Trey is more of an equal opportunity lover. His brother is straighter than an arrow, however. And I think Jace would rather die than be with a man. Just picturing Jace Seymour and Darren Mills together struck me as hilarious."
Darren Mills? Why did that name sound familiar to her?
Brian continued, "What I meant was Jace tried out for Dare's band and they were going to hire him, but their original bassist decided to stay after all. So when Dare found out that we needed a bassist to replace Jon, he sent Jace our way. We were lucky to get him. I mean, he's good enough to get an audition with Exodus End at the tender age of twenty-one. That's pretty fucking amazing."
Myrna's eyes widened. "Exodus End?" That's where she knew the name Darren Mills. Or rather, Dare Mills. Her lead-guitarist-senses tingled at full throb.
"Please don't tell me you've never heard of Exodus End."
She grabbed him by both arms and gave him a vigorous shake. "Of course I've heard of Exodus End. What planet do you think I'm from? Do you know them? Personally?"
"Uh, yeah. Trey's brother is their lead guitarist."
"No shit? You're teasing me, aren't you?" She didn't know why she'd never connected Trey and Dare Mills. "Holy Toledo!"
"Holy Toledo ?" He laughed at her sudden bout of fan-girlness. "Nope. Not teasing. You know, we're opening for Exodus End at the end of June in Las Vegas. Maybe you'd like to meet him."
Her heart rate accelerated. "Oh my God. I've died and gone to heaven. He's the absolute best guitarist on the planet."
"Hey…"
Brian was pouting again. Myrna patted his cheek affectionately. "I'm sorry, Brian, but he is."
Brian chuckled. "You could at least pretend I'm the best while in my presence. Especially since I have your car keys."
"You know I think you're awesome."
"On second thought, I won't introduce you to him. Not only is he a better guitarist, he's better looking, taller, more famous, richer. He'll steal you away from me."
"Not a chance." She stood on tiptoe to kiss him, a contemplative look sliding into place. "Richer, you say?"
"All right, that does it."
She squeaked in surprise when he lifted her off the ground and tossed her over his shoulder. He gave her ass a playful swat.
"You, Miss Evans, are being very naughty today."
"I'm always naughty."
"True. But today's naughtiness is poking holes in my fragile ego."
Myrna laughed and slid her hand down the back of his pants to toy with the smooth skin on his butt.
"None of that." He pulled her hand out of his pants.
"Since when is your ego fragile?"
"Since I met you."
"So is that the attraction?"
"Huh?"
"Well, I can't help but wonder why you're so interested in me when you can get much better looking and younger women who jump at your every command."
"There are no better looking women than you. Though I admit most of my girlfriends have been younger. Okay, all of them have been younger. I didn't know what I was missing."
She slid her hand into the back of his pants again.
"What are you doing?" he asked, pulling her off his shoulder and setting her back to her feet.
"Convincing you to let me down." She grinned up at him mischievously. "It worked."
He shook his head at her. "You never do what I expect you to do."
"Then maybe that's the attraction."
"Is it really so hard for you to believe that I've fallen for you for no reason whatsoever?"
"There has to be a reason."
"It's more like there is no reason for me not to fall for you. You're everything I want."
"I don't think I'm cut out to be a rock star's girlfriend." It made her heart ache to say it, but it had been weighing on her mind a lot lately. The more she talked to Brian's groupies, the more jealous she became. She knew he had no real interest in them, but they were so available and she knew she wasn't there for him emotionally. What if he decided she wasn't fun anymore? That he needed more than she could give him? Would he toss her aside? And why did that thought bother her so much anyway? It wasn't as if they were serious.
He touched her cheek gently. "Then don't be a rock star's girlfriend. Be Brian Sinclair's girlfriend."
"They're one and the same. Your life is so interesting and mine is so ordinary. Boring. I'm an over-educated farm girl from the Midwest."
"And I'm a college dropout from the West Coast."
"You went to college?"
"For one semester."
"What did you study?"
"Girls, mostly."
She poked him in the ribs. "Why did you drop out? You could have graduated Summa Cum Laude."
"Sinners signed a record deal."
"Wow, that young? Did your father help you get it? He must have millions of connections in the business."
Brian laughed. "Here's the thing about my dad. He never once encouraged my music career. We cut our first album with a small independent label and went on tour in a piece of shit van for eight months. I've never been hungrier in my life. It didn't help that Jon kept stealing our cash to feed his drug habit. When I finally swallowed my pride and asked my dad if he could offer some support, do you know what he said?"
"What?"
"If you really want to follow this dream, you need to suffer for it so it means something to you if you manage to reach the top. He wouldn't even buy me new guitar strings. Ever try to play a solo missing your second string? Uh, yeah… Not good."
"Did you hate him for that?"
"Nah, I thought I did, but now I realize he was right. If you don't have to work for something, you just don't appreciate it as much."
Myrna nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I can understand that. That's why I went for my PhD. My parents didn't support me when I went to college. They thought I should get married and have kids. Stay home and raise them like a clone of my mother. So when I was in college, I worked my ass off at odd jobs while most of the traditional students had their tuition and bills paid by their parents. Going it on my own really did make me appreciate it more. I worked harder to get good grades, too. I wanted to prove I could do it."
He hugged her. "See we do have more in common than great sex."
"Fabulous sex."
"Amazing sex."
"Yeah, let's have some of that right now."
He squeezed her butt. "Not until after the show."
"You know I love a challenge, right?" She closed the gap between them, her hand cupping his half-hard cock through his pants. "I'm very determined to get what I want."
"Something else we have in common." He removed her hand from his crotch. "Will you watch the show tonight instead of interviewing the groupies?"
"Will you make it worth my while?"
"Do you have to ask?"
"Brian, I'm incredibly turned on right now."
He groaned. "You don't plan to make this easy on me, do you?"
"Do you have to ask?"
He stared at her for a moment, worrying his lips with his tongue. He looked ready to pounce on her and she was more than ready to be pounced on.
"Farmer's daughter, huh? I know nothing about farming," he said. "What's that like?"
She sighed in exasperation. "You really are going to make me wait until tonight, aren't you?"
"Yep."
She turned and started walking back the way they'd come. They must have walked at least a mile down the beach. "Farming is boring," she called over her shoulder. "That's all you need to know."
He jogged to catch up with her. "You're not going to get out of this that easily. Tell me something about yourself."
A rumble of thunder reverberated above. Myrna looked up at the black clouds. "I think we should make a run for it."
"It's too late. We'll never outrun it."
The first fat rain drops splattered across Myrna's upturned face. "We're going to get soaked."
She dashed toward the car at a full run. When she reached the car, she tugged the door handle. Locked. Brian had the keys. She turned to find him sedately walking up the beach.
"Hurry!" The clouds opened wide and drenched her within seconds. "Brian, hurry!"
She could see him grinning to himself as the rain plastered his hair to his head and his shirt to the contours of his chest. He didn't pick up his pace though. She stood there, shivering, waiting for him to open the car. When he finally reached her, he drew her chilled body against his, his strong hands splaying over her back.
"Open the door." She reached behind her to grab the door handle.
"No." His fingers sank into the wet strands of her hair, tilting her head back. He stared into her eyes until she released the door handle and slid her hands up his belly and chest. He lowered his head and kissed her, his fingers easing her dress's zipper down. He brushed the straps of her sundress from her shoulders, exposing her breasts to the elements. Goose bumps rose to the surface of her skin and her nipples ached as they beaded in the chilly air. Rivulets of rain trickled over her shoulders, between her breasts, down her belly. Brian lowered his head and collected water from her skin with his warm tongue. His mouth burned over her flesh.
Myrna groaned and reached for his fly. If she unleashed The Beast, she knew he would end her torment and possess her body with his. Hopefully right there on the cold, slick hood of her car. Before she could release the button of his jeans, he grabbed her wrists in a steely grip and pinned her arms to her sides.
"No," he said.
He gazed up at her, water dripping from his nose and chin.
"No?"
"That's what I said."
He sucked her beaded nipple into his mouth. His hot tongue rubbed against her sensitive flesh, drawing moans of pleasure from her. She struggled to release her wrists from his grip, wanting to bury her fingers in his hair, but he refused to set her free. She jerked her body away from his devilish tongue, changed her mind, and twisted to offer him her other breast.
When he didn't immediately draw it into his mouth, she looked down at him. His devilish grin made her heart throb.
"Do you want me to suck this one, too?" He stroked her neglected nipple with the tip of his nose.
"Yes."
"Yes?"
"Yes, please."
He drew the flat of his tongue over her offered nipple and she shuddered.
"I think my work here is done." He stood straight and released her wrists.
"Oh no it's not." She threw her body against his, her fingers tangling in the wet strands of his hair, her mouth seeking his in a desperate kiss. He kissed her in return, while drawing the bodice of her dress to cover her breasts and zipping the garment at her back.
He pulled away all too soon. He looked up at the sky, blinking rain from his eyes. "I don't think this rain is going to let up any time soon." He retrieved the keys from his pocket and unlocked the car door. Before she could climb into the warm, dry interior of the car, he asked, "Have you changed your mind about going to L.A. with me yet?"
"Is that what this is about?"
"Nope. I just want you to want me really, really bad."
"Mission accomplished."