Nothing mattered when they touched. Nothing outside of them.
She pushed the waistband of his sweats down to unsheathe his thick erection, which he pressed between her legs. Stupid panties were in the way, but he yanked them farther to the side, pulled his finger out of her, and settled the swollen head of his cock at her entrance. And now she was delirious with need.
He pushed into her by an inch, and then more and more. “Open up for me, Juno.”
Arching her spine and throwing her head back, she moaned as he pushed into her all the way. His hand on the back of her neck gripped tight and held her in place as he rammed into her. The other found her breast and massaged it. So sensitive. Her body was so sensitive to him. Close…close… He pummeled into her faster, filling her, his dick so hard and thick.
“Fuck,” he gritted out against her neck.
Harder, faster, she was screaming his name now, claws on his back, sinking into his skin, dragging down…
He arched his back and gritted his teeth, growled a monstrous sound as he slammed into her. Then he pulled out slower, slammed in, out slow, his entire body tensing.
She shattered. From the inside out, she shattered. Gripping her tightly, he bucked into her again and held, his dick throbbing deep to match her own release.
They’d lost their minds together tonight. Or found them. He stayed buried in her until she was finished with every pulse of pleasure. Until he’d filled her completely. Until they both lay there in each other’s arms, sated and spent.
That was…everything.
When he eased out of her, she thought he would leave. That’s what boys did when they got what they wanted, right? And he did leave. To the bathroom where she could hear the water running. As she curled in a happy little ball, she caught a glimpse of herself in the dresser mirror. Hair wild, panties disheveled to the side, goofy smile on her face.
Rhett returned with a washcloth. “What are you doing?” she murmured when he climbed on the bed and pushed her knees apart.
“Cleaning you.” He cupped her sex with the warm cloth and looked at her face with an awed look, like she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
“You’re special, Rhett,” she said softly.
“To you. I’m something different to you.”
And she got it. To the masses, he was a sex symbol with the voice of an angel and sex appeal for days. He was this unreachable personality they could find on stage or in interviews or award shows on TV. But to her, he was real and flawed and loyal and kind and funny and protective—she smiled as he tossed the cloth into a hamper in the corner—and very thoughtful and sweet.
He turned off the lights, and now was the time, right? Now he would leave? She didn’t want him to, so she was happy when he came back to bed and tucked the covers tightly around them, hugged her against his pounding heart.
“Juno?” he asked in a deep, gravelly, sleepy voice in the dark.
“Mmm?” she asked in that in-between spot between awake and asleep.
“I know you think you’re going to die, but you won’t.”
Juno opened her eyes in the dark and inhaled his scent, committing it to memory. “Do you know who Beaston is?”
Rhett swallowed audibly and drew her in closer. It was a full minute before he responded. “Yes, I know who and what he is.”
“Good. Then I won’t have to explain too much. He was the one who told me I would die in my twenty-seventh year.”
“Is he ever wrong?”
She wished with all her heart that her answer could be different, but that wasn’t her story. “No. He’s never been wrong.”
Chapter Eleven
Rhett scribbled faster in the first rays of dawn. Juno was lying in bed, a soft smile on her lips, her hair wild on the pillow, her leg and arm draped over the other pillow he’d slid there in his place. He hadn’t wanted to wake her, but his muse was restless. Whatever magic Juno possessed, she’d woken up the music in him again.
He put the last line down and then stared at it, barely legible on the paper. He’d scratched notes all over it, marked out words and verses to improve them, changed the rhythm of the song twice, but this was it. It felt big. Important.
It was “Juno’s Song.”
She sighed in her sleep and stretched her long legs under the covers. It was cold this morning, so he’d gotten up, started a pot of coffee, and put a space heater by the bed, pointing it right at her. He turned and looked at his reflection in the mirror, scrutinizing the long, half-healed claw marks down his back. Did she realize what she’d done?
“You’re still here,” she murmured in a sleepy voice. God, she was beautiful. Her silver eyes were all crinkled at the corners as she smiled at him. She didn’t know it, but a piece of him already lived for that smile. When a man could make a woman smile like that…no power could compare.
He folded the piece of paper and shoved it in his pocket. “I made coffee. And I’m pretty good at scrambled eggs, or we can do a breakfast date in town.”
“Gasp,” she murmured. “Breakfast, too? Rhett Copeland, are you trying for perma-pussy?”
He blasted a surprised laugh. “Hell, yeah, I am. Get dressed woman. I have something else I want to show you.”
“Another big share?”
He nodded as he sat on the bed beside her.
She slid her hand over his knee and squeezed gently. “What is it?”
“You’ll see.”
“Ugh, I’m terrible with surprises!”
He snorted when she kicked her legs dramatically under the covers. “Surprises are awesome. You’re being ridiculous. Next time remind me to hit it and quit it with you.”
Juno smacked his leg, and now he was really laughing.
“I have to go back,” she said suddenly.
The laugh died in his throat. “What do you mean?”
“I have to finish what I started. I’m supposed to fly out today to meet a band. I’ve already committed, and they’re all waiting for me to get there. I have the offer and contract for them. It’s a big moment for any band and it’s something I need to follow through on.” She looked like she was going to cry, and he wanted to fix her sadness. “I wish I could just stay here for the rest of my life, but I have loose ends to tie up.”
Her words felt like a punch in the gut. Not because they were a betrayal, but because it felt like losing her.
“I’m supposed to be working today, but I can take you to the airport while we’re in town.”
She squeezed the fabric of his sweats in her fist. “I’m sorry.”
“I have conditions.”
“Okay, name them.”
“Before we go to the airport, lets treat the day like tomorrow is a million years away.”
Her smile appeared, faltered, then appeared bigger as she nodded. “Deal.”
Rhett moved to get up and make her coffee because he really did want to do this. He was going to try his damndest to treat today like they had hundreds more ahead of them. She deserved good days, especially if hers were so tightly numbered.
He wanted to be a good memory. The best one, maybe, shoot for the stars and all that shit.
“Hey, Rhett?” she asked before he got to the door.
“You want to give me a blow job? That’s what you were about to ask, right?”
Juno giggled. “No, that was definitely not what I was going to ask.”
He leaned against the doorframe. “Then what?”
“Someday if I came back here, would this be the same?”
“Are you asking if you mean something to me?”
She nodded.
“You just said no to a blow job, so probably not.”
He belted out a laugh as a pillow sailed across the room and hit him square in the chest. He shook his head as he made his way into the kitchen, reveling in her cute giggles.
Crazy girl.
Couldn’t she feel it?
Didn’t she know what she’d done by marking up his back?
She didn’t just mean something.
Now, she meant everything.
Chapter Twelve
“Where do you think you’re going?” Remi called from behind them.
Juno winced and gripped the inside of Rhett’s bicep harder. She adjusted his guitar case in her hand and turned slowly. “The truth?”
She pushed the waistband of his sweats down to unsheathe his thick erection, which he pressed between her legs. Stupid panties were in the way, but he yanked them farther to the side, pulled his finger out of her, and settled the swollen head of his cock at her entrance. And now she was delirious with need.
He pushed into her by an inch, and then more and more. “Open up for me, Juno.”
Arching her spine and throwing her head back, she moaned as he pushed into her all the way. His hand on the back of her neck gripped tight and held her in place as he rammed into her. The other found her breast and massaged it. So sensitive. Her body was so sensitive to him. Close…close… He pummeled into her faster, filling her, his dick so hard and thick.
“Fuck,” he gritted out against her neck.
Harder, faster, she was screaming his name now, claws on his back, sinking into his skin, dragging down…
He arched his back and gritted his teeth, growled a monstrous sound as he slammed into her. Then he pulled out slower, slammed in, out slow, his entire body tensing.
She shattered. From the inside out, she shattered. Gripping her tightly, he bucked into her again and held, his dick throbbing deep to match her own release.
They’d lost their minds together tonight. Or found them. He stayed buried in her until she was finished with every pulse of pleasure. Until he’d filled her completely. Until they both lay there in each other’s arms, sated and spent.
That was…everything.
When he eased out of her, she thought he would leave. That’s what boys did when they got what they wanted, right? And he did leave. To the bathroom where she could hear the water running. As she curled in a happy little ball, she caught a glimpse of herself in the dresser mirror. Hair wild, panties disheveled to the side, goofy smile on her face.
Rhett returned with a washcloth. “What are you doing?” she murmured when he climbed on the bed and pushed her knees apart.
“Cleaning you.” He cupped her sex with the warm cloth and looked at her face with an awed look, like she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
“You’re special, Rhett,” she said softly.
“To you. I’m something different to you.”
And she got it. To the masses, he was a sex symbol with the voice of an angel and sex appeal for days. He was this unreachable personality they could find on stage or in interviews or award shows on TV. But to her, he was real and flawed and loyal and kind and funny and protective—she smiled as he tossed the cloth into a hamper in the corner—and very thoughtful and sweet.
He turned off the lights, and now was the time, right? Now he would leave? She didn’t want him to, so she was happy when he came back to bed and tucked the covers tightly around them, hugged her against his pounding heart.
“Juno?” he asked in a deep, gravelly, sleepy voice in the dark.
“Mmm?” she asked in that in-between spot between awake and asleep.
“I know you think you’re going to die, but you won’t.”
Juno opened her eyes in the dark and inhaled his scent, committing it to memory. “Do you know who Beaston is?”
Rhett swallowed audibly and drew her in closer. It was a full minute before he responded. “Yes, I know who and what he is.”
“Good. Then I won’t have to explain too much. He was the one who told me I would die in my twenty-seventh year.”
“Is he ever wrong?”
She wished with all her heart that her answer could be different, but that wasn’t her story. “No. He’s never been wrong.”
Chapter Eleven
Rhett scribbled faster in the first rays of dawn. Juno was lying in bed, a soft smile on her lips, her hair wild on the pillow, her leg and arm draped over the other pillow he’d slid there in his place. He hadn’t wanted to wake her, but his muse was restless. Whatever magic Juno possessed, she’d woken up the music in him again.
He put the last line down and then stared at it, barely legible on the paper. He’d scratched notes all over it, marked out words and verses to improve them, changed the rhythm of the song twice, but this was it. It felt big. Important.
It was “Juno’s Song.”
She sighed in her sleep and stretched her long legs under the covers. It was cold this morning, so he’d gotten up, started a pot of coffee, and put a space heater by the bed, pointing it right at her. He turned and looked at his reflection in the mirror, scrutinizing the long, half-healed claw marks down his back. Did she realize what she’d done?
“You’re still here,” she murmured in a sleepy voice. God, she was beautiful. Her silver eyes were all crinkled at the corners as she smiled at him. She didn’t know it, but a piece of him already lived for that smile. When a man could make a woman smile like that…no power could compare.
He folded the piece of paper and shoved it in his pocket. “I made coffee. And I’m pretty good at scrambled eggs, or we can do a breakfast date in town.”
“Gasp,” she murmured. “Breakfast, too? Rhett Copeland, are you trying for perma-pussy?”
He blasted a surprised laugh. “Hell, yeah, I am. Get dressed woman. I have something else I want to show you.”
“Another big share?”
He nodded as he sat on the bed beside her.
She slid her hand over his knee and squeezed gently. “What is it?”
“You’ll see.”
“Ugh, I’m terrible with surprises!”
He snorted when she kicked her legs dramatically under the covers. “Surprises are awesome. You’re being ridiculous. Next time remind me to hit it and quit it with you.”
Juno smacked his leg, and now he was really laughing.
“I have to go back,” she said suddenly.
The laugh died in his throat. “What do you mean?”
“I have to finish what I started. I’m supposed to fly out today to meet a band. I’ve already committed, and they’re all waiting for me to get there. I have the offer and contract for them. It’s a big moment for any band and it’s something I need to follow through on.” She looked like she was going to cry, and he wanted to fix her sadness. “I wish I could just stay here for the rest of my life, but I have loose ends to tie up.”
Her words felt like a punch in the gut. Not because they were a betrayal, but because it felt like losing her.
“I’m supposed to be working today, but I can take you to the airport while we’re in town.”
She squeezed the fabric of his sweats in her fist. “I’m sorry.”
“I have conditions.”
“Okay, name them.”
“Before we go to the airport, lets treat the day like tomorrow is a million years away.”
Her smile appeared, faltered, then appeared bigger as she nodded. “Deal.”
Rhett moved to get up and make her coffee because he really did want to do this. He was going to try his damndest to treat today like they had hundreds more ahead of them. She deserved good days, especially if hers were so tightly numbered.
He wanted to be a good memory. The best one, maybe, shoot for the stars and all that shit.
“Hey, Rhett?” she asked before he got to the door.
“You want to give me a blow job? That’s what you were about to ask, right?”
Juno giggled. “No, that was definitely not what I was going to ask.”
He leaned against the doorframe. “Then what?”
“Someday if I came back here, would this be the same?”
“Are you asking if you mean something to me?”
She nodded.
“You just said no to a blow job, so probably not.”
He belted out a laugh as a pillow sailed across the room and hit him square in the chest. He shook his head as he made his way into the kitchen, reveling in her cute giggles.
Crazy girl.
Couldn’t she feel it?
Didn’t she know what she’d done by marking up his back?
She didn’t just mean something.
Now, she meant everything.
Chapter Twelve
“Where do you think you’re going?” Remi called from behind them.
Juno winced and gripped the inside of Rhett’s bicep harder. She adjusted his guitar case in her hand and turned slowly. “The truth?”
