Never Say Never Read online

  “Where are you going?” I looked up at him, confused. “What are we doing?”

  “We've got to do something about this, Neve. Get it out of our systems. Before it gets the better of both of us. We have to resolve this – or else we're never going to be able to concentrate. If we just act on it – get it out of the way – maybe we won't....Neve, since Peyton died I haven't so much looked at another girl. I haven't wanted to. But with you – I feel something. This chemistry… I can’t stand it.” He pressed me against the elevator walls, his lips slamming against mine. “If these bloody elevators don't hurry up I swear I'm not accountable for whatever happens next.”

  I could feel my own body tensed, set aflame by his desire.

  The elevator opened and Danny rushed me down the corridor, hurriedly unlocking the suite door.

  “What comes next?” I asked, my voice trembling.

  He locked the door behind us, his eyes glittering with longing, with the force of his need. He wanted me – I wanted him – and in that moment I couldn't think, couldn't concentrate on anything but how much I wanted him. He pulled me into the bedroom, pressing his lips on mine, his body against mine so tight that I could feel just how much he wanted me, just how much I wanted him...his kisses were hungry, desperate; my hands slid into his hair, gripping at him as I pulled him closer to me. I had wanted this for so long – wanted to kiss him, to run my hands up and down his tantalizingly chiseled chest.

  Forget the damn rules, I thought to myself. Technically, this isn't dating...we've never been on a date.

  Then his top was on the floor – he was lifting my blouse over my head, kissing my breasts, pushing me back on the bed as I shuddered with pleasure, his mouth trailing from my navel to the top of my thigh. “You're more beautiful than I imagined,” he groaned. “But I wonder...how do you taste...”

  The rational part of my brain told me I should hold back, figure out what was going on, clarify expectations, or just bloody run away before things got messy.

  I told the rational part of my brain to shut the hell up.

  “Chemistry, huh?” was all I could say.

  “I told you...we had to resolve it, one way or the other.” He murmured against my neck. “Get it out of the way. For the band, remember?” he teased.

  “Well, if it's for the band...”

  “Neither one of us can go another second being tortured like this – I can feel it, you can feel it. If we're going to play together, we've got to get this desire out of our systems, this second...”

  “Right this second.” His skin tasted sweet and salty, tantalizing me as I nibbled his chest and shoulders, making my way hungrily to his lips.

  Just as his fingers were fumbling with my jeans zipper, I heard the phone ring.

  “Damn...” I muttered, silencing it. But it kept on vibrating – the caller calling back again and again.

  “Oh, who is that?” Danny groaned, frustrated. “Just turn it off.”

  I looked down in horror as I saw the caller ID. The one name you least want to see when you're about to have wild sex with the guy you’ve been fantasizing about every day.

  “It's my dad.”

  Chapter 12

  Oh, shit. My face was bright scarlet, a combination of pulsing desire and absolute humiliation. Just as I was about to get busy with Danny Blue – making all of my erotic dreams come true at once – I was interrupted by the single worst possible intrusion: my dad on the caller ID. I was pretty sure he'd seen the pictures of me playing at the gig – and with it, figured out that I was a rocker just like dear old dad, bound to end up on that same track which my father was utterly convinced could only lead inexorably to lots of sex, lots of drugs, and plenty of diseases. The second two I minded – at this second, I couldn't imagine that the first would bother me too much. Still, I had to get home right away, to deal with this crisis before my father personally had me and the rest of the Never Knights banned from every reputable club in the country. And knowing my father, that wouldn't be difficult. Even if he wasn't a rock star – he knew enough to threaten the club for having allowed four under-twenty-ones unlimited access to their “champagne suites” and bottle service – and to threaten to make enough of a fuss to get their license revoked. I grimaced. I could only imagine what a mess this conversation with my dad was going to turn out to be.

  Danny had evidently picked up on my distress. He came over to me, wrapping his arms around my stomach as he pulled me to his naked chest, his waist tight against me, his hard-on deliriously, tantalizingly pressed against my back. He nibbled lightly on my earlobes, his fingers lightly stroking my nipples where they escaped from the delicate lace of my bra. I closed my eyes in sheer pleasure as his fingers relentlessly flicked back and forth, making it hard for me to concentrate. For a second my body relaxed, instinctively forgetting all my tension and all my worry as I gave myself over to the warm pleasure of his touch. “What's the matter, darling?” he asked, his hot breath ever so slightly tickling my ear, his tongue flecking against my earlobe.

  “I've got to...Danny...” I pleaded half-heartedly, but he wasn't having any of it. No sooner had I put on an item of clothing – a sock, a shoe, my jeans – than he took it off, taking advantage of an unprotected area to teasingly slip the clothing from my body. I tried to concentrate, but I couldn't bring myself to push him away, let alone to leave. I'd never felt like this before. This overwhelming sense of desire that clouded my brain and made me want to vanish into his arms, give myself over to the wealth of physical sensation. I couldn't breathe; I couldn't think. In a matter of days my life had gone from my number-one project, the thing I worked hard to control, to spiraling into utter chaos. Ever since Danny Blue had come into my life, I couldn't do anything but give myself over to the passion I felt for him.

  “He's going to be so pissed at me...” I murmured. “I've got to go...”

  “Really...” Danny flicked my navel with his tongue. “You have to go right now?” His smile was so filled with longing, so filled with ideas of exactly what he'd like to do to me, that I couldn't help but lean back onto the pillow, allowing him to take off my bra, my jeans, everything but my underwear, which he kissed lightly – maddeningly – before looking back up at me.

  “Whatever...” I sighed. “I can't control what he thinks, what the public thinks, what that stupid stalker John Flint thinks, what anyone thinks...they're going to say whatever they want to say.”

  “Exactly,” said Danny, still kissing me. “You can't control what other people think about you Neve. You can only control yourself.”

  If only I could control myself.

  “You can't handle everything on your own, Neve. So why don't you let go, okay?” He smiled, his eyes glittering with desire. “Let go.” He slid his hand into my underwear, stroking the lace, his hands just close enough to make me release a slight gasp. “Why don't you relax and let me...handle things for a while, okay”

  “But my dad...” I half-protested.

  “Are you really thinking about your dad at a time like this?” he gave a low laugh before stopping, withdrawing his hand and instead wrapping his fingers around mine. “Look, Neve – if you really want me to stop, I'm happy to. Well, not happy, but...I want to do what feels good. For you. For both of us. But if you just need to relax, to de-stress...I'm here to help you do that.” He smiled a slow sexy, smile. “I’ll take pleasure in making you forget about everything, Neve. Trust me, I’m very good at lovemaking. Whatever you have to deal with tomorrow, you can deal with tomorrow. Let your dad have some time to cool off, to think things over. And you – I want to bring you pleasure more than you know. I’ve been dreaming about this, about how you would look when you finally lose control. I promise – you'll have a clearer mind in the morning. We both will...”

  I looked at him, frozen by his expression. My eyes stared into his. And then, before I knew what I was doing, I nodded...

  “Good,” he whispered, kissing my lips, his tongue slightly touching the corner of
my lips, pressing the length of his body against mine. I could feel the full throbbing force of his desire, feel that unfamiliar but thrilling hardness against my thigh as he wrapped his ankles around mine. I couldn't believe it. It still felt strange – like a dream. He wanted me. Danny Blue, the sexiest, most sophisticated, most worldly guy I'd ever met, wanted me. He wanted me as badly as I wanted him.

  “How about I take care of you tonight, Neve? You had a rough night, didn't you? I get that. So why don't we focus on you first...and worry about the other stuff later...” He laughed softly. “I always said music was one of the things I loved doing most in the world. And that's still true. But there's something else that comes awfully close...” He grinned as his fingers caressed the inside of my thighs, making me shudder, tracing a slow and inexorable path upwards that made me moan slightly, my lips meeting the edge of his left palm, which still rested against my cheek. “I know you're a control freak, Neve. I can recognize the type. But that's exactly the type I love to watch lose control. The kind who would enjoy it most. I can tell. You'll enjoy this.”

  I already am.

  But something held me back. Whatever happened tonight – it would be the first time for me. I wasn't a stranger to the facts of life – growing up with Keith Knight, half of whose lyrics contained explicit references to several sex acts, taught me all I needed to know. I'd certainly been no stranger to my own fantasies – more than a few of them in recent days about Danny Blue. But there was a difference between theory and practice, as my guitar teacher always used to say – and a difference that what was about to happen was set to make frighteningly clear.

  “Wait, Danny...” I said. “Hold up. There's something you should know...”

  “Yeah?” He smiled at me.

  “This is – well, don't freak out, okay?”

  “Okay...” He raised an eyebrow. “What, are you going to tell me you've got some incriminating tattoo.”

  “I'm a...” Spit it out, girl. I wasn't ashamed, after all. Or was I? “This is my first time, okay?”

  Danny's mouth fell open. “No!”

  “Sorry?”

  “Sorry?” He laughed. “No – I'm sorry – I mean, it's nothing to apologize for. I just figured – you know, given how much sex the rest of your band members seem to be having, surrounded by adoring groupies...”

  I shook my head. “I've just – I mean, I'm not really interested in too many people. The guys in the band are like brothers to me – and I don't have time to meet too many others.” I racked my brains, trying to think what Patti Smith or Siouxsie Sioux would say in a situation like this. “I'm still – you know, if you're still up for it...” I sat up. “I waited because I wanted to wait for someone I'd enjoy it with. And I think – if you're cool – I'd enjoy it a lot with you.”

  Danny grinned. “I certainly hope so.”

  “So, you don't have to worry – you don't have to hold back.”

  He leaned in and kissed me again. “It just means I'll have to work extra hard,” he said. “To make this special. For both of us. Not that you weren't already extra special to me, love. I'll go slowly, okay? And be as gentle as you want...”

  “You don't have to be gentle,” I said quickly. I'd imagined this moment plenty of times in my fantasies, never dreaming it would be real. But if I was going to lose my virginity to Danny Blue, I knew exactly how I wanted it to be. And the words “slow” and “gentle” didn't factor into the equation.

  “I like a girl who knows what she wants,” he kissed my ear.

  “I like a guy who can give it to me.”

  “Then why don't you lie back, love,” his voice teased me into submission. “And let me give it to you.”

  “You can handle me however you like, only...” I looked up at him. “I don't have any condoms.”

  If his face fell, it was only for a moment. But Danny was too smooth to let that distract him. “Don't worry,” he said. “We'll just focus on you tonight, then. There's a time and a place for everything, and under...shall we say, more auspicious circumstances, I'd hold off on that particular pleasure until you beg me to do otherwise. As for tonight, there's a whole lot else we can do...”

  He smiled wickedly before pulling my panties down, his tongue lightly flicking at my inner thigh, tracing a spiral that got closer – ever-closer – to where his fingers were already lightly stroking. He turned his head slightly – just slightly – the angle between his lips and my thighs just right...

  When his moist tongue reached me, I nearly jumped out of my skin. I felt myself moan aloud.

  “Don't stop.”

  His laugh rippled through my whole body, the deep rumble of it coursing through his chest and vibrating through to my sensitive skin. Even that was pleasurable.

  “Who said anything about stopping, love? We've only just begun...”

  Chapter 13

  I woke up completely naked, wrapped in Danny's arms for the second morning in a row. Who could have imagined that, twenty-four hours ago, when I was rushing out of Danny's bedroom, that we'd end the night like this? It felt so good to be close to him, utterly naked – and from what I could feel beneath the covers, leaning against my stomach, he was as naked as I was.

  “Good morning...” Danny was leaning on the pillow, smiling over at me. “Sleep well, love?” He pulled me close to him, his mouth meeting mine in a kiss at once savage and playful.

  There was something so strange, so surreal about this – and yet at the same time so completely natural. It was as if I'd always been meant to wake up in the morning in Danny Blue's arms, and this was just the first time I'd been able to do so.

  “Good morning,” I murmured back, matching his smile with one of my own. I relaxed into his hard, firm body.

  “How are you feeling?” Danny asked me, stroking my collarbone with his velvety fingertips. “Of course, I can only imagine...” He reached playfully under the covers, his fingers finding just what they were looking for.

  “Good,” I murmured, my body resisting the urge to tense up once again. “Very good indeed.”

  “I'm glad,” he said. “Because I've got to confess, love, I'm awfully keen on doing it again.” He flushed slightly. “Last night, when we were in the elevator – I didn't know what this was going to be. A one-time thing, I thought. To get it out of our systems. Once we acted on it, I thought maybe this need...” He pressed closer against me, his need clearly not sated by the previous night, “would go away. But it's stronger than ever, Neve. I think we might need another try to get this out of our systems once and for all.” He laughed softly. “Or maybe two. Or three...” He leaned over and pressed his lips against my hair. “You're like a drug, Neve. I'm utterly insatiable when it comes to you.”

  I looked at him, flushing with delight. I too hadn't been sure what Danny wanted – what I wanted – we'd been so caught up in the heat of the moment that neither one of us had talked about it. But from the hours of pleasure he'd given me last night, I knew now that I was eager to explore things further – to see just how far to the brink he could push me before I'd lose control completely. How liberating it was for me to lose control with Danny. But now it seemed Danny was ready to come back for me.

  “Already?” I teased. “I thought you'd be exhausted. I mean – all that work you did last night...” I stretched out on the bed. “I'm talking, of course, about your work on the guitar...”

  “Oh, really?” he took me into his arms. “That's what you were talking about, huh?”

  “All those amazing things you did with your fingers...you know, those guitar solos...”

  “Oh, those guitar solos, of course...”

  “And with your tongue.”

  “You mean my vocals.”

  “That's exactly what I mean...” I pressed my lips against his. “Mostly.”

  “Mostly.”

  “Hold on a second, love...” He kissed me on the shoulder and got up, going over to where he'd left his bag. Watching his naked body cross the room filled me wi
th a new shuddering wave of desire. His body was utterly perfect. Toned, tanned a smooth golden brown, his buttocks firm and tight – I wanted every inch of him against me. And when he turned around...

  “Enjoying the show?” he laughed, turning to face me, fully naked.

  “Oh, I'm impressed.” I lived in a house with a pool and a steam room – I was no stranger to the male member. I'd even walked in on Kyle once or twice in the locker rooms – both of us crimson and laughing off the embarrassment. And while Kyle was certainly well-equipped in that department, what Danny had to offer was significantly more impressive. I didn’t think it could get to that size.

  Danny grinned. “You know what they say, love. It's not about the equipment. It's about the performance.”

  “Well, I'm happy to give that a test drive...” I pulled him back towards the bed. “I think I definitely owe you a few hours of relaxation. And I promise you – I'm a fast learner.” New mental checklist, I thought to myself. Buy panties. Condoms. Breath mints.

  “As much as I'd love to continue where we left off last night, my darling – it will have to wait for tonight. I've got work.”

  “Work?” I looked up, confused. “Professor Poe wants you on a Saturday?”

  Shit. Why did I have to bring up that Danny was my TA? If the situation in that class wasn't awkward enough before, it certainly would be now...

  “No...” Danny pulled out a fresh T-shirt and jeans from his bag and started dressing. “Actually, I've got a second job.”

  “Teaching doesn't pay the bills?”

  “Not quite...”

  My eyes traveled to the expensive black Tumi bag on the floor, surprised. Danny had brought an overnight bag to the performance. But he couldn't have known that we'd be staying over – he couldn't have known about the suites. Where had he been planning to stay?

  “It's for my dad,” Danny said.

  “What does he do?”

  Danny sighed. “I guess it's time I told you, Neve. I should have known you'd understand – but when I tell you, I hope you'll understand why I haven't. The same reason you didn't tell me about your father....”