Johnny’s backed her body more securely against the wall, pressing their fronts together, breathing into her mouth. His thumbs tucked into the waistband of her panties and shoved them down her thighs. “I need you. I need this.”
They kissed breathlessly, sucking oxygen in through their noses, tongues wrestling. There was a tree planted at the base of his spine, reaching out with its roots and wrapping around every part of him, tightening his muscles and demanding release. Release. With only this girl. No one else. Ever again. No one tasted or felt this right. Johnny fisted his cock and guided it to her sex, finding it slippery enough that he wouldn’t have to wait another second to impale her, put a claim on her right here, right now. My Hope.
“Rough this time, baby, okay? Next time I’ll lick you where you made that wet spot, fuck you nice and slow and mop up my mess with those white panties. But I have to take right now. You take from me, too, Hope, huh?” He kissed her hard and sank his cockhead inside of her, hissing through his teeth when she gasped, her flesh rippling around him. Christ, she was tight. Almost…too tight?
“Wait. Wait.” Her shaky breath rushed out over his face. “I’ve never done this.”
“You’ve never what?” Johnny lifted his head and found Hope’s cheeks stained with pink, her expression unsure. Christ, she hadn’t been unsure a moment ago, had she? He would have reassured her. Held her. Anything. Or had he been so lost in his own lust he’d missed her obvious nerves? “You’re a virgin.” Johnny dropped his forehead to the wall just beyond her shoulder, welcoming the pain. Maybe it would distract him from the incessant throbbing between his legs. “Jesus fucking Christ.”
“I—I’m sorry,” she stammered, disengaging from Johnny and sidestepping, pulling up her panties with shaking hands. “I should have told you before we…before you…I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m way out of my depth here, okay? Oh God, I have to go.”
“Have to go?” Johnny reached for Hope’s elbow, but she moved it out of his reach. “Hope,” he said, trying to keep his voice level as he zipped his hard dick back into his jeans with a wince. “Please don’t leave.”
Face still pink, she tucked hair behind her ear and made for the door. “My brother is waiting for me. It was nice to meet you.” She groaned. “Because that didn’t sound pathetic.”
She sailed out the door.
After a few seconds of stunned disbelief, Johnny went after her, catching up with her about ten feet from the dressing room. Ignoring the curious looks from passersby, he stepped into Hope’s hurried path. “Just wait. Okay?” He shoved frustrated fingers through his hair. “Wait one damn minute. I didn’t mean to sound annoyed back there. You caught me off guard.”
“No. It was me. I was naïve and stupid. I thought we had this, you know…” She gestured to the stage entrance. “Moment out there. I wanted to come back here to see what it meant. If it meant something at all. And it’s fine, it’s okay that it was just about sex, but I can’t hook up with you in a dressing room and just go home like nothing happened. I kind of wish I could.” She gave Johnny a lopsided smile and his heart broke. “I’ll think of you every time I hear ‘Undertow.’”
Again, she turned to leave.
“Hope,” Johnny shouted, catching her elbow after a few steps in her wake, pulling her to face him. “Unbelievable,” he said, dropping his head forward on a humorless laugh. “Women offer themselves to me constantly and I never accept. The one time I want to accept, she isn’t offering.”
“I wasn’t sure if I was offering or not. It all happened so fast,” Hope whispered. “You’re a very distracting kisser.”
A laugh huffed out of him. “Don’t leave.”
“Why?”
“Because we did have a moment out there.” He shook his head. “You brought the silence back.”
Her breath caught. “What do you mean?”
Johnny couldn’t believe he’d said that out loud. This girl was going to think he was crazy.
Or maybe not.
Her blue eyes held so much understanding, the rest came pouring out. “It’s so loud everywhere I go. People screaming for me to play a particular song, the media asking me questions. That noise doesn’t go away anymore. It stays in my head and I can’t escape it, even when I’m alone.” He looked away with a hard swallow. “I can’t write songs anymore. Haven’t been able to for a year, give or take. It’s too damn loud. But when I saw you, Hope…I can’t explain it. The noise just stopped.” He picked up her hand and brought it to his mouth, skating his lips over the small of her wrist and feeling it flutter. “I’m leaving town tomorrow, yeah. And I don’t want you to go home and pretend like nothing happened. But I won’t pretend I wouldn’t love you to stay with me tonight.”