Temporary Bliss (Love By Chance Book 3) Read online

  His grip on me tightened. “Mika, throw those thoughts away. They’re no good. So what? Let’s pretend he isn’t a rockstar and you never went digging up his dirty laundry in the first place. He asked to see you again, yeah? And you liked that idea because he’s fun and great in bed, and you needed a little bit of that in your life, right?”

  How was he so good at this? “Yeah.”

  “So let’s pretend what you read doesn’t exist. The press is notorious for screwing people’s lives up, anyway. Maybe he’s a playboy, but maybe he’s not? Give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he’s not public about his relationships? I mean, hell, if he met your crazy family and he still wants to see you? I’d consider that a win.”

  I smiled. “You’re right. I’m being dumb.”

  “You are the farthest thing from dumb there is,” Saint said softly as he released me. “But I have something that might cheer you up?”

  I spun around to face him. “You finished it?” He grinned and I squealed. Just like that, my sour mood was replaced with a tingling excitement. I was dying to see the finished art for my ink. “Show me!”

  “You heat up the food, I’ll get the prints.” He disappeared down the hall. With a new spring in my step, I added dressing and turkey to the plates and put them in the microwave. In two shallow bowls, I placed slices of pumpkin cheesecake with a dollop of whipped cream. By the time the microwave beeped, Saint had returned.

  My jaw dropped. “Oh my god…”

  They were gorgeous. Completely and utterly perfect. My wintry wolf stood wild and rugged against the wind that whipped through his fur, his blue eyes bright against the splattery backdrop of teals and deep navy. In contrast, my doe was soft and gentle and surrounded by a halo of pink and orange watercolors. Night and day, two halves of a whole.

  They were me.

  I blinked back tears. “These are amazing, Saint,” I whispered, touching the doe’s nose. She looked so serene. “Thank you. Thank you so much, I don’t even know what to say.” I collided with his chest, hugging him as fiercely as I could. How did I get so lucky?

  “Don’t cry,” Saint murmured into my hair. “This is a happy day. You’re supposed to smile.”

  “I can smile and cry at the same time.” I sniffed. “Thank you.”

  “You’re very welcome. Tell me when you set up the appointment. I’ll come keep you company.”

  “You’re the best,” I told him. The microwave beeped. I laughed at the hungry look on Saint’s face. “Let’s chow.”

  12

  Gideon

  My car idled outside of Mika’s apartment complex as I waited for him to come downstairs. Five minutes ago he’d sent me a text: Running a little behind but I promise you, it’ll be worth it ;) I wasn’t even mad. I knew Mika well enough to know that when he said it’d be worth it? It would definitely be worth it.

  I wasn’t disappointed.

  Mika was dressed to kill. He strutted down the steps like a model on the runway in a pair of tawny boots that zipped up to mid-calf. The leather pants he wore were skin-tight and clung to the curves of his body and the top he’d chosen was glittery, falling off one shoulder with a swooping neckline. Add in a fuck-ton of bling and holy shit.

  “How are you so fucking hot?” I groaned when he got in. I leaned across the console and he rewarded me with a kiss, paired with a devilish little grin. I wanted more and he knew it. He sat up a little straighter in his seat and brushed his knuckles against his leather-clad thighs.

  “It just comes natural,” he replied breezily. “I want mozzarella sticks.”

  “I know just the place.”

  There was a bar and grill on Center Street that boasted world famous hot wings. I had the distinct feeling Mika was a hot wing kind of guy. The place was pretty dead, seeing as it wasn’t quite five PM on a Tuesday afternoon, which made it easier on me. No gawkers wanting something signed. I didn’t mind the publicity, but I wanted tonight to be all about Mika.

  We ordered a pitcher of draft beer, two orders of mozz sticks and a platter of their signature bone-in buffalo wings, and chatted till our food came to the table. Mika immediately went for the basket of deep-fried mozzarella sticks. He took a bite and the hot cheese strung off out of his mouth. He giggled. “So good.”

  “These wings are great,” I agreed, wiping my mouth for the fourth time. “Very saucy.”

  “Just like me,” he tittered. “Speaking of…” His forehead wrinkled and his smile faded into a much more serious expression. He pushed his plate to the side and rested his elbows on the table. “I Googled you.”

  Inwardly, I cringed. Well shit. The media had not been nice to me. Not that I ever gave them a good reason to. I was the daredevil of the band. The loud and annoying one. The one who slept around. Yeah, that guy. “Yeah?” Might as well get this conversation over with.

  “Yeah. I watched some Vines, clips of a concert on YouTube, but I need to know something.”

  “Lay it on me, sugar,” I said as smoothly as I could manage.

  Mika’s voice went quiet. “Are you really as much of a playboy as the headlines say?”

  This time, I did groan. I wiped my hands off on the napkin and blew out a sharp breath. “It’s a long story…”

  “So, yes?”

  “Yes. Sort of. I mean, I was, but—“ I cut myself off, losing my composure. Fuck. Since when did I care about what people thought? Anyone else and I would’ve laughed, turned it into a joke or something, but with Mika? The way he was looking at me, so damn earnestly? It was obvious. I was trying to impress him…and I was failing miserably.

  “You don’t have to explain yourself to me,” Mika said. “I was just curious.”

  “Yes I do,” I argued. “I fucked up in a big way last year, right before tour.” I puffed out my cheeks on a heavy sigh. “I slept with my best friend’s man and he walked in on us. God, I hate thinking about it. Was the stupidest decision I ever made. Laz gave me the cold shoulder, which I totally deserved, but I still felt like utter shit. I mean, we eventually reconciled and he’s better off, happily living with another guy, but it sort of opened my eyes. I went into this weird funk. Drank a lot.”

  Mika rolled his eyes. “That’s productive.”

  “I do my best thinking buzzed, I’ll have you know. It brought me you, didn’t it?”

  “Whatever. That’s besides the point.”

  “And what’s the point?”

  He pursed his lips and ran a hand through his blond hair, shoving bangs out of his face. “I’m putting this out on the table. My ex cheated on me, so if that’s the game you play, tell me so that I can walk away before we get any deeper into…whatever the hell this is between us. It took me months to get over it. If you’re planning to use me up and throw me away like yesterdays’ trash, then let me know now.”

  The way he said it made my stomach clench. “No. That’s not what I want. I’m trying to turn over a new leaf. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about everything, and about you. I can’t get you out of my head. You’re driving me crazy. Before I met you, I felt like a zombie and this is gonna sound cliche as shit, but you reawakened something inside of me. I don’t want to hurt you and no matter what the press says, I’m not gonna cheat on you. I learned my lesson, alright?”

  “Okay,” he said softly, picking at another mozzarella stick.

  “Trust me?”

  Finally, Mika smiled. The relief I felt was unreal. “I probably shouldn’t, but I do.”

  “Okay. Good. That’s good. Thank god, because as much as I love those pants on you, I can’t wait to peel them off.”

  He laughed and waggled his eyebrows. “That can be arranged.”

  13

  Mika

  It was a winter wonderland outside, snow swirling all around, and I loved it. I stood on the front steps of my building and raised my hands to the sky while trying to catch thick snowflakes on my tongue. Winter meant layers, and layers were cute. I felt cute, and by the wolf whistle Gideon let out w
hen he rolled up to the curb, he thought I looked cute, too.

  I pranced down the steps and got in the car, shaking snow out of my hair. “I love winter.”

  “You look good.”

  “You say that every time,” I reminded him. “Just for that, I’m gonna dress in rags next time we go out. See if you’re popping a boner then.” I reached over and grazed my hand over the crotch of his jeans, then patted his thigh.

  “Yeah, but you’re wearing a fucking skirt. I can’t help myself.”

  I grinned and touched the pleated pink mini-skirt that I’d decided to wear over my leggings. Color me impulsive. “Maybe I wanted to feel like a princess tonight. We are going dancing, after all.”

  He snorted. “The club is hardly a ballroom, Mika.”

  “It is tonight, Gideon,” I singsonged back. “Let’s get drunk and dance the night away, just you and me.”

  That’s exactly what we did. At least that’s how it started out, anyway.

  A couple rounds of shots and some grinding later, I found myself dancing with a small group of people. Alone. Gideon was nowhere in sight, but for some reason, I didn’t care. Maybe it was the pleasant buzz humming through my veins, the giddy feeling that came along with dancing. I loved to dance, I always had, and tonight was no exception. All around me, sweaty bodies pressed together as the beat pulsed and the lights flashed in a spray of colors.

  “Hey sexy,” purred a low voice in my ear. Big hands caressed my hips and I could feel the bulge of the stranger’s erection poking me in the butt. I breathed out a laugh and tilted my head back just enough to get a glimpse of my new dancing partner—tall, dark and handsome. Check. “You here alone tonight?”

  I hummed and scanned the crowd. Gideon was off to the left, dancing with some curvy redhead who looked like she might sink her nails into him at any given time. Instead of getting butt-hurt, I decided that tonight was a test. I rolled my hips slowly, reaching up to thread my fingers through the stranger’s hair. “No, but I’m game to dance.”

  His chuckle was throaty and thick, sending a shiver down my spine. “I see how it is. You wanna make your man jealous, naughty boy?”

  “Something like that,” I murmured. “You got a problem with that?”

  “Is he gonna come over here and deck me if I do?” He sounded amused, more than anything. Like he was itching for a little action. Was it terrible of me to hope that Gideon would stalk over and stake his claim with a well-aimed punch? Bad Mika. When I giggled, he nipped the back of my neck and moved a little closer. “What can I say? I like to live dangerously.”

  What started out slow, picked up speed fast. His hands were all over, grabbing and groping while I rubbed my ass against his groin. But my attention was on Gideon, who’d come to a standstill on the dance floor. He met my eyes with a strange expression on his face, one I couldn’t quite read. I flashed him a teasing grin, my skin hot and prickling. If it weren’t for the pleats of my skirt, he’d be able to tell just how turned on I was.

  Come and get it, I wanted to beg, because despite the fact that I was grinding on another man, my body wanted Gideon. Needed Gideon. He seemed to realize it, too. His lips twisting into something reminiscent of a scowl, he stalked towards us.

  “Uh-oh,” whispered my unlucky suitor. “Looks like we pissed off your boyfriend.”

  I wasn’t sure what to expect. Gideon was a playboy, sure, but was he the jealous type? Would he start a brawl right here in the middle of Foxfyre? Not wanting to make a scene, I spun out of the man’s reach and waggled my fingers in farewell. Gideon strode up, huffing and puffing like a wild stallion, but my dance partner raised his hands in surrender.

  “You’ve got your hands full, buddy,” he said around a laugh.

  Gideon grumbled. “Don’t I know it.”

  “Thanks for the dance,” he said to me.

  “Bye.” I blew him a kiss, feeling more than a little bold.

  Gideon growled and made his move. His hard body was plastered against mine in seconds, his hands at my hips dragging me closer. I rocked back against him and he responded by biting my earlobe.

  “You’re a fucking tease, you know that?” His hands slid up under my shirt. When he pinched my nipple, I arched into his touch with a soft moan, almost wishing he’d take me right here. I was so horny, it wasn’t even funny.

  “You like it,” I purred.

  “I don’t share.”

  So he was the jealous type. I smiled innocently up at him. “What? Are we dating now? Last I heard, this was just a temporary fix, just until the holidays. Right?”

  “Yeah, but till the holidays, you’re mine,” he said, and that was all I needed to hear. His voice dropped to a gravelly hush as he whispered in my ear, “Now I’m gonna take you home and show you exactly what you get for being naughty.”

  “Please don’t spank me.” I whined and wiggled my ass.

  “Oh, it’s tempting. Very damn tempting. Home. Now.”

  Both of us too drunk to drive, we hailed a cab back to Gideon’s place. I straddled his lap in the car on the ride home, sucking on his jaw and throat while his fingers snuck beneath the buckled waistband of my mini-skirt. We’d no sooner stumbled through the front door when he had me pinned against it with a guttural groan.

  He wasted no time yanking my leggings down and flipping my skirt up. I shook my ass, only to yelp when his hand cracked down over it, hard. That’d leave a mark. My dick only throbbed harder inside the lacy g-string I wore, precum leaking through the gauzy fabric.

  “Gideon!”

  “Such a little slut.” He pushed me up against the door and grabbed two big handfuls of my ass, spreading me wide. I couldn’t stop the quiver of pleasure that rushed through me when his breath puffed warm over my puckered hole. “You want me to show you just who you belong to?”

  I thrust my hips out, my asshole clenching at the thought of being invaded by his wet, warm tongue. If he didn’t touch me soon, I might spontaneously combust. “P-Please…”

  “Please, what?”

  “Pretty please?” I tried. “With sugar on top?”

  His tongue flicked over my entrance, his mouth covering my ass. I shuddered at the heat. My legs turned to jelly as he began to suck and lick me open, his tongue delving inside of me, driving me crazier by the second. I whimpered his name, all words disappearing from my vocabulary. All I knew was Gideon’s lips, Gideon’s tongue, Gideon’s thick moans as he ate me out. I was reduced to keening cries and quivering thighs.

  Then he pulled away and the air was cold on my damp skin.

  “Oh, god, please. Please, I’m dying, I’m literally dying, Gideon,” I begged. “If you don’t fuck me, I’m going to—oh!” I gasped as he slapped my bare cheek once more.

  “Be patient, Mika,” he uttered and I realized what he was doing. The soft tearing of the condom wrapper had me clenching every muscle in my body. Yes, yes, yes. My hands fisted over the wooden frame of the door and I bit my lip, trying my damndest to not beg.

  I needed him. I needed his thick cock inside of me, filling me up, stretching me. I needed it more than I needed my next breath. “Gideon, you’re killing me…”

  “Yeah?” I could hear the smirk in his voice. His big hands palmed over my ass. I squirmed beneath his touch. “You want it?” I felt the blunt head of his dick rubbing up and down my crack and I wanted to cry. I pushed back against him, breathing harder now, and he chuckled. “Such a bad boy. I don’t know if you deserve it.”

  “Please! Jesus, fuck, please just fuck me. I need it, need it so bad.”

  “Maybe you should go back to the club and ask your dance partner?”

  “Don’t want him. I was only using him to make you jealous,” I squeaked. “Besides, you don’t have any room to talk. You were dancing with that—ah!” His cock speared into me without preamble, his hands grasping at my hips, and I lurched up against the door from the force of it. My cry fast turned to a moan at the thickness of him rubbing against my prostate. I dropped my foreh
ead against the cool wood of the door.

  “Until the holidays are over, you belong to me,” Gideon growled into my ear as he fucked into me with quick, rough strokes. I shuddered beneath him and nodded. He bit down on my shoulder and a whimper escaped between my lips. “You understand me, Mika? You’re mine. This ass is mine.”

  “Yes,” I panted. “More.”

  “More?” Before I had the chance to beg, he buried himself deep and grabbed my thighs. With a grunt, he lifted me up off the floor, still fully seated on his cock. I moaned and clung to his neck, pinching my eyes shut. Gideon pushed me down onto the kitchen table, face down and ass up. He nudged my legs apart. “Spread them.”

  I did and was rewarded with several more deep, bone-shaking strokes. My toes curled in my boots. I lifted up on my tiptoes, giving him full access to my body. My cock, still confined in the lacy thong, rubbed against the lip of the table with each thrust and the friction was almost too much. I could feel myself leaking, soaking the fabric of my panties, but I kept my hands on the table and let Gideon take what was his.

  “Fuck, you’re so tight. So good,” Gideon grunted from above and I clamped my muscles down around him. He groaned low and picked up the pace until his balls were slapping loudly against my ass.

  I could feel myself spiraling out of control with each jerky thrust and when Gideon’s hand slipped into my panties to grab me, I lost it. My climax washed over me in almost dizzying waves until I was trembling on the table, my knees turning to rubber and folding out from under me. “Oh…”

  Gideon stilled, panting hard. Sweat dripped down between my shoulder blades and he licked it away. Burying his nose in the hair at the nape of my neck, he groaned softly. “You’re so good. And these…” He pulled the string of my thong and let it snap against my skin. “I don’t know why these drive me wild, but fuck, they do.”

  “Guess I should up the ante then, huh?” I giggled, out of breath and feeling good.

  “Try me, buttercup. Just try me.”

  “Oh, it’s a promise,” I told him. Giving a low laugh, Gideon tossed me over his shoulder and carried me squealing down the hall. I threw my arms around his neck and held on tight and when he dumped me onto the bed and climbed over the top of me, I knew the night was just beginning.