Desired by Him (Wanted Series #5) Read online

  “Fifteen.”

  “Deal,” I said, opening to the one about the Pelican and the Elephant.

  “One sec.” She scooted further under the covers, bent her elbows, and slid her hands between her pillow and her head.

  That wasn’t too bad.

  If that was all that needed to be said about my big kiss…

  I just hoped I hadn’t been beaming like an idiot enough for Addison to notice, since Sophie was clearly on to me.

  Whatever. It didn’t matter.

  My cards were on the table.

  I couldn’t pretend I didn’t want every single inch of her. After all, there was no point. Actions speak louder than words, and all of my actions earlier were as sexually forward as it gets.

  Did my family notice that I was beaming like an idiot? Did I even care?

  No. Why should I?

  Wanting a woman in my life was nothing to be ashamed of, and it certainly wasn’t something I’d rushed in to. Besides, it might be good for Sophie, too. We might like having a woman to share our time with, a woman who would mix things up so all the days didn’t blend together.

  Cause, frankly, things had all gotten a bit Groundhog’s Day before Addison showed up.

  But I swear it wasn’t just for selfish reasons that I was eager to see her again.

  There was something else making me crave her, something she gave off like a rabbit or a deer. It was as if- despite how sharp she was- there was a vulnerability to her, too.

  And I didn’t mind that she was hard work. I liked that she didn’t give much away. And most of all, I was glad that the more I got to know her, the more there was to like.

  For example, today in that studio… What she did on the piano- what she did to me… there weren’t words for it.

  “Dad!”

  I straightened up and looked at Sophie. It was so nice to see her in her own bed, her bed without wheels. I hoped I’d never see her hooked up to noisy equipment in a hospital again. Unless, of course, she was having kids of her own. Then again, she was never going to be allowed to date so-

  “I’m ready.”

  “Well, why didn’t you say so?”

  She held one hand in front of her and rotated her wrist in small circles. “Let’s go.”

  I cleared my throat, and then I read. Maybe fifteen poems, maybe more. And when Sophie rolled onto her side, I kept reading. Just a few more.

  When I finally closed the book, she smiled and opened one eye. “Thanks, Dad,” she said softly.

  “Sweet dreams, baby girl,” I said, lifting the edge of the covers over her shoulder.

  Then I kissed her on the forehead, turned out the light, and pulled her door closed behind me.

  Chapter 8: Addison

  I drummed my fingers along the wheel and leaned back in my seat.

  My body felt too good.

  And so did my hands. I can’t believe they played! And I couldn’t recall a single bum note, though who knows what I sounded like to an expert.

  Then again, I suppose if I wanted, I could go back and listen to the recording. Not now, obviously. And really it would be better if we both forgot about it.

  Fuck.

  At least he wasn’t such a dick that he denied having recorded it.

  And at least there was no video… right? There couldn’t be. He would have said. A shiver ran up my spine at the thought, but I cast it out. It was ridiculous. It’s not like he made music videos in there. I exhaled through pursed lips. Shit. I really needed to be more careful.

  And not get myself into situations where I might accidentally get eaten out on camera?!

  The thought should’ve made me sick.

  But it didn’t.

  Instead, it made me think of him, of the way the muscles in his back moved as he bent over my pussy, lapping at my most secret places and drinking my need for him.

  Good god. He was practically smacking his lips. As for how I licked myself off him, I honestly didn’t even know what to say.

  Cause it wasn’t me. I would never do that.

  I would also never go out socially on a Sunday night before work or spend over an hour in the car just to see a guy.

  But he wasn’t just a guy.

  And I wasn’t just a little scared of my feelings for him.

  I checked the rearview mirror and switched into the far left lane. If I could just be in bed by…

  My phone started vibrating.

  I kept my eyes on the road and rummaged in my purse on the passenger seat.

  “Hello?” I said, switching on my Bluetooth before setting my phone in my cup holder.

  “Well?” Holly asked. “Did you go?”

  “Yeah,” I said, braking when I saw the car up ahead do the same. “I went alright.”

  “And.”

  “I’m totally in over my head.”

  “How fun!”

  “Maybe for you,” I said. “But I seriously don’t even know who I am right now.”

  “Why?” she asked. “What happened?”

  “I don’t know where to start.”

  “That’s nothing new. Start at the beginning.”

  I exhaled. “Well, when I showed up-”

  “No,” she said. “Start with what you wore. Paint the picture for me.”

  I shook my head. “You’re going to regret saying that.”

  “Jesus, hold on. Let me sit down if you’re going to build the whole thing up like that.”

  “Where are you?”

  “At home,” she said. “Okay, go ahead.”

  “Is Nick there?”

  “No.”

  “That’s a surprise.”

  “He was over last night.”

  “Got it.”

  “You were saying?”

  “So I went with a little white dress-”

  “The linen one?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I would’ve gone sluttier.”

  “Well it’s a good thing I didn’t because his family was there.”

  “What?”

  “I know,” I said. “I was kind of blindsided.”

  “How did it go?”

  “Fine,” I said. “I actually didn’t spend that much time with them-”

  “What did you do?”

  I squeezed my hands around the wheel. “I don’t actually know if I can talk about this right now.”

  “Oh please,” she said. “I had the dullest day.”

  “What did you do?”

  “Got brunch with Nick and laid around on the couch watching Sons of Anarchy.”

  “Which season are you on-”

  “Stop stalling!” she said. “So anyway, you showed up looking hot but family appropriate and then what?”

  “He gave me a brief tour of his house.”

  “A tour?”

  “It was more like a mansion.”

  “No shit.”

  “Like the entryway would’ve looked weird without a chandelier.”

  “Wow, okay. Now we’re talking.”

  “And at the end of the tour, he fucked me in his bathroom on his white granite countertop.”

  “Fuck me.”

  “I know, right?” I said. “Except I didn’t even have to say it. He just did it. It was like he could read my mind.”

  “Where the heck was his family?”

  “Outside,” I said, switching lanes to pass a slow moving van. “Eating burgers.”

  “That’s so unlike you.”

  “That’s what I’m saying.”

  “So then what?”

  “Then I hung out with his family for a while.”

  “And?”

  “They’re nice.”

  “And his kid?”

  “She’s sweet,” I said, smiling at the thought of how her small hand felt in mine. “And happy. Seems he’s done a good job with her.”

  “Mmmm.”

  “What?”

  “Nothing. Just thinking.”

  “Just thinking what?”

  “It
’s kind of hot that he’s a good dad, don’t you think?”

  “I suppose.”

  “What do you mean you suppose?”

  “I mean it’s not exactly at the forefront of my mind right now.”

  “Why?” she asked. “What’s at the front of your mind?”

  I pursed my lips and thought about my mouth, about how it must’ve looked when I was taking him in, my eyes closed as he plunged himself against the back of my throat, the force of his thrusts echoing in my head.

  “Addison?”

  “Sorry.”

  “What’s on your mind?”

  “He has a studio.”

  “Like a music studio?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “At the back of his property.”

  “Cool.”

  I was torn about whether to tell her about our recording session, but I was worried if I didn’t externalize it, it would destroy me. Plus, she wouldn’t judge me. She had a lot more experience than I did.

  “So I assume he gave you a tour of that, too?”

  I needed to clear my head. I needed to talk it out so I could go home and attempt to relax, read, or think about work. He’d already hijacked my whole day. I couldn’t let the simple fact that… “He fucked my mouth.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “He ate me out in a bean bag chair and then held my hair in his fist and fucked my mouth.”

  “What the- are you okay?”

  My cheeks burned. “Would it be terrible if I said I’d never been better?”

  “Woo hoo!” she cheered. “What a day!”

  “There’s an understatement if I ever heard one.”

  “So then what?”

  “Then we somehow managed to keep our hands to ourselves until it was time for him to kiss me goodbye.”

  “God this guy is like the gift that keeps on giving.”

  “Except he’s got abs that keep on giving, too, so you’d be crazy to put him under wraps.”

  “I literally don’t know what to say.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “You could start by reminding me who the hell I am since I’ve obviously forgotten.”

  “Yes you have.”

  I smiled. It was fun to be the surprising one for a change.

  “And for the record, you’re a smart, sexy, sophisticated woman who deserves to have raunchy sex with bachelors who are as hot as they are eligible.”

  “That is so sweet of you to say.”

  “It’s true,” she said. “Honestly, I can’t remember the last time you had such a fun day.”

  I could. It was last week. When I was with Wyatt. In fact, ever since he came into my life, I’d been more excited and out of control than I was comfortable with.

  And as much as I wanted to convince myself that it was a bad thing, every bone in my body felt lighter, stronger, and sexier than ever.

  “Which reminds me,” she said. “How are your chest pains lately?”

  Chapter 9: Wyatt

  It was a frantic morning in the studio.

  Sure, I could’ve stared into space and listened to Audrey’s moans on repeat for hours.

  But surprisingly, that wasn’t the part of the tape that sucked me in most, the part I couldn’t stop playing over and over.

  It was when she played.

  The song she tapped out was simple enough. It wasn’t as moving as Mozart or as catchy as anything Taylor Swift had produced recently, which was to be expected, though remembering how Addison lost herself as she played intrigued me far more than either of those legends of pop ever had.

  But there was one series of notes that stood out to me, and as soon as I heard it, I couldn’t get it to stop playing in my head.

  It took me less than a half hour to isolate the sequence so I could play it on my own.

  And that’s when things got interesting.

  Cause I carried the notes- in my head- right over to the keyboard and started playing around.

  The first hour felt like five minutes.

  And it was another two before I discovered the sound effect I wanted.

  Finally, I set a timer on my phone so I wouldn’t forget myself and fail to pick up Sophie after her playdate. I didn’t want her staying one minute longer than necessary at her friend’s house. Not only did her friend have older sisters, who often told Sophie things I was pitiless to undo, but her friend’s single mom never missed a chance to invite me and Sophie for dinner.

  And as nice a lady as she was, she dressed like she’d stopped giving a shit in the early nineties and refused to buy a bra that fit properly. And personally, I had two perfect breasts on my mind already, which was more than enough to distract me.

  Four lumpy misshapen ones resting on the dinner table was the last thing I needed.

  I shuddered at the thought.

  Then I picked up the phone and called Marv.

  “Well if it isn’t the guy I was just thinking about,” he said when he answered the phone.

  “Please tell me you didn’t meet with the guys from Visionworks yet.”

  “I just did.”

  “Did you give them the recording?”

  “Of course I did,” he said. “What kind of bullshit agent would I be if I didn-”

  “No!” My free hand went to my head. “You have to go back and get it. Go take it back right now!”

  “Whoa whoa whoa,” he said. “Calm down, Jonesy. What’s the problem?”

  “The problem is-” I shook my head. “Fuck. The problem is the song wasn’t ready.”

  “It was a whole demo. I listened to it at least twice before I-”

  “Go fucking get it, Marv! I’m telling you- it’s an emergency!”

  “Why? I don’t get what the big deal is-”

  “I fixed it. Not that it wasn’t good when I sent it to you, but I figured something out this morning and-”

  “Well, if they come back to us-”

  “No, Marv. This is it. I’m telling you. I found the earworm it was missing.”

  He groaned.

  “All I have to do is add it to the backing track. I can get it to you by the end of the day.”

  “These guys are really pushed for time, Wyatt. I don’t think they’re going to take too kindly to me waltzing back in th-”

  “If you don’t go get that recording right now, you’re fired as my agent, and not only will I never speak to you again, but I’ll make sure you never see another penny from “My Heart is Yours.”

  “Jesus.”

  “Sorry.” I sat in the rolling chair in front of the control panel and pulled myself forward so I could put my elbows on the edge of the desk. “I didn’t mean any of that.”

  “Good,” he said. “And for the record, empty threats don’t suit you.”

  “You still have to go back in there-”

  “Okay, okay. I’m going.”

  I heard a car door slam.

  “I’m heading back in right now.”

  “Good.”

  “This better be worth the trouble,” he said.

  “It will be.”

  “I hate looking like a disorganized boob in front of these guys.”

  “I know.”

  “Their egos are already as big as blimps.”

  “You’re a good guy, Marv. I owe you one.”

  “The end of the day, huh?”

  I nodded. “Yeah.”

  “Cause I’ve got to have something to tell them-”

  “The end of the day,” I said. “You have my word.”

  “And you won’t try and change it again once-”

  “No, of course not,” I said. “When have I ever done this to you before?”

  “I suppose this is pretty uncharacteristic of you.”

  “Just trust me,” I said. “You buy me some time today, and I’ll get us the deal tomorrow.”

  “Fine,” he said. “At least you’re optimistic for a change.”

  “Optimistic?! I’m bouncing off the fucking walls with positivity over here.”

&nb
sp; “Uh-huh.”

  “And you would be too if you understood the revelation I’ve just had.”

  “Is that so?”

  “I figured out what’s missing from the song I just gave you, and frankly, I’m kicking myself because I think this kind of thing would’ve secured the last contract we lost.”

  “Well that is good news.”

  “Should I send the new sample to you or do you want me to send it straight to Visionworks?”

  “Hmm,” he said. “I would say me, but the egomaniacs might love the idea that they’d be the first to hear it.”

  “Whatever you think,” I said. “Big it up as much as you need to. Tell them they’re our first choice.”

  “You know I don’t like to-”

  “Just do it. I have a good feeling about it.”

  “Alright,” he said. “Copy me on it when you send it over, and I’ll be in touch later.”

  “Do not leave without the other recording,” I said. “Do you understand? They have to hear this one first. It’s vital. I promise you, once they hear this, they won’t be able to hear anything else.”

  “I understand, okay. What do you think- I’m new or something?”

  “No, sorry. I’m just excited.”

  “I can tell,” he said. “Look, I gotta go and sign in again and shit. Who knows how long until those pricks will see me again-”

  “Don’t back down under any circumstance.”

  “I got this.”

  “I’ll be in touch.”

  “Hopefully with some hair coloring tips cause I’ll be grey by the time I’m done here.”

  “Thanks, Marv,” I said. “You won’t regret it.”

  “I regret it already.”

  I laughed and hung up the phone.

  I hoped I wasn’t getting ahead of myself, though I know I did the right thing by being confident when it came to dealing with Marv. He wouldn’t act like a tit unless he was sure I had his back.

  Which I did.

  Maybe for a long time to come, too, if the earworm I extracted from Addison’s song was as catchy as I thought it was.

  Of course, I should probably ask her permission to use it, even though I’d manipulated it to within an inch of its life. On the other hand, unless something came of the deal, there was nothing to tell and no permission needed.

  So I decided I’d keep things on a need to know basis.

  Plus, what would she care? If they loved it and I got the deal, then I’d have to give her a writing credit, which I was more than happy to do. After all, if I secured this contract, there would be more money and credits rolling in then I’d know what to do with.