Zaryk Read online

  I take a deep breath. “I-I’ve been good. How about you?” Oh sure, start stammering. Heat rises in my cheeks.

  He smooth’s his tongue ring in between in his lips and I can’t help but stare. “I’ve been alright. Happy to wrap up the tour and enjoy the summer.” The idea of him walking around without a shirt flutters into my mind. His voice interrupts my sexy thoughts. “Do you want to go out and get some fresh air? It smells like sweaty dudes in here.” He gives me his best puppy dog eyes. I want him, now, right now!

  “Sure!” I squeak. Really, Lyndsay? Really? Calm the fuck down.

  He laughs. “How about we go to the deck out back? Then we can go back to the house and chill.”

  “I’d love to.” Zaryk holds out his hand and I place mine in it, his long fingers wrapping around it.

  “We’ll catch you all back at the house,” he tells Deklan. Deklan nods and Amberlynn gives me a huge grin.

  Zaryk whisks me off through the crowded club and to the back door that leads to the deck. He opens the door and I gasp at the sight. Slowly, I make my way to the dark wood railing and look out to the lake and sky. The sound of the waves on the lake is so peaceful and the stars are shining bright in the night sky. The full moon casts a soft, sensual glow on the deck.

  “It’s beautiful out here isn’t it?” Zaryk says softly, his lips close to my neck. I didn’t even realize he was behind me and my body floods with goose bumps.

  I close my eyes. “It is.”

  I turn to face him. His eyes twinkle in the moonlight as he watches me, hands in his front pockets, and a lopsided smirk on his face. Against my better judgment, I want to kiss him. But he speaks before I can make a move.

  “So, what brought you out tonight?” He moves to the railing and leans his back against it.

  I turn my body so I’m facing him again. The best response is an honest one. “I wanted to see you.”

  He cocks an eyebrow. “You did?”

  “Yes.” Why am I breathing so heavily? His stare is burrowing deep inside me.

  He crosses his long, muscled arms across his chest. “What have you been up to, Lyndsay?”

  My face falls. Why isn’t he ripping off my clothes? “N-nothing really.” What I want to say is - I want you; I want to fuck you right now.

  His arms drop to his side and he pushes himself from the rail. The look in his eyes is dark and intense as he moves in front of me. He reaches up and tucks my hair behind my ear. His fingertips move softly down the side of my face then to the underside of my chin so I can’t move my gaze from his. Bending down he brushes his lips against mine. I close my eyes.

  “I didn’t think it was possible, but you’ve gotten more beautiful since I last saw you.”

  “So have you,” I whisper back and then turn red with embarrassment when I realize what I’ve said.

  He laughs and kisses me, deeply and passionately. I melt when his arms wrap around my waist.

  I can feel him harden against me. God, how I’ve missed him … all of him. I can’t believe this is happening. I’ve wanted to change the outcome of our one-night affair and here is my chance. I whimper when he pulls away from my lips. When I open my eyes I find him staring at me. I swear he can tell how slick I am getting and the gleam in his eyes says, let’s do this.

  “Why don’t we go back to the house,” he says as he lightly skims his fingers down my neck.

  I nod. If we keep this up I may melt, and all the ice in the world isn’t going to save me from how hot Zaryk makes me feel.

  ~ Nine ~

  Lyndsay

  We pull up outside to an imposing Tudor-style house.

  “Wow,” I gasp.

  “We decided to keep living together. Surprisingly, we haven’t killed each other yet.” He chuckles. “It’s really just a party house when we’re home.” He leads me inside and the sound of loud rock music fills my ears.

  The house is breathtaking. There are cherry-colored wood floors with giant rugs placed here and there. The same color flows through the house. Large beams stretch across the ceilings, giving the home a nice rustic feel. Even the wood that frames the furniture is cherry-colored. Put that up against cream colored walls and it is gorgeous.

  Zaryk releases my hand and heads towards the kitchen. He takes a bottle of vodka off the counter and tips it into his mouth. I look around trying to find Amberlynn, and spot her dancing around like a loon. She’s way too drunk already. I make my way over to her and Deklan raises his glass to me. Amberlynn spots me and clumsily walks over.

  “There she is!” She stumbles into me.

  “How much have you had to drink?” I hold her up.

  “Too much. I’m sobering up a bit before I have any more.” Her breath reeks of tequila. She grabs my arm and leads me toward the kitchen. “You need a drink my love.”

  “I’m okay.”

  She shakes her head as she pours me an amaretto sour. She knows what this stuff does to me and she wants her best friend to let loose. “Here.” She shoves it toward me and throws her arm around my shoulder. “Calm down, okay? He was your best friend, remember? Just pick up where you left off.”

  Right. If only it were that easy. I sigh and take the glass from her. I take a drink and my eyes light up. “Wow, this is good!”

  “Zayden made it just for you!” With her arm still around my shoulder we make our way into the living room.

  “Ah, I see you found my present to you,” Zayden says from the couch. His girlfriend is giving him a lap dance.

  Where in the world am I? The world’s largest strip club?

  Zaryk is leaning against the staircase watching the craziness unfold, a bottle of his favorite clear liquid in his hand. His eyes move to me and he ignites a fire within my belly. One side of his mouth curls up as he walks my way. My nerves start to unravel big time when leans close to my ear. “How about you and I go have our own little party and leave the strip fest down here?” Chills race through my body. His hot breath on my ear makes me shake with anticipation. I barely have the capacity to whisper yes before he starts to lead the way.

  I follow him up the stairs and down to the end of the hall. He opens the door to his room and gestures for me to go in. “Ladies first.” His eyes focus on me and I feel a little self-conscious all of a sudden.

  I walk in and I’m overwhelmed by the beauty of his room. Book shelves are built into the back walls, all the way to the tall ceiling. The headboard of a giant-king-sized bed leans against a black wall. A dark purple and black theme adorns the entire room.

  “This is the most gorgeous room I’ve ever seen. Have you read all of these books?” I ask as I wander to the shelves. I run my fingers along the spines and breathe in the heady book smell. Working in a library feeds my book obsession well, and this is absolute heaven. I would kill for shelves like these.

  Setting the vodka on the desk, he turns and leans back. His strong arms fold over his chest. “I like to look at them and think I’ve read them all, but I’ve only read maybe half of them. Sadly, I don’t have much time to read and when I do read it’s on my eReader.”

  My eyes travel across his room to a spiral staircase. They follow it to a balcony and a giant net with a wood frame around it and two dark wood pillars holding it up. He looks at it, then back to me and grins. “What’s the net for?”

  “That right there is my favorite place in the whole house. I’ll show it to you in a sec. But first,” he takes my hand, and leads me over to his bed.

  I’m nervous all of a sudden. It’s been a long while since I’ve been with someone. I’m not so sure I even know what to do anymore. I watch him slide to the middle of the bed and lean back against the headboard. He pats the empty spot beside him. I leave my glass on the little night stand beside his bed and climb up, sliding next to him. I’m afraid of what that alcohol will turn me into if I keep drinking.

  “This is kind of awkward huh?” He leans his head back and looks over at me.

  I giggle then clap my hand over my mouth
.

  Zaryk moves my hand away. “Boy, did I miss that adorable giggle of yours.”

  He lays his hand on top of mine and my gaze snaps to his. A smile is on his lips and his eyes shine. I feel my cheeks burn red and I look away.

  “I don’t remember you being so shy.”

  “You also weren’t a famous rock star the last time I saw you. I don’t want to embarrass myself.”

  “I’m the same person I was the last time.”

  “I guess so.”

  He pauses for a beat and asks, “Why’d you freak out?” The tip of the bottle goes into his mouth and he takes a long drink.

  I suck in a deep breath. His question takes me off guard and I’m not sure how to answer. “I … um …” My brain has now stopped working. The wheels have stopped turning and I can’t seem to form any coherent words. I slouch down.

  “Lyndsay, love, just be honest. What happened? Did I do something to upset you?”

  I look up into his gorgeous sapphire eyes and I can see the pain and confusion that plagues him. Did I really hurt him? Be honest with him Lyndsay. Tell him your pitiful excuse for freaking out on the one man who you loved and never stopped loving.

  I take a deep breath. “I was embarrassed about sleeping with my best friend and … I was afraid that after you went on tour that’d be it between us. You’d rush off to some groupie. Um, and …”

  He’s still staring at me, his sweet eyes penetrating deep down into my soul, and my cheeks flush red. This is so stupid.

  “I was a virgin the night we slept together,” I say quietly and look down at my thighs.

  “Wow.” He laughs nervously and rubs the back of his neck with his palm. “I thought something was off. I don’t remember much about it though.”

  “Yeah, that kind of upset me too. It meant so much more to me than just sex. I lost my virginity to the one I wanted to lose it with.”

  “Hey.” I look up. “You don’t have to be embarrassed, Lyndsay. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since. I’ve missed you so much.” He touches his forehead to mine and closes his eyes.

  My heart leaps into my throat. “I’ve missed you too, Zaryk.”

  I think he’s going to kiss me, but he sits back against the headboard again. “I moved on so fast after you left. I should’ve chased after you.” Another drink.

  I watch him and cringe inwardly. I don’t know how he can drink that straight. “Have you been drinking a lot?”

  He brings the bottle down and wedges it between his legs. My eyes dart to his package. I am aching for what’s behind the tough fabric of those jeans.

  “My liver is most likely getting pretty pissed but I don’t do it as much as the media says I do. I can party without the booze.” He wraps his fingers around the bottle again, but hesitates, almost like he just lied to himself.

  “What about the chicks?”

  He laughs hard. “I’m not some womanizer, Lynds. I mean, after Kendall and I split I got a little crazy, but halfway through the tour I just wanted to brood and lose myself in a book. I got bored with the groupies. I’m more into long-term relationships.”

  “Oh.”

  “Aw, c’mon, Lynds. You didn’t honestly think I was fucking around all the time did you? I was with Kendall for two years, you know. She ripped my heart out of my chest right before we left on tour. It’s only natural that I’d lose hope and do whatever the fuck I wanted.” His voice turns sad all of a sudden.

  “I’m sorry.” I place my hand on his.

  He looks over at me and shrugs his shoulders. “But now I hope to have a shot at a girl who stole my heart years ago.” He kisses my knuckles one by one as he stares into my eyes.

  My whole body trembles under his intense gaze. I want this man more than anything.

  ******

  Zaryk

  Bringing up Kendall was the worst thing I could have done right now. I try to play it off like it’s no big deal, but I wanted to whip the vodka bottle across the room and watch the shattered glass spread across the floor; just like my heart did when she left me. I adored the woman, and she fucked me over. A familiar pain resonates in my heart. I still care about her and I still miss her some days. She was the one who held me together most of the time. She was the one who was there when Zoey left me.

  Two years of my life wasted, and she was cheating on me for the majority of it. Then like a dumbass, I slept with her the night before we left for tour. In my defense, I was drunk as hell and vulnerable.

  I let out a long, audible sigh and drop my head back against the hard board behind me. “You sure you want to hang out with a fucked up soul like mine?”

  “I don’t think you’re fucked up. You’ve just had a bit of bad luck. That’s all.” Her hand rests on my thigh.

  My dick twitches at her touch. “How about we go up there?” I nod my head toward the large net suspended in the far corner.

  “Okay.” She eyes me warily.

  We shuffle off the bed and I lead her up the stairs to the most relaxing spot in the world; my reading net.

  When we reach the opening to it she stops. There’s no hiding the freaked out expression on her face. I walk onto the net with ease. “It’s perfectly safe. I promise.” I hold my hand out to her. She hesitates. “It’s okay. It’s not going to fall or anything. See?” I jump up and down and her eyes grow wide. I laugh and reach my hand back out to her. “C’mon.”

  She places her hand in mine, and takes a timid step onto the net. She wobbles, and a shriek escapes her mouth as she falls against me. I wrap my arms around her and our eyes meet. Her eyes penetrate straight to my core. I could stare into them forever.

  “Lie down. I want to show you something,” I say, our lips almost touching.

  “Um…”

  “Relax. You’ll love it. Lie down.” She obeys and I reach over and grab a remote from a little box attached to the banister.

  I turn the lights out with a press of a button and lay down beside her. When I press another button the dome overhead opens to reveal the night sky and the stars. She gasps. “How about that?”

  “It’s breathtaking.”

  “I like to sleep up here some nights when we’re home.” I sigh. “It’s nice to finally unwind and relax after being on the road.”

  “I don’t think I’d ever leave my room if I had one of these.” She puts her hands behind her head and relaxes.

  I snigger. “Trust me, I don’t unless I have to.” I turn on my side to face her. “Never thought I’d be hanging out with you again. It’s nice.”

  She lightly strokes the side of my face and I close my eyes.

  “Zaryk?”

  I open my eyes and take in the angelic face staring up at me. “Yeah?”

  She grabs the front of my shirt and pulls me onto her. Our lips collide and I drift away to a place I haven’t been in a long, long time; peace and happiness. I didn’t know it existed anymore.

  I gently trail my fingers up her thigh and rest my hand on her hip. Her arms wind around my neck and pull me closer. Our kiss intensifies and I slide my hand up her tank top. Her breath catches when my fingers graze her tight stomach.

  I break our kiss and linger close to her lips. “Lyndsay, I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do. Stop me if you have to.” I can’t believe her lips are connected to mine again. I’ve waited for this moment for a long time.

  “Please, don’t stop,” she whispers.

  I sneak my hand further into her tank top and cover one of her breasts. I pinch her nipple through her bra and a soft moan vibrates from deep inside her. I’m already rock hard and pressing against my jeans. I move her legs apart with my foot and as soon as I’m on top of her a loud pounding on the door kills the moment.

  I groan against her lips. “You have got to be fucking kidding me.”

  “Lyndsay? Are you in there?” a woman’s voice calls through the door. Amberlynn.

  “Just ignore her, she’ll go away.” Lyndsay pulls me back down against her and we
resume kissing. More pounding.

  She tilts her head back and yells, “Go away Amberlynn! I’m busy!”

  I can’t help but laugh as I lean in and glide the tip of my tongue up her slender neck, making her moan again. That sound. I don’t think I could ever get enough of it. Amberlynn resumes her annoying interruption by pounding even harder.

  “Lynds, open up dammit!”

  I place kisses along her jaw and back down her neck, then up to her shoulder. I bite down on the soft flesh, making her shriek. “You might want to find out what she wants before she breaks down my door.”

  I move off her and instantly feel cold and alone. Kissing her made me feel whole. A breath of life moved through my lungs and my heart was beating with a force I hadn’t felt in a long time. I felt like I was floating and I didn’t want to come back down to reality.

  She swings the door open. “What in the world is going on?”

  Amberlynn flings an arm around Lyndsay’s shoulder. “Why the hell are you both up here? Are you fucking him?” She glances up at me and winks as I come down the spiral staircase.

  “Amberlynn! Seriously?” Lyndsay throws Amberlynn’s arm off of her shoulders.

  I laugh and Lyndsay glares at me. My hands fly up in surrender and I grin mischievously. I saunter over to where I left my booze and take a drink. It’s finally starting to kick in. Let the party begin.

  “Come downstairs, please? I want to party with my bestie!”

  Lyndsay looks over at me. I’m walking toward them, bottle in hand, and ready to go. A look of disappointment flashes across her face. I smirk and stalk over to her.

  Leaning down, I whisper in her ear, “Don’t worry, we’ll get some time alone later and we can pick up where we left off.”

  Her breath hitches as I move the tip of my nose along her ear. Amberlynn giggles and grabs Lyndsay’s arm. She looks terrified as Amberlynn drags her out of the room.

  ~ Ten ~

  Lyndsay

  I look around and there’s hardly anything going on down here. Zayden and his girlfriend, Jessica, are sitting in a corner on a huge, plush chair almost having sex. Or are they? I look away quickly, as I don’t really need to know. Zayne and Kreed are sitting at the kitchen island discussing something deep I’m guessing, but Zayne looks bored as hell. Deklan is sprawled out across two giant bean-bag chairs playing with something on his phone. Amberlynn runs and takes a flying leap onto the side of them and flings him off. He lands with a thud on the floor and starts laughing like loon.