Ripped: The Price of Loyalty by Tania Joyce

 

Chapter 20

Kyle rolled his shoulder around, trying to loosen up his stiff muscles. After two days of filming in Hawaii, every muscle in his arms ached from pulling on cables and hoists. The first day of filming they’d flown to the Big island to film on the lava fields, then yesterday it was up to Kauai to film at Wailua Falls. After Gerard and his team left, they all went ziplining at Koloa.

Staggering out of the bathroom, he stopped in the open bedroom doorway when he heard voices and the soft strum of a guitar. There, on the sofa, Gemma and Hunter sat next to each other, leaning in with the sides of their heads touching. Gemma had her old guitar propped on her lap, plucking softly at the strings. Hunter sang too low for him to make out any words.

Kyle snapped his eyes shut and swallowed the bitter taste burning like acid in his mouth. It had been months since he’d sat curled up on a sofa and played music like that with Gemma. He didn’t realize how much he’d missed it until seeing her there beside Hunter. Sure, Kyle had played music with her, nearly every day, but nothing felt as good as sitting in the quiet with a guitar and seeing where the music would take them. It was how they usually wrote all their songs.

But Kyle’s hands twitched. He hated waking to find Gemma missing, but seeing her close to Hunter made his stomach knot. He cursed under his breath, wanting to kick himself for letting his jealousy flicker to life. Hunter and Gemma were friends. Best of friends. He knew that. There was no need to feel this way or threatened by Hunter. Not at all.

Drawing his shoulders back, he walked over to them, leaned in, and gave Gemma a quick kiss on the mouth. Being able to do that simple gesture set his mind and mood straight. “Morning. You guys working on something new?”

“Maybe.” Her smile, bright as the morning sunshine, made him feel even better.

He ran his eyes down over Gemma’s bare legs that were stretched out before her. She wore one of his old T-shirts, and nothing else he could see, causing an instant stir inside his boxer shorts.

“Listen to this. Hunt, sing it,” Gemma strummed a few notes, and Hunter sang.

 

How could one night with you,

Change my whole point of view?

Love used to be a game,

But now I’m not the same.

 

You’ve taken my heart by its strings,

And turned me upside down.

Is this something wicked,

Or is it love that we’ve found?

 

Because my mind’s all hazy,

And I’m feelin’ a little crazy.

Whenever you’re around,

My heart leaps and bounds.

If this is love, if this is love,

Oh, baby, please,

Lay it on me.

Pile it on, stack it high,

Oh yeah,

Give it to me.

 

“Wow.” Kyle blinked. “That’s cool.” He sat on the edge of the coffee table and slid his hand up Gemma’s leg. “You wrote that this morning?”

“Yea-p,” Gemma slipped her fingers along the steel strings. “Hunt came up with the chorus though. We’ve been killing time waiting for you to get your ass out of bed.”

“Aren’t you sore after ziplining?” Kyle rolled his shoulder again.

“Not really.” Gemma shrugged.

“I ache all over.” Hunter sat up and stretched. “There’s only one cure for stiff muscles, and that’s sex. I’ll leave you two to it and go find Amie.”

“Didn’t you stay with her last night?” Kyle straightened.

“No. She was working, so she kicked me out. But I think she needs a morning wakeup call from moi.” Hunter stood and headed for the door. “I’ll be back here in two hours to leave for the airport. Have fun.” Hunter waved over his shoulder and headed out the door.

The second it closed, Kyle fell onto his knees and shuffled across the shag-pile rug to steal another kiss. “I missed waking up next to you. I thought after the video shoot and then all the incredible hot sex we had last night, you wouldn’t be able to walk.”

She put her guitar to the side. “I did struggle and had to crawl out here on all fours.”

He chuckled, touched her necklace, and tugged at the neckline of her shirt. “So . . . this is where my shirts keep disappearing to.”

“Do you want it back?”

She started to lift it over her head, but he stopped her and sat back on his haunches. “I like you wearing it. It makes me horny.”

“I like you being horny.”

“Good, because I think I’m going to have this problem for a long time.”

She broke out, singing softly.

 

I make you horny, horny, horny,

In the morning sun.

I never, never, never,

Knew I turned you on.

 

“Hmm . . . I don’t think that song will make the cut somehow.”

“No. Me either.” She ran her hands up his arms. “I’m sorry if my playing woke you. I couldn’t sleep. All these new lyrics and tunes are jumping around in my head, so I thought I’d come out here and try to write some down.”

“Do you want me to join you?”

“Sounds perfect.”

Gemma picked up her guitar and strummed away while he dashed into his room to grab his own guitar.

When he returned, Gemma sat humming away. Her cheeks were rosy pink. Her lips glistened and her eyes shone. They’d had so many early morning starts, so many moments waking up in the same multi-room suites on tour, but this morning was different. She was different. And he couldn’t work out why.

Taking a seat beside her, he kissed her on the cheek.

“Gem, there’s a strange vibe coming off you this morning. I think it’s a good one, but I’m not so sure.” His heart beat with caution. “Has it got something to do with Hunt?”

“God no. Nothing to do with Hunter. Although, he was the one who pointed it out.”

Kyle sucked in a deep breath. “Pointed what out?”

She leaned over and kissed him softly on the lips. “Can we not talk about this now?”

“So you can talk to Hunt about what’s got you acting all weird, but not me?” He didn’t mean to snap, but his insecurity flared.

“It’s nothing.”

“Then tell me.”

She hid a smile by biting her lip.

Her silence unnerved him. Kyle stared down at his hands not knowing whether he was hurt, disappointed or petrified of what she wasn’t telling him. His only reassurance was that she kissed him again.

“All right,” he said, plucking at his guitar loudly. “We don’t have to talk if you don’t want to.”

“It’s not that.” She put her guitar aside and turned to face him. Her knee brushed against his thigh. “After everything that’s happened with Gerard and his awful interview over the past few days . . . I want you to know . . . I’m scared. Scared of lying. Scared of how I’m feeling. Scared of the world finding out about us before I know what us is.”

His heart lurched. How could he put her mind at ease? He placed his guitar on the floor and entwined his fingers with hers. “Gem, I’m the same. I’m terrified this bubble will burst. I’m scared of how much I love you. Scared of losing you. Everything is so new and fresh and crazy. We need time to find our feet.”

She ran her fingertips down his cheek and kissed his lips. “I know. Now . . .” She picked up her guitar. “Let’s write some tunes.”

Kyle pushed the coffee table out of the way. He grabbed some of the throw cushions and made himself comfortable on the floor facing Gemma. Picking up his guitar, he started to pluck away in time with the tune Gemma played.

“What do you think about this?” Gemma asked, and began to sing.

 

After making love all night,

This feeling is oh-so right,

I’m dancing on cloud nine,

Won’t you let me be your valentine?

 

Kyle shuddered. “Dear God no.” He shuffled around to sit upright and tweaked a tuning knob on his guitar. “What about something more like this?” He strummed a few chords, and then played a gentle romantic riff. Gemma stopped playing and gazed at him intensely. The air electrified around them as he played. With a smile tugging on his lips, he lowered his voice and sang.

 

I’ll be your drug, I’ll be your fix, I’ll be your ecstasy,

Feel me charge up through your veins, I’ll be your everything.

No need to rush, no need to speed, no reason to fly,

I’ll be the one for you, I know I’m willing to try.

 

You have my heart, my soul, you are, the air that I breathe.

Just give me one chance, why don’t you come be with me?

No need to rush, no need to speed, no reason to fly,

I wanna love you every day ’til we die.

 

Wanna touch your face, kiss your lips, and feel your skin,

I’m so hot for you, I don’t know where to begin.

No need to rush, no need to speed, no reason to fly.

I know you want me, I see the look in your eyes.

I love you so much, I should have known,

My heart is yours and so is my soul.

 

“Wow.” Gemma’s eyes glassed over and she touched her necklace. “That’s beautiful.”

“You like that?”

“Yeah. A lot.”

Kyle put his guitar down, crawled over to her. He curled his hands around her ankles and ran them up her silky-smooth bare legs. He took her guitar away and placed it on the floor. The shirt she wore had ridden up to reveal her black lacy boy-leg panties. The glimpse gave him an instant hard-on.

“You should not wear clothes like this around Hunt.”

“Why not? I always wear stuff like this to bed.”

“Because it’s so fucking sexy.”

He slid his hands up along her thighs and dipped his head to follow them with kisses. He shuffled in between her legs, edging them wider, and worked his way up her inner thigh with the softest of touches. Her smooth flesh was warm beneath his lips.

“You think your old shirt is sexy?”

Nearing her groin, he lifted her shirt and blew a gentle breath of warm air across the front of her panties. “On you . . . definitely.”

Her hands weaved through his hair, and she didn’t stop his advances. Nuzzling his nose into her sex, he breathed her in. With playful nips and kisses at the lace, she let out a soft moan, sending a hum coursing through his body.

Kyle looked up at her. She’d closed her eyes. He loved that doing this made her putty in his hands. He traced along the top of her panties, tickling and brushing her smooth belly before following the squiggly line of flowers in the lacy fabric downwards. At the bottom edge of her panties, he hooked his finger through the crotch of lace and tugged the fabric aside. His cock throbbed, eager to plunge inside her.

But not yet.

He wanted to taste her. Lick her. Make her melt.

He dipped his head and kissed over the arch of her pubic bone, loving her smooth waxed skin. The scent of her arousal hit him, and he was a lost man. He pulled the fabric farther aside and ran his tongue up between the folds of her skin. Her body jolted. A gentle gasp escaped her mouth.

He did it again, this time tasting her saltiness and swirling his tongue around her warm swollen bud. Having her like this ignited the fire in his stomach and set his pulse rushing through his veins.

But damn, her panties were in the way.

“Had enough, Gem?”

“Not yet.”

He sat back, grabbed the waistband of her panties, and tugged them down her legs. Shuffling back in between her thighs, with her bare and exposed before him, he lowered his head. Her legs fell wider apart, giving him full access. He glided his finger through her slit and probed into her wetness. His mouth and tongue took possession of her hot clit.

Her hips pulsed against his licks, nips, and sucks. The rolling ‘mmm’ sounds in her throat spurred him on. He gently drove his finger in and out of her. Her warmth, slick on his fingers, the taste of her on his tongue, made his dick ache for attention, but he could wait. Her pussy was too perfect.

Gemma’s legs curled around his back, her muscles strained. With a firm tongue, he circled her swollen bud and kissed her. Sucked her. Licked her.

His heart thundered in his chest, and his dick strained against his boxer shorts when she clawed at the edge of the sofa. Her panting breath hammered in his ears, and her hips pulsed in time with his rhythmic motion.

“Kyle.” She gasped and swirled her hands through his hair.

He flicked his tongue, increased the pressure and probed his fingers deeper into her.

Her thighs trembled. She groaned. Her body convulsed. But he kept licking and kissing her, letting her ride out her orgasm until she could take it no more.

Gemma pulled on his shirt to draw him away. She clawed at the fabric to rip it off. He discarded his boxer shorts and was about to crawl onto the sofa when Gemma slipped down to the floor beside him and pushed him to lie back on the rug. She straddled his groin and guided his cock inside her.

Kyle gritted his teeth. Her warmth, her wetness, her touch made his cock harder. His whole body flexed, and he thrust his hips up to meet hers.

She leaned forward and hovered over him. “We’re not going to get a lot of songs written if we keep doing this.”

“Consider this research and inspiration.” He tilted his hips, burying his dick deeper inside her.

She took her weight onto her thighs and moved up and down. Sweet Jesus! Gemma riding him was so fucking hot.

Slipping his hand up underneath her shirt, he cupped her silky soft breast. She rocked harder against him when he rubbed her nipple between his fingertips.

“Do you like me fucking you?” she whispered.

“I think that’s an understatement.” Kyle weaved his hand behind her neck and kissed her. “I love everything about you.”

She drew back from his kiss, her eyes burning into his and she slowed down her pace. “That’s good to know . . . because I love you, too.”

His heart jumped and took up residence somewhere near his Adam’s apple. Blood surged through his veins at hypersonic speed.

Nothing would ever top this feeling.

Gemma. Loved. Him.

She drowned out any form of response from him with a kiss. Long and deep and hard. Her hips drove against his hard and fast. His cock penetrating deeper and deeper. Sweat slicked her skin, and her breaths came in short, sharp bursts. Unable to maintain control any longer, he exploded. A guttural groan burst from his mouth. Coming had never felt so good. He drove into her, making the sensation last as long as he could. Her body convulsed, and her insides clenched around him. Fuck, he was in heaven. She steadied her pulsing hips, then collapsed on the floor beside him.

With his heart still racing, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the forehead.

“So, I guess I let it slip, didn’t I?” she whispered.

Kyle couldn’t control his grin, her words still ringing in his ears. “What slip?”

She slapped him on the chest. “The L-word. Hunt said it was obvious and told me to stop denying it. So here I am, taking advice from him of all people.”

“Hunt and advice don’t seem to mix.” He chuckled. “But I’ll make note to thank him just the same.”

“How did we avoid this for so long?” Her fingers trailed across his chest and circled around his nipples.

“I honestly don’t know. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could stay in this bubble forever?”

“I’d like that very much,” she whispered and pressed her lips against his neck.

Gemma’s phone rang. Kyle reached up and grabbed it off the coffee table. “Bubble’s burst. It’s your mom.”

“What the hell does she want now?”

“Let’s find out?” Kyle swiped the screen and put it on speaker. “Hello, Janine.” He lowered his voice to sound all serious.

“Kyle? Where’s Gemma?” she barked.

“She’s here, right beside me.”

The color drained from Gemma’s face.

Oh shit.

His heart jolted. He didn’t need to provide fuel for Janine’s lust for gossip just by answering her phone.

Gemma’s hand shook, and she ripped the phone from him. “We’re writing songs, Mom. What’s up?”

Kyle swept his hand over Gemma’s naked chest, cupped her breast and ducked down to take her nipple in his mouth. She slapped him hard on the back and glared at him.

“Then how come I don’t hear any music?” Janine asked.

Kyle launched himself off the floor, straddled Gemma’s waist, and grabbed his guitar. He struck at the strings softly, admiring Gemma’s naked body beneath him.

“Music, Mom. Can you hear that?” Gemma smiled, running her hand up his leg.

Kyle leaned forward and whispered in Gemma’s ear, “I’m going to jump in the shower. I’ll leave you to it.”

“Okay,” she mouthed. “So . . . Mom, why did you call? . . . No Mom . . . we’ve had this conversation already. I’m not with Hunter—”

Kyle shut the door to the bathroom behind him, turned the shower to hot, and let the spray rush over him. Trust Janine to ring at an inconvenient time and was no doubt trying to suck the latest gossip from Gemma. She never called for any other reason. If only he could make Gemma see she was worthy of being loved, and that what her mother thought didn’t matter. Gemma had never experienced unconditional love by family and had only ever been hurt by others who had said they loved her before—her dad, her mom, Ben . . . and Hunter. He promised to change that. She needed to know and understand the depth of how much she meant to him, that he loved her unconditionally, and he’d do whatever it took to prove it.