On the Prowl by Kate Rudolph

16

Energy thrummedthrough Em and she practically skipped back to her hotel room. The audience was all keyed up and their hype only made her feel even more energized. It was like that after a good concert. Performing always made her feel good, even when she was working through an illness or heartbreak.

But nights like this were what the job was made for. The audience carried her along on their excitement, and she gave them every bit of her.

There were no threats when she stood on that stage. There were no photographers hanging around the corner and trying to get money shots. It was just her, her fans, and the music.

She wanted to dance. She wanted to run back on that stage and sing for another hour.

A raucous laugh caught in the back of her throat, and she perched on the edge of mania. It was a good night.

But after a small meet and greet where she took pictures and signed autographs, she headed back to her hotel room. Another rock star might have gone out on the town and drank until sunrise. But no matter how much energy Em had right now, she knew she would regret that in the morning.

But it was almost worth it.

She unlocked the door to her suite, all the while singing a song she had stuck in her head. It was one that her opening act had performed, and every time she heard it, it stuck with her all night.

Maybe she would cover it. Or maybe they could release a duet of it. She should probably make a note of that. She was pretty sure she had had this thought before. And she wasn't sure for how much longer that opening act would be part of her tour. Sometimes they switched out after a few weeks.

"You seem chipper." Andre sat on the couch in her suite and placed his phone on the side table.

Em almost jumped out of her skin. The excitement of the concert had wiped away the threat of the ghost werewolf, and she had almost forgotten that Andre would be waiting in her room.

And damn did he look good. Liquid heat slid through her veins and settled deep in her core. Maybe she wouldn't go out for a night on the town. But Andre was right here. And he was as hot as they came.

"It was a good concert." She couldn't keep the smile off her face. This was what she lived for. The first time she had belted out a tune in front of a crowd, she had known that it was what she wanted to do forever. It had taken a bit of work to convince the world that this was where she belonged, but now they knew. Now she was at the top. And she wasn't going to be toppled.

But she could definitely be convinced to be under someone right now.

Someone specific.

"It was a good show," he said. He didn't bother to get up from the couch.

Her brain tingled with curiosity and desire for praise. "You watched?" She didn't know why she was so excited. She knew she had killed it. But the idea that Andre liked it… Well. She wanted him to admit it.

Andre looked at her for several seconds, and his gaze was heavy. "I only watched for a bit. Werewolf ears don't exactly mesh with speakers. But what I saw I enjoyed."

"We can get you earplugs. That might make it better." She had her own that helped muffle the sound of the crowd and the stage and the speakers, along with allowing the sound guys to cue her in and keep her on task. But simple earplugs would probably do the trick for Andre. She knew a lot of the stage crew wore them. And she liked the thought of the werewolf being able to listen to her.

"Maybe I'll get some," he agreed. "I'd like to watch you some more."

Her cheeks heated with an excited blush. She was pretty sure she would like him watching her. "Just ask Melinda. She can do anything."

He nodded. And he was still sitting on that couch.

Why wasn't he coming closer to her? Why wasn't he kissing her? He needed to be doing both of those things right now. Her bed was back there, and it was big and it was soft and it was perfect. And she needed him in it with her.

She needed him in her.

So she was going to move this thing along. She was covered in sweat, but she didn't think Andre would mind. She peeled off her shirt and threw it aside.

Andre sat up straighter. "What are you doing?" he asked. There was an edge to his words, a feral hint of the wolf that lived inside him.

She liked that wolf. She wanted to see a bit of his animal come out. She wanted him unrestrained.

She stalked toward him, channeling his predator, and straddled his legs, her knees on the couch and her hands on the back of it, trapping him in place.

"Em…" Was it a warning, or was he begging for more?

"Performance always hypes me up," she said, leaning towards his neck and breathing deep. Wolves cared so much about scent. And she could smell him, but not nearly as much as she was sure he could scent her. She didn't get why they were obsessed with it. Not when there were so many other things to care about. She scraped her teeth along his neck, and Andre shivered.

His hands landed on her hips, but he didn't push her away. He didn't pull her closer either.

Em had to change that. She licked a stripe of skin and could taste his pulse under her tongue.

"Em—" It was a groan, a plea.

And now it was her turn to shiver. She liked the sound of that. She kissed up his jaw and found his lips.

He didn't respond for a moment and then he surrendered to it, one of his hands coming up and cradling her head as he held her close to him and their tongues tangled.

Yes. This was what she needed. He kissed like he had been blessed by some god of lust, and she wanted to know all the wicked things he could do with his tongue. He gave her no mercy. It didn't matter that she was the one sitting on top of him, she had no illusions. He was in control.

And he proved it a moment later when he pulled back with a gasp. "Are you drunk?" he asked with an edge.

"Did you taste any alcohol?" Someone always had a bottle of something backstage, but Em hadn't had anything tonight. "Do you think I’d only want you if I was drunk?" She arched against him, feeling the hard press of his cock underneath his jeans.

Andre pushed her back a bit. "You don't normally like me this much," he said.

"What does like have to do with anything?"

He stared at her for several moments and she could read the challenge, but she didn't know how he wanted her to react.

Finally, he placed both hands back on her hips and pushed her off of him until she was sitting next to him on the couch. "Tell me if you plan to go out tonight. You shouldn't go anywhere alone."

And then he headed to the smaller bathroom in the suite and closed the door behind him. Apparently he didn't care if she was alone in the room.

And Em sank back into the cushions. He didn't want her. No matter what she thought she saw. No matter how he kissed her back. She had to get that through her head.

Rejection sucked.