Crave (Talon Security #1)(4)

“I won’t let you,” he rumbled.

He had me on the brink in seconds. I cried out his name as the most powerful orgasm I’d ever had swept through me.

He rose back to his feet and took my mouth again, his hands grabbing my backside and squeezing with another low groan of appreciation.

“Condom?” he demanded.

“I don’t have any,” I panted.

“I do, one second,” he replied, his tone harsh with lust as he stalked out of the room.

I bit my lip, my heart hammering in my chest as I waited for the moment I’d dreamed about to become a reality.

I waited, naked, for what felt like an eternity. With every moment that passed, I grew more and more anxious. After a few minutes, I grabbed my robe and went in search of him.

I found him fully dressed, sitting on the edge of his bed.

My heart sank deep into the pit of my stomach.

“Hey, you okay? What happened?” I asked with quiet dread.

“I’m sorry Sam, I….” He appeared at a loss for words.

I swallowed hard against the razor blades suddenly piercing my throat. “You don’t want me,” I stated flatly.

He shook his head, his blue eyes flooded with emotion as he managed to look up at me. “No, it’s not that. Christ. I’m sorry.”

He rose, brushing past me, and headed out to the living room.

“Sid,” I rasped, my eyes following him as he grabbed his keys and walked through the front door.

He didn’t even look back.

And I moved out the next day.





CHAPTER 1

Six Months Later

The chords hummed against my fingers as I sang through the chorus one last time. Seated in a comfortable chair in the recording studio in West Hollywood, I still felt as though I was having an out-of-body experience.

“It’s perfect, Sam—beautiful.”

I looked up at Autumn with a shy smile, placing my hands over the strings to stop their reverberation.

Autumn and I had run into each other throughout the years at various gigs. Her career had taken off in the last year, and by some miracle, she’d requested that I write her a few songs.

Being a famous rock star had never really been my dream, I’d realized. Now I had the opportunity for my songs to be heard by millions. This, this was my dream, new and reclaimed after months of discovery.

“You’ve got everything registered?” she asked as she bent to pick up her guitar, her red curls falling in delicate disarray around her face.

I appreciated her looking out for me. I’d learned a hell of a lot about songwriter rights in the last several months. I’d found myself a music publisher I trusted to ensure that when my songs were played, I got paid, if that day ever came.

“I’m all set.” I smiled. “When are you recording?” I asked, looking around the cozy-feeling recording studio, where a few men stood behind the mixing boards at the ready.

“Probably tomorrow.” She grinned, her blue eyes shining. “I can’t thank you enough. You have such amazing ability, Sam. I hope you don’t mind, but I recommended you to a few other artists.”

I looked at her with wide, excited eyes. “No, I definitely don’t mind. Thank you!”

“I should be thanking you,” she replied before glancing at the time. “Aren’t you late? You said you were meeting up with your brother.”

I grimaced. “Shit, you’re right. At least he’s used to it.” I got up and swept my purse up over my shoulder. “Let me know how the recording goes.” I grinned as she stood up to hug me.

“I will. Talk to you soon.”

I nodded, offered a wave to the studio guys, and headed out into the sunshine. For the first time in months, I felt a genuine smile light up my face.

****

“I’m here!” I called as I swept into the Talon security offices.

Nestled in the heart of the city of industry, Talon headquarters was more of a compound surrounded by barbed wire.

I’d promised I’d meet Travis for lunch an hour ago.

I had a small issue with punctuality. Add in my penchant for losing my balance, frequently rambling on without a point, and my ability to lose anything that wasn’t nailed down, I was often a lot to take.

It was a good thing I was so lovable.

I had a coffee the size of my head in one hand, my giant purse balanced precariously on one shoulder, and the Tupperware container of cookies I’d made under my other arm.

The converted warehouse started off somewhat traditionally with a reception desk at the very front, with a large open-floor plan beyond. There was a desk for each of the guys and a closed-off conference room toward the back for when they needed privacy.

Where it got unique was at the back of the building, where Travis had built a huge, state-of-the-art training facility. I’d only been back there a few times. The sight of the large climbing wall, punching bags, and cardio and weight-training equipment made me nervous. The fat on my ass had been running scared by the time I’d backtracked my way out of there.