His to Claim (16 page)

“And the thought of your cock all hard and ready has made me really wet.”

“Fuck, Melanie, I wish I was there.”

“Is your hand around your cock? Are you stroking it?”

“Yes.” His voice was tight with sexual tension.

She stroked over her slick flesh.

“Are you looking at the picture of me?”

“Fuck, yes.”

“I want to see a picture of you.”

But Storm swore under his breath, then said, “Hold on a second.”

Really? Now?

“Dane, I didn’t know you were still here,” she overheard him say.

She covered her mouth in surprise. God, Dane had walked in on Rafe? Had he seen what
he was doing?

Oh, God, had Dane seen the picture of her?

“I’m just talking to Melanie right now, then I’m going to finish up the notes for
the meeting tomorrow.” He was obviously still talking to Dane.

“Melanie, Dane says hi.”

“Hi,” she said weakly.

“Listen, I’ll call you back. Dane needs to discuss something before tomorrow.”

“I’d like to … but I need to be up early tomorrow. We’re heading to Savannah.” God
knew she wanted to finish this, but she also knew a meeting with Dane would take at
least an hour, probably more.

“Yes, of course. But I can’t say I’m not disappointed to be interrupted like that.
Can we talk tomorrow night?”

“Probably not. The show goes pretty late, then we usually go out afterward. That means
probably after two.”

“Okay, I’ll try in a couple of days. But I’ll be thinking about you, Melanie. About
all the things I’d do to you if you were here.”

“Storm, um … before you go … Dane didn’t see the picture of me, did he?”

“Of course not. I closed it as soon as he came to the door. But believe me, I will
be looking at it later.”

“I’d really like a picture, too.”

“Well, right now isn’t opportune, but I promise I’ll send you something soon.”

“It’s a deal.”

After she hung up, she lay in the bed, frustrated and totally turned on. She stroked
her breast, wishing Storm was here to touch her like that. She stripped off her panties
and tossed them aside, then stroked her slick flesh.

As much as she tried to stay focused on images of Storm, she needed to feel a man’s
touch, so her mind kept drifting back to the feel of Travis’ arms around her. Of his
lips on hers, and his tongue exploring her mouth.

Storm was being understanding and attentive. And he seemed to have control of his
jealousy. He was being everything she needed him to be.

Except here.

So when she touched her body to satisfy the aching, physical need he’d help build
within her, it was actually images of Travis and Diego who brought her to release.

*   *   *

“So why aren’t you there with her?”

Rafe glanced at his older brother across the conference table in Dane’s office. “What
are you talking about?”

“You should be with Melanie.” Dane leaned back in his chair, staring at Rafe with
that keen gaze of his. “Touring with the band. That’s where you’ll be happy.”

“I thought you wanted me here, helping with the company.”

“Of course I do. But you know, we can always conference call and interact over e-mail.
I just want you to be a part of this company.” Dane leaned forward. “And I want to
be a part of your life. But I know you’d be happier being with the band.” He smiled.
“And with Melanie. I’ve never seen you as happy as when you’re with her. Or talking
about her.”

Dane put down his pen. “Rafe, I know we’re making up for lost time, but that doesn’t
mean the company has to be your only focus.”

Rafe stared at Dane, barely believing his older brother was suggesting that Rafe go
on tour with the band. His heart ached at the thought that Dane actually wanted Rafe
to do something that would make him happy.

His whole life, Rafe had believed that Dane was just like their father, but he’d recently
come to realize that Dane had simply had a different way of coping with their father’s
tyranny.

Right then, Rafe wanted to say something to let him know how glad he was that they’d
reconnected, but he couldn’t find the words.

“I’m glad you came back,” Dane said, sparing him the trouble. “I know we haven’t been
that close in the past but…” Dane cleared his throat, then his eyes darted away as
if he was uncomfortable. “You mean a lot to me.”

“Thanks, man,” Rafe said, then put his hand out. When his brother extended his, Rafe
pulled him in for a hug and clapped him hard on the back. “I used to think you were
like Dad, but I know now that’s not true. You’re nothing like him.”

*   *   *

The next morning, Melanie finished packing her backpack and carried it with her when
she went down to breakfast. She had an hour to eat before they got on the bus to drive
to Savannah. When she walked into the hotel restaurant, she didn’t see any of the
guys, so she sat down at a table by the window and pulled out an ATC and pencil while
she waited for the waitress to come and take her order.

“So did you and Storm have a nice talk last night?”

She glanced up at Travis’ voice.

“Um … yeah.”

At the curl of his lips, she knew he assumed she and Storm had had phone sex last
night. He was right, but wrong at the same time. She certainly wouldn’t tell Travis
that it was thoughts of being in his arms that had finally given her the release that
she’d craved. He already knew she’d needed that release because he had triggered her
craving in the first place.

But let him think that Storm had actually satisfied that need.

He sat down beside her and signaled for the waitress, who arrived at the table with
coffeepot in hand.

“Two coffees,” he said. “We’ll have bacon and eggs. One order scrambled, and the other
over easy. Right, Melanie?”

Melanie nodded as she poured cream into the steaming coffee in front of her. She breathed
in the rich aroma, then took a sip.

Bam. Caffeine. That’s the stuff.

Dan and Jimmy, the other two band members, walked by and stopped at the table.

“Hey, I heard Travis and Diego got to see your tattoo last night.” Jimmy grinned.
It was one of the rare mornings he wore his long, black hair hanging loose rather
than tied back as usual.

“You know we’re feeling left out now,” Dan said.

She shrugged. “That’s okay. I’ll show you, too. As soon as we get on the bus.”

“All right.” Jimmy winked. “We could get on the bus now.” His gaze dropped to her
powder-pink tank top.

“Let the woman have her breakfast first, guys.”

Dan shrugged. “If you insist.”

“You going to join us?” Travis asked.

“No, we ate earlier. We’re just here to grab a coffee.” Jimmy held up his ever-present
red metal thermal mug. “See you later.”

They sauntered to the counter and the waitress filled up their cups, then they left.

“They’re going to be disappointed when you get on the bus and pull out your sketch
pad.”

She quirked her eyebrow. “Are you saying my design is disappointing?”

He laughed. “Not at all. I personally love it.” He stared at her over his cup. “In
fact, I wanted to know if you’d design a tattoo for me.”

“Really? What do you have in mind?”

“I was thinking maybe a wolf. Something dramatic with intense amber eyes.”

She pushed aside the ATC and started to sketch on the paper place mat. “Just the face,
or the whole animal?”

“Just the face.” He watched her sketch out a design.

She quickly drew the shape of the face, then filled in the details.

“That is amazing. I don’t get how you can just do that.”

She shrugged. “I just see it in my head and let my hand go.”

The waitress approached the table with their meals, so Melanie slipped the sketch
out of the way and grabbed the place mat from the setting beside her.

“That’s great.” Travis pulled out his phone and took a picture of it.

“Well, I’ll do a better version of it tonight. Or I could do a few more so you can
have a choice.”

“Nope. I want to go with this one.” He tucked his phone in his pocket and started
to eat.

After they finished breakfast, she went to the bus.

Travis sat down beside her. “You know, we’ll be in Jacksonville in a few days. If
you could finalize the artwork in time, I could have it done there. What do you think?”

“Sure, I can do that.”

“And tomorrow is your artist meeting,” Diego said from the next seat. “You all ready
for it?”

She pursed her lips. “With people buying up all the ones I do of you guys, I don’t
have anything to trade.” Because she sure wasn’t going to trade the ones she’d done
of Storm.

“So do some today, and maybe do something different.”

“You’re right. I’ll do some fantasy creatures.” As much as she enjoyed doing them,
she hadn’t done any on the ATCs yet.

Diego laughed. “I said do something different.”

She glanced at him.

“Well, the women do fantasize about us,” he explained.

It was true.
She
certainly did.

She laughed. “I meant magical creatures.”

“Well…” His lips turned up in a grin.

“I get it. You and the guys are magical, fantasy hunks that no woman can resist.”

Travis glanced around. “Except you, it seems.”

His warm, blue-green eyes twinkled and she wondered how she had succeeded in resisting
him for so long. Of course, it was because of Storm, but how much did Storm really
want her? She was sure if she was really important to him, he could have found a way
to come along on the tour.

“Except she showed you her tattoo.” Dan stood beside their seat, Jimmy behind him.

Travis laughed and stood up. “Well, you’ll get to see exactly what we saw.” He smiled
at her. “I’ll leave you to your art.” He moved to his usual seat farther back in the
bus, where he usually worked on his music.

After she showed Jimmy and Dan the sketch of her tattoo, they acted devastated at
not seeing the real thing and she sent them on their way, then got to work on creating
some art.

*   *   *

The next morning, Diego accompanied her to the meet. They wandered around and chatted
with various artists and she traded her three cards for a small watercolor landscape
of a lake from a lovely older woman, a pencil drawing of a tabby cat by a younger
woman who had a collection of drawings of felines, and an abstract in pen and ink
by a bearded man. Everyone she met was friendly and helpful, offering different suggestions
about how to make a career with her art. She felt exhilarated talking to so many like-minded
people.

That evening at the show, lots of ideas tumbled through her head from the various
things she’d learned from other artists about how they promoted their work.

When she got back to her room, she tackled her latest card creation with new vigor.
But she still wound up drawing Storm. She tucked it into the special bundle and dropped
it into the desk drawer, as she did in every hotel room she’d stayed at. She just
had to face it. If she was alone in her room, she was going to draw Storm. She stared
at the naked picture she’d done of him. If only he were here to model in person. Of
course, if he was, the last thing she’d be thinking of would be drawing him.

*   *   *

“I’ve got an appointment at a tattoo studio in about an hour. I’d like you to come
with me.”

Melanie glanced up from her breakfast as Travis sat down across from her in the hotel
restaurant in Jacksonville, Florida.

“You want me to get another tattoo?” She sipped her coffee.

“No, I’m getting the tattoo. The one you designed.”

“Oh, right. I haven’t had my coffee yet so the brain is not in gear.” And she hadn’t
had much sleep since she’d been yearning for Storm.

“So, will you go? I thought you’d want to, since you designed it.”

“I guess I could.” It would be kind of fun to see her design rendered into reality
on his skin.

Or so she thought until she stood in the studio and Travis grabbed his belt and started
to undo it. She drew in a breath as he pulled back the strap and released the buckle,
then let the leather slide through the metal frame. Her gaze locked on his fingers
as he unzipped his jeans.

“Where … uh … are you getting the tattoo?” she asked, torn between spinning away,
and watching in anticipation, as he lowered his pants and tossed them onto a spare
chair in the artist’s private studio room. She averted her gaze from his underwear
and the outline of his intimate parts.

Travis just laughed and lay down on the table, then tugged down his underwear to reveal
one side of his firm, hard butt.

The tattoo artist placed the template on Travis’ muscular buttock. Melanie watched
in fascination, and with a growing hunger, as the artist proceeded to bring the design
to life on Travis’ skin.

“Gorgeous,” she said once it was done. And she meant more than just the tattoo. The
man’s ass was a thing of beauty.

Travis hopped off the table and gazed behind him in the mirror. “Nice job.”

The artist covered it with gauze and taped it down, then Travis pulled up his underwear
and donned his jeans. When they got back to the hotel, everyone was hanging out in
Diego’s room.

“Hey, there he is,” Dan said. “So show us the new ink.”

“Yeah, let me go remove the gauze.”

Travis headed for his room and Melanie settled in a chair. Jimmy handed her a beer.

When Travis returned he grinned. “So you guys want to see?”

“Yeah, man. Bring it on,” said Jimmy.

Travis stepped toward Melanie, with the guys behind him, then reached for his belt.
Melanie’s gaze locked on his buckle as he released it for the second time today in
front of her, then began to unzip his jeans. As Travis began to lower his pants, a
familiar voice cut across the room.

“Do you want to explain to me what’s going on here?”

Melanie’s gaze darted to the door to see Storm standing there. She jerked forward,
spilling her beer on her jeans. She placed the bottle on the table and wiped at the
denim, her cheeks heating.