His to Claim (5 page)

She smiled and took a sip of her drink. “Talking about your time away, how was it
playing your guitar in front of huge audiences?”

His eyes glowed. “It was a pure adrenaline rush.”

She grinned. “A few months ago, I never would have been able to imagine Rafe Ranier,
businessman, always impeccably dressed in a designer suit, playing guitar with a rock
band in front of screaming fans, but after seeing you with your tattoos and leather
jacket, and riding the big motorcycle…” She shrugged. “I still say you inspire me.”

He leaned forward. “I like that.” The intensity of his gaze unsettled her. “If I can
be some part of you breaking free and finding yourself, that makes me feel good.”

She gazed into his sky blue eyes, her heartbeat increasing. “I’m glad I make you feel
good.”

He was so close. With his broad shoulders and impressive height, she felt tiny in
comparison. She felt the pull of his masculinity as she leaned a little closer. Heat
simmered in his eyes as his face drew nearer, then he tipped up her chin. Her breath
held as his lips brushed hers. Lightly. Tenderly. Then his mouth moved on hers. She
breathed in his musky male scent mixed with leather and mint. The tip of his tongue
teased her lips and she opened. Her arms swept around his neck as he slid into her
mouth. His hands glided around her waist and he drew her closer. Her eyelids fell
closed as she felt his arms envelop her.

Oh, God, this was really happening. She was in Rafe Ranier’s arms. They were alone
in her apartment and he was kissing her. Her bedroom was only yards away. She curled
her tongue around his and stroked it. Weak with need, she melted against him.

His mouth drew away and she opened her eyes.

He seemed uncertain. “Melanie, are you sure—”

A knock sounded on the door and she jumped. Rafe drew away and she mentally cursed
whoever it was.

“We could wait until they go away,” Melanie suggested, but then another knock sounded.

“Melanie, it’s Jessica.”

“Coming,” Melanie called, then her gaze shot to Rafe. “Will this be awkward for you?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

She stood up and walked to the door. Maybe
he
wouldn’t find it awkward, but Melanie wasn’t too happy about Jessica finding Melanie
and Rafe alone in her apartment.

Not that Jessica would mind. She’d done everything she could to encourage Melanie
to start a relationship with Rafe.

She opened the door and Jessica smiled at her.

“So let’s see that tattoo,” Jessica said as she stepped in the room. Then she stopped.
“Rafe, hi.” She glanced back at Melanie and smiled. “I can come back another time
if I’m interrupting.”

Rafe stood up. “Not at all. Melanie and I ran into each other at the tattoo studio
and grabbed dinner together.”

“Then he found I left my wallet behind and he brought it up,” Melanie added.

“And now I’m going to take off.” Rafe walked toward the door.

“I’ll see you at the office Monday?” Jessica asked.

“The staff meeting at ten. I’ll be there.” Then he disappeared out the door.

Jessica stared at Melanie with a Cheshire Cat smile. “So … do I sense romance in the
air?”

Melanie narrowed her eyes. “Did you have anything to do with us meeting today?”

“What do you mean?” Jessica asked innocently.

“You said someone recommended the studio. I assume that was Rafe. And did you by chance
arrange my appointment right after his?”

“I may have found out he was going in for another tattoo, and happened to book the
same day.” But Jessica couldn’t keep a straight face under Melanie’s stare. She laughed.
“Okay, you caught me. But it worked, didn’t it? It triggered your first date with
Rafe.”

“It wasn’t a date. It was just dinner.”

“Did he kiss you?”

Melanie frowned. “You know, you’re entirely too nosy.”

Jessica laughed again. “Okay, fine. Now let’s see that ink.”

*   *   *

The bell over the shop door jingled as Melanie finished lining up the muffins in the
display case.

“Wowza!” Sue whispered. “If you don’t hit that, you’re crazy.”

Melanie stood up to see Rafe, impeccably dressed in a dark gray suit, dove-gray shirt,
and dark teal and charcoal tie walking toward her. He was a stunning sight. And other
than the subtle glint of the diamond studs in his ears, there was no hint of the laid-back
biker with arms and chest adorned with tattoos. He looked every bit the wealthy businessman.

She smiled. “What can I get you?” she asked, trying not to think about his arms around
her, his tongue gliding into her mouth. And how warm and solid his body felt against
hers.

“Nothing. I just wanted to talk for a minute,” he said. “Do you have time?”

The place was empty. “Uh … yes. Of course.” She knew Sue wouldn’t mind covering for
her, just like she did when Sue’s sister came in.

She followed him to the same table they’d sat at last time, near the back, then sat
down.

“I just wanted to make sure we’re okay after Saturday night,” he began.

She blinked. She was okay with what had happened. More than okay. But it sounded like
he wasn’t.

“Um … sure. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“It’s just … things were getting pretty hot and heavy.”

“Is there anything wrong with that?”

“I just don’t want to jeopardize our friendship.”

She shrugged, but she could feel her cheeks heating in embarrassment. She’d thought
the attraction was mutual, but he must have just been caught up in a rush of hormones.
Clearly it wasn’t her he’d been attracted to. Just any woman would have sufficed,
and Melanie had made it clear she’d be ready and willing.

“Okay. No harm done. I don’t know what either of us was thinking.” She tried to laugh
casually, but it came out strangled and sad. She stood up. “I should get back to work.”
She turned to escape.

“Wait.”

She turned back. His brow creased and his blue eyes were filled with concern.

“I seem to have insulted you and I didn’t mean that. Melanie, this is new territory
for us. I just don’t want to ruin things.”

“What is it you do want?” she asked point-blank.

He stood up and pulled something from his inside jacket pocket and handed it to her.
She glanced down at it. A ticket to an event.

“I’m playing with Savage Kiss at an outdoor concert on Saturday. You said you’d like
to see me play sometime. What I want is for you to come to the concert.”

*   *   *

Saturday was a hot day, so Melanie decided to wear a camisole and a short denim skirt.
She tossed a light sweater in her large shoulder bag and went down to the lobby of
her building.

The concert was about an hour out of town, so Rafe had offered to send a car for her.
She’d be meeting him after the show.

When she walked out the door, she saw a black limo waiting at the curb, the chauffeur
standing beside it.

“Ms. Taylor?”

“Yes.”

He opened the door and she climbed inside.

She sat back in the ultra-comfortable leather seat and glanced around. There was a
bar along the side with small bottles of wine, cans of soda, beer, and juice. There
were nuts, chips, and other snacks, too. On the right was a TV.

Wow. This was luxury. She could happily relax and fall asleep in this seat.

The car pulled smoothly from the curb. She poured a glass of wine and turned on the
TV, then relaxed. The miles and minutes just seemed to slip by as she sipped the rich
Cabernet. When they finally arrived at the venue, she thanked the driver and followed
the other people flocking to the admission gate, her ticket at the ready.

Once she was inside, a uniformed security guard walked toward her.

“Good evening, miss. Are you Melanie Taylor?”

“Yes.” She reached into her purse to find the ticket stub and pulled it out.

“Come with me.”

Her chest compressed. “Is something wrong?”

He smiled. “Not at all.” But he gave no further explanation.

He led her through the crowd, toward the stage, then to a cordoned-off VIP area where
a few other people were sitting on cushioned folding chairs. Outside the select area,
people stood or sat on blankets.

Once she sat down, another security person set down a black bag beside her chair.
It looked like a soft-sided cooler.

“This is for you.” He handed her an envelope, then the two of them went on their way.

She opened the envelope and in Rafe’s familiar handwriting it said, “Enjoy the show.”

She opened the zipper on the bag and inside were several bottles of a vodka drink
she hadn’t tried before, but some were mango and berry so she knew she’d like them.
Also, there were a couple of bottles of water and some bags of nuts and chips.

It was like being on a date but without her date present.

She opened a bottle and sat back. Before long, the band was introduced and excitement
murmured through the crowd. The members of Savage Kiss bounded onto stage, and the
crowd cheered. One band member stepped forward, introducing himself as Travis.

Making use of visual effects, Travis expertly whipped the crowd’s enthusiasm to a
frenzy of excitement as he introduced each band member. Storm came last, appearing
out of an explosion of smoke and a blaze of lights.

Women cheered wildly at the sight of him. And Melanie couldn’t blame them. He wore
a black tank top that showed off his muscular, tattooed arms, and he oozed the aura
of a sexy bad boy who set any woman to dreaming of wicked nights in his arms.

When he began to play his guitar solo, Melanie’s eyes widened. My God, he was talented.
And his charisma on stage was captivating.

She sat mesmerized for the entire show, trying to reconcile this wild performer with
the Rafe she knew.

After they’d played their final set, the crowd cheered and applauded until the band
came out for an encore. Even after that, the enthusiasm of the crowd was relentless.
People even started calling for Storm until he came out and performed a final solo.
Anticipation quivered through her as she realized she’d soon be with him. Just the
two of them.

At least, she assumed he’d be meeting her after the show. But she wasn’t sure how
to go about getting backstage to see him, and she doubted that he’d come into the
crowd to find her. He’d be mobbed.

Finally, the show was well and truly over and the crowd started to break up. She left
the VIP area and meandered toward the stage. Other women were gathering by the fenced-off
area and security guards hovered around.

She waited with the other women, unsure what to do. After about twenty minutes, she
began to despair that she’d misread the situation. But surely Rafe wouldn’t leave
her stranded this far from the city. Maybe the limo driver was waiting for her where
he’d dropped her off. She turned with a sigh and started walking toward the entrance.

“I think he’s coming,” a woman said excitedly.

“Over there. Isn’t that him?” another woman cried.

As Melanie turned toward the fence again, several women started to shriek and wave.

“Storm! Over here!”

Melanie was still near the front of the crowd and was pushed toward the fence as the
women surged toward it. Melanie grasped the linked metal as she peered through to
the other side.

There was Storm, walking in their direction.

“Hello, ladies.” He smiled as he continued toward them.

“Oh, Storm, we love you!” a woman screamed.

“Storm, I want you so bad,” another said.

“I’ll show you a good time you’ll never forget,” a third yelled, then lifted her top
and revealed her bare breasts. Her enormous, perfectly formed breasts.

“Me, too,” responded another and she pulled up her top, too.

Soon several pairs of bare breasts peered toward him. He smiled and stopped about
a yard from the fence, glancing across the crowd.

The brashness of the women shocked Melanie, but it was also exciting and wild.

Just then, Storm’s gaze turned to her and recognition flickered in his eyes.

She locked gazes with him, then obeyed the urge thrumming through her, and reached
for the hem of her camisole top, then tugged it up, revealing her naked breasts.

They might not be as spectacular as the first woman’s, or as big and round as the
others’, but Storm’s eyes lit up at the sight of them.

Within seconds, someone grasped her shoulder and she glanced behind her. A big, burly
security guard frowned at her. She tugged down her top.

“Come with me, miss.”

She glanced at the guard’s stern face and her cheeks heated with embarrassment. Oh,
God, was she being arrested for indecent exposure? Oh, damn, why had she listened
to that wild, erratic voice in her head?

In the commotion of the crowd, she lost sight of Storm. The guard led her through
the crowd, past the stage, toward a tent with a sign stating S
ECURITY
.

As they neared the security tent, however, Melanie’s guard veered to the side and
took her to a gate in the fence. It was wooden, blocking the view of what was behind
it.

They stepped through the gate and it closed behind her. On the other side of the fence
the bright lights that had turned on after the show so that people could see their
way out were still blazing, but it was shadowy here. She gazed around, disoriented.
Someone stepped toward her.

“There you are.” Storm grinned at her.

Her guard escort released her arm and disappeared through the gate again, leaving
her standing alone with Storm.

“I thought they were going to arrest me.”

“For flashing me?” He chuckled. “That happens all the time. One of the hazards of
the job.”

He stepped toward her and tucked his finger under her chin, then tipped it up. “You
are becoming quite the naughty vixen, aren’t you? I never would have thought you’d
do something like that.”

Her cheeks flushed, but thankfully he wouldn’t be able to see them in the dim light.