Lullabye (Rockstar #6) (10 page)

I let out a laugh.

“Xander!” she shrieks, and I bury my nose in her neck. She smells like turpentine and paint and vanilla. Eau de Tera. “What are you doing here?” she asks, pulling back to kiss me on the lips.

Instead of answering, I hold the back of her head deepening the kiss. Every second of every day that I’m away from her, I miss her. Now here she is, in my arms, and I’m going to enjoy every second.

I slide my tongue along the seam of her lips, and she immediately opens, moaning when my tongue delves inside to brush against hers. I reach down and cup her ass, pulling her further into me, my cock already hard. All it takes is a look.

Tera threads her fingers into my hair and tugs a bit. A growl escapes and I back her into her loft, kicking the door shut behind me. I fumble for the locks—it
is
New York after all—and drop my bag to the floor.

“Tera,” I whisper as I kiss along her cheek, her jaw, down to her neck where I nip the tender flesh between my teeth.

“Xan,” she moans, tilting her head back, giving me easier access.

“I need you,” I confess.

She pauses, looking up into my eyes. “No more than I need you.”

We stare at one another for a few seconds, saying so much without a word, and we both snap. We’re ripping clothes off one another, throwing them across the room, and then I’m lifting her up, she’s wrapping her legs around my waist and I’m backing up toward the sofa.

I sit down slowly, positioning my cock at her entrance, and she takes me inside her body where she’s wet and hot. I groan, she moans, as she takes more and more of me with each lift and lower of her hips. Her top teeth pull on her bottom lip, her eyes glazed with desire as they stare deeply into mine. And my heart—my heart is beating fast and furious—for her. Only for her.

When her wetness touches my balls, she pauses, the tip of my cock hitting her deep inside.

“What are you doing here?” she asks again.

“Bringing you your Christmas present,” I tell her with a wink.

“Best present in the world,” she moans as she wiggles her hips.

“Well, that too,” I say with a laugh.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” she whispers, wrapping her arms around my neck, and hugging me close. I hold her the same way, and then she begins moving. The heat—the wetness—she feels so damn good. When she lifts, the friction against my cock, the texture of her inner walls has me groaning aloud.

After a few minutes, I need more. I lift my hips off the sofa when she comes down, going deeper and deeper inside her and she cries out. My Tera calls out my name.

“Faster, baby,” I growl.

She obliges, lifting and lowering herself, faster, harder, and her wetness dripping down onto my balls.

“You feel so fucking good, T,” I tell her. “So damn wet.”

“Mmm,” she moans, grinding her clit down against me.

“I want you to come for me, T. Come on my cock. Show me how much you’ve missed me.”

She moves even faster, and so fucking good—too good. I’m going to come soon and I don’t want to go without her. I adjust my position and pull one of her nipples into my mouth, sucking and tugging just the way she likes.

“Oh yes, yes, Xander, don’t stop,” she calls out. I wouldn’t stop now if the pope himself walked into the room. No god damn way. She’s too close. Her walls pulsing around my dick, her hair coming out of its pins, her cheeks flushed, her lips bruised, her eyes fiery with passion.

Her pussy begins to clamp down around me—son of a bitch—and her breathing is coming in fast pants filled with moans of pleasure.

“Come, baby,” I order, biting her nipple gently, and she moans long and low. After a few more thrusts up deep inside her, her tight pussy begins to convulse, her body vibrating. She screams out my name at her peak and I let myself go.

“
Tera
,” I growl, coming hard—so fucking hard—inside her, the pleasure filling my body with each pulse of cum that she draws from my body. “Christ, so good,” I moan as the last of her orgasm ripples through her, bringing out that last little bit of ecstasy from me I didn’t know was there.

“Mmm, Xan,” she purrs as she falls on top of me.

I trace random patterns across her bare back as we come down and regain our breath.

“Tera.”

“Xan.”

“I love you.”

She sits up and meets my gaze, her eyes filled with wetness. “I love you too, Xan.”

“Are you almost ready?” I ask, and she knows I don’t mean to go again, though my cock is getting his second wind.

“Almost. I’m working hard, Xan. I want us together as much as you do,” she assures me.

“I know, T. It’s just so fucking hard.”

She nods. “It’ll be worth it in the end. I promise.”

“I know that, too. That’s what gets me through our time apart.”

She grins. “Do you want to see my work? Or—” she trails off, wiggling her hips, “you ready for more?”

I can’t fight the grin. I flip her onto her back and thrust into her. “Let’s do this again, and then you can show me your creations.”

Okay, so we fucked, showered, fucked in the shower, finished showering, ate some eggs and toast, and
then
we looked at Tera’s paintings.

“When is your showing?” I ask as I browse the multi-colored canvases, appreciating the beauty of each.

“Three weeks,” she replies. “Do you think you can make it?”

I look at her over my shoulder. “Have I ever missed one?”

She grins. “No.”

“I won’t start now.” I browse some more. “Have you looked into galleries in LA and San Diego?”

“I have.”

My head whips in her direction. There is no hiding the surprise and happiness filling me right now. “Yeah?”

She nods. “There are some that would be great. The owner of the gallery I work with now, knows the owners of a few out there. It wouldn’t be difficult to get shows.”

“That’s because your paintings are phenomenal, T. You’ve been so ‘on’ lately. Your work reflects your moods, I think. There’s less blurring,” I guess.

She shrugs as she stands next to me looking at an abstract painting. “Maybe. I don’t know. This is just what comes out.”

“It’s beautiful,” I say honestly. “I’m proud of you. You’ve worked so hard.”

“Same goes,” she replies. “I saw Jesse and Lucy had the babies. Nice nickname by the way, K Quads.”

I grin. “Yeah. They’re so tiny, Tera, but they can poop something fierce.”

She smiles softly. “I’m sorry, Xander.”

“T,” I say, my hand reaching up to cup her cheek. “Never apologize for doing what you have to do. I
get
it. I was the first one to see you after, remember? I wish I’d been there. You have no idea how much I wish I’d been there for you that day,” I confess, the guilt that’s been eating my soul not allowing me to hold it back.

“Stop that. You
were
there. There was nothing that could have been done. You know it and I know it, so let’s just leave it at that, okay? Let’s agree that it sucked, but life goes on.”

I stare into her beautiful hazel eyes, the flecks of green and gold prevalent tonight.

“Okay.” For now.

“How much time do you have?” she asks.

I look at my watch and wince. “Time goes entirely too fast when I’m here with you.”

“It does. How long?” she asks again, catching my evasion.

“Ten hours,” I answer.

Tera grabs my hand and leads me toward the bedroom. “Then let’s make them count.”

“I hopped off the plan at LAX…” This landing isn’t as happy as the last one. The time with her went so damn fast. I hate that I had to wait a day to go to her, to waste that day on my mother, but it couldn’t be helped. It was see her then or see her on Christmas day—today—and that just isn’t going to happen.

I don’t see the point. To sit there at some stuffy formal dinner with a woman who was barely there when I was growing up? A woman who disapproves of my career choice. A woman who has had more husbands than I have fingers on my left hand. A woman who I talk to less than that during an entire year. It’s all about appearances for Dr. Lynn McCormick-Mackenzie-Daniels-Linz-blah, blah, blah. Honestly I forgot the rest. I’m surprised I remember that many.

The car pulls up in front of CFD and I take a deep breath.
Home
. One day Tera will call this home too.

I open the front door and I’m met with laughter which makes me grin. I drop my bag on the floor, meeting Mrs. Martinez stare. “I’ll get it later. I promise.”

She grins and waves me on. “Go. They’ve been waiting for you.”

“Yeah?” I ask, happy to hear that.

“Yes. It’s never the same without you,” she tells me and I walk over and give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“Thanks, Mrs. M.”

She blushes prettily when I give her a wink. I chuckle as I head toward the noise. It’s been a couple days but it feels like so much longer.

I pause in the doorway taking it all in. Everyone’s here—same as last year, only we’re five bodies heavier this year—the babies and Nicole.

The tree is decorated in reds and golds, the fireplace blazing in the corner—fireplace in California. I shake my head. Only Lucy. The holiday lights and candles decorate every surface, and bodies are littered on the sofas, chairs, and floor.

“Xan!” Nicole greets, jumping up off Ben’s lap to give me a hug.

“What’s happening, people?” I ask, enjoying Nicole’s floral scent much more than the sterile one she’d been sporting for a while there. “How are you feeling?” I ask quietly.

“I’m good,” she replies, pulling back. “How are you?”

I smile, genuinely, and she smiles back. “I’m good.”

“You have a nice trip?” Ben asks.

I nod. “I did.”

“Want to talk about it?” he asks.

“Nah, but thanks. Almost there, Benny boy. We’re almost there.”

“Because that’s good news, I won’t slam my fist into your gut for calling me Benny again.”

I chuckle and lift my shirt revealing my toned stomach. “Abs of steel, baby.”

Meggie hoots and hollers. “Damn, Xander. You are looking
good.
”

“I know it,” I agree and grin when Sera rolls her eyes.

“Where are my babies?” I ask, searching the room. I spot them sleeping in portable cribs and head over. They look so fucking cute in their tiny holiday outfits. Nothing formal, just cute Christmasy onesies. Speaking of—

“I’ve got some presents for the babies.”

Jesse and Lucy both groan.

“Stuff it,” I scold and grab the two boxes I put in the corner before I left. I hand one to Jesse and one to Lucy. They look at one another and I roll my eyes. “They’re not bombs. They’re for the
babies.
”

Lucy rips into hers first. She opens the box and there’s a stack of onesies inside—each set of four has three blue and one pink.

Her eyes flick to mine. “This is so sweet!”

“They’re special. Read what they say.”

“Oh hell,” Kennedy mutters and I hide my grin.

“It’s great to be out. We were running out of womb,” Lucy reads aloud with a laugh.

“Nice, man. Real nice,” Ethan says.

Lucy looks back in the box, pulling out the next set. “I was a surprise. So was I. Me too. I was unexpected.”

Sera snickers and Meggie lets out a loud snort.

She pulls out the orange one and Jesse groans. “I just did nine months on the inside.”

Ethan laughs and laughs and laughs. Apparently that one tickled his fancy.

“Xander Mackenzie!” Lucy scolds, holding up the next one.

“You may as well just think that for each of the rest.”

“Oh boy,” Lucy mutters. “I’m proof mommy puts out.”

Sera snorts and Mama snickers.

“Mama!”

“What? What? It’s funny,” she answers and I nod.

Lucy holds this one up. It’s got a sperm character on it with a #TBT hashtag.

“Cute,” Anthony admits.

“See? Your parents get it!”

Lucy rolls her eyes.

“Oh, this one is cute! ‘Uh oh. I shizzled in my dizzle’,” Lucy snickers.

Lucy cuts me a glare with the next one. “I’m what happened in Vegas.”

That gets everyone hooting and hollering.

“Last one,” she announces. “Oh God. ‘Made in Vachina’.”

That gets laughs all around too.