Page 17 of Rising Star

The rise and fall of her chest hastened.

“You’re playing a very dangerous game,” I said, barely holding it together, breathless and affected in a dozen different ways. I lacked the words to describe the overwhelming sensations pulsing in me.

Madison released my finger with one last swirl of her tongue, and I thought I had combusted.

Siding away, she escaped the cage of my arms. With her bottle in hand, she retreated to her room without saying anything. Only once did she halt to watch me over her shoulder.

Was it an invitation to follow her or a warning to stay away?

I couldn’t tell, my mind long gone.

With that simple gesture, she reversed the roles. She was now in charge.

With my forehead pressed against the refrigerator door, I slid a hand under the waistband of my pants to offer my dick the attention he throbbed for. I wasn’t thinking clearly anymore.

I shut my eyes.

I almost bent Madison over the island and got my way with her. Picturing myself ramming into her with abandon. Once and for all. So we could move forward, and I wouldn’t keep imagining the taste and feel of her every time I found myself alone with only my ruminations.

My heart pumped too much blood.

Each inhale burned the lining of my throat. I was done lying to myself and becoming more miserable with every passing day.

Minutes ago, Madison showed me just how much she lusted for me too. No hiding behind pretenses and fake excuses this time. She flashed her desire right into my face, without even breaking eye contact. Fuck, that was hot.

It was a very dangerous game she started. One I would have a hard time resisting. And that I would never leave unfinished.

Desperate to put to rest our suffering, I padded toward her room.

My fist floated inches from the door, ready to knock and kill that arousal paralyzing both of us, when I heard a muffled cry coming from inside the bedroom. Pressing my ear to the wooden panel, I listened, unsure if I’d imagined it. Another cry, more audible this time, resonated from the other side. Oh, geez, I would die tonight. That was how I’d leave the Earth. With her gasps echoing in my mind. And my cock.

My hand returned to my crotch, my dick relishing the idea the woman we were both obsessed with was pleasuring herself after a heated encounter with us.

“Fuck,” I muttered through clenched teeth as I rubbed myself to the sounds of her shallow whimpers.

This was wrong. I had become a man I didn’t recognize. I couldn’t ever name all the ways my actions were wicked.

Madison’s eyes, when she glanced at me over her shoulder minutes ago, weren’t issuing an invitation or a warning, but a challenge. A dare. And I fell right into the trap. I struck the match and set myself on fire.

She won. Big time. And by doing so, she owned me a lot more.

Feeling like a voyeur, or whatever listening to things I shouldn’t through a closed door made me, I let go of my erection, braced my shoulders, and locked myself in my music studio, desperate to find another outlet to the blaze searing in me. Since jerking off thinking about the nanny had revealed itself to be a fucking mistake in the past, I used music as my escape this time.

Much better. And much safer.

No risk of gambling with my head. Or my dick. Or any other part of my body.

I went back to bed around four and slept for about—I picked up my phone on the nightstand to check the time—an hour. I blinked. Could it really only be five in the morning?

Restless, I swung my legs over the edge of the bed. No need to prolong the inevitable any longer. Getting up now would give me more time to jumpstart my day and prep breakfast. Or maybe I could go for a run. Clear my head. Get rid of the angst. Or whatever cocktail was simmering inside me even hours later. It’d been a long time since I jogged around the neighborhood to release crippling tension in me.

With my fingers, I rubbed my eyes and got up.

The first streaks of glowing pink and orange over the treetops in my backyard welcomed me, making me hopeful about the new day, after I pushed the drapes apart.

Tonight, I had a concert scheduled in Charlotte and another one in Atlanta tomorrow. The initial few to warm up, test the set list, and make adjustments before leaving for the tour.

Jitters had taken over my stomach since yesterday.