More Than Comics (8 page)

I let him go to undo my own jeans and lower them to the floor while he watched. I slowly stripped off all my clothes, until we both stood naked in front of each other. I hoped he liked what he saw.

He sucked in a breath. “Damn girl, you’re even sexier in person than in my naughtiest fantasies about you.”

His words made me warm and wet all over. I gripped his hips and dragged him toward me, and he took the hint. As he backed me against the door I raised one of my legs, trying to give him access, practically begging him to slip inside.

“Not yet,” he said. “I have one more thing on my list first.”

He slid down my body, his hands and mouth working me over together, moving lower, to my breasts, to my stomach, and even lower, to my hips, and
still
lower, spreading my legs apart. Of course—he’d listed three things he wanted to do to me. He’d seen me naked and now he was moving on to number two: tasting me all over.

I trembled when he sank to his knees and pressed his lips to my upper thigh, realizing he was about to go down on me right there where I was standing. He hooked one of my legs over his shoulder and his hands cupped my butt to support me. He teased me at first, kissing everywhere but where I wanted, building up the desire until I thought I would explode just from the anticipation alone. He ran his tongue along me slowly and I felt every inch of what he did like fire lapping along my body. I closed my eyes and leaned back against the door, weaving my fingers into his thick, curly hair, using my grip to steady myself as he continued his delicious torment.

He flicked his tongue against me, rubbing back and forth, sucking and licking. I spiraled higher and higher until I thought my legs would give out, but he held me up with his strong arms and I knew he wouldn’t let me fall. I let go of any lingering fear about what we were doing and gave in to his adoration. My fingers tightened in his hair, my legs trembled uncontrollably, and my every nerve burst with pleasure that never seemed to end.

When it did, an eternity later, Hector unhooked my leg from around him and set it down. He stood slowly, his naked body rubbing along mine, and when he kissed me I tasted myself in his mouth.

“That’s two out of three,” he said. “One more to go.”

While I recovered, he ripped open a condom and eased it along himself. He was going to take me right there, right against the door where he’d just gone down on me, and I was relieved because I didn’t want to wait even the short amount of time it would take to get to the couch. And because having sex with a rock star against his dressing room door was hotter than anything I’d ever experienced before.

He grabbed my thighs and hefted me up with one quick, powerful movement, spreading my legs around him, bringing his body against mine at exactly the right height. I held onto his strong arms as he positioned us, lining up our bodies, and felt him nudging against me.

“This is the last chance to back out,” he said. “To go back to the way things were before.”

I tightened my legs around his hips to show I was just as eager as he was. “I’m not going anywhere.”

With those words he thrust inside me, pinning me hard against the door. I cried out as he filled me, stretching my body in the most amazing way. I tightened my hands around his biceps as he held me up, his large hands gripping my butt as he moved in and out of me with strong, powerful strokes.

I opened for him, accepting everything he gave me, letting myself become his completely. He was an animal as he pounded into me, straddling the line between creating a steady tempo and losing all control, just like when he played the drums. I couldn’t get enough of this rough, demanding Hector, and my already sensitive body responded eagerly to him.

His smooth chest rubbed against my breasts as he hammered into me, making the door bang with each thrust. I let the passion he stirred take over as he created a relentless beat with our bodies. I slid up and down on him, taking him deeper, my knees gripping his waist while I grinded myself along to his movements. The friction built between my legs and Hector’s grunts made me even more excited. I cried out so hard my throat became raspy, my body clenching around him as I came for a second time that night. He rammed his desire home inside me and moments later released himself with a long groan.

He stilled against me, but didn’t put me down yet. We kissed each other softly, our bodies joined and twitching with the last echoes of pleasure. The rest of the room came back in focus: the hard wood of the door at my back, the cool air from the vents above us, the muffled sound of music in the distance.

As our heartbeats slowed, he pressed his forehead against mine. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t hold back. Not after wanting you for so long.”

“Don’t apologize. I wanted you just as bad.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve been with anyone. Next time it will be better.” He looked away, his eyebrows pinching together. “I mean, if there is a next time.”

I gripped his chin and forced him to look at me. “Hector, that was the best sex I’ve ever had.”

“It was?”

“God, yes. I wish you’d told me you wanted me sooner.”

“You were with Andy. Now you’re not.”

He gave me one last lingering kiss before carrying me to the couch. My head spun as I lay there, my body tingling and pulsing all over. I’d never had sex standing up before. Andy had been great in bed, but he would never have been able to do it.

Hector was strong enough to hold me up throughout all of it. I didn’t know how he could still stand after what we’d just done. He barely even seemed tired. His muscles were gleaming with sweat, but otherwise he didn’t seem anywhere near as wiped out as I was. I couldn’t take my eyes off his body. I’d never been with anyone so…big before. So hard and strong, all six foot whatever of rippling masculinity and dark, smooth muscle. God, I was a lucky girl.

He brought us a blanket and curled up behind me on the couch, his warm, naked body tucking around mine. It was a tight fit, but neither of us seemed to mind. He ran a finger along the chain at my neck, down to the amethyst at the end. My birthstone.

“You’re wearing the necklace I got you.” He sounded surprised.

“I never take it off.”

Hector had mailed it to me for my twenty-first birthday. I was allergic to gold, so he’d had to special order one in sterling silver. It had meant a lot to me that he’d remembered.

I relaxed against him as he kissed my shoulder and draped an arm across my waist. My fingers idly traced the dark hair on his forearm. “How come you don’t have any tattoos, like Jared and Kyle do?”

I felt him shrug behind me. “I’ve thought about it, but never came up with anything I’d want on my body for the rest of my life. I designed some of the guys’ tattoos though, like the dragon and phoenix ones on Kyle’s arms.”

“Those are so cool. I should get you to design something for me.”

“You? I can’t see you with a tattoo.”

I laughed. “No, I guess not. But if you designed it, maybe…”

His lips brushed the side of my neck. “I’ll draw you anything you want.”

“Maybe something to celebrate the publication of
Misfit Squad
? I always swore I’d get a tattoo when my first book came out.”

“For that I might be tempted to get one with you. Although my
abuelita
would kill me if she found out.”

“You’d have to get it somewhere your grandmother couldn’t see it.”

He chuckled, low and deep against my back, and we discussed what kind of tattoos we could get together. The more we talked about it, the more I wanted one.

“If we had time this week I’d take you to the place the guys got all their tattoos from.” He traced lazy circles along my shoulder with his thumb. “You’ll have to visit me in LA sometime. Although I’m sure there are plenty of good tattoo parlors in New York, too.”

His words were like an electric jolt, clearing my head. Oh god, what had we done?

We’d definitely crossed over the “just friends” line but…into what? No matter how mind-blowing the sex had been, we still lived thousands of miles apart. Would he want a long-distance relationship? Or did he just see this as a quick fling during Comic-Con?

I didn’t know if I was even ready for something more than that. I’d just graduated college, gotten out of a long-term relationship, and wasn’t sure where I’d be living in a month. My entire life was in flux. I couldn’t handle yet another complication right now.

But how could it ever be the same between us after what we’d done?

Did I even
want
it to be the same?

I wasn’t sure.

All I knew was that we had to figure it out before things went any further.

Except my eyes were so heavy and he felt so good around me, behind me, against me. I couldn’t bear to bring it up yet. We would have to discuss this soon…but for now I just wanted to enjoy this moment a tiny bit longer.

CHAPTER EIGHT
HECTOR

I
’d thought nothing could be better than being inside Tara, but having her fall asleep in my arms? That was pretty fucking fantastic, too.

I wasn’t sure how long we stayed curled up together on the couch under a shared blanket, drifting in and out of sleep. At some point she turned to face me, nuzzling against my neck and melting further into my arms. I wrapped myself around her and let myself slip away.

Until the door opened with a loud click, jolting us both awake.

We sat up, confused, and Tara scrambled to cover herself with the blanket. I shifted in front of her, blocking her from view of whoever had barged in on us.

A woman stood at the door in a uniform, with a cart of cleaning supplies. She took one look at our naked, entwined bodies and flushed. “So sorry,” she said. “I thought the room was empty. I’ll come back later.”

The door shut behind her and Tara put a hand to her head. “What time is it?”

I grabbed my phone from my jeans, which were in a pile on the floor. “Fuck. It’s five in the morning.”

“Oh god. Last night….” She blinked sleep from her eyes. “I mean, it was amazing, but...”

Yeah.

But
.

Jesus, I’d let things get way out of control. Tara was never supposed to know how I felt about her. I’d resolved to never let her get that close, to never let
anyone
in like that again. But I’d been so overwhelmed by her sheer presence I hadn’t been able to help myself.

We sat face forward on the couch, neither of us looking at each other. It was like we’d forgotten how to talk now that we’d had sex. One thing was obvious: we couldn’t go back to the ways things were before Comic-Con.

“What are we going to do?” she finally asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Do you want….” She chewed on one of her fingernails, like she often did when she was nervous. “Do you want to—”

I cut her off. “To get some breakfast? Yeah, I’m starving.”

“That’s...not what I was going to ask.”

She looked so serious, but I couldn’t have this discussion right now. Or ever. “Tara—”

“Do you want to talk about last night?” she blurted out.

“No. I really don’t.”

“Why not?”

“Isn’t that talking about it?” I tugged on my jeans, feeling way too exposed sitting there buck naked beside her. I should tell her…something. Not that I loved her, hell no, but that she looked beautiful this morning or that last night was amazing, or something,
anything
. But there was a tightness in my throat that I couldn’t seem to get words around. I didn’t know what to say. I had no fucking clue what we should do next.

“I know this whole thing is kind of crazy,” she said, slowly. “Andy and I just broke up, and you and I have been friends forever and we don’t want to mess that up, especially since we still have to work together, and then there’s the distance problem…”

It sounded like she thought the whole thing was a mistake. Maybe it was. I lived in LA and she was moving to New York and there was no future for us. When Comic-Con ended she’d be leaving me behind. Like my parents. Like Amanda. I wasn’t going through that shit again.

“I can’t do long distance,” I said.

“Oh. I just thought, maybe…” She drew in a long breath and stood, clutching the blanket to her chest. “So what are we going to do? Go back to being friends? Try to forget last night ever happened?”

Like I could ever forget last night. I’d always remember the way she’d moaned and gripped my arms. The feel of being sheathed inside her. The taste of her on my tongue. I wished I didn’t know those things, but I did and I would never be the same.

I grabbed my shirt from the corner. “Whatever you want.”

“But what do
you
want?”

“I don’t know!”

“God, Hector, just talk to me! Tell me what you want from me!”

“I don’t want anything from you!”

She flinched, like I’d hit her, and I instantly regretted my words. That had been way harsh. I hadn’t meant it the way it had sounded, but I didn’t know how to smooth things over either.

She gathered her clothes off the floor while covering her breasts with one arm. She tried to put her bra on but had a hard time, like her hands were trembling. I started to move forward to help her but stopped myself. I got the feeling she didn’t want me to get any closer.

“Tara…”

“No, I understand perfectly now. It was just sex, right?” She finished dressing and snatched her shoes. “Fine. It doesn’t have to be anything more than that.”

At the door she hesitated like she was waiting for me to say something. But I’d stopped her from leaving last night, and in the end it had backfired on me. I should never have drawn her or kissed her, should never have revealed how much I wanted her.

I turned away. “Yeah. It was just sex.”

The door opened and closed with a click. She was gone.

I slumped down on the couch and my head dropped into my hands. I waited there for an hour in case she came back. Wishing I could rewind time and go back to before I had fucked everything up.

But she didn’t return.

***