The Rock Star Next Door, a Modern Fairytale (19 page)

“Oh,
my God
.
” Jessie’s hands flew to her lips. She cringed even as she said it, feeling stupid for repeating the same expletive over and over like a broken record. Yet, truthfully, what else could she say?
Hot Damn
?
Son-of-a-bitch?

What does one say w
hen the man who asked
you to marry him gives you a very expensive gift that signifies eternal love? And if he asked her again to marry him, what could she say in light of this?

Yes, I love you, but I can’t marry you, sorry
. . . it’s not you, it’s me
?

She waited, without breath, without hope, without a prayer, knowing that if Lex asked he
r the same question again
she couldn’t say no.

“Let me help you.” He stood, and lifted the necklace from the box. Coming to stand behind her, he waited as Jessie lifted her hair from her neck. It was a moment out of time, a storybook moment, one Jessie knew she would never forget for as long as she lived. Lex gently slid the rope of pearls about her neck and fastened the clasp. His hands circled her shoulders as he stood behind her, waiting for her to comment.

“Thank you.” She gasped, and reached up to touch the smooth, lovely
pearls about her neck. The rope was long enough to dangle just above her neckline. She glanced quickly at her reflectio
n in the glass window
and then turned about to gaze up at Lex. “I don’t know what to say.” She confessed, blushing slightly. “They are perfect.”

“A fitting gift.” He murmured, so low she could barely hear the rough timbre to his voice. “Eternity. You and I. Soul mates, from one lifetime to the next.”

Oh, My God
.
  Jessie repeated the now oh so lame phrase in her head.
Swoon alert
. This man was
indeed serious
if he would go so far to buy
her
such a rare and expensive gift to show
her how he felt.

Lex leaned down. J
ust as she hoped, he captured her lips in a sweet, satisfying kiss.  A discreet coughing noise broke the spell as L
ex drew away and took his seat
.

The waiter stood before their table, a silly smile on his face as he asked. “
Are we ready to order
?
I recommend the scampi del porto.
”

*   *  
*

At his age, he really should
be jaded when it came to women.

He was t
hirty-two
. Lex liked to believe he’d seen it all, done it all, within reason and the law. He’d been touring since he was twenty, comman
ding the big gigs and playing
sold out
shows
for over a decade. Groupies became
boring
quickly
. Wome
n strutting their stuff in front of him and tossing themselves at him backstage,
begging him to take them back to his hotel for a one-ni
ghter so they could say they banged the infamous Lex lost its appeal by the time he was twenty five.

Jessica Kelly was no
t like any other woman he remembered meeting in this glamour capitol of the world.
She was
curiously humble and
apologetic in her acceptance of his gift. She behaved as if she didn’t d
eserve to be adored
.
Although he found it refreshing, on one level, he couldn’t understand her uncertainty.
Perhaps that was the appeal she had with the masses
of men drooling
over her
magazine images. She was famous and yet
she was still just the nice girl next door,
like
Sandra Bullock in her
early movies
.

Throughout dinner, they exchanged small talk. Jessie’s natural shyness intrigued him
and yet it annoyed him all the same. A gorgeous young woman like Jessie should be
confident in her beauty and her talents. From what she had told him, she and her band mate
s worked hard to get where they
were, she deserved to be proud of her accomplishments. Instead, she seemed to be almost embarrassed by the attention she was garnering. He wanted to know what caused her to be so careful, so hesitant about life.

Lex wanted to know what happened to this delightful beauty in the past to make her feel uncomfortable with praise. It was more than shyness, he was sure of it.

Jessie’s he
ad was light from the wine.
Lex pulled
his convertible
into the parkin
g lot for the Santa Monica pier. He removed his leather jacket and tossed it into the trunk before coming around to her side of the car to open her door for her.

He offered her his hand. Jessie took it and sprang up from the seat. S
he was
excited by his magnetic presence and ready to
walk to
the ends of the earth
with him, hand in hand. The
moon was low in the eastern sky
and the sun was slowly drifting into
the western horizon. It was that
golden time of the eve
ning
when everything had that last glow of warmth from the
sun before it gave way to the shadows of night.

They walked out to the edge
of the beach, where the thick py
lons rose from the sand and water to hold up the pier.
Lex looked about them carefully
and then tugged at her hand, urging her to hurry with him as
they slipped down under the security
railing to the underside of the pier.
It was deserted.

His hand was firm and comforting covering her own
as they walked
the
edge
of
the shore. Waves were curling forward, rushing in to cascade over the forest of round timbers supporting the pier above their heads. They walked in the wet sand, and with every step Jessie’s heels sank deep. Jesse let go of his hand. She bent to remove her black heels and rushed up to the higher ground to set them on a dry rock. She didn
’t want to ruin the fancy Manolo
Blaniks made famous by the Sex in the City series. The
y were
a rare indulgence. Even if she could afford them
she couldn’t
bear to deliberately ruin them. It was her
working class upbringing coming
to the fore.

Lex remained where he was, smiling at her in that sexy way he had. Feeling puckish and a little naughty--maybe it was the wine--Jessie unbuttoned her black lace shirt and removed it, setting it beside her shoes. She marched down to him with a smile and an exaggerated swagger of her hips, wearing only her jeans, her black bra, and those exotic black pearls he’d given her at dinner. The wind blew through her hair making it fan out about her in fluid waves. She felt free, sensual and full of adventure.

Maybe it was the wine. Maybe it was Lex.

In response to her overblown model walk with swaying hips as she advanced upon him, Lex moved toward a
nearby
rock, hastily removed
his shirt and kicked off his Italian leather shoes. He met her halfway, lifting her about the waist and twirling her as he spun about in a circle. The golden glow of the sun made his skin look burnished.

Jessie laughed. That smile he had was wicked enough to seduce a nun. And those eyes, hooded with unspoken desire, twin blue flames burning into her soul.

Lex set her on her feet again and took her hand. They raced hand in hand along the shore, and then he lead her deeper into the rows of pylons,
toward the sea, so the waves curled about their feet and seeped up their pant legs to their calves. The water was cool, refreshing, invigorating. The steady roar of the rolling white waves, and the stiff breeze coming off the sea made talking futile. They meandered a few feet, hand in hand.

Fee
ling a little dizzy from that wonderful pinot grigio,
Jessie leaned against a pylon for support, taking a moment to re-orient her overworked senses. Lex leaned into her. His arms wrapped about he
r as he hovered close
. Their eyes met for a brief, questioning moment before
the inevitable happened; their lips met and their limbs entwined. She felt all liquid and smooth as she wrapped her legs about his hips and her arms about his neck. His hair was loose and free, silky raven locks beneath her fingers.

The taste of him, the hot, sensual texture of his
kiss as it deepened
made
her desperate for more of his decadent to
uch. Jessie lost herself in his
kiss. She slipped her tongue into his mouth, daring him, urging him to take more than a few stolen kisses beneath the pier.

Pressed together, flesh to flesh, bone to bone, with nothing but denim between them, Jessie moved her hips, pressing against his rigid mound with wanton abandon. It was exhilarating, so decidedly freeing to behave with pure instinct instead of her usual cool headed detachment. Well, hadn’t Jack been telling her ‘live’ and ‘embrace life’ for years?

For the first time in her life, J
essie felt free. It was natural
being with Lex,
not awkward. It was natural, this wanting him, kissing him, cupping his tight ass beneath her palm
and giving him all the t
ongue he wanted
.

Lex held Jessie up, propping her against the pillar as she morphed into the wild seductress of every man’s deepest fantasy. He drew back from their soul scalding kiss, momentarily stunned by the emerging tigress in his arms. The lowering sunlight made her wind-blown hair glow like a burnished halo of copper about her angelic face. And what a face, pale ivory with deep green eyes, the face of Venus, eyes flashing desire, lips swollen, red, parted with desire. Her arms were about his neck, twining through his hair.

He could take her right now, like this,
hidden beneath the pier,
lost in the frantic sway of sunset, rolling waves and brusque winds, lost in the lush appeal of immortal beauty clutching him tight against her with all four limbs.

As if reading his thoughts, she
gazed determinedly into his eyes and
arched her hips against him, making Lex groan as his
cock
nearly exploded beneath the tight sheath of denim.
He closed his eyes, blocking out that sweet face as he searched
for his center of calm. He hadn’t shot his gun
i
nto his pants since he was
in middle school.
He wouldn’t do it now.
Christ, this woman was half angel and half siren. If she started singing like the mermaids in that pirate movie he’d be a do
omed man; his soul would be enslaved to her for
eternity.

Hel
l, perhaps he was already doomed
.

Lex lowered his lips to her lush, full breasts. He kissed the pale flesh that had been lovingly sheltered from the harsh rays of the California sun. His hand pulled the strap from her shoulder and the bra cup sagged slightly, giving him access to the perk pink jewel hi
dden beneath the fabric. It was hard, already aroused from their fluid kisses or by the heady mix of wine,
sun and surf. He took the
pink
bud into his mouth, rolling it with his tongue,
nibbling lightly with his teeth
.

Jessie
moaned with pleasure and his already taut, heavy cock surged tighter beneath her seductive thrall.

Distant laughter and the high pitched voices of youth startled his senses and brought him back to himself. He raised his head fr
om her tits
and turned to s
urvey their surroundings and locate the intruders. A gaggle of young lads were climbing down from the platform, their backs to him and Jessie as they struggled to maneuver beneath the guard railings and step carefully down the embankment. Their struggle, more pronounced then his had been due to their shortened legs, told him they couldn’t be more than twelve or thirteen, and yet to realize the heady growth spurt of burgeoning manhood.  He released Jessie, letting her legs slide down the outside of his thighs until she stood against the pier. He smoothed
her bra over her exposed breast
and took her hand, quickly leading her to where he’d left his shirt. She followed him pla
yfully, as carefree as a
filly released from the paddock in early spring. Either she didn’t realize they were no longer alone or she didn’t care.

Lex dropped her hand and sprinted up to where his shirt and his shoes rested on the rock. He snatched them up and returned to Jessie’s side. She stood giggling at him, obviously more than a little drunk from wine and kisses. With quick movements, he pulled his T-shirt over her head and she quickly came to life, shrugging her arms into it as she eyed th
e approaching munchkins
near the first pylons and the stai
rs leading to the
pier above them. Her sly smile as her head emerged was almost worth the risk of being seen--or photographed--doing the nasty with her under the pier.