Venture Forward (24 page)

With a sudden and seductive smile, she twisted around him, fingertips grazing his tensed biceps. “You’re always so used to running the show, aren’t you?”

Her lips seared the skin on his bare chest as they trailed a determined path to his abdomen. A low moan rose from his throat as she enveloped his throbbing erection. Her warm mouth was so tantalizing, her tongue brushing the swollen tip, slowly at first then with increasing fervor. Pangs shot from his groin, electrifying his insides, every nerve on high alert. He choked out each breath, his body quivering from the sensations coursing through him. Soft hands tightened around the straining shaft, squeezing and stroking — every caress, every nip making him wild with need. He slumped against the wall in submission, eyes squeezed shut, consumed with longing. Never had he been so completely under the control of a woman before. He was at her mercy, caught in the spell he prayed would never be broken.

Hypnotic lips traced a return path to his. Her breath whispered against his sensitized skin, slowly, maddeningly until their eyes locked.

“I need you, Avery. Tell me you need me too.” He pulled her close, burying his head in her sweet-smelling neck.

“I need you so badly.”

“Show me,” he whispered.

A coy smile played at her lips, and she pulled him toward the master bedroom. “Come with me.”

“Don’t worry. I plan to.”

They fell onto the plush mattress, limbs entwined. Her body melted against him as their tongues tangled, lost in the heat of the moment with no desire to ever be found. He kneaded her perfectly round breasts, nibbling the deep pink buds as she squealed in response. “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, transfixed by the blue pools staring back at him. “Everything about you is perfect.”

Her cheeks were tinged pink, eyes sparkling. “I’m so in love with you.”

Hearing those words, knowing he’d finally found what was missing from his life… true happiness had eluded him until that very moment. “Saying I love you doesn’t even begin to describe what you’ve done to me. That look on your face right now… I don’t ever want to forget it.”

She grabbed a condom from the nightstand and dangled it in front of him, back arched, summoning him. He rolled it on at light-speed. Every muscle fiber tensed as he plunged into her warmth. A deep ache in the pit of his stomach spread like wildfire, each thrust amplifying his need for release. Her walls tensed around his throbbing shaft as he filled her over and over, her body writhing beneath him. Liquid heat engulfed him as he drove into the recesses, pulsating sensations threatening to push him over the edge. He hovered on the brink, stomach clenched tightly. Making love to her was such delicious torture. Nerve endings fired in his groin with every rotation of her hips until release was imminent. A rush of heat flooded his insides as her muscles clamped and constricted his throbbing length. Her wails pierced the air, sweet music to his ears. Waves of pleasure quickly grew to massive swells, immersing him, overtaking his body, mind and soul. The explosion was electric, exhilarating, and nothing like anything he’d ever experienced… or wanted to experience with anyone else again.

He rolled her on top of him; his fingers tangled in her tousled hair. “Avery,” he breathed against her ear, his chest heaving. “I want this…
you
.” Pulling away slightly, he smiled. “Forever.”

AVERY GLANCED AT HER
phone as the elevator shot up to the Yardley Press offices.

VIP passes were messengered over to BCC.

She smiled, excited to surprise Mia with the news that she and Chris would join them at the Indie Rock Music Awards the following evening in LA. Maybe it would cushion the blow when she finally came clean about her true identity. Tina hadn’t been thrilled about being passed over, but she understood. Avery’s stomach clenched, knowing Mia wasn’t the primary cause for her concern.

Carly swooped on her as she entered reception. “Sweetie, I am
so
glad to see you. You will not believe all the buzz.” She dropped her voice as they entered the office. “The media absolutely
loves
the fact that you’re anonymous. It adds to the intrigue of the story. I’m even hearing movie rights.”

This wasn’t going to end well. “Listen, I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me but I—”

Carly held up a hand, her eyes widening in alarm. “Please don’t tell me you’re about to do something that is going to crush this momentum. You are legendary! A first-time author who’s garnered more attention than others who have been doing the same thing for decades. I refuse to let you—”

“Carly! Stop, please. I can’t do this anymore. I have to come clean.”

“You
what
? After everything we did to protect your identity, you want to expose yourself? Do you realize the anonymity is a huge contributor to this success? It makes the subject matter that much more taboo. Your lack of identity has people guessing, insinuating, and hypothesizing, and we are making a tremendous amount of money because of it. Now you want to erase all the hard work? For
what
?”

“People’s lives are being ruined by this book, and I’m responsible. I can’t live with this secret anymore. Try to understand—“

“That’s very noble of you, but do you really think coming forward now is going to change anything? What’s done is done, and the bottom line is Peter Everly should have thought long and hard about his shady business dealings. If he had, nobody would be taking off after him or his company.” She folded her arms and tapped the pointed toe of her Louboutin on the marble floor. “You know I’m right.”

“It’s more complicated than that—”

“I don’t really care. I’m running a business here, and your
decision
is going to fuck up my bottom line. You were always afraid of the public finding out your story — the sordid details about your family, your career. Now it’s not important? You’re not afraid of the impact to CrowdRok?”

“No,” Avery whispered. “I don’t care anymore. It’s just not worth it. I’ve hurt too many people, and I need to make things right.”

“It won’t matter after you take this public. Everything will shrivel in front of your eyes,
after
the press decimates your character and your business crumbles like a stale cookie.”

“But at least I’ll know I did the right thing. Maybe it will help turn things around for the people I wronged.”

THE SLEEK BLACK ESCALADE
sped toward the Avalon Theater. Paul squeezed her hand, his peppermint-tinged breath tickling her ear. “You look incredible. I have to tell you again.”

“You can say it as often as you’d like. I promise I won’t get tired of hearing it.”

Mia pulled a tube of lip-gloss from her evening bag. “Oh my God, this is going to be so amazing. Thank you so much for getting us passes.”

Chris laughed. “She’s been primping non-stop for the past twenty-four hours.”

“Can you blame me? There will be paparazzi everywhere!”

“Well, it was all worth it. You look beautiful.” Chris kissed her cheek and turned to Avery. “So this is a pretty major event, huh? How many CrowdRok artists will be here tonight?”

“Well, Ally Maxwell is performing, and a few others are presenting. It’s a great event for indie artists to gain recognition from the press and the industry in general. I’m also pretty sure I heard Jason Tredwell is making an appearance.”

Mia squealed. “Are you serious? I didn’t see that on the website!”

“I may have gotten an inside scoop.”

A look of mock concern shadowed Chris’s face. “Uh-oh. He’s high up there on your list. Should I be worried?”

Paul snickered. “Hate to break it to you, Camden, but I don’t think you can compete. You may be flying solo tonight.”

Mia trailed a finger down Chris’s arm. “Don’t worry, sweetie. Not all my primping was for the cameras.”

The car pulled up to the theater, and flashbulbs popped incessantly, the glare barely blunted by the tinted windows. Loud cheers brought a smile to her face. The fans couldn’t wait to see who was ready to grace the red carpet next.

Mia downed the rest of her champagne and rubbed her hands together. “Yeeee! Here we go!”

Avery clasped Paul’s hand. “Why don’t you guys go first? We’ll be right behind you.”

Chris flashed them a knowing smile. “Sure thing. If we hang out in here any longer, Mia will climb out of the roof.”

Once they were alone, Paul traced his fingertips down the side of her face. Shivers shot through her as the pads caressed the nape of her neck. His touch was pure bliss. But their connection went so much deeper than just the physical. He’d opened up to her, given her a glimpse into his soul and exposed the man he truly was, not the man he was thought to be. So many layers, so much love. “Avery.”

Her pulse quickened at the intensity of his gaze. “Yes?’

“Thank you.”

“For what? Letting you be my date tonight?”

“For showing me what I’ve been missing. I was so numb before you came along, and I didn’t even realize it. It was an empty and meaningless existence. Being with you makes me want to feel again, to really live. I want you to know that.” He gently brushed his lips against hers, making every nerve ending tingle and stir. “You gave me peace when I needed it most.”

“I love you so much.” Two lost souls, finding each other, completing one another. For so many years, she’d lived life as if on autopilot — lonely, sheltered, and hollow. But Paul gave her life the meaning it had been missing for so long. A dull ache in her chest materialized at the mere thought of being without him. If this all blew up in her face, if she lost the one man who’d managed to break through her carefully crafted barriers, the one man who truly cherished her… she’d never recover.

“I love you too.” He traced a fingertip over the bodice of her gown. “I also have to tell you there’s a really good chance I’ll peel you out of that dress if we spend another second in here.”

“Think you can make it through the next few hours?”

“Practicing the art of restraint has never been my forte. I can’t promise I won’t drag you into an empty coat closet during the show.”

“Oohh, so romantic. I just might let you.”

“Come on, the world wants to get a glimpse of the woman who created the virtual haven for indie artists.”

She grasped his hand and slid out of the car, blinded by the flashing lights. A wide smile spread over her face as Paul led her down the red carpet. Throngs of spectators lined the path, cheering for the artists Avery’s social network had discovered. The work she did contributed to all the fanfare. Those artists now had a shot because of CrowdRok, because of Tara. Her eyes welled up at the thought. Tara should have been celebrated, and Avery would make sure she was never forgotten.

Paul snaked an arm around her waist. “You okay?”

“I’m just really happy.”

“You’re thinking about your sister.”

“Yeah.”

“She’s here. You know that, right?”

She nodded, sniffling delicately.

When his lips gently grazed hers, she felt her heart lurch. A momentary loss of inhibitions gave the paparazzi a field day.

She giggled when the kiss broke. “So unlike you, Mr. Emerson. What will your fans say tomorrow when pictures of us sucking face on the red carpet are plastered across the front page of the newspaper?”

“It’s got to be better than anything else they’ve been saying lately. Hey, I think I see a coat closet…”

“We just got here. Shouldn’t we at least wait for intermission?”

“If you wanted me to wait, you should have worn a different dress.”

Mia waved them over. “Guys, come on, let’s go into the lounge. I bet there are tons of famous people in there.”

“I think they have their own lounge, but we can check it out. Mia, let’s get some champagne.”

Mia scouted the room as they walked arm in arm to the bar, a disappointed look on her face. “Shoot, you’re right. All the famous people must be stashed away somewhere. Dammit! Is there any way we can talk our way into their party?”

“I don’t think we’ll need to do too much talking. I’m pretty sure we can get in. But let’s have a drink here before we drag the guys away.” She handed Mia a tall crystal flute. “To an evening of rubbing elbows with the stars.”

“I’ll drink to that!”

Avery sipped her champagne. Her eyes wandered back to Paul, and she nearly choked. Rochelle? What the fuck was she doing here?

“Who’s the trashy bottle blonde chatting up your man?”

“Oh, um, she’s Steve Fuller’s publicist. I think Paul met her at Steve’s launch party.”

“How does Paul know Steve Fuller?”

“Steve is Paul’s stepfather.”

“Get the hell out of here. He never mentioned that.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Paul Emerson is a man of many secrets. He’ll definitely keep you on your toes, that’s for sure.”

To say Paul didn’t look thrilled was the understatement of the decade.
What was that bitch up to?