Chapter 18

Elena sifted a bit of salt on her hand and picked up the slice of lime as soon as the cute bartender deposited the shot in front of her. Licking quickly she downed her first shot, popping the lime in her mouth and sucking deeply. Maybe that would calm her nerves before tall dark and sinful reappeared.

Kate licked her wrist, waving at the bartender, "Sugar, we're going to need a full tray."

"You got it, babe,” grinned the tender.

Elena took the next shot in hand, her mind whirling. He was just a guy, dammit. He put his pants on one leg at a time just like everyone else. Granted, he was a fucking guitar master with talent oozing from every single pore, but he was still just a guy.

She'd met the guy first and liked him. No reason it should feel any different now just because she’d seen the musician side of him. It was the man that had lit fires inside of her that couldn’t even come close to any in her past. College guys looked and felt like bumbling fools next to a man like Richie. Grabbing the next shot in one hand and Kate in the other she slid her way closer to the stage.

“Are you nuts? We’ll get torn apart up there,” Kate shouted over the music.

“Live dangerously, Katy!” Elena called back.

Richie swapped guitars with one of the techs that worked with the bar. The Gibson felt familiar in his hands, not quite his own but it was good enough to jam with. John Lyon's harmonica howled into the mic and Jonny slammed a tambourine against his thigh. He recognized the opening bars to, "I Don't Want To Go Home," grinned and found the melody in his head. The stash of songs in his head was limitless and drove Jonny nuts. The boy never could remember lyrics unless you spoon fed them to him sometimes, but not Southside stuff. Southside, Jon knew like their own.

Laughing when Jon shook his head in front of the mic and sang along with Southside, he let the music take him away. It really was the only thing that eased him and let him just be himself. Elena had him knotted up. He allowed his dick to play when it wanted for the most part. He was happy enough to find a willing woman to share an evening with or even just fifteen minutes sometimes. He liked women, but music came first.

He looked out into the crowd spotting the shimmer of silver as her slim arms came above her head as she danced with the music. He’d never even had to make a choice between music and a woman before…well, before her. She made him restless, made him want. He wasn’t sure he liked the sensations threading through him, stinging at him and distracting him. Maybe the infatuation would just fizzle out and he’d be back to normal once he had her.

She moved forward, locking eyes with him. Undulating to their music, her body swirled and dipped in furious time to each chord he played. When he let the guitar flow where it wanted, the sharp pitch seemed to invite her to lift her arms. Suddenly the not so demure silver shirt rode high on her creamy belly.

Richie felt his fingers go lax for just as moment as something flashed at her tummy, teasing him until he was so hard he felt like he was knocking at the back of the damn Gibson. When her hips continued their torturous rhythm he finally gave up and let Bobby Bandiera, Southside’s guitarist, take over. He flipped the guitar off and handed it to the nearest pair of hands and jumped off the stage.

"You're a menace," he said into Elena's ear.

Her arms came down around his shoulders as she simply altered her movements to grind into him. "Pot’s calling the kettle black, Pony."

He barked out a quick laugh. "Tell me the Pony's getting a ride tonight," he whispered again and lifted her up to his line of vision.

She dipped her head and captured his lips in a kiss. "If he asks nicely enough maybe," she let the word stretch out.

Richie's arms folded around her tiny body as he breathed her in. It had been a long time since he'd had a reaction to a woman like this. Normally he got the itch, scratched it wherever he could and moved on. This one made him want to savor.

Elena twisted in his arms and pressed her back against his chest, her ever moving hips arching and grinding back against him, as her eyes closed and she lost herself in his heat and his strong arms.

And for the first time Richie didn't curse her height. The way she moved against him, had him so hard he was afraid he'd bust through his lace-ups. His wide hands stilled her against him, letting the slow shimmy of her hips glide against his. When her hand came up to grip his hair he leaned down. Smooth and creamy, her skin begged to be touched. And touching her in a bar wasn't going to be enough. "Not nearly enough," he whispered as he sipped from her.

Elena tilted her head to the side, giving him better access. Her pulse was racing as needs and desire shifted focus to the contact. Each brush of his lips over her fluttering pulse point had her aching more and more. She pressed closer and agreed whole heartedly. His public touch wasn’t nearly enough.

"Okay seriously," Kate slurred just the tiniest bit. She cleared her throat. "Jon it's time to go," she shouted up to the stage. "Get that supreme ass down here."

Jon heard a voice and his name. He was used to ignoring the summons, but when he heard, ‘supreme ass’ he started scanning until he found who was yelling. His eyes widened slightly as he caught a weaving Kate and Richie nearly humping the tiny one beside her. Damn when did he leave the stage? As the song ended he waved to the band and hopped off stage, his body glistening with the stage light’s heat. Keeping to the front of the stage and the grabbing females he yelled "So what’s the rush?"

Kate shot a hot look at the girl that was pushing her way toward her, bumped her and felt the room sway a bit. “Hell,” she muttered then righted herself. "These bunnies need a room,” she hooked her thumb at Richie and Elena. “I just can't watch the tonsil hockey game anymore."

Jon’s gaze flicked over to Elena and Richie, and agreed. He didn’t want to watch the two of them have any more clothes-on-sex either. He punched Richie on the shoulder. "Dude, lets all get outta here!” He yelled over the music. “How about your place? I think Kate could use some quiet.” He rolled his eyes. “And I KNOW you and Teensy there could use some privacy."

Kate pouted. "I don't need quiet. I need tequila!"

Jon grinned, "We got tequila, Katy."

She flicked her red curls out of her face and settled herself a little closer to Jon. "Show me the way, Supreme butt!"

Getting no response Jon tried again, punching a bit harder. "HEY ASSHOLE!"

"Hmm?" Richie seemed to realize there were other people in the room. "Oh, yeah dude, sounds like a plan." He glanced down at Elena. "I think we'll all fit."

Elena giggled, "I don't know big guy, you may not fit."

"That’s what they all say," Jon muttered. Certainly didn’t stop them from attacking Richie left and right.

Richie slung an arm around Elena. "Let's blow this joint. The apartment we rented for a few months is only about ten minutes away."

Elena watched the heat swirl in Richie’s eyes. She had a feeling that tonight wasn’t even close to over. "Let's go."

Kate shouted, "Shotgun!"
Richie laughed. "No way Drunky, you're in the back," he said to Kate.

"But I called it!" Even with enough tequila floating in her blood to fail two breathalyzers she knew sitting with Jon was a bad idea. "Ok," she huffed. "Me and Elena in the back." She poked a finger at Jon and missed. "I'm not sitting with sweaty boy."

Jon arched a brow, a slow grin burning in his eyes. "You really think he’s gonna let Elena sit in the back with ya?”

"Of course," she turned her gaze onto the lovesick Elena and sighed. "Not," she said glumly. "Okay, that leaves you and me, Supreme Butt." She leaned in. "No funny business though."

Jon leaned over and whispered softly, "I'll behave if you will."

Kate turned Jon around and stared at his butt. Forcing herself to put her hand on his shoulders instead of that amazing ass, she pushed him along. "Behave is my middle initial."

Jon just laughed. Oh man, Kate was certainly a different animal with a little booze in her system. He led the way to the back of the club and waved at the owner. There was no way in hell they’d make it out the front with him or Richie in one piece. When Donny nodded he steered them all into the back underbelly of the club and out the emergency exit.

“Where the hell are we?” Kate asked and peered around at the garbage and rickety fencing.

“Service entrance,” Jon said. “Isn’t it fun to be me?” When Kate just kept pushing he grinned and headed for the gate.

"Ponyyyyyyyyy," Elena looked up into Richie’s eyes grinning.

Richie sighed and turned around. "Hop on."

"Silly, I can still walk.” She was pretty sure anyway. Elena gripped his shoulders and hopped on his back. "But since you offered," she laughed and hooked her legs around his waist and arms around his neck.

Richie buzzed past Jon and Kate reaching for the latch on the gate. "Excuse me, pardon me, Pony coming through."

Kate rolled her eyes. Jaysus, they were a pair of children. Stepping gingerly she ducked when Jon ducked and felt better when gravel was beneath her feet instead of the questionable things growing around the back door. "I'm not going to sleep with you,” she said conversationally. She’d thought about it for a second. Man, it had been a long time but sleeping with Jon was probably #1 on the list of bad ideas as far as she was concerned. Sighing she said, “But seriously that is a prime ass." When they finally managed to make it out to the parking lot the swift temperature change helped clear her head.

"Yours is awesome too, Kate, but I’m the one behavin' here."

"Right, behaving," she said and dropped her hands off his shoulders. Talk about giving the guy mixed signals she thought stupidly.

Jon reached back, placing her hands back on his shoulders. "Behaving doesn’t mean not having fun."

Richie steered everyone to the right and dropped his precious cargo at the door. "M'Lady."

“Thank you, Richie,” Elena said sweetly.

Jon opened the door and stood back, offering Kate first chance to crawl into the car first. Purely for chivalry sake of course, not because he wanted to watch her curvy ass. Nope, that wasn’t the reason at all.

"She gets a m'lady,” Kate grunted. “And I get, crawl in less-than-ladylike-girl," she said and wiggled her way into the car.

Jon crawled in beside her and grinned, "Why do I get the impression that if I said m’lady to you, you might have yanked my hair out?"

"The true question would have been which hairs," she said and flopped down on her half of the cramped back seat.

Jon leaned his had back against the headrest and bit back a laugh. God she was just too good. She kept him on his toes and on spot. He was beginning to like her mind just as much, if not more, than her body.

Richie climbed in. "Everyone got their seatbelts on?"

Kate and Jon looked at each other. "Sure," they said together as the belts were buried under the seat.

Elena leaned as close to Richie as possible, her hand sliding over his thigh. "Only if I have to, Gorgeous."

Not sure he could survive a ride home with her crawling across the seat he crowded her against the door and grabbed the shoulder strap. "God, yes you do."

She grinned as he buckled her in and moved back into driving position, her grin widening as her nails scraped lightly over the top of his leg. Funny thing that, her arm still reached.

Richie growled. "As much as I want you to play with my shifter, behave," he said and moved her hand back to her lap.

Elena sat there innocently staring out the window. "Ok gorgeous, I'll behave." He couldn’t see her crossed fingers in her other hand.

Jon groaned, "Damn and no one wants to play with mine."

"Well yours isn't attached to a hot ride, now is it?" Kate said smugly.

Jon grinned, "Depends, on your definition of a hot ride."

"Oh, Sugar you wish," she drawled. "A hot ride is perfect on a July Georgia night where the air is so thick you can't even think about wearing clothes, but you can think of a long," Kate held out the vowel until his eyes were locked onto hers. "Sweet ride."

Jon's heart dropped straight to his feet. “Well hell, I got nuttin’."

And with that hanging heavy in the car, Richie dropped into gear and sped out of the parking lot.