Unsteady Rhythm (House of Archer Book 2)

  “I’m sorry,” he said harshly against the side of her neck. “I hadn’t realized...you’re so tight. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “It’s okay. It’s not that bad.”

  “Then why are you crying?”

  She supposed she had picked a bad time to start lying to him. “I’m overcome with happiness?” she said, sounding more like she was asking a question.

  He let out a surprised laugh. “Right. Okay. Just hold onto me and let’s get the hard part done.”

  Trusting him, she did as he said. She clung to him. Her fingernails scored the taut muscles of his back as he surged forward to enter her completely. A strangled sound issued from her throat over the burning pain that resulted. Tears leaked from the outer corners of her eyes and trailed down her temples.

  He grew still except for the rapid rise and fall of his chest. “Sydney, are you absolutely sure you had sex that night?”

  She had been sure, but this pain combined with his reaction made her question herself. “I think so. I was sore...down there. And there was some blood and bruising on my thighs.”

  “How much blood?”

  What a ludicrous conversation to be having right now, she thought, even as she said, “Some. A few smears.”

  “Well, I’ve got some good news and some bad news.”

  Wow. They really were having this conversation right now.

  “What’s the good news?” she asked.

  “Whatever he did to cause that bleeding wasn’t full-on sex with you.”

  Her hold on him tightened. She wanted to ask if he was sure, but his expression left no doubt in her mind.

  “And the bad news?” she asked when she found her voice again.

  “I just took your virginity, and this is going to hurt you more than either of us anticipated.”

  The tears started in earnest then. Not because of the pain, but because she finally realized what he was saying.

  Wes hadn’t taken her virginity from her.

  “I’m sorry,” he said again, wiping at her wet cheeks.

  “Don’t apologize,” she replied, tossing his usual words back at him. “These are happy tears. I’m so happy my first time is with you, Keith.”

  He lowered his head to kiss her again. She responded, luxuriating in the taste of him. As the pain eased, the pleasure of the kiss blazed through her from their mating tongues to where they were now fully joined. The added sensation of Keith’s callused hands moving along her body soon had her moaning against his mouth. After a while, her hips instinctively lifted as the pleasure continued to build.

  He broke away from her mouth, noticeably struggling. “Don’t move, Sydney.”

  “Don’t you have to move for this to work?”

  “I’ll hurt you. I—”

  “It’s my turn,” she interrupted. “And I want you to move.”

  He studied her as though trying to decide if that was really the best course. His gaze remained on hers as he eased out of her and then pushed back in. There was pain, but there was also a deep, primal pleasure. She knew he saw it.

  “You’re sure?” he asked.

  Nodding, she pulled him down for another kiss. He issued a low groan of what she interpreted as relief before he again claimed her mouth.

  Just as she had asked, he started to move. His body retreated and thrust forward in the same metered rhythm as his tongue, steadily urging her pleasure forward so it overrode the pain. She welcomed the touch of his clever fingers, especially when they lowered between their bodies and brushed against her right where her pleasure was centered.

  “Keith,” she gasped, pulling away from his mouth. Her eyes closed on another moan when he touched her like that again. “Oh.”

  His pace increased. His fingers continued to torment her. Her nails left marks on his skin as she fought desperately for release.

  “Yes, Sydney,” he said. “Come for me, baby.”

  The intensity behind the words more than the words themselves finally did the trick. Her body erupted, sending wave after wave of pleasure pounding through her. It propelled Keith over the edge, too, causing him to issue a hoarse shout and tense in her arms as he joined her.

  Sydney wasn’t sure how long they lay there afterward. Keith had largely collapsed on top of her, though he was bracing himself on his elbows. She felt tremors coursing through him.

  Or was that her? Maybe it was both of them.

  She felt more tears on her face. She couldn’t control them. She had just had amazing sex with the man she loved. Pain aside, this had been the best night of her life.

  Eventually he eased himself from her body, revealing to both of them how wrong she had been when she had thought that the few smears of blood had been evidence of losing her virginity. She felt herself flushing in embarrassment over the mess.

  “I’m sor—” she began.

  “You’re not going to apologize,” he interrupted. “You didn’t know. There’s no sense getting upset over it now. Let’s get cleaned up.”

  She hadn’t exactly expected flowery poetry from him after what they had just shared, but his matter-of-fact demeanor stung a little. She followed him to the edge of the bed and slid off, planning to grab the ruined blanket and stick it in the laundry. Keith took her arm and pulled her away from the bed before she could.

  They headed straight to the bathroom. She was grateful for Keith’s hold on her arm when she realized how wobbly her legs felt. He must have sensed that, as he left her leaning against the vanity counter so he could start the water running in the shower and dispose of the condom. He didn’t look at her, focusing instead on feeling the running water to check the temperature.

  Her arms went around herself in a sudden bout of insecurity. Had Keith not liked it? Was that why he wasn’t offering her any words of comfort or praise now? Or was he just that incapable of offering her those things under even these circumstances?

  When the water was the right temperature, he finally turned to her. His eyebrows drew together when he saw her expression and body language.

  “Did I hurt you?” he asked, moving closer.

  “You’re certainly doing a good job of it now,” she replied. “You’ll barely look at me. Was it that bad?”

  She watched his frown ease into understanding. Moving even closer to her, he lifted his hand to the side of her face.

  “It was that good,” he corrected. “I’m not looking at you because just the sight of your spectacular body is enough to make me want to have sex with you again right now, and you need time to recover.”

  “Oh,” she managed.

  “Now, are you ready to shower?”

  “Yes.”

  She saw him glance down at her breasts as he led her to the shower. His body’s response was instantaneous.

  This time when he averted his gaze from her, she smiled.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Keith stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom as dawn finally arrived. He’d dozed on and off during the night but he’d probably gotten less than two hours of sleep. He didn’t care.

  He didn’t want sleep. He wanted Sydney.

  He’d had her, too, more times than he rightfully should have throughout the night. He had known she was sore and tender, but he hadn’t been able to keep his hands off of her for more than a couple of hours at a time. He might have felt guilty about that if she hadn’t been so damn enthusiastic in her participation each time he turned to her.

  Even now, his body was hard and ready to go. Sydney slept, blissfully ignorant. Her head rested on his shoulder and her arm was thrown over his waist just as she’d been when she settled into exhausted slumber after their last encounter.

  Since she was right there, his fingers ran through her soft hair, releasing the faintly vanilla-cinnamon scent he’d come to associate with her. The light fragrance merely served to heighten his arousal.

  When he knew the alarm was about to sound, he eased out from under her and turned it off. She should sleep a little l
onger while she still could. He walked to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, then headed to the bathroom to hunt for the container of aspirin in his medicine cabinet. He brought both back into the bedroom and placed them on the nightstand before heading to the shower.

  Sydney still hadn’t stirred by the time he was done showering, shaving, and dressing in jeans and a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He walked back to the bed and sat on the edge of the mattress to nudge her awake.

  “Let’s go, Slick. Our ride will be here in thirty minutes.”

  She groaned and refused to open her eyes. “It can’t possibly be morning,” she said groggily.

  “Barely, but yes. Here,” he said, shaking a couple of aspirin into his hand. “Take these.”

  Her eyes finally opened and focused on him. “Why?”

  “Trust me, you’ll want them.”

  “Fine,” she sighed.

  She shoved herself into a sitting position and took the pills and water he handed her. He waited until she had swallowed the aspirin and took the bottle of water from her.

  “You have just enough time to hop in the shower,” he said.

  She rubbed her eyes and moved closer to the edge of the mattress. “I wanted to make breakfast.”

  “No time for that,” he said, watching her carefully. “A hot shower is more important.”

  Her eyebrows drew together as she swung her feet over the side of the bed and started to rise. “But—oh, sweet Mother Mary.”

  He grabbed her when she gasped and nearly collapsed. Guilt decided to pay him a visit after all when he saw the pain in her eyes.

  “Okay,” she said in a strained voice. “Yes. Hot shower. Keith!”

  He ignored her startled gasp as he scooped her up and carried her to the bathroom. When they reached the walk-in shower, he set her down and turned the water on. She watched him without further comment, stepping under the hot spray when he deemed it was ready.

  “Cocoa Puffs or Corn Flakes?” he asked her after indulging in a minute of watching the water glide over her body through the surrounding glass.

  She blinked at him as she cleared water from her gaze. “I’ll live on the wild side. Cocoa Puffs, please. Any chance there might be a cup of coffee to go with it?”

  “I’ll see what I can do,” he said, and somehow managed to walk away from her rather than hop in the shower with her like he really wanted.

  She was efficient with her shower and getting ready, leaving fifteen minutes for them to drink the coffee he brewed and eat their cereal before their ride got there. She had opted to wear jeans and some kind of white short-sleeved top with ruffles around the sleeves and neckline. The top left her shoulders bare and she had pulled her hair back at the temples, exposing the slender line of her neck. He couldn’t stop staring at her.

  “Aren’t you hungry?” she asked when he still hadn’t touched his cereal.

  “Oh, yeah,” he said, meeting her gaze. “Just not for cereal.”

  Her pretty blush made him grin. Her comment did manage to prod him enough that he started eating. They finished their breakfast, washed the dishes, and brushed their teeth just as the knock came announcing the arrival of the driver that would take them to the airport.

  Sydney slipped on a thin, light blue zippered hoodie as they prepared to leave. Keith was both relieved and disappointed that she had covered herself up. At least with the hoodie on he might not stare at her all damn day.

  Then he saw how nicely her jeans displayed her sexy hips and backside. So much for that.

  The thirty-minute drive to the airport was quiet. He appreciated that Sydney didn’t feel the need to fill silences with inane chatter like other females tended to do. When she reached over and took his hand, he didn’t pull away. He wasn’t usually a hand-holder or any other PDA kind of guy but it was surprisingly less awkward than he’d figured it would be. He even kind of liked the feeling of connection with her.

  What the hell was Sydney Ward doing to him?

  The driver finally pulled up to their drop-off point at LAX. Keith saw The Void’s tour manager, Rebecca Killorn, bearing a clipboard and headset and standing next to a door just beyond a short stretch of red carpet. Two airline employees stood with her.

  “Where are we going?” Sydney asked as Keith joined her on the curb beside the car.

  “Into the airport,” he replied, placing a hand at the small of her back to guide her towards the door. “Hi, Becca.”

  “Good morning, Keith,” Rebecca said, striding forward with one of the airport employees at her heels. “Ms. Ward.”

  Sydney accepted Rebecca’s brisk handshake, probably wondering who she was. “Hi.”

  Rebecca’s gaze shifted to the luggage currently being unloaded by the driver and stacked on a rolling cart by the airport employee. “Are we separating these out by rooms?” she asked.

  “No,” Keith answered. “Put it all in my room.”

  He was pleased that Sydney didn’t object. Of course, she was looking around as though trying to figure out exactly where at the airport they were, so she might not have been paying any attention.

  “All right,” Rebecca said, making a note on her clipboard. “Head on in to check-in. Archer and Lily arrived a few minutes ago. You’ll probably catch them before they move on to security.”

  “Thanks,” Keith said.

  As he and Sydney neared the door, the other airline employee greeted them with a smile that was way too upbeat for the early hour. “Good morning, Mr. Connors...Ms. Ward. I’m Brad and I’ll be your pre-flight concierge. Just let me know if you need anything as we go along. Right this way, please.”

  Sydney gave Keith a raised-eyebrow look and mouthed Concierge? behind Brad’s back. “Shouldn’t we tip the driver and baggage guy?” she whispered.

  “Rebecca will take care of it.”

  “Oh.”

  Her continued mystification over the unusual airport entrance humored him. How long had it been since he first took this trip through the airport out of the public eye? It had to be when he first started with The Void since Archer always insisted on paying for the band to travel like this. Had he ever been as awed as Sydney was now?

  No, he decided. But seeing her delighted smile as they entered the VIP check-in area somehow made him wish that he could get such enjoyment out of something he took for granted.

  As Rebecca had predicted, Archer and Lily were still in the check-in area. Trey and Barney stood nearby talking to one of the airline attendants manning the check-in counter. Lily spotted Keith and Sydney and smiled.

  “Hi, guys,” she greeted them, meeting Sydney in a hug. “You awake yet?”

  “I’m getting there,” Sydney said. “Have you been in this part of the airport before?”

  “Nope,” Lily said on a yawn. “Sure is nice though. No paparazzi.”

  The paparazzi weren’t something Keith thought about much. As The Void’s reclusive bassist, he wasn’t exactly the media draw that Archer was. He knew, though, that Lily was now getting as much exposure to the paparazzi as Archer thanks to their relationship and her role on the show.

  “Let’s just get you checked in,” Brad said cheerfully, his attention on Sydney. “Do you have your IDs?”

  The next twenty minutes involved checking in for their flight, taking an elevator to another quiet part of the airport, waiting through a much shorter than usual security line, and ultimately being led to a VIP lounge. Sydney’s smile never dimmed. If anything, it brightened further as they walked into the expansive lounge with its curved lines, amazing outdoor views, and open balcony overlooking the terminal.

  “We get to wait here?” she asked.

  “Yep,” Brad responded, returning her smile. “There are snacks and complimentary coffee, tea, juice, and other beverages right over here.”

  He lifted a hand as though to touch Sydney’s shoulder to steer her towards the part of the lounge that wasn’t visible from the entrance due to th
e curved architecture. It wasn’t the first time he’d touched her. He’d been a remarkably hands-on concierge...at least with Sydney.

  Keith had had enough.

  Reaching up, he put his own arm around Sydney’s shoulders before Brad made contact with her. Brad’s hand ended up hitting Keith’s where it was planted on Sydney’s shoulder. Brad hurriedly pulled his hand back. Keith heard Archer snort with humor as he and Lily strolled past and headed further into the lounge and around the bend in the wall with Trey and Barney trailing after them.

  “Uh, excuse me,” Brad said as he met Keith’s cool stare. “Th-the refreshments are on that side of the lounge. I’ll be back to escort you to your flight in about thirty minutes.”

  “Thanks,” Sydney said.

  Keith watched Brad make a hasty departure and then turned his attention to Sydney. “You want anything?”

  “Let’s see what they’ve got.”

  Since it was already there, he kept his arm over her shoulders as they followed Archer and Lily further into the lounge. He made out the sound of Xander’s deep tenor before spotting him when they rounded the bend. The rhythm guitarist was sitting near Sage in a couple of comfortable looking chairs, a small table piled with food between them. They both lifted hands in waves of greeting. Neither looked surprised that he was there with Sydney. It appeared Archer had spread the word.

  As Keith returned their waves, his gaze shifted to the seating area right behind them. It appeared at least a few members of Suddenly Something were already there. He saw Brandon since he was facing him, and the back of a dyed blonde female’s head that could only be Nikki’s. That probably meant the guy in the chair next to hers was O’Dell.

  Dismissing them from his thoughts, he led Sydney over to the entrance of the room with the refreshments. It was separated from the seating area by frosted glass walls and a large curved wooden bar. Archer and Lily were already in the room examining the offerings.

  “It smells amazing in here,” Sydney said. “I didn’t think I’d still be this hungry after eating that bowl of cereal.”

  The thought that they had burned off every last calorie in their systems throughout the night ran through his mind, but he kept that comment to himself. As it was, Archer sent him a devilish look that said he knew exactly why Sydney had a healthy appetite that morning.