Revival: A Rockstar Romance (The Rock Legend Series Book 3) Read online

  About A Year Ago

  ALYSSA

  Meeting Dylan Castle in the middle of all the crazy stalker shit happening on the Tour was a godsend for me. Everyone else was on edge, but I was kind of Zen when I met the drummer with the messy dirty blonde hair and full sleeves of tattoos adorning his perfect muscular arms. My memories of meeting him and my dreams line up almost perfectly.

  My heart skipped a beat when Dylan stood to greet Sky and me like a perfect gentleman, but I’d read enough about The Savages to know that he was the biggest man-whore of the bunch. Despite my prior knowledge of his past, when his eyes landed on me, it was as if his demeanor immediately switched from barely interested to an inexplicable recognition. He smiled a genuine smile that wasn’t the lascivious smile of a man who was simply trying to score; it was like the serene smile of a man who’d already done so, had the obligatory cigarette afterwards—and had taken me to meet his mama.

  When he took my hand and kissed it, my knees quaked because it was as if he were saying, ‘please have my babies, my queen,’ but what he actually said was, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Alyssa. I’m Dylan.”

  “Hey, Dylan.” I kept my cool. Barely. I flashed him a semi-coy smile that I hope didn’t make me seem too eager.

  He held my hand and my gaze, while the rest of the band introduced themselves, and before The Savages left the Charity Event, Dylan and I had exchanged phone numbers.

  Having a man show interest and actually follow up on it is a rare occurrence for me, so by the time we had our first real date, we’d been talking regularly, blowing up our cell phones with texts and meeting up whenever we could elude the security detail, and sneaking him into my hotel rooms.

  Security was tight because someone had made an attempt on Sky’s life, and mine by association. I handle stress differently from most. I use comedy to take the edge off, while my friends brood. It also helps that I’d met someone who really seemed to get me for once. It was liberating.

  Malik, or the extra bodyguards he’d hired, were sticking to me and Sky like glue since the lights almost squashed us at the Philly concert, so it’d been hard as fuck sneaking around with Dylan since we met at the Charity Gala in Minnesota. Going on a public date with Sky and Brody would make it easier for Dylan and me to get together once the bodyguards saw he wasn’t a threat.

  On our first free day in a while, Brody set up a surprise for Sky which he’d graciously let me in on because Sky and I had made plans which he wanted to change. I wasn’t particular about his plans as long as they included one hot as fuck drummer in the mix.

  As agreed, I waited fifteen minutes after Brody returned to his and Sky’s hotel room to text her so she’d snap out of her funk and get moving. I understood how an attempt on your life could make you skittish, but I refused to let that light malfunction, which could have killed us but didn’t, keep me from living my best life.

  Get up or I’ll throttle you, woman. I need to get out of this hotel NOW!

  Malik, Sky, Brody, and I rode together, as always. While the security detail tailed us to provide additional coverage, if needed.

  The half hour drive from Flushing culminated with us exiting at a sign that said, “The Bronx Zoo,” and Sky’s face lit up like Christmas, but I quietly donned a knowing smirk.

  “A zoo?” Sky asked.

  “What’s wrong with the zoo?” Brody responded, looking between Sky and me. “I have it on good authority that you both like animals.”

  “Hey, guys!” Dylan yelled and did a two-armed above the head wave from the entrance at us like we might miss him, but there was no way I could. I’d spent too many days and nights thinking about his fine ass to not notice him now that we were seeing each other in the flesh again.

  “Here’s another animal now,” Brody joked.

  It was difficult for me to maintain my chill when I saw Dylan. Our long conversations by phone, and massive strings of texts are nothing like beholding the real thing. Sky gave me a look that said “we’re going to dish about this later, chick.”

  “I told you she wouldn’t be lonely,” Brody said to Sky, almost as if I weren’t there.

  “Didn’t you fight with them?” Sky asked.

  “Just Stephen. He’s Kim’s brother, so we’ve been at each other’s throats for a while.”

  “That’s right. I forgot about that,” she said.

  Dylan told me the story behind Stephen and Brody’s tension. Stephen blamed Brody for his sister, Kim’s addiction and subsequent death. Unlike Stephen, I didn’t blame anyone but Jacob for his drinking. At some point we had to acknowledge our own shit.

  As we walked to join Dylan at the entrance, Brody continued. “Dylan is cool. We were friends long before The Savages, so I’ve known him longer than everyone else. He can be a little forward sometimes, but he’s a good guy.”

  “Better be,” Malik said, “or he’ll be missing a limb that I’ll throw to one of the lions inside.”

  I was horrified by Malik’s malevolence toward Dylan, but I didn’t need his over-protective ass ruining my fun times. We’d have to have a conversation about that eventually. But right then, I was low-key ogling Dylan like a fat kid in a cupcake store. He cuts a nice figure in his fitted Henley and a pair of jeans, adorned with a pocket chain. A pair of black boots completed his ensemble. My only regret had been not being able to see his tatts right then.

  I zoned back into Brody and Sky’s conversation after getting two eyes full of Dylan.

  “So you rented us a zoo?” Sky said.

  Brody laughed. “I guess I did. Do you like it?”

  “Hmm…I’ll love it more if you give me a piggyback ride inside.”

  Sky laughed as if it was a joke but Brody leaned over. “Hop on, my beautiful Sky.”

  Sky jumped up on his back and I challenged Dylan, “I know you’re not going to have me walk inside while my bestie’s getting the royal treatment.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it,” Dylan said and hoisted me right onto his back, where I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders. Somebody certainly worked out because…muscles!

  Brody and Dylan raced through the entrance, the ticket taker shrugged when they carried us through the turnstile. Sky stuck her tongue out at me playfully and I stuck my thumbs into my ears and made a face back at her.

  We clowned like this for a few minutes, using Brody and Dylan as our beasts of burden. Sky and I didn’t have the type of childhoods we deserved so this was special to us both. When the guys got winded, we hopped down and walked through the exhibits coupled up, with Malik leading our rag-tag bunch, and the security guys trailing us.

  When we decided to split up, I was glad Malik and one bodyguard stuck with Brody and Sky. I didn’t think he’d been serious about tossing one of Dylan’s limbs to the animals, but I was happy we had just the one bodyguard who was less likely to do so, trailing Dylan and me discreetly.

  Dylan reached out and took my hand as we strolled and it felt way more intimate for us to be connected in that way. Walking with my arm linked through his was a poor substitute—just like talking on the phone and texting was a sad facsimile for personal contact.

  “So, out of all the animals we’ve seen, which is your favorite?” he asked.

  I didn’t have to think about my response. I grinned. “The monkeys, hands down.”

  “Oh yeah, why?”

  “I’ve been watching these documentary stories about Monkeys, ‘Chimpanzee’ and ‘Monkey Kingdom.’ Every time they’re on, I’m glued to the TV.”

  “I think I’ve seen them. In one they follow a young chimp named Oscar, and in the other, they follow this monkey couple, where the male gets ousted from the group, right?”

  “Yes! Aren’t they the coolest? Monkeys are a lot like us, and those docs paint them as playful and mischievous, strategic, and a lot of fun to watch.”

  “They are, but nothing compares to the big cats. The predators.”

  “You would say that.”

  He faced
me, and his neutral expression gave nothing away, as he said, “Is it because of my reputation?”

  “It has preceded you, but no. Men in general tend to favor bigger more dangerous things.”

  He seemed relieved by my answer. “Like what?”

  “Big toys like fast motorcycles, cars, and boats, and big game to hunt and kill so they can mount the heads of them onto their family room walls.”

  “I’ll admit I like fast motorcycles, cars and boats, and while I enjoy a good safari, I’m not into killing animals for sport or hanging their heads in my house. I prefer to hunt in the grocery store and the only thing dangerous about that is the grocery bill.”

  I laughed. “You’re more of a renaissance man than a rugged outdoorsman then?”

  “Exactly. I can appreciate nature, but I prefer an RV over a tent any day.”

  “Me, too! There is nothing romantic for me about sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag. Give me a few creature comforts and I’ll take that trip into rugged terrain right into the nearest RV Park.”

  “So, no hikes for you up Mount Everest?”

  “Hell no. I can enjoy seeing it from sea level. Thank you very much.”

  “Looks like we’re a match made in high-maintenance heaven.”

  “Word.”

  Five

  New York City

  One Year Ago

  ALYSSA

  We spent a full day at the Zoo, checking out the animals, eating all the high-priced, calorie-laden food we could stomach, and walking until our feet felt as if they all had been stricken with a sudden case of plantar fasciitis. At the end of the day, we took a helicopter tour of the city, capped off by a late dinner and drinks at a savvy new restaurant which the concierge at the hotel promised us was off the beaten path enough for us not to be mobbed by fans.

  Retiring to the hotel with Dylan in tow without having to sneak him in was everything. Without either of us having to speak the words, I knew that night would be the night. He’d been oddly gentlemanly toward me since we’d met, and besides a perfunctory, but always hot, good night kiss, he’d never attempted to round any further bases. He’d taken my warning when I first met him to heart and spent some time getting to know me, rather than just trying to get into my pants. Now it was time for us to move on to the next level.

  Dropping my wristlet on the first surface I encountered, I began to peel away clothing that suddenly felt too restrictive. First my linen slacks, leaving my legs exposed and revealing soft lace panties that were part of a set. The sound of the door being kicked shut was the only noise save our breathing, which sounded louder than normal. Dylan came up behind me, the heat of his body enveloping me like a shroud.

  Strong drummer’s hands embraced my hips, his calloused fingers rasping against the skin he caressed, as his warm breath wafted against the curve of my neck.

  The noise in the room shifted as my pulse became dominant and my breathing muted. Dylan’s hands traveled from my hips to encircle me from behind, one hand draped over my belly as the other moved my hair aside to bare my nape.

  Just before his delectable lips touched my neck he whispered, “I’ve wanted to taste your skin since the first day we met.”

  I shivered as his soft lips assaulted my neck, his stubbled jaw rasping deliciously over my skin. He alternated with soft and firm kisses, which made me wonder what his kisses would feel like in other, more sensitive places. It had been so long for me, I feared I might orgasm just from him sucking on the curve of my neck. I moaned deep in my throat when he cupped my breast and began to knead my pebbled flesh through my soft halter top. His glorious erection pushed against my back in an unspoken demand that communicated who was going to be in charge of this encounter. His next words corroborated that.

  “I want you naked,” he said, nipping softly at the flesh he’d made wet with his tongue.

  My fingers shook as I undid the strap of my halter and dropped my top to the floor. I heard the release of a zipper and the rustle of his clothes as they came off. I removed my strapless bra with a bit of difficulty, since my fingers didn’t seem to want to cooperate, and my panties finally joined the rest of my clothes on the floor. When I turned to face Dylan, he’d already undressed, and I marveled at the speed at which he’d disrobed and slipped a condom on his massive erection.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he said, his eyes roaming my body as thoroughly as mine were roaming his.

  “So are you,” I said, and literally gasped at the beauty of his body, a likeness of which I’d only ever seen in muscle magazines—the taut ridges invited my caress like a beacon. There didn’t seem to be an ounce of fat contained in the coiled power of his hard body that screamed for my touch.

  My thoughts apparently did not line up with his need. Impatience propelled Dylan forward, and he closed his hand over my nape, tilted my head back, and kissed me full on the mouth. His lips I’d tasted before, but this kiss should’ve been banned in all fifty states, because my knees literally buckled when his tongue locked with mine so completely, the audacity of his intrusion startled me.

  As he continued to explore my mouth as if it was unchartered territory, his hands slid down my back and squeezed my ass. All reason splintered as waves of pleasure washed over me like an ocean crashing onto a pristine shore.

  “Fuck! I want to eat you up,” he said, as he lifted me and pressed me against the door. My arms went automatically around his neck, and my legs around his waist, ankles crossed at his lower back. Then he kissed me again and again, each kiss as intense as the last, while his hands traveled over my body as if he was working for Google Maps and a draft of my body’s landscape was due ASAP.

  My brain grew hazed with lust, but I kissed him back until I was so wet, I felt I might become a puddle at his feet. Dylan grinded against me on the door, his hard cock rubbing against the liquid heat at the juncture of my thighs, as he continued to devour my mouth like a starved man who had not had sustenance for weeks.

  Balancing me against the door with one hand, he used the other to find my center. He nudged two fingers inside me and I clenched as tight around them as I could, given how slick I was.

  “You ready for this?” he asked, throaty and breathless against my lips which were swollen from his kisses.

  “Yes,” I hissed and nodded vigorously as I dug my fingers into his sweat-soaked shoulders trying to maintain purchase. I didn’t want there to be any doubt that I wanted this as much as he did.

  When he pushed his fingers deeper, curling against my g-spot, I begin to rock instinctively against his hand.

  “Dylan.” I moaned as my inner muscles fluttered around his fingers, my nails digging crescents into his shoulders, my breathing so erratic it sounded as if I were hyperventilating.

  Groaning, Dylan continued to push his fingers in and out of me as his thumb found the slippery bud of my clit. My back arched against the door, I came in a spasm that left me a boneless heap sagging between his powerful body and the door. Dylan pressed his body closer and kissed me in the same way he had since we’d entered my hotel room—so completely and thoroughly—I felt it in every place where my heightened nerves had been sensitized.

  That orgasm was spectacular, but I was a greedy bitch and I intended to have as many orgasms as his stamina would allow, and he could coax out of me.

  “Hey,” Dylan entreated me, and I opened my eyes to gaze into his possessive brown ones.

  “Y-yes?” I was barely able to respond as he circled the head of his cock against my slippery entrance.

  “I want you to squeeze my cock just as hard as you squeezed my fingers, okay?”

  Then he fisted one hand in my hair and gripped the softness of my hip while pushing inside me, slipping easily in now that my body was fully prepared to receive him. He swallowed my gasp as he impaled my mouth with his tongue again in the same way that his cock impaled my body, and began to move both in furious, painstaking control.

  I began to move with him, my body impatient to experience
another orgasm. Dylan pounded into me, deep and relentless, answering my need with mercilessly fast thrusts, his fine chest hair rubbing against my nipples with every delicious movement. There would be bruises on my back the next day, but I didn’t care. I held on tighter instead of pushing him away, my pleasure-swollen core absorbing the erotic friction from the throbbing hardness of his cock.

  My second orgasm was heralded by a scream, my core muscles convulsing around Dylan’s cock as my pleasure fractured around him. Dylan continued to take me through my climax, and shortly thereafter pinned me without mercy to the door and claimed his own.

  “Fuuuuck!” he roared, and the only thought I had was, “Absolutely,” or maybe I said it, I neither remember nor care.

  I do know that when we were recovered enough to move our party to the bed, we shared four more orgasms between us that night until we were both too tired and too sore to continue.

  Six

  Hollywood, CA

  ALYSSA

  It takes me a few minutes when I wake up to remember I’m not on tour and sleeping in a hotel bed, as real and as true to life as that dream was. I’m at Sky’s place in the guest room I use when I stay over sometimes.

  I remember I was mad as hell about the honeymoon/vacation they’d planned without telling me about it. Then I’d drank myself into a stupor, which thankfully I didn’t pass out until after I’d eaten. I’m so glad Sky insisted I eat, because I’d be sick as a dog having had that much alcohol on an empty stomach. I don’t weigh enough for my body to process that much alcohol. Prior to this year I rarely imbibed unless I was having a social drink or two with friends. Stress had driven me to drinking more since hearing about The Maldives trip than I’ve had in a year.

  But desperate times called for desperate measures. I needed to process that I was going to see Dylan again, not in my dreams, but in the flesh in two months, and I needed to put my game face on and construct a game plan. Otherwise I would be weak against his charms and fall back into his bed like the malnourished lovesick fool I was over him.