Jesse lived like this?

Her head throbbed. People she didn’t know were grabbing her to congratulate her on her engagement. The engagement that had completely blindsided her mere hours ago and she hadn’t agreed to. Hurting Jesse’s feelings wasn’t something she wanted to do, but there was no way in hell she could live this sort of life.

The door to the suite opened, and Jesse sauntered in, bright, perfectly symmetrical smile in place. The little crowd cheered. Ryan paused in banging his blonde to wave. At Jesse’s back, Call scowled and took in the scene, grousing something in Jesse’s ear.

It caused Jesse’s smile to turn to thunder, and he whirled, fists clenched. Hmm, whatever Call said, Jesse didn’t like it.

The pair exchanged words. Ugly words, Kimber guessed from their body language. Then Jesse stormed off. And stomped in her direction.

“Hey, babe.” He forced a new smile and grabbed her, hauling her off the sofa and into his arms. “Let’s step outside and get away from all this.” More than eager for the opportunity to talk to Jesse, she didn’t resist when he grabbed her hand and led her across the room. They headed toward the sliding glass door and the balcony outside, practically stepping over the latest line-sniffer and tripping over an energetically thrusting Ryan.

“Where you going, man?” Ryan asked, then thrust up into the blonde straddling him again. “Don’t go far. She’s hot.”

Jesse’s gaze drifted over her. In the last few moments, Ryan had removed the girl’s top and her bare breasts bounced with every upward surge he made into her pliant body. She was flushed, eyes hazy and half open. And she looked wasted out of her mind.

“Yeah… Why don’t y’all find a bedroom? Call will chew my ass out if you keep fucking her in front of everyone.”

“All right, but join us, man. Her pussy is tight, and she wants a cock up her virgin ass, which she saved for you.”

Kimber recoiled. She was pretty sure that the blonde wasn’t in her right mind at the moment and couldn’t possibly know what she actually wanted.

After a surreptitious glance in her direction, Jesse shook his head. “I’m going outside with Kimber, bro. Find a bedroom.”

Ryan rolled his eyes and grumbled, but he stood and lifted the blonde up, keeping her impaled on his dick and urging her to wrap her legs around him.

God, she really couldn’t stay here. Kimber shook her head.

As the door to the suite slid shut behind them, humid summer air wrapped around them, hot and restless.

Jesse curled his arm over her shoulder and sighed. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“We need to talk.” Kimber turned to him with a serious stare. “That engagement announcement totally took me off guard. I—I thought you’d ask first.” With a shrug, he said, “We’d talked about it before. I just assumed it’d be cool.” Something on her face must have shown her shock and denial, because Jesse grabbed her hands and pulled her against him. “We’ll make it work. I need you, babe. You know I do. I don’t want to go back to that” —he made a sweeping gesture to the party in the room behind them.

Kimber’s gaze followed the motion. Someone opened another champagne bottle.

The lines of cocaine were gone, replaced by three roadies all clustered around the barely legal girl, who was now positioned on her hands and knees, a hard penis in her mouth, a man under her devouring her nipples, and another behind her, plowing into her sex with punishing strokes. Kimber flinched, wondering how much of this the girl would remember tomorrow.

“See, I’d be one of those guys right now if it wasn’t for you.” Kimber blanched. “Why? Walk by. Say no. You don’t need my help to do that.”

“I do! Without you, I’m weak. But I want to be better for you. I don’t want to disappoint you. I don’t want to ruin you.”

Ruin? Before Kimber could respond, Jesse jerked her against him and swamped her with a desperate, open-mouthed kiss. His tongue lashed at hers, tangling, dominating. Begging by force. Not arousing her in the least.

She tore herself away. “Stop!”

He gripped her arms in a tight hold, his frown dissolving into something damn near tearful. “Don’t push me away. Please. Since you’ve been here, there’s been something on your mind. Something holding you back, acting as a wall between us.

What’s going on? I’ve tried to wait and be patient…” Deke. Damn him. Even Jesse, as absent and self-involved as he’d been, could see where her heart was. And her body.

“Jesse. It’s not simple. Before I came here, things happened. The men I learned ménage from, they affected me. One of them”—she paused, frowned—“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him.”

“Then this marriage will be good for both of us. But you’ve got to give me a chance. I can help you, and you know I need you.” Kimber shook her head. “I’ve been realizing over the last few days that I don’t love you like that. You’re a friend—”

“Fuck being friends! Do you know how many women would kill to be my wife?

Hell, I have them lining up after a concert just to get fucked. Or to let me watch them get fucked by someone else. Or both. I want to give that up for you, and you want to be friends?”

She’d hurt his feelings, said everything the wrong way. “I didn’t mean to upset you. You mean a lot to me. It’s me. I don’t think I’m cut out for this life. And don’t you want a wife who loves you and you alone?”

He blew out a harsh breath. “Someday you might. I just want you to give me a chance. I really can help you get over your…tutor. As good as you think he is, I can be better. Babe, I know so much about pleasing a woman. I can turn you to butter, make you melt at my feet, then lick you right into a screaming puddle. Let me try.

Please.”

He sneaked a glance at the tableau inside. The barely legal girl still had a man pummeling her sex, but now the man at her breasts had eased under her and moved his mouth to her clit, devouring her as if it was his last meal.

Kimber risked a quick glance down, and noticed that the more the men worked the young woman into a frenzy, the harder Jesse got. His head might want to give up this life, but his dick wasn’t on the bandwagon yet.

Suddenly, a scowling Call stepped in front of the glass, blocking their view. Jesse cursed and whirled away, allowing his manager to open the door and step outside.

“That journalist from People magazine is waiting in the suite. Get him the hell out of here before the foursome fucking on the floor takes center stage. As it is, they’re gathering a crowd. Are you sober?”

“Haven’t had a drop.” Jesse sounded bitter.

“You haven’t been smoking, snorting, sniffing—”

“No.”

“Then get out there, find the journalist, and grab the opportunities while they last. Fame is fickle and fleeting.”

“I can think of another f-word for it at the moment.”

“You hired me to help you be a megastar. I’m doing my job. Go do yours.” Jesse’s jaw clenched, and he shoved his shaggy dark hair from his face. “C’mon, Kimber.” He reached for her hand.

Call stopped him, his mouth tight with barely restrained fury. “Just you. Make the magazine focus on you, not your romance. That’s not the angle we’ve been playing to the press. Try to avoid mentioning this…engagement if you can.” He sent Kimber a regretful glance. “You’re a first-class bastard, Cal.” The older man’s smile filled with sharp, artificially white teeth. All she needed was the theme music to Jaws. “That’s why you pay me.” Grumbling to himself, Jesse grabbed the door, yanked it open again, and disappeared inside.

An awkward silence passed over the balcony. Call stared, and Kimber met it, wondering why the hell he seemed to be accusing her of something without saying a single word.

“Thank you for trying to help Jesse,” she said finally. “I know he doesn’t appreciate you like he should but—”

“You’re a nice girl, and you shouldn’t be here. He’s going to screw up your life, and you’re definitely going to ruin his image. Tell me how much you want and where you want to go. I’ll take care of everything.”

“What?” Was he…buying her off?

“Don’t play stupid.” His voice turned angry. “You don’t belong here. You don’t belong with Jesse. How much to end this engagement and go away?” Kimber had planned on leaving, but not like this. She sent Call an incredulous stare. “You’re bribing me?”

Call glared with cool blue eyes. “I’m paying you to go back where you belong, while sparing you a lot of heartache and public humiliation.”

“I don’t want money,” she insisted. While she had no intention of marrying Jesse, she wasn’t about to give Call the satisfaction. “You are a first-class bastard, just like Jesse said. This decision is between him and me, and whatever we choose for our lives is our business.”

“This engagement is going to kill his momentum. His new album is due to release soon. We want people focused on the music and the mystery behind the man who lives in the fast lane. We don’t want people wondering if you’re going to wear Vera Wang for the big day and how skilled you are in bed to have lured him to the altar.

Don’t ruin his career.”

“Don’t run his life. He’s a grown man—”

“With his brains in his dick. If you don’t want money, then for your own sake, get smart and get out before you get hurt,” Call growled as he returned inside.

Shaking with anger, Kimber waited until she was sure he’d gone before sliding the heavy glass door open. She climbed back into the air-conditioned chaos. A glance around the suite showed the people still partying en force. The quartet on the floor had finally finished their group shag and lay in a panting heap. The girl looked as if she’d passed out, in fact. A pretty fan with silky dark curls doused the front of her white shirt in champagne like a wet T-shirt contestant. The cloying smell of marijuana hung all around the room, making her cough. An object came flying through the room moments later and landed six inches from her feet.

Someone’s bong. Great.

Sighing, she looked around for Jesse. If he’d finished with the journalist, they needed to talk. About their futures, this marriage that couldn’t happen. And she needed to warn him about Cal. He probably already knew that his manager was a manipulating son of a bitch, but just in case…

But where the hell had Jesse gone?

Maybe it was better if she didn’t find him right away. This way, she’d have time to pack. Then she could talk to him, lay her feelings out on the table, and go. Clean and easy. She only hoped he wouldn’t see it as desertion at a time when he desperately needed her. If possible, she wanted to remain friends. But she couldn’t lie to Jesse and tell him she wanted to be his wife.

Difficult, closed-off Deke had somehow squeezed her heart between his massive hands and refused to let go.

She let herself into her bedroom. Surprisingly, it was empty. She’d expected to see complete strangers in here doing the nasty. Being alone was a nice, pleasant bonus.

Shoving clothing and personal items in her suitcase, Kimber mentally prepared a speech. She’d tell Jesse that she cared about him, recommend that he find a good counselor. She’d strongly suggest he watch his back with Call and fire Ryan, who was only encouraging Jesse to be his worst. And she’d volunteer to be a part of his support system while he cleaned up his life, absolutely.

With a last look around, Kimber realized she had everything packed away.

Grabbing her toothbrush from the adjacent bathroom took care of the last task.

When she unpacked next, she supposed it would be at her dad’s place, and she’d have to explain this mess. After spending the next week or two with her dad before he jetted off to whatever assignment was next on his list, she’d return to her own apartment and figure out what to do with the rest of her life.

Sighing, she shook her head. Nothing had turned out as expected. A quick tutoring from Deke and his cousin only revealed her deep fascination for the soldier and opened her heart up wide to the man, even as he slammed his own closed against her. And her time with Jesse…yes, it had ended with the desired marriage proposal—but she no longer desired it.

Rolling her suitcase behind her, Kimber scanned the suite’s main living area. Lots of partying, no Jesse.

Traveling back down the hall, she opened the door to the main bedroom.

And stopped short with a gasp.

Ryan was thrusting into his blonde’s mouth with slow, lazy movements. She wriggled her hips from side to side, then grabbed Ryan’s cock in her hand so she could stare over her shoulder with wide, wild eyes…

At Jesse, who knelt behind her, chugging a fifth of Jack Daniel’s—and shuttling his cock deep in and out of her previously virgin ass with ferocity that stunned.