Chapter 13

Richie chuckled as he watched his best friend leave with a beauty and knew he had been right. He was glad his buddy had listened for a change and took a chance on this wacky idea.

Sometimes it was the wacky ideas that brought the blessings. His attention turned to the closed bedroom door. He'd gotten all kinds of reactions in his life, but fuck if it wasn't the first time he'd had a door slammed in his face, at least by a woman. Then again for all her gutter talk she was just a regular lady, had to have been a surprise to just see them at the door. She was quite a beauty his angel, from what he remembered seeing in those few short seconds before she slammed the door. It was time to coax the angel from behind the door, and if anyone could do coaxing? Well he had a few tricks up his sleeve.

"Bri darlin? Won't ya come out for me please?" He stepped back and watched the door avidly. He just hoped she hadn't freaked to the point of not coming out. Would be his fuckin' luck considering his life the last couple years.

"To be sure you didn't fly all this way just to hide behind the door? You couldn't be afraid of little old me now could you?"

Her eyes jerked towards the door as the knocking started and that dark as sin, whiskey smooth voice started talking. Jesus it was him, it was real, he was OUT THERE! She had to get it together.

Hell they had been called here cuz of the board. Where had her inner gutter girl went? It stayed home thats what! She'd come so far in the last few years after Geena had helped her escape the mockery her marriage had become.

She'd finally started finding herself again. She just couldn't let Geena down now after all she'd done for her. It was the Guttergirls the guys had found, and gutter girl was what she needed to be, she just wasn't sure she could force it out. Talking trash on the board was one thing, but the man was fucking knocking on her bedroom door! Christ she wasn't ready for this.But as his final sentence faded off her brow arched. Afraid of him? She wasn't really afraid of him, she was afraid of embarrassing herself by jumping him. Yeah Bri, you think that. Wasn't you who squeaked and slammed that door, oh no it was some OTHER girl.

God she'd slammed the door in his face, she'd SLAMMED the door in HIS face? Where was the inner gutter girl that had her attacking him the minute she saw him? That chicken squawked home when it all became too real thats what. She took a deep breath and walked to the door. Opening it a crack, she got a slip view of a way broad chest that was once again covered in a fuckin’ white trash tshirt. Without even thinking she muttered softly,”WHAT is it about them shirts dammit?”. Taking a deep breath she opened the door fully and stood there unable to even say hello.

His brow arched at the soft mutters as the door opened. She don't like my shirt? What's wrong with my shirt? I helped design the fuckin' thing. He shook his head and smiled, that was something he'd be sure to ask her about later. "Well hello there Darlin' Come on out and talk to me. I don't bite, I promise." Unless I'm asked too. Please fuck ask me too.

The nerves that had been building for the last few hours suddenly fled at the teasing in his voice.

"Well hell, if you aren't, then I'm just gonna stay here."

Richie couldn't stop the deep chuckle, or the sudden shaft of pleasure he felt at the southern honey of her voice. "Well, if you want me to I can. I'm easy that way," he winked. Ahha, theres that little wild woman I've learned through words.

She tilted her head and couldn’t help the smile. "Yeah so I've heard." She nodded to the couch and moved that way, settling herself into a corner as the shaking started. He was in the room, and he was bigger than life, and he was fuckin' more gorgeous than pictures. They didn't do the man justice.

He sat down beside her, placed a hand on her leg and gently squeezed. "It's ok Darlin, really I'm pretty harmless."

And there it was, her dream come true and for once she wasn't sure what she wanted first, although the urge to rip his clothes off was starting to run rampant in her head. A lopsided grin started to form as her head tilted. "You're about as harmless as a room full of TNT, and what does OK mean? Does it mean insane? Cuz honestly my life hit the twilight zone about twenty four hours ago. Not so sure about that at the moment."

"I think I had a bit to do with that, but darlin’ you sure peaked my interest."

She winced at his words. "I am afraid to ask how but I can't help but want to know exactly WHAT interested you." She shook her head and laughed, "Exactly what did you see on the boards?"

Richie's grin widened. "Everything darlin’."

"Everything?" She squeaked out the word before she could stop herself. "You actually got the password? There's so many boards, so many threads, YOU couldn’t have seen it ALL!"

His fingers rose to brush over his lips as chin as he pretended to think. "Well that gutter area was extremely enlightening. Especially those capture the moment, use your own words thread." He leaned in touching her nose with his, breathing the next words out on a long soft sight, "So did you mean what you say there darlin? Or is it all talk?"

Her eyes closed and she could damn near feel the flush as her cheeks heated, felt the heady formation of pure lust as his breath whispered over her cheeks. "It’s just locker room talk, I'm sure you guys do it too. A lot of what ifs and fantasy. Hell none of us ever expected to really MEET you ya know."

"Damn girl, if we known you talked or thought like that," Richie chuckled as he pulled back. His eyes honed in on the little vein in her neck. Her pulse was racing crazily, her breathing already a near gasp. Still got it old man. "We might have had to search you out before now had we known. But answer me now, would you really do those things?"

She reached deep and tugged on her inner gutter girl as the little devil on her shoulder started to laugh. Leaning forward she reached out a single finger to trail it along his arm. "Every fuckin' single thing."

She felt the urge washing in and followed it. Her dream was coming true and she be damned if she let it pass by all due to a little case of nerves. As her finger moved up to brush over his lips she leaned closer. "That also includes the nice long talk to learn all about the real man off the stage too. I really want to get to know Richard more than anything."

"Darlin , you can have whatever you wish. You wanna talk we can talk. You wanna do other things then we can do that too." Richie grinned wickedly as he cupped her face .

His lips were right there, scant inches away. She'd dreamed of those lips night after night. She felt herself leaning closer, his heat and scent started to wrap around her, making her drunker than any amount of alcohol she'd ever imbibed in her life. "I'm not a groupie, hell I've never even BEEN to one of your shows, and normally I'm not that easy either....." She leaned closer, her lips brushing light as a feather next to his, "but damn..."

Richie's voice vibrated against her lips, "baby if I thought you were a groupie I would have never had Jon set this up."

She pressed her lips against his lightly and shivered as heated sin flavored breath whispered over her lips. Her hands lifted to wind into his hair as she whispered, "You thought this up?"

He pulled back just a bit. "Yes I did darlin. The guys think I'm insane but I had a gut feeling and when I do I have to run with it and this one? It was mighty damn strong, " he answered. God she is an angel. He leaned in again and brushed her lips once more. She was an intoxicating mix of emotions, tastes and sensations and he wanted to explore each and every one until he'd figured her out.

Her heart flip flopped as the idea of him seeing all of her words, everything she was, and wanted it without even seeing her face. It amazed her, thrilled her and set her nerves to tingling. Her tongue flicked out slightly to tease the seam of his lips, her body leaning in further. She wanted to feel the skin of his body, get closer to the heat, but short of climbing in his lap was unsure of how to take it past the heady kiss he kept offering.

Richie gently pulled her onto his lap his hands sliding underneath the warm sweater she still was wearing from the flight, pulling her closer to him as he drew in the first taste of her. She was warm and satiny, the taste of her igniting a fire inside, a fire he hadn't felt in too long to count.

Her legs spread as he pulled her tight to him, her thoughts tumbling as his skillful fingers slid over her skin, the softness and the calluses teasing her already inflamed senses. She arched slightly, as her hands slid down, only to realize he was in a t-shirt. With a voice that was part breathless, part grumble she muttered about his sudden addiction to clothes without buttons.

Chuckling at her grumble, Richie pulled back a moment, “And what the hell is wrong with my shirt Darlin?”

Bri’s cheeks flushed as she heard the near hurt in his voice. She knew he had helped design the White Trash shirts, knew he had to love them, but dammit only so much a girl could stand.

“Well, ya see, You been wearing them all the time lately…..”

“And?” His voice urged her on.

“And I miss the barely buttoned up shirts, the ones that show your chest OK? A woman gets used to things.”

His laughter roared, "Well hell is that all?” His hands snaked down as he yanked the t-shirt from his body. “That better darling? How's 'bout we lose yours as well?"

Her breath caught as his chest came into view, her hands leaving his satiny hair to brush over the plains of his chest. "You've lost weight recently." Her head dipped a moment to press a light kiss in the center of his chest before she straightened her arms lifting in invitation. Jesus his chest was just perfect on the close up. Pictures couldn't give off the heat that radiated from that skin, didn't let you smell the heady scent that the first hint of had already set her motor to flashpoint.

He groaned as her feathery kiss sent a shot of electricity coursing through him. The fires her kiss had started were beginning to rage uncontrolled with the brushes of her soft little hands. He wasn't so sure he could control those fires at this point, fuck if he wanted too either. He bucked a bit, the tightening of his jeans growing, pressing against her very core. His hands grabbed the edge of her sweater as he slid it up over her head, his eyes drinking in the satiny perfection of her skin. He couldn't stop the slide of his hands to her breasts, not too small thank god, just enough to fill his hands, but too covered for his liking. Lacy scrap that it was, it hid the best part of her, a part he wanted to not only see but nibble on.

She felt the chill of the air conditioning hit as her sweater vanished faster than she could imagine. Opening her eyes she watched as his eyes traveled over each inch of her body, and for an instant she was slightly embarrassed. She wasn't model perfect, not an ounce of plastic on her. Closing her eyes she managed a slight smile as she moved forward to brush against his heat. "Everything meet your approval?"