Chapter 23

Richie chuckled conspiratorially. "Not like Geena has anything to live down either, must say Jon got hungry yesterday."

Her voice whispered out on a sigh of appreciation. "You saw it too huh?"

"How could I miss it?" Richie grinned as he pressed in on a tight muscle. "It was a definite marking of territory."

Her brow arched slightly. Jon wouldn't do that would he? They'd just met. "Marking territory? He doesn’t even know her," she paused a moment, "yet."

"Well right now he wouldn't admit to anything other than it was a good lay," Richie chuckled but stopped when saw what his words did to her expression, he tried to backtrack. "I didn't mean it like that, shit."

She went to pull her leg away from his hand, stilling as his grasp tightened.

"What did you mean then?"

“Fuck, I don’t know what I meant . Jon is funky when it comes to women. Ever since his divorce he just hasn't cared, hasn’t looked at anything female." Richie winced at the slight admission, a tiny thread of guilt rising as he mentioned Jon’s disinterest. The thread vanished as he spotted his own marking, a secretive smile playing over his lips as he brushed a finger lightly over the light bruise he’d made himself. Wait til she sees this.

She started to open her mouth and say something about how little his friend cared about anything of late, only to clap her lips together. What the fuck was he grinning about anyhow? When his finger trailed over her inner thigh and further up she managed to speak through a shiver. "And how are you about women?"

"I treasure them," Richie grinned wickedly. " Because that’s what they deserve. Hell they deserve all we can do for them. Having to put up with our shit, well it ain’t easy Darlin."

“Don't seem many really have put up with it. Seems to me ya need to find yourselves real women that ain’t in it for the goodies you can give." Her eyes went wide as her hands clapped over her mouth. Fuck Bri. Open wide insert foot why dontcha?

'Why you up for the job?”

She heard the amusement in his voice."Honey I don't think you could handle real love," she mumbled beneath her hands. "Someone to want Rich and not Richie The Rockstar. Might make ya crazier than you probably are." She groaned and pulled the pillow over her head. "Kill me now. Tell me I didn’t say that out loud."

"No darlin tell me more.” He rubbed out a knot in her calf and listened intently. It wasn’t often any woman would tell him like it really was, talk to him like he was a person, and although he knew the words might sting, her opinion had to be interesting.

She peeked out from under the pillow, her mouth running ahead of her brain on all of its tiny little cylinders. "You want truth? You can't handle the truth."

"I can handle anything. Tell me," Richie dared, “or I’ll stop the massage.”

She growled lightly, “You don’t play fair, told you that before.”

A half grin teased her lips. He wanted to hear? Well fuck, she’d let him hear. She lifted a hand, took a deep breath and the plunge, "Bekka, Courtney, Samantha, Cher, Denise, Jenn, Ally, Every single one famous or trying to be, or living on the fringes of fame. Oh and let’s not forget the Ex, who went from one big rock star, to you, to a fuckin’ shrimp, to a soap actor. Were they there for you in the quiet times? Or did they have their own lives and use your coat tail to ride on? Were they there to help through the dark times or was it Sayanara when the going got tough? You should find yourself a woman who will be there, with no objectives other than cherishing Rich the man, not the magic fingers of Jovi."

Her voice went quiet as she studied his slack jawed surprise. "Only decent thing you got out of 25 years of trying at love was your daughter, and damn if you get to have a lot of that. You deserve love, and kids if you want them. Not some plastic barbie who is more worried about her face and waist than the love the kid could bring to the world."

Richie paused and set back on his heels Wow she nailed it on the head. "You're right," Richie said quietly, "Exactly right. "

She quieted a moment, "Sorry, didn't mean to blast into you, hell it’s your life. I guess I just, well take it from someone who appreciates what real love could be cuz she's never really had it." She blushed vivid scarlet. "Ok that didn't come out right either. I can’t seem to control around you."

"Well maybe its what we both need then huh? You wanna see where this would go? I know its early, but I do like you," Richie admitted.

Her eyes went wide as she studied him quietly. "You're shittin' me. I'm just some name on a web page, we normally wouldn’t ever have met. Crap, shit like this don't happen to me!"

"And why not ? You are a woman and besides crazier things have happened."

She whimpered as he flipped her onto her belly, his hands soothing up her lower back, knuckles digging in to each indentation of her spine. "But,but you don't know me." Oh Christ that’s a song of his.. get your head outta the clouds girl.

"No that is true but what if I said I want to know you." Richie added as he worked his way up to her shoulders kneeding them

"I'd probably think you'd lost your mind." She started to laugh as his fingers slid over a ticklish spot. "But you already know you're my fantasy. I'd be an idiot to turn ya down flat."