Loving Link Read online

  Chapter 6

  Madison

  Madison sucked in a deep breath and practically jumped behind the large potted plant. He was here. Right here in the room. Her absolutely incredible teenage infatuation in the flesh—not twenty feet away from her. Link Jacks had taken up a shameful amount of Madison's thoughts when she was still an awkward eighteen-year-old girl. The most exciting day of her life had been when she met him at Thomas and Isabel's wedding four years ago. He was polite back then, said hello to her and shook her hand—a hand she didn't wash for two days after that. But it was just that, politeness. She had been a plain, string bean of a girl—all knobby knees, sharp elbows, and hideous braces. Furthermore, she had spent most of the wedding having to babysit their mother, who had had one too many Long Island iced teas and was basically making a fool of herself. And then she’d blown it by gushing to Izzy about how hot Link was. Her sister freaked, telling her how much of a man-whore he was and making Madison swear off musicians altogether. But here he was again. The man she thought of while doing many a sweaty solo act in her dark bedroom fantasies.

  From her perch behind the foliage, Madison watched Link pat Thomas on the back and give Isabel a brief embrace. She couldn't hear what he said but assumed it was the sort of pleasantries one made at a time like this. His black-as-night hair was spiky, the small hoops that pierced his eyebrow and nose were glinting silver accents. He put every other man Madison had ever seen to shame. It should be illegal to look that good in black jeans, a black top, and a black blazer, but he did it. She longed to roll up his sleeves and admire up close the tattoo work she knew he sported but had only seen in magazine photos. She was an artist who could appreciate fine ink work, and he was more beautiful than a Botticelli.

  About forty or so guests milled around the small reception room rented for the funeral repast. Most of them were local friends and coworkers of Isabel and Thomas come to pay their respects. A few old-timers that must've been friends of Jerry's had put in an appearance. Much of this was just a formality since the man had been in a near vegetative state the last ten years.

  Isabel’s face was drawn and her eyes puffy. She was showing the strain of trying to make polite conversation while feeling nauseous and exhausted from pregnancy. Madison had tried to move condolence givers along as quickly as she could without appearing rude. It seemed a simple pattern. People would come in and say a few words to the bereaved and then make themselves a small platter of food from the light buffet. The mourners would grab a couple of drinks from the table set up as a makeshift bar. With any luck, after they all stuffed their faces and had a few pops they'd be on their way. At least she hoped. Please let Isabel get some much-needed rest. It had been a trying day, but the service was quick and Jerry's cremated remains would be buried alongside his parents’ plots at the cemetery back in Connecticut.

  Madison was just returning to the main room after showing yet another hungry guest the way to the buffet in the alcove. That's when she’d spotted him.

  She felt ridiculous hiding and stalking him from the corner. Her face heated up and her neck got warm. She would love to get a few minutes to chat with him and check out his perfection up close once again. She watched as Link finished paying his respects to Isabel. She waited until he wandered into the alcove to get food and drink. It was killing her to have to stand there and not immediately follow, but she wanted to make sure their meeting appeared natural. Perhaps she was overdoing it with the cloak and dagger sleuthing. With a quick glance to make sure Thomas and Isabel were occupied with the next sympathetic guest, she crossed out of the main room and across the hall into the alcove. She was in luck. There were only a few people in this part of the room. All of them older men who probably didn't have any idea who Link was anyway.

  She glided carefully in her high heels up to the drink table, noting Link’s expression as she gently bumped into him. She smiled with deep feminine pride at the appreciative grin he gave her. Thankfully she’d chosen a formfitting black knit dress to show off her toned calves and slim waist to perfection. No sense meeting up with my former teen crush looking like hell.

  "Hi there, can I reach something for you?" Link offered in his deep voice.

  The sound sent shivers to her belly. "Anything you recommend?" Madison answered, gently licking her bottom lip. She watched his eyes zero in on her full lips, pleased with the attention.

  "There's a few decent beers here or some wine if that's more your poison. I'm fond of the India pale ale myself but I'm not sure a lady would appreciate it much," Link answered and took a healthy swig of his beer.

  "I think something a little heavier for today, perhaps the New England Stout." Madison busied herself reaching for the chilled bottle and working the opener left conveniently on the table. With a practiced flourish she popped the top and took a delicate sip from the bottle.

  "I do love to see a beautiful woman who enjoys a well-crafted beer. I'm Link, and you are?" Link inquired as he extended his hand toward her.

  Maddie switched the hand that was holding her beer to extend her own right hand and gave him a hearty shake. He was way too smooth for her well-being.

  “I’m Madison, pleasure to meet you," she replied brightly, glad she had been able to keep her nervous voice calm and cool.

  "So have you known the family long or did you work with Isabel?"

  "Yes, I've known them for years," Maddie answered vaguely with a delicate curving of her lips. Oh, this was fun. He had absolutely no memory of meeting her before. It was more than she could hope for. “What about you, do you live in New York or are you just in town for the funeral?" Maddie asked, reaching for a pen left on the table and a beverage napkin from the pile. She wondered if he was afraid she was going to ask him for an autograph or try and get his number. She started sketching on the napkin, pleased when he began to speak again.

  "Oh, I'm a New Yorker all right. How about you? You local or visiting for a bit?" Link waited expectantly for her to answer, his eyes not leaving her face as she pondered what response she should give.

  "I've lived in the East Village the last four years, but I'm actually not too sure once my roommate graduates what the plan will be." Should she mention NYU or her new job starting up, or had she babbled too much already?

  "Any plans for the next few days? You going out anywhere?" he asked with another sip of his drink.

  "I haven’t made too many plans yet. You have some suggestions for me?" Maddie batted her long eyelashes playfully, enjoying putting on her coquette routine. Damn, she’d needed to flirt and feel young again after being in such a stifling relationship for the past year. Double damn, she really should get back to Isabel and keep moving guests along, not be here flirting with a long-ago crush whose looks and voice were so arousing. She added a few lines to her small drawing.

  "Well, I'm going to be joining up with an old friend and doing a few jams down at the Mission on St. Mark's place this week. It's a small joint but things can get pretty wild over there and the sound is incredible. I’ll be playing with Zombie Punch. They’re more of a metal band so your boyfriend might like it more than a chick would."

  It was an invitation offered out of politeness, but maybe she should take it. Besides she really didn't have anything better to do, and it would be good for her to get out on the town again. Robert’s idea of a hot night out was usually dinner at the historian’s club and a game or two of bridge. An evening out watching metal bands in a Manhattan bar would be cool. Maybe she could talk her roommate into tagging along. "No boyfriend for me; we broke up a few months back. Sounds intriguing though. Maybe I'll stop by with my roommate. What time is the band starting up over there?" Well, now you’ve done it. Hope Darling doesn’t flip out over this one.

  "The guys I'm playing with won’t come on until after eleven, but the place gets packed early so you'll need to be there by nine-thirty if you want to get in." Link smiled warmly at her, his dimple flashing quickly.

  “Well, perhaps I’ll see you around
. Nice to meet you.” Maddie sauntered away with her drink, leaving her drawing of piano keys morphing into the New York City skyline behind. The butterflies in her belly were fluttering like mad. She amazed herself by coolly walking away. God, he was so much hotter in person than in photos. She felt like the melting clocks in Salvador Dali’s painting. Breathe in and out and pull yourself together before you get back to Isabel. It certainly wouldn’t do to have the sister of the chief mourner flushed and giddy at a funeral repast.

  Chapter 7

  Link

  Now why did he just go and say that? He practically asked her on a date, and that bit about the boyfriend, damn his curiosity. What the fuck, wasn’t he still done with women? He really hadn’t been interested enough in one to get laid in weeks so what was he doing flirting with a girl at a funeral of all fucking places?

  Oh, he knew why, he had looked right at the why. The girl was a knockout. Thick chestnut-brown hair that went below her shoulder blades and practically tickled her lower back. And those vivid blue eyes, the color of the Atlantic just after a storm had stirred up the waters. But it was her lips that were driving him crazy, all pouty and full. The way she kept slipping her tongue out and almost stroking her lower lip had him thinking of what her lips would feel like somewhere lower on his body. He wanted to reach across the space separating them and nibble on her mouth. She had a tiny, narrow waist made even more alluring by the way her hips and breasts flared out, a traditional hourglass figure. Damn, wonder if Tommy’s wife knew her from work or someplace else?

  With a shrug to pull himself together, he stepped out onto the street and hailed a cab to take him home. It had been a long day of traveling, and he needed to make some plans and get some rest.

  It seemed like only a few seconds had gone by when the driver announced the fare. He blinked his eyes open, recognizing his Manhattan brownstone. Shit, he’d dosed off in the car. He threw forty bucks to the cabbie and grabbed his bag. He let himself in, carefully flicking on the lights and making a mental note to call the cleaning service in the morning. The place could use a bit of sprucing up, and the fridge needed to be stocked. He'd only been gone a few weeks, but the rooms had an empty, ghost-like feel to them.

  Link threw his duffel bag down on his bed and continued to wander from room to room. He hated to be alone. That's probably why he always went along with Bethany’s—his manager—plots to get him photographed at parties and clubs. If nothing else, groupies were a reliable source of companionship, at least for a while. There really had only been a few that he’d spent more than a couple of nights with; most of the girls were just window dressing for the press. Even so, at heart he always felt alone. Thomas had suggested he get a dog, preferably a big dog. Link had nothing against dogs. He just wasn't home regularly enough to take care of one properly. Besides, he was probably more of a reptile person anyway—cold-blooded, but appreciative of the heat.

  With full night just coming on, Link pulled out his phone and started digging through his contacts. New York was the city that never slept, and he knew plenty of people. He certainly could find some action to keep him occupied for the next few days. He’d already had an offer to go to a new club in the East Village with some girls he used to know back in the day. They told everyone they were twins, but he doubted they were even related. Regardless, they had always been fun in the past, and maybe he could use some female attention. It might wake him up.

  He’d set himself up with an appointment to see Lori G about getting some of his ink worked on. He needed her to finish a piece she had started when he was last in New York. Link had nothing but the best in ink on his body and refused to take chances with anybody else. Lori was a master. She charged a fortune, but no artist had been featured on the cover of Ink Magazine or asked to judge contests as many times as her.

  The added bonus was that Lori’s husband, Johnny, would be around the shop tomorrow.

  Johnny was good people. He was a talented drummer with Zombie Punch. Link liked the guy and thought he had talent with the sticks. They had jammed together many a time, and Link had even talked Tommy into letting Johnny's band open for Becket a couple of times at some of their smaller gigs. Zombie Punch didn't attract quite the same audience as Becket's mainstream rock sound, but it was solid music and certainly got the crowd pumped up. He would dig jamming out with Johnny somewhere local while he was in town.

  Fuck it. He wasn’t going out tonight. He tossed his phone onto his bed. Even the idea of the suck-off twins giving him a work over didn’t tempt him. He was done with attracting all that crap.

  He was thinking about the girl from the funeral. She was hot and a real person; hell, she even drank real beer. And that drawing, the quick sketch that looked like nothing at first but then mutated into the city’s most famous buildings becoming piano keys; it captured the two things he loved most—the city and music. He thought about the way she darted her tongue out over her lips and got instantly hard. He shifted uncomfortably in his tight jeans, his ridge running painfully against his zipper. This was why he should start wearing underwear.

  Link undressed and headed into his walk-in shower wondering if he should set the temperature to cold. He didn’t need to be aching and erect. He was done with being chased for who girls thought he was, this fucking creature the image consultants had sculpted him into. He knew why he always felt so alone; it was because no matter how many people he was surrounded by, none of them really knew him. Not even his best friend, and Tommy was like a brother to him.

  Shit. The hot water cascaded down his warm skin, easing away his tension. He grabbed the body wash and lathered up. He was done with playing the part of bad boy for the press. It got him a lot of attention and kept his name alive in the news, but it wasn’t who he was. He didn’t need that shit anymore. What he needed was someone who cared about him for him and not the spotlight or the money. He wasn’t ready to become a monk, but he was done with party girls and groupies.

  Damn, definitely not ready to join a monastery. He was still rock hard and thinking about nibbling on that girl’s lip. Fuck it. He stroked his turgid length, slowly at first, using his thumb to caress the bulb of his cock gently. He ran his swollen member past each of his fingers, massaging the bulging veins and head. His movements took on more force as he pictured Madison licking and biting at his dick. He would hold her by her thick hair and fuck her mouth with long, slow strokes. He leaned his head against the tiled wall and stroked faster and faster, until with a groan and last buck of his hips he ejaculated into his palm. He imagined Madison had swallowed all of his cum and then licked his cock clean again. Hmm, that would have been better than jacking himself off in the shower. He could have spread her out on the warm tile and tasted her from those plump lips all the way down to her pinky toes and spent plenty of time in the middle. Damn it, he needed to get some sleep, not work himself up again. Link finished showering with cooler water and kept his thoughts on his to-do list.

  Chapter 8

  Madison

  Maddie stirred gently and her eyes fluttered open. She woke to a dark, unfamiliar room, and it took a moment for her to get her bearings. She was in her sister and brother-in-law's Manhattan apartment and she must've dozed the early evening away. The darkness filtered into the windows interrupted only by the twinkling of city lights. Something moved in the corner of the room and she shot up off the bed. She walked over and sighed with relief. “Oh, Beast, you startled me. I missed you, you ugly thing,” Maddie crooned to the cat as she reached down to scratch what little hair the animal had. Beast was her sister’s cat, and most of her hair had been pulled out from a nervous disorder. She really was the world’s ugliest cat, but Izzy and Thomas loved her. To prove it, she had quite the kitty bed and toy collection.

  Madison padded into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face to wake up a bit. She grunted at the time displayed on her watch and popped her allergy tablet and birth control pill. The time change was killing her routine. Although she wasn’t sur
e why she was bothering with her pill since there was no lover in her life. She’d ended things with Robert four months ago when he proposed to her.

  Robert had had her whole life planned out for her. She would work in the museum’s art restoration department via one of his university contacts, at least until she was pregnant. She could then stay home and raise the professor’s brood. He would advise her on what to wear and how to speak, and of course she would get that dragonfly tattoo that went across her thigh lasered off. He thought it unseemly. Robert had gone from being an older, stable boyfriend to a controlling creep. She had only taken one psychology class but was pretty sure that the relationship was her subconsciously looking for a father figure. The whole idea skeeved her out, and she broke things off with him.

  She exited the guest suite and went down the stairs in search of her sister and nephew. She could hear music coming from Thomas' studio once she reached the main floor. He was playing something on the speaker system and harmonizing gently with it. Her brother-in-law had such a beautiful voice.

  Maddie headed down the hall to reach the family room. Isabel and Christopher were cuddled up on the couch watching an episode of a nature documentary. As soon as she entered the room, Christopher looked up and saw her. He clambered off of the comfortable leather couch and came rushing toward her with arms outstretched. She welcomed her nephew with a big bear hug, picking him up off the ground and swinging him around. He giggled with mischievous glee. He looked so much like her they could pass for siblings, both with the same blue eyes and dark wavy hair. Strangers often commented on their resemblance, and it made them each feel more like “real” family.