7.

It was the laughter that woke her from a solid sleep. Laughter that was raucous and happy. Pulling her arm up she blinked away the drowsiness only to realize they’d been napping for a good three hours. Ok so they didn’t nap the entire time, the delicious twinges between her thighs reminding her well exactly what they’d done for a good two hours of that time. He’d definitely made up for the month of doing without though, along with murmured promises of never going that long again. She sorta looked forward to that truth be told.

She slipped from the bed and moved over to the window, taking a deep inhale of soft sea saturated air and smiled. Life with Richie was never dull, and although she didn’t have to get up and go to work every day, she missed having something to do, well something other than lazing around and loving the man himself. She was going to have to find work and soon, she just wasn’t so sure how she’d manage that as the idea of not being around Richie was fast becoming something she didn’t even want to think about.

Glancing down into the backyard she saw Jon standing near a grill a curly headed familiar blonde next to him. Well, well David had finally shown up. A half smirk began to play about her lips as a beautiful blonde walked up to hand him a beer. So that was the famous Lexi, the one Richie had said was dating David. Turning she moved back to the bed and knelt, her finger slipping over to brush over Richie’s lips. She chuckled as his hand moved up to brush the offending tickle away, his grumble at being bothered rumbling in his chest. Leaning forward she brushed lips against his and whispered, “Time to wake up.”

She smiled as his chocolate brown eyes opened, then laughed as he reached out and pulled her on top of him. Propping her head in her hands she couldn’t restrain the shiver at the feel of his hands ghosting along her back. “You keep doing that and we might not make it down to dinner.”

Richie grunted, his hands cupping her hips gently as he bucked up lightly. “And this is a problem?”

Her head dipped down to press kisses along his chin, “well no, but you wanted to get David’s girlfriend off to yourself and get her in on this joke I thought?”

Richie groaned. Of course she’d be right, they had to do the first step of things tonight or he’d have to hide his beautiful Lindsay away until then, but somehow that didn’t bother him. So what if they were holed up in the bedroom? He could think of a bunch of ways of keeping entertained.

Her brow lifted as the expression on his face became all too clear. “Oh no, I’m not hiding out in here with you just so we can play. There’s a beach out there and I want to…..” Her voice faded out as a blush raced across her cheeks.

His brow arched as he lifted his head to press a kiss to her lips. “You want to what?”

She leaned back on her knees, her hips wiggling against his middle as a smile flashed. Leaning forward, her hair brushed over his chest as full pouty lips teased his ear, “Always wanted to play in the surf at midnight with a special guy, before you it was the wickedest fantasy I had.”

His hands slipped up as he pulled her closer, groaning as the hard nubs of her nipples pressed into his chest. “Well I’ll just have to see about taking care of that fantasy, and any other you might think up, but right now we have revenge to take care of.”

He smiled as she slipped over when he sat up, her cute little self glancing at the trail of clothing from doorway to bed. They’d both been so intent on getting to the bed their clothing had ended up tossed this way and that, but at her glance at the bathroom he couldn’t stop the chuckle. “Well we can race for the shower Darlin, or we can share. I promise to behave.”

Linds glanced over at Richie and gave a rather unladylike snort. “You and the word behave do not belong in the same sentence or dictionary. I doubt you even know what it means.”

Richie stood and scooped her into his arms, nuzzling her neck as he walked towards their private bath. “Already you know me too well.”

Less than half an hour later both exited the bathroom wrapped in towels, Richie with one at his waist, Lindsay with one covering her entire body. As she glanced over at Richie his towel dropped as he reached for the beach shorts and tank he’d chosen to wear. She couldn’t restrain the small whimper that escaped her, the urge to just pull him back on the bed warring with the need to get out of the room and give David a little bit of that payback they’d been planning.

Richie glanced over just as she whimpered and grinned. God he was forty nine years old and felt thirty all over again, just from this one girls love and caring. He could hear the want in that little gaspy moan she had made and it had him hardening just on anticipation. “Darlin you do that much more and we’ll never make it downstairs.”

She winked his way and quickly slipped on the bathing suit top turning her back to him for his assistance. She leaned back against him as his hands brushed over her shoulders, supposedly straightening the tiny spaghetti straps there. As he backed off she slipped the bikini bottoms on and fastened a sarong around her hips. Turning she watched as he dressed, his moves quick and economical. He didn’t waste time with dressing, that’s why his buttons were never done. He’d explained it once, as long as he was covered that was all that mattered.

He winked and reached towards the dresser picking up her small cell phone. “I’ll buzz ya after I talk to Lexi Darlin. Just you sit tight.”

Lindsay nodded as she took the phone and moved to the mirror to fix her hair. “I’ll be waiting.”

Richie slipped from the room and made his way downstairs. As he hit the doorway to the patio he glanced up at the window that led to his room and saw a hint of a girl standing just to the side watching. Well that was just like her, she couldn’t sit still. She was more like him than he’d ever thought at first. Hell they just fit, just like he fit with the guys. Moving over to David he threw an arm around his friend and sometime writing partner and smiled. “Woahhoho.. if it ain’t the Joker himself. How’s things going man?”

David glanced up and couldn’t stop the smile. Damn if that last month off hadn’t done Richie a world of good. He looked, fuck he looked young again. “Shit man, you find the fountain of youth on that trip across the world with Ava?”

Richie shot a glance at Jon, who shrugged. “He asked Dean, who that monster tin can in the front belonged too.”

He nodded and turned back to David. “Maybe I did, or maybe it’s just the relief of not being around you man. You can wear a person out sometimes ya know.” Richie turned to Lexi as David snorted and pulled her into a hug. “Heya Lexi girl. Good to see you finally.” As Lexi laughed and returned the hug Richie leaned in and whispered quickly, garnering a quick nod and soft “hell yeah give it too him good. I’ll be glad to play a part,” as a reply.

Moving over to the cooler he pulled a soda out, garnering a curious look from David. “Wha? I don’t need a stinking beer to enjoy myself Joker.”

David blinked then shrugged. Hell even after the arrest and the months of touring Richie would still have a beer here or there. The problem with Richie had never been drinking, just the need to drown his troubles out in a sea of something that numbed pain. If Richie wasn’t drinking something, then SOMETHING had made those troubles go away and David grinned as the need rose to be sneaky and found out just what had Richie smiling that old King of Swing grin again.

Before David had a chance to make his way over to Richie and start the in depth quizzing, a gravelly voice rang out over the patio. Glancing up to a man they all yelled, “TEEK!”

Jon grinned as he called back to Dot for the platter of steaks. “Teeks here the end of summer bash can now officially start!”

Richie leaned back and took a sip of his soda. Perfect, just perfect, Teek had made it, now the payback would be complete. Slipping his hand into his pocket he lifted the phone and quickly hit the button for Lindsay’s phone. Thank God he’d remembered to program it into the phones quick dial. At the glances from David, Richie shrugged as he flipped the phone close. “Sorry bout that, just heather checking to make sure I have Ava back home and ready for school.”

David shook his head and went back to chatting with Teek. There were just times he wished Richie had never met that woman. Shit she never trusted the man to know what to do with his own daughter.

Lindsay glanced up at the house from her position on the beach. After Richie had left, she’d glanced out the window, listening in to the goings on when her mind had hit on the possibility of the joke playing out better if she came from somewhere besides the house. Slipping from the room she’d made her way to the beach and watched the waves crashing on the shore until Richie called. Settling the phone back into her pocket she started to walk up the sandy path to the Bongiovi patio her heart tripping wildly as she took a deep breath and got ready to play the first and last role in her life.

Richie glanced around wondering which way Lindsay would enter from, his heart nearly stopping as he saw her approach from the beach. Well the sneaky little wench had found something that instantly he knew would make a bigger impression with what they had planned. He smiled as she grew closer, the light breeze teasing her hair about her shoulders, the sarong moving as she walked up.

The soft screech had everyone on the patio turning at once.

“DAVID!!! OMG I finally found you!!” The brunette whirlwind flung herself into David’s arms, as ruby red lips plastered kisses all over his face. “I know you invited me and I know I said I’d be here earlier, but I got lost baby. Forgive me??”

Lexi gasped as the petite woman plastered herself to David, her gaze moving to see an equally astonished Tico and a supposedly amazed Jon. Her voice went quiet as she stepped up to David and his “new” girl. “What the hell is going on here David Bryan Rashbaum?”

David pushed and prodded, trying valiantly to dislodge the whirlwind that had surrounded him with arms legs and lips. “I.. I… I…”

Lindsay pulled in closer as she made her voice all breathy and southern. “Aww baby, don’t be shy. You can tell them all about how I stayed with you on tour. I told you it would be ok.”

“DAVID BRYAN RASHBAUM EXPLAIN YOURSELF!”

David watched as Lexi’s lips thinned. He tried to reassure her, tried to talk and couldn't as the girl kept kissing him. When she pulled away his lips flapped together uselessly. God he had a rabid obsessive fan? He never had those kind of fans, that was Jon’s and Richie’s forte! He tried again to push the girl off only to receive more kisses.

Shit. Lexi was gonna kill him.