Halo (Fallen Angel, #1)(33)

“No,” I said finally. “Start again.”





Twenty-Two





Viper





I HAD TO admit, when I’d been writing down the lyrics, I was frustrated, pissed off, and more than a little drunk.

But after hearing Killian’s approval and watching Halo fumble around trying to finagle his way out of singing them, I was starting to believe this more than made up for the fact I’d had to come in here today and act like everything was fine and fucking dandy.

From the second I’d stepped into Killian’s place, up until right now, I’d been trying really hard to keep my thoughts, and eyes, off the man standing beside me. Not an easy task when he was dressed in jeans that molded to that fine ass of his, and he had a navy-blue deep V-neck shirt that showed off skin I wouldn’t mind running my tongue over, or you know, coming all over.

Since that option was clearly off the table with the way Halo had bolted last night at the mention of me in his personal space, I’d have to make do with watching him sing my little…ode to him.

That just might make the ache in my dick a little less painful.

“Hold up a second, would you, Angel? Let’s see if we can’t add some meat to this thing. Really make you feel it in your balls.”

Jagger snorted. “Judging by those lyrics, you were already feeling something in your balls. What happened to the guy in the tie, V? Too stuffy? Not kinky enough for you?”

Not Halo enough for me, more like it. I ignored Jagger’s question and flicked on my amp so I could really step up the sound on this thing for the silent man standing behind his mic, staring at me with a look I couldn’t quite decipher.

In the space of ten minutes, Halo had gone from shock to disbelief, and right now he was looking at me like he’d never seen me before. His eyes were assessing, traveling over my face, my chest, down to where my guitar rested across my body, and when they came back and locked with mine, there was a light in them I would recognize anywhere—interest.

What. The. Fuck. I arched an eyebrow in his direction, and Halo blinked then quickly lowered his gaze to the paper he still had in a death grip, effectively cutting the connection.

“Yeah, you should’ve seen that guy’s face when you left.” Slade tapped his drumsticks on one of his knees. “Looked like you broke up with him.”

Killian rolled his eyes. “V, break up with someone? That would imply he’d actually have to date someone first.”

“How ’bout the three of you stop gossiping about what I do with my dick, so I can show you and Halo what I’m thinking for the beginning of this thing,” I said.

The three on the couch stared at me as I bent down to fiddle with the dials on a pedal, and when I straightened, I said to Halo, “Okay, so I thought it could start out like this.”

I closed my eyes and hit the strings as I pressed my foot to the pedal, the quiet tune from a second ago now snarling through the rehearsal room like a monster baring its teeth.

I fucking loved the way this sounded. I’d played around with it last night until I’d hit my mood and vibe just right. And this was it. A growl of pure lust. A tone that was thick and full of harmonics, as I played the full intro the exact way I would on a stage.

When I finished and opened my eyes, Halo looked a little…flustered.

“Fuck me,” Killian said, getting to his feet. “Jesus, V. I don’t know what got into you last night, but that’s fucking unreal. Maybe you shouldn’t get laid more often.”

I shot him the finger. “Shut the hell up.”

Killian laughed and then looked to Halo. “Come ooon, you know that shit’s amazing, right?”

Halo nodded. “Yeah, it really is. I just…” He paused and looked in my direction. “How do you want me to play this? I mean, is the guy angry? Does he hate the person he’s wanting to, um…”

“Fuck for hours?” I said. “If you can’t say the words, how are you gonna sing them?”

“Shiiit,” Jagger said as he stood and walked to Halo, his hand outstretched. “Hand it over, Halo. I want to see the rest of this thing.”

“I’ll sing them. I just want to know more so I can get inside his head,” Halo said as he passed the paper to Jagger.

The air in the room suddenly felt about a million times hotter than it had a second ago, as I held Halo’s direct stare in a stalemate of sorts. “He’s not angry. He’s frustrated. His dick wants something it can’t have, and that’s making him a little bit irritable.”

“A little bit?” Jagger said as he finished reading the lyrics. “V, dude, I’m close to shelling out some serious cash to get you laid, my friend.”

“What’d you think, Halo? You got it?” Killian said before I could tell Jagger to make sure whoever he bought and paid for had eyes the color of sea glass and blond hair that matched our lead singer.

“Yeah, I think so,” Halo said.

“Good. That’s good. I think if we can really nail this, we could call Brian down here to listen to these two we’ve been working on. See how he feels about them.”

Slade, Jagger, and Killian moved back to the couch, and when I inclined my head in Halo’s direction and he indicated he was ready, I started the intro again.