Rock Chick Reckoning (Rock Chick #6)(117)

I didn’t know what to say that wouldn’t give anything away, so I said, “I’m so sure.”

“Leave the CDs in the box,” he ordered. “Once this shit is done, I’ve decided you’re movin’ to my place.” My eyes grew round, I forgot about skirmishes and wars and demons and I breathed, “Am not.”

“Yep, you are. I like your space but it’s too f**kin’ girlie and there isn’t enough room. I got a yard for Juno. I got a dining room table so we don’t have to eat standing up in the kitchen. We’l move your bed, get rid of your other shit and you can mark the CDs al in one go.”

Get rid of “my other shit”?

I did not think so!

I crossed my arms on my chest. This took some effort since I had to shove them between our bodies but I did it.

“You seem to have everything figured out.” He grinned, completely ignoring the arm crossing move (which said “fight” far, far more than hands at your hips) and said, “Damn straight.”

“Your house is modern,” I told him.

“Yeah. And?”

“I don’t mean to sound funny but modern’s not my gig.” And it wasn’t.

His house was, like, three years old, situated in a modern development. No personality. Al the houses one of three styles, al of them one of three colors.

Boring.

This hadn’t bothered me before since we spent most of our time at my place but it bothered me now. It bothered me because I knew that his house wasn’t his home. It was just a house. After this was over, I didn’t want Mace ever to live in a house. I wanted to make Mace’s house a home.

“Then we’l find another place,” he said, like it was al the same to him (and, it probably was).

The fight went out of me.

“Real y?” I asked.

He watched me a beat and then went back to grinning.

“Real y.” His head bent and he touched his mouth to mine.

“But it’l have rooms.”

“I could do rooms,” I whispered.

His face got soft and so did his eyes. “You set your music up in the bedroom though.”

My body melted under his, I pul ed my arms out from between us and wrapped them around his back.

“I could do that too.” I was stil whispering.

His hand went to the side of my face, the tips of his fingers slid into my hair at the temple and went back. This made me do a happy shiver. He watched his hand move and his eyes came back to mine. I held my breath at the intensity behind them then something flashed in them, the demons came out, my breath hitched then the guard slammed down.

Even though I thought I lost the moment, he proved me wrong by saying, “When I’m with you, sometimes, I forget.” I knew exactly what he was talking about.

I wanted to get up, punch the air and shout with joy, take THAT demon scum!

Instead, I put my hands on either side of his face, lifted up my head and kissed him.

He kissed me back.

It got heated.

Some time later, the timer on the oven went off and, against my wil , I had to rol him to the side and push away. I got to my feet and he got up to a sitting position. Before I went to the kitchen, standing between his legs in front of the couch, I leaned down, put my hands to his thighs, brushed my lips against his, kept my mouth there and whispered,

“Every time I’m with you, I forget.”

I saw another flash in his eyes before I quickly straightened and walked away.

And I just stopped myself from licking my finger, pointing it high and slashing my score in the air.

* * * * *

Mid-morning, after Mace had been gone for an hour, the cel phone Hector gave me rang. I went to it, flipped it open and said, “Hel o.”

“Kitten.”

I felt another happy shiver.

“Hey,” I said softly.

“Hector told me he gave you a clean phone.”

“Yeah.”

“When’d that happen?”

Oh dear.

“Erm, last night. When he took me home from Head West.” It wasn’t a lie unless it was lying by omission as to why he gave me the phone and that he stayed while I used the phone for the secret reason he gave it to me.

“Not al fired up about this newfound closeness you got with Chavez,” Mace said in a low, unhappy voice.

“Hector’s my manager.”

Silence.

“So are Daisy and Shirleen. I think the Rock Chicks on the whole are mini-managers too.”

“Jesus,” Mace muttered.

“It’s al good,” I said breezily, even though that was definitely a lie.

Mace decided to move on.

“You wanna come to the offices? Have lunch with me?” Fuck yes! My brain shouted.

“Sure,” I said out loud.

“We’l cal your Mom after lunch.”

Shitsof*ckit.

“Erm…” I muttered.

“Kitten, you gotta cal her.” This was said softly.

“I know,” I whispered, squeezed my eyes shut hard then said, “Fuck.”

“I’l be there. You’l be fine.”

At least that made me feel better. “Okay.”

“One of the guys’l pick you up.”

“Okay.”