Rock Chick Reckoning (Rock Chick #6)(57)

He had a point.

“No, maybe not,” I al owed. “But we don’t play, Buzz and Leo don’t eat. We had no choice.”

“You’re dead, so are The Gypsies, then they really don’t eat,” Eric returned.

Another excel ent point.

I pressed on, “Eric, I have people who count on me. The band… my dog.” I petered out because that was kind of it and it sounded lame. Stil , I kept going. “I have responsibilities. I can’t disappear. The other Rock Chicks are on the line and I’m the one who put them there.” Eric took a step back. I felt a moment of relief that he was backing down and I dropped my hands. Mace took a step forward so we were close. Eric’s eyes narrowed on us and my relief was swept away but, unusual y luckily, Eric let it pass.

“How in the f**k did you put them there?” Eric asked me.

“Don’t answer that, Stel a,” Mace broke into our conversation and Eric’s brows snapped together in annoyance but before he could say anything, Mace continued. “You need to get inside.”

Mace was right. I’d been shot at twice in less than a week and hit once. It was a graze but stil . I felt exposed and I didn’t like it.

I moved away from Mace and got in Eric’s space, attempting some form of damage control.

“Thank you for coming tonight and wanting to help but I’l be okay,” I told him quietly.

He looked down at me and his face went soft, his eyes went warm and I realized, unfortunately belatedly in our relationship, that he wasn’t just good-looking, he was really good-looking.

And maybe he was a nice guy.

Sheesh.

My f**king luck.

“Yeah, you wil because I’l be keepin’ an eye on you,” Eric replied, his voice as soft and warm as his eyes. Then he leaned toward me and went on, “You need anything, Stel a, you know how to get me. Anytime, you cal .”

“Thank you for that too,” I whispered.

“We’re done,” Mace announced on a growl and my mini-moment with Eric ended when Eric’s eyes sliced angrily toward Mace. “Inside,” Mace continued.

“I’l be keepin’ an eye on you too,” Eric warned Mace, al softness and warmth out of his voice.

Mace put his hand in the smal of my back and pushed me toward the door.

What he didn’t do was respond.

* * * * *

I woke up to Mace’s mouth at my neck, his hand trailing whisper-soft along my bel y. Against my sleepy volition, my body shivered.

Effing hel .

“Mace,” I breathed, my voice throatier than normal with sleep and other things besides.

He didn’t respond. Instead, his other hand slid under my body, going up to cup my breast, the trailing fingers of his hand at my bel y starting to move downward.

Both felt nice.

Real y nice.

Shitsof*ckit!

Last night, after the Eric Fiasco, Mace had taken Juno out for a bathroom break while I got ready for bed. When he returned, he got on the phone and Juno and I hit the hay. To my surprise, even after al the drama, I crashed almost immediately, fal ing asleep listening to what I suspected was Mace debriefing with who I assumed was Lee.

Now, I was laying partial y on my bel y, partial y on my side, my leg crooked deep, Mace’s body pressed tight to me, his leg crooked into mine.

“Mace,” I repeated, my sleepy-weak resistance already flagging.

We needed to talk about a lot of things and I needed not to have sex with him again. I was beginning to think I was giving him the wrong impression.

Hel , who was I kidding? How could he not have the wrong impression?

“Quiet, Kitten, I wanna listen to you come,” Mace murmured into my neck as his hand pushed into my panties.

His words made my body shiver again.

“We need to talk,” I told him, holding onto my failing resistance but his finger honed in on the target and pressed deep.

Oh lordy be.

My h*ps jerked and involuntarily, I started purring. I couldn’t help myself, it felt nice.

What was the matter with me?

Did I have no wil power?

“We’l talk later,” Mace declared, his deep voice smooth as velvet.

“We need to talk now,” my mouth protested even as my h*ps pressed into his hand.

“Later,” Mace returned and I wanted to say something, honest I did but there was some lovely circling at the target honest I did but there was some lovely circling at the target then his hand moved lower and his finger slid slowly, deliciously inside.

“Oh my,” I whispered, my eyes closing and my head tilting back until it hit his shoulder.

Al of a sudden, I didn’t care what impression I was giving, I just wanted his finger never to stop what it was doing.

I turned to face him and he didn’t hesitate. His mouth was on mine and he was kissing me, hard and deep as his finger moved slowly in and out and my h*ps moved with it.

It felt effing great.

“Sweet, wet, silk,” Mace whispered against my mouth, his words trembled through me and I purred against his lips.

It was then the sound of a buzzer I never heard tore through the room.

Erm, what was that?

Mace’s finger stopped, my eyes opened slowly and he muttered, “Fuck.”

“What’s that?” I asked just as the buzzer went again, this time for longer.