Sweet Peril (The Sweet Trilogy #2)(68)

He was my drummer. My guy. Mine. I bit my lip to hold back a grin.

The door of the practice room opened during the song and a few people shuffled out of the way. A cute girl with short blond hair came in. She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms, a yellow aura surrounding her petite frame. I was just about to turn my attention back to the band when a stream of red bled into her aura. She was staring hard.

At Kaidan.

I should have looked away, but a gross sense of raging jealousy and morbid curiosity filled me. I knew it was the other Anna. She chewed the tip of her thumb and soon her whole aura was red. I wanted so badly to use my silent power of persuasion to make her leave, but I wouldn’t.

Go. Away. Stop staring at him. Go away, go away, go away.

It felt like evil banshees were clawing my insides. The other Anna was probably a very nice girl, but I wanted to scour her skin and rip from her body every cell that had had any contact with Kaidan.

At the end of the song she clapped and said, “That was awesome, guys.” Clearly, she was tight with the band, and they all beamed at her praise. Except Kaidan. He’d frozen in place, staring down at the drums.

A horrid moment of awkwardness passed where everyone seemed to put two and two together. The whole room was glancing back and forth between Kaidan and us two Annas, although the other Anna seemed oblivious until her eyes landed on me and she realized I was new. Her head flicked to Kaidan real fast, then she made eye contact with me. As she stared, her aura turned a vile green.

The girl next to her whispered something, but Anna ignored her, instead walking up to Kaidan in her jean shorts and lavender fitted T. I sat up straight on the edge of my chair. Kaidan watched her, his face serious.

“Is that her?” Anna asked. She was being quiet, and I was totally eavesdropping again.

“Yes,” Kaidan answered.

“You could have freaking warned me she was coming.”

“I didn’t know until today. And you don’t usually come to practices anyhow.”

“So . . . what? Now you’re, like, suddenly with her? After you were just with me?”

“I was never with you, Anna. I explained everything, which you seemed to understand. Now’s not the best time to chat.”

“Nice.” She huffed. “Real nice.”

Kaidan ran a hand through his hair, appearing frustrated.

Michael spoke up from his spot at the mic. “Yo, Anna. We’re trying to practice here.”

She shot him a no-crap glare and then turned and walked briskly from the room, wiping her eyes and not looking back.

So, this is what it was like being with Kaidan, huh? I did believe that he’d been honest with her, but even if she’d pretended to accept it, she’d obviously been holding out hope in her heart that they’d get together. I felt bad for her—just another victim of our screwed-up circumstances. But still, I was glad she was gone now.

The relief in the room was palpable, even though a few people continued to whisper as the band started the next set. It was hard to get back into the music after that bit of drama. I was glad when practice ended.

He came straight down to me after they’d packed the band equipment. I ignored the few starers around us.

“I didn’t know she’d be here,” Kaidan whispered. Guilt shrouded his face.

“Let’s just go back to your place and not think about it. Please.”

He reached for my hand and held it as we walked through the building. But out in the open we instinctually let go and searched the darkened skies for something much worse than angry exes.

When we got back to his apartment we didn’t talk about it. In fact, we didn’t talk about anything. When the door shut behind us, he took my face in his hands and kissed me as if he wanted to prove there was no one else for him—as if the harder we kissed and grasped, the more we could erase all memories of other people from both our minds. We were more ravenous for each other than ever, sliding against walls and running into furniture on our way to his room.

I had no plans for sleep that night, because that meant I couldn’t be consciously touching him and kissing him and soaking in every second of this time with him.

For hours he kissed me. And I kissed him back.

At nearly three in the morning sleepiness weighted my body as we lay there together so still. I heard his breathing even out as we both hovered in that place between wake and sleep. And then his hand wandered lazily down my back and over my hip until he was cupping the full curve of my behind, part of me that he’d actively avoided touching all night.

Scratch that sleepy thing.

His firm hands clutched me closer and I breathed a heady gust of air at his throat. I’d been careful all night not to be too vocal about how good his touches felt. I knew each noise would act as fuel, making it even harder for him. He rolled to his back, pulling me on top of him with both hands fully on my backside now.

“Kaidan,” I whispered.

Looking half-asleep, he shushed me with a hot kiss, pulling my hips to crush us together. I whimpered into his mouth.

“God, those little sounds,” he said against my lips. “I want to hear how you sound when I make you—”

“Kai!” I practically leaped off him, and he sat up, eyes blazing, licking his lips. I was breathing hard. He had to be as tired as me after our long day, and it was starting to weaken us big-time. Oh, how I’d love to indulge that weakness.