The Purest Hook (Second Circle Tattoos #3)(38)

Jordan joined in with his bass and Pixie stumbled on her words.

“No,” Lennon shouted, “keep going.”

Nikan and Dred threw their straps back over their shoulders, Nikan taking on an electric equivalent to the violin accompaniment, Dred the guitar solo.

Dred gestured her over to his microphone and she shook her head furiously. He laughed. Sometime he forgot how good it was to just play. And not their own shit, either. Or even their own genre. Songs they loved by other artists, songs they played as kids when they didn’t have their own back catalogue.

When the song finally finished, Pixie whooped and hollered as Lennon high-fived her. Dred swung his guitar off his shoulder and waited for her to come to him.

“Holding out on me, huh, Pix?” he said when she finally made her way to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“That was fun,” she said, her eyes all wide and bright.

“You’ve got quite the voice.” And she had. It made him get all kinds of stupid ideas. Like asking her to record something with him.

Pixie shrugged. “It’s okay.”

“It’s better than okay, Pix. It’s incredible,” Nikan said, patting her shoulder as he walked by.

Unable to resist, Dred kissed her, then gently bit her bottom lip. “You taste so good, gorgeous.” He pulled away and put his guitar back on its stand. “Come on. Let’s get something to eat.”

Their late lunch consisted of different cheeses and meats with grapes and fresh bread that he’d picked up from St. Lawrence Market.

Once the food was eaten, and the mess cleared away, they wandered upstairs so Pixie could pack. He wasn’t ready for her to leave. She’d brought a fresh energy to the house, and while he hated having to share her with the rest of the guys, having her there had brightened everyone’s spirits.

“What would it cost me to get you to stay another twenty-four hours?” he asked from his spot on the sofa. Every item of clothing he witnessed her fold and put away killed a little part of him.

“It would cost me my job,” she said and smiled in his direction.

“No it wouldn’t. You have Trent and Cujo wrapped around your little finger.”

Pixie closed the lid of her carry-on.

“I got that,” he said as he stood and walked to the bed. With one hand, he grabbed it and lowered it to the floor. He swept Pixie into his arms and placed her down on his bed. He joined her and laid down on his side facing her. With a gentle tug, he drew her into his arms, and savoured the way she rolled against him, her breasts pressed against his chest. This was where they should have slept the previous evening. Here in his room, making memories to keep him company when she was gone.

“Thank you for a great weekend,” she breathed. “It’s been wonderful.”

“Any time, Snowflake.” His hands were all over her. One stroked her back, the other ran up and down her ribs. She caught him off guard when she moved to lie on top of him, and kissed all manner of thoughts from his head. He couldn’t speak, barely wanted to breathe in case he scared her off. He wanted her. Badly. In any of the ways he’d envisioned taking her.

With a swift flip, he lay over her and heard her gasp. “Remember the rules, Pix. I swear it’ll be okay. Let’s play a little.”

*

Let’s play a little.

The words bounced around in her head as she processed the fact she was now lying underneath a man who could take anything he wanted from her.

Instead he was looking down at her with a mixture of raw power and hope.

Pixie took his hand and guided it under her blouse. Her stepfather’s words played on repeat. They’re hardly worth looking at, Sarah. I should find a girl with a real woman’s figure. She closed her eyes and prayed her slender frame was enough for Dred.

“Two questions, Snowflake,” Dred said gruffly. “Do you remember rule three?”

She wasn’t fragile. She could handle this. Pixie nodded.

“Rule number two?” He knelt astraddle over her thighs and licked his lips as he studied her.

Oh God. “Stripping and licking . . .”

Dred laughed softly. “Yeah, there’s that. But it’s you saying stop, right?” His fingers slid under the first button, opening it wide.

“I will. I promise.”

He leaned forward and kissed her again, sucking her tongue into his mouth. More buttons were opened, but she was too under Dred’s spell to care. When he finally lifted away from her, he pushed the blouse open wide. “Fuck, it’s even better than imagined.”

“You imagined this?” she whispered.

“Would I freak you out if I told you I jerked off while thinking about you like this?” He slid both hands up her rib cage and pushed them under the band of her bra. He gripped her breasts firmly, then lowered his mouth to suck on her nipple through the lace of her underwear. Pixie arched off the bed as sensation flooded through her.

Dred’s hands snuck around her back and popped the clasp open. He surprised her by not removing her clothes fully, just sliding the cups out of the way.

Gently, his mouth returned to her nipples. The sensation of his tongue swirling her breasts were enough to drown the words echoing from the past. Pixie relaxed into the moment. She could trust the man who held her firmly in his hands. Literally.

Pixie removed the elastic he’d used to tie his hair back and released all the dark waves. She gathered it in her hands and pulled gently. Dred looked up at her as his tongue licked her nipple like a lollipop.