Viper (Fallen Angel #2)(2)

God, he’d made me so crazy, so delirious with lust that I thought I’d known what to expect when it finally happened, but nothing, and I mean nothing, could’ve prepared me for the force that was Viper. The sheer control he wielded over my body, playing it the same way he dominated his guitar, had been like nothing I’d ever experienced. Had I known how fucking good it would feel to have Viper inside me, I would’ve let my guard down a hell of a lot earlier.

But then I’d still be in the same situation I found myself in now, wouldn’t I? Creeping out of the guesthouse in the middle of the night to avoid an awkward morning after that I had a strong feeling Viper usually did his best to avoid. Knowing him, he’d wake up grateful I’d given him an out, though I wouldn’t have minded staying, stealing more time with him.

And that was the problem, wasn’t it? What had he called me last night? A “romantic”? I could already see the way this thing would go, and I needed to stick to what I’d told myself would happen from the first moment I found myself being tempted by Viper. He was a one-and-done kind of guy, he didn’t do relationships, and while whatever this thing was between us had exploded in something seriously hot last night, that was all it would ever be, and it had to be enough to get him out of my system. I couldn’t afford to be stupid about this or let emotions get involved. We were bandmates, for fuck’s sake, and that needed to take priority over everything.

After rinsing my mouth and tying my hair back so I wouldn’t have to deal with it today, I threw on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and then grabbed my phone from the jeans I’d been wearing last night. As I turned on the cell, a message from Viper, sent around three a.m., popped up.

You okay?

I sat down on the edge of the bed, my eyes still on the two simple words. So Viper had woken up after I left to realize I wasn’t there, and shot off a text to check on me? I doubted he sent a message like that to his other one-night stands, and for some reason, that made something in my chest lurch.

I started to text him back but got a look at the time and jumped up, shoving my cell into my shorts pocket. It was closing in on ten a.m., and the producers we’d be meeting with today were apparently sticklers about starting studio sessions on time. I needed some coffee if I was gonna be able to function on all cylinders today.

The kitchen was empty when I walked in, but I could smell the freshly brewed coffee, so I wasn’t the first one down. Grabbing a travel mug, I headed over to the coffee station and dumped a spoonful of sugar into the mug before pouring in the hot brew. I gave it a stir, took a sip, then capped it, just as Viper’s voice came from behind me.

“Mornin’,” he said, as I turned around to face him. Damn. Viper’s dark hair was still wet and combed back from his face, showcasing his strong jaw and those lips that had worked me over last night. In the light of day, it was hard to remember why I thought leaving him had been a good idea. I should’ve stayed and woken up to that face…

Before I could give any more thought to that, I set my mug on the large granite island between us. “Hey.”

“Hey.” He leaned his elbows on the counter, mimicking my position. “Where’d you run off to last night?”

“Hmm. What makes you think I was able to run?”

Viper’s lips quirked. “You sayin’ you crawled? ’Cause that would be a real stroke to my ego.”

I laughed and took a sip of my coffee. “Like you need your ego stroked any more. But yeah, running would’ve been…difficult.”

“Uh huh.” Viper smoothed the stubble on his jaw. He hadn’t shaved the past couple of days, but the look suited him. Made him look even more dangerous than I now knew he was. “So. I thought you had a good time last night.”

Good was an understatement, and as the images from the night before flashed through my mind, a small smile turned my mouth up. “I had a great time. Pretty sure you know that.”

“Oh yeah? What was with the vanishing act? I woke up lookin’ for you, but you’d ghosted.”

“Maybe I didn’t want you to see me crawl,” I teased. “Or maybe I was saving you the awkward morning after.” When Viper’s brows pulled together, I said, “You’re not the cuddling type, and I get that. So don’t worry; I’m not gonna pull a stage-five clinger act.”

“Huh.” Viper cocked his head to the side, studying me, but when he didn’t say anything else, I picked up my coffee.

“See you down there,” I said, walking by him out of the kitchen and heading to the studio.

There. Now he wouldn’t have to stress about whether I’d be cool about things. We could go back to working on music, and if something happened again between us, it happened again, and if not…well, at least things would stay amicable. Right?





Three





Viper





TODAY WAS GOING down the shitter, that was for damn sure. For the past eight hours we’d been locked up in the studio with the producers, and what did we have to show for it? Absolutely fucking nothing. Every song we’d attempted to lay down sounded jacked, and the more we reworked it, the more it tanked.

I’d like to say it was everyone’s fault, because that would be the easy out, but that would be a total lie. It was me, and only me. I was annoyed, irritated, and distracted as hell, and all because of the man sitting behind the piano on the opposite side of the room to me—Halo.