Viper (Fallen Angel #2)(25)

The world faded away, the others disappearing until there was only me and Viper and his words. I’d inspired him. Hell, I was the inspiration behind the band name, and all because he had been as tempted by me as I had been by him. I leaned toward him, licking my lips, my eyes dropping to his mouth, and as I drew closer—

“That was the cheesiest fucking thing I’ve ever heard you say.” Killian was shaking his head in mock disgust. “You two gonna make out right here? Maybe go get a room.”

“Yeah, I’m with Kill. Get a damn room,” Jagger said.

Realizing how close I was to Viper, I jerked away, but Viper was as quick as his namesake and grabbed my wrist.

“You know what? That’s a great fuckin’ idea,” he said, rising to his feet, pulling me up with him. He took the plate out of my hand and set it on the coffee table before towing me alongside him out of the room. “Later, assholes.”

“We have to be back in the studio in twenty minutes, V,” Killian called out.

“Noted.” Viper stopped in the doorway and stuck his head back in the room. “And let Jared know I’ll be ready for my vocals when I get back.”





Seventeen





Halo





KICKING OFF THE pool wall, I cut through the water like a knife before rising to the surface, where I took in a quick breath and began to swim. It was a warm morning in Miami already, and as usual, I started the day off swimming a few laps, trying to get my blood flowing for a long day in the studio. We’d been working on tracks for over a month now, and I knew it wouldn’t be too much longer before the album was finished and we were sent back to New York. And as much as I loved New York, I’d definitely enjoyed the slower pace of Florida, as well as the stunning scenery—and this pool.

“Hey, Angel. I got somethin’ for ya.”

I lifted my head, and when I saw Viper walking toward the pool, freshly showered and in nothing but a pair of shorts, it was enough to stop me.

I wiped the water from my eyes, and when I saw him slapping an envelope against his palm, I swam over to the side of the pool, crossing my arms up over the lip.

“What’s that?” I said, as Viper crouched down to my level. His hair was still wet, and I had the brief urge to tug him forward into the pool, but curiosity over what he held in his hand won out.

Viper reached behind him to grab the towel I’d laid out, and once I’d lifted myself up out of the pool, I dried myself off and then Viper handed me the envelope.

“What’s this?” I said, flipping it over, but the back was as blank as the front. I peeled it open to see a check, and I raised an eyebrow at Viper. “A check? That’s nice, but I would’ve done you for free.”

It was rare that I shocked him; he always seemed to have the upper hand, but when Viper’s lips parted in surprise, I had to laugh.

“And I would’ve paid more,” he said, as I took out the check to see MGA’s address fixed to the upper left side. “This is your first official payment for Fallen Angel.”

I blinked at the number on the check. There were more zeros than I’d made in the five years I’d been playing dive bars and scraping by. “How? I mean, I wasn’t expecting anything yet. The album won’t be out for a while.”

“Angel, you wrote the most streamed song of the year so far. Trust me, you deserve every penny of what’s on there and more. And there will be a lot more when we start touring.”

My hands shook as I stared down at what one song had done. I couldn’t have imagined this a few months ago, and even now, it was hard to believe. “This is unreal,” I said. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. Thank that head of yours.”

I grinned. “Which one?” Before he could answer, I leaned over and kissed him. He moaned, bringing his hand up to hold the back of my head and deepening the kiss. Less than an hour had passed since I’d left his bed, but already I was hungry for him again.

With a groan, Viper pulled away. “Too fuckin’ tempting, you know that?”

“You might’ve mentioned it a time or two.”

“Because it’s true,” he said, and then nodded at the pool. “You done here?”

“Unless you wanna join me. Although if you do that, we’ll be late to the studio.”

“Mmm, about that…” Viper grabbed my chin and brought me forward to suck my lower lip into his mouth, but before he let things go further, he said, “Jared’s out sick today.”

“Which means…?”

Viper snatched the check out of my hand and grinned. “We’re gonna go celebrate.”

“Seriously?”

“A check this big means you’ve gotta spend it.”

I thought about my run-down apartment back home and frowned. “I should probably save it.”

“There’s more than enough here to do both. You deserve something you’ve had your eye on. You work harder than the rest of us assholes, so don’t give me any of this ‘I’m saving it’ bullshit. We’re goin’ out.”

Viper got to his feet, and I squinted up at him, bringing my hand up to block the sun. “Just you and me?”

“Well, I’m not inviting any of those fuckers. Are you?”