Stage Dive: Lick Part 14

"Mal. What are you doing here?" I stopped, rubbed the sleep from my eyes. Wake-up call, it wasn't even my house. "Sorry, that was rude. It's just a surprise to see you. Hi, Tyler."

I'd been hoping to have my husband to myself today, but apparently it wasn't to be.

Mal dropped my backpack at my feet. He was so busy looking around the place he didn't even seem to have heard my question, rude or not.

"David is still asleep," I said and rifled through the contents of my bag. Oh, my stuff. My wonderful stuff. My purse and phone in particular were a delight to lay eyes on. Many text messages from Lauren, plus a few from my Dad. I hadn't even known he could text. "Thank you for bringing this."

"Dave called me at four in the morning and told me he'd written some new stuff. Figured I'd come up and see what was going on. Thought you'd like your gear." Hands on hips, Mal stood before the wall of windows pondering the magnificence of nature. "Man, check out that view."

"Nice, huh?" said Tyler from behind his drink. "Wait till you see the studio."

Mal cupped his hands around his mouth. "Hipster King. Get down here!"

"Hi, sweetie." Pam wandered in, twirling a set of keys on her finger. "I tried to make them leave it a few more hours, but as you can see, I lost. Sorry."

"Never mind," I said. I'm not much of a hugger normally. We didn't do a lot of it in my family. My parents preferred a more hands-free method. But Pam was so nice that I hugged her back straight away when she threw her arms around me.

We'd talked for hours the night before down in the recording studio. It had been illuminating. Married to a popular session player and producer, she'd lived the lifestyle for over twenty years. Touring, recording, groupies ... she'd experienced the whole rock 'n' roll shebang. She and Tyler had attended a music festival and fallen in love with Monterey with its jagged coastline and sweeping ocean views.

"The lounge and another couple of beds are on their way, should be here soon. Mal, Tyler, help move the boxes. We'll stack them against the fireplace." Suddenly Pam stopped, giving me a cautious smile. "Hang on. You're the woman of the house. You give the orders here."

"Oh, against the fireplace sounds great, thanks," I said.

"You heard her, boys. Get moving."

Tyler grumbled but put down his can and lumbered toward a box, dragging his feet like the walking dead.

"Hold up." Mal smacked his lips at Pam and me. "I haven't gotten my h.e.l.lo kisses yet." He caught Pam up in a bear hug, lifting her off her feet and twirling her around until she laughed. Arms wide, he stepped toward me next. "Come to daddy, bed-head girl."

I put a hand out to halt him, laughing. "That's actually really disturbing, Mal."

"Leave her be," said David from the top of the stairs, yawning and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Still wearing just the jeans. He was my kryptonite. All the strength of my convictions to be careful disappeared. My legs actually wobbled. I hated that.

Were we married or not today? He'd had a h.e.l.l of a lot to drink last night. Drunk people and promises did not go well together-we'd both learned that the hard way. I could only hope he remembered our conversation and still felt the same way.

"What the f.u.c.k are you doing here?" growled my husband.

"I want to hear the new stuff, a.s.swipe. Deal with it." Mal stared up at him, his jaw set in a hard line. "I should beat the living c.r.a.p out of you. f.u.c.k, man. That was my favorite kit!"

Body rigid, David started down the stairs. "I said I'm sorry. I meant it."

"Maybe. But it's still time to pay, you d.i.c.kwad."

For a moment David didn't reply. Tension lined his face but there was a look of inevitability in his weary eyes. "Alright. What?"

"It's gotta hurt. Bad."

"Worse than you turning up when Ev and me are having time alone?"

Mal actually looked a little shamefaced.

David stopped at the foot of the steps, waiting. "You wanna take this outside?"

Pam and Tyler said nothing, just watched the byplay. I got the feeling this wasn't the first time these two had faced off. Boys will be boys and all that. But I stood beside Mal, every muscle tensed. If he took one step toward David I'd jump him. Pull his hair or something. I didn't know how, but I'd stop him.

Mal gave him a measuring look. "I'm not hitting you. I don't want to mess up my hands when we've got work to do."

"What then?"

"You already trashed your favorite guitar. So it's going to have to be something else." Mal rubbed his hands together. "Something money can't buy."

"What?" asked David, his eyes suddenly wary.

"Hi, Evvie." Mal grinned and slung an arm around my shoulder, pulling me in against him.

"Hey," I protested.

In the next moment his mouth covered mine, entirely unwelcome. David shouted a protest. An arm wrapped around my back and Mal dipped me, kissing me hard, bruising my lips. I grabbed at his shoulders, afraid I'd hit the floor. When he tried to put his tongue in my mouth, however, I didn't hesitate to bite him.

The idiot howled.

Take that.

Just as fast as he'd dipped me he set me to rights. My head spun. I put a hand to the wall to stop from stumbling. I rubbed at my mouth, trying to get rid of the taste of him, while Mal gave me a wounded look.

"d.a.m.n it. That hurt." He carefully touched his tongue, searching for damage. "I'm bleeding!"

"Good."

Pam and Tyler chuckled, highly amused.

Arms wrapped around me from behind and David whispered in my ear. "Nice work."

"Did you know he was going to do that?" I asked, sounding distinctly p.i.s.sy.

"f.u.c.k no." He rubbed his face against the side of my head, mussing my bed hair. "I don't want anyone else touching you."

It was the right answer. My anger melted away. I put my hands on top of his and the grip on me tightened.

"You want me to beat the s.h.i.t out of him?" asked David. "Just say the word."

I pretended to consider it for a moment while Mal watched us with interest. We obviously looked a lot friendlier than we had in LA. But it was n.o.body's business. Not his friend's, not the press', n.o.body's.

"No," I whispered back, my belly doing backflips. I was falling so fast for him it scared me. "I guess you'd better not."

David turned me in his arms and I fit myself against him, wrapping my arms around his waist. It felt natural and right. The scent of his skin made me high. I could have stood there breathing him in for hours. It felt like maybe we were together, but I no longer trusted my own judgment, if I ever had to begin with.

"Malcolm is joining you on your honeymoon?" Pam's voice was heavy with disbelief.

David chuckled. "No, this isn't our honeymoon. If we have a honeymoon it'll be somewhere far away from everyone. Sure as h.e.l.l, he won't be there."

"If?" she asked.

I really did love Pam.

"When," he corrected, holding me tight.

"This is all real cute, but I came to make music," Mal announced.

"Then you're just going to have to f.u.c.king wait," said David. "Ev and I have plans this morning."

"We've been waiting two years to come up with something new."

"Tough s.h.i.t. You can wait a few more hours." David took my hand and led me back toward the stairs. Excitement ran rife through me. He'd chosen me and it felt wonderful.

"Evvie, sorry about the mouth mauling," Mal said, sitting himself down on the nearest box.

"You're forgiven," I said with a queenly wave, feeling magnanimous as we headed up the stairs.

"You going to apologize for biting me?" Mal asked.

"Nope."

"Well, that's not very nice," he called out after us.

David sn.i.g.g.e.red.

"Okay, people, we need to move boxes." I heard Pam say.

David rushed us down the hallway then closed and locked the bedroom door behind us.

"You put your clothes back on," he said. "Get them off."

He didn't wait for me to do it, grabbing the hem of my shirt and lifting it up over my head and raised arms.

"I didn't think answering the door mostly naked was a good idea."

"Fair enough," he murmured, pulling me in against him and backing me up against the door. "You looked worried about something downstairs. What was it?"

"It was nothing."

"Evelyn." There was something about the way he said my name. It made me a quivering mess. Also the way he cornered me, pressing his body against mine. I put my hands flat on his hard chest. Not pushing him away, just needing to touch him.

"I was wondering," I said. "After our talk this morning, when we, um, discussed signing the papers on Monday."

"What about it?" he asked, staring straight at me. I couldn't have looked away if I'd tried.

"Well, I wasn't sure if you still felt the same way. About not signing them, I mean. You'd had a lot to drink."

"I haven't changed my mind." His pelvis aligned with mine and his hands swept up my sides. "You changed yours?"

"No."

"Good." His warm hands cupped my b.r.e.a.s.t.s and I lost all ability to think straight.

"You okay with this?" He gave his hands a pointed a look.

I nodded. Talking had gone with thinking, apparently.

"Then here's the plan. Because I know how you like your plans. We're going to stay in this room until we're both satisfied we're on the same page when it comes to us. Agreed?"

I nodded again. Without a doubt, the plan had my full support.

"Good." He placed the palm of one hand between my b.r.e.a.s.t.s, flat against my chest. "Your heart's beating real fast."

"David."

"Hmm?"

Nope, I still had no words. So instead, I covered his hand with my own, holding it against my heart. He smiled.

"This is a dramatic re-enactment of the night we got married," he announced, looking at me from beneath dark brows. "Hang on. We were sitting on the bed in your motel room. You were straddling me."

"I was?"

"Yeah." He led me to the bed and sat at the edge. "Come on."

I climbed onto his lap, my legs wrapped around him. "Like this?"

"That's it." His hands gripped my waist. "You refused to go back to my suite at the Bellagio. Said I was out of touch with real life and needed to see how the little people lived."

I groaned with embarra.s.sment. "That doesn't sound the least bit arrogant of me."

His mouth curved into a small smile. "It was fun. But also, you were right."

"Better not tell me that too often or it'll go to my head."

His chin rose. "Stop making jokes, baby. I'm being serious. I needed a dose of reality. Someone who'd actually say no to me occasionally and call bulls.h.i.t on that scene. That's what we do. We push each other out of our comfort zones."

It made sense. "I think you're right ... Is it enough?"

He held his hand to my heart again and b.u.mped the tip of his nose against mine. "Can you feel what we're doing here? We're building something."

"Yes." I could feel it, the connection between us, the overwhelming need to be with him. Nothing else mattered. There was the physical, the way he went to my head faster than anything I'd ever experienced. How wonderful he smelled all sleep-warm first thing in the morning. But I wanted more from him than just that. I wanted to hear his voice, hear him talk about everything and anything.

I felt all lit up inside. Like a potent mix of hormones was racing through me at light speed. His other hand curled around the back of my neck, bringing my mouth to his. Kissing David threw kerosene on the mix within me. He slid his tongue into my mouth to stroke against my own, before teasing over my teeth and lips. I'd never felt anything so fine. Fingers caressed my breast, doing wonderful things and making me gasp. G.o.d, the heat of his bare skin. I shuffled forward, seeking more, needing it. His hand left my breast to splay across my back, pressing me against him. He was hard. I could feel him through both layers of denim. The pressure that provided between my legs was heavenly. Amazing.

"That's it," he murmured as I rocked against him, seeking more.