Page 13 of Before You Fell

The brunette’s hand slips lower, fingertips brushing lightly over my cock. My cock stirs, because attention is attention and I have never pretended to be a saint.

But my eyes never leave Willow.

She notices. Her jaw tightens ever so lightly. Good.

That ugly thing in my chest purrs.

Willow looks at the brunette’s hand, then back at me.

She’s calm, too fucking calm.

“What else do you have an opinion on?”

Damon makes a warning sound. “Phoenix.”

I snap my gaze to him. “You want songs that hurt, Damon? Let the songwriter fucking talk then.”

He goes still.

Willow exhales through her nose, tired already. “The bridge is too clean. Even for you.”

I grin. “That sounds dirty.”

“It isn’t.”

“It could be.”

The brunette’s hand runs over my cock again and I let my smile turn filthy because I’m aware that Willow is watching. Because I am a bastard and sometimes the easiest way to hide something is to put a woman’s hand over it and pretend that is the thing you wanted all along.

Willow ignores my assholeness, because she has had years of practice.

“You’re holding back before the final chorus,” she says.

“I don’t hold back.”

“You did tonight.”

The room shifts again. Enough that even Cruz stops looking at the girl laughing against his shoulder.

My grin stays in place, but something behind it goes still.

Willow doesn’t blink.

I lean back into the couch, spread my knees wider, and let the brunette’s hand stay exactly where it is. “Careful, Wills. Keep talking about me holding back and people might start thinking you know what I look like when I don’t.”

Cruz whistles softly. “Fuck.”

Jax leans against the wall, grinning as if this is better than any reality show.

Jett watches Willow, then me, before his eyes shift to the brunette’s hand still stroking my cock through my jeans.

I sit forward on the couch and the brunette’s hand falls away.

Willow doesn’t move. She has always been braver than her soft voice makes people think.

My smirk grows wider. “That your professional opinion?”

“That’s my honest one.”