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One night after I caught him really letting loose on a riff, I noticed how lit up he was. Just absolutely fired up and beaming from the inside.
“You should play at an amateur night or something,” I suggested. I’d just returned to the living room after a post-run shower and was still pulling a clean T-shirt over my head.
Ash looked up at me with a giant grin. “Nah, I’d never be good enough for something like that, but I fucking love playing again. Can’t believe I spent so much time avoiding it. Maybe someday I’ll get the guts to play for a small group. It might even be fun.”
That was progress, at least, so I decided not to push. I made my way over to the sofa and leaned over the back of it to drop a kiss on his warm lips.
“Hey,” I said softly, taking in the feel of his lips on mine and the coffeehouse scent of his skin.
His eyes were closed in contented approval of my ministrations, and his only response was a hum against my mouth. After a few more teasing kisses, I brushed the hair back from his face and asked him what he wanted for dinner.
Ash blinked his eyes open and grinned at me again. “I made lasagna. It’s ready whenever you are.”
“Oh my god, really? I assumed that amazing smell was from someone else’s apartment, and I was feeling kind of jealous. Smells fantastic. You ready now? Would that be okay?”
He set down the guitar and climbed over the back of the sofa to jump onto my back as soon as I turned around. I barked out a laugh and instinctively wrapped my arms around his legs while he whispered in my ear.
“Only if you carry me. The floor is hot lava.”
Who the hell was this playful guy? Whoever he was, I wanted more of him.
“Hot lava, huh? I wouldn’t want your beautiful feet to get burned.”
“Exactly. You’ll have to carry me everywhere I need to go for the rest of the night,” he teased.
“Well, I was planning on taking you out for ice cream later, but I’m not sure I can haul your manly ass all the way to Big Scoops.”
He squeezed his arms around my neck and ran the tip of his tongue along the edge of my ear. My cock perked right up as a full-body shiver ran through me. The sultry voice in my ear continued. “Someone’s excited about the idea of ice cream.”
I turned to catch his lips with mine before responding, “Someone’s excited about the hot man clinging to his body.”
Ash rolled his hips against my lower back, pressing his hard-on into me.
“Fuck, baby. No. I can’t. I’m starving. Please.” The last part might have come out as more of a whimper.
“I’m not suggesting anything other than eating. I’m just stretching my back after crouching over the guitar— that’s all,” he lied, rolling his hips even harder into me and punctuating them with a groan. The man was going to kill me. “Besides, you already wore me out earlier when you got home from work.”
“Bullshit,” I grumbled, plunking him down on a kitchen chair so I could pull the pan of lasagna out of the oven. “Wearing you out is impossible. You’re like… I don’t know what. I’m too tired to think. I barely made it through my run. My legs were like wet noodles.”
“Next time think about that before you decide to fuck me against the wall. I’m not a delicate flower.”
I served us both heaping plates of the sinful-smelling pasta before pulling an already-opened bottle of wine from the fridge.
“The day I stop being able to take you up against a wall is the day you need to take me out back and put a bullet in my head,” I informed him. “I’d rather give up running.”
Ash laughed as he dug into his dinner. “Tell me about work. You said that celebrity singer was close to making her decision. Any news?”
“Oh, listen to this. Tomás somehow made friends with one of the assistants who works for the talent agency, and she said we’re their top choice. And apparently the agent was so impressed with our presentation, she’s planning on bringing several other celebrity clients to sign with us as well.”
Ash’s face lit up. “Shit, Aiden! That’s fantastic.” He leaned over and grabbed me by the back of the neck to pull me in for a kiss. I could taste the wine on his lips and see his gorgeous eyes up close. They sparkled with something like pride.
Pride in me? The idea warmed me from the inside out.
“Yeah,” I admitted. “It’s exciting. I’m especially happy for Chase, you know? This is a real win for him.”
“How do you mean? Is she his client— like, he found her?”
