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I laughed, feeling my face heat. “Yeah, something like that.”
His dimples flashed and he tossed me onto my bed before crawling in after me. “At least I won’t be worrying about making a mess.”
Chapter Sixteen - Mutually Exclusive
Lucky
Friday evening, while I waited for Minty to finish getting ready, I ran my finger lightly over the keys of her piano.
It was old. Well-loved. Perfectly in tune. And matched nothing else in her condo except maybe the dark wood of the China cabinet.
Minty came from down the hallway from her bedroom, twisting her hair into a knot and securing it.
“I noticed this the other day before you dragged me off into your bedroom to ravish me,” I teased. “Do you play?”
“My recollection is that you grabbed my big butt and literally hauled my ass down the hall and threw me on the bed!” Minty laughed, her eyes sparkling.
Her eyes amazed me. At times cool, bordering on unfriendly, I could no longer believe I ever found her calm and controlled. It was an illusion, barely skin deep. She was all heart. All kindness. All passion.
“You don’t have a big ass,” I protested, then spun her around so I could take a look. “It’s perfect.”
“Yeah,” she teased, looking over her shoulder. “Perfectly round.”
“Mm-hmm,” I agreed, my hand following the path forged by my eyes.
“Want to hear me play?” She stepped away from me and slid onto the bench seat, tipping her chin up to take me.
“I would love to hear.”
She smiled and lightly ran her fingers over the keys. I didn’t recognize the piece she played, but no matter, it quickly became my favorite. Her eyes closed as her fingers danced, her chin dipping when the music crested, she swayed and moved, brow tightening, lips pursing then parting to take a deep breath, her face tilting upwards, the music filling her, taking her away to a place I wanted to go.
When she finished, she sat back and looked up at me again, her eyes calm.
“What was that?”
“It’s called ‘The Darkness in Me’ by Fight the Fade. It’s a favorite of mine.”
“You play beautifully.”
“It calms me. I love music. All kinds.”
“Did you ever play professionally?”
“Oh, no. I wasn’t good enough for that.” She laughed. “I used to be in a band though.” She quirked a brow, waiting for my reaction.
“Really?” I cocked my head to the side, picturing folk music, tambourines, and flowy skirts.
“Evanescence was my jam back then.” She paused. “Still is, actually.”
My eyebrows went up. “You played keyboard?”
“No, darling.” Her voice dropped and she winked. “I sang.”
This woman was full of surprises. “Please,” I begged. “Tell me you have pictures.”
She brightened. “I do! I’ll get them if you want to see?”
She opened the photo album up on the kitchen table. I pulled out the chair beside her and slowly turned the pages. “How old are you here?”
