“Yeah.” He gives me a sheepish grin. “That’s why I don’t let my roommates down here, I’ll get my man card revoked.”
“They are morons and this, this is…highly impressive, sir. Seriously, this is a much better plan than my multiple lines of income.”
He chuckles. “And I don’t get shot at.”
“That was once,” I glance around still shocked by his revelation. “So, which do you play in the Grand Band?”
“Not telling.”
“Oh, come on! You know I could probably find out online.”
“But you won’t.”
Surveying the makeshift office next to his piano I see a desktop, a laptop and a bunch of other computer equipment.
“What’s all this?”
“This is where I mix it up.”
“I’m going to need a demonstration.”
His eyes light up. “I might have cooked something up for you.”
“Really?” I rub my hands together before I climb up onto his piano crossing my legs. His eyes flare as he studies me sprawled half-naked in his PBS T-shirt and panties.
He takes a seat at the bench gently moving my crossed legs to rest on the edge of the piano but not before pressing a gentle kiss to my ankle. It’s when his fingers start to move expertly along the keys that my jaw drops. The more he plays, the more my breath picks up, and my thoughts drift back to last night. He had completely and utterly wrecked me with the way he’d taken me, and I was already dying for more.
Did I know this man at all?
In the two
months we’ve been friends I realize just how much of a mystery he still is. If last night was any sign of what I had to look forward to, I’m all too eager to learn more. I’m already a puddle of want just inches from his skilled fingers. I study him closely; taking in the thick black of his lashes, the almond shape of his eyes, the sleek lines of his scruff-covered jaw, the talented full lips that had me moaning his name for hours, his poise on the bench, and the confidence with which he plays. It’s all too alluring, and I’m practically salivating as I gaze on at him.
“Something is telling me your current thoughts are not wholesome in nature,” he says before looking up at me confirming his suspicions.
“This is actually very sexy, Houseman. You could’ve cured your abstinence much sooner by using this tactic. It’s one hell of an aphrodisiac. Hell, you could have had coeds everywhere throwing their panties at your feet.”
“I don’t want them,” he says, leaning in, his gaze unwavering, penetrating, to make his point. He continues to play as I let his sentiment warm me, slightly overwhelmed by the secret he kept. He’s not just good, he’s incredible.
“I swear, Houseman, you surprise me at every turn.”
His fingers dance along the keys effortlessly before he pulls them away. “This isn’t what I wanted to play for you.”
“Well, come on then, show me what you’ve got.”
He leans in past my legs, opening the laptop perched on a small black desk next to the piano and clicks on the pad a few times before turning back to the keys. “Three, two, one,” the computer speaks aloud, and I jump back and grin down at him. “What’s that?”
“I’m showing you,” he chides, his face twisting adorably, “patience.” The subtle appearance of a smile covers his mouth before his eyes drift down to the keys as he starts to manipulate them into something familiar.
“That’s Alabama!” I yelp out before cupping my mouth, my eyes growing wide. He ignores my outburst, keeping perfect time as he plays along to the recording of “The Touch”.
‘Oh my God’ I mouth, a shy smile on his lips when he registers the surprise on my face.
He winks and my throat swells. It’s not just the piano, it’s the drums, the heavy guitar, the bass, he’s mastered and recorded every instrument, every part of the song, to play it, for me.
“But you just heard this two nights ago,” I whisper, unable to hide the emotion in my voice, “how did you…” I falter, the threatening sting behind my eyes getting the best of me.
I stare down at him, anxious to get close, to get back to him, to his lips, his kiss. I’m a puddle of desire, hell-bent on getting the rest of his attention, longing to put that look back in his eyes.