Talon (Ashes & Embers 4)

"I can't have a cat in the bed."

"She's not in the bed, she's on the bed. She weighs two pounds. How is she bothering you?"

"I don't want her looking at me or jumping on me when we start to get into it."

I stare at him in the dim light. "Get into it? Into what, exactly?"

"You know, when we start to have sex."

I flop back down against my pillow. "The cat stays. She's not going to bother us when we get into it. You'll probably scare her away anyway."

He flops back down too. "I didn't sign up for a cat in the bedroom."

"You'll learn to love her. Can we please go to sleep now?"

Again he turns onto his side to face me. "What happened to the last guy?" he blurts out.

"What last guy?"

"The last guy you had sex with. How long were you together?"

I screw my eyes shut, not wanting to think about Danny. "We were together for two years. We broke up because he got a job offer in another state.”

"Was he a nice guy?"

"Yes." Until he left.

"Did you love him?" His voice is softer now, with a hint of curiosity coming through.

"Yes."

"Do you still?"

I turn my head to him. "No. It was a long time ago."

"Why didn't he take you with him?"

Good question. "He thought it was better if we just parted. He wasn't ready to make a commitment like that, I guess."

"That kinda sucks."

"Yeah, it did."

"I'm going to take you everywhere with me."

I laugh and turn toward the wall. "That sounds seriously creepy."

He leans his chin against my shoulder, his hair falling over my arm. "Don't you want to go everywhere with me? When I'm here and not on tour?" he asks, sounding a little bit worried that I might not want to.

"Are you serious or teasing me again?"

His lips press against my shoulder, sending a warm shiver throughout my body. "I'm totally serious. I want what my grandparents had and my parents have. And my brother Storm and Evie. They do everything together."

That's what I've always wanted. Except I only saw that sort of relationship on television shows. Talon's actually grown up with it and experienced it around him. It seems to run in his family. Maybe it's in his blood.

Did we finally find something we both wanted in this? Togetherness. A life partner.

I turn so I'm lying on my back again, and although I can't see him in the dark, his face is mere inches from mine, his hair now tickling my cheek. I reach up and gently push it behind his ear. A gesture I never thought I'd be doing with a man.

"Do you really mean that?" I ask softly. "That's what you really want?"

"Yeah. It is. No lie."

I want to believe him so badly, and I have no reason not to, other than the fact he's never had a real relationship before. But even a rock star can settle down, right? The team must have interrogated him about this, just like they questioned the heck out of me.

"What are you thinking, Asia? You got quiet."

"I'm thinking I want to kiss you like I own you right now." For once my voice comes out like it belongs to a sensual woman, with no cracking or shakiness or nervous giggling. He quickly sucks in a surprised breath and touches my cheek.

"Well, have at it, baby. I'm all yours," he whispers, his lips lightly brushing against mine. My hand clutches the back of his neck as I hold his mouth to mine. He doesn't move, but he lets me kiss him softly, tasting him. His lips part slightly and his tongue licks my lips, coaxing me to kiss him deeper. My fingers curl into his hair and a small whimper sounds in the back of my throat when our tongues finally touch, our lips mashing together hungrily. I wasn't expecting my heart to pound like this from kissing him, but damn, it's beating double time like a drum, my breath quickening. His hand gently skims over my stomach and grips my hip as he pulls his head back a few inches, his lips leaving mine, his breath coming out ragged. I pull him back down to my waiting mouth, knowing that's what he wants—to feel me wanting him.

"Are you ready for me now?" he whispers between breaths, moving his lips to my cheek.

Yes. No. "Not yet," I whisper back, turning my head to meet his lips again.

"Damn," he groans, kissing me deeper, his tongue dancing with mine. "You're killin' me."

"I'm sorry."

His mouth pulls away, but his hand squeezes my hip. "It's okay. We'll stop now, before I can't."

"Thank you," I whisper, our lips wandering back to each other’s for a moment. "For being patient with me."

"Thanks for showing me what I can look forward to." He kisses me once more then pulls away and rolls over onto his side of the bed. "Now, go to sleep."

Sleep? How can I possibly sleep now when my heart is racing and my thighs are burning and I have a sudden empty ache deep inside me that he's woken up?

In the darkness, his huge foot rubs up against mine under the covers and then stays there, nestled against mine. It feels nice and oddly affectionate. An unspoken connection.

Rock star husband footsies.

My heart swoons.

Chapter 15

Asia

I'm woken up by the sound of a woman moaning in ecstasy, as if it's the most epic orgasm of her life. I roll over and all I can see is a tangle of long, dirty-blond hair on the pillow next to me. But the sound is coming from his side of the room, and for a moment in my sleepy haze, I wonder if he's got someone in the bed with us.

The woman continues to moan and scream and his arm reaches out to the nightstand, groping for his cell phone. He slides his finger across the screen without lifting his head up and the orgasmic howling stops.

"That's your alarm tone?" I ask in disbelief. "I am not waking up to that every day."

Rolling onto his back, he eyes me sleepily, while his telltale naughty grin curves his lips. "That could be you, baby."

"I have never made sounds like that. She sounded like a cat being tortured."

"I bet I can make you moan and scream like that."

"In terror, maybe. Please tell me that's not a real girl you did. If it is, I'm going to throw up in my own mouth."

"No, silly. It's a sound thing Mikah put on my phone as a joke. I'll change it."

"Thank you. I'd rather wake up to something a little less dramatic."

He sits up and stretches, giving me a perfect view of his wide, sculpted back, which is covered in even more tattoos.

"We should start to get ready so we're not late." He peers down at me. "And did I just catch you lusting over my back?"

"No…" I say, looking away.

"Yes, I did."

"I was looking at your tattoos. I didn't realize they were everywhere."

"Not quite everywhere, yet. But I have a lot more I want to get."

"Why? You're pretty much covered already."

He shrugs and puts his e-cig in his mouth. "I like them. And I like getting them—it's kinda therapeutic."

"You could get acupuncture if you like the feeling of pointy things in you. It has lots of health benefits."

Princess Pixie rises from her place at the end of the bed and slowly walks up Talon's leg, stopping to stare up at the puff of vapor he just blew toward the ceiling.

He rubs her tiny head. "You're lucky you're cute, Thing. Or you'd be outside right now."

"She's irresistibly cute," I add.

"Like her owner?"

"Am I?" I ask, wondering if that's good or bad.

He picks up the cat and gently places her on top of me before he climbs out of the bed. "You're both definitely growing on me." I try not to gawk at him as he stands next to the bed with nothing on but a pair of black boxers. Holy moly, does he have a nice body. I wish I could sneak a picture and show Kat. Or maybe not. I kind of don't want to share his hotness.

"Come on, jelly bean. We gotta go find our dream home."

* * *

On our way to meet the Realtor, we stop at Talon's condo so

we can switch from his truck to his BMW. I wait in the car while he runs inside to grab a few things, and I feel like I'm sitting in the cockpit of a spaceship. I have never seen so many buttons or a tiny screen in a car before. I'm wondering what exactly the screen is for when he gets back in the car. He proceeds to type the address onto that little screen and a map pops up.

"That's so cool," I say.

"What? The GPS?" he asks, backing out of his driveway. The car then tells him which way to go, and I try to hide my surprise. I seriously need to get out more.