Her brown eyes fill with apprehension. "No, I don't think so. I'm not very musical."
"This is an easy riff," I say.
"And there's no way you're worse than Joel," Mal teases.
I laugh. "It's too much to keep track of, the four strings. Much easier to hit things with sticks."
Bella smiles. "You should contribute to this phallic imagery series."
I laugh. "I'll tell you a lot about phallic imagery if you try this."
She shakes her head.
I lean in to whisper. "Because you might not be great right away?"
She says nothing.
I pull her closer. "Give me ten minutes."
Her voice is still nervous. "I don't know…"
Mal shoots me a cutting look. "Save the dirty talk for when I leave."
She blushes. After a deep breath, her cheeks lose some of their pinkish hue. She turns to me with a nod. "Okay. I'll give it a shot."
I pick up Kit's practice bass and I help Bella sling it around her shoulders.
She's incredibly awkward with the instrument. Her shoulders are stiff. Her stance is stiffer.
"Here." I stand behind her, my chest against her back. God, she's warm and soft. It makes it difficult to focus.
I want her in a way I've never wanted anyone.
Not just her pleasure or her laughter, but her heart.
Her mind.
Her soul.
Fuck, that's cheesy. I can barely stand thinking it.
I guide her into position, one hand on the neck of the bass guitar, one hand on the body.
I show her how to pluck and how to fret.
Each time the instrument responds to her, she lets out another little groan.
This isn't my expertise, but I know enough to take her through the entire riff.
She squeals when she plays the entire thing on her own. "I haven't played an instrument since elementary school."
"Violin?" I guess.
She laughs. "How did you know?"
"Lucky guess." I drag my lips over her neck until my mouth is hovering over her ear. "You want to play the song with us or you want to go back to reading?"
She cocks her head. "I'll play it once."