I scoff. “El, it’s after midnight, it’s freezing out, and I’m still worried about your safety. Not to mention that I’d be a real prick to let you walk home alone.”
She brings her blue eyes up to meet mine. Even in the dark, I can see a hint of a blush stain her cheeks under the streetlights. I glance down at her mouth and watch, mesmerized, as her lips part just a fraction and her tongue darts out and moistens them.
Unable to stop myself, not wanting to stop myself, I reach up and push her hair behind her ear, leaving my hand on the side of her face. “Tell me if you want me to stop.” I lean closer, pulling her gently towards me with my other hand that’s somehow found its way around her waist.
“I don’t want you to stop,” she says, her voice husky with desire.
Those words undo me and the last little bit of restraint I have evaporates. I bring my mouth down on hers and she lets out a tiny moan. It’s hardly loud enough to hear, but that sound marks this moment for me. The moment I begin to fall hard for Ellie Palmer.
She kisses me, hesitantly at first. Then that moan, and her mouth opens, giving my tongue enough room to explore and taste and discover. The kiss is so perfect that I never want it to end, but it’s late, and getting colder every minute.
Reluctantly pulling back, I rest my forehead on hers, allowing us both to catch our breath. The small clouds of mist mingle between us in the frigid air.
“Ellie,” I murmur, her name a benediction for me. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”
Her eyes close, as if in pain at the thought of parting, but she nods. “Yes, tomorrow.”
“Okay.” I press a kiss to her forehead and another quick one to her swollen lips. “Go inside. I can’t leave until I know you’re safe.”
Ellie takes the last few steps backwards, not turning away until the last second. “Bye Adam,” she says as she opens the door and disappears inside.
“Bye Ellie,” I whisper to myself.
* * *
Turns out Gavin and Hawke are excellent at their respective instruments. Better than excellent, they’re freaking brilliant. When they jammed with us the first time, it was as if we’d all been playing together for years. We make a great foursome.
“Ellie! You ever going to get your nose out of that sodding book and listen to u
s play?” I call out to where she’s sitting nearby with her maths book open.
“Adam, stop trying to corrupt me. I have to keep up with school so I can take my A-levels,” she snaps back at me playfully, smiling the entire time. “Just because you’re going to be a huge famous rock star and won’t need to know any of this, doesn’t mean I don’t.”
I shake my head and laugh at her. There are only two things I care about these days, music and Ellie. School isn’t part of my future, I know that, Ellie knows that. In fact, if I didn’t get to see Ellie there everyday, or need to get out of the hellhole I live in for a few hours, I’d probably have dropped out by now.
“Fine, miss out on being a part of history in the making,” I joke with her as I play a quick riff.
Ellie rolls her eyes. “Mighty large head you’ve got there, Reynolds,” she laughs as she turns back to her book.
I shrug, even though she isn’t watching me anymore. Our gig at the DK was popular before, but with Gavin and Hawke playing with us, George has had to turn people away at the door because there’s literally no more room for anyone else inside the tiny pub. We’ve gone from no job and no future, to raking in piles of money every weekend. It’s not enough to get our own flat or make a living, but for me, it’s enough to feed myself and still save money to leave eventually.
“Adam! Are you going to stare at Ellie all day or are we going to practice?”
I look over my shoulder and see Dax grinning at me from the other side of the abandoned basement, ecstatic to be able to embarrass me in front of Ellie. Only, I’m not embarrassed. Even though we haven’t gone any further than some pretty heavy kissing, I enjoy every single second I spend with her. And surprisingly, it’s me who keeps it tame between us. I don’t want to spoil everything by treating her like another easy fuck. The slow burn we’re working up will make it so worth it when we finally get to the physical part of our relationship. For the first time in my life I’m not in it just to get my rocks off.
“Bastard!” I shout playfully back at Dax. “Right, let’s start Short on Time from the top.”
We play another hour or so, until Gavin’s phone beeps. “We have to go. My mom is expecting us back soon,” he says as he checks the text message.
“Where’s your dad?” I ask Gavin.
Gavin’s eyes tighten around the edges, it’s subtle, but I swear his nostrils flare a little as well. “My dad stayed back in the U.S. to work, so my mom decided to come here for a year to spend time with her family. She’s from Hertfordshire and wanted to give me a chance to experience England, plus get to know her family better,” he answers stiffly.
“What about him?” Dax jerks a thumb towards Hawke.
“I’m just here for the life experience, you know, an adventure,” Hawke says smiling. “We’re best friends, so when he offered a year in Europe at his rich grandmother’s house, well, I’d be crazy to turn that down.”
Something tells me there’s more to their story than they’re letting on, but I’m not one to pry so I let it go. Dax narrows his eyes apprehensively but turns back to his guitar without saying a word.