“Eventually.” The smile fell from his face and he let his gaze rake over my features, to my lips and back into my eyes. “You’re beautiful, Zoe Granger. You know that?”
He said it with such determination and raw hunger, that I believed him. I hadn’t thought I was remotely pretty or worth knowing for a long time and now? “I’m beginning to believe it when you say it like that.”
“I’m going to tell you every day.” He captured my mouth again, sucking on my bottom lip, dragging his teeth against the skin. Gasping, I clutched the back of his head, pulling him closer. The feeling of his tongue against mine was consuming as our kiss deepened. My skin began to prickle in excitement as his fingertips brushed over my back, creeping underneath my shirt and his fingers hovered just below the waistband of my jeans.
I had to move then, grinding myself forward over his erection and pushing against my clit. We both let out a tortured moan, breathing hard. It felt so overwhelming and we were both still fully clothed.
“Don’t move,” he murmured against my lips.
I didn’t have to ask why.
“Not here,” he whispered, kissing the corner of my jaw, right underneath my ear.
“Later,” I said, and it came out as a low gasp as I felt his tongue tease against my neck.
“We’ll see.”
I went to move off him, but he grabbed my hips, holding me in place.
“Are you trying to drive me mad?” I asked with a small smile.
“I don’t want to let you go.” He kissed my forehead. “We’ve got a minute. Give me this minute.”
We sat together for a moment, and previously it would have been awkward as hell, but now it was the most natural thing in the world. We fit together. I knew it and so did he.
Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind. The day we were told about the tour, Simone and Dee had both said The Stabs had asked for us. “When we were asked on this tour, we were told you guys asked for us.”
“Yes.”
“Did you know it was me?”
“I went to your first gig,” he said carefully. “I saw you on that stage and I almost died. You were the last person I was expecting to see.”
“I wasn’t expecting it either.”
“You stood next to me at the bar and said, hey.”
“Dee yanked me away.”
“I’ll never forget the look on your face,” he said with a smile, tracing my bottom lip with a thumb. “Until that moment, I thought you were a ghost.”
“I can assure you, I’m totally solid.”
Will groaned at my joke. “We heard your song on the radio and we were told that you’d signed with our label. Then I saw your video.” He licked his lips, almost sending my body into overdrive. “I’d hoped I’d see you again, but I never did.”
“You asked for us.”
He nodded, slowly. “I drove Pete nuts with my pining over a mystery woman. With him, Louie and Sticks, we had enough sway to get you guys on tour. The fact that you’re beyond brilliant helped, of course.”
“You really are a class A jerk, Will Strickland.”
His gaze snapped up to meet mine and fear flashed through it. Trailing my fingers across his lips, I smirked and he let out a sigh of relief.
“Zoe,” he scolded me. “You’ll give me a heart attack.”
“I think my heart does that every time I see you.”
“Well,” he said wickedly, “let me start it again for you.”
This was getting dangerously close to something else and I was suddenly aware of where we were, but I didn’t care one bit. Will’s hands were back in my hair, holding my mouth firmly to his.
We both jumped as the door banged open and Dee walked in. When his eyes landed on us and our position, he stifled a surprised laugh.
“Oh, shit,” he exclaimed. “Didn’t realize.”
“It’s okay, Dee,” I said, reluctantly getting up. I really needed to cool off.
“We need to sound check.”
“Okay, I’ll be there in a sec.”
He looked at us with a sly smile and closed the door behind him.
“I get it now,” Will said, pulling my back flush with his chest. “You and Dee.”
“He means well.”
“He loves you.” When I tensed, he said, “Not like that. He’s your family. They all are. I mean I know, I have my own.”
“What did he say to you?”
“When?”
“After…what did he tell you?”
Will was quiet for a moment and I wasn’t sure if that churning in my stomach was dread. “Nothing. He told me it wasn’t his place.”
“And it’s not.” It came out a little harsher than I intended.
“I’d go to hell and back for you. Anything you want from me, it’s yours.” His hands settled on my hips and I pressed my backside into his hard on and couldn’t help but smile as he let out a low moan. “God, Zoe.”
“You better stay in here a while,” I said, hoping that he really meant every word. “You need to calm down.”
As I walked out of the room, I looked back and gave him a sly smile. The tension that had weighed itself on my shoulders had all but disappeared. If one kiss from Will could do that, then what else could he do? Just thinking about it made that place between my legs throb.
“You’re wicked, Zoe Granger,” he grimaced as I closed the door behind me.
Out on stage, Chris was helping Frank set up the drum kit and Dee was fiddling with the leads that ran into his effects pedals. When his eye caught mine, I steeled myself for one of his trademark witty comments.
As I plugged the lead into my guitar Dee asked, “You guys good?”
“Yeah,” I said, thankful that he was serious for once.
“So, are you like together now?”
I shrugged.
“Sure looked like it.”
“I guess.”
He knelt down and began tuning his Gibson, his E string all out of whack. “Did you tell him what you told me?”
“The short version.”
He eyed me with suspicion. “How short?”
“Bare minimum.”
“Zoe, things like this have a tendency to rear their ugly heads when you least expect it. Keeping secrets isn’t a good thing.”
I scowled. “That’s all I can manage for now. The rest will come later.”
His gaze searched mine for a moment, then he sighed and went back to tuning his E string. “As long as you’re okay.”
“We’ll see how it goes.”
Will and I were at the start of a long road. We hardly knew that much about each other outside of music other than we were attracted to each other with a fire I never thought was possible outside of a romance novel. The fact that he wanted to stick around after the shit I’d pulled warmed my heart and rekindled my hope. The hope that said I could fall in love again.
“So, is he a good kisser?” Dee asked wiggling his eyebrows.
“Dee!”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Zoe
When the lights went down and The Devil’s Tattoo went on stage, it was a new Zoe the audience was getting that night. And Zoe mark two was amped up and raw. I hadn’t told the whole truth to Will, I was far from ready, but I’d let him in more than anyone. Other than Dee, my savior, he was the only one. He said he wouldn’t hurt me and that was the one thing I wanted to hold on to. That, and his heart.
Even when it came time for Walls and the words that described the painful memory of my past, I didn’t flinch. I could feel Will’s eyes on me the entire time; I didn’t have to look side of stage to know he was there. All of our songs were about love and sex and I found myself singing them all for him.
We were in the middle of country Victoria, the crowd was smaller than the Capital cities had been, but it was jam packed and close. A sweaty furnace of people pressed up against the side of the stage, singing along to our songs, taking pictures on their phones, cheering. The fact that people knew our stu
ff and loved it was a feeling beyond anything I could have ever hoped for, but having Will there made it euphoric.
I didn’t want this feeling to end.
Bombard was the song Will had set his video to and all I could think of was the fact that he had been watching me. It sounded creepy, but he’d done it to please me. I didn’t realize at the time, but sitting with him that day had melted something inside me. It was the beginning of the end.
As I stood on top of the bass drum, the sound of my guitar reverbing off into nothing, our eyes locked. I stared down at him, hair plastered to my sweaty face, and if I hadn’t been standing in such an awkward position, on stage no less, I would have thrown myself at him there and then. It was a miracle when I jumped down, that I landed steadily on both feet.
Dee pulled me to the front of the stage and people held out their hands and I shook as many as I could grab hold of. This was why we’d started the band. Not for the adoration, but for the knowledge that the things that we wrote spoke to someone.
When The Stabs went on stage, I stood in the wings as I’d done so many times in the last few weeks, but this time felt like the first. I’d been so determined to fight my attraction to Will, I’d never really paid attention to him. The others, yes, but never to their infuriatingly sexy bass player. I leaned against the wall and my eyes never left him. I didn’t care one iota what I looked like anymore. Dee stood with me, but he may as well have been invisible for all the attention I paid him. We were all riding high.
As each song went by, I took in everything. The way Will’s fingers slid over the strings of his bass, the way he leaned his mouth against the microphone, the way his hair fell into his eyes. Occasionally, he’d look up and see me watching him and a lopsided grin would invade his features. This time it was unguarded and full of the things he wanted to do to me.
The stage was like a second home to him and I understood completely. It was the same for me. He said that the real Zoe was the woman who stood front and center and gave her all to the music. I was more determined than ever to make that a reality off stage as well.
It was like someone had flipped a switch inside me and now that the floodgate was open, there was nothing stopping me falling head first into this consuming passion I felt for Will Strickland. What made me reel was that he had said he felt it too. But, he didn’t need to tell me, it was in everything he did.
When their set finally finished, he walked straight off stage and crashed into me, his lips on mine, his tongue teasing. A whimper escaped me and he pulled away, cupping my face.
“You drive a man to distraction, Zo,” he said. “Looking at me like that.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I’ll see you in a minute,” he said, brushing a thumb over my bottom lip and he disappeared with his bass into the band room.
“If you’re done sucking face,” Dee declared beside me, “can we go get a drink or ten?”
I’d forgotten he was there, and I don’t even think he’d registered with Will either. With a giddy smile, I threaded my arm through his and we made our way into the crowd. When we found the others near the bar, Frank, Simone and Chris welcomed us with knowing smiles.
“And Zoe Granger’s back in the game with a bang,” Frank chortled, pulling me into a bear hug.
“She won’t be in it for long if you don’t stop suffocating her,” I cried, my voice muffled against his chest.
“Seriously, Zo,” he whispered in my ear. “Glad you’re feelin’ better.”
“I’m sorry guys,” I said with a grimace. I had to take some blame for what happened. After all, it was my reaction that had snowballed.
“You’ve nothin’ to be sorry for,” Chris said.
“Yes, I do. I’m sorry,” I said firmly. “I let it affect the band and a gig suffered for it. I promise I won’t let it happen again.”
“You know how annoying it’s been watching you two pine over each other?” Dee said, puckering his lips at me and instantly lightening the mood.
That earned him a sharp slap on the arm and loud laughter and catcalls from the guys. A grin spread across my face and the sense of euphoria that had been building inside, ever since Will and confronted me in the band room, surfaced. It was such an alien feeling, at first it felt wrong, but the look Dee gave me when he saw the smile on my face made me realize it couldn’t get any more right than it was at that very moment.
Arms wrapped around my waist from behind and I caught sight of a black panther tattoo.
“Hey,” Will murmured into my ear as warmth spread through my body.
Looking up at him, I said, “Hey.”
His lips brushed against my forehead. “This is nice.”
“What?” I asked, knowing exactly what he was referring to, but I wanted to hear him say it.
“Touching you.”
A shiver ran down my spine and I felt his lips curve into a smile against my skin. “Likewise.”
“Ahh,” he sighed. “This is bad.”
“What do you mean?”
“I just want to kiss you and touch you…” I felt his hand run between us, over my ass and lightly press between my legs, “there.”
“Fuck,” I hissed as I felt myself clench. “I’m thinking that was payback.”
“See it how you want, Zo.”
I remembered how he’d called me Zo, that night on the balcony of the pub in the middle of nowhere, how uncomfortable it made me feel. Now, he could call me whatever the hell he wanted, as long as he kept doing that.
“You were… there are no words to describe how you were on stage tonight.”
I turned around, so we were face to face, so I could see into his eyes. “You make me feel alive, Will Strickland.” There was no truer statement I could have made right then.
“If I make you feel alive, then you set me on fire.” He pressed his lips against mine, hands firmly on my waist.
“You know, there are other people around,” Dee said, the amusement plain in his voice. “Stop rubbing it in.”
I spun around with a laugh and thumped him playfully on the shoulder. Louie and Pete brought over a round of drinks and we tried to spend the rest of the night socializing, but it was difficult not to disappear back to the hotel. Will threaded his fingers through mine and hardly let go all night.
Simone, I noticed, was talking and laughing with Chris and he was standing close to her, leaning in every time she said something. I caught his eye and he smiled slyly at me. I raised my eyebrows in question and he nodded. Good for them. It looked like everything was beginning to work out.
It was three am by the time Will and I wandered back to the hotel, his arm around my waist. Everyone else had broken off one by one and bailed until we were the last. We’d made a resolve to take things slowly, despite the deep sexual attraction. Still, we hovered outside of mine and Dee’s hotel room, reluctant to part.
“Tonight has gotta be one of the best nights ever,” he said quietly.
“It’s definitely top ten,” I joked.
“Top ten?” he feigned offence. “What else is better than that?”
I pretended to think. “Um… Music. Being on stage. Christmas holidays.”
“Christmas holidays are better than me?”
“I said top ten, I didn’t specify the order.”
He planted a kiss on the corner of my mouth, silencing me. “You’re my number one.”
Unlocking the door, I peered inside, but the room was dark. I could just make out Dee’s sleeping form and the pile of clothes he’d flung all over the floor.
“Dee’s already asleep,” I whispered.
“I was hoping we could boot him out,” Will murmured, hooking his fingers through the belt loops on my jeans.
“We can room tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow.”
He pressed me into the doorframe and kissed me, slow and deep, making my insides twist with desire. My hands fisted into his shirt as his crept underneath mine.
The one thing I sud
denly hated with a vengeance about being on tour was the lack of privacy.
“Good night,” he sighed against my swollen mouth.
“Good night.”
“I saw you dry humping against the doorframe last night,” Dee whispered into my ear, making me choke on the bottle of water I was trying to drown my Will hangover with. We stood beside the bus, getting ready to jump on for the next leg of the tour. We only had three shows to do before we got back to Melbourne for the final two.
“You were awake?” I spluttered, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.
“You woke me up.”
“Dee!”
He elbowed me with a sly grin. “Don’t worry, Zo, I already arranged a room swap with Pete.”
“Uh, thanks?”
He threw an arm around my shoulder and laughed. “You need to get some.”
To his surprise I said, “Yeah. I’m so bloody horny.”
“Bloody hell, Zoe! Too much information. My ears, they burn!”
“You started it.”
“You continued it.”
Simone laughed as she passed us. “They’re at it again.”
Before she went any further, I ran forward and pulled her to the side. “So?”
“So what?” she asked with a small blush.
“Simone.” My good mood was infectious as her face split into a grin.
“He kissed me.”
“When?”
“Last night,” she sighed.
“Good,” I said, firmly. “I’m glad.”
“I think you inspired him, you know after everything.”
I grimaced. “Well, at least it all worked out, huh?”
“I’m happy for you too, Zoe. I know I don’t know the full story, but you deserve it after everything.”
“Thanks.”
She gave me a small wave as she moved off towards the car where Dean was arranging the remaining boxes of our merch.
“You’re beautiful, Zoe Granger,” Will whispered into my ear.
The fact that he’d remembered his promise from the night before sent shivers down my spine. Grabbing my hand, he pulled me toward the bus. As I climbed into a spot towards the back, he dumped his jacket on the seat across the aisle and slid into the seat next to mine. “I can’t sit next to you, Zoe.”
What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 3) Page 94