His eyes crinkled in the corners as a smile crept onto his face.
“What?”
“I told you we’d have more in common that music.”
“When did you say that?”
“I didn’t, I can see it written all over your face.”
“Am I that transparent?” I joked, biting my bottom lip.
“No,” he sighed, running a hand over my ass, down my thigh, pulling my leg around his waist. “You’re guarded so much, I have a hard time knowing what you want.”
I pressed up against his chest, my hands running across his jaw and into his hair. Our lips brushed together, but neither of us moved to capture.
“Did someone hurt you?” he asked with such sincerity, I knew he wasn’t talking about emotions. “Because I know about hurt, Zoe. I want to make it better.”
I pulled away, my eyes searching his. Suddenly, I couldn’t see anything but his words. “What do you mean, you know about hurt?”
He frowned, his gaze falling away and I knew he was holding something back, too.
“Will?”
“I just want to take care of you.” He cupped my face with a hand like I was something delicate and his lips found mine. He kissed me with such devotion and tenderness, any worry I had melted away. His hand left my face and brushed the length of my arm. “What’s that scar from?” he asked, running fingers along the length of it.
I moved my arm between us, resting a palm against his chest over his tattoo, so he couldn’t touch it. “I broke my arm.”
“But…”
“It didn’t heal properly, so it had to have surgery. I have a metal pin stuck in it. They love me at airport security.”
He seemed to get that I was edging around the question, so he let it drop, but not before sighing.
“What?” I asked, scowling.
“It’s not a very clean surgical scar.”
“Well, that’s what happened.” I went to roll over away from him, but a strong arm circled around my waist.
“I didn’t mean anything by it, Zo,” he said. “You don’t have to tell me everything, but I’d hope that you’d trust me enough to anyway.”
“Likewise.” I frowned, knowing how much of a lie that was. It wasn’t like I didn’t want to tell him the truth; it was more like I wasn’t ready yet. Maybe he was the same.
His hand found mine, fingers entwining.
“I need to take a shower.” I slid out of bed, wrapping the top sheet around myself, but our fingers were still linked and he pulled me back.
“After last night, you’re embarrassed about me looking at you?” he asked with a grin.
“Stop it,” I said with a small laugh.
Before I could get up, he tugged the sheet away and cold air caressed my skin. I watched as his eyes took every inch of my exposed body, devouring.
“You don’t have any reason to be embarrassed,” he said.
“Well, in that case,” I declared, and to his amusement I stood up and wandered into the bathroom completely naked.
Turning on the shower, I smiled to myself. This feeling of contentment was so warm, I didn’t want it to go away. I was more confident in myself than I’d ever been. I held my hand underneath the flow of water, waiting for it to warm up, my skin pricking with goose bumps. The door eased open behind me and I didn’t have to look up to know what Will wanted.
His lips brushed against my ear, sending a shiver right down my spine and into all the right places. “Do you really think I could stay in the other room, knowing you’re in here, naked and rubbing soap all over yourself?”
His hands ran down my waist and over my hips, and when his fingers found my clit, I let out a gasp and fell back into his chest, my eyes closing.
“Get in,” he ordered, guiding me into the shower. His dominance didn’t bother me one bit. I’d never been with a man before who paid so much attention to me. Getting me off, got him off.
The warm water cascaded over our bodies, washing away evidence from last night, but Will was far from done. He was hard against my lower back, his fingers circling my clit, lips against my neck. A hand came up, cupping my breast, a nipple rolling between his thumb and forefinger. It was so overwhelming, a strangled moan escaped my lips and my hands slid over his, pushing his fingers towards my opening.
“You feel so good,” he gasped, slipping a finger inside, grinding his erection into my ass.
As a second finger joined the first, I rolled my hips into his hand, his palm rubbing against my clit. “Will.”
He moved his fingers in and out, circling is palm against me and I felt another orgasm building inside. Without inhibition, my head fell back into the crook of his neck and a loud moan came from that deep place inside me, the place that only Will seemed to inhabit.
“Come for me, Zoe,” he murmured, nipping the edge of my jaw with his teeth. “Come for me.”
Rolling with each thrust of his fingers rubbed his erection into my ass and I could feel the tension in his body against mine, but he didn’t stop to please himself. He fucked me harder with his hand, faster until the spasms of another shattering orgasm washed over me, my insides clenching around his fingers. I cried out his name over and over, not caring what he thought, only feeling the pleasure he’d pulsed through my body again.
Only when he pulled away, turning me around to face him, did I see the effect in his features. His eyes burned with fire and that fire was for me.
“Fuck, Zoe,” he gasped, pressing me back into the cool tiles, lips on mine, his erection against my stomach. His kiss was deep and full of lust, his tongue tasting every inch of mine.
When he pulled away, he gazed at me with hooded eyes, his teeth tugging against his bottom lip.
Remembering what he’d asked me last night, I reached out for him, my fingers wrapping around his hard length. “What do you want?” I asked, my voice low.
He drew in a sharp hiss when I moved my hand up, a thumb circling his tip. His hips rolled forward, pushing my hand down again.
“That,” he murmured, his forearms against the tiles either side of me, my back still hard against them.
As I ran my hand up and down his length, he dropped his head against my shoulder, and my skin tingled with the gusts of his labored breathing.
“Faster.” He lightly grazed my neck with his teeth, a deep moan rumbling into me. I fucked him harder with my hand, squeezing, the water from the shower pounding over us. My other hand grasped his ass, fingernails biting into skin and he thrust harder, growling in uninhibited pleasure.
“Come for me,” I whispered into his ear and with another thrust into my tight fingers, he came hard, spilling against my stomach in hot bursts.
“God, Zoe,” he breathed hard against my cheek, his body sagging against mine. “I never knew it could feel like this.”
“Neither did I,” I whispered, reveling in the feel of his naked body against mine. “Neither did I.”
After breakfast down at the motel buffet, Will decided he wanted to take me for a walk. It wasn’t a long walk on the beach as he jokingly put it, but a long walk down the main drag of town instead. The ocean was a couple of hours drive to the south at least and we had a show that night.
We walked hand in hand in the sunshine, shoulders rammed together and it was a miracle we didn’t bash into anything the way we kept looking at each other like lovesick teenagers. I never thought I’d see the day when something like this would happen to me. I’d never felt this way about any of my ex-boyfriends, all two of them, and I hoped with every fiber of my being that it wasn’t a dream.
It was a Thursday morning, and the street was alive with traffic. Cafes were open and people were sitting out on the street enjoying the sunshine. We passed a small green grocer and the smell of fresh fruit wafted out towards us. Stores had their doors propped open and music filtered out. I was so happy and content, nothing could have come along then and destroyed it.
“Stop,” I declared suddenly. We’d passed by the fro
nt of a music shop. Guitars were hanging in one window and drums in the other, but what caught my eye was something else hanging just inside. I plastered my hands on the window to get a better look.
“God, Zoe.” Will was laughing at me. “We can go inside, you know.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the window, leading me into the shop.
The store had just opened, and was quiet inside. Rows on rows of guitars hung to one side, acoustics, electrics, basses, even banjos and ukuleles, but I had eyes for none of them. I went straight up to the wall just inside the window where I’d seen it.
It was a blue starburst Fender, with a metallic cobalt blue middle fading into black around the edges. It had a matte black scratch pad and I knew it was a custom. I stroked my fingers along the neck, looking for the price tag. Custom Fender equaled dollars. Big ones.
“Hey,” the sales guy said, wandering up to us, obviously smelling a potential big bucks. “She’s a beauty. Wanna give her a try?”
“Go on,” Will said, nudging me forward. “I can see the lust in your eyes and I’m jealous already.”
I nodded. Looks meant nothing if it sounded like shit. The sales guy pulled out a small amp and took the guitar from the shelf and plugged it in. I pulled the strap over my head, perching on a stool Will brought over.
I played a few chords and the sound, even though it was only plugged into a small amp, was divine. Ignoring the look on the sales guy’s face, I went through the opening bars of Walls, wondering how it would sound. It had a different tone without effects on it, but it sounded good. So good, I would have killed to add it to my collection of two. I had my matte black Epiphone Les Paul and an Epiphone electric acoustic. I was a bit of a fan girl.
“Wow,” the guy said. “How long have you been playing?”
“About three years, I guess,” I said absently, trying not to drool over the guitar.
“Only three years?” he exclaimed. “Did you teach yourself, or did you get lessons?”
“Myself.”
“She’s a genius,” Will said and I could hear the pride in his voice. I looked up to see him smiling down at me.
The sales guy was still a little flabbergasted. I’m sure he didn’t think I could play that well when we walked in. “It’s tagged at three eight, but I can cut it to three five.”
Three and a half thousand? I’d never paid more than one and a half thousand for a guitar. That would put a serious dent in my savings. I didn’t like to ask for help in case I got into a tough spot, so that money was my sense of security. I didn’t really need a new guitar, not right now, but it was so nice…
“No,” I said reluctantly. “I can’t right now.”
The guy’s face dropped a little and I knew he was bummed at losing the sale. Will shrugged and squeezed my shoulder.
“Can I ask you about some leads, mate?” he asked, to deflect another sales pitch.
“Sure. What are you after?”
Will wandered off with the sales guy and I unplugged the leads and set the guitar back into its holder on the shelf. Three and a half thousand. The band had been doing really well, but I was still tight with my money. My parents had brought me up to be careful with it, making me save half my pocket money as a kid. When I was fifteen, I’d gone out and gotten my first job at a fast food joint and I’d saved half my wages, just like I had my pocket money. So, spending that much on something frivolous, even though it was now my job in a way, kind of made me feel sick.
As Will talked with the sales guy, I wandered through the other guitars, but nothing caught my eye, not like that Fender did. Damn my tight pockets.
“Ready?” Will asked, coming up behind me, a bag in his hand.
“Sure.”
“I’d prefer you look at me like that, and not a guitar,” Will murmured into my ear as we left the store.
“I already do,” I retorted.
“I’m talking exclusively.”
“Such a worry when you have to compete with an inanimate object.”
He burst out laughing, tugging me towards him. “Zoe Granger, you’re beautiful, but I don’t think a guitar can get you off like I can.”
I squirmed, suddenly conscious we were standing out on a busy street. “You’ll just have to remind me later.”
“Oh,” he said, his lips brushing against mine. “I intend to.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Will
Being able to walk hand in hand down the street with Zoe was the best feeling in the world. And what we’d done last night and this morning… She was my forever. I wanted to tell her so bad, but I was still afraid that I might scare her away. I mean, it’d only been a week since she’d let me back in. How I knew this so soon was beyond me. It was more than phenomenal sex. She was the person who challenged me and set me on fire. I was never complete until I met Zoe Granger.
And knowing the effect I had on her was better than any drug.
I wondered if she felt the same, but I remembered what she’d said to me last night, that was the best orgasm I’ve had in my entire life and I knew she had all the right words.
This morning I’d almost fucked it up again. I wasn’t ready to tell her about my ex and all of that shit just as I knew she wasn’t ready to tell me about her past. I got it. We just needed to have this time together. Those things would come soon enough.
When Zoe suddenly cried, “Stop!” and plastered her hands on the window of a music shop, I had to laugh. She was fucking adorable.
“God, Zoe. We can go inside you know.” I grabbed her hand and led her into the store.
It was empty this time of day and the sales assistant jumped on us the moment Zoe put her hands on the guitar she’d spotted through the window. She pawed a blue starburst Fender with a metallic cobalt blue middle fading into black around the edges. It had a matte black scratch pad. Custom. She knew her stuff.
The sales assistant was foaming at the mouth at the thought of the commission. “Hey. She’s a beauty. Wanna give her a try?”
I gently pushed Zoe toward her wet dream. “Go on. I can see the lust in your eyes and I’m jealous already.”
When she nodded, I brought over a stool and sat her down as the sales assistant handled the guitar and plugged it into a portable amp. She pulled the strap over her head like she was in the care of something precious and her fingers slid over the strings. As she played the opening bars of Walls, I didn’t think I could fall for her anymore than I already had, but I found myself wanting to get down on my knees there and then and tell her everything.
“Wow,” the sales assistant exclaimed. “How long have you been playing?”
“About three years, I guess,” she said absently, obviously captivated by the guitar.
“Only three years? Did you teach yourself, or did you get lessons?”
“Myself.”
“She’s a genius,” I said proudly, smiling down at her. She looked up at me and bit her lip and it took everything I had not to reach down and run a thumb over it.
The sales assistant was still a little lost for words. I’m sure he didn’t think she could play that well. Maybe he was thinking it was for me. “It’s tagged at three eight, but I can cut it to three five.”
Three and a half thousand? Shit.
“No,” she said reluctantly. “I can’t right now.”
The sales assistant’s face dropped a little and I knew he thought he was losing the sale. I shrugged and squeezed her shoulder. Dee had told me a secret the other day and it was the perfect opportunity to get her the one thing she wanted. She didn’t seem to ask for anything and if I could do this for her, it would be worth it to see the smile on her face.
“Can I ask you about some leads, mate?” I asked, to deflect another sales pitch on Zoe, who was looking down at the Fender with a disappointed frown.
“Sure. What are you after?”
I led the guy away towards the front counter and when we were out of earshot, I said, “Is there any chance of putting that Fender
on hold until tomorrow?”
He looked at me with a knowing smile. “Birthday coming up?”
“Something like that.”
“I think I can work something out,” he said giving me a card with his name on.
“And you’ll do the same price?”
“Sure thing.”
“Okay. Leave it with me. I’ll probably have to get a mate to come get it if we can work it out.”
“No problems at all. Just get them to bring the card in,” he took it back and wrote the price on top, “and the guys here will know.”
“Cheers, mate. I appreciate it.” I looked back over to Zoe, who was putting the guitar back on the wall. “Actually, I do need a new lead and it’ll help with the ruse.”
The sales assistant laughed. “Sure, this way.”
The only thing I had to do now was try and get everyone to pitch in. I was pretty good with my money, but if she knew I spent all of that on her, she’d refuse to take it. It’d probably mean more if it was a gift from everyone. And the other problem was trying to hide it from her for the next few days.
I didn’t know what she’d been through exactly with her ex, but from the few things she’d told me, she’d had a rough time of it. All I wanted to do was make her happy because she deserved it regardless of how I felt about her. When she found out what I’d done, she was gunna flip. I couldn’t wait to see her face.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Zoe
The next few days went by in a blur of giddy happiness. We played another show in country Victoria, then another in South Australia and one in the capital, Adelaide.
Today we had an eight hour drive back home to Melbourne where we had two sold out shows to close the tour. Even though it had all been such a roller coaster of highs and lows, I was sad to see it end. I knew there would be others, but nothing could compare to touring with The Stabs, not when it ended with Will Strickland in my bed and in my heart.
With the promise of another long day on the bus, I stood in the car park, enjoying the sun on my shoulders and the coffee in my hand. It didn’t escape me what today was, but I attempted to forget as per usual. The last few had been miserable.
What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 3) Page 96