“I was being serious.”
“He was,” Slade said. “Remember how long it took him to pick out a ‘special jacket’ for the photo he sent to his mom?”
“Forfuckingever,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“And she now has it proudly on display in her foyer, I’ll have you know.” Jagger walked to the door of the booth and pulled it open. “Don’t be hating on me because I take the time to look good, V.”
As Jagger walked out of the booth with Slade and Killian following, I called out, “I don’t need time. I roll outta bed looking this fucking amazing.”
A chorus of whatthefuckevers could be heard as the door closed, blocking them out, and I turned to see Halo now hanging his headphones.
“So how’s it feel, finishing your first album?” I asked as I leaned a shoulder up against the wall and crossed my arms and ankles—all the better to keep my hands to myself.
“It feels…” When Halo’s eyes found mine, they were bright with excitement. Then he took a step closer to me and reached out to finger the hem of my shirt. “Unreal.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I can’t believe this is my life. Writing music, recording it, living in mansions, celebrating on yachts? I keep waiting for someone to pinch me. To wake me up and say, ‘Just kidding.’”
Unable to keep my hands off him, I reached down to his hand and brought it to my mouth, where I nipped at his fingers and said, “Wake up. This is now your life.”
“How?” Halo said, and swayed closer, and there was that draw again. That need and urge for more, more, more. I wrapped my other arm around his waist and pulled him flush against me so I could brush my lips over the top of his.
Halo closed his eyes and moved up to his toes to get closer, and when he wound an arm around my neck, I said against his mouth, “This is your life, because you are the most talented person I’ve ever met.”
Halo’s eyes drifted open like he was in as much of a daze as I was, and I wondered for a moment if he was experiencing that same pull as me. Was I weaving some kind of spell over him the same way he was me?
“You really mean that, don’t you?” he said.
“I wouldn’t say it unless I did.”
Halo chuckled and leaned away from me to run his gaze over my face, making me wonder what it was he was searching for.
“That first day when I auditioned for the band.” Halo flashed a grin that would soon win over hearts around the world, and my stomach tightened. “Killian asked you what you thought of me. Do you remember what you said?”
I did. My standard answer when I didn’t want to show my hand was not bad, and that day I’d been battling a serious hard-on for the angel who’d wowed me as soon as he opened his mouth. I’d been so busy trying to decide if I could work alongside someone that I had such an intense attraction to. The answer to that was apparently yes, as long as I could be inside him too.
“You told me I wasn’t bad.”
I shrugged. “I lied.”
“So you basically freaked me out for nothing?”
“No. I just didn’t think telling you that you made me hard from singing my song was very professional.”
Halo let out a laugh and shook his head. “You’re probably right. But I have to say, hearing you say I’m the most talented person you’ve ever met…”
“Yeah?” I said, and when Halo punched his hips forward, I groaned.
“That makes me really hard.”
I smoothed my hand down to grab at his ass and then scraped my teeth along his jaw. Halo tilted his head to the side and moaned as I kissed my way up to his ear.
“Viper…shit. How long until we head to the boat?”
“Not long enough for what I want,” I said, and Halo reached up to grab my hair and tug my head back. Those light eyes of his had now darkened, and when he licked over his slick lips, I couldn’t help the growl that slipped free of my throat.
“Does this boat have rooms?” Halo asked.
“Five staterooms, from memory.”
Halo ran his palm down my front to my erection and aimed a shameless look my way. “Then how about we pick this up later in one of them? You, me, and the nice, slow rocking of the waves.” Halo punctuated his words with a firm squeeze, and when he took a step back, he winked at me. Oh, how the angel had fallen.
That was when I knew it wouldn’t matter if we were in Miami, New York, or the North fucking Pole. If Halo was there, then I was going to want to be there with him, and I had no idea what to do with that.
Twenty-Eight
Halo
IF THERE WAS one word to sum up my life over the last few months it would be surreal.
Joining an insanely popular rock band? Check.
Recording an entire album of songs I’d helped write alongside the most talented musicians I’d ever met? Check.
Living in a mansion in Miami to do all that? Check.
And now here I was, celebrating all of the amazing events by partying it up on a freakin’ yacht with the band? How had this become my life? It was everything I’d ever wanted, and on top of it all, it’d come with an unexpected, sexy surprise.
Viper.
He’d barely moved from my side since we’d boarded the yacht hours ago, leaving only to grab us refills, and even then I usually went with him. It was strange how used to having him around I’d gotten, and I didn’t know how I’d feel once we were back home. Without the ease of only walking distance between us, things would surely change. Maybe that was the reason he’d stuck to me like glue tonight: he knew our time was almost up.
Shit, way to turn things morose, I thought, drinking down the last of my Long Island iced tea.
“Tequiiilaaa!” Slade shouted over the music as the bartender poured another round.
There was a tug on the side belt loop of my jeans, and then Viper’s breath was on my neck. “Good timing. You need a refill anyway.” His teeth grazed the sensitive skin below my ear, and I shivered.
“You’re just trying for drunk angel round two,” I said, thinking back to the way he’d taken me against the wall after one of the movie nights. Damn, I wouldn’t mind if that happened again, so bring on the drinks.
I could feel his lips curve against my neck. “I am. You turned into a wild fuckin’ beast last time. My cock wouldn’t mind trying to tame you into submission.”
If Viper was dead set on teasing my dick tonight, he was doing a damn good job. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t have minded. After all, he’d told me there were bedrooms on board, but fuck if the guys hadn’t locked them and ruled there would be no hookups on the yacht, ensuring tonight was strictly a band celebration and not a way for me and Viper to sneak off for an hour or two.
Dammit.
A cold breeze brushed against my neck as Viper moved away, inclining his head toward the bar, and as we gathered around, the bartender handed out the shots, screw the salt and lemon.
“All right, assholes, I’d like to make a toast,” Killian said, looking down the bar at each of us. “A few months ago, we were in a rut. A place of what-the-hell-do-we-do-now and nonstop auditions by some of the most painful singers we’ve ever heard. Am I right?”
“My ears are still bleeding,” Viper muttered, as the others voiced their agreements.
Killian grinned and then lifted his shot glass toward me. “Then one day, this guy walks into the studio and blows everyone outta the goddamn water. This shit may be a whirlwind for you right now, Halo, but trust me when I say we never thought we’d end up here again.”
“Too true, too true,” Jagger said, nodding and lifting the glass to his lips, but Killian’s arm shot out just in time to block it.
“I’m not done, fucker,” he said, before straightening. “In this life, you’re lucky if you can count your successes on one hand. Hell, one fucking finger. But here we are, all these albums under our belt and we’ve never been better. There’s a reason for that, and he’s standing beside that asshole Viper.”
I laughed, joining in with the ot
hers as Viper flipped them off.
“Halo,” Killian said, “thank you, man. For joining us. For sharing your talent. There was a review I read after we did the Carly Wilde show that said you ‘breathed new life’ into the group, and honest to God, that’s the fuckin’ truth. We wouldn’t be standing here right now if it weren’t for you, so before we all get so trashed we can’t walk straight, I’d just like to take the opportunity to let you know how stoked we are to have you as the voice and face of Fallen Angel. We’ve got a hell of an album, and we’ve got you to thank for that.”
I blushed under his praise as Viper’s head turned toward me, and he lifted his shot glass. “To Angel.”
“To Angel,” the others chorused, and as they threw back their shots, I could only stare at my fellow band members. I was really a part of this thing, huh? Not just lurking on the outside, but a real part of it all. I wished I could say the thought didn’t bring tears to my eyes, but the sting hit behind my lids and I quickly took my shot to avoid anyone’s gaze.
“By the way, we’re never letting you leave, so don’t even think about it,” Jagger added, and then looked at Killian. “That was in his contract, right?”
“In the fine print.” Killian winked.
“Good.” Jagger pushed his shot glass forward and waved his hand. “Another round.”
As the bartender poured more tequila, the music changed, our song “Hard” blaring through the speakers.
“Oh shiiit,” Slade called out, taking his shot glass to the center of the boat, where he began to dance, moving his hips back and forth like he had a partner, the alcohol obviously well in his system.
Jagger grabbed his shot too and joined Slade, singing along at the top of his lungs, and I had to laugh. Jagger was definitely not a singer, tequila or no tequila.
As the two of them began to do their dance moves, Killian laughed and took out his cell phone. I wasn’t sure if he was snapping photos or taking a video to blackmail them with later, but before I could ask, Viper moved in behind me, his arm circling my waist so his hand covered my lower stomach to hold me right where he wanted me. And right where he wanted me was with my ass flush against his hips, his cock straining behind his shorts as he nestled it in between my cheeks.
He began to grind his hips against me, moving us to the music slowly, sensually. Viper’s voice was low in my ear as he sang along to the song he’d written for me—about me. “I want to get inside you, and show you exactly what you do. Whenever your eyes invite me to fuck you like I want to…”
Shit. Did he have any idea the effect he had on me? The way my pulse sped up and my heart raced when he touched me? The way my cock throbbed at his words? We were polar opposites, but somehow we attracted each other the way magnets would, and once we fell together, it was hard to pry us apart.
Wanting my eyes on him, I circled Viper’s wrist and pulled his arm away enough that I could turn to face him, and what I saw nearly had my knees giving out. Fire swirled in those obsidian eyes, drawing me closer, and as our mouths crashed together, he moved his leg in between mine so I straddled his thigh. Tongues tangling, he rocked our hips along to the beat again, a slow grind, my erection pressing hard against his leg.
He dove in, taking more of my mouth as the words he’d written and I sang filled my ears. I barely noticed the guys laughing and joking in the background, too zeroed in on the way he kissed me like it was the first time he’d ever gotten a taste. I moaned into his mouth and could feel the way his thick length grew harder against my hip.
“All right, all right, break that shit up,” Jagger called out. “If I couldn’t bring a date, then you two can’t suck face all night.”
Viper pulled his mouth away long enough to tell him to fuck off before he moved back in, but I laughed and put my hands on his chest, keeping those deadly lips away from mine. If I didn’t, I knew where it would lead.
“And that is why we locked the bedrooms,” Killian said, and when I looked over my shoulder, he waved us over to join them.
I had to adjust myself before I went anywhere, and Viper groaned at the move.
“Seriously, Angel? You’re asking for me to bend you over this goddamn bar right here, right now.”
I trembled at the promise in those words, because I had no doubt he’d make good on it if I let him. But tonight wasn’t about us. It was about the band, and so with that in mind, I wrapped my hand around his wrist and tugged him along behind me toward the makeshift dance floor, Viper grumbling the whole way.
Killian grinned as we joined in the celebration. “Someone change the song to something less fuckable.”
“Hard” stopped abruptly, and as “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire began to play, the bartender brought out a tray full of drinks. Considering my head was already buzzing pretty damn good, I had no doubt we’d all remember maybe only half the night later.
Before any of us could take a sip, Slade said, “Wait, I wanna make a toast too.”
“Oh God, here we go,” Jagger said under his breath, but Slade heard him and went to punch him in the arm. It would’ve hurt if Slade hadn’t swayed on his feet and missed Jagger completely, stumbling into a nearby deck chair, half of his drink sloshing over his hand.
As he cursed and righted himself, the rest of us broke out into a peal of laughter until Viper brought his hand to his mouth and let out a loud whistle.
“How about I take this one, Slade,” Viper said. Slade responded with a shrug, licking the spilled alcohol off his hand, and then Viper lifted his drink. “To us, motherfuckers!”
“To us,” we all chanted. And as we guzzled down our drinks and the rest of the night turned fuzzy, a feeling of warmth spread through my chest at belonging to something bigger than myself. I’d known I was part of the band, but it hadn’t been until tonight that I felt truly, one hundred percent accepted.
Twenty-Nine
Halo
ONCE WE’D GOTTEN back to New York, MGA didn’t waste time calling us all together for a meeting. I still hadn’t unpacked, though I’d been home for a couple of days, and I had to rummage through the back of my closet for something decent to wear. Apparently we’d be meeting with Marshall Gellar, the head of MGA, and the last thing I needed to do was show up in a pair of ripped jeans from high school.
I settled on a light grey Henley shirt, sleeves pushed up, and managed to find some dark jeans that would suffice, and then I grabbed the jar of styling cream from my bag and headed to the bathroom. I ran it through the curly mess in an attempt to tame it a bit, which was never an easy feat. While we’d been in Miami, I’d taken to wearing it up, away from my face since it was so hot and humid, but for today I needed to make a little effort. Not to mention Viper liked when I wore it down, or at least I assumed he did, because he could never keep his hands out of my hair.
Once I was satisfied it was as good as it was gonna get, I took a step back and looked myself over in the mirror. Imogen had already given me hell about the way my skin had bronzed under the Miami sun, and I had to admit, it looked a lot better than the pale white I was accustomed to in New York winters. But the city had thawed out since we’d been gone, the days growing longer and warmer, and I wasn’t complaining.
As I wrapped my leather strap around my wrist, my cell buzzed on the counter, and I looked down to see Viper’s text.
Viper: Get your sexy ass in the car, Angel.
Grinning, I shot back a quick message and grabbed my wallet from the nightstand. The worries I’d had over whether this thing with Viper would fizzle out once we got back to the city had been unfounded, though I hadn’t seen him since we’d landed. He’d needed to check on his mom, I’d needed to visit with my family, and really, I’d seen him every day for over two months, so two days apart should’ve been a breeze.
Talk about fucking torture.
I missed him. Yeah, I missed Viper, and I practically ran out of my apartment and down the stairs to where he was waiting in the back seat of the car MGA had sent. But before I o
pened the door that led outside, I took in a deep breath. My stomach flipped at the thought of seeing the man I’d gone too long without. It almost felt like I had first-date jitters or something, which was crazy considering we wouldn’t exactly be alone on the ride to the record company’s offices.
My phone buzzed again.
Viper: You’ve got five seconds or I’m coming up.
Impatient fucker, I thought with a smile as I threw open the door and headed out toward the SUV idling by the curb. I jumped in the back seat, in the open spot beside Viper, and once my ass hit the leather, Killian said, “About time. I thought V was gonna go all Hulk and carry your ass down.”
I raised a brow at Viper. “You driving everyone nuts?”
“No more than usual,” he replied, giving me a smirk that told me exactly how much of a menace he’d actually been. As I gave him a long once-over, I noticed that despite his protests that MGA could kiss his ass, he’d dressed up for the meeting. Or as dressed up as Viper generally got—black boots, black jeans, and a black shirt he’d left half unbuttoned. It wouldn’t matter what he wore; the man would always be the most stunning person to walk into a room, and with the eyes of the other guys on us, I had to tear my own gaze away or risk the possibility of making a move.
As if he could sense my struggle, Viper placed his hand on my thigh, resting it there like it was the most normal thing in the world as the guys began to talk about what they’d been up to since we’d been back. I couldn’t hear any of it, though. My mind and every part of my body was now solely focused on the hand on my thigh. It was a possessive move, not one a simple fuck buddy would do, and I wondered if Viper even realized he’d done it.
One way to find out.
I moved my hand to cover his and waited for him to pull away. He was mid-conversation with Slade and didn’t flinch or even look my way, but lifted his fingers up, grabbing hold of mine and interlacing them.
Stunned, I swallowed, looking down at our hands. He’d only done this once before, back on the beach in Miami after I’d FaceTimed with Imogen and the conversation had turned a bit heavy. We were alone then, and we definitely weren’t alone now.
VIPER (Fallen Angel Book 2) Page 14