Fuckin’ Halo…
Two
Halo
I WRAPPED A towel around my waist as I stepped out of the shower the next morning, still feeling the ache in my muscles even after soaking them under the hot water. But I wasn’t sad about that. Not at all. The soreness I felt was a reminder of my night in Viper’s bed, and I wanted to hold on to it for as long as I could.
As I brushed my teeth, I looked at myself in the mirror, expecting to see some kind of physical change, one that would blast to everyone what I’d done last night. I had sex with Viper, it would say. And I fucking loved it.
But, of course, there was nothing there, no words written across my forehead, no markings anywhere someone would be able to see. My eyes dropped down to the barely there bruises along my hips from where Viper’s fingers had gripped me as he drove into me from behind.
God, he’d made me so crazy, so delirious with lust that I thought I’d known what to expect when it finally happened, but nothing, and I mean nothing, could’ve prepared me for the force that was Viper. The sheer control he wielded over my body, playing it the same way he dominated his guitar, had been like nothing I’d ever experienced. Had I known how fucking good it would feel to have Viper inside me, I would’ve let my guard down a hell of a lot earlier.
But then I’d still be in the same situation I found myself in now, wouldn’t I? Creeping out of the guesthouse in the middle of the night to avoid an awkward morning after that I had a strong feeling Viper usually did his best to avoid. Knowing him, he’d wake up grateful I’d given him an out, though I wouldn’t have minded staying, stealing more time with him.
And that was the problem, wasn’t it? What had he called me last night? A “romantic”? I could already see the way this thing would go, and I needed to stick to what I’d told myself would happen from the first moment I found myself being tempted by Viper. He was a one-and-done kind of guy, he didn’t do relationships, and while whatever this thing was between us had exploded in something seriously hot last night, that was all it would ever be, and it had to be enough to get him out of my system. I couldn’t afford to be stupid about this or let emotions get involved. We were bandmates, for fuck’s sake, and that needed to take priority over everything.
After rinsing my mouth and tying my hair back so I wouldn’t have to deal with it today, I threw on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and then grabbed my phone from the jeans I’d been wearing last night. As I turned on the cell, a message from Viper, sent around three a.m., popped up.
You okay?
I sat down on the edge of the bed, my eyes still on the two simple words. So Viper had woken up after I left to realize I wasn’t there, and shot off a text to check on me? I doubted he sent a message like that to his other one-night stands, and for some reason, that made something in my chest lurch.
I started to text him back but got a look at the time and jumped up, shoving my cell into my shorts pocket. It was closing in on ten a.m., and the producers we’d be meeting with today were apparently sticklers about starting studio sessions on time. I needed some coffee if I was gonna be able to function on all cylinders today.
The kitchen was empty when I walked in, but I could smell the freshly brewed coffee, so I wasn’t the first one down. Grabbing a travel mug, I headed over to the coffee station and dumped a spoonful of sugar into the mug before pouring in the hot brew. I gave it a stir, took a sip, then capped it, just as Viper’s voice came from behind me.
“Mornin’,” he said, as I turned around to face him. Damn. Viper’s dark hair was still wet and combed back from his face, showcasing his strong jaw and those lips that had worked me over last night. In the light of day, it was hard to remember why I thought leaving him had been a good idea. I should’ve stayed and woken up to that face…
Before I could give any more thought to that, I set my mug on the large granite island between us. “Hey.”
“Hey.” He leaned his elbows on the counter, mimicking my position. “Where’d you run off to last night?”
“Hmm. What makes you think I was able to run?”
Viper’s lips quirked. “You sayin’ you crawled? ’Cause that would be a real stroke to my ego.”