She rolled her eyes and pointed to the bathroom. “Go start the shower.”
It turned out rounds two and three both happened in the bathroom, once on the counter and the other with her pressed up against the tiles as he took her from behind.
Neither was particularly gentle.
She couldn’t stop grinning.
“Are you going to send me back to my room tonight?” he asked as they crawled back into bed.
“Not if you don’t want to go,” she whispered. It had been a year since she’d slept the night with anyone. If Dean was offering, she’d grab that with both hands.
“I’ll be careful leaving in the morning. I’ll set my alarm.” His voice was extra gruff and she cupped his cheek, making him look at her.
“It’s not that I wouldn’t want people to know…in general.”
“I know.”
“I mean, you’re Arm Guy. You’re three accidental WhisperSnip sightings away from a cult following. I should be so lucky to date Arm Guy.”
He grinned. “That name is sticking, isn’t it?”
“Like glue, I’m afraid.” She squeezed his corded, thick forearm. “I don’t think you understand just how hot your arms are.”
He flexed and she groaned. He gave her a curious look. “Arm Guy does it for you?”
“Really does. So hot.” She got a shrug at that, and he lay down, stretching those magnificent arms wide across the bed. Rolling onto her stomach, she snuggled up.
“Maybe me and my arms can take you out for dinner in Nashville.”
Dinner sounded like a dream. “I’d like that.”
“Can you do that? Go out for dinner?”
“Yeah. I mean it’s possible I might get recognized, but most of the places I go are only frequented by locals, and to them, I’m just another musician.”
“Little bit of ordinary?”
She smiled. “Yep.”
“Good.” He kissed her head. “I’m glad you’ll be going back to that when this is over. I’ll worry about you.”
“Angling for a longer bodyguard job?” she teased, but he bristled. Shit. “Wait, I take that back. Delete, delete, delete.”
“It’s fine.”
“I didn’t mean it like it’s an employer-employee thing.”
“That wasn’t how I took it.”
She frowned, trying to figure out what then— “Oh. You wouldn’t be around for a longer job.”
He didn’t answer right away, and when he did, his words were slow and careful. “It’s not that I’m not, necessarily, but I wasn’t planning to be away from home that long. Do you think you’ll need security after the tour?”
Ah. “No. Just…let’s pretend that conversation didn’t happen.”
“I can’t do that.” He tightened his grip on her. “Tell me more about the album stuff. With Track. I don’t like that he has that power over you.”
God, her and her big mouth. “That’s nothing. It’s that mental game, like with running. I can do anything for an hour. Two. Three. Four. You know? As the long run training stretches out. Even when it feels impossible, I know I’ve done it before. And then I hang in there and lo and behold, I survive.”
