By the time I’d gathered my stuff and left the recording booth, Carl had gone. I exited the control room and beelined for the studio exit. Halfway down the hallway, a door on my left opened, and a guy came storming out, almost crashing into me.
“Hey. Watch it.”
He turned to me, eyes stormy. Presley. Now,therewas something I regretted far more than agreeing to go to Aspen’s mother’s birthday party. If I hadn’t introduced him to Aspen, she wouldn’t have had to deal with his unwanted advances.
“Oh, it’s you.” He fiddled with the hem of his T-shirt and glanced over my shoulder. “Aspen with you?”
Aspen’s warning not to engage this twat circled my mind, but I was all out of fucks. Snapping a hand around his throat, I shoved him against the wall.
“You listen to me, you fucking prick. If youeverlay a hand on my woman again, I will chop them off and ram them down your throat until you choke to death. If you ever say her name, I’ll cut out your fucking tongue. If I hear you’ve disrespected a single woman for the rest of your miserable life, I will make sure you live to regret it. You feeling me?”
He grabbed my arm, wrestling to get free, except a twenty-one-year-old scrawny fuck who was barely out of nappies was no match for me. I tightened my grip, my fingers digging into his flesh.
“You. Feeling. Me?”
“Yes,” he rasped.
I let go. He bent over, coughing, both hands braced on his knees.
“Right answer.” Pivoting, I continued walking toward the exit. I had a bag to pack and a flight to catch at nine o’clock.
“You’re gonna regret this, man!” Presley yelled after me.
A standard line when someone didn’t know how to respond to a threat. I almost yawned. Instead, I flipped him the bird. He shouted something else, but I was too far away by now to hear him. Just as well. I doubt it was complimentary, and I didn’t need much of an excuse to put that jumped-up little cunt on his arse.
When I got to Seattle, I’d tell Aspen what happened. She’d probably rip me a new one for doing the exact opposite of what she’d asked of me, but that little prat had it coming. I doubt he’d cross either of us again.
The look on Aspen’s face when I emerged into the arrivals hall at Sea-Tac Airport chased away any regrets I might’ve had about coming here. She kept it professional while we were in public, although no one batted an eyelid at either of us. The second the car door slammed shut, though, she pounced, straddling me and smashing our mouths together. Not that I was complaining. I cupped the back of her neck and deepened the kiss, breathing in the scent I hadn’t realized I’d missed until now.
Breaking apart, I caressed her cheek with the back of my hand. “That’s some greeting, Spitfire. Now, as much as I’m enjoying you rubbing yourself on my dick, I need you to climb off me and put your seat belt on.”
A wicked grin combined with her rocking her pelvis against me had me groaning. “I thought your flight was never going to get here.”
I caught the driver looking at us in the rear-view mirror. At my glare, he glanced away. “The flight was on time.” I palmed her neck, drawing her closer, and whispered in her ear, “Your driver is catching a live sex show. Next time, pick a car with a privacy screen.”
“Oh.” She bit her lip and grimaced. “Gotcha.”
Dismounting, she plunked herself in her seat and clipped in her belt. “My parents are looking forward to meeting you. So are my brothers. They’re both huge fans of yours.”
“What have you told them?”
“About us? Oh, not much.” She leaned in, her lips virtually touching my ear, voice low to avoid being overheard. “Just that you have a magical pierced dick, and I enjoy bouncing on it.”
She sat back, eyes gleaming, a teasing smile curving her mouth at the corners.
For a second, my heart almost stopped. “Liar.” At least I fucking hoped so, or this might be the shortest meeting in history.
Her smile broke into a full-on grin. “You got me.”
“You’re having too much fucking fun, Spitfire.”
“No such thing.” Reaching across the space between us, she captured my hand. “Relax. I told them we were seeing each other, but it was new, and I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.”
“And they’re cool?”
“My parents areverycool. You’ll like them, promise. Just watch out for Dad inviting you to his study for after dinner cigars. That’s code for ‘time for the chat.’” She laughed again.
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t make me regret agreeing to come.”
