Page 6 of The Companion Love Trap

EVERLY

“Stupid, good-looking, irritating man!” I hissed as my pussy vibrated. Desire throbbed through my entire body, every nerve in me wound tight and alive.

People could say what they wanted about sex and how promiscuous my generation was. But honestly, if they’d had better sex, perhaps they wouldn’t be so uptight about how much I had. Because there was no better feeling than a good orgasm, and Cruz was a master at them. The little gift he’d given me before I came on stage buzzed again, and I stumbled. Tom peeked over at me, his eyebrows raised in concern.

“Clumsy,” I whispered, and he nodded, readily believing the lie. I’d be insulted if it wasn’t also true. “Can you hold this for a sec?”

I shoved my violin and bow into his hands before he could answer and reached down to untie the bows around my ankles so I could take off my heels. I preferred to play barefoot, anyway. Sweet little Tom gulped at my movement, and I realized I’d just flashed him a considerable amount of boob. Oops.

“There. Much better. I don’t want to fall off the stage or break an ankle.”

Tom swallowed and shook his head. “That would be horrible.”

I patted his cheek before I took my things, handing him the heels instead. “Can you put these somewhere safe for me?”

His cheeks flushed, but he nodded, taking the sexy shoes from my fingers. I smoothed down my dress just as another wave of vibrations came. My pulse pounded to the same rhythm as my pussy, my entire body creating a perfect backdrop beat for me. With each step closer to the main stage, the adrenaline increased as I neared my phantom. While I’d never spoken to the man or even seen his face, an undeniable connection had been forged between us through music and performance.

Phantom didn’t know this, but until I’d heard him play, I hadn’t picked up my bow or stroked any keys in years. Music had become a dead void inside of me that hadn’t been resuscitated until he gave me a reason to want to. Performing with Phantom was more than the notes we played; it was an out-of-body experience between two strangers—our souls connected in those brief seconds on stage, creating something so pure and beautiful.

I didn’t know his reasoning for playing incognito, but I could understand it. So while I wanted to know his face, I already knew his heart, so I allowed him his privacy. What we had was more important than my curiosity. Not that I didn’t try to get him to break each time. I just wouldn’t be me otherwise.

“It’s been a while since you two have performed, hasn’t it?” Tom asked, more collected now.

“Yeah. Life kind of got in the way,” I mumbled as I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to think or see Tom right now. This was Phantom’s time.

The song onstage ended, so I took a deep breath to center myself. The first notes were always the hardest, memories of my past wanting to steal the joy I now felt, reminding me of a time when music hadn’t been fun but a measure of my worth. Fuck that.

“You’re up,” Tom whispered, nudging me forward. My feet moved on autopilot as I walked around the heavy velvet curtain; the lights shined brightly on me, blocking out everyone else.

“I’m going to take a break, folks, but while I’m gone, you’re going to get a real treat,” Sebastian, the piano player dressed in white, said. He stepped back and took my hand, placing a kiss on it. The man was old enough to be my grandfather and meant nothing by the kiss but loved to rile up Phantom.

Right on cue, Phantom stiffened, his head snapping up in our direction. I couldn’t make out his eyes, hidden beneath his mask and hood, but I could feel them on me. I lifted my violin to my shoulder; the familiar weight of the wood was soothing as I placed my chin into position. I couldn’t look at Phantom yet; my nerves were too tight, and I’d end up running off stage. Closing my eyes, I strummed my bow across the strings, the first notes of the song ringing out into the club.

While I played, the tension left me as my body took over, my mind pushed to the side, and I became one with my bow, my arm just an extension of it. Slowly, Phantom joined in as he added notes to the song, letting me have this first verse to settle in. Our unspoken connection instinctively knew what the other needed.

Starting the second verse, I moved closer to his piano. My eyes bored into where his should be as I played, my body swaying to the beat. I’d wanted an upbeat song tonight, needing to feel alive after the day I had, and music was always the best medicine for that. My hair swished as I rocked back and forth, the happy notes of “Can’t stop the feeling” giving me life.

People clapped along as they danced below, but they were a blur to me as I focused on the man at the piano. The song ended, and I breathed heavily, my heart racing from the exertion. But I felt alive and aroused ten times over. Performing always did this to me, but especially when I did it with Phantom. In a way, it felt like we teased and touched one another with the notes we played, creating the best foreplay.

Now that I felt braver, I slid my hand over his shoulders, his black hoodie soft beneath my fingers. Despite the fact it was a hoodie, it had to be made from the softest cotton in the world. It felt like cashmere; my body wanted to rub against the smoothness. Phantom’s shoulder trembled at my touch, but he kept his face forward. Each time, I tried a little harder to see if it would finally be the move to break him. So far, I haven’t been successful. But I wasn’t one to give up.

Sitting beside him on the bench, I leaned closer to whisper my next song and his intoxicating cologne invaded my nose, throwing me off kilter as I froze there.

“Ghost.” My voice came out husky as I swallowed to clear my throat.

He gave a slight nod before he started, his fingers moving at lightning speed across the keys. I jumped in, weaving my body back and forth as I played, brushing up against him. During a pause, Cruz hit the button and sent a vibration through me. Gasping, I clenched my thighs, waiting for the feeling to roll through me. As my toes curled on the ground, my eyes wanted to roll back in my head.

When it finally stopped, I stood and stepped onto the small platform in front of both pianos. A spotlight shined down on me as I lifted my bow into position; my body buzzed from an almost orgasm and was more on edge now than ever. I needed to move, or I’d combust on that bench. Stepping with the music, I danced as I spun and played, the music moving through me. By the time the song ended, I panted, my heart pounding harder.

I walked back over to Phantom, shocked when he reached out and placed a hand on my forearm. This close, I could almost make out his eyes, but they were still hidden by his mask. I could hear the unspoken question in his touch, “Are you okay?”

Nodding, I squeezed his hand, my fingers brushing against his palm before I let go and climbed up on top of the piano. I heard his breath hitch as my ass neared his face, a darker sound rumbling in his chest.

Yeah. I wasn’t playing fair, but I never claimed to follow any rules other than my own.

I dove into the harsh strokes for “Use Somebody,” keeping my eyes closed as I fell into the music; the piano joined, the notes vibrating under my butt and adding to the sensations coursing through my aroused body.

Opening my eyes, I played the rest as I stared at Phantom, trying to convey without words what I wanted from him. Together, we played the song, going back and forth as we volleyed the stanzas, an energy crescendoing between us.

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