Page 100 of Verses

I had the feeling he was asking politely…that maybe he was hungry but he knew I wanted to snuggle. And I was going to take him up on the offer. “Later sounds good.”

“Okay.” With that, he sat on the edge of the bed and removed his boots. Then he stood and peeled off his jeans and underwear. While he was facing away, I stared at his back. If I’d thought the tattoos on his chest were bad ass, I was in for a treat. Over his shoulder blades were the wordsWinchester Wickedsand below that was a mean-looking skeleton riding a motorcycle.

The ink made him sexier somehow.

He got in on the other side of the bed and got close to me under the covers. Wrapping his arms around me, he said, “You smell so good.”

“After allthat?”

“Yeah. And you’re soft in all the right places.”

So, that feeling of being enamored…it wasn’t just me. Knowing it was mutual helped me relax even more. We lay there for a bit, just holding each other and breathing, and I wound up resting my head on his chest, listening to his heart beat.

Finally, I said, “Can I ask you something?”

“Yep.” He kept his eyes closed, though. Maybe he was sleepy too.

“Do you like your name? Yourrealname?”

“Miles?”

“Yeah.”

“I haven’t been called that in a long time.”

“And?”

“I don’t hate it. It’s what my mom wanted to name me. But when the guys in my MC started calling meWolf, it just sort of stuck.”

“Why’d they call you that?”

“Lots of reasons, I think, but the President said I was loyal, and that’s why he called me that.”

Loyal.I could think of fewer good qualities a boyfriend could have. I stroked his chest with my hand, hoping it felt as soothing to him as it did to me. “What do you wantmeto call you?”

“I don’t care. You call me whatever you want.”

I thought about it for a bit. “I love the nameMiles, but I’ve known you asWolffor so long, I think it would be hard to change.”

He gave a gentle nod of his head and started running a hand down my hair. I felt sleepy again, my muscles growing heavy. And what would it hurt if I drifted off? As I allowed myself to completely melt into his warm body, I could feel myself slipping into dreamland.

But then he spoke again. “I think we need to talk about the band.”

“Now?”

“Yes, but just in terms of you and me. How do you think it would hit the guys to know we’re together?”

“You mean Kyle?”

“No. I mean all of them. Having members in a relationship can change the dynamics of a group…and I think maybe we should take it slow.”

I said, “It’s a little late for that.”

“That’s not what I mean. I mean we need to ease into letting them know. If we went to practice on Monday and announced it, it might put a damper on things.”

“Yeah. Maybe you’re right.” I didn’t necessarily disagree, especially in terms of Kyle. I wasn’t ready to tell my ex, even though I’d told him I was seeing someone else. “So when do you think we should tell them?”

“I don’t know. Maybe when we’re ready to start playing shows. I think by then the guys will have enough confidence and the band will be solid enough that they could handle that revelation.”

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