Page 88 of Speak

In the smoothest of motions, Raven pulls her half-dry hair to the opposite side and over her shoulder, straightens her back and when she places her hands over the strings, she closes her eyes, and softly inhales. On the exhalation, her bow touches the strings and shetransforms.

Her eyebrows knit together, the scar on her temple disappears under the lighting, her lips pout as Metallica’s Nothing Else Matters begins to ricochet off the walls. With each pluck, each glide of the bow, the cello a mere extension of her soul; she’s lost, lost to the music she is creating as sweat forms on her brow, the music a gathering crescendo, and she’s gone, gone,gone. And I’m gone with her. Her hands move in a frenzy, muscles in her forearms flexing, her head tilts and her eyes roll back and forth behind her eyelids, as if she’s reading the music notes behind them.

I’m not sure if my heart has stopped beating, but by the time she’s done playing, I finally remember how to breathe. The same effect seems to have taken ahold of Damon as he silently blinks, his chest visibly rises and falls, his handsome face poised in total fascination. She opens her eyes, twin amber flames settling on mine, setting me ablaze.

We’re all quiet. Not a sound comes from any of us because we’re stunned.

“Holy shit.” Jonas whispers as if afraid to break whatever spell she’s cast over us. Holy shit indeed.

Damon pushes away from the wall and takes her chin in his hand. “Let’s make you some breakfast.” Raven begins to shake her head but he tightens his hold on her. “Yes, ma charmante violincellist. You just took your medication. You need food in your belly and sleep. You remember what happens when you disobey.”

My ears perk up. She avoids my gaze, that same pink atop her cheeks from earlier and puts the cello back quickly. Jonas turns and squats down so she can piggyback him. She slides onto his back and they go up the stairs. Her shirt rides up and her gorgeous ass is in my face and I’m so torn between being mad and happy since I’m behind them.

Feast. Torment. Rut.

Memories of her taste explodes on my tongue as if I’m tasting her all over again and I inaudibly groan. At the top step I shuffle into the hallway behind them. “I should probably go.”

Raven finally looks at me, brows knitted together, big brown eyes wide in confusion, a little pout on her lips and she shakes her head.

“Nonsense. There’s enough eggs and vegetables in the fridge. I’ll make toast, omelets and coffee.” Archer says, stepping around me and headed back toward the kitchen. “Go into the living area. I’ll let you know when I’m done.”

His kindness makes me feel… unsure about everything. I find my way to the living room where there’s a large charcoal sectional and I sit in the unused chaise part of it. Even if the home is empty, there are parts of this home that feel like Raven. Above the fireplace is a large flat screen, on either side of it are more recessed bookshelves, lined with unread books and a few knickknacks. She truly tried to make this house into a home before her accident.

“Here,” Jonas deposits Raven into my lap and when we bounce and she almost topples over, I grab her by the waist with inhuman reflexes. “I need to find the remote.”

Raven points to a location over by the side of the couch. She sits up and tries to leave my side but Jonas catches her movement. “No baby. You have to rest your leg. And your feet. What do you want? I’ll get it for you.”

She points to the bookshelf on the right and Jonas goes, like a good puppy and starts pointing at the books. “Which one?”

She shrugs.

“Any of them, huh?”

She must grin because Jonas' fingers roam over the titles and he picks one and brings it back.Queen of Wrath and Vengeance.She opens the book and immediately flips the pages and sticks her nosein the crease and sniffs, settling back into the sofa beside me. I was right. They’re unread. She must have hundreds of books that have simply just been waiting to be read by her.

She tries to cross her legs but goes against it and when she puts her heels against the couch to put her knees up, she winces. I grab one of the throw pillows and put them under her legs. She blinks at me, a slight tilt to her lips and snuggles against the back of the couch. Before she gets too comfortable, Jonas throws a blanket over her and she sighs.

A book, a fire, an oversized sectional and a blanket.

These are the things that make Raven Monroe, a born billionaire, a practical heiress…happy.

I lean closer to read over her shoulder and she moves so I can see better. Her scent once again infiltrating my nostrils, and it takes everything in me not to grab her by the silky strands, pull her back to me, thrust my tongue between her lips to tongue-fuck her mouth.

Taste. Rut. Rut. Feast.

Twenty minutes later we’re on chapter two after a very fucked up prologue when Damon brings in trays full of food and mugs full of coffee and reusable bottles of orange juice and water. He hands a specific one to Raven. “Decaf.”

She hands it back and tries to take a different one. Jonas and I chuckle when it happens twice more and her brows furrow in anger. She’s adorable and the exchange is mildly entertaining.

“Little bird,” Damon’s tone is stern. “You need to be able to sleep. So if you drink this coffee, it’ll be for theflavor.Notthe stimulation.”

She swipes the coffee for a water bottle with a huff. I’m with her. Decaf is merely a placebo.

Jonas has the college football station on, watching the highlights and reruns RMU missed out on due to the campus being closed and the game being canceled in memoriam.

We’re all digging into the best omelets I’ve ever fucking tasted when a News Bulletin comes up showing a former RMU Quarterback and Chase’s picture beside him. For a second, I almost think it’s Riordan. The pair look almost identical.

“… Quarterback was found this morning, dead in a bathtub at the luxurious De Novo Hotel. A tragedy, Prescott, 27, had just buried his cousin, also a Quarterback for the RMU Yellow Jackets Friday evening. Sources are currently calling it an alleged suicide. The family wishes to be left alone. We have no further information at this time.”

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