Page 83 of Prelude of Love

I’d die to feel what you’re about.

The chorus hit again with scorching intensity, our voices tangling with naked desire. I’d performed the song countless times but never had the lyrics felt so sexy, so real, so dangerous.

I need your hands, I need your grip,

To pull me closer, to make me spill.

Leave me trembling, wrecked and bare,

Take all of me, leave nothing to spare.

Chasing the last light, get me there.

I fought against my body’s natural arousal in response to Duke’s commanding presence, but it wasa losing battle when his fingers, which now danced across guitar strings, had gripped my hips, had stretched me open, had claimed me, had made me ache with want. Each chord he played was pure temptation, a reminder of what his hands could do.

As our voices climbed toward the outro, I shifted my stance, desperately trying to hide the growing evidence of my desire. Getting hard in front of a packed bar wasn’t part of tonight’s plan, but Duke’s proximity and our sexual energy made it almost impossible to control. I was only human, after all. Not to mention twenty-two.

Suck me under,

I’ll go down.

You kiss my air,

Take me, I’m bound.

As the final note faded, the crowd at Hurly-burly erupted, whistling and cheering with an enthusiasm that surpassed anything I’d experienced in venues ten times the size of the little stage. Performing in a small-town bar magnified every reaction to something personal and magical.

I wiped sweat from my brow, leaning toward the microphone with a grin. “Is it just me, or is it really hot in here now?” I winked at the audience, earning a fresh round of cheers and a few suggestive whistles.

Duke cleared his throat beside me, his expressiona fascinating mix of pride and discomfort at being the center of attention. “Iason and his band will take the stage soon,” he announced, his deep voice sending another shiver of lust through me.

The crowd applauded again as he set his guitar on the stand. He then placed his hand on my lower back, guiding me off the dais. His simple touch burned through my shirt as we headed to his family’s table.

Early’s face glowed with pride and something hungrier that made my mouth go dry as we approached him and Duke’s younger brother, whom I had met when we first arrived.

Fitzy’s smirk was eerily similar to Duke’s, though lacking the gravitas his older brother carried so effortlessly. “If you didn’t want people to think you were hooking up, you shouldn’t have made vocal love to each other onstage.”

Duke’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “I don’t want to hear it.”

I dropped into the chair beside Early, stretching my arms overhead with deliberate casualness. “What can I say? When you’ve got it, flaunt it.”

Early laughed, reaching over to squeeze my thigh. “Leave them alone, Fitzy. They’re having a hard enough time not fucking on this table as it is.”

“I suppose a quickie in the break room isn’t in the cards, then?” I asked, feigning disappointment while enjoying the way Duke’s flush deepened.

“Poor baby,” Early cooed, his fingers sliding intothe danger zone of my thigh, then cupped my arousal. “You’ll have to wait until we’re home to take care of yourpressingproblem.” He and Fitzy dissolved into snickers while Duke looked like he was contemplating murder or possibly gagging his husband and brother.

Red appeared at our table, his eyes bright with excitement. “I don't have words for how amazing that was! I feel like I witnessed two music gods making magic.”

Duke shrugged, uncomfortable with the praise. “It was all Chance. He made me sound good.”

“You held your own, which is no small feat with a singer as talented as Chance,” Red insisted. “Now, I’m sad I never got to hear you duet with Iason. That would’ve been unbelievable. I don't suppose I could sweet talk you into it?”

It was fascinating to see how soft Duke was toward his favorite employee. “Maybe later.”

Red gushed. “That’s a dream I never knew I needed to come true. But wow, the chemistry between you two was off the charts.”

My mother materialized beside our table, her timing impeccable as always. “When you said you were performing tonight, you didn’t mention you’d be practically making out with Duke through a song.”

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