Page 68 of Hold Still

He chuckles. “Yeah. I’ll clean all this up while you go greet yourgirlfriend.”

“Dick.” Walking through the house, I wipe suddenly damp hands on my shorts. Since when did I get nervous around women, especially one I’ve been screwing? When do I offer a woman repeat performances daily? I place my hand on the doorknob and take a calming breath. Opening it, I look at the sprite waiting for me. “I was just talking about you.”

She smiles and my cock rises to bask in her sunshine. “All good, I hope.”

I wink. “Come on in.” I take her laptop case and bring it into the music room.

In the foyer, McKenna nods and says something to Aiden, which makes him laugh. That’s what she does. She brings light and laughter wherever she goes—all good things. Minus the staying overnight part. Regardless, she’s the real deal. And I’ve begun to crave her.

I break up the pair by kissing McKenna on the lips. Not one to be embarrassed, she kisses me back, Aiden be damned. He clears his throat. “Well, I’m going to leave you two. Remember that Ginger will be in the audience tonight.” My mouth seeks hers again as the gentle click of the front door sounds.

She giggles and steps back. “You’re so bad.”

“What? I hadn’t seen you in hours. I had to say hello.”

She shakes her head. “So, who’s Ginger?”

“Jealous?”

Her hands go to her hips and her foot taps. “Nope.” The “p” pops as she says it, reminding me of the same sound she makes when my cock leaves her mouth. I grab her in my arms and kiss the shit out of her. “I think you’ve earned your answer. Ginger’s my rep from Platinum.”

McKenna’s finger trails across my cheek. “Then I guess you need to be in tip-top shape for tonight.”

I wink. “Want to help me get there?”

HOURS LATER, MYbandmates surround me at the Jade. Mark, the bassist, says, “Listen to what Jazz came up with for your newest song.”

Caught up in their exuberance, I motion for the lead guitarist to play. He modified the bridge and chorus somewhat. Clapping him on the back, I say, “I like it, Jazz.”

“Thanks, man. I thought the riffs would really go well in there.”

Strapping on my own guitar, I ask him to play it again and then copy him. A thought filters into my mind and I try it out. “What do you think of that?”

Jazz copies what I just did and adds some more beats. Soon, we’re rocking out to a new and improved version of the song. Mark joins us with his bass while Stan pounds out a beat on his leg, the table and whatever else is nearby. From across the room, Tim hits some keys on the portable keyboard.

Aiden appears in front of me. “Guys! Guys! Save some for the concert, okay? You have fifteen minutes.”

Where did the time go? Grinning at each of my band members, we high five each other and they head to their dressing rooms before going backstage. When my dressing room is empty, one person claps. I whip my head around to find McKenna grinning at me, her long skirt flowing freely around her calves.

Swinging my guitar to my back, I open my arms. “I’m so happy you made it. When did you get here?”

“I slipped in about five minutes ago.” She wraps her arms around my waist. “That was awesomesauce, Ozzy.”

Nodding, my chin bounces off the top of her head. “It felt pretty great.”

“Tonight was the first time I saw you guys really rehearse together as a band. It was cool.” She leans back and smiles.

Stealing a kiss, I reply, “It was. I’ve never worked together like that on a song before.”

“Another notch in your belt. I’m so happy for you.”

“Me, too.” I kiss the top of her head.

Aiden walks into the room. “Sorry to break you two up, but you need to take your mark, Ozzy. And don’t forget, Ginger will be here with your surprise afterwards, so definitely be out to impress tonight. Break a leg.”

Squeezing McKenna, I say, “See you on the other side, Dulcita.”

“Knock ‘em dead.”

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