Page 50 of Whiskey and Regret
“Toni, Tony, Tone,” she said, smiling.
“I forgot you think you’re a nineties aficionado.”
“I absolutely am. I told you I was born in the wrong era.” She walked over to the harp and sat on her stool, positioning herself with raised heels and immaculate posture. Her spine was straight as a pin but her arms and fingers moved fluidly.
I watched her from my spot on the couch with lowered lids. She shut her eyes and plucked out a few notes, trying to get the feel for the song. She played a few notes, then her forehead creased with a frown. She gave the slightest shake of her head, then played a few more notes. She still wasn’t pleased.
When she played the next nine notes, I recognized the string-heavy melody of the song. Xari’s lips curved the smallest bit and she continued playing, rocking back and forth with the harp.
I intended to write while she played but I couldn’t stop staring at her. She was full of madness and passion. It was a beautiful sight. I studied her face, serene and calm. Her arms and hands moving together. Her breasts moved rhythmically with each breath and note she played. Her legs were parted to accommodate the bulk of the harp and my eyes ate up the vision.
I stared between her thighs, hoping for a glimpse of her panties. I was a dirty old man. There was no way around it.
“That’s beautiful,” I said, finally, realizing I was eye-fucking her and she had no idea.
“It’s rough,” she sighed without opening her eyes or breaking the melody. “Some of the notes are off but it’s getting there.”
“It’s perfect, Xari. You’re too hard on yourself.”
“If I’m not hard on myself, who will be?”
“Good point, but sometimes you have to learn to have fun. Playing the harp doesn’t always have to be business.” I stood up and walked over to her. The moment I was in her space, the air heated…thickened. I knew she had candles lit but this wasn’t warmth from the flames flickering around her.
It was the same heat that always charged when we were close. It was stifling sometimes but I’d managed to ignore it all month. Clearly, I was made of steel.
I stood behind her and placed my hands on her shoulders. She was still working through the music forWhatever You Wantwhen I started kneading her shoulders, inching toward her neck.
“It’s still not right,” she sighed.
“It doesn’t have to be. I just like listening to you play. It’s the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard.”
“Really?” Her hands fell away from the strings and she turned her head to look up at me. When she faced the harp again, I started working the muscles in her neck. I saw her lashes flutter and the reaction made my dick stiffen.
“Really. Can you play Anniversary?” I asked.
“On a Tony, Toni, Tone kick?” She quizzed.
“Maybe. Or maybe I want to throw different songs at you to see you switch it up and not pour too much focus into something that’s supposed to be fun.”
She switched effortlessly toAnniversaryand the music did nothing to dissuade the heat mounting in the space between our bodies. If anything, the soft sound made me want to kiss her neck more than before.
“Because you know how to have fun, Senator?” Even in that charged moment, Xari couldn’t help her smart mouth.
“I do. I might not do it often but I know how to.”
“Oh? And what would be considered fun for you right now?” The way she played in perfect pitch while holding a conversation with my fingers massaging her neck amazed me. This was a different side of Xari. This side of her wasn’t immature. It was disciplined and poised. It was pulled together and sexy as hell.
“You really want to know?” I asked, my voice turning low and hungry.
“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to know, Freeman.”
“Oh, are we doing that again?” I chuckled.
“You’re misbehaving,” she countered. The smooth curve of her cheek lifted and her dimples popped out to say hi.
Those dimples made my dick so fucking hard. I was glad I wasn’t pressed up against her back or else she would have felt how hard they made me.
“How so?” I quizzed.
