Page 46 of Next Time I Fall (Excess All Areas 2)

“Have you played at all?”

Zoe shook her head. “Let’s stay focused on the hot guy you keep staring at.”

Cerys let her deflect, knowing that while Zoe had adapted, she still struggled with the loss of her music career.

“Fine. We can talk about the hot guy. I should go make sure he doesn’t set fire to the place.”

“Literally with matches or figuratively with those abs?”

Cerys laughed. “Both?”

Zoe grinned, pointing at herself before crossing her arms over her chest then pointing at Cerys.

“I love you too,” Cerys signed. “Bye, lovely.”

Cerys sighed happily as she put the phone down.

“That’s a mindfuck that you can just go lose your hearing like that,” Jase said. “How do you know each other?”

“We studied at the Royal Northern together. Becoming an orchestral percussionist was all she ever talked about. Our house in Fallowfield was a disaster of musical instruments. I think she’d have a lot in common with Alex, but she stopped playing a year ago. Hasn’t picked up an instrument since the last of her hearing went.”

“I can’t imagine what I would do if I couldn’t hear and experience music.”

“You’d adapt,” Cerys said. “Like Zoe is doing. She can experience music and even enjoy it. She just won’t play it.”

The paper and kindling lit and Jase dropped back onto his heels. “I am caveman, hear me roar,” he said, gesturing to the fire. “Look at the beautiful stacking, Cerys. Tell me you haven’t seen a more inspiring fire.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yes. It’s lovely. Now get out of my way, because I intend to do some yoga.”

Jase crawled over to where she was seated and nudged his way between her knees and placed his hands on her thighs. “You need some help working out kinks, sunshine?”

“Not in the way you mean, but yes. I feel antsy. And do not respond to this, but I feel like I need to move my body.”

He placed his hands beneath her thighs then tugged her to the edge of the sofa. “I’mreallygood at moving bodies. It’s my core strength, you see.” With his hands around her waist, he tugged her playfully down onto his lap and then promptly flopped over, taking them both to the floor.

Cerys began to laugh. “Was that meant to be a smooth move?”

Jase’s hand dipped below her hoodie and settled on her waist as he grinned. “Nah. Just being playful. Come here.”

Gently, he flipped her onto her back, then settled between her thighs. One pair of yoga pants and a pair of joggers were not enough to hide how aroused he was by their position. “I was thinking about something upstairs.”

“You were?” Shouldn’t she feel a little less safe? Shouldn’t self-preservation come ahead of thoughts about the way his body dominated hers, how good the width of his hips felt between her thighs, how his dimples and eyes, and the bounce of his curls made her feel gooey inside?

He brushed her hair off her forehead. “I’ve never thought about the next step. When waves happen, I react. Whatever came next, came next. There was no plan. No direction. You make me feel like I want to think through what the next step might be. And I’m not talking marriage and kids and shit. I mean real, practical, everyday things. Like, I can’t just fuck you and then pretend I didn’t fuck you after. This, us, has implications.”

She wasn’t sure where he was going. But there was something about his tone—gentle, caring—that told her no matter what he said, he was in a hopeful place. “It does.”

“I want the implications, Cerys. For the first time in my life, I look forward to there being repercussions for my actions. I want to kiss you and know that tomorrow, I get to kiss you again. Until you’re ready to do something more than kiss. I want the steps to have meaning. I don’t want to blast through them all in one night and then have nothing to look forward to but an awkward goodbye the next morning. Do you know what I mean?”

His eyes searched hers as his brow furrowed. She ran her thumb across his lower lip and his eyes fluttered shut as he breathed. “I do. You know it’s me, though, here underneath you?”

His eyes flashed open. “Never been more aware of anything in my life. I’ve been on the receiving end of being with someone who forgot who I was. I wouldn’t be here unless I was certain.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“Fine,” he admitted gruffly. “If I didn’t care about you and I just wanted a shag, I’d totally be here, and we’d already be fucking. But a piece of me has opened up since I got here. A piece of me I wasn’t sure existed. And I know it’s because of you.”

“That would also make a very fine song,” she said, sliding her hands around his neck, into his hair.

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