Page 127 of Next Time I Fall (Excess All Areas 2)

Jase kissed her chastely and lowered her to the floor. “I know you don’t. It’s a bit of a leap you’ve taken from them looking at each other all starry-eyed to them falling in love then falling out of it again. But it’s their call, sunshine. You can’t control what other people do.”

Cerys sighed. “I know. You’re right. It’s just ...”

“It’s hard to love someone so much that you worry about them and want to keep them safe.” He lowered his forehead to hers.

“Thank you for picking Mum up.”

“You’re welcome. It may work in my favour at some point to keep your mum on my side. But I think it’s appropriate that you should show Little Jase just how grateful you are.”

Jase nudged her back against the door, and she could feel the hard length of him pressed against her stomach. It was tempting to take him up on the offer, especially as his hips rolled against her. The sparks of pleasure rippled through her. “Goodness knows the stress relief would be invaluable right now, but I have guests coming in”—she glanced at her watch—“twenty-two minutes.”

Jase stood back, affronted. “Little Jase will do all the work. He knows your guaranteed-to-come position and prides himself on fast delivery when required. We could have you filled with happy orgasm endorphinsandbe done in seven minutes.”

Laughter bubbled up inside her until she couldn’t help but let it out. “Little Jase needs to know I’m proud of him for doing all that research and for being so willing to help me out for what I am sure are purely selfless reasons. But I need to go.”

His palms cupped her cheeks. “I know you do. And we can wait. I just wanted to take that slightly stricken look off your face and replace it with the bright eyed, flushed cheeks sunshine I fell in love with.”

Cerys placed her hand on his chest, over his tattoo that combined the best of the two of them. “All of this, the recording studio, my dad, the experience in Detroit. It was all wonderful, but finding you was the very best part of it.”

Jase grinned. “I know. I’m pretty damn special.”

He kissed her one last time, then held the door open for her to slip beneath his arm.

“Hey, if I forget to tell you later, when I finally get you out of here and into one of our beds, I’m really fucking proud of you, Cerys. What you’ve done here, being here with me, what you’ve built. It’s amazing.”

“Thank you for dealing with all the frantic moments.”

As they entered the main reception, the rest of the band, along with Nan, Pat, Izabel, and Chaya were just arriving. She stepped towards them, but before she could get too far, Jase slipped his arm around her waist and tugged her back to him. He buried his nose in the side of her neck, kissing her one more time. “I think I’m prouder of what we’re building. You. Me. Our families all here.”

“I heard you stood up to my dad.”

“He told you?”

“Yeah. Said you were right.”

“I’m always right, sunshine. You need to pay attention to what I say more often. Seven minutes. No one will notice if we sneak back in there.”

She slid her hands over his. “I love you,” she whispered. “And Little Jase. But still no.”

Jase laughed and laced his fingers through hers. “Rain check at midnight?”

“It’s a deal.”

EPILOGUE: LUKE

The party was a blinder. And he’d lost track of how many drinks he’d sunk. Sure, he’d laughed in the right places. Got Nan a shandy when she’d asked for one. He’d watched his sister smiling across the room at his best friend and band mate, Matt, and had felt ... absolutely nothing. No residual anger for Matt hooking up with his sister behind his back. No happiness for Izabel who certainly deserved it.

Absolutely nothing.

News that they needed to start practicing for a tour hadn’t gotten a flicker of interest out of him, either. He wouldn’t even be here tonight if Matt and Iz hadn’t dragged him along. He’d still be in bed. Or on his couch watching the footie.

Drinking.

Izabel had commented on the number of empties on the table in his apartment, jokingly asking if he’d had a party without her.

He hadn’t. They were all his. But he’d lied anyway, just to ease the hint of worry in her eyes.

Even Jimmy Bexter’s comments about the drum track for the album being one of the best he’d heard had done nothing for the gnawing pit in his stomach that just seemed to keep growing and growing.

---