Page 123 of Cherry Beats

“A night off?” My eyes widened.

Julia chuckled and turned to leave, calling out over her shoulder before she disappeared out of the door. “Well, I do. According to Presley, you two are going to beverybusy.”

She was gone before I could offer a comeback, and Presley came out of the bathroom to replace her, his eyes twinkling with excitement as he took me in. My hair was scraped back into a high ponytail with just my fringe hanging loose. I was wearing a pale blue pair of Levi’s with a white Youth Gone Wild T-shirt and my white Nike trainers. I didn’t look or feel particularly special, but the way Presley raked over me with hungry eyes made me feel like a queen.

I turned, pressing my arse against the window ledge and putting my weight on my hands. “Rumour has it, we have a night off.”

“Uh-huh.” He nodded, licking his bottom lip as he stalked closer, wearing nothing more than black, fitted joggers and a white vest only a drummer could pull off.

“We may fall asleep before sunrise for once.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

When he reached me, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me up to him so our chests were pressed together. I held onto his biceps, squeezing the hard muscles there as I stared up into his dreamy eyes.

“You look mischievous,” I whispered.

“You look amazing.” He pressed his forehead to mine. “I can’t keep my hands off you.”

“You could at least try.” I smirked.

“You have no idea how much effort I put into holding back. On the plane, on the road, around the guys, I’m restrained. But here, in the privacy of our room, I don’t need to be. If I could spend every moment that I’m not on stage touching you, I would. No regrets.”

“No regrets.” I beamed.

Presley sucked in a breath, releasing it slowly as he looked down at me. “Julia left a bag on the side table over there. Inside it is a swimsuit. Put it on, and then your robe.”

I pulled back to look at him properly. “Why? What are we doing?”

“Making the most of this life.” He grinned. “We’re going for a swim.”

* * *

Thirty minutes later, I was dressed in a black swimsuit that tied around my neck and dipped all the way down at the back to rest at the very top of my arse cheeks. The front plunged between my breasts, the thin material covering my stomach enough to stop the shock of the water from being too harsh against my skin when we stepped inside the rooftop pool.

It was beautiful. The aqua waters reached the edge of the building’s roof, meaning we could swim up to the very end with nothing but views ahead of us. A small garden filled with greenery had been placed upon wooden decking, with loungers and chairs scattered around the two edges of the pool that weren’t a vertical drop down over the edge of the building. A bar ran across the back wall of the decked area, sparkling with fairy lights, despite the sun still shining high in the sky. The warm rays beat upon my skin as I closed my eyes and lay back in the water, letting my body float, enjoying the weightlessness of life.

Presley had yet to get in the water, and when I cracked one eye open, I saw him perched on the end of a sun lounger wearing nothing but his swimming shorts and a smug smile on his face. No one else was around. The bar had been stocked for our pleasure to take what we wanted, when we wanted, and Presley assured me he’d paid enough money to the hotel to ensure we had this place to ourselves for the night, should we want it.

I definitely wanted it.

This was a slice of Heaven in the middle of chaos that I was willing to take.

“This can be a participation sport, too, you know,” I told him.

“I’m participating in admiring you.”

“Participate in touching me.”

“Sold.” He dropped his beer to the decking and jumped into the water. The waves he caused brought my feet down to the tiles beneath me, and I laughed as he swam closer and wrapped his arms around me, bringing me in for a sweet kiss.

In the water, with his hair slicked back and his blue eyes shining, Presley looked more perfect than any magazine cover could ever photoshop him to be. His strong jaw made me want to lick it, and that beautiful nose made me want to rub mine against it as we kissed. I leaned back and really took him in.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Not a single damn thing.”

Presley’s smile broke free. “I told you I could make this work for us. You just had to open your mind and let the happiness in more often.”

---