Page 90 of Crimson Desires

Exposed. Raw. Heartfelt.

I couldn’t help but wonder who he’d written this song about. Whetherit was about a real girl or just the idea of one. My heart pounded as he built up to the chorus.

After Aster

I see better

That girl changed my language

Exchanged every letter

After Aster

I’m untethered

To who I used to be

Before Aster met me

As soon as I heard my name, I think I stopped breathing.

I’d never had a song written for me. And to think that the first person to write one would be Jack Maverick... that fact simply did not compute in my brain.

I could hear Violet’s voice in my head, “Jack really cares about you.”

And for the first time since the beginning of the tour, I was actually starting to believe those words. I leaned in, absorbing every syllable that Jack sang.

When Jack’s song came to an end, I didn’t clap. I didn’t compliment him. I didn’t even smile. Instead, I leaned forward without a single ounce of restraint and pressed my lips against his.

Jack hummed contentedly into the kiss. He cupped my jaw in his strong hands. I could feel the callouses on his fingertips—the hardened skin that he’d earned from pressing his fingers into the steel strings.

The last thing I wanted to do was pull away. But breathing was unfortunately non-negotiable.

I broke our kiss but remained close. My lips were still inches from Jack’s. My breaths were soft and shallow, and my heart thrummed in my chest with erratic joy—like a child banging on an overturned pot with a wooden spoon.

“You liked it?” Jack asked, his voice low.

I nodded. “I loved it, Jack. Were you worried that I wouldn’t?”

“I...” Jack furrowed his brow as a realization crossed his face. “Yeah, I was.”

He gently set Axel’s guitar on the ground and joined me on the leather couch. His eyes grazed over my body hungrily. I squeezed my thighs together, already feeling myself react to the sudden shift in mood.

“When are your bandmates getting back?” I asked.

“Not for another half-hour, at least,” Jack said.

“We should make use of that time.” My forwardness shocked even me. I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from trying to take my words back.

Jack grinned crookedly. “I was just thinking the same thing.”

He leaned in, capturing my lips with his. Claiming them. He wrapped his arms around my back, supporting me as he lowered me onto the couch. I shivered as the backs of my arms contacted the cold leather cushions.

I could already feel myself getting wet as Jack’s firm hands began massaging my hips and thighs.

He moved his lips to my jaw, then neck—kissing, sucking, biting—until I was a writhing mess beneath him. How could this man unravel me just from kissing alone? Encouraged to gain back a bit of control, I buried my fingers into his wavy blond locks and tugged gently.

Jack groaned, his hips twitching in anticipation.

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