Dree rests her head on my shoulder. “What did you mean the other day when you said, this is one of those times?”
“Hm?”
“You know, at my bedroom door after I sent you the video.”
At her bedroom door. I remember now. I must have watched the video of her dancing a thousand times by now. Dree, moving to my music.
“A time when things come together into something wonderful. When everything feels inspired and everyone around me is inspired, too.”
I roll toward her and prop my head on the heel of my hand. I felt it when we were writing our first album, and parts of our third. I started to feel it again as I wrote “Not Only.” Then Dree walked into my life, or rather, I walked into hers, and the feeling has exploded since then.
“I’ve learned not to take that for granted as it doesn’t happen very often. It’s precious.” I lean forward and kiss her slowly. “You’re precious.”
She puts her finger against my lips. “Don’t say things like that.”
“Why?”
She stares at me, poised and proper once more. As poised and proper as she can be butt-naked with sex hair tumbling around her shoulders. “I’ll dance the Priestess, if you’re sure it’s what you want.”
“Oh, I’m sure.” I can’t think of anyone else I want to spy on as she bathes and then nearly leads me to my death. Dree mesmerizes me as much in real life as she’s meant to in my music video.
“And we have to keep this on the down-low.” She waves a hand back and forth between us.
I get that she doesn’t want other people to think she’s a groupie, but I wouldn’t treat her like one and I wouldn’t let anyone else think she was one, either.
“Rush?”
Saying yes to that means no kissing her in front of anyone else. No holding her hand. No seeing other guys off if they get too close to her.
Hmm. Fuck that.
“Oh, yeah. Sure.”
Dree nods. “Okay. We have an arrangement.”
She sits up and stretches her arms over her head, and reaches for her clothes. I sense I’m being told it’s time to go, and as much as I don’t want to, I kiss her throat one last time before I scoop my jeans off the floor.
When we’re dressed, she walks me out to the front door. I want to insist that I take her out for a meal, or at least a glass of wine in the sunshine. I don’t want her to feel like this was just sex, but Dree doesn’t seem to want to give off the impression that she’s clingy. I’ll let it go this time, but only because I know I’ll have her all to myself all week, in my house in the middle of nowhere. She won’t be able to escape me then.
At the door, I bury my hand in her hair and put my lips against her ear. “Text me later and tell me how your ass feels.”
Dree breaks out in a huge smile, a blush stealing over her cheeks, and she can only meet my eyes for a second. “Off you go, Mr. Rockstar. My laundry awaits, and you have an album to finish.”
13
Dree
Monday morning is bright and warm as I walk up the steps to Rush’s house. My cabin bag is full of clothes for the week, as well as more dance clothes than usual. My energy is so high that I could have run all the way here from London.
I head up the stairs to the room that’s become mine, my mind running through all the steps of the Priestess’ choreography.
My choreography. My part.
I must be crazy. Rush definitely makes me crazy, and I wonder what the fallout will be once my face appears in his video. How many people will recognize me? Striker will. Striker and Rush probably hate-watch each other’s music videos.
A moment later, my phone beeps with a text message. You were meant to tell me how your ass feels. Guess I’ll have to check it for myself later.
I smile at the words. Rush must have seen me arrive.
There are two thin red marks on my skin. Rush’s marks, each one a bright red and reminders of a perfect moment. I remember him standing naked in my bedroom with his belt clutched in his hand, and the world swims out of focus.
A moment later, my phone buzzes again. You look beautiful, baby. Happy Monday.
He shouldn’t call me endearments when we’re not having sex, but I’m smiling as I put my phone into my pocket.
There doesn’t seem to be many people in the house today, and so I’m alone with Rush when I pass him on the way back from lunch an hour later. Mischief in his eyes, he glances up and down the corridor and pulls me into his arms for a kiss. He slides his hand over my ass.