They stopped in front of the last door, which was actually the one closest to the stairwell. He paused, his hand on the doorknob. “This is the room, the one that would have told you everything.” She smiled, curious, eager to see what secrets the room held. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that, so far, nothing in his house gave away his past—he could have just put a lock on this door if he’d been so worried about it.
He pushed the door open and turned on the light to reveal a room crammed with music stuff. There was not one but two drum kits in the room, as well as a guitar, keyboard, and a couple of amps. “Come on in,” he said, and that was when she realized she’d been standing frozen in the hallway, almost as if the room were a shrine that she didn’t dare step inside, because she wasn’t worthy. There was so much to take in—awards on the walls and shelves, framed albums hung on the wall (she’d known that Spawn had been successful, but she hadn’t paid attention to how many albums they’d sold), posters and pictures everywhere. There were magazines on one of the bookshelves, and she had no doubt the band could be found within those pages. There were even a couple of sets of framed drumsticks.
Seeing his picture on the wall—both with the band and alone—when he was younger made it real. How had she not seen it before?
She walked around the room as though she were in a museum. Lady had already sauntered inside and laid in front of one of the drum kits. Part of Kory wanted to touch things but she stopped herself. On one wall, she saw a big machine set up with a computer. “What’s that?”
“It’s an old recording and mixing device.”
She raised her brows, looking him straight in the eye. “You still making music?”
“Nah. It’s just a leftover. What the hell would I do with it?”
“I don’t know. Maybe give it to someone who could use it?”
“Yeah, I guess I could, but that seems disrespectful.” She continued walking around the room with care, not wanting to miss a detail. “It happened, didn’t it?”
She didn’t like his tone. It sounded stressed, worried, a quality she’d never heard in his voice before. She turned. “What do you mean?”
Yeah, he looked uneasy. “I mean…you’re going to look at me differently now. The way they all look.”
It was time to stop gawking. She closed the gap between them, shaking her head. “Stone.” She took his hands in hers and looked up into his eyes. “You are more than your past, and somehow…” Her voice drifted off, because no matter how she worded it, she was going to sound fucking stupid. “Somehow you have become my hero. You’re the only man I’ve felt one-hundred percent comfortable with, the only one I’ve told even part of my story to. So why the hell would I look at you any differently? Why would your past influence the way I feel now?”
He touched her chin with his index finger. “Kory…you are wise beyond your years. You could teach a lot of girls out there a thing or two.”
“This is…we are…” Her voice once more trailed off, because she wasn’t sure how to say what she needed to. “Telling you my past, I think, is helping me heal. I want to tell you the rest…someday. I’m just not ready yet.”
“I know.”
“I just wish you’d stop feeling like you can’t touch me—like I’m fragile.” She sucked in a deep breath. “Like I’ll break.”
“I haven’t—”
Her voice was quiet but firm. “Yes, you have.” She stroked the side of his face with the slender fingers of her right hand. “Stone.” He raised his eyebrows. “We’ve hardly made love. Ever.”
He looked guilty then and swallowed. “I want to be sure you’re ready.”
“I am.” She stepped back from him. “I’m ready. Please don’t be afraid of damaging me. I’m strong, and I’ve survived so much.”
“I know.”
No better time than the present. She grabbed the bottom of her t-shirt and brought it up over her head. His eyes grew wide as she dropped it to the floor. “Make love to me, Stone.”
He didn’t say a word, seemed almost stuck in place, much like she’d felt before she’d entered this room. She kicked off her sandals then and unbuttoned her shorts, letting them fall to the floor. That was when she saw the desire in his eyes. He did want her. That was all she needed to know to feel more than ready.
She was ready to completely shed her past and be the sexual creature she knew she was—not a slut but a desirous woman who needed to pleasure her man and feel the pleasure he could give her.