Rock Kiss 01.5 Rock Courtship(28)

It was adorable and sexy at the same time.

Thea was quite happy to keep this view her own private visual feast.

“Do you all have that tat, the lines from your first hit song? I’ve seen Fox’s and Noah’s in photo layouts.”

“Abe’s is on his lower back,” David told her. “Same side as mine.” When he turned toward her, she saw the other vertical lines she’d noticed in bed—when he’d so magnificently thrust into her.

Placed on the lower right of his abs, it was music, a beat she couldn’t quite figure out. Not yet anyway. He also had a small anchor inked on his left bicep. That one she knew about—it was in honor of his grandfather, who’d been a seaman all his life and had died in a fishing accident when David was eight.

The final tattoo was a tribal design that circled his upper left thigh. It was covered by his jeans now, but she remembered the bold lines and curves of it. “Where did you get the thigh tattoo done?”

“New Zealand.” His eyes met hers, more brown than gold in this light. “I had to do something to stop obsessing about when you’d reply to my memos.”

There went those butterflies again. “I almost pulled out my mother’s prized hybrids instead of weeds, I was so distracted by your memos.”

That made his smile deepen. Turning back to the stove, he stirred the sauce. Thea gave in to her need and, jumping off the counter, went and kissed his shoulder. “That sauce smells divine.” The guys ribbed David about his skills in the kitchen, but they all pulled up a chair at the table anytime he was cooking.

“My dad taught me this recipe,” he said. “I used to make it to help him and my mom out when I could see work had exhausted them. Had to stand on a chair to reach the supplies, I was so fucking short.”

His words were amused, but they made her heart twist. “You’re a good man, David,” she whispered. “A good son.”

A touch of color on his cheeks, he shrugged. “They sacrificed a lot to make sure I grew up right, had every chance. I promised myself that when I was a man, I’d make sure they never had to work that hard again.”

With every word he spoke, he proved himself the man she’d always believed him to be, a man of honor and loyalty. The only thing she didn’t know was if that extended to his woman. Thea wanted to trust him, but she’d known too many good men who treated their women differently. But she wanted to believe. So much.




Seated in David’s car the next day, Thea felt deliciously used. David not only had serious moves, he had serious stamina. The man had kept her up most of the night, made her scream and beg before he fucked her so hard she could still feel his cock inside her. The tactile memory made muscles low in her body twinge, as, toes curling, she took in his dark blue shirt and black pants.

“I just want to unbutton you,” she said. “And unzip you so I can suck on you.” She hadn’t gotten around to feasting on him because David kept distracting her with the sinful things he was doing to her body. The way he touched her, the way he looked at her—she’d never felt so beautiful, so desirable, so heartbreakingly cherished.

“We are not turning around,” he said on a groan. “My parents are expecting us for lunch.”

Passion doused and stomach in knots, the butterflies sulking, she slumped back in her seat and fussed with the red and gold silk scarf she’d paired with jeans and a simple but pretty white top over which she’d thrown her jacket. “Next time, don’t give me a love bite if we’re planning to see your folks,” she muttered in an effort to fight her nerves. “Or mine.”

“I like nibbling on you.” He squeezed her thigh. “Hey, it’ll be fun.”

She put her hand over his. “It’s the guilt,” she said. “I’m not used to lying to my parents—and I don’t want to start out by lying to yours.” Yet all the reasons why she didn’t want to drag either family into this fledgling relationship remained.

“We won’t lie,” David said. “My folks will make up their own minds about who you are to me.” His eyes locked with hers. “I think it’s pretty damn obvious.”

“Light’s green,” she said huskily, fighting the urge to crawl into his lap and kiss him.

As it was, she squeezed his hand to bruising tightness as they walked down the hallway to his parents’ large apartment. “What if they don’t like me?” she suddenly blurted out.

“They already love you.” He squeezed her hand back. “Why are you so nervous?”

Because you matter. More than any man has ever mattered. Part of Thea kept waiting for something to go horribly wrong. “We’re here,” she said and knocked on the door before she chickened out.