“That was a really nice thing you did for Tom and Darla,” Stevie said as he drove them towards his apartment.

He shrugged and she watched the way his fingers tightened on the wheel. “It was the least I could do and it bought me some alone time with you.” He turned and wiggled his eyebrows at her.

She laughed. “Well, it was still a nice thing for you to do. Darla needs it, more than she’s willing to acknowledge.”

His eyebrows furrowed and he took a quick glance at her. “Is everything all right with them?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m just worried about her. Having twins has gotta be rough.”

He nodded but didn’t say anything. One of his hands left the wheel and found hers, he wove his fingers between hers and squeezed. “You’re a good friend,” he said.

It was her turn to shrug. “Darla and I have been best friends forever. She’s always been there for me when I needed her, but I don’t think I’ve been as reciprocal.”

He squeezed her hand again before letting it go so he could downshift and turn into his parking garage. Stevie dropped her head back into the seat as he parked and she took a deep breath. She wanted this, she did, but she didn’t want to fall for him. Despite what she’d said to Darla, this had the potential to be more than just scratching an itch, but Nate had hurt her and she needed to remember that. She needed to remember that he left and that he would always leave.

He opened her door and helped her out, drawing her close to kiss her tenderly.

“It was so hard to keep my hands off you tonight,” he murmured, kissing down her neck. “I wanted everyone to know that we were together.”

She pulled back, “Nate, we can’t—”

“I know, sweetheart,” he said, kissing her objections away, “but that doesn’t mean the caveman part of my brain doesn't want to stake my claim on you.”

It should have upset her that he felt that way, but with his lips doing incredible things to her neck and the warmth and the strength of his arms around her, she had to admit that she wouldn’t mind staking her claim on him either. Women’s eyes followed him wherever he went and it would be nice to show them that he was hers, even if it was only for a moment in time.

He dragged his lips away from her and led her to the elevator. Once inside he continued his seductive assault on her senses, nibbling at the sensitive skin below her ear and skimming his fingers perilously close to the side of her breasts, but not quite making contacting, which drove her almost to distraction.

The doors opened and he guided her to his door, opening it quickly and pulling her into his apartment, letting the door close behind him. God she felt good as he pressed himself against her. She could feel the ridges of his back muscles as she clung tightly to him. He kissed her deeply, his tongue owning her mouth, filling her and stealing her breath and any rational thought that might have risen up to stop what was about to happen.

“Bed,” he said as he ground his pelvis into her.

He lifted her, carrying her down the hall and into his bedroom, without releasing her lips from his. He laid her down on his bed and she looked up at him in the dim light, seeing something reflected in his eyes that was dangerous, too dangerous for either of them to acknowledge. He stripped her bare before removing his own clothes and then lying down next to her on the bed. They lay facing each other, the city lights coming through the window enough to illuminate their bodies. The heat of his body warmed her and she couldn’t stop herself from touching him, stroking over his skin, tracing the contours of the dips and rises of is muscles and letting his warmth permeate her.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered as he traced a finger down her shoulder and over the swell of her breast.

“You don’t have to butter me up with compliments, Nate,” she said, shy under his intense perusal of her body.

“I’m not,” he said, tipping her chin up so that she had no choice but to look him in the eye. “You are beautiful and I’m a damned fool for not seeing it years ago.”

She closed her eyes, not wanting him to see the hurt and the hope that fought for control inside her. He kissed her, softly, sliding his lips gently across hers as his finger glided down her throat and between her breasts, coming to rest on her navel. He traced small circles on her belly as he languidly made love to her mouth and Stevie would’ve been quite happy to do that all night long.

He shifted and rolled her to her back as he kissed a trail down her neck, raising himself up on his elbow as he dipped his head to suck one of her tight nipples into his mouth. She arched her back involuntarily, the sensation shooting straight to her core as he suckled. His other hand coasted over her skin, gently squeezing her other nipple before continuing down her body, skimming over her hip before tracing the crease where her leg met her pelvis. She parted her legs, giving him room and permission, but he didn’t take it, not immediately. He continued to suckle her nipple and trace circles on the inside of her thigh, in no rush to give her what she needed.

“Nate.” She drew out his name on a breath, rocking her hips up, trying to find something to satisfy her. She reached out with her hand and closed her fingers around his rock hard shaft. His let go of her nipple and hissed, turning his face into her shoulder as he thrust into her hand. She squeezed as she slid her hand along his length and then let go to cup the tender sack beneath his cock, sliding her fingers between his thighs and pressing gently.

He groaned and slid his fingers between her soft folds which were slick with her wet heat. His fingers were long and dexterous, thanks to his guitar playing, and he made full use of them as he found that elusive spot inside her that made her cry out.

Nate was enthralled with her. He still couldn’t reconcile that this was the same Stevie that had been his friend and performance partner for years. How had he never known that under the jeans and the t-shirts was a woman who lit him up in more ways than anyone else ever had?

“Nate,” she breathed as he continued to feast on her delectable nipples. She had a seriously nice set of tits and it would be remiss of him not to show them the proper worship.

He loved the sound of his name on her lips, another thing that he’d never noticed before. Was five years really so long that she was like a completely new person to him? Or had he been just so wrapped up in himself that he just hadn’t noticed? Familiarity breeding contempt and all that.

Her fingers squeezed him as she dragged her hand down his shaft and the past was forgotten, her demanding touch pulling all his focus. His fingers found her centre and he groaned as her internal muscles clamped around his digits, drawing him in. He let go of her nipple with a soft pop and found her mouth, needing to swallow her cries, needing to steal her breath.

He rolled them over so that he was on top of her, his pelvis cradled against hers. He slid his cock through her drenched folds, not entering her, not yet, but coating himself with her scent. Her fingers dug into his shoulders and he could feel the rough patches of callous as she scraped them down his back. She didn’t have long nails, it wasn’t conducive to all the instruments she played, but if she had, he was sure she would’ve drawn blood.

He didn’t mind. The small counterpoint of pain only enhanced the pleasure and he ground his erection into her in response.

“Inside me, now,” she breathed, dragging her mouth from his.

He reached over and opened the drawer finding the brand new box he’d purchased a week ago in anticipation of them actually acting on the sexual tension that had been pinging between them. He ripped the box open and fumbled with the contents before pulling one free triumphantly.

Her eyes sparkled as he held the small foil package aloft like he had just conquered the world for her then he tore it open and sheathed himself in the prophylactic. He dropped down, hovering over her, supporting himself on straight arms, and looked into her eyes. They had already had sex, but this somehow felt more significant than the blowing off of steam and adrenalin that had happened in the studio. He wanted this to mean something, even if it was only a temporary fling between them. He needed it to be something that she would look back on and remember with a smile.

She reached up and twined her arms around his neck, pulling him down to her and kissing him deeply. He slid into her, welcomed by her slippery heat, and paused when he was fully seated. She clamped around him and they both groaned as he began to move. He rocked into her, not the frenzied pumping of before, but a languid slide making use of every inch of him against every inch of her.

It was so easy to get lost in her and he could gladly, happily, spend hours getting to know her body finding out all its secrets, discovering the things that made her moan, the things that made her make that little mewling sound in the back of her throat. He loved that she was vocal and hearing her passion expressed in her husky voice did incredible things to him, turning up his desire and causing him to increase his rhythm.

He lifted one of her legs, pulling it up over his hip and changing the angle so he could go deeper. She arched her back, thrusting her breasts up, teasing him with the hardened tips. He reached down and drew one into his mouth, biting down gently before sucking hard. Breath hissed out of her mouth and her fingers tightened on his shoulders.

The tingling started in his back and he knew he was close to climax but he absolutely refused to give into it until she came.

“Touch yourself,” he whispered and her eyes opened, searching his. “Touch yourself Stevie, make yourself come on my cock.”

She smiled and closed her eyes, slipping her hand between their bodies until she found where they were joined. He felt the extra friction as her fingers played with her clit and it didn’t take long before he felt her climax gather, her muscles contracting around him. He took her other nipple in his mouth and bit it, tugging on it until she cried out and he felt her shatter beneath him. Only then did he let go and let his own orgasm blast through him. He may have even blacked out for a second or two as his world tilted.

Nate rolled them to the side, not wanting to pull out just yet and not wanting to crush her with his weight. He just needed a moment to hold her, to feel her heart pounding in concert with his own. She grounded him, kept him there in the reality that they had created between them. An alternate reality it might be, but for now it was all his messed up brain could comprehend. Sex had never been like that for him and he doubted that it would be the same with anyone else. But he couldn’t think to the future, he couldn’t think about what it meant that the woman he had betrayed was the only one who had ever been able to reach into his very soul. All he could think about was how to keep the real world from intruding on this very special moment.

She cupped his cheek with her hand and as he gazed into her blue eyes, he knew that she must be feeling a little of the same. He saw the yearning there that he had no doubt was reflected in his eyes. He wanted to say something, to reassure her somehow, but how could he when he needed reassurance as well? Instead, he kissed her and then pulled away, ostensibly to take care of the condom, but in reality because he couldn’t deal with the expectation he saw in her eyes.

“I got you a gig at The Bluebird!”

“Wait. What?” Nate wasn’t even sure if he was actually awake yet.

“I got you a spot to play The Bluebird,” Mabel repeated over the phone. “It’s a late spot, but still, it’s The Bluebird.”

Nate scrubbed a hand through his hair and down his face trying to make sense of what he was hearing. “I’m going to play The Bluebird?”

“Yes! Haven’t you been listening to me?”

“Listen Mabel, I’ve only just woken up and haven’t had my coffee yet, you’re going to have to be gentle with me.”

“Fine,” she said and he could imagine her rolling her eyes. “Tuesday night at The Bluebird. I thought you could debut your song with Stevie and then follow up with a couple of other tracks from your new album. Do you think Stevie will be up for that?”

“Maybe,” Nate said turning to look at the rumpled sheets on his bed where Stevie should’ve been but wasn’t. “Listen Mabel, can I call you back when I’ve got some caffeine in my system?”

“Sure,” she said hesitantly. “Are you okay…? Do you want me to call Stevie and see if she’s interested?”

“Leave it with me,” he replied. “I’m in the studio with her today, so I can ask her…um…what about the rest of the band?”

“The Bluebird will only allow you to have you and two other people on the stage and no drums, so maybe talk to them about it and see what they say.”

“Okay. Thanks Mabel.”

He disconnected from her and then took another look around the room. He listened to see if he could hear her moving around in his apartment, but the place was quiet. She was gone. He flopped back on the bed and groaned, covering his face with his hands. What had he done? At the time it had seemed so right, but was sleeping with Stevie a big mistake?

Things had gotten kind of intense after they had made love in his bed. It had almost become too big, but when he’d come back after disposing of the condom and cleaning himself up, Stevie had snuggled in to him and the demands he’d thought he’d seen in her face were gone. He relaxed into the bed, holding her close and let himself drift off, content to just be with her.

He’d reached for her in the night and she had come to him willingly. They made love again, both in that soft place between sleep and awake and their climaxes had been gentle but powerful and then they’d simply gone back to sleep again with barely a word spoken, each content in what they had shared together.

The expectation of another round this morning had been in his mind, but she was gone and he didn’t know what that meant. Was she gone for good? Did she regret what they’d done? Would working with her be awkward now? He’d just found her again after all these years, had found his muse in her, he couldn’t lose her again. Too much was riding on this album.

He picked up his phone from where he had dropped it on the bed and brought up her name. Should he call her? Send her a text? Or should he wait? Maybe she had just gone home so that no one would know they’d spent the night together, maybe she was just trying to keep up appearances. But if that was the case why hadn’t she woken him to tell him she was leaving, why didn’t she leave a note?

He was making himself crazy trying to work out what was going on. He’d thought they had an understanding, but it wasn’t the first time he’d misread a situation with a woman and it probably wouldn’t be the last.

He heard a noise at the door and he sat up, cocking his ear. He got to his feet slowly and walked on light feet into the living area and towards the door. No one had a key to his apartment, he’d had the locks changed since the incident with Natasha, and he’d specifically given the front desk instructions not to let anyone up to his room without his express permission.

He stood in front of the door, arms and legs akimbo and watched the handle turn and the door push in. Just as he was about to yell at whoever was breaking in to his home, he caught a glimpse of a blonde head and the whiff of a familiar perfume. Stevie looked up at him and smiled, her hands full of take away coffees and a bakery bag.

“Now that’s a way to greet someone,” she said, running her eyes over his body.

He looked down and realized her was as naked as a jaybird and he grinned. “See something you like?” he asked with a wink.

She dangled the paper bag in front of him, the smell of bacon and barbecue sauce wafted in the air. “I need sustenance first,” she said, “And coffee.”

Nate took the cup she held out to him and then grabbed her empty hand to pull her into his arms. “I didn’t know where you were. I thought you left.”

She looked up at him, her eyes soft. “I’m not that kind of girl,” she said and then pecked him on the cheek.

“You don’t regret last night?”

She pulled away from him and busied herself putting down her bag and sipping from her cup. “Why, do you?”

He stepped up behind her and nuzzled her neck, liking the way the tension leaked from her body as she melted into him and leant her head back against his chest. “I regret nothing,” he whispered before sucking on the spot behind her ear that made her sigh.

“Neither do I,” she said, turning to face him.

“Good. Now let’s eat, I’m starving. You wore me out last night.”

She laughed and followed him into the kitchen with the bag of egg and bacon sandwiches.