CHAPTER TWELVE
People were arguing again when I woke up. Only this time, there was no yelling. Heated whispers passed straight over my head.
“Why is my sister asleep on top of you?” asked Lizzy.
“Because I’m her boyfriend,” Mal answered. “Who are you? Anne didn’t say anything about having a sister.”
“She didn’t?”
“No. And how many people have f*cking keys to this apartment, anyway? You forget the sliding bolt for a moment and it’s open city.”
“With Skye gone, just me and Lauren as far as I know.”
“Don’t say that name. She gets upset when you mention it. Her eyes go all sad and it totally bums me out.”
“What, Skye?”
“Yeah,” he growled.
“Fine, fine.” A pause. “You’re kinda hot, aren’t you?”
A disinterested grunt.
“I’m not hitting on you, idiot. She’s my sister and this is my suspicious voice. Don’t I know you from somewhere? Your face is very familiar.”
The fingers connected to the big hand cupping my ass tightened. What it was doing there, I had no idea. But did I like it? Yes. Yes I did. I was sleeping on a bed of Mal. Talk about heavenly. I couldn’t even remember falling asleep. Obviously, it had happened sometime during the gory horror movie because we were still on the velvet couch in the living room. My sister was here so it had to be Sunday morning, our day to do our duty and call mom. We always performed this unpleasant task together.
I did not want to move. Not until Wednesday at the very earliest. I was mildly hung over.
But more than that, I didn’t want to get off of Mal.
“What the hell did you do to her? Her lips are all puffy and bruised.”
“Are they?” Mal’s body moved beneath me as he no doubt lifted his head to check out the damage. “Shit. Ah, yeah. She’s a bit of a mess, isn’t she? But how was I to know if she was into biting or not if I didn’t try it out?”
“She’s not,” said Lizzy. “Or at least, I don’t think she is. Anne’s never seemed like the biting type to me. She’s more … restrained.”
“Restrained?” Mal laughed softly. “Yeah. Why don’t you go check out her bed, then tell me how restrained she is.”
Footsteps followed by a gasp. “F*ck me. It’s totaled.”
“My pumpkin’s an animal when she gets going.”
“You call her pumpkin?” My sister’s voice was filled with awe. “Does she actually answer?”
“Well, she pretends to hate it. But secretly, I know she loves it. Her face goes all soft and everything.”
Oh good god, enough. I’d basically raised this girl; she didn’t need to hear this sort of shit. Any authority I’d once had would be dust. I cracked open an eyelid. “Quiet, Mal.”
“I am your servant in all things.”
“What time is it?” I asked as a yawn almost cracked my jaw in two.
“Mal? Did she call you Mal?” asked Lizzy, coming up close beside us. My sister and I didn’t look much alike. Her hair was a pretty caramel color as opposed to my carrot. Her features were more delicate than mine, though we both had mom’s strong jawline. “No. Way.”
Ha, this would be fun.
“Strangely enough yes, way,” I said, my voice ever so slightly smug. “Mal, this is my little sister, Lizzy. Lizzy, this is Malcolm Ericson.” My sister hadn’t been quite as big a Stage Dive fan as me. Doubtful it would stop her from fangirling out, however.
As suspected, Lizzy squealed like a loon. Both Mal and I winced. “Oh my god, Anne loves you. She had an entire wall of her bedroom dedicated to you.”
“No!” Shit, how had I not seen this coming? Fear choked me. Someone had to tackle my sister, now. Take her down and lock her in a cupboard. It was absolutely for her own benefit, but mostly mine. I tried to lunge at her, but strong arms held me trapped. “Lizzy. Shut up. Please shut up. He doesn’t need to know that.”
“Tell me more, Lizzy,” demanded Mal. “A whole wall, did you say? That is fascinating. I definitely need to know more.”
“No you don’t.”
“Hush, Anne. I’m listening.”
My arms weren’t long enough to cover Lizzy’s mouth. I had to settle for Mal’s ears. I fought him, but he shook off my hands far too easily, the wily man.
“She used to write your name on her thigh in permanent marker,” my traitorous wench of a sister reported. It was official: Lizzy sucked. There was a good chance I’d soon be an only child if she kept talking. Given mom rarely noticed she had children at all, the loss shouldn’t be too debilitating long-term.
“That’s a lie!” I cried, breaking out into a cold sweat.
“Did she write it on her inner thigh? I bet it she did, the minx.” Mal grabbed my wrists, holding them against his chest. An effective means of stopping me from beating him bloody. “Did she draw little hearts with arrows sticking out of ’em too?”
“I don’t know.” My beloved sister settled into the wingback, crossing her legs. “But she did practice signing her name as Anne Ericson all the time.”
“I am so touched you’d take my name, pumpkin.” Mal attempted to smooch my fists. “No shit, that’s awesome of you. Means the world to me. My family is gonna love you.”
“La–la-la-la,” I sang at the top of my voice, drowning them both out as best I could.
“And she’d watch Stage Dive videos over and over. Except for the one where you kissed that girl.” Lizzy clicked her fingers, her face tensed in concentration. “’Last Days of Love’, that was the one. She flat-out refused to watch it, would leave the room if it came on.”
Beneath me, Mal’s body shuddered because he was laughing his ass off. The man was in hysterics. Even his eyes were bright with unshed tears, the douche canoe. A big hand curled around the back of my head, pressing my face into his neck. “Aw, Anne. Were you jealous?”
“No.” Yes. Horribly, horribly jealous. That kiss had ravaged my teenage soul and made me listen to sad songs for almost a year.
“My poor girl.”
“Shuddup.”
“I didn’t mean to kiss her. My mouth slipped,” he said, trying for earnest and failing. “I swear I was trying to keep myself pure for you. Tell me you believe me, please.”
I called him something foul.
He laughed even harder, making the whole couch shake.
Given he wasn’t letting me go any time soon, I hid my hot face in his neck as invited. Everyone in the room, I hated them. I hated them hard. It was tempting to bite him but he’d probably enjoy it. He’d certainly spent quality time nibbling at my lips and jaw after cornering me yet again at the party last night. His kissing crusade had almost undone me, but it had taken my sister to do the real damage, my own flesh and blood.
Now Mal knew everything. I was doomed.
“Lizzy, be a good girl and fetch me a pen,” said Mal. “I need to write your sister’s name on my junk, right now.”
Honest to god, I tried not to laugh. I tried so hard.
“How about I go make coffee instead?” Lizzy hauled herself to her feet. “You know she usually has breakfast cooked for me by now, every Sunday at ten o’clock on the dot. You’re a bad influence on her, Mal.”
“Let me get dressed, I’ll take you both out.” He smoothed his hand over my back. “Can’t have my future sister-in-law getting mad at me already.”
“Won’t you get hassled?” Lizzy hollered from the kitchen.
“People have usually been pretty cool around here when I’ve visited. But I’ll wear a hat and sunglasses. And I can call up some security if needed.”
“Why don’t I cook us something? It’s got to be my turn by now,” said Lizzy. The clanging of pots and pans and the running of water accompanied her statement. Maybe my sister wasn’t so bad after all.
“Thanks,” I said.
“Soooo.” Mal smacked a kiss on the top of my head. “You weren’t just a little into me. You’re my biggest fan. You love me.”
“I don’t love you.”
“You totally love me.” He gave me a squeeze. “I’m your everything. You’d be lost without me.”
Thankfully, this time when I scrambled off of him, he didn’t try to fight me. I pulled down my old T-shirt and smoothed back my bed hair, getting myself together. “It was just a stupid teenage crush. Don’t let it go to your already swollen head.”
“The big one or the little one?”
I groaned.
Mal just laid there, his fingers sitting steepled atop his bare chest. He watched me without comment. His eyes, they saw far too much. After a moment, he sat up, his feet hitting the floor. He yawned and then stretched, cracking his neck. “You know, that’s the first decent sleep I’ve gotten in ages.”
“With me passed out on top of you? It can’t have been comfortable.”
The shadows beneath his eyes had faded and he seemed more relaxed, stretching out his long limbs. Still, he rubbed at the back of his neck. “No, it wasn’t really. Go figure. Guess we should be sleeping on the couch every night from now on.”
“My bed is broken.”
He pushed back his hair, gave me a smile.
“You’ve been having trouble sleeping?” I asked.
“A bit, I guess.”
“Something on your mind?”
“Dunno. It’s nothing.” He avoided my eyes.
“It’s something.” This was the first real in he’d given me. Or first vague in. Either way, I needed to take it. “What’s going on with you? What’s wrong? Sometimes I look at you and you seem so … ”
“What? I seem so what?”
“Sad.”
His face blanked, his hands settling on his hips. Tension radiated from his body like a force field. “Nothing’s going on. I told you that shit wasn’t up for discussion.”
“Sorry. I just thought maybe you’d like to talk about it.”
“Not up for discussion kinda means, I don’t want to talk about it. Got it?” His voice was hard and he used it like a weapon. Accordingly, it hurt.
“Okay,” I said quietly.
Anger thinned his lips. “You know, Anne, you’re the last f*cking person who should be pushing me about anything. We had a deal, an understanding.”
Oh no, he did not. My chin jutted out. “And you’ve stuck to it so well.”
“What the f*ck is that supposed to mean?”
“I went to the party. I played my part.”
“Yeah? And?”
“And you spent the night trying to prove you’re the world’s greatest lover or something. There wasn’t anyone around to see some of those kisses, Mal. They were all about you proving you’re the shit because that’s what you decided to do.”
“They were about more than that.” A muscle popped in his jaw. It was kind of impressive and a little scary. But screw him.
“Where they?”
“’Course they f*cking were.”
I stared at him, a little taken aback. “Okay. I didn’t realize. But don’t rip my head off for crossing a few lines because I’m worried about you. I don’t like seeing you sad either.”
“F*ck,” he swore and his face stilled. He linked his hands behind his head, muttering some more expletives. Then he let out a long breath, never taking his gaze off of me. His mood had shifted, the anger gone from the air. Ever so gently he reached out and traced my swollen bottom lip. “Looks sore.”
“It’s okay.” My voice wavered.
“I overdid it. Sorry.”
I wilted, the anger seeping straight out of me. His eyes were sad again and this time, it was all about me. I had no defense for that. “If the worst thing to happen to me is that you think it’s fun to kiss me and lie to people about me being pregnant with your child, my life will probably be pretty sweet.”
His smile lacked commitment, there and gone in an instant.
“Mal, if you ever want to talk, I’m here.” I should probably have shut up but I couldn’t. “It’s okay.”
He looked away.
“To be honest, I’m not exactly great at sharing either.” My hands flexed and fisted, flexed and fisted, as if to demonstrate the point. Awkward as all hell, I hated feeling helpless. Why couldn’t he just spill so I could try and fix whatever was wrong already?
“Can we stop talking about this now?” he asked the wall.
“Sure.”
“Thanks.” He reached out, tugged on a strand of my hair. Then his hand slid around to the back of my neck and he drew me in against him. Damn, he smelled good. I got giddy. Maybe there was also a little relief over the argument ending, hard to tell which. With my cheek pressed to Mal’s chest, my brain malfunctioned. I wrapped my arms around his waist, getting a solid hold on him just in case he changed his mind and tried to peel me off of him.
“That was our first fight,” he mumbled.
“Yeah. I won.”
“Did not.”
“Did too.”
“Pfft. Okay.” His arms tightened around me. “I’ll give you that one. But only because you’re being so childish about it.”
“Thanks.”
He breathed out hard. “I don’t want to fight again.”
“No,” I agreed wholeheartedly.
“Is it safe to come out yet?” Lizzy asked, peeking around the kitchen door. She gave Mal a quick once-over and then realized what she was doing and looked away. I didn’t blame her, but I didn’t like it. Man, now I was getting jealous of my own sister. Ridiculous, especially given the man had an army of women after him. If I planned to hang out with a rock star I’d need to get used to this.
“Your sister and I have to go have make-up sex now. It’s very important for the long-term health of our relationship.” Mal started forcibly stepping us toward the spare room. “But you have a good breakfast and a very nice day. Just leave the dishes; I’ll take care of ’em later. It was lovely to meet you, Lizzy.”
“Mal, you’re strangling me.” Or that’s what I tried to say. With my face pressed up against his hard chest, it came out garbled. Most likely my words were completely unintelligible.
“What was that?” He loosened his octopus hold enough to allow me to take a good deep breath. Phew, oxygen, my dear old friend.
“Why don’t you put some clothes on? I’m going to help Lizzy cook breakfast,” I said.
Lizzy watched us with eyes popping out of her head. Fair enough, really. We’d apparently entered some alternative universe where Mal Ericson was all over me like a rash. How mind-bendingly breathtakingly amazing. I needed to make the most of this before he went on tour. Soak up all the memories I could.
“You’re the worst girlfriend I’ve ever had.” He pouted. It shouldn’t have been charming. But of course it was.
“Am I?”
“Yes. The very worst ever.”
“I’m the only girlfriend you’ve ever had.” Fake or not, it was the truth.
“Yeah, you are.” He held my face in his hands and covered it in kisses. Everywhere but my poor, sore lips. I don’t know what I’d done exactly to earn such an outpouring of affection, but I was profoundly grateful for it just the same. My heart up and keeled over; gave up the war. Hopefully my panties were made of sterner stuff. Given last night, I highly doubted it, however.
“We good?” he asked, lips brushing against my cheek.
“We’re great.”
“Okay.”
“Clothes, Mal.”
He laughed and wandered into the spare room, kicking the door shut behind him with some faux Fred Astaire dance move. The man was all class in his snug boxer briefs.
“I’ve never seen you smile like that.” Lizzy leaned her shoulder against the kitchen door, watching. “You look kind of stoned.”
“Ha. Yes, he has that effect.”
She had her careful face on. I rarely liked anything I heard when she had her mouth set like that. What with me being the older sibling, I didn’t see it often. But when I did, it was never good. “I um, I didn’t mean to hear what you guys were saying. But your apartment is pretty small.”
“I need you to not ask me any questions about this, please.”
“Just one.”
I agreed to nothing.
“Whatever is going on between you two, this deal you have, is it going to end up hurting you, Anne?”
I hung my head, scuffed the sole of my foot against the floor. My sister and I didn’t lie to each other. It was a rule. One we stuck to without fail. No matter the crap Mom peddled, Lizzy and I were always straight with one another. “I don’t know.”
“You think it’ll be worth it?”
“That’s two questions,” I said with a small smile.
“Call it an early Christmas present.”
“He’s great, Lizzy. He’s so great. I’ve never met anyone like him.”
She nodded slowly, dusted off her hands, and then squeezed them tight. More nervous traits we’d inherited from our crackpot of a mother. “It’s like he’s turned you back on. Getting away from home helped but … he’s found you again or something.”
“Found me? I’ve always been right here, Lizzy.”
“No, you’ve been gone a long time.”
I stared at the floor, lost for words.
“So, I thought you were inviting Reece to join us this morning.”
My mouth dropped open in surprise. Talk about a first time for everything. “Shit. I said I’d call him. I totally forgot.”
“Poor, Reece. You know, I think this is going to be character building for him.” Lizzy grinned then stopped and sniffed at the air. “Bacon’s burning!”
We rushed into the kitchen in time to see smoke rising out of the pan and blackened strips of bacon that had shriveled away to nothing. What a waste. I turned off the burner, emptying the remains of breakfast into the sink. Normally, the fridge would be full for our Sunday brunch. But this week I’d been too busy. “Never mind, we’ll have toast instead.”
“Sorry.”
“You two are coming to band practice, right? The guys won’t mind.” Mal walked into the kitchen, still zipping up a gray hoodie. The man belonged in a jeans ad he wore them so well. And I was still hanging out in my elegant sleepwear, unwashed, and with what had to be greasy hair. He peered at the charred mess in the sink. “Lemme guess, I’m taking you out for breakfast after all?”
“No, we’re having toast. You have practice today after that party?” I asked. The merriment of last night had lasted into the early hours. “That’s dedication.”
“Only four more days till the tour kicks off. Time’s a-wasting.” Mal paused. “And we’re going out. You can’t expect me to live on bread and water. You gotta feed your man better than that, woman.”
I did my best not to get weak at the words “your man” and thereby set the feminist movement back fifty years. Proximity to Mal was a dangerous thing. “Sounds great. Let me grab a quick shower.”
“Good idea. I’ll wash your back,” he said, following me into the living room.
“Why don’t you keep Lizzy company?”
“Why don’t I keep you company?” His voice dropped in volume. “I could clean that special place for you with my tongue. Promise I’ll do a good job.”
“Wow. That’s really sweet of you.” Oh, boy. I clutched at the bathroom door handle for support. “Two words for you, Mal. Fatal. Attraction.”
His smile was huge as he waved away my concerns. “Hello, I don’t even own a rabbit. And let’s face facts, you’re not that strong, pumpkin. I could easily disarm you if I needed to. We’ve been getting along so well. Come on, it’ll be fun.”
“Gah! Stop,” I whisper yelled at him. “I can’t tell if you’re serious or not. You’re hurting my head.”
He leaned down, getting in close. “Look at me; I am totally serious. You’re not drunky Anne today, you know what you’re doing, and I feel like f*cking. Let’s renegotiate. This agreement is no longer working for me. I wanna talk to my lawyer!”
“Oh, you feel like f*cking?”
“Well, yeah. I’m not used to going more than a day or two. It’s making me antsy.” He did a little jig on the spot to demonstrate. “I don’t like it. C’mon, Anne. Help a friend out. It’ll be good.”
“Hands down, that’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard. I can pretty much feel my legs just falling wide open for you right now.”
“What do you want, some bullshit about love?”
“No.” But maybe something terrible whispered deep inside of me. It needed to shut up.
“You want a song? No problem. I’ll ask Davie to write you one later.” He put a hand to either side of the bathroom doorway. “I know you wanted to go for it last night. But I wanted you sober. Now you are. I want you. You want me. Let’s f*ck.”
My heart went into overdrive, but I forced myself to calm down. “You’re right, I did want to last night. I still want to. But this is not the time, Mal. My sister is here.”
“I’ll come quick.” His brows bunched up. “Wait, I didn’t mean it like that. It’ll be fast but great. Anne, you might diss my kissing but I’m telling you now, my oral sex skills are off the chart. I know all about getting dirty down under. Let me show you, pretty please?”
“Mal …” I couldn’t even think what to say when he gave me pleading eyes. He had me bouncing between emotions as fast as he changed moods. Angry, horny, and amused all blended into one. “Lizzy is just in the kitchen. She can hear every word we’re saying.”
“We’ll shut the bathroom door, turn on the shower. With the water running she won’t hear a thing.”
“God, you confuse me. I don’t think my head has stopped spinning since you walked in the door.”
“You can be confused later. But come on my face now, please?”
Which is about the time I started panting. Horny was definitely winning the race. Fortunately my baggy T-shirt hid the worst of the hard nipple evidence. I pushed him back with a hand while I still had the strength. “We’ll talk about this later when we’re alone. Go bond with your supposed future sister-in-law. Please.”
“Fine.” His whole body drooped. “But you’re missing out big-time.”
“I don’t doubt it.”
“I might not even be in the mood later, Anne. You could completely miss out and that’d be it, life ruined.”
“I consider myself duly warned.”
“Last chance.” He rolled out his big pink tongue like a dog. Though that was probably being mean to dogs. In all likelihood, canines showed more discretion. “Thee? Iths really long.”
“Will you please put that away?” I laughed.
Instead he grabbed the back of my head, dragging the length of his warm, damp tongue up the side of my face. I froze against the onslaught. “You did not just do that.”
“It’s a sign of affection. You think I salivate on just anyone?”
“You … I can’t even.”
“There are women who would kill to have me licking their face. You do not even begin to appreciate just how lucky you are to have my spit. Now lick me back.” He pointed to his jaw, demandingly. “Anne, do it. Do it now, woman, before I get offended.”
I giggled, my whole body getting in on the act. Which was getting dangerous. “I need to go to the bathroom. Go away. Stop making me laugh.”
“I like making you laugh.”
“Yeah, well, me peeing my pants would be less cool. Go on.”
“Hold up.” He grabbed my wrist, his voice quieting. The way he could switch from clown to calm in an instant was nothing short of amazing. “One, that was too much information. Two, you and Lizzy coming to band practice with me?”
“You’re sure that’s okay?”
“Yes.”
“Then we’d love to.” I nodded. This had to be the most insanely perfect moment ever. Me with a full bladder and a full heart both at once. “We just have to make a phone call first, then we can go.”
“Good. Three, admit you lied about not liking my kisses last night.” His gaze held me fast.
No point denying it any longer; I liked him and I wanted him so much it hurt. The minute I had him all alone, it was on. His fingers were still wound around my wrist as I cupped his jaw. The scratch of his stubble against the palm of my hand and the warmth of his skin was divine. But it wasn’t enough. I needed to give something back. Some small part of the crazy, confusing, lusty joy he gave me. He held perfectly still while I reached up and pressed a careful kiss to his cheek. “You’re right, I lied.”
The tension lines around his mouth eased. “You did.”
“Yes. I’m sorry. You just kind of overwhelmed me and … anyway, you’re the best.”
He pumped his fists into the air. “I knew it! I’m the best.”
“You are.”
A simple statement of fact, but it lit up his eyes just the same. “Thanks, pumpkin.”
His smile … I had no words.