Gus does sex only and I don’t fuck musicians?
Isn’t that the promise we made to each other?
I slip on Ethan’s white tee and it hits my mid-thighs—only a little longer than that goddamn dress after Ethan ripped it. I didn’t bring any shorts into the bathroom with me. Why didn’t I bring in shorts?
I twirl around to go back out into Ethan’s room to find some.
But that’s when Gus steps into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.
Chapter Nine
Gus
* * *
I have no idea what came over me. Why, when I saw her downstairs, I stood back and watched her. I watched as Ethan ripped up her dress, and she mouthed off to him. I watched as that girl doused her with white wine.
I watched her when I shouldn’t have.
And now, now I shouldn’t be up here in Ethan’s bedroom, watching her walk into the bathroom to change.
I clutch the bottle of champagne in my hand while debating turning around and walking out. Instead, I suck in a deep breath and move toward the closed bathroom door.
I won’t touch her. I won’t. I won’t. I won’t.
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch sight of something unexpected in Ethan’s bedroom and pick that up, bringing it with me. I tap lightly on the door, but she doesn’t answer, so I turn the knob carefully, using the hand holding the flutes to do so.
Naomi is standing in front of the large double vanity wearing a white undershirt and nothing else. I mean, I’m sure she has on panties and a bra. And I realize this shirt actually hits her thighs a little longer than the dress did, but her wearing this shirt feels so different than her wearing that dress.
I can’t even explain what it is. But damn…it’s so sexy I can hardly breathe.
I set the bottle and glasses on the counter and she catches my reflection in the mirror before scrolling down to the newly acquired item in my hand. “What are we going to do with that?”
“Play it.”
She snorts out a laugh, rolling her eyes. “I assumed that. But why?”
“Because I want to play while we sit in Ethan’s mammoth bathtub drinking his expensive champagne.”
And if I’m busy playing, I’ll keep my promise to her. And to myself. It’s that simple.
I could let her go home and I could stay here. I could push all this crazy chemistry between us away. Lock it up and throw away the fucking key. That’s the smart thing to do.
But the simple truth is, I want to spend more time with her.
So here we are.
“Hop on in the tub, beautiful. Let’s have our own party.”
“Beautiful?” I shrug my shoulder, trying not to follow her with my eyes as she heads over to the bathtub, swinging one long leg over and then the other before she sinks in. “Is that my new nickname? Wow,” she looks around, touching the tub. “This thing could fit a dozen people in it.”
“Beautiful is better than babe, right?”
Her deep blue eyes cast up to mine and she smiles. “Anything is better than babe.” I laugh at that. It never bothered Vi when I called her babe, but maybe that’s a southern, country, high school thing. Then again, I shouldn’t call Naomi anything I ever called Vi, now should I?
I release the cork on the champagne with a loud pop, grateful that it didn’t suds over the way it does in the movies. I pour us each a healthy glass, handing them both to her so I can join her in the tub with the guitar.
“Cheers,” I say, taking my glass back and clinking it against hers.
“Cheers.”
I take a sip and swallow down the dry bubbly stuff. Champagne is far from my favorite, but I can tell Naomi likes it by the way she smiles and licks her lips.
“What are you going to play for me?”
She slinks down the side of the white tub, stretching her legs all the way out until her feet rest beside my hip. I stretch out mine too, but even though this tub is huge, as Naomi said, my feet press into the opposite side and my knees are still a little bent. She laughs lightly at that.
“That’s what you get for being giant-sized.”
I raise an eyebrow at that, and she groans. “Jesus. Not everything is an innuendo.”
“I know. I just like the way you blush a little when I tease you. And I’m not giant-sized.”
“Compared to me you are.”
I nod my head, conceding that point. I take another sip and set the flute down on the floor of the tub, strumming the guitar and tuning it a little as I do. And once it’s the way I like, I set my fingers on the frets and begin to play only to hear Naomi gasp.
I grin, peeking up and meeting her eyes.
“That’s my song.”
“It is. Wanna sing it for me?”
She sinks her teeth into her bottom lip, debating this while I continue to play, slowing it down a little, hoping she’ll join in. “How do you know this song?”
“Everyone knows this song.” She rolls her eyes at me and I chuckle. “I’ve been listening to your albums a bit.”
“This is from my first one. I wrote it when I was like twelve.”
“Don’t say it like that. Like that’s a bad thing. Jasper wrote our entire first album about Viola, and some of those songs were written when we were just kids.”
She shakes her head, taking another sip. “Wow. I had no idea.” She eyes me warily and I grin. “It doesn’t bother me, Naomi. You can ask me anything you’re curious about.”
I continue to play, watching her while she watches me play. She’s been avoiding my eyes since I sat in this tub with her and I understand why. The sides of our bodies are practically pressed together despite facing in opposite directions. It smells like her perfume in this tub, the warmth of her skin clinging to mine, even through my clothes, and I’d be lying if I said my mind wasn’t everywhere with this girl.
“Does it hurt to watch them together?”
I shake my head. “No. I like watching them together.”
Her head tilts, her eyebrows knitting together. “But you love her.”
“I’ll always love her. She’s part of my blood. I love Jasper too. And they’re it for each other. I guess you could say my feelings for Viola are complicated, but I honestly don’t know how to explain it, to have it make sense.”
“Wooh. And I thought my shit was a mess.” She laughs. “How old were you when you first started playing?”
“Our parents bought both Jas and I guitars when we were six, I think. We didn’t have a lot in common, though we always got along. But Jasper and I are very different, and I think our parents were looking for a common bond since sports and poetry certainly weren’t it. Anyway, it worked. He and I would jam for hours together. What about you?”
She cocks an eyebrow, giving me a sarcastic look paired with a sweet smile. “My first memory is of playing the piano for my parents. I think I just pounded a lot on the keys, but I was really little. Like three. I’ve been playing music forever. It’s just what we did. I never went to school. I always had tutors following us around, because we traveled so much. One of my mother’s favorite things was to bring me out on stage with her during her encore and sing with me.”