Chapter 48
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
Berk
“Slow,” I bite the word out between groans. “Slow down.”
It’s not a command. It’s more a plea.
Astrid is on top of me. Her hair is a wispy tangled mess around her face.
She’s two orgasms ahead of me, but I don’t fucking care.
I will always put her pleasure before mine. For the first time in my life, I yearn for the release of a woman more than my own.
She grinds herself against me, taking my cock even deeper. Her eyes widen as she finally looks at my face. Her lips part but the only thing that falls from them is a breathy moan.
“Fuck me good,” I say quietly. “You fuck me so good.”
She nods her head as her eyelids close again.
I hold her waist in my hands and spear up and into her trying to set a pace that won’t send me careening over the edge right now.
I need her to come first.
Her hand drops to her pussy. With a slight whisper of her fingers against my skin, she hones her focus on herself.
I glance down to see her touching herself.
Her index finger circles her clit again and again.
“That’s so fucking hot,” I choke the words out around a groan. “Don’t stop.”
She throws her head back on a moan and fucks me into the most intense orgasm I’ve ever had.
“You’ve always been beautiful,” I say to Astrid as she walks into the living room of her apartment wearing a short silk robe.
A muted chuckle escapes her. “You’re snooping.”
Guilty as charged.
We woke up at the same time, and after I ate her to an orgasm, she curled herself around me and started humming.
That turned into a full-on mini concert of a trio of songs I’ve never heard her sing before.
I held her as she softly sang, knowing that even though none of those love songs were about me, I’ll be her muse for the next one.
At least I hope to hell I’ll be.
I’m in love with her.
Her gaze skims over my almost naked frame. I’m only wearing my boxer briefs. I have every intention of carrying her back to bed before I take off in the morning.
“Your mother looked a lot like you.” I glance down at a photograph of the two of them in Vinyl Crush. “I can see the love in this picture.”
That lures her closer to me. “It’s my favorite picture of the two of us.”
Yet, it’s tucked away in an album and not hung on a wall.
I can relate to that. After Layna’s death, I took down most of the pictures of her in our home because they were a constant reminder to my daughter of what she had lost.
Time spent with a therapist from her school and hours of discussions about her mom helped enough that a year and a half ago, Stevie requested a framed picture of Layna for her room.
I let her choose the one she wanted.
I added another to the living room of Layna holding our daughter the day after she was born.
I look up from the photo album again just as Astrid settles on the couch next to me. Her left hand lands on my thigh.
My body’s response to her touch is instantaneous. I harden, but I won’t let my cock drive us back to the bedroom. I want to know more about the woman I love.
Tapping my finger on the photo of Astrid and her mom in Vinyl Crush, I glance at her. “Your mom had a tattoo too.”
She smiles. “She did.”
I lean down to get a better look at her mom’s arm in the photograph. “It looks like a key with a red line running through it.”
“It is,” she says softly. “It’s the logo of a record company in Los Angeles.”
I laugh. “Keyline Music Group, right? How did I not realize that when I looked at the picture?”
Keyline is one of the oldest and most successful labels in the country.
I wasn’t a big music guy until I met Astrid, but I’ve heard of them. They’ve produced music for some Grammy winners over the years.
“My mom’s dream was to land a contract with them,” she explains. “She got the tattoo after Sweet Night Sky hit it big. An executive from Keyline reached out to her.”
I perk a brow. “Really?”
Her gaze locks on mine. “They were close to signing a deal, but it fell through. My mom took it hard.”
I hear the sorrow in Astrid’s voice. I see it swimming in her eyes.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I offer because I don’t know what words would comfort her right now.
She sighs. “A few days before she died, I promised my mom that if I ever got a chance to sign with them, I’d do it. I’d accept all their terms, and jump headfirst into it.”
I get that. It’s impossible not to agree to a promise when it’s coming from someone about to take their last breath.
I watch as a single tear slides down Astrid’s cheek.
I reach up to wipe it away. “You are an incredible woman. Your mom would be very proud of you.”
She nods before her gaze drops to the bird tattoo. “I can make her dream come true, Berk.”
I don’t follow, so I ask the question that is perched on my tongue. “What?”
She looks into my eyes again. “That call I got earlier was from Eloise. She wanted me to check my socials, so when you were tucking Stevie into bed, I did.”
“Why did she want you to check?”
She swallows hard. “The owner of Keyline saw a video online of me performing. She sent me a message to call her first thing in the morning. I think there’s a good chance that she wants to sign me.”
I take her in my arms. “Fuck, Astrid. This is fucking amazing.”
She clings tightly to me as she whispers in my ear. “It feels surreal.”
“The world is finally going to hear what I hear,” I tell her as I feather kisses over her cheek. “You’re about to be a star. You’re going to be a goddamn superstar.”