Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
Malik
“Stop fidgeting.” Spencer took my hand in his. “I know this is a big deal. They’re also just regular guys.”
“They’re freaking Grindstone.”
“Again, they’re just regular people. Perhaps extraordinary musicians—like you all are—but ordinary people like yourselves.”
He squeezed my hand.
I squeezed back—twice as hard.
He winced.
I tried to let go.
He covered my hand with both of his.
We sat in my formal living room because this room was closer to the front door. We’d gone back and forth with Pauletta about the best place to meet the band. My place wound up being the most logical. Razor Made was comfortable here. Pauletta and Mickey had already visited.
Mickey, Kato, and Lydia were already set up in the family room where the official greeting was to take place.
I wasn’t certain about this all being recorded, but a long conversation with Mickey and Thornton Graves convinced me.
Thornton was the executive producer while Mickey would be the director on this project.
Kato and Lydia were thrilled to be heading to Greece.
This all overwhelmed.
A knock came at the door.
Pauletta.
She would’ve been able to see us through the front window and, more importantly, I might’ve told her how much the doorbell drove me nuts. I really needed to change it, but that was just one more thing on the list of things needing to be done.
Spencer released my hand, caught my gaze, then nodded. He rose and strode to the front door.
I followed behind. At a distance.
He’d moved in just before Christmas. Here we were, December thirtieth, and he’d already made himself at home. With my blessing, of course.
Moses was hanging out in my bedroom. We’d put a litter box for him in my ensuite bathroom, so he had everything he needed. When we didn’t have guests, he wandered our house with perfect ease.
Our.
“Come on in.” Spencer spoke clearly. “You’re most welcome here. Why don’t you put your coats in the front hall closet? Plenty of hangers.”
“Appreciated.” Pauletta’s voice rang out—also clearly.
I moved toward the entryway to find all of Grindstone, as well as Pauletta, Thornton Graves, and Hugo Threadgold removing their coats.
The snow from the twenty-first had continued for a while.
We’d been almost snowed in. Residents of Cedar Valley and into the interior of the province had been hit far more than us.
Melting had begun, but then the snow had returned yesterday with a vengeance, so I was grateful everyone was removing their boots as well.
Axel, the lead singer, was the first to hang up his coat and slip off his boots. He caught sight of me and grinned. “Man, this is so cool.” He stepped forward with his hand extended.
I shook it. I hope he doesn’t feel how sweaty and clammy my hand is.
Axel was the tallest of the bunch, followed by Thornton, Pauletta, and Hugo.
Ed, the guitar player was shorter. Songbird, the keyboard player was next, followed by Meg, the drummer.
Big Mac, the bassist, was the shortest of the bunch.
He wrapped his arm protectively around Meg, who had the tiniest baby bump.
The Indigenous woman was stunning and practically glowed.
The color might’ve come from being out in the cold, or just that glow some pregnant women got.
Songbird was South Korean, while Pauletta, Axel, and Ed were Black. I was looking at a multicultural group and, frankly, that put me at ease. Just like having Creed in the band, with his Indian heritage, assisted a lot. I shouldn’t feel that way—but I did.
Ed stepped forward next. “Thanks for hosting us. None of us has a place this elegant.”
Thornton, his husband, came alongside him. “Ed and I are buying a new place in Vancouver. But we won’t be closing on the place for a bit.” His eyes shone. Amber? Whiskey? Truly unique, that was for certain.
After I’d shaken hands and introduced myself to the rest of the band, Spencer stepped forward. “Why don’t we head into the family room. A bit cozier.”
Axel grinned. “I hear you make a mean hot chocolate.”
I was able to smile back. “I do. Pretty boring.”
The singer linked arms with me. “I suspect you’ve got a decked-out kitchen.”
Hugo laughed. “Unlike our tiny one.”
Axel shrugged. “We’re simple guys. A small kitchen suits us.”
“Until they add kids.” Songbird breezed past everyone and headed toward the direction Spencer had indicated.
Hugo started coughing.
Axel laughed. “Oh sweetheart, you so stepped into that one.”
I assumed this had something to do with whether or not Axel and Hugo were going to have children.
“He loves his students. In a professional way,” Axel was quick to clarify. “And I’m all over the place. ADHD and all that.”
I wasn’t certain whether or not someone who had ADHD should be a determining factor about having children, but I respected the fact he knew himself so well. He allowed me to guide us to the family room. “Do you want to come to the kitchen while I make the hot chocolate?”
“Once I’ve met Freddie, Reese, and Creed? You bet.”
And so it went. Everyone shook everyone’s hand.
I encouraged Spencer to mingle with the group while Axel and I headed to the kitchen area.
What I really hoped was my boyfriend might get a sense of what being engaged or married to a rock star entailed.
Hugo and Thornton might be good for Spencer as the two men were clearly rooted in reality and not starry-eyed with their mates.
Just about everyone was willing to try my hot chocolate, so I poured enough to fill the saucepan.
“How are you handing things?” Axel retrieved fifteen mugs. That included enough for the film crew if they chose to take a break.
I eyed the saucepan and figured we’d need more. I grabbed a second pan and put that on another burner.
“Sorry, man. I’m making you do a lot of work.” He slid onto a bar stool at the island.
“I don’t mind. Making hot chocolate soothes me.
Even if it’s for a large group of people.
” I found two wooden spoons so I could stir.
“What do you mean when you ask me how I’m handling things?
” I was aware Lydia the videographer and Kato the sound engineer had slipped into the kitchen.
Laughter filtered through from the family room on the other side of this massive space.
In the fraction of a moment, I swore I caught Spencer’s deep, resonant laugh.
“Well, heading to Europe.”
I handed Axel the chocolate powder I used when making a large batch.
Much as I would’ve loved to melt Swiss chocolate, I didn’t have the time or patience for that tonight.
“Did I plan on heading out of the country in the new year and being away for more than seven months?” I chuckled.
“That would be a no. Would I be crazy to pass up the opportunity? That would be a yes. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow. I’m going to miss my home—”
“And Spencer.”
“—and Spencer.” I met his gaze. “But he’s fully supportive. He wouldn’t be the man I loved if he wasn’t. I guess we’ll find out if the adage absence makes the heart grow fonder is actually true or not.” I continued to stir the milk.
“We’re going on tour. Thornton has a documentary he’s working on, and Hugo has his teaching. Ed and I are going to be without our significant others for a bit.”
I cocked my head—indicating I was listening without speaking. Because, frankly, I wasn’t certain what the correct response would be.
“You’ll be without Spencer. And you’re just beginning your relationship. I have that correct, right?”
I didn’t ask how he knew. “Yeah, we met when I chained myself to the Lion’s Gate Bridge.”
“Which was pretty badassed.”
“Which could have gotten me charged and barred from entering the US.”
“Oh shit.” Axel’s face distorted in panic—as if he hadn’t thought of that before.
“Right. Arrested and charged would mean no Rocktoberfest.”
“Ouch. You’ve submitted a demo, right? An audition tape?”
I nodded. “We’ll follow it up with something we record at Keriakos Studios. I don’t know if the organizers will be willing to take a chance on a newbie band.”
“We were new.” Axel winked.
“A ten-year overnight success.” I chuckled. The milk was boiling, so I turned down the heat.
Axel brought me the mugs one-by-one, and I poured the hot milk into them. Then he stirred each one.
“Grab the whipped cream from the fridge?” I’d finished pouring the milk—with just a smidge left—and I grabbed the marshmallows.
“Whipped cream and marshmallows?” Axel’s eyes widened.
I chuckled. “However you would like.”
“Yo, folks!” He turned toward the family room. “Hot chocolate! With whipped cream and marshmallows.”
Hugo was the first to arrive. He shook his head as Axel filled his mug to the brim with the whipped cream. “All that extra sugar.”
Axel swiped his index finger in the whipped cream and appeared to be aiming for Hugo’s nose.
The man deftly caught it. “No, thanks.” He sucked the whipped cream off Axel’s finger.
The rock star gave him this dreamy smile.
Spencer started handing everyone their mugs.
Whereas I thought we might go back into the family room—where we’d be way more comfortable—we didn’t. Meg, with Big Mac’s assistance, slid onto a stool. Reese took one, Freddie a third, and Songbird the final one. We stood around, after having doctored our drinks and just…shot the shit.
About an hour later, after we’d exhausted tons of topics, everyone headed out.
Lydia, Kato, and Mickey were the last to leave since they had to take down all the equipment.
Funny how I’d forgotten they were there.
I hadn’t thought I would but, in the end, I was too wrapped up in all the anecdotes and advice Grindstone had to offer.
Spencer kissed my temple after I’d locked the front door.
I sagged against him. “How did I survive that?”
“With great ease. And hey, Pauletta helped us with the cleanup while the crew put their equipment away, so we can head right to bed.”
“I gotta piss first. Two hot chocolates? That’s enough caffeine to keep me wired.”
“At least you didn’t add half a can of whipped cream. Hugo said something about Axel bouncing off the walls.” Spencer took my hand, shut off the lights, and guided me up the grand staircase.
“I wondered about a student getting together with his teacher. The fact there was nothing between them back then, and ten years have passed…that’s reassuring, right?”
“Yep.” He directed me toward my bedroom. “I’ll clean up in the spare bathroom and meet you in bed.”
My bathroom only had one sink, and although I didn’t mind intimate quarters, Spencer still liked a bit of privacy—probably a hangover from the years of living in a one-bedroom apartment with his parents.
He valued space. It didn’t always have to be physical, although sometimes it was.
Most of the time, he needed room to breathe.
To think. I was happy to give him that space.
Fifteen minutes later, we were cuddled in bed.
I’d gently coaxed Moses into his covered cat bed.
He’d leapt out, darted through my open bedroom door, and headed out to do God knew what. I didn’t have mice, so I wasn’t too concerned about what mischief he might get up to. He seemed like a pretty smart guy, and I’d lay good money he’d be curled around our heads come morning.
“You really don’t mind having a cat? He’s a handful.”
“I’ve often thought about getting a dog. Might not be fair to them though, you know? What with me touring.”
“There are dog babysitters. Heck, you’ve now got me.”
But for how long? He’d rented his condo to a UBC student for the winter semester.
Since I was going to be in Greece, and he was here, it only made sense to have someone in his place.
He’d met her through TLIO, so he trusted her.
This way, he didn’t have to go back and forth between the two places.
He could settle in here and hopefully, be comfortable.
He pressed his erection against my ass.
I wriggled backward.
He groaned. “You’re not too tired?”
“To fuck you? Oh, hell no.”
“Fair enough.”
We always slept in the buff. We’d also both been tested and had ditched the condoms as well.
He nuzzled my neck.
I reached behind to grasp his thigh. “How do you want it?”
“Me on my back. I want to see your face.”
“Well, conveniently that happens to be my favorite position as well.” He pressed a kiss to my shoulder blade, then rolled onto his back. He stretched to grab the bottle of lube—which he always kept at hand. He was a horny guy.
Oh, who the fuck was I kidding? I was just as randy.
Anytime. Anywhere. He had only to crook his finger, and I’d grow hard with wanting him.
We’d christened a few pieces of furniture in the house—always being careful about cum stains, of course.
But he was helping me feel less like I was living here on someone else’s good graces, and more like this was my home.
It had been, for my entire life, but for the first time I felt comfortable in the space.
Moses and Spencer made the place more of a home and less of a showpiece.
I rolled over and found my lover preparing himself. Sometimes he was okay with me doing this part. When he was in a hurry, he’d just do the prep. I smiled as he spread his legs and handed me the lube.
After coating myself, I took a position between his legs.
He nodded.
I pressed in.
He breathed through the discomfort as he continued to hold my gaze.
“Hard and fast, okay? I’m ready to blow.”
I grinned. “Blow away. I’m still going to fuck you through it.” Nothing I loved more than for him to come first and for me to coax him through the orgasm as I sought my own.
Still, as I teetered on the edge, giving in came easily. I pounded into him, thrusting over and over again. His gaze never left mine as he pulled his lower lip through his teeth.
“Come on, Spencer, baby, give in. Go over, okay? I’ve got you.” On those words I snapped my hips and buried myself as deeply as I could into him.
With a cry, he came.
Cum spurted out from his cock, hitting both our chests.
Damn, without even being touched. Pretty impressive.
He always put everything he had into our lovemaking and, as I tumbled over the edge with him, I soared high above.
I took in the two of us, clinging together, and hoped it would always be like this.
That he’d never let me go. That I’d be with him, by his side, forever.