11. Chapter Ten
Chapter Ten
Leif
I find myself dodging Aliko, which is something I’ve never done before.
I’ve always wanted to be in his presence; talk to him or even just watch him.
But this week has been weird. Every time I’ve seen him, he’s giving me dirty looks—like something suddenly smells bad.
I know it’s not me. It’s certainly not him or any of the members he’s with…
At first, I’d wanted to talk to him and even hung around a little longer, maybe coming across as creepy, which could have been my first mistake.
He was always with one of the guys, so how would I get him to talk to me like that?
The only thing we should talk about are the drums, specifically his, and that doesn’t need to be a private conversation.
Even Cody noticed something is up. He’s too observant for my likings, but after he saw the weird look Aliko gave me in the cafeteria last week at the Indianapolis Arena, he’s commented on every one since.
He even went so far as to tell me he’s certain I’m getting fired, because Aliko Anson, the best drummer in the world, hates me.
I’m starting to agree.
But then we get to Atlanta and everything changes.
I’m working on his kit before the show, like I always do.
A few of the crew are on the stage, keeping busy and doing what they need, but it isn’t crowded. And I think that’s why he comes over to talk to me. Finally.
“Hey,” he says, almost tentatively.
I look up, knowing it’s him before I meet his eyes. I feel his presence; it’s bigger than he is.
“Hi,” I return as professionally as I can. It feels weird and wrong because I don’t think we’ve used that sort of greeting with each other at all. Usually it’s “how’s it going?” or “what’s up?”.
He glances at the crew further along on the stage before looking back at me and says, “Can we talk?”
I look at the crew next. No one is paying any attention to us. Why would they? This is exactly how we should be. Exactly what we should be doing.
“Okay,” I say as I tighten the stand for his floor toms.
I don’t want to give him my full attention because looking into his eyes feels like too much, knowing that he suddenly hates me, so I keep myself busy with the kit even though I’m sure it’s perfect. I was about to leave before he showed up anyway.
“I thought we had a good night,” he says.
“So did I,” I respond, sounding way too defensive.
“We did?” he asks.
I frown and meet his gaze. “Didn’t you just say we did?”
“Well, I think we did, but you’ve been acting like—”
“I’ve been acting like what, exactly? You’re the one who’s been acting weird.”
He shakes his head. “No. I’ve been normal. You have been avoiding me.”
“Because you’ve been giving me dirty looks.”
His eyes narrow, his mouth turning down into a frown again. He stares at me for a long moment, like he’s trying to figure out what to do.
“I’m very confused by this conversation,” he begins. “So, I’m just going to say exactly what I planned to say when I came over here.” I raise a brow and wait for it, because I’m confused too. “I enjoyed what we did, and if my monster form bothers you—”
“What?” I snap so loudly that two of the other guys look over. I flip them the middle finger and smile, hoping that’ll throw them off and make them mind their own business. They turn away but I can’t be sure they aren’t focusing on us now.
I get up and move closer to Aliko so I can lower my voice. “What the fuck gave you that impression?” I hiss under my breath.
I’m angry about this, but not at him. What did I do to make him think this?
“Uh…” he says, scratching the back of his neck. “A few things.”
“Care to be more specific?”
“You made comments…” Suddenly, he doesn’t sound sure of himself.
“What kind of comments?”
“About people not seeing us together.”
“Because of work, Aliko,” I say, trying not to sound annoyed at him. “It had nothing to do with you.”
“When I came down here before the show on Saturday, I was like this.” He gestures at his body. “And you were acting different.”
I huff a humorless laugh. “No shit,” I say. “Do you want everyone to know what we did?”
Recognition flares in his eyes. “What about over this last week? You kept looking at me like—”
My hand itches to reach out and touch him, to console him. He doesn’t finish his sentence, but he doesn’t have to. I know what he’s going to say.
“Clearly we’re both mistaken,” I say instead, because why are we having this conversation?
Does it matter that we both thought the other was mad?
Or giving dirty looks? No, what matters is setting this straight and moving forward.
I take a step closer to him, and now I’m standing so close that this could have people questioning us.
But I could just say we’re telling secrets.
“I promise you, Aliko, that there isn’t a single part of me that is put off by this,” I say, emphasizing the this so he understands what I mean.
“Really?”
“Really.” I nod. “I understand why you went out that day in your human form, but I wasn’t disappointed to get you like that.”
“You weren’t?”
“Fuck no.”
“So, you’re not disgusted by my monster?”
“Fuck,” I hiss under my breath. “That is the last thing I feel about your monster, Aliko.”
He grins like he just won Drummer of the Year—which he probably will.
“If you’re not busy after the show, I can show you just how much,” I say.
His eyes widen before the blue of his eyes darkens, and his face turns more serious. Lustful.
“I’m not busy.”
“Good, because neither am I.” I smirk. “Your room or mine?”
He looks like he’s trying to figure that out but is having a hard time, so I do it for him.
“How about yours again? I bet it’s nicer than mine.”
“Okay,” he breathes out.
“I’ll meet you there.” I wink, then walk away, feeling better than I have all week.
The show, of course, is fucking explosive.
This crowd’s energy is so different from the last show.
They screamed louder. They jumped harder.
They shouted all the lyrics without missing a beat—even when we had a small malfunction with the speakers and Lucien’s wasn’t working.
It was a quick thing, we fixed it immediately, but hearing that crowd continue on like they were the ones who wrote it was magical.
I can’t get Aliko’s kit put away for the night fast enough. He and the guys are long gone, doing their meet and greets, and I’m pouting because people are getting to touch him right now while I’m not.
How the hell did he think I was disgusted by his monster? How could he ever think I wouldn’t like him like that?
I guess I never said it. This is new. And maybe we both were acting a little weird that Saturday evening because it was new, and we didn’t know how else to act.
I laugh to myself at how ridiculous this entire thing was. All week I’ve been worried about him hating me and wanting to fire me, and it was just a misunderstanding.
But I also can’t stop thinking about how I’m going to show him how much I don’t hate his monster. In fact, I’m very curious and turned on by it—by him.
I keep myself busy helping the other guys while the band finishes up their meet and greets. Though I don’t make it obvious or linger for long, I keep checking to see how long the line is and guess how much it’ll be before I get Aliko all to myself.
After what feels like an entire year, the fans are gone, the guys are heading to their dressing rooms, and I’m feeling brave.
When the hallway is clear, I hurry over to Aliko’s door and knock quickly. He pulls the door open, looking confused, before I push inside and close the door behind me, pressing my back to it.
“What are you doing?” he asks.
“I’m impatient,” I say, biting my bottom lip.
He smirks, but then his gaze goes downward. “There is no lock on this door.”
“Hmm,” I say, reaching for him. I hook my fingers into his waistband and pull him toward me, which I know I couldn’t do if he didn’t want me to. “How much do you weigh? And I don’t mean that offensively in any way.”
He just shrugs as he settles in front of me.
“Can I touch you everywhere?” I ask as I look up at him.
He nods, his jaw set.
“Nothing is off limits?” I ask with a raised brow. “Not even these?” I run the backs of my fingers down a tentacle, avoiding the suckers. He shivers and something close to a whimper leaves his lips. “Sensitive?”
“No, not even those, and yes. But I didn’t know that until just now.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve heard stories of male tentacles and arms becoming sensitive when producing eggs b—”
“Eggs?” I interrupt. “What do you mean eggs?”
He nods. “Males produce eggs to implant into the females. That is how baby kraken are born.”
I look him up and down. “You can produce eggs?”
All his arms lift an inch then drop down. “I do not know if I can do that in this form, but in my true form, yes.”
Narrowing my eyes, I glance at his arms. “But if they’re sensitive, then it’s possible, right?”
“Yes.”
I hum a happy sound, then ask, “Tell me more about kraken mating.” I drag my fingers slowly back and forth across his skin.
He’s cooler in this form, colder to the touch than a normal human, but not by much.
Like someone who’s been standing in a chilly wind for a short time—or who has just come out of the ocean.
He doesn’t feel scaly or slimy, or like anything resembling a fish.
He’s as smooth as any other person’s skin that I’ve felt.
“When the females go into heat,” he begins, his voice calm and even. “The males can scent her. Those that are attracted to the scent will go to her.”
“So, there are many? Not just one?” I keep running my fingers along the skin of his lower belly, not too far from where his cock begins, if I had to guess. I know he has one in this form. I’ve seen the outline of it more than once.
“Many will try, but only the one who gives her the egg that is accepted is the mate who stays.”
“So, they just keep stuffing her with eggs?”
“They take turns inserting them. After a few hours or up to a day you will know if it will be rejected. They do this until one takes.”
“And where do these eggs come from? How big are they?”
A tentacle on his right side comes over to me, looking like it’s floating because it’s so long, and how does someone have control over something like that? It hovers in front of me, turned up so the suckers on the end are facing me.
“There is a hole here,” he says, pointing with his human finger. “Between them.”
I look closer. “I see it. Not very big.”
I pull my fingers from his pants, then drag them along the outside, moving around his dick but never touching it. I feel his pants tighten. He’s getting hard for me.
“The eggs are not very big,” he adds. “Roughly the size of an avocado and shaped similarly.”
“Small for kraken. Aren’t they supposedly huge?”
“Once the egg is implanted it starts growing immediately.”
“Hmm,” I hum. “Sounds fun.”
“Fun?”
I shrug now. “Yes, fun. Have you ever been with a female kraken?”
He shakes his head. “I don’t like females.”
“Wh—” There’s a knock on the door and someone calls Aliko’s name. Our eyes widen, and I look around the room for somewhere to hide. I leap over the couch, crouch behind it, and hold my breath.
I hear the door open.
My heart pounds in my chest.
What happens if I get caught?
Maybe we could have given an excuse about talking about something to do with the show had I not hidden behind the couch. But if someone finds me hiding, well, that just makes things really obvious.
Shit. Maybe I shouldn’t have done this.
“You wanna grab some food?” Kael asks.
I recognize all their voices. I talk to them enough.
“Nah, I’m tired. Just gonna go to bed.”
There’s a slight pause.
“You sure?”
“You know going out isn’t my thing. Did you ask Lucien?”
“Yeah, he’s coming.”
“Maybe next time.”
“Yeah, okay. Great show tonight.”
“You too.” I hear the smile in his voice and then the door closes.
I let out the breath I was holding slowly and look up when I see Aliko looking down at me. I can’t help but smile because this is ridiculous.
His smile slowly fades though, turning into some sort of heated stare. My stomach warms, and then I feel something on my leg. I look down to find one of his arms snaking beneath my calf and circling up the other side to come around my thigh.
Looking back up at him, I grin. “Eager?”
“Yes. Now let’s go before we get caught.”
He pulls his arm back and I stand, moving around the couch. With my hand on the handle, I turn back to face him.
“You know, wanting to keep this quiet has nothing to do with how attracted I am to you, right?” He nods.
“It’s not about not wanting people to know out of embarrassment, Aliko.
It’s just because it’s easier.” He nods again, but it feels like something is still off.
I let it go though, because I don’t want to ruin this night.
We have some making up to do and make-up sex, in my opinion, is always so much fun.