Page 73 of The Devil's Tattoo
“Shut up, hot legs,” Dee said, looking over my shoulder. “If you don’t want it, I’llhaveit.”
I elbowed him in the gut. “Handsoff.”
Will watched me closely as I trailed my fingers along the strings. “Yeah?” heasked.
“Yeah,” I whispered, closing the case so I could thank him in style. Everyone seemed pleased with my reaction and cheered one more time before getting the hint and falling into theirseats.
Will trailed a finger along my jaw, pushing mychinup.
“You weren’t talking about leads, were you?” I whispered againsthislips.
“Nope.” I saw the sparkle in his eyes and the curve inhislips.
“Will.”
“I sent Dean back to get it while Idistractedyou.”
“You spent all that moneyonme?”
“Not all of it,” he admitted. “Everyone pitched in what they could, so it’s not justfromme.”
“Well, I love it allthesame.”
“Good,” he said. “I like seeing yousmile.”
Despite myself, I was beginning to like this birthdaybusiness.
“You know how hard it’s been trying to hide itfromyou?”
“I don’t think it would have been that hard,” I replied, sitting inaseat.
“What makes yousaythat?”
“I’ve been otherwise engaged.” I wiggled my eyebrows at him as he slid into the seat nexttomine.
I leaned my back against the window, and he pulled my legs over his lap, running his hand along my inner thigh, sending sparks into all the rightplaces.
“We won’t always be on tour together,” I said, letting my legs fall open slightly so he could movehigher.
“No, but we knew that before thisstarted.”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t mean Ilikeit.”
His fingers crept underneath the hem of my shorts. “Let’s just enjoy these last few days before we have to go back toreality.”
“Fine with me,” I whispered as he pressed higher. “But it’s still a G-ratedbus.”
Without warning, he slipped a finger inside me, and I had to stifle a gasp. “Happybirthday,Zoe.”
* * *
When I was a kid,my parents would always take me on long drives across the countryside, to the beach, and to random little towns on all theseadventures.
I’d loved to look out the window and see everything we passed. The forests of gum trees and ferns, rolling hills and paddocks full of cattle, and that first glimpse of the ocean as we rolled over the hill. For most of our trips on the bus between tour stops, I’d done the same. It gave me a sense of where we were and where we were going. I didn’t like the feeling of being lost on the highway, so my eyes were always ontheroad.
But today, my eyes were on Will as he lounged on the seats across the aisle from mine, his back against the window and his eyes closed. He looked peaceful even though the way he slept seemed awkward, and it gave me a chance to study him without himknowingit.
My back was against the window, hoodie over my head, sunglasses on, and knees up and against the back of the seat. If he opened his eyes now, it would look as if I were sleeping, too. My thoughts wandered to the most obviousplace.
