Page 84 of Cadence
And I’ve been chasing that feeling ever since.
I glance down at my notebook in my hands and smirk. Even our comments feel different now, just like everything else.
Maybe if you spent more time focusing on your lyrics and not on me, you’d write something half decent.
Careful. That smart mouth will get you in trouble.
You liked this smart mouth last night.
“Are you joining us or not?” Eli asks from the sofa, sprawled out with his head propped up on Beau’s arm.
An old movie’s paused on the mounted TV, something we’ve all seen before, as I set my notebook down, heading over to join them. Paige tracks me with her eyes as I drop to the floor in front of the seat she’s on, curled up under a blanket, her head resting on the pillow.
I settle back against it, my shoulders brushing the side of her calf where her legs are bent. It’s casual, unnoticeable by the guys across from us, and I feel her tense for half a second before she shifts closer.
“Okay, I’m here, you can press play,” I grumble, leaning an arm on my leg as Eli resumes the movie.
We’ve barely made it through the first scene when something warm ghosts along the nape of my neck, featherlight, almost not there at all. Paige’s fingers sneak past the hem of the blanket, trailing just under my collar, making me shiver.
I sit there, impossibly still, my cock growing in my sweatpants as she draws lazy patterns on my skin for what feels like hours, tracing the edge of my hairline, dipping under my shirt.
A low chuckle from the sofa has her jerking her hand away as Beau says something to Eli, their voices muffled by the sound of the TV.
I shift slightly, letting my arm rest behind me, my hand dipping under the blanket enough to graze the side of her ankle. Her fingers return, the both of us sitting like this, tethered, pretending nothing’s happening, while underneath, I’m burning.
Something vibrates near my head, and Paige jumps, rummaging around next to her and pulling out her phone. Laughing under her breath, her thumbs type out a reply, before setting it aside again.
“Everything okay?” I whisper, cringing as soon as the words are out. “Sorry, wasn’t meaning to be nosy.”
“It’s fine. It’s just my best friend,” she says, idly returning to play with the ends of my hair. “She’s going to come see us play when we get to New York.”
“Alright,” Beau says just as the credits roll up. “I’m beat.”
“Yeah, me too,” Eli agrees, stretching with a loud yawn. “You coming?”
Sliding my hand out from under Paige’s blanket, my fingers curled around her calf for most of the movie, I stand, shaking my head. “Nah, gonna work on some lyrics for a bit.”
“I’m going to tidy up here first,” Paige says, pointing to the empty bowls of popcorn scattered over the small coffee table.
“Night, guys,” Eli calls out as he heads toward the bunks. Beau trails behind him with a lazy wave.
The lounge goes quiet, just the soft background noise from the TV, Paige still sitting there, legs now stretched out, the light from the screen flickering across her face. She doesn’t move until thefinal note fades, then slowly peels the blanket off her lap, letting it fall to the floor.
Another minute passes before she whispers, “This is hard.”
I glance down at her, frowning. “The tour?”
“No,” she whispers as her eyes lift to meet mine. “This. You. Me. Not being able to touch.”
Smirking, I glance at where the guys disappeared, before leaning a little closer, my voice loud enough that it’s only for her. “I knew I was irresistible.”
She rolls her eyes, her lips twitching like she’s trying not to smile. “Oh, shut up.”
“What? You brought it up,” I murmur, my gaze dropping to her lips. “Do you expect me not to react when you say shit like that?”
“I didn’t think you’d be this calm about it.”
“I’m not calm.” I reach for her hand and bring it to the hard outline in my sweatpants. “I’ve been going crazy for days.”
