Music of the Soul (11 page)

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” she replied, with a wink. She then rolled over to straddle

me. Her hips rose up, while her hand guided my erection deep inside her.

“Ready for me already, Mrs. Slater?” I panted, as my dick slid in and out of her wet core.

“I’m always ready for you,” she murmured breathlessly.

“That makes me a very happy man,” I replied. My hand came to cup her bouncing breasts. Abby

moaned and gasped with pleasure as I pinched and tweaked her nipples to hardened buds. As our

movements grew more frantic, the hammock started to jerk and sway. One hand abandoned Abby’s

breast to stroke between her legs. Her moans grew more and more intense the harder I stroked her

clit. She then cried out and threw her head back as the first wave of the orgasm hit her. The feel of her

walls tensing around me caused me to come. Once I finished shuddering inside her, I grabbed Abby’s

shoulders and pulled her down to me. As she rested her head on my shoulder, she remained straddling

me with my dick still buried inside her.

I ran my hands over the silky strands of her hair. “That was amazing.”

“I thought so too,” came her muffled reply against my chest.

When I opened my mouth to say something else, the rumbling of Abby’s stomach made me smile.

“Guess we worked up an appetite, huh?”

She pulled her head up to smile sheepishly at me. “I didn’t have breakfast, either.”

“Then we better get up and call the island. I can’t be the reason why my beautiful bride passes

out from hypoglycemic shock.”

Abby eased up her hips, and I regretfully slid free of her. On wobbly legs, she got out of the

hammock. I followed quickly behind her. I wrapped my arm around her waist not just for support, but

because I couldn’t imagine going one second without touching her. Yeah, I was that crazy in love with

her.

One Year Later

As the buzzing hum reverberated through my ears, I pinched my eyes shut and bit down on my lip.

“Hang in there, Angel,” Jake said, his voice cutting through the pain.

I squeezed hold of his hand. Being too much of a chicken, I didn’t want to watch the needle

entering my skin. Sure, I had drawn blood from countless people in nursing school, but this was

different. This was…me. My skin. My blood. My pain.

“Damn, you’re going to look so sexy with this ink,” Jake mused.

My eyes popped open to stare into his twinkling blue ones. “You think?”

“Mmm, I’m pretty fucking sure.”

“Please, with the way you act around her, she could wear a Hefty bag, and you’d want to bang

her,” Steve, Jake’s favorite tattoo artist, teased.

“Can I help I married a woman who is sexy as hell?” Jake countered with a cocky grin.

Steve snorted. “Not touching that one, dude. You’ll just wanna kick my ass if I say anything

about Abby.”

“Or tattoo ‘Property of Jake’ on her forehead,” another artist quipped.

Jake rolled his eyes. “She is mine. Aren’t you, Angel?”

I gritted my teeth through another round of needle pain before I responded. “You’re so cute when

you’re a possessive caveman.”

Jake nipped my bottom lip with his teeth before giving me a lingering kiss. I guess most people

would have found our one year wedding anniversary gifts to each other a little odd, but I was thrilled

beyond belief to finally be getting a tattoo. I’d talked about doing it since I’d first met Jake, but like a

lot of things, the time hadn’t been right. For some reason, I’d decided that my foot and ankle were the

places I wanted to start with, which of course were the worst for pain.

“Okay, we’re done outlining,” Steve said.

Peeking open one of my eyes, I gazed down at my foot. “Oh wow,” I murmured, as I took it all

in. It was a vine of flowers that also included a butterfly. The vine itself was made up of lines of song

lyrics as well as scripture I liked. It started across the top of my foot and went all the way up to wrap

my ankle.

“Think you’re going to live through the coloring?” Steve teased.

Oh God, there was more? I gulped. “I’ll be fine.”

“Maybe you should give her a leather strap to bite on,” AJ suggested from his chair across the

room. When I glared at him, he chuckled. He and Mia were also getting more ink as well. For AJ, it

was having Mia and Bella’s name written on his chest above his heart, and for Mia, it was an infinity

symbol on her wrist with AJ’s and Bella’s initials.

“Don’t listen to him, Abby. He about pissed his pants when I did his half sleeve,” Becs, the only

female tattoo artist, said with a grin.

“Whatever,” AJ replied.

As Steve started in on the pastel coloring of flower, I gritted my teeth. Focusing on Jake, I eyed

the temporary tattoo on his pec. “It sure was luck that your left side was the side you hadn’t gone

crazy with the tattoos,” I remarked.

“I knew I was saving it for someone special,” Jake replied, with a wink.

“Yeah, I bet.”

As the needle tapped along my skin, I stared at the cursive lettering over Jake’s heart. In a few

hours, he would have Angel forever inked on him. It didn’t bother me that it wasn’t actually my name.

Everyone knew who Angel was. There was no mistaking that it was anyone other than me. The very

thought caused a surge a love to pulse through me.

When I looked back over the last year, I had so many wonderful memories to reflect on. It had

sped by in a bliss-filled blur of mine and Jake’s love. We remodeled the house to make it more into

mine and Jake’s home, rather than Susan’s. In between tour stops, we returned to our honeymoon

island to have some alone time. Sure, we’d had our arguments and disagreements about everything

from paint choices to my wardrobe. Now that we were married, Jake suddenly wanted my stage

dresses to be longer and show less cleavage. Basically, he would have been happy if I had gone out

on stage in a nun’s habit. That was probably the longest we hadn’t spoken to each other since our

honeymoon blow-up. I’d even slept on AJ and Mia’s bus because I was so pissed at his Neanderthal

ideas. He’d come around the next morning with flowers and a grand apology. Mia had snatched Bella

up and taken her for breakfast in the diner before our vigorous makeup sex could scar her.

While it had been a wonderful year, it had also been stressful, intense, busy, and at times

absolutely manic. Another album released and another cross-country tour had meant more and more

time away from home. Jake had finally consented to bring furry Angel along with us because I was so

homesick for her. Having a dog on our bus was definitely interesting, but it inspired Mia to bring Jack

Sparrow along on hers and AJ’s bus. Miraculously, the two animals got along pretty well when we

all hung out together. Both seemed united in their protectiveness of Bella.

Jake’s and my duet, Music of the Soul, shot to number one the day it was released, and everyone

was talking about a repeat win at the Grammy’s. The label was looking into booking our European

tour. While I should have been the happiest woman on the face of the earth, something was missing.

Deep down I knew what it was, but I didn’t dare voice my longing to Jake or anyone else. I just tried

to keep the faith that one day I would have the desires of my heart—one day I would have a baby of

my own.

In the meantime, I channeled my maternal instincts into spoiling Jude, Melody, and Bella. I was

also thrilled when Brayden and Lily announced that they were going to have a third, and final, child.

Bray had finally talked Lily into buying their own bus and using her teaching degree to homeschool

the kids while we were out on tour. The guys of Runaway Train were positively domestic now with

their wives and children along. Only Rhys was still unattached. He spent his time on the bus with my

brothers, and I didn’t even want to know what kind of bachelor debauchery they were up to.

Just when I thought I couldn’t take any more of the shading, Steve eased off. As he traded out

colors, a sharp pain in my side caused me to grimace and suck in a breath.

“Hey now, I wasn’t even doing anything,” Steve said.

“I know. It’s not you,” I moaned.

Jake’s brows furrowed. “What’s wrong, Angel?”

“It’s my side, down low. I keep having these pains.”

“You should get them checked out.”

“I’m sure it’s just a cyst. I used to get them all the time when I was younger. Of course, I thought

the birth control was supposed to stop them since I wasn’t ovulating.”

Now it was Jake’s turn to grimace. “Um, seriously, babe. TMI.”

I cocked my head at him. “Oh please. Like you can’t hear the word ovulation.”

“I’d prefer not to.”

With a teasing tone, I said, “Ovary…fallopian tube…uterus.”

“That’s enough,” he said, with a shudder.

“You’re too funny getting all riled about the female reproductive system.”

“Just promise me you’ll get it checked out.”

I held up my hand like I was swearing an oath. “As soon as we get back to Atlanta, I’ll go see

my doctor.”

“Good.” His fingers caressed my face. “I don’t want to think of anything happening to you, least

of all, you being in pain.”

“You’re so sweet and good to me,” I murmured, as I gazed into his eyes.

A gagging sound came at my feet. When we glared at Steve, he held up his hands. “Sorry. But

it’s hard for me to do this when I think I’m going to puke.”

“Douchebag,” Jake muttered, which caused Steve to grin.

I held out my hand to Jake, and like the wonderful husband he was, he took it and squeezed

encouragingly. “Best anniversary present ever,” I said, with a smile.

“How will we top it next year? Sky diving?”

I shuddered. “Not with my fear of heights.”

“Go back to our island and stay naked for days.”

Steve cleared his throat. “What?” I asked.

“Are you trying to kill me? That statement either puts a totally inappropriate picture of Abby in

my head—” At Jake’s low growl, Steve shook his head. “Or, I see you and your naked ass parading

around. Neither is a win-win situation.”

“Finish the damn tattoo,” Jake ordered.

Steve narrowed his eyes. “You forget that I’m working on you next. Don’t make me take out my

aggression on you.”

Becs stepped up with an ink gun in her hand. “Why don’t I help things along and take care of

Jake?”

“Then I can’t hold his hand for support,” I whined.

Jake grinned. “Besides, this twatcanoe,” he motioned at Steve,” is the only one who does my

ink.”

“He really doesn’t think a woman can do it,” AJ called.

“Shut up, dickweed,” Jake muttered. He glanced at Becs and shook his head. “I appreciate your

offer, and despite what that asshole over there says, I have confidence in your work, despite the fact

you’re a chick. But my lovely wife needs me, so I’m staying here.”

I smiled. “My hero.”

“No more talking, especially the lovey-dovey shit,” Steve instructed.

“I thought the customer was always right,” I countered.

“Not in my parlor,” he replied before he brought the needle back to my skin.

I sucked in a breath as Jake hovered over me. His breath warmed against my ear. “As long I

whisper to you, Mr. Jackass can’t get his panties in a twist,” he whispered.

“Thank you,” I replied.

“Do you know what I’m going to do when I get you home and into our bed?” After I shook my

head, he replied, “I’m going to strip you down and bury my face between your legs until you scream

my name.”

His words caused my face to flush as well as a tingle between my legs. He continued to whisper

all the naughty things he intended to do to me and for us to do when we got back home. By the time he

finished, Steve was done with the shading of my tattoo. As I sat up to admire it, I secretly hoped there

wouldn’t be a puddle of wetness left on the chair that Jake’s sexy words had induced.

“Like it?” Steve asked.