“My Funny Valentine”—the classic jazz ballad. The way he was playing it reminded her of the Chet Baker version. It was heartrending. Soulful. Melancholic. It made her want to laugh and weep and make love all at the same time.
She wanted to hear better. Coffees and pastry bag balanced in one hand, she opened the door as quietly as she could, intent on not disturbing him. The piano was angled away from the door, and she managed to slip in unnoticed.
Ash was hunched over the keys like a regular brooding Beethoven, still shirtless, his sleek black hair falling down his back. She sighed in appreciation.
How was he real? He had to be too good to be true because otherwise he would have been snatched up by some smart woman a decade ago.
The dreamy music continued to serenade her, reaching deep inside and wrapping its sorrowful melody around her heart until tears pricked at her eyes.
She tried to be quiet as she kicked off her shoes, but apparently, he hadn’t been kidding about his hearing being good because he instantly stopped playing and spun around on the bench, spine ramrod straight. The air felt hollow without the music.
He relaxed as soon as he saw her, but she hadn’t missed the dangerous glint in his eye for that split second, and honestly, it scared her. Something told her he was not the kind of guy who liked being snuck up on, or ever allowed it to happen, for that matter.
“I’m back,” she said to cover the empty silence. “Sorry if I startled you, but I didn’t want you to stop. I love that song. That was so beautiful.”
He shrugged, climbing off the bench and coming over to take the coffee and pastries from her. “I was just messing around.”
“That’s some pretty epic messing around.” She wanted to ask him if his “messing around” always made people want to cry but decided against it. Instead, she said, “Do it again? I’d love to try and play along on my violin.”
He’d already lifted one of the coffees halfway to his mouth, but his eyes lit up at that, and he set it back down without taking a sip. “Okay.”
She had to grin. The guy really loved music.
Too good to be true, that stupid little negative voice warned.
Shut up, she told it. She wasn’t missing out on this for the world.
Half an hour later, they had jammed the hell out of “My Funny Valentine,” and the music came to its natural conclusion. Ash put his hands in his lap, and she lowered her violin, and they stared at each other in silence.
Her heart felt achy from the music and yet was racing at the undeniable fact that she had incredible musical and physical chemistry with a man for the first time in her life. Yeah, the circumstances were questionable, but she’d never felt connected to someone this way before. She was powerless to resist.
He seemed to get her line of thinking because he rose from the bench and crowded her up against the side of the piano. Their gazes met.
“Eva.” It came out like a growl.
“Ash.” Hers came out like a sigh.
A mischievous glint suddenly entered those midnight-blue eyes. “I never did fuck you on the piano last night.”
Her entire female reproductive system lit up like a carnival parade. Like she had a freaking “Turn me on!” button on her forehead for a ride that only he could operate.
She took two steps, practically tossed her violin onto the couch, and then turned and sprinted into her bedroom where she had a condom stash in the nightstand. She grabbed one, raced back into the living room, and threw it at him. His bewildered expression vanished as he caught it, and then he looked like he might laugh, but she didn’t give him a chance because she threw herself at him next.
He caught her, bent down, and crushed their mouths together. And then it was like they hadn’t already had sex ten times, because suddenly they were desperate to get closer. She ripped her clothes off and panted while she watched him shove his jeans down and kick them away, and then their naked bodies were pressed together, and their tongues were back to more wrestling antics. Ash’s big hands encircled her butt cheeks and gripped them hard enough to lift her off her feet.
“Your ass is so fucking fine,” he growled against her lips.
She could only moan as he ground his hard-on against her while she dangled in the air from his grip on her behind. She went to wrap her legs around his hips, but he stopped her.
He set her on her feet, gripped her hips, and spun her around.
Her eyes widened as he lifted her again and then laid her on her stomach on top of the piano. Her legs hung over the edge, not quite reaching the ground. She dangled helplessly with her ass in the air, completely at his mercy.
He spanked her. She yelped at the sting and felt another flood of wetness between her thighs in response.
Whoa.Apparently, she was into spanking, though she hadn’t known it until right then. He pried her legs apart with a firm grip, thumbs on her inner thighs, so close to where she was desperate for his touch.
Splayed out on the piano, her palms pressing into the cold wood, she peeked over her shoulder and watched him hunch down as if he was going to eat her out. She moaned in anticipation, but he surprised her again.
