Sweet Seduction Serenade by Nicola Claire Read Free Book Online Page B

said, jaw clenched. "That's not what it felt like when you writhed beneath me, begged me not to stop and screamed my name when you came. Seven times ." Jesus, he remembered.
    I pulled the make-shift ice pack away from my face and slammed it down on the bench at my side.
    "Do you mind?" I growled, flicking a glance at my sleeping Dad. "This is hardly relevant."
    He ignored my statement completely. "Who the fuck were they, Eva?" he asked again, slowly, emphasising each word.
    "My dumbass cousins, all right."
    "Their names," he demanded, pulling a little pad from his back pocket and pen from inside his jacket. Just like a cop. Who was this guy?
    "Why..." I started and he banged a fist down on the bench, making the frozen pea packet jump a few centimetres off the surface and land with a wet splat.
    "Names," he bit out.
    "Levi, Ryder, Leo, Bailey and Tyler Russell," I rapid-fire spat back at him.
    "Five?" he asked incredulously, flicking his gaze over my bruised face.
    "You should've seen them when I was done," I said cockily.
    "Yeah? Get a few good hits in?"
    "Managed to land a decent blow to Bailey's gonads and Leo's gonna have a headache round 'bout now. I'm saving Levi for later."
    His lips twitched again. "Why a special occasion for Levi?"
    "He's the one who broke my guitar," I muttered, eyes on the floor, frown in place.
    Nick didn't say anything for several seconds. The clock ticked loudly on the wall in the hall.
    "OK, I'll have my boys round 'em up," he announced casually, standing up from his seat and impressing the hell out of me with his height.
    "Why would you do that?" I demanded up at him.
    "You don't pick on a girl," he said simply and Dad grunted in his sleep. Subconsciously disagreeing with him, I think.
    I snorted. "They don't see me as a girl. I'm their annoying little cousin with too big cowgirl boots and a fuck you, cowboy personality," I pointed out from my seat.
    He hesitated, as though he was going to say something smart back at me, but whatever it was, he changed his mind and shook his head. Then bizarrely ran - what looked like a frustrated - hand though his short black hair. Ice-blue eyes came back to mine.
    "Practising at the shop tonight?"
    I sighed. "I'll have to see if Gus has an Acoustic I can borrow."
    I didn't have enough left in the bank to buy a new one, continue to pay for Dad's house to be cleaned up, food put in the fridge and have money for a plane ticket back home. Gen's cheque for our performance on Saturday would help, but that'd have to be split four ways and wouldn't go far. We were picking up a few gigs here and there, and hopefully after Saturday a few more, but money was tight. I'd brought all my Nashville savings with me. Buying a new Martin was not in the budget this year.
    "I'm sure one of the band will have something you could use," he offered helpfully and in what I thought was quite an uncaring fashion. Playing on a hand-me-down Acoustic could not come close to strumming a Martin D28.
    I shrugged in reply. He wasn't a Country musician, he wasn't even a cowboy. I'd made a mistake, what the darn hell would he know?
    "Play Thunder Rolls ," he said over his shoulder as he crossed to the front door. Dad's head back up tracking his progress across the lounge with interest again. "I liked that extra verse you threw in at the end last night," he added, just before the door swung shut behind his rather fine tight butt.
    I frowned after him - and his fine butt - how the darn hell did he know what I played last night at Sweet Seduction? He wasn't even there to hear it. He hadn't been there at all since Saturday. There was no way in hell he should have known I'd thrown in Garth's live performance extra verse last night. Much to Kelly's delight. I got the impression Kelly agreed with the ending of the story. Another audience member completely consumed by the story being sung.
    I was still frowning when my Dad softly said, scaring the darn hell out of me, "I like him." I blinked at my