I finished singing, dipped my face down to stare at my hands again and mindlessly kept strumming some of the chords to the song.

Mace kept watching me, I knew it, I felt it and I had to admit I loved it.

“What kind of music did Caitlin like?” I asked softly, stil watching my hands moving.

“Tchaikovsky,” Mace answered immediately.

I lifted my head and smiled at him.

“I don’t know any Tchaikovsky,” I told him.

He shook his head, his lips turned up in a smal grin and I watched him, opening al my sensors to see where his head was at and sensing he was okay (and hoping I was right).

“Do you think she would have liked me?” I asked.

“Definitely,” Mace answered, again immediately.

My heart did what was becoming a familiar settle.

“Do you think she’d like me with you?” I went on.

“Yeah,” he replied.

“I know it’s hard for you to talk about her.”

“It’s gettin’ easier.”

I smiled at him. “Good.”

Take that demon scum!

“Come to bed, Kitten,” Mace muttered.

I quit strumming.

I put the guitar in its stand, took off my clothes, walked to the bed and slid in beside him. I turned to him, wrapping an arm around his waist, cocking a knee, resting it on his hard thigh and putting my cheek to his shoulder. His hand pressed under me, his arm coming up and curling around my waist.

“I love you, Kai Mason,” I whispered into his chest and I found that was getting easier too.

His fingers dug into my flesh.

“Sleep,” he replied.

I snuggled closer. Juno lifted her head and rested it on Mace and my ankles.

I fel asleep.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Even If I Die Doin’ It

Stella

“Stop scratching,” Mace’s sleepy-gruff voice demanded.

“It itches,” my sleepy-grouchy voice returned.

His arm went across his body, his fingers wrapped around my wrist, taking my fingers away from where they were scratching around the stitches at my hip. He pul ed my hand up and pressed it against his chest.

“It’s healin’. You need to keep your f**kin’ nails clear,” he told me.

“Were you this damn bossy a year ago?” I grumbled.

“A year ago, I was too busy thinkin’ about how lucky I was that someone as beautiful and talented as you let me into her bed to be bossy. Now I know you love me, I can be as bossy as I want.”

At his words, my head shot up and I stared at him.

It was morning, early morning, the sun just peeping around the now ever-closed blinds.

Mace was on his back, I was tucked into his side. It appeared we’d slept the whole night without moving. His face was stil soft with sleep but his green eyes were alert and on me.

“You thought you were lucky?” I asked.

“Babe, I need to video you onstage. You could be butt-ugly but the way you move onstage and that f**kin’ voice of yours would stil make me hard. Singin’ or talkin’, it doesn’t matter. Your voice is the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard.” Uh… wow.

Did he just say that?

“Seriously?” I breathed.

He grinned and rol ed into me. “Seriously,” he said and went on. “Lucky for me, you also got great hair, great eyes, great legs and an unbelievable heart-shaped ass.” As if to prove his point, his hand slid over my ass and his face went into my neck as he pressed me to my back.

Then he muttered, “Stil , I’m inside you and I hear that throaty f**kin’ voice of yours beggin’ me to f**k you harder, I swear it takes everything I got to keep control and not come.”

I wasn’t sure but I thought I had a smal orgasm just listening to him.

I decided to switch topics before I lost what little control I had. “Just because I love you doesn’t mean you can boss me around.”

His head came up and he looked at me just as his hand slid from my ass, up my side, to cup my breast.

“Yeah it does,” he said.

“No, it doesn’t,” I shot back.

He grinned. “It does.”

I frowned. “It doesn’t.”

His thumb slid across my nipple.

It felt so good, my teeth sunk into my lower lip to stop myself from moaning.

His eyes dropped to my mouth. “Oh yeah it does,” he muttered and he sounded pretty effing pleased.

“I take it back, I don’t love you. I think you’re a pain in my ass.”

His body started shaking like he was laughing. “You can’t take it back.”

“I can.”

His mouth touched mine before he said, “Jesus, you’re cute, Kitten.”

“I’m not cute. I’m sultry and sexy,” I returned.

His mouth came back to my mouth, his eyes open and staring into mine, his were both soft and amused and I figured, somewhere in his head, that look was kicking demon ass.

“You’re that too,” he said and did another nipple swipe.

My back arched and my arms wrapped around him.

“Okay, maybe you’re not a pain in my ass.” His head slanted and his lips hit mine, no touch now, he was serious and I knew it when his tongue slid inside.

My body melted under his.

The phone rang.

“Effing hel ,” I muttered against his mouth.

He kissed me quickly, did a push up and he was away. I watched as he walked na**d across the room and I was so lost in my fascination of watching his body move that it didn’t penetrate that it was Hector’s “clean” phone that was ringing.

Then it penetrated.

I shot to sitting on the bed and cried, “Mace!” He had the phone in his hand and was looking at the display when I wrapped the sheet around me and whipped my legs over the side, taking the sheet with me.

Juno woofed in surprise at my swift movements but I didn’t spare her a glance, I was heading toward Mace.

His head came up, his eyes narrow.

I stopped in front of him and he turned the phone to face me.

“Missed cal from Bogey One. Who’s Bogey One?” he asked.

Think fast Stella, my brain screeched.

I came up with an answer. “How should I know? It’s not my phone.”

That’s when the phone beeped in his hand indicating a voicemail had been left.

I stared at the phone. Mace stared at the phone.

Then he flipped it open and started hitting buttons.

Shitsofuckit!

“Mace, give me the phone.” I reached out to snatch it from him but he yanked it away and his eyes came back to me, stil narrow, brows drawn.