Page 70 of All Right No

Also true. And even supposing Ash continued to progress at the rate he had been the last few days, he was unlikely to be wholly back to normal by December.

Xane sighed and rubbed his hands down the front of his shirt. “I guess I’m going to have to put in some practice. I’m sure we can work things out between us.”

A week ago, Ash knew he’d have been put out by the remark, now he was relieved to know there was someone there willing to help out. Being fit and well to tour was a huge ask, but knowing Xane was there and ready to pick up a guitar, even if it was only for a song or two during each set, lifted a huge burden from his shoulders.

“Does this mean we have a genuine action plan figured out?” Rock Giant yawned into his fist. “’Cause if so, can we call it quits for the day? I don’t know about the rest of you buggers, but I’m dead on my feet here.”

“I’m with you on that one.” Spook started herding people towards the stairs.

Ash looked around at their tired faces. They did all look about ready to drop. Spook couldn’t stop rubbing his eyes, and Dani almost had her thumb in mouth. Luthor gave a huge baying yawn over the top of his snare as he rose from behind the drum kit. Only Xane lingered as the rest of the band trooped away.

“You and Ginny don’t party too hard while we’re all flaked out.”

Ha! Fat chance of that.Some celebratory bonking was definitely in order. Well, unless Ginny said otherwise, and that would depend on whether she thought he’d accomplished enough to earn his reward today, bearing in mind they’d already made out twice.

A glow of longing glinted across the surface of Xane’s pale eyes, then with a regretful sigh, he turned away. “Nah—I’m actually too tired to be jealous I’m missing out. Have fun, guys. Night, night.”

Neither Ash nor Ginny moved until the sound of Xane’s footsteps grew distant. They faced one another, smiles creasing their faces.

“We seem to be alone again,” Ash remarked.

His Ginny Bear beamed at him like he was a genuine song writing legend, and not the one-hit wonder he suspected himself of being.

“Seems that way.”

“Got any plans?”

She chuckled at his attempt at nonchalance, and slapped her hand across his arse. “Yeah, I thought I’d give it five minutes until they’re all asleep and then go and give them all comedy eyebrows with this here trusty Sharpie I found just lying around.”

God, he loved her. He made that apparent by hugging her tight.

“Comedy eyebrows, eh? You don’t want to take advantage of the lack of distractions to indulge in some mutual admiration, then?”

She poked a finger against his breastbone. “You haven’t done a single task today, buster. I’m not about to reward you for slacking, and I hasten to add, you left me to tidy up all that cream you sprayed about earlier. It was in danger of stinking the whole place out.”

“I’d have helped.”

“You were here with Xane, and if I’d left it, the house would have been uninhabitable by now.”

“I see. So, what you’re saying is that I need to take a rain check on getting laid, as I wasn’t proactive enough on licking up my cream?”

She gave him a second hard poke. “There’s no need to make it sound quite so dirty.”

“Oh, Ginny,” he cuddled her closer, so that her nose was pressed to his chest. “Haven’t you realised it yet? I am a dirty man. My major goal in life is to do filthy things with amenable ladies.”

“Knock the plural on the head, buster.”

“Particularly, one very special lady who is standing not so very far away, and who—” He began planting kisses across her face and throat. “—I like nothing better than to worship.” He sucked, so that she shivered and melted against him.

“Don’t leave a mark.”

“Wanna claim you. Want to let all the other filthy buggers out there know that you’re mine, and that they need to keep their grubby paws off.”

“Did I consent to being yours?” she teased him back, nipping the skin of his throat with her teeth.

“I get off on the idea of you swearing it. All mine, nobody’s but mine, forever and always, through sickness and health, so help me God.”

“That’s because you’re a soppy romantic.” She pushed him away to arm’s length, frowning a little.