Page 52 of Rock Giant

She blushed.“I saw.”Her tongue peeped out between her lips as she grinned.“Going to pretend from here on that I didn’t though.No cock talk from this point on.”

“But I talk about my cock to all my friends,” he lamented.“Guess we’ll just have to stick to convos about pussies.”

She looked as if she was about to berate him, but he said, “How are the cats?”So, she poked him instead.

“They’re fine.I’m sure you understand why I’m not about to invite you over for a visit.”

He folded his arms.“Will we have to go to court over cat daddy visitation rights?”

That made her laugh.“Not sure that’ll go in your favour.You’ve not been a good father.Very absent.”

True.He’d have to make up for that.

The Ghost Boys set was over.Nash was talking smack to the crowd, while the audience showed their appreciation.Their bass player added a few lines, getting the crowd hyped for Black Halo hitting the stage.It amped the noise levels up exponentially.

“Give me your number.”

She shook her head.“That’s not a good idea.”

“Fine, then at least let me give you mine.I want you to be able to get hold of me.”He rattled off the digits of his mobile.“Need me to write them down?”

“Paul…”

He stretched an arm out towards the technician.“Got a marker, Jake?”

“Yeah, um, sure here.”He dug one out of a pocket and handed it over.

“Paul, I’m not sure—”

“Is your relationship that unstable it’s going to dissolve over a phone number?”He pushed up her sleeve.“Not where I’d like to stamp my mark, but it’ll do.”He wrote his number on the inside of her forearm, blew on it to make sure it was dry, then pulled her sleeve back over it.He handed the marker back to Jake.

“I love him.”

“Yeah, you said.”

Xane tapped him on the shoulder.“You set?”He offered him a set of earbuds, before giving Jodi a thorough once over, like they hadn’t already all seen her that morning.

Paul slipped the earbuds in and checked they were working.He could hear the rest of the band just fine.“Let’s rock these bastards.”He finally gave his guitar tech a break and claimed his bass.

Ash went on first, followed by Ronnie and Luthor, then Spook.He was next.

“Break a leg,” Jodi said.

“Later, sweet lips.”

He wanted to lean over and kiss her, but he suspected Xane would knee him in the nuts if he did.That’s if Jodi didn’t do so herself.He’d said his bit, agreed an arrangement, now he needed to man up and live it.

He couldn’t resist looking back at her though.Doing so left him with a horrid lump in the centre of his chest.The sort that formed when you had to say goodbye forever, except that wasn’t how it was going to be.He made a V of his fingers and pointed them at himself and then her.“You and me, forever, Castle.”

“Non-kissing friends,” she mouthed back.

“Proud kitty parents.”

Nash brushed past him as he came off stage lathered and red-faced.“Good set,” Rock Giant muttered in as friendly a growl as he could manage.What he wanted to do was rip the fool’s head off and shit down his throat, but he’d promised not to upset the apple cart—much.

Nash ignored him and made a beeline towards Jodi, proving he at least had some priorities straight.

He didn’t kiss her though, so points for and against.