Page 2 of Reckless Beat
“Sure.” With Xane, that’s all it ever was, until it wasn’t. Then it was all about tears. “Fun,” he scoffed, removing her hands from his person. He wasn’t jealous. Only an idiot would be jealous of getting screwed by a man with no standards. “Any time, any place, anywhere.” He reminded her of the phrase the roadies had ruthlessly labelled Xane with on their last tour. There was a reason the guy had landed himself in rehab. “What happened to it being a strictly one-time affair? It must have been someone else who said all that stuff about just checking out what the fangirls knew and she didn’t.”
“Don’t be a dick, Paul.”
“It’s not me who’s acting crazy. Elspeth, you know how fucked up he is. I hope you don’t think you’re going to fix him.”
Nothing would ever fix him. Xane Geist would be a screw-up until the day he died, probably of a massive coronary in some girl’s bed.
“I know what I’m doing, Paul.” She gave up trying to cuddle him and boosted herself up, so that she perched on the draining board. “I’m a big girl. I can handle him.”
That’s what they all thought. He turned and found she’d covered her twig-like form with black satin jeans and a T-shirt that didn’t belong to her. At least she was actually dressed. No one needed to see their almost sister in the nuddy.
“It’s just a bit of fun.”
Paul rolled his eyes. The fun part would only last until Xane decided he was done fucking her—an inevitability. Then, it’d be tears, and him trying to hold her together while the band imploded. Elspeth never managed break-ups well, and Xane didn’t do long-term relationships. Inevitability stank.
He banged his head against the glass again. Not that it helped.
“I totally get it now, why he has a queue of women looped around the block,” she said, unrepentant in her folly. “He is a damned good lay. Like seriously, you guys could definitely learn a few things from him.”
There wasn’t a damn thing he needed to learn from Xane. He knew how to please a woman, and there was more to it than poking her with your big dick. “He’s fresh out of rehab for sex addiction, in case you’ve forgotten. You must realise you’re nothing more than a fix.”
She shook her head, making her pale blonde hair sway. “It’s not like that. He’s better. He isn’t screwing around anymore.”
“He doesn’t need to, when you’re happily opening your legs for him.”
She raised her hand, but he caught it before her palm connected with his cheek.
“I love you, Paul Reed, but you don’t get to talk to me like that.”
He brought her fingers to his lips and kissed their tips. “We’ve always been honest with one another, E. I happen to think you’re being an idiot. Would you rather I didn’t point it out?”
She peered up at him, her expression contemplative, but in no way remorseful. “You’re entitled to your opinion. Doesn’t mean you’re right. It happens that I think you’re determined to see the worst, no matter what. Plus, you’re bored, and that always makes you dire company, but that’s not an excuse to take your piss poor mood out on the rest of us.”
That was not what he was doing.
“Xane’s had it super rough recently. A little compassion would go a long way.”
“Is that what you’re doing in there? Showing him your caring side? I don’t need to ask what he’s showing you in return.”
She pouted.
“What?” He raised his hands. “Come on, Elspeth. You’ve just told me he’s not screwing anyone besides you, but there were three of you in that bed, and I’m perfectly aware of how fluid he is. You’re having threesomes with a sex addict. Excuse me if I don’t think that’s a great basis for a relationship.”
“Who said anything about relationships? We’re fucking, not dating.” She gave a theatrical sigh, rolling her eyes for good measure. “Honestly, can’t a girl indulge in a bit of hedonism occasionally? It’s not like you haven’t bedded more than one person at a time.”
“It’s not about that.”
“From where I’m sitting, it is. You’re being preachy. Chill the fuck out with the overprotective brotherly shit, eh? I’m fine. We’re just passing time between shows. If you’re so fucking bored, you could always join in. Save yourself from having to wank over computer sprites.”
“He’s really not my type, and the sprites aren’t wank-worthy.”
“You don’t fancy pounding his arse for my entertainment?” She smiled in a way that flashed him a hint of teeth and reminded him she could be downright vicious beneath her pretty exterior.
“Elspeth, there are hard limits to even our friendship.”
She stretched up and hooked her arms around his neck, pulling him down to her so that she could plant a kiss on his cheek. “Tell me that again in another four days, when you’re so bored you’re ready to poke your own eyes out with a match.”
He wasn’t far off that now, but weighing the two options up, he reckoned the match would still win by a landslide.