EPIC (Book 1 of the Soundcrush series)

Chapter 18: Rock Stars Take Body Shots

Kat

By the time I hastily shave my legs, change into my swimsuit, put up my thick brown hair in a messy bun on my head, Trace already has music playing by the pool. He's nowhere to be seen when I get poolside. I bring out some towels and sunscreen and retrieve my own sunglasses. I'm just beginning to wonder where the hell Trace went when he slides out of the house wearing a pair of my dad's swimtrunks hanging off his hips and unwrapping the foil on a bottle of champagne.

"Rummaging in my dad's clothes and stealing his Dom?" I laugh.

"Michael won't mind," Trace assures me.

"He'll mind very much, and you know it." Trace knows how my dad feels about him and it's not friendly.

"I'll send him a case of Dom."

"You should throw in some new swim tru—Hey!"

Trace pops the cork and pumps the bottle toward me, splattering me with overflowing champagne. He admires his handiwork, my swimsuit—a black bikini—and my body. Then he offers the  bottle. I may do a little hand-on-hip posing while I drink, as beads of champagne roll down my chest. Trace watches appreciatively, swallowing heavily.

"Want some?" I hold out the bottle. He grabs it a little carelessly, and moves close.

"Yeah," he says huskily and he dips his head, licking a trickle of champagne on my neck. I try to put my arms up around his neck, but he pushes them down with his free hand. "Hold still," he orders.

Ha. Between his tongue rolling up my neck and the bossy way he barked at me, I'm utterly paralyzed with anticipation. He grasps my jaw gently and moves my head to the side, pouring champagne in the hollow above my collarbone. I squeak at the coolness on my heated skin. Trace bends his head to me. He laps and slurps and licks until the pool of champagne is completely gone. When he finishes, he nips my collarbone lightly and murmurs, "Best fucking drink I've ever had."

If anyone else had done this to me, I might be grossed out, but the way Trace likes it so much makes it incredibly sexy. Honestly, I can't ever remember being this turned on. Except maybe last night's skin cuddles. I just stand there and burn.

He cocks his head.

"What's the matter, Kat? Heating up already? Let me help with that, too." he grins, and then he shoves me in the pool. I come up cursing him, but he's already diving in beside me.

"Ladies, first," he says as he edges from me.

I close my eyes, "Marco!" I call out, and he responds with "Polo!" The chase is on.

We play for a long time, taking turns, and sharing the bottle of Dom. Sometimes we aggressively try to catch and avoid each other, sometimes we let each other win just so we can put our hands on each other. And though we spend a lot of time sliding against each other, never does he try to kiss me.

He's serious about what he said. He's not going to kiss me, in the traditional sense, until the time is "right." Until I break up with Colin.

Once we exhaust ourselves with the game and with laughter, I climb out and drop stomach down onto on the doublechaise lounge. Trace wanders in the house and brings back two waters. "One for the road," he says, checking his phone for the time. "You need to dry out and get ready, ok? We have to be back for soundcheck."

I lift my head and watch him roll back on the lounge beside me. I'm not the only one that's been working out. He's not bulky, but he has abs he didn't have before—those kinds of sexy cuts guys work hard for.

"You have a trainer?" I ask, nonchalantly, touching his stomach.

"Yeah," he rolls his sunglasses down and appreciates my behind. "You?"