Poison Rose (Sequel to "Good Love")

Fourteen

The Morn after arriving in Nashville–and getting to wind up in bed with Aerin for the first Time, even if it was in just a platonic sense–Duff woke completely alone. At first, he thought he'd just woken up in yet another hotel bed, that he hadn't really gotten off the road, but it all started coming back to him soon enough. Reaching across the bed he'd woken in–which was in the second guest room the Dalls rarely had to use–he realized the spot next to him was still kinda warm, but cooler than not.

        Grunting as he pushed himself into a sitting position, he wondered where on Earth his young hostess–and now girlfriend–had gotten off to since it was only about eight. Maybe one or both of the twins'd woken her up for an early breakfast, but he somehow highly doubted that was the case. They'd been abed before any of the adults turned in for the Night, so unless they'd sniffed her out like a pair of puppies, they prolly wouldn't have realized their mama wasn't in bed with Daddy. In fact, they wouldn't have realized their mama wasn't even in her bedroom to start with, let alone started looking for her in any of the other bedrooms.

        Once he'd taken a quick trip to the bathroom and dragged on his PJ britches and a tank top, the blonde bassist headed downstairs. He wasn't about to barge into the master suite, just in case she'd headed back there for an early-Morn romp with Bobby. It wouldn't be fair to them–not to mention just downright rude and disrespectful–to invade their private Space unless somebody was dying.

        Down in the great room, Duff looked around for his young girlfriend, but didn't see her there or in the adjoining kitchen. He was just about to start searching the rest of the house–sans master suite, of course–when something from outside caught his attention. Unless he was mistaken, he'd just caught the Sound of a muffled, but feminine voice, and judging by what he'd heard, the person was singing. That brought a slight smile to his face, 'cuz he was pretty sure that it was his missing girlfriend as he headed over to the back door. He was quiet as he pulled it open, not wanting to spook her into stopping since he'd found out that she usually didn't like when others heard her sing.

        "Oh, whoa, oh–I don't wanna spend my Life jaded, waitin'...to wake up one Day and find...that I let all these Years go by...wasted! Yeah, yeah! Oh, whoa, oh–I don't wanna keep on a-Wishin', missin'...the still of the Morning, the Color of the Night! I ain't spending no more Time...wasted!" Aerin was singing as he stood there listening.

        When she failed to continue beyond that, Duff couldn't resist clapping softly, laughing as a startled shriek rang out as she whirled to face him.

        "Sweet Goddess on a pogo stick!" the young woman snapped, clapping a hand to her chest.

        "What'dja stop there for, hon?" he asked with a grin as he dropped his arms back down by his sides. "You've a ridiculously awesome voice."

        "'Cuz that was the End of the song," Aerin answered with a huff. "And you're damned lucky I wasn't armed, or I'd have prolly thrown a knife atcha or something."

        "At least I woulda gone out with the voice of an angel in my ears and a smile on my face," the blonde bassist chuckled as he finally approached her.

        Sighing as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his torso, she couldn't help the smile that crossed her face. Even though he'd scared the hell outta her when he started clapping outta nowhere, there was just something that drew her to him. It honestly felt a lot like when she'd first actually met Bobby, and if she were even more honest, before even meeting him.

        Maybe it was 'cuz the young woman could see a lotta similarities between herself and Duff that others wouldn't necessarily see. Given the right situation, she was every bit as driven and determined as both her husband and now-boyfriend were and ever had been. She was just as wild and crazy as they were, if only in different ways–but that was one of those Beauty's-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder kinda things. And like they oft were, she was best left to learn something on her own unless she specifically asked for help, 'cuz someone trying to butt in more than was asked for never failed to piss her off.