RockMeTonight (8 page)

Although I loved having her limbs intertwined with mine and
running my finger down the soft skin on her arm, I had to get out of bed. There
was a song in my head and I had to get it out or else I’d go crazy.

Reluctantly I pulled my body parts away from her slowly,
kissed her shoulder lightly so as not to wake her and then climbed out of bed.

Lily

When I woke, it took a moment to realize where I was. Whose
room was this?

Then the magic from last night came back to me. Where was
Nico?

I distinguished a muffled sound of someone playing guitar on
the other side of the bedroom door. Then singing.

“It was many and many a year ago, in a kingdom by the sea.”

Those lyrics sounded familiar, but I didn’t recognize the
song.

I walked out of the bedroom and saw him perched on a window
seat in the living room, playing a guitar. He appeared lost in thought as he
replayed the same line while looking out the window. My eyes followed to see
snowflakes falling. It must have stopped overnight because there wasn’t a
significant amount yet blanketing the branches, but enough to make them
picturesque.

When I perceived a break in his song, I said, “I didn’t know
you played guitar too.”

“Not well.” He flashed me a grin that sent awareness right
between my legs. How did he do that with just a simple smile? “Did I wake you?”

“No, I was awake.”

“Did you sleep well?”

“I did, thanks. For some reason, I was knocked out cold last
night.”

“Hmm, wonder why? Sleeping pill?” he teased, putting a
finger on his chin and looking up to the ceiling.

“I was
going
to give you credit. But maybe I’ll
change my mind.”

“Did I meet your needs?” he said in a posh manner, playing
up his English accent.

“And then some.” I looked at his guitar. “What are you
playing?”

“It’s a song I’ve been struggling with for a while. I could
never finish it. It’s always missing something.”

“What do you think it’s missing?”

He shook his head. “It’s one of Poe’s poems, but I’m trying
to find the right dark, heavy beat to give it a hardcore edge. Every time I
think I have it, I know it’s not done.”

“Maybe you don’t want to let go of it?”

“Oh trust me, I do. It’s been tormenting me for a while.”

“Mind if I listen?” I asked.

“Only if you don’t mind bad playing and even worse singing
while I try to find the right tune.”

“I’m sure I’ve heard worse things in my life. Besides, I
kind of like watching the creative process. Creating something out of nothing.”

“You might stomach my singing better with some caffeine. I made
a pot of coffee. I’m a tea drinker myself, but I figured you might want to wake
up to coffee.”

“Coffee’s great, thank you.” I went into the kitchen to pour
a cup and then returned to the living room, curling up on the sofa to listen.

“
It was many and many a year ago, In a kingdom by the
sea.
”

He played dark notes as he sang the lyrics.

“
That a maiden there lived whom you may know by the name
of Annabel Lee;

And this maiden she lived with no other thought than to
love and be loved by me.
”

Oh, now hearing her name it came back to me—Annabel Lee.

“
I was a child and she was a child, In this kingdom by
the sea;

But we loved with a love that was more than love—I and my
Annabel Lee;

With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven coveted her
and me.
”

He sang again.

“
And this was the reason that, long ago, In this kingdom
by the sea,

A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling My beautiful Annabel
Lee;

So that her highborn kinsman came and bore her away from
me,

To shut her up in a sepulchre in this kingdom by the sea.
”

Whatever he was doing mixing the dark music with the tragic
lines of the poem was working. I hadn’t even touched my coffee as I waited to
hear the next lines.

“
The angels, not half so happy in heaven, went envying
her and me—

Yes!—that was the reason as all men know, in this kingdom
by the sea

That the wind came out of the cloud by night, chilling
and killing my Annabel Lee.
”

As I listened I was reminded of the first time I heard him
sing, that night at Vamps. His voice captivated me even before I saw his face.
Something about the way he sang conveyed more than just words. As if he was
exposing his innermost secrets, hurt, or pain to the world. Or when he was
goofing off with the lighter songs, inviting the world to play with him. No
wonder VC had built such a following. For despite how tongue-in-cheek they
claimed to be, something about them was accessible to the listener. As if you
could connect with their words, their longing, their pain. Most of all in the
days of commercial music corporations, VC was authentic.

His guitar playing grew slower, darker, before he continued.

“
But our love it was stronger by far than the love

Of those who were older than we—Of many far wiser than
we—

And neither the angels in heaven above, nor the demons
down under the sea,

Can ever dissever my soul from the soul of the beautiful
Annabel Lee.
”

The rest of the poem came back to me now, although it had
been years since I’d read it. He played harder and faster again, almost to a
feverish pitch before singing the final verse.

“
For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side

Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride,

In the sepulchre there by the sea,

In her tomb by the sounding sea.
”

He wailed out the lines as a man tortured, until he reached
the final line, in which he sang in a tormented whisper.

He had been lost in his own world while singing the song,
but now he looked up at me. “What?”

“What do you mean?”

“Your mouth is half open. Was it that horrible?”

“No. It was really good.”

“You’re just saying that to be polite.”

“I’m serious. I think you really have something there. Now
stop fishing for compliments.”

“Okay, luv.”

“Where did you learn to sing like that?”

“That badly?”

“No. That well. Sounding so tormented and so very, very
sexy.”

He smiled at the praise. “If you find a man’s torment sexy,
you must be very, very demented.”

“Maybe a little. Plus I’m biased. I think the singer is
very, very sexy. And you know that’s exactly what you were trying to do—get
teenage girls to scream out how they love you. Pull on their little pigtails.”

“I’d like to see you sporting some little pigtails and
screaming out how you love me.”

“Ha-ha. Fat chance.” I finally took a sip of the coffee. “So
where did you get the idea to do that?”

“Oh, there was a drink at the Vamps bar—Sepulchre by the
Sea. It made me think of doing something with a Poe theme.”

“A drink? Really?”

“No, you nitwit. I spent the night with a beautiful woman
whose name is the title of one of Poe’s stories. And perhaps it inspired me to
want to work on a piece about his work. We’ve never written a song referencing
his stories, but I’ve wanted to for a while. His work is perfect. Just the
right dark, gloomy vibe. But the poem isn’t as macabre as his other works.”

“It might not be macabre, but it’s tragic.”

“Love often is. It’s a love story. Or poem.”

“Well I’m glad that my horrible name was able to inspire
you. I could kill my mom for naming me that.”

“Ligeia is a beautiful name.”

I gave him a look. “And an invitation for questions. Lily is
far less trouble.”

“I would think you’re trouble no matter what we call you.”
He winked.

“Only the good kind.”

“Naturally, my dear.” He put the guitar down. “Do you have
any plans for today?”

I scrunched my nose. “Not too much. Maybe work out. Creep
around the bookstore. The usual.”

His eyes widened. “That sounds like the perfect Sunday.
Would you like some company? Or would you prefer to be alone?”

Whoa, this was weird. Very relationship-y. Something I
didn’t do.

But I did enjoy his company. And I didn’t want to leave him
just yet.

“Umm. Sure. Why not?”

“Do you run?”

“Yes.” Although I preferred to run on four legs rather than
two—something I probably shouldn’t mention.

“How about a leisurely Sunday run down by the ocean?”

“It’s snowing. And it’s still pretty cold out there. And it
will be even colder near the water.” I said this more for his benefit than
mine. The cold didn’t affect me as much as it would him.

“So bundle up. The ocean air will feel good in our lungs.”

“Hmm…” I thought I should mention that I liked my solitude,
that I usually spent my weekend days alone, even when I had a lover in my life.

“And if you’re too cold, we’ll come back here and I’ll warm
you up.”

I raised an eyebrow. This day was looking up more by the
minute. “I hope you mean more than with hot cocoa.”

He raised an eyebrow back. “As you wish.”

For someone who claimed to want to keep him at an arm’s
length, I certainly wasn’t acting accordingly. In fact I couldn’t think of
anyone I’d rather spend the day with than Nico. Inside, a little voice warned
me to keep from getting too close, but I stifled it. Today I wanted nothing
more than to spend more time with him; it was much more exciting than spending
the day alone.

Nico

We stopped by her place later that morning so Lily could get
some warm workout clothing. I looked over the books in her living room while
she changed and then we drove to the beach. The sidewalks near the seawall were
plowed so we ran there. I was surprised at not only how Lily kept up with me,
but that at some points I had to keep up with her. Not to mention how
distracting it was to see her ahead of me, tawny-brown ponytail swinging from
one side to the other and my eyes repeatedly traveling down to focus on her
ass. Running behind her also welled up a primal urge in me, one that wanted to
chase and hunt her. To pounce on top of her and take her right here…

It was safer if I kept up with her and ran beside her than
trailing her from behind.

After we ran a few miles on the main drag, we cooled down
with a walk on the beach. We removed our sneakers and held them as we walked,
saying hi to the few passersby—an older couple and a couple walking their dog.

“You’re fast,” I said. “I’d been running for years so
thought I’d have to slow down for you. You proved me wrong.”

“Maybe I’m full of surprises,” she said.

We moved closer to the water to stay out of the path of two
guys tossing a Frisbee to a golden retriever.

“I never asked you what you think about the book,” I said.

“I liked it a lot. I’m on the second book now. But I won’t
pick it up unless I have some time to devote to it. Because once I start
reading, I won’t put it down until I absolutely have to.”

“I can understand that completely,” I answered. “Do you have
the third?”

“No, not yet.”

“Let’s go get it for you. Because once you finish the
second, you’ll want to stop everything and go find a copy. Trust me, I’m saving
you the anguish I went through when I finished the book one night and had a
long night waiting for the bookstore to open the next morning.”

She laughed with such gusto I couldn’t help joining in. “You
do realize it’s fiction, don’t you? These aren’t real stories.”

“Shush,” I said, teasing. “Don’t ruin it.”

“Before we go there, let’s get something to eat.”

“Too late for breakfast, too early for lunch. Looks like
it’s—”

“Brunch time. I love brunch!” she said.

“So I guess this means you didn’t get too cold then?
Remember how I promised to warm you up back at my place.”

“The day is young. And the anticipation will make us want
each other more.”

“I don’t think I can want anyone as much as I want you right
now.”

She looked down at her feet as we walked through the sand.
“Too bad we’re not the only ones on the beach right now.”

I groaned. “I love how adventurous you are. Makes me think
of a thousand other ways I want to be with you.”

“Maybe you’ll tell me some of them over brunch, rock star.”

I dropped her off to shower while I went to my place. An
hour later, I picked her up and we went to brunch and then the bookstore where
I bought her the third book. Then we returned to my place and I made us hot
cocoa. It turned cold as we made out on the sofa, kissing turned to touching,
touching gave way to a more in-depth exploring and pretty soon we were taking
off our clothes in my living room. She crawled on the rug in front of me, up in
between my legs, and looked at me in a way that I forgot to breathe. When she
kissed a trail from my neck down between my legs, the anticipation sent a
tingling all the way to my toes. When she finally took me in her warm, velvety
mouth, I almost climaxed right away. The way she took me without inhibitions
and without any self-consciousness was something I’d never experienced with a
woman before unless we’d had one too many drinks.

I put my hands on her head and pulled her away before I
came. “You’re too good at that. I won’t last long. And I want to be inside
you.”

Lily stood up and straddled me, torturing me as she rubbed
my throbbing erection against her.

“Hold on,” she said and went in search of something.