Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 39245 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 196(@200wpm)___ 157(@250wpm)___ 131(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39245 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 196(@200wpm)___ 157(@250wpm)___ 131(@300wpm)
Did the man have no inkling how unbelievably sexy he was?
Finn stood, leaning against the wall, unable to take his gaze off the rock star, who kind of reminded him of a sloth. He always moved so slowly, and he seemed to drape himself over furniture and often just stretched out on the floor. He had this inherent provocativeness that had Finn’s body staying highly alert.
“Why don’t you sit and play with me?” Ajax asked, opening one eye to look at Finn.
Play with him? He wanted nothing more.
“How’s your knowledge of bands?”
Finn shrugged as he settled on the couch, his heavy body sinking into the cushions. “Okay. Not that good, actually. I listen to mostly game soundtracks.”
“I love game soundtracks. Games, too, though it’s been a long time since I played any.”
“Why’d you ask about my band knowledge?”
“Another kind of game I play while on the road with the band. I’m the reigning champ.”
“How does it work?”
Ajax stretched, his biceps flexing. “We play the openings of songs and try to guess the band quickly. Before anyone else.”
“There’s just two of us.”
Ajax ran his fingers over his exposed stomach absentmindedly. Finn’s gaze stuck there as he imagined tracing that same path with his tongue. Tracing it up to explore the serpent tattoo on his ribs.
“Then we’ll just challenge each other. I’ll show you.” He picked his phone up off the floor and messed around with it a moment before a song started. “Know who this is?”
Finn listened, easily recognizing the melody. “I know the lyrics and the title. ‘Dust in the Wind.’” He wracked his brain. “Sorry. Blanking on the band.”
“Kansas. What decade had your favorite music?”
“I actually liked the seventies, so let’s stick with that, though really, I won’t be good at this.”
“Want me to guess first then?” He sat up and held his phone out. “You can use my app. Try to challenge me.”
Finn stayed in the seventies since it was before Ajax was born, but no matter what he played, the man barked out the band within a couple of chords.
Led Zeppelin.
Black Sabbath.
Steely Dan.
Ramones.
Chicago.
He even tried to trip Ajax up with disco and the softer music of The Carpenters, but he got every single one right. So Finn moved to the eighties, then the fifties and sixties. Didn’t matter. He dropped the phone on the cushion beside him. “Holy shit, you know your music.”
Ajax chuckled. “My parents played music all the time, and they had eclectic taste, so I was exposed to it all.”
“Are you still close to them?”
“Very. Even bought them a new house I had to work hard to persuade them to take.”
“Are they in New York, too?”
Ajax nodded. “I’ve always lived there, though I’m in the city and they’re about an hour out of it. I see them as much as I can, but I travel most of the time.” He rolled onto his side and propped his head on his hand. A strand of wavy brown hair fell over one eye. “What about you?”
“I never knew my parents.”
“I’m sorry. What happened—if you don’t mind me asking?”
Finn shrugged. “Have no idea. I was found wandering a shipyard when I was seven years old. No memories before that.”
“That must be so hard. Did a family take you in? What happened?”
“I grew up in different orphanages. So I was…moved a lot.” That was an understatement, but he was surprised he was sharing this much.
“I’m sorry again.”
“I kept up the habit after I finally ran away from a place at fifteen. Traveled and didn’t really settle until I moved here and took this job—” A sound outside grabbed his attention. He closed his eyes, and sure enough, his senses sent him a warning. He jumped to his feet. “Something’s up. Stay here, and I’ll be back.”
Ajax sat up and nodded, his expression concerned.
Finn strode to the front door. He wasn’t particularly worried about some crazy fan, so he didn’t turn to vapor once out of Ajax’s sight. He headed in the direction where he felt something happening, and soon the sound of crunching leaves met his ears. He jogged that way, spotting a couple of teenaged girls helping a third over the fence. He stopped behind them, crossed his arms, and cleared his throat.
One of them shrieked and spun around, leaving the third dangling on the fence.
Finn lifted an eyebrow.
“We heard Ajax Craig is here,” the shrieker said in a rush. “We just wanted to see him.”
“You don’t think whoever lives here deserves their privacy?”
“We weren’t going to bother him,” the third said as she dropped and landed on her ass with a grunt. She brushed off the seat of her jeans as she stood.
“So you planned to what? Peek in the windows?”
“Told you this was a bad idea,” the last one murmured.
“Come with me,” Finn ordered. “You should be ashamed of yourselves. If he were here, he’d deserve his privacy.”