Oliver checked him over with a critical eye before closing the distance and unbuttoning the top half of his shirt.
“Hey, stop!” Parker protested, trying to shake off Oliver’s hands from his shirt.
He was unsuccessful, though, and I was secretly grateful for it.
His shirt dipped down, giving a peek of smooth, hard muscles. A flash of black ink peeked out from where his shirt had been unbuttoned, but he squirmed too much for me to see what it was. My curious gaze left his chest and moved up to his face, only to find him turning a violent pink color that reached all the way to his gauged ears.
“Ollie, I look ridiculous,” Parker complained, his voice strained in embarrassment. He moved to re-button his shirt.
I smiled and caught his eye. “I think it looks nice.”
“I think it makes you look like a rock star,” Whitney added. “And we’re going to a rock concert. So, it makes sense.”
Oliver turned back to Parker with a smirk. “See?” He gestured to Parker’s outfit. “You look fine.”
Parker nodded mutely and removed his hands from his shirt and allowed Oliver to finish undoing the remaining buttons. His face was still flushed as Oliver instructed him to sit on the bed. Parker leaned back a little so his abs were on full display. Oliver grinned to himself as he reached down and grabbed something from his pile. He held up an eyeliner pen, and I raised my eyebrows in question.
“So, you’re really putting makeup on him?” I asked in puzzlement.
“Yeah, it helps us not look washed out if the lights hit us wrong,” he explained as he leaned forward and applied the eyeliner to Parker’s waterline.
Okay... “I don’t think anyone’s going to really be paying that much attention to you guys, though.”
Both Oliver and Parker chuckled at me again, and I scowled, unsure why they thought that was funny. Whitney and I shared a look of confusion before she shrugged and turned back to the guys.
They were plenty attractive, but that didn’t mean a whole bunch of girls were going to ogle them. But then I thought back to a few moments ago when I, a girl, had been ogling Oliver. Okay, so maybe they had a little bit of a point, but I still felt like it was a weird thing for them to worry about.
“Do you do this with all of the guys?” I asked Oliver as he finished drawing a thin, dark line under Parker’s bottom lashes.
With a nod, he stepped back, and my mouth almost fell open.
I knew makeup helped enhance natural beauty, but I’d never considered what it could do for a guy.
“Ooh, you look pretty,” Whitney complimented, and Parker’s ears pinked.
“Thanks, cutie,” he said, a genuine smile lifting the corners of his mouth despite his embarrassment.
Parker’s eyes appeared to almost sparkle as he smiled, a mixture of sea and grass that had me lost for words. Just by drawing a thin line of eyeliner, his eyes looked larger and more sensual. He was... sexy.
When he caught me staring, he blushed deeper, and Oliver muttered a random ice cream flavor at him.
“How the cherry chip am I supposed to match your face if you’re blushing like a kid who just discovered boobies,” Oliver demanded, placing his hands on his hips.
His words didn’t help, though, as Parker remained pink.
Ollie sighed, grabbed foundation from his bag, and started dabbing at Parker’s red face. “For fudge swirl’s sake.” Glancing over his shoulder at me, he continued to blot at Parker’s skin and accidentally poked Parker’s eye. “And to answer your earlier question, yeah, usually I do, but it depends on what we’re doing that night.”
I nodded, trying to wrap my brain around his words. Was this just something I didn’t know guys did? I didn’t think so. None of my boyfriends or any of their friends had worn makeup. So maybe their group was just unique?
Oliver finished up with Parker as Ace entered the room. He still wore the same clothes as earlier. He seemed a little tired as he came to stand next to me. We both watched as Oliver let Whitney spray something on every inch of Parker’s face, promising it would help the makeup stay throughout the night. Especially with all of the sweating.
“Sweating?” I asked in confusion.
I looked Parker over, pretty sure he wore more makeup than me. The weird thing was it actually looked really hot, and I squirmed uncomfortably.
Ace nodded. “Yes, we tend to get a little sweaty at concerts. It’s hot with all the bodies and lights.”
I still felt like it was kind of strange but kept my mouth shut. Who was I to judge someone on their sweating?
Oliver snapped his fingers at Parker and pointed in the direction of the door. “Okay, you’re done. Get out of here.”
Parker hopped up from the bed and beelined for the door, relief evident on his face. As he passed me, he slowed and brushed his fingers across my hand, leaving a gentle buzz in their stead. I inhaled at the tender look in his eyes but didn’t say anything as I watched him leave.
What was that?
The door slammed shut behind Parker, and Oliver’s gaze shifted to Ace. After a moment, he turned to us. “What do you guys think? Should we have him in something more casual or dressed up?”
I put a finger to my lips as I looked over at Ace. “Um, what do you want, Ace?”
“Nope.” Oliver smirked, reaching over and lightly bonking me on the head. “You guys get to pick.”
Ace gave me an encouraging smile. When I met his eyes, I smiled softly.
Whitney played with the end of her braid thoughtfully. “How about a mix of both?”
Oliver face turned pensive for a second before he bent down and began rummaging in his suitcase again. He came back with a soft-blue cardigan and dark-gray jeans.
Ace raised his eyebrows but took the clothes.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” Oliver frowned, motioning for Ace to put on the clothes.
Ace sighed and did as instructed, pulling the cardigan over his white button-up. However, he left the gray jeans Oliver gave him on the couch against the wall. Apparently, he didn’t feel the need to try them on.
“Hmm,” Oliver said thoughtfully, mulling over the outfit. “It’s hard to tell just how it will look if you don’t try on the jeans, but I like it.” He took a step closer to Ace. “Just one alteration.”
He began undoing the top few buttons of Ace’s shirt, and I slapped a hand over my mouth to smother my laughter. Oliver had a theme going tonight.
“Is this really necessary?” Ace grumbled as Ollie finished undoing the buttons to the very bottom.
“Definitely necessary,” I said with a toothy grin, and Ace’s eyes found mine, a heat lighting them up. The open shirt did nothing to hide his defined torso, previously hidden under the white fabric.
Oliver smiled. “See? It’s necessary. Now sit so we can make you decent looking.”
Oliver applied a thin layer of creamy foundation on Ace’s face before taking some black eyeliner and swiping it over his lash line. If I had thought I was swimming before, now, I was drowning. His pale blue appeared sharper, fiercer.
Oliver smiled in satisfaction and stepped back. “Okay, you’re done. Can you send in Chris in for me? I need to get him ready before Hunt.”
Ace nodded and grabbed the jeans, sending me a smile before he left the room.
“See, beautiful?” Oliver smiled at me. “Aren’t you glad you’re helping me out now?”
CHAPTER 14
Shifting through his suitcase, Oliver frowned about something. Standing straight, he headed for the door. “Hold on. I’ll be right back. I left his shoes in the other room.”
“I’ll come with you!” Whitney hurried after him.
Christian walked in a moment after they left and smiled warmly as he moved to sit down on the bed.
“How’s your new job going?” he teased lightly.
Grinning, I crossed the room to lean against the wall next to him. “Pretty well. It’s actually kind of fun seeing Oliver in this mode.”
/> Christian’s smile shifted to a smirk. “Just wait until it’s your turn.”
I rolled my eyes just as the sound of a blaring foghorn went off. My heart lunged into my throat, and I stared at Christian in shock. Retrieving his phone from his pocket, he chuckled at the screen. He tapped at the screen for a moment before he glanced up at me.
When he saw me gaping at him, he quirked an eyebrow. “What is it, amor?”
There it was again. That name. It sounded pretty coming off his lips, but based off of Hunter’s earlier reaction to it, I worried it meant something unkind. Even Kai had called me something strange. Jagi? And there was a longer form of the word as well.
Deciding to ask him later what it meant, I gestured at his phone. “What in the world was that?”
“I got a text.” He held up his phone to reveal a message from Kai.
“So, you have a foghorn as your notification alert?” I asked incredulously.
He nodded. “Of course.”
Right. Of course. Silly me.
Ignoring the urge to roll my eyes with his answer, I asked a different question. “Okay, but do you have to have your volume at its loudest setting?”
Christian laughed, standing up and moving closer before gathering me up into a large bear hug. He chuckled softly into my hair. His hands traced up my arms, leaving behind a warmth that spread throughout my entire body. “You make me laugh.”
I shivered when his hands came to rest at the nape of my neck, and a delicious humming spread up and down my spine from his touch. Swallowing loudly, I blinked up at his dark eyes. “I wasn’t trying to be funny.”
Smiling, his eyes roamed my face before he answered. His gaze fell on my lips for a moment before they flicked back up to my eyes. “I know.”
I gulped, suddenly warm and deliciously tingly from his proximity, but the sound of the door opening made me jump.
“Hey, leave beautiful alone. No need to put your gigantuous paws on her.”
Swiftly stepping away from Christian, I peeked over to find Oliver in the doorway, a pile of shirts and dark shoes in his arms. Whitney held a similar pile in her arms too, except it was so high I couldn’t see her tiny head.
I hurried over, grabbed some from her, then set them on the couch. She let out a tired huff and sent me a grateful smile.
“Is it okay if I go play video games with Parker and Kai?” she asked.
“Sure, just nothing violent, okay?”
She nodded and danced away, her brown eyes blown wide with excitement.
The expression on her face as she left took my breath away. How long had it been since she’d been this excited? I couldn’t recall.
“Hmm,” Oliver pondered, distracting me. He sorted through the shirts and held them up occasionally to Christian’s broad frame. Talking under his breath every now and again, he decided on a few options for Christian to try. “Here, put these on.”
Christian accepted the clothes. Setting them back down on the couch, he yanked off his sweater.
Nearly having a heart attack at all his beautiful bare skin, my heart thumped unevenly against my sternum as I checked him over. His form was tall and strong as he stood in front of me, just like the Roman warriors found in paintings and sculptures. Corded muscles banded around his large biceps, and his arms flexed slightly as he began unbuttoning his jeans...
Throat now dry, I forced my attention back up to Christian’s cinnamon-colored eyes, finding him watching me carefully with playful interest. I cleared my throat and turned around, guilty for watching as long as I had.
Thank goodness Whitney had left.
As I spun to face the window, face feverish and body bothered, I thought back to past boyfriends and compared. All the guys I’d dated had been scrawny little things who weighed less than I did. It hadn’t ever bothered me, still didn’t, but this man... There was no doubting his chiseled body outdid all of my exes’.
With a rustle, Christian’s jeans fell to the floor, and I mentally groaned as I heard him changing into one of the outfits Oliver had picked out for him. How long had it been since I’d been intimate with anyone? Obviously, if my reactions were anything to go by, too long.
“Okay, you can look now,” Christian teased.
When I turned around, he wore a three-quarter-length cream-colored shirt with a deep V-neck neckline. My mouth went dry again as the outlines of his strong, muscled chest stretched the abnormally thin layer of clothing. His jeans, stylishly torn in several places, hung loose on his hips, and he had dark laced boots.
Oliver asked, or truly ordered, him to sit on the bed so he could apply makeup to his face. The kohl liner made Christian’s eyes appear darker and more sensual, or maybe that was just Christian. He looked like some mixture of a demigod and modern-day rocker as he stood from the chair, his broad form towering over me.
“Spin around for a second. I need to make sure everything looks okay,” Oliver instructed.
Christian turned slowly, allowing Oliver to study his clothing and make sure he looked right for tonight.
When he’d gone in a full circle, Oliver nodded and gestured for him to leave. “You’re good. Send in Sassy Buns.”
He bellowed out a laugh and shook his head. “Sometimes I think you’re looking for trouble, Ollie.” With a wink at me, he crossed the room and let the door close behind him.
Shouts rang loudly from the other room, and I wondered whether the neighbors could hear us.
The door banged open as Hunter stormed in, an angry gleam in his eyes.
“Ollie.” He came to a stop in front of Oliver. “I look just fine in what I’m wearing. I don’t need to do this every fucking time!”
Just how many concerts did these guys attend? And they dressed like this each time?
Oliver bent forward to pull some clothes and a small candy bar out of his bag. “Yes, you do need this. There’s gonna be pictures tonight, and I’m not going to have you looking like that.” He gestured up and down Hunter’s frame with a wave of the candy bar in his hands.
Hunter scowled at the treat and tried to swat it out of his face. “But I wear this all the time.”
“Exactly.” Oliver stuffed the dark clothes and candy bar into Hunter’s arms. “We’re going to a concert. Not a fucking tree-hugging convention.”
“Ha!” Hunter guffawed, a smirk spreading over his face. “You swore, Ollie.”
“Huh?” I wondered why Oliver pouted at Hunter’s gloating expression.
Hunter turned to me, his face the most excited I had seen yet. “He lost a bet a few months ago, so now he can’t curse in anything but ice cream flavors or else he has to pay us a hundred bucks.”
My mouth fell open. “For forever?”
Oliver shook his head, fishing out his wallet and slamming a hundred-dollar bill on top of Hunter’s pile of clothes. “No, the bet was just for a year.”
I cocked my head. “And how much have you lost so far?”
“Money?” Oliver asked, his face pensive. “Around two grand. Give or take a few hundred.”
“Damn.” I bit my cheek to hide my smile at the curt look Oliver tossed my way.
Hunter barked out a laugh, and Oliver sent him a dry glare.
“Laugh all you want, Sassy Buns.” His voice held an inkling of threat. “But don’t forget I’m not finished with you here.”
Hunter’s laughed died, and a scowl returned to his face.
“You don’t want to dress up like the others?” I asked him curiously.
He rolled his eyes. “No, I most certainly do not.” He nodded his chin down at the clothes in his arms. “Plus, these aren’t really my style.”
The pads of my fingers skimmed over a blue-and-black plaid button-up in the discarded clothes pile. Picking it up, I held it out to him, and he accepted it warily, if not a little curiously. “I thought dressing up for concerts was half the fun?”
He huffed out a groan and peered down at the clothes in his arms. “Fine, I’ll try this stupid outfit on, bu
t I still think I look fine how I am.”
He left us to go get changed, and I gasped in surprise when Oliver wrapped me up in a tight hug.
“Oli—”
“That was awesome,” he exhaled into my hair. “I’ve never gotten him to try something on before.”
“I think that might be because you’re pushing him too far out of his comfort zone,” I pointed out, relaxing into the warmth of his embrace. “He doesn’t want to be someone else.”
I felt him nod his head. “You’re probably right.”
After one more tight squeeze, he released me and stepped back. I turned around and smiled at him.
The look in his eyes made my heart speed up in my chest, and the breath caught in my lungs. As I gazed at him, taking in every beautiful curve and hard plane of his face, I lost track of time. I lost track of everything. It became just the two of us trapped in an endless moment.
His eyes were determined, the green like glittering emeralds, as he inched me closer and melded his lips to mine.
A groan erupted from his mouth as he pressed a hand firmly against my lower back while the other tangled in my hair. I whimpered with anticipation as he tugged on my hair slightly, forcing my head back to give him better access to my neck. It had been so long since someone had kissed me with this much desire...
No, scratch that. I’d never been kissed like this.
His lips made a slow trail down my neck until they reached the hollow of my throat. As he nipped and sucked at the skin there, I made noises I hadn’t even known I could make. Before I could even think about what was happening, I found myself pushed up against the wall, his hands softly dragging my arms up above my head until he pinned them against the hard surface.
Seeking my mouth again, his lips fought my own with more urgency as his tongue darted out and caressed my lips. My mouth parted for him, and he groaned again as his tongue entangled with mine. He tasted of sweet peppermint, and I hummed low in my throat as I kissed him back with more fervor.
I didn’t even care that I’d just met the guy. I wanted this. I’d had such an awful week, and his lips were the perfect escape from reality. When he kissed me, I could forget all my worries.
Lonely Lullaby: Ballad of a Broken Soul Series | Book 1 Page 10
