Money For Something

19 - Hotter Than Hell

**Ace**

This was complete fucking torture.

All my good intentions flew straight out the window when Willow launched herself at me when I came off stage. I was ready to do her up against a speaker stack, that's how much she had me going.

Sadly, responsibility had called, and I left her with Amelie as I went off to make a truly cool sixteen-year-old boy's day by hanging with him before, during and after Afterburn's set. Honestly? He was probably one of the only people in the building who could understand the torturous nature of the unwanted and untended chub in my jeans.

The teen years are fucking terrible. Nothing beats the mortification of getting a stiffy at the sight of your mate's sister in a bikini, or your sister's mates for that matter. Unless it's the mortification of an almost thirty-year-old man sporting wood in the middle of a charity event. Every time my I got my dick under control, I thought of the way Willow had moaned as I kissed her and up it sprang again. It was like being back at school. I'd hated school.

"There they are!" I shouldered my way through the crowd in the VIP area having spotted Willow perched on the edge of a velvet sofa. Had she sat all the way back in its deep plush seat, her feet would have dangled in the air like a child. On either side of her were Hope Clarke and Derek Blackman. Opposite them Lucy was perched in Bas's lap. My unruly cock twitched again. I needed Willow in my lap ASAP and not in the middle of a club.

"Petal." Her eyes lit up when she saw me and damn, if that didn't cause a stir in my heart as well as well as my dick. We needed to leave. If I didn't get her alone soon, I was going to explode. Quite possibly in my jeans.

Our eyes met and I just stood there, smiling and smouldering stupidly at her. She smiled back at me, just as focused as I was, her lips full and red. She'd reapplied her lipstick. God bless that lipstick, call me a pervert if you like but I was hoping to see it smeared on my cock.

Derek jabbed me in the thigh with one of his long, elegant fingers to gain my attention. Poor bloke didn't realise the close call that finger had with my dick. I edged away slightly as he spoke, no need to offend famous fashion designers with my knob. "I believe congratulations are in order, but you must know that I'm a tiny bit peeved that you didn't give me a chance to design a wedding dress for your lovely bride."

Realizing they weren't going to let me escape with Willow just yet, and to keep the problem in my lap, I parked my arse on the drink filled table between the two sofas. Worse things had happened to my jeans than alcohol spills and with any luck I'd be out of them soon anyway.

Willow was smiling at Derek in stunned amazement. I don't think she could believe he'd suggested that he'd have designed a dress for her. A-listers wore Derek Blackman wedding dresses, and even some of them wouldn't get that lucky. I'd met Lucy's godfather enough times to know that he was notoriously fussy about who he dressed, he'd just paid her a huge compliment. I reached over and gave Willow's knee an encouraging squeeze, mainly because I needed to touch her.

"Thanks Derek, there's no need for that," I said. Derek responded with a disapproving grunt. I tore my eyes away from Willow to look at him. The music was loud, but I didn't miss the collective gasp of muted horror and Bas's muttered, "Bonehead."

"What?" I frowned and glanced over my shoulder at Lucy. I don't know how it's physically possible to simultaneously raise your eyebrows and drag them together, but she managed it. I didn't need to hear her sigh to know that once again I was the problem child.

I was sick of being the fucking problem child. I was also sick of being misunderstood.

"All I'm saying is that it was a nice offer but there was no need for Derek to design Willow a dress. She didn't need one. Even if we'd had a big splashy wedding. Willow made her own dress, and it was stunning. She was stunning. At our wedding. I can't imagine any way that she could have possibly looked any better." I attempted to explain myself in a burble of word vomit. When my gaze landed on Willow I was rewarded with a glowing look. No matter how stupid I sounded she understood me. We needed to escape. Immediately.