Collaring Chaz (Dante's Infernal #2) - Joel Abernathy Page 0,39

was relieved to be getting back to it. It took a little while to feel comfortable, since I’d gotten used to playing acoustic. It felt good, though, and eventually, I tuned out the feeling that my every move was being closely scrutinized and compared to my temporary replacement, even though it probably was.

It took a few hours to get a take everyone was happy with. Mostly Dante, but at least this time, I wasn’t the one holding everyone back. Cash had actually fucked up on the last song a few times, but Dante had an entirely different response. Not that I would have preferred it if he sat on my lap or anything, but it felt like kind of a double standard.

I shook the thought off, feeling guilty for it immediately. Cash’s fuck-ups were few and far between, and he didn’t annoy the shit out of everyone. I was just glad to be back. Maybe Raf’s words were getting to me. I knew he meant well, but as much as I was enjoying the shift in our dynamic, I was afraid it would start affecting the band.

We recorded straight through the evening, which wasn’t abnormal, especially in a time crunch. Drake showed up around six, which really put me on edge, but I had a few minutes to get my shit together before we started recording again, so I went into the hall for a breather.

I gasped in alarm as someone grabbed me by the waist, but by the time he’d pushed me up against the wall, I realized it was just Raf. “You scared the shit out of me,” I muttered against his lips once he’d finished kissing me breathless.

“You get grabbed often by randos?” he teased, pressing his pelvis into me and pinning my arms at my sides against the wall. The hunger in his eyes belied his amusement and I swallowed instinctively as his gaze swept over me. “Might have to do something about that.”

“Raf,” I mumbled, looking away. He just leaned in and nipped my throat, grinding against me hard enough I felt like I was about to go through the drywall. Not that I could bring myself to care.

“I forgot how good you look in those tight little jeans,” he purred into my ear, the tip of his tongue flirting with my earlobe. “How about we hit the club after this and I fuck you with them down around your knees?”

“Fuck,” I panted as he pushed his thigh between my legs. The second my lips parted, he shoved his tongue into my mouth. I was glad his leg was there because my knees buckled.

The sound of someone clearing his throat pointedly made me jolt, but Raf ignored my attempts to get into a less compromising position and looked up at whoever had interrupted us with a filthy glare.

“What?” he snapped at Drake, who was standing there with a look of judgment on his face, wearing a suit that probably cost as much as the studio itself.

Our manager raised his eyebrow. “Sorry to interrupt your makeout session with work, but there are still three tracks we need bass on.”

Before I could respond, Raf answered, “What the fuck are you talking about? We just finished the last one. Those other three were done last week.”

“Dante wants to scrap the fill-in’s parts,” Drake said with a shrug, looking directly at me. “If you can stay until it’s finished tonight, we’ll be able to get it to the producer by morning.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Rafael spat.

I put my hands on his chest, giving him a pleading look. “It’s fine,” I assured him, taking the bit of space between us to slip out from under his arm. “I don’t mind. Really. It won’t take that long.”

Raf clearly wanted to argue, but he was having some kind of staring contest with Drake, so I decided it was a good time to slip back into the studio. Cash was already wearing his coat, and Dante looked like he was getting ready to leave.

“Hey,” Dante said, flipping his hair out of the collar of his leather jacket. “Drake told you about the tracks, right?”

“Yeah,” I said, shoving my hands into my hoodie. “I should be able to finish them tonight, no problem.”

“Great,” he said, glancing over at Raf, who’d just come back into the studio. The sullen look on his face was plain enough to me, but Dante didn’t seem to notice. “We’re going out for some food while we plan the