A Song For Us (Fallen Tuesday Book Two) (A Brothers of Rock Novel) (13 page)

Gray leaned his guitar against the
piano and sat next to Carina on the bench and looked at Carina’s slender hands
on the keys.

“You don’t know how good you are,”
Gray whispered. “You need to realize it. You can do anything you want, Carina.
Tell me though. What does it mean? What do you want from it?”

“I want to figure out what to play
next,” Carina said, avoiding the question.

Gray smiled. He gently bumped into Carina.
“I’ll write the next part. If you don’t mind.”

*

Gray looked over his shoulder and
smirked. He had a bad boy look about him, but his heart was pure. He was sexy
as anything too, which didn’t harm his cause. Carina stood in the studio where
Fallen Tuesday played and recorded music. She couldn’t believe that she had
just helped Gray write part of a song.

Then on the piano, Gray began to
play note for note what she had just done. Playing the piano made him even
hotter. Carina knew she always had a thing for a guitarist, but to see a
guitarist get behind a piano…

Gray played from the first chorus,
and then on the spot began to play a break between the chorus and the next
verse that was powerful and perfect. It fit the song. The break wasn’t hard to
play, it was just a few extra notes, but those notes were sad, purposeful, and
they guided the song right into the next verse.

The sound was the same for the
verse and chorus, but then came the tricky part.

“We need a bridge,” Gray said. He
stopped playing and spun around. He looked up at Carina. “I don’t know what it
needs though. We can keep the same sound or we can try something very
different. Throw it off a little, right?”

“It’s your song,” Carina said.

“No, it’s Fallen Tuesday’s song. We
should record this so I can play it back for the guys.”

“You did just fine on your own,” Carina
said.

She couldn’t record herself
playing. Not professionally, in a studio, for other musicians - and rock stars
- to hear. No way.

“I want to play the guitar and you
play the piano.”

“You can’t do both?”

“Caught me,” Gray said. “I can do
both. But I don’t want to.”

“Gray…”

Gray touched Carina’s hands. He
loved this position. Him sitting, Carina standing. He interlocked his fingers
with hers. She looked at their hands, worry overcoming her face.

“What’s wrong?” Gray asked.

“What is all this for? I don’t just
want… a fling. You have your brother to care for. And you have your band.”

“I’m not thinking about any of
that,” Gray said. “You keep me focused on you. I don’t want this to be a fling
either. That’s why you’re here. So we can talk. Play. Write. Get to know each
other. Do you want to get to know me?”

What kind of question was that? Of
course Carina wanted to get to know Gray. She wanted to get to know him in so
many ways. In the studio. In the bedroom. Everywhere.

“I want to get to know you,” Carina
said. “Of course I do. I want to know everything. Not just the rockstar stuff.”

“Then I guess we should get out of
the studio. Maybe grab something to eat. You can come with me to Mack’s house.
It’ll just be us though, okay?”

“Okay,” Carina said. “I’d like
that.”

“You and me both.”

Gray was still holding her hands.
She couldn’t control her heartbeat or the way she felt warm all over. When she
started to bend, Gray smiled. He wanted this. He wanted her. Carina couldn’t
remember the last time she felt that someone actually wanted her.

Carina continued to bend until her
lips were just an inch from Gray’s. Now it was her turn to tempt and tease him.
She may not have had a private jet or a recording studio to offer, but she did
have herself. And if Gray really wanted it…

Gray moved up and kissed Carina. His
hands quickly released her hands and he touched her waist again. His strength
and passion made Carina’s knees bend, seeking relief. He pulled at Carina,
suggesting he wanted her to climb on top of him.

Right there in the studio?

It was wild. It was sexy. It was
exactly the type of thing a rockstar would want to do.

Carina wanted it too. She stepped
forward, opening her legs, trying to mentally think of how to straddle Gray on
a piano bench while she focused on kissing him. Their kisses were wet and had a
sensual echo in the large room. Carina enjoyed the taste of Gray’s tongue and
she made sure he knew that she knew how to use her tongue. As she battled to
not make a sound, she had no idea how far she would actually let herself go. Gray
slid his hands back to her ass, cupping, pulling, and Carina couldn’t contain
herself. She let out a moan as she started to climb on Gray.

When Carina heard the sound of
someone whistle, the kiss ended and she jumped up straight. She turned her head
and couldn’t believe her eyes.

It was the lead singer of Fallen
Tuesday, Luke.

He stood in the doorway with his
hands in his pockets, a big smile on his face.

“Shit,” Gray said and hurried to
stand. “Luke, what the hell are you doing here?”

“Here to record some music, man,” a
voice boomed in the room.

Carina squinted and through the
glass she could see other figures.

Holy shit…

It was the rest of Fallen Tuesday.

“I mean, this is a recording
studio, right?” Luke asked. He pushed from the doorway and walked into the
studio.

He was the epitome of a cool
rockstar. Carina was so nervous. She wanted to grab for Gray’s hand but she didn’t.
She didn’t know what to do.

“Guys,” Gray yelled. “Come in here.
I want you to meet someone.”

Carina looked at Gray. She didn’t
care what color her face was right then.

“It’s okay,” Gray said to her.
“Meet the band. Then we’ll get out of here.”

“I’m in the way,” Carina said. “I
can go myself. You don’t have to…”

The rest of the band was now in the
room. Carina tried her best not to fall over. Fallen Tuesday stood there.

“Guys, this is Carina,” Gray said.
“I met her in Liering. She lives in the same building as Peter.”

“Hey,” Carina said, barely audible.

“I’m sure you know the guys,” Gray
said. “Jake, Trent, Luke, and Mack.”

Carina nodded. She knew.
She
knew.

“This was your private jet
passenger?” Mack asked with a wicked grin on his face.

“Yeah,” Gray said. “Carina is a
musician. She plays piano. When we met in Liering, she played a little for me.
Then when we got talking about that slow song, it hit me… piano.”

“Piano,” Luke said.

“You play piano,” Mack said.

“I do,” Gray sighed.

Carina started to smile. Gray was busted
and she liked seeing him a little flustered.

“Carina just played a good part of
the song and it sounds pretty damn good,” Gray said.

“Play it for us?” Luke asked, his
eyes staring right at Carina.

Carina’s mouth fell open.

“Not today,” Gray said. “We’re
going to grab a bite and relax.”

“Talk music?” Mack asked.

“Relax,” Gray said.

“I mean, you two were doing great
just a minute ago.”

Carina’s face burned.

Gray laughed.

Mack stepped to Carina. “I’m just
joking. It’s not everyday I walk into the studio and see our guitarist with a
woman ready to go.”

“I hope not,” Carina said.

Mack let out a booming laugh. “I
like her. Keep her around.”

“Quit bothering her,” Gray said.

“We were hoping to play a little,”
Jake said.

Gray looked at Carina.

“Do it,” Carina said. “It’s your
job.”

“Will you stay here? Watch?”

Carina nodded.

Just like that, the day had gotten
even crazier. Not only had she flown on a private jet to meet a rockstar, she
had played the piano for Gray, had his hands all over her, their mouths
together, and now, Carina was going to sit and watch Fallen Tuesday record
music.

*

Luke sang the first verse and
chorus to another new song. The band was solid but the lyrics were lacking. He
waved the band off after the chorus and reached for a bottle of water. This
caused major concern within the band. Everyone gathered around him, including
Mack, who damn near climbed over his drum set to get to Luke.

“I’m fine,” Luke said. “Just fine.
I don’t like these lyrics though.”

“Why not?” Gray asked.

“I don’t feel them. They’re boring
to me.”

“Okay,” Gray said. “So what do we
do?”

Luke smiled. “You guys record the
music and then let me do my thing. Alone.”

“Alone?”

“Well, I’ll be here,” Luke said. “I
figure I’ll need Mack here… and I’m sure Jake and Trent will want to write
together…”

Gray rolled his eyes. “What are you
doing?”

“You flew a woman here?” Luke
asked. “That’s…”

“She plays piano.”

“So do you,” Luke said. “Whatever
you’re doing, go do it. Don’t stick around here. You have enough going on. Let
me work these lyrics out.”

Luke watched Gray peer over his
shoulder. He could see that grin on Gray’s face and he understood it. It was
same smile that came over Luke’s face when he looked at Amy.

“Fine,” Gray said. “Let’s record
this.”

Luke left the room and went into
the sound room. Carina hurried to her feet.

“You can sit,” Luke said. “I’m not
singing on this one. I hate the lyrics.”

“Oh,” Carina said. “They were
good.”

“They were crap. You can tell me
that. I can handle criticism.”

“You’re the famous one, not me,” Carina
said.

Luke sat in the chair next to Carina.
“We’re just regular guys, trust me. We all have feelings, dreams, and fears.
Just because we play music for a lot of people doesn’t make us any different.”

The rest of the band started the
recording process and Luke and Carina listened to the song as it blared through
the speakers. It was another solid song, but it would need a little tweaking
and definitely needed better lyrics. When the song finished, Gray took his
guitar off and looked not at Luke, but at Carina.

“That’s for you,” Luke said.

“Are you guys done?”

“He is.”

“I don’t want to be in the way,” Carina
said.

Luke leaned toward her. “I’ve never
seen Gray put down his guitar like that. He can’t stop looking at you. I’m sure
you know the situation with his brother.”

“I’ve heard,” Carina said.

“He needs someone right now. We’re
here for him, but he wants you.”

Gray waved at Carina and she stood.
She looked at Luke. “I still can’t believe all this.”

“Neither can I,” Luke said. “But I
still enjoy it.”

Carina said goodbye to Luke and
left the sound room.

The connection between two people
was so fascinating to Luke. It could happen anytime, anywhere. The hard part
was turning that connection into something real and believable. Luke suddenly
had inspiration for the lyrics.

(13)

Over dinner, the conversation was
scarce. Gray tried to talk about the song Carina had been helping him work on,
but Carina looked like her mind was elsewhere. Something was bothering her.
Gray ignored it until they got to Mack’s house.

On the ride home Mack had called
Gray to let him know that there was a spare key for him in the mailbox. It was
Gray’s to keep. Mack also noted that he had somewhere to be for the night. The
house would be Gray’s and Carina’s. Gray didn’t like the idea of the band doing
special favors for him, but he definitely didn’t mind having the chance to be
alone with Carina.

When they arrived at Mack’s house,
Gray gave the quick tour before showing her the basement. “Like I said, this place
is nice,” Gray said. “All it needs is a kitchen down here and it would be its
own apartment.”

“It’s very nice,” Carina said.
“Better than my apartment. Even without a kitchen.”

“Good. Then make yourself at home.
Relax. Let’s talk.”

A few minutes later, Gray sat on
the couch with Carina, a beer in his hand. Carina had a beer in her hand, but
she picked at the label more than she drank it.

“I’m sorry to bother you, but
what’s on your mind?” Gray asked. “You seem out of it.”

“I know,” Carina said. “I’m sorry.
I’m just… I don’t know how to say something without hurting you.”

“Hurting me?” Gray asked. “Why
would you hurt me?”

Carina looked at him. “I can’t
sleep with you. I mean, tonight. Tomorrow. I don’t know. That’s not who I am,
Gray. What happened in my bedroom and in the studio…”

“It’s okay,” Gray said. “I didn’t
fly you here to get you in bed.”

Okay, I sort of did…
Gray
swallowed and kept his eyes focused.

“Yes you did,” Carina said with a
smile. “I know you did because that was part of the reason I came.”

“Then why wait?” Gray asked. “Not
that I’m pressuring you.”

“It’s just so much right now. Two
nights ago I was carrying food to tables. I was listening to some cover band
that was decent. Now I’m spending the night with one of the most popular rock
stars in the world.”

“Enough to make your head spin,
right?”

“Yes.”

“Let it spin,” Gray said. “You did
amazing today in the studio, Carina. You’re meant for it. You’re meant to write
and play music. I mean it.”

“No, I’m not.”

“I’m not suggesting you go on tour
or something,” Gray said. “I’m just saying I hope you never let it go. Music
will never let you down.”

Gray put his beer down and inched
his way closer to Carina. She looked at him with those eyes again. Those conflicting
eyes. Her mind, heart, and body were in a three way battle for what was right,
what was wrong, and what she wanted.

“What about you?” Carina asked.

“What about me?”

“Will you let me down?”

“Never,” Gray whispered.

Carina leaned toward Gray and he
had to kiss her, no matter what it meant. Her lips were thin and perfect. They
were soft yet eager.

Gray kissed Carina while keeping
his hands at bay. Then to his surprise, Carina touched his hands. She lifted them
and placed his hands to her sides. She wanted Gray to touch her.

Gray squeezed and moaned. He pulled
at Carina to get her closer. She abided. Waiting patiently paid off for Gray as
Carina opened her mouth and offered her tongue to him. As the kiss heated up
Gray placed his right hand to Carina’s cheek. He caressed her soft skin. The tips
of his fingers slid into her hair, releasing an intoxicating flowery scent that
made him almost painfully hard.

Then it stopped.

Carina pulled back, her mouth open,
breathing heavy. Her forehead rested against Gray’s forehead.

“Not tonight,” she whispered.

“Not tonight,” Gray said.

“Please don’t be mad at me.”

“Never. As long as you come with me
to the studio again. You and I have to finish that song. We have to.”

“Deal.”

Gray moved his thumb along Carina’s
cheek. “I still want to know, Carina.”

“Know what?”

“What you want. I want to know your
secret.”

“What secret?”

“There’s more to your life than
you’ve told me.”

Carina moved away from Gray. She
didn’t respond, but that was just as good as an answer. Gray could take a hint.

“Let’s stick to music then,” Gray
said. “I’ll be right back.”

Gray hurried upstairs and went into
the instrument room. As luck would have it, Mack not only had a piano in the
room, he had a portable keyboard. When Gray returned to the basement holding
it, he saw Carina’s eyes light up.

“Let’s review what we’ve got,” he
said. “Is that okay?”

“Sure.”

For the next two hours, Gray and Carina
sat shoulder to shoulder, playing everything they had done in the studio. Gray
purposely would mess up and pretend to forget parts of the song to see if Carina
could jump right in and play.

She did. She hadn’t forgotten a
single note from the studio.

By the time they were ready to be
done, they had the song completely written. They even worked out a really
romantic part where the piano played a solo and then allowed the guitar to come
in and play the same solo. The sound was beautiful, and Gray knew he and Carina
had a connection.

“I’m done for the night,” Gray said
as he put the guitar down. “Tomorrow, we practice that and then record it. We
have to record it.”

“I don’t know,” Carina said. “I’ve
never recorded anything before.”

“Carina, you just play. It’s not
going to be put on a record. It’s just to have so we can listen to it. We’ll
pay you for the time.”

Carina smiled. “Pay me?”

“Sure. If we brought someone in to
help with a song we’d pay them. I’m sure you had to take off work to come here,
right?”

“I don’t want money,” Carina said.
“This is for music. Let it be at that.”

Carina suddenly looked defensive as
she stood up.

“Whoa, is everything okay? Did I
offend you?”

“No,” Carina said. “I’m just tired.
How is this going to work?”

Gray really thought at the very
least he and Carina could share a bed. It didn’t have to turn into sex, but
looking at Carina, Gray realized he had touched on something sensitive.

“This is going to work pretty
simple,” Gray said. “You know where the bedroom is. I have the couch right
here.”

Carina looked at the couch and then
back at Gray. “If that’s what works.”

“Works for me,” Gray said. “I’m
used to sleeping on a tour bus. Anything that isn’t moving is a treat for me.”

“Is it comfortable? The tour bus, I
mean.”

“Now it is,” Gray said. “We have a
nice bus now. But still, cramming into bunk beds with guys all around…
sometimes it gets a little annoying.”

“Well, goodnight Gray,” Carina
said.

She started to walk around the
couch. Gray couldn’t let it just end like this. In a move that perhaps belonged
in a movie, Gray jumped over the couch, blocking Carina’s path.

“Hey, did I say something?” he
asked.

“No,” Carina said.

“What is it then?”

Carina hesitated and then finally
touched his chest. “It’s you, Gray. It’s you.”

“Me? What about me?”

“You’re a rockstar,” Carina said.
“I see you as a rockstar, but then I look into your eyes. Then I see Gray. I
see a man. That scares me, because each time I look at you, I think you want to
kiss me again.”

“I do,” Gray said, confused.

“That scares me even more.”

“Don’t be afraid,” Gray said. “I’m
not here to hurt you.”

“I know,” Carina said. “I’m afraid
I’ll hurt myself.”

“Can I at least kiss you
goodnight?”

She sighed and bit her lip. “Would
a rockstar ask for a kiss?”

“I’m not trying to be a rockstar.
If I was, we’d already be in bed together.”

Carina blushed. “I promise... I
want to see the rockstar soon.”

Gray stared into her eyes.

“You can kiss me goodnight,” Carina
said.

“I was planning on it, no matter
what you said.”

Gray pressed his lips to Carina’s
and he lingered much longer than any goodnight kiss should, but he had a reason
for it. He wanted Carina’s taste on his lips. The temptation of having Carina
so close yet so far got to him again and again. He knew it was going to be a
long night of tossing and turning on the couch.

*

Carina spread her arms across the
large bed as the pit of her stomach filled with regret. There was plenty of
room for Gray in the bed. Even if the bed was a foot wide, there would still be
room.

Carina hated herself. Why the hell
did she push Gray away like that? It wasn’t the first time and she knew that
any man – a rockstar especially - would only be pushed away so many times. She
meant what she said to Angie; she wasn’t going to let Gray use her. However,
was there anything wrong with a little casual sex? It wasn’t as though Carina
had a boyfriend or had any other commitment waiting for her back in Liering.
She had nothing in Liering except jaded memories and a lingering fear of her
apartment.

Here, in Mack’s basement, sharing
the same space as Gray, it was the first time in a long time that Carina felt
comfortable and safe. She should have been sound asleep.

But she wasn’t.

After thirty minutes of attempting
to fall asleep, Carina slowly crept from the bedroom and went down the hall
toward the living room area in the basement. The glow from the TV caused
dancing light shadows on the wall, but the light helped to guide Carina.

She had no idea what she was doing.

She didn’t want to tempt Gray nor
tease him. Not without any true intention of offering herself to him. But that
was the problem… Carina wasn’t sure what it meant to offer herself. When she
looked at Gray she wanted to give them everything.

When she got to the couch, she saw
that Gray had a late night talk show on. The host paced left to right on the
set, telling a joke about some crazy news story. Carina looked over the couch
and caught Gray with his eyes open. He was focused on the television.

He couldn’t sleep either.

The keyboard was still on the
table, the guitar on the other couch. There was an appeal of seeing the
instruments that way. Carina wanted to believe in herself as much as Gray
believed in her.

She touched the top of the couch.
Her heart pounded so hard it was almost impossible to think.

Gray turned his head and then
jumped.

“Carina? Are you okay?”

Her mouth was bone dry. She licked
her lips but it did nothing. It took her a few seconds to regain her ability to
speak.

“I can’t sleep.”

“Neither can I,” Gray said. “What’s
on your mind?”

“I don’t want to talk,” Carina
said.

“Okay. Then what do you want, Carina?
Tell me.”

Carina’s hands gripped the couch.
She could just say one more goodnight and retreat to the bedroom. She could
face these feelings tomorrow. Or maybe the day after that. By then, however, it
could be too late.

“I want to sleep next to you,” Carina
said. “On the couch.”

Gray smiled. He turned his body and
patted the empty space next to him.

Carina couldn’t believe she had
just said that and that she was walking around the couch to join Gray. She
cuddled with her back against his front. It was impossible to not think of all
the sexual possibility and tension in the room right then. When Gray touched Carina’s
shoulder, she felt her entire body tense up.

“It’s okay,” Gray whispered. “I’ll
be a perfect gentleman.”

“Thank you,” Carina said.

Gray pulled at Carina, keeping her
tight to his body. Carina closed her eyes and tried to just clear her mind. All
the muddled thoughts needed to go away.

When Carina closed her eyes, she
didn’t open them again until morning.

She woke and found herself alone on
the couch. She looked down and saw that she was fully clothed. That was good,
she figured. When she sat up, her neck was sore. That was why sleeping on a
couch was never a good idea.

Carina checked the bedroom and
found it empty. She then heard noise coming from upstairs. She took the steps
slowly, not sure who she would find waiting for her. After all, this was Mack’s
house. He had every right to be home. Not to mention if the rest of Fallen
Tuesday were meeting to maybe have breakfast before the studio.

Carina found just Gray in the
kitchen. He had coffee made and was cooking eggs.

“Morning,” Gray said. “How’d you
sleep?”

“Slept great,” Carina said. “But my
neck feels stiff.”

“I’m making a little breakfast
before we leave.”

“Leave?”

“Studio,” Gray said. “I want to get
there to have an hour or two to ourselves before the band shows up. Is that
okay?”

“That’s great,” Carina said.

She poured herself a cup of coffee
and sat to watch Gray cook. He looked a little uncomfortable, but Carina didn’t
offer to help. How could she? A rockstar was making her breakfast. This was the
hottest thing she’d ever seen in her life.

They ate and Carina showered in the
downstairs bathroom. She dressed and found Gray waiting for her at the kitchen
table. She put her shoes on and headed to the studio. Just thinking that,
to
the studio
, was enough to bring a smile to Carina’s face. She suddenly felt
important, like she had a purpose. Of course, none of this meant anything. It
wasn’t her career or her album. This was just an experience. Which brought Carina
to think about her and Gray again. How much of it all was just an experience?

Before she could answer the
question, they arrived at the studio. Gray moved quickly to get everything set
up to record. Carina felt pressured but she was beginning to enjoy it now. She
enjoyed feeling needed.