Love Notes (Rocked by Love #1) (5 page)

Day one of the tour travel was half
over. The bus lumbered its way down I-5. Zander had spent the morning tucked
into the bus's back room, arguing with Luke and tweaking the new song. Thanks
to both heavy traffic and two car accidents that brought traffic to a
standstill, they were two hours behind their estimated arrival time. A notepad
and pen lay on the seat beside him. He'd began writing out lyrics, but nothing
seemed to fit.

Strains of music flowed
and the melody soothed him. The brain block could have stemmed from thinking
about Jayne and the smiles she'd given Slade at dinner. He hadn't seen her in
the three days since, until she'd arrived at the bus that morning. She'd seemed
subdued. Hopefully, she wasn't regretting what she'd signed up for.

Knocking interrupted his
musing. Jayne came in, juggling her laptop, a tray with two cups of coffee and
a large take out bag.

He couldn't stop his
grin. His fingers continued to pluck the keys. "Have a seat."

She placed the bag next
to the notepad. "You never came out to get your lunch. Everyone else
finished over an hour ago."

"I forgot it was
there." When he was composing or tweaking, music came before everything
else. His single-mindedness helped the band succeed, but drove his sister and
band mates crazy.

She nudged it closer.
"You should eat."

"As long as you keep
me company." He set the guitar aside and reached for the bag. Forgotten
meals often ended poorly—cold gone warm or hot gone cold. He unwrapped the
burger. "It's still warm."

"I heated it in the
toaster oven. I didn't want you to have to eat a cold burger and fries."
With a delicate shiver, she withdrew her own burger from the bag. At his raised
brow, she grinned. "I got distracted too."

"What distracted
you?" He took a bite of the juicy burger.

"Irisa asked me to
take over your social media page and to monitor a few of the band's pages. She
said you always forget to update yours. Do you mind if I handle that for
you?"

"You can handle
anything of mine you want." Watching her blush, he ate another bite. He
hadn't enjoyed a meal so much in ages.

"You're giving me a
lot of power with that statement." She focused her attention on her food.
"I'll check in with you before I post anything. I'll mainly be sharing
posts from the band's main page."

"I trust you."
He glanced out the window. Warm burger and warm fries. He tried his coffee—warm
too. When was the last time someone had bothered reheating something for him?
He couldn't remember it ever happening before. That she'd even think to take
that extra step warmed him even more than the food and drink.

She'd relaxed against the
plush cushions while they ate. Her hair spilled around her shoulders like spun
gold struck by firelight. She'd tucked her jeans-clad legs under her. The
long-sleeved blue shirt she wore almost matched her eyes. He loved how they
sparkled when she laughed and so he kept her laughing with stories of the early
days on the road with the guys.

Even he couldn't help
laughing about the cramped van that broke down more often than not. By the time
it finally died in the middle of nowhere, it was was held together with duct
tape and a couple of old guitar pics.

He moved their trash out
of the way, and when he reclaimed his seat, she'd moved closer to him.

"What are you
working on?"

"That song I played
for you guys at practice the other day." She'd inspired him, but he wasn't
ready to share that yet.

"I thought I
recognized it when I walked back here. Can you play it again?"

"You really liked
it?" He played the song, watching for her reaction.

Eyes dreamy, a small
smile on her lips, she sighed. "It's beautiful."

So was she. His blood
thrummed with the melody that had been playing in his head since he'd met her.
He set his guitar aside and turned to face her once again. "I'm glad you
think so."

Being just friends wasn't
going to work.

He rested his arm along
the back of the cushion and his fingers brushed against her hair. Easing
closer, until her knee bumped his thigh, he gave into the urge to cup her
cheek. She gazed at him, head tilted to the side, for a long moment. Instinct
demanded he claim her lips but he forced himself to hold still. He hadn't meant
to touch her, but like a moth seeking heat, something about her pulled him,
making him forget the promise he made to himself.

Jayne reached for him.
Her hand rested on his knee. Her other hand traced his jawline. The soft pads
of her fingers glided along his skin. He groaned at the sensation, and then
they were moving together as one. Her lips parted on an inhale seconds before
he slanted his mouth over hers. And groaned again. She had perfect lips for
kissing—soft and full. The hand on her cheek slid into her hair. He fisted the
red-gold strands like he'd dreamed of doing and directed her toward a better
angle. When she sighed, he licked a path across her lips and then slipped
inside. Soft strokes of her tongue on his and her fingers grazing his neck sent
sensations straight to his groin.

Needing an anchor, he
grasped the hand she'd placed on his knee. Their fingers locked together and he
craved both the sweetness of their hands linking and the ultra-hot meeting of
lips and tongue. Her hand tightened in his and she shifted her thigh so more of
it rested on his leg. Getting close enough wasn't possible. He wanted to haul
her into his lap or lay her down on the seat to discover more of her.

Movement and loud voices
from the other side of the door broke through the haze of desire. Jayne
stiffened in his arms. Breathing hard, she dropped her hand from his neck but
couldn't pull away because of the tight grip he had on her hair. "We can't
do this here."

He wasn't ready to let
go. He'd barely gotten a taste. Landry and Brendan's voices erupted in shouts
and laughter. "What are they doing out there?"

"Showing Irisa how
to play some video game with lots of explosions." Up close, he could see
the flecks of light blue mixed in that deep ocean color like breaking waves.

More laughter and talking
echoed back, and the voices grew louder. Her gaze flicked to the door and she
leaned away as much as she could. Releasing his hold on her hair, he raised
their joined hands to his lips and pressed a kiss against her knuckles.
"If not here, then soon."

A shaky breath tumbled
from her lips, swollen from his kisses. "Maybe."

"Definitely."
He brushed the faint red mark that covered her cheeks and chin. "Next
time, I'll make sure I shave."

When they reached the hotel, Jayne
helped Irisa hand out keycards. For convenience, they were staying in the same
block of adjoining rooms, on a low floor per Brendan's preference, and on an
even-numbered floor to suit Landry. Luke hadn't voiced any preferences, not to
her, but then again, he wouldn't speak to her. And Zander kept looking at her
like he couldn't wait to devour her again. She shivered, wanting that too.

 But they were officially
on tour business. She'd made her rule for a reason, and she didn't need
anything to interfere with how well she could do her job. Zander was the
biggest distraction to ever challenge her rule.

Members of the
co-headlining band, Assertive Ire, trooped into the lobby. The bands were
friends; Zander and their front man, Griffin, went way back. The groups meshed
well together, but Assertive Ire had a reputation for being fairly destructive.
Hopefully that wouldn't translate over to The Fury.

With the other band
around, the guys immediately began planning things for their off hours. Jayne
slipped up to her room to relax. She needed time away from Zander to think.
That kiss, his hands, the way he'd held her… Her gaze kept slipping to the
interior door which separated her room from his. As much as she wanted him, as
much as he made her feel desired, the kiss had been a lapse in judgment. All a
result of that song, which never failed to make her want things she shouldn't.

When the knock came on
her interior door later that night, she pretended she was asleep. And when
faint notes from the guitar slipped under the door and into her heart, she
tucked in ear plugs and pretended she wasn't affected at all.

She managed to avoid him
for a full day and a half by bogging herself down in tour details and double
and triple checking everything she could. She begged Irisa for even more work.
Her friend, initially so desperate for her to tag along on the tour, now
resisted relinquishing her duties. But Jayne persisted and soon had more work
than she'd normally handle.

At opening night sound
check, Jayne couldn't hide any longer. Zander's gaze kept tracking to her and
she felt the intensity of his unspoken questions. She stood off to the side of
the stage, watching both bands play a joint song they planned to perform that
night. Loud and aggressive, the cover, a number-one hit of one of rock's
classic bands, took on an extra dose of energy with the added wailing guitars,
double the drums, and with both Luke and Griffin taking the vocals.

They finished and Zander
headed her way but she let her attention get caught by one of the crew members.
He was gone when she turned back and her stomach ached with a pang of regret.

Luke strode to her, the
glowering gaze not quite as severe as usual. She gripped her pendant and pasted
on a smile. He didn't cut eye contact, didn't turn away, but came right up to
her. "I need tea."

She glanced around the
emptying stage, searching for something to mark the occasion of him actually
speaking to her. "There's black tea in the dressing room."

He shook his head.
"I need licorice root tea. I always drink it before a performance."

"That wasn't on the
list of items you guys gave me. Can you drink something else as a substitute
today and I'll make sure you have it for tomorrow?"

"No. You'll have to
go out and get it." He loomed over her, as tall as Zander, and seemed
primed for a fight.

But his expression was
nothing like Zander. Zander wasn't cold and angry. Her stomach tightened in
that awful way she hated. She took a breath and looked past Luke's scowl. His
request wasn't that unusual. Other bands she'd worked with had made special
requests. One forgotten item, one time, wasn't a big deal. "All right. I'll
see if I can find it."

He didn't say anything
further. One brief dip of his head, a semblance of a nod, and he was gone.

"You're
welcome." Part of her job was to keep the guys happy, but maybe if he
noticed she didn't mind this extra chore, he'd stop scowling and glaring at her
every time their eyes met.

One of the arena's
interns pointed her in the direction of a specialty grocery store a short
distance away. Twenty minutes later, she presented the tea to Luke.

"Here you go,
licorice root tea." She set the box on the table in the dressing room.

He muttered something she
decided to interpret as
thanks
. It wasn't much, but maybe it was a
start.

Zander came in. Her
heartbeat thudded—fast and hard and loud. She hugged her clipboard to her chest
and forced a grin. "Well, I have a lot to check on out there. See you guys
later."

He frowned and his eyes
narrowed, but she skirted past him and into the safety of the behind the scenes
chaos, managing to keep things at a professional distance for the rest of the
night.

The next show the
following night, gave her a sense of déjà vu. Evading Zander, staying busy, and
she pretended to be fine. She stood backstage, going over her lists, while the
band decided what to do for dinner, their voices carrying from the dressing
room.

"My throat lozenges
aren't in the dressing room." Luke's voice, as much as his scowl, snapped
her spine straight.

She checked the page of
items the guys had requested. "They're not on the list."

A shrug lifted his
shoulders. He didn't appear apologetic. "I guess I forgot to add them. But
I need them."

She sighed. Irisa hadn't
mentioned that Luke was so absentminded. But if this was what Irisa usually put
up with then she'd do it too—after all, it was a temporary job. "I'll find
some for you."

"Lemon or honey
flavored. Leave it in the dressing room." He walked away, dismissing her
without waiting for a response.

His gruff bark reminded
her of the dogs in the shelter. Some rescues or strays had to be socialized all
over again, and some took a long time to give their trust. Patience and gentle
handling worked well for them. Maybe it would work for Luke.

"Jayne."
Zander's voice rumbled low, jolting her out of her musing. He stood entirely
too close and smelled entirely too good. "We decided on the diner. Are you
ready?"

She couldn't sit in a
booth with him, pressed close together. "Actually, I have some things to
do. You guys go ahead."

His brows drew together.
"All right."