Love Song (Rocked by Love #2) (13 page)

***

Audrey
stood tucked away in the private alcove, waiting for Luke. Footsteps drew
closer, too soon for Luke to have reached the bar and returned.

"Audrey." Rob
Hawke walked toward her with a warm smile. Although their relationship had been
trying, their breakup had been amicable. He leaned in to brush a kiss on her
cheek. "Good to see you."

"How are you?"
She hadn't seen him since a few months earlier when he'd stopped in the studio
to pick up the clothes he'd ordered. The faint lines around his eyes had
deepened some and more flecks of gray dotted his brown hair.

"Good, good. Where's
Luke?"

"Getting drinks at
the bar. Are you here alone?"

"My date's on a
smoke break. I saw the alcove and thought I could hide from the craziness until
she comes back." He leaned in and lowered his voice. "Are you holding
up okay?"

"Sure. The party's
fun."

"Not what I meant. I
heard Luke going off at Donnie and the questions he asked you. I didn't realize
you were having bullying issues."

She sighed and twisted
the chain strap of her clutch purse around her fingers. "It started a few
weeks ago. They're pretty vicious."

"I'm sorry,
sweetie." His hand rested on her shoulder for the briefest moment.
"That situation isn't fun, but the comments and attention will die down
eventually."

She gripped her clutch
tighter. "So, if you heard the questions he asked, you know the gist of
how the mean comments started."

"We know our
relationship wasn't based on using each other, and I know you well enough to be
sure that your relationship with Luke isn't either. Other people's opinions
don't concern me. I do the best I can. I let my work speak for itself. I don't
owe anyone an explanation for the way I live my life."

"But the court of
public opinion can hurt your livelihood. I think it's affecting mine."

He shrugged. "You're
smart and talented. Whatever happens, you adjust to it. Just live your life and
be happy."

"You always did give
good advice."

"The benefits of
age." He winked at her.

"Rob, here you
are." Donnie Snell's voice rang out. "And with Audrey too. Looks like
I interrupted a cozy conversation."

Her back stiffened. She
didn't like this guy one bit. "I'll let you guys chat."

"No need to leave,
Ms. Pierce."

"Actually, there
is."

Rob waved goodbye.
"Aud, send me that jacket Luke wore in the fashion show. I want it for my
Fall tour."

If Donnie hadn't been
standing there, she would have hugged Rob. "I will. Thanks."

Rob's advice echoing in
her head, she left the alcove in search of Luke.

He met her halfway into
her trek across the crowded room. Two glasses in hand and a bottle of bubbly
all to themselves. "Ready to go?"

"Yes. Donnie came
into the alcove while I was talking to Rob. Something about that guy puts my
back up. Donnie, I mean, not Rob."

He stopped walking.
"Rob's here? I heard someone mention him but I haven't seen him."

She nodded. "He came
in to wait while his date was on a smoke break."

"Huh."

"What's that
mean?"

"Nothing."

Not nothing. She stepped
in front of him. "What is it?"

"Did he say
anything?"

"Well, we didn't
communicate via mime."

"Cute."

She smiled. "He
actually gave me some good advice about living my life and not worrying so much
about other people's opinion. It's still going to be hard when they're calling
me all those awful names, or trashing my looks, but I'll really try not to let
it get me down."

"If I didn't have
both hands full, I'd lift you up right now and spin you around to celebrate.
Let's get to the room so I can show you how happy that makes me."

The room had a
spectacular view of The Strip. Luke set down the glasses and poured the champagne.
He gave her a glass then held his up in toast. "To you, for being my
saving grace. And for not worrying about the jealous words of other
girls."

Audrey grinned. "And
to you, for holding your temper with Owen. I'm really proud of you."
Bubbles tickled her tongue. She set the glass aside and walked toward him,
pausing for a moment to switch off the light. Darkness bathed the room, except
for the lights coming in from the window.

She caressed
her way up his shirt, over his hard pecs then reached up and loosened his tie.
One-handed, he yanked at the knot and tore the silken strip from around his
neck, then his jacket followed to the floor.

His familiar
strong hands stroked from her shoulders to her waist, repeating the caress up
and down, and up and down. Her head fell back when he cupped her breasts, and
clever fingers stroked and pinched until she moaned.

Hands unsteady, she
pulled at the buttons lining the front of his shirt, popping off two in her
hurry to touch his skin.

"Sunshine." He
kissed her shoulder, on the edge of where the dress met bare skin, and then
pulled the fabric down, trapping her arms against her sides. Lips and tongue
traced along her skin. He pulled lower, grabbing both dress and bra and pulling
them to her waist.

With her hands trapped,
she could only feel as he layered sensation on sensation. Strong fingers
kneaded into her back. He closed his mouth over the peak of one breast and gave
the other attention with his hand, molding, tweaking, and tugging a direct path
to her core. Her hands fisted at her sides and she swayed toward him.

Luke smiled and tugged
the dress to the floor. He picked her up and laid her on the bed. She reached
for him, but her hands met his hair as he licked a path down her stomach, and
then lower. His mouth played and his fingers glided inside, knowledgeable in
their aim.

Clutching his hair, she
came apart, clamping her legs around his shoulders to keep him close.

"Don't worry,
Sunshine, I'm not going anywhere far." He inched his way up her body, then
stood and shucked off his pants and boxers.

When he joined her on the
bed, she rolled them over until she straddled him. "My turn."

The scrape of her nails
down his torso resulted in an intake of breath and muscles drawing tight.
Teases of her fingertips along his arms and legs caused him to shift and moan.
Kisses placed anywhere made him sigh. She worked her way down his stomach and
sat between his legs. His erection jutted before her. She wrapped her hands
around him, and stroked in the firm grasp he preferred. She loved the hiss he'd
make when she twisted her hand at the top of her stroke, and the way his hips
jerked off the bed when she closed her mouth over him and swallowed him down.

His hands tangled in her
hair, fisted, tightened, and his movements grew restless. He pulled her off of
him, rolled her over, and thrust inside.

"Audrey." Her
name trembled out mixed with a groan. He linked their hands together by her
head and nipped at her lips.

She wrapped her legs
around his waist, increasing the pace of his snapping hips, and felt his racing
heart beat in time with hers.

Faster and faster, she
chased pleasure until Luke's body tightened and he ground his pelvis into hers.
The pressure triggered and extended her release and as she came around him, he
thrust hard twice more and then grunted his own.

She drifted her hands
along his damp back as his breathing slowed.

"I'll move as soon
as I have energy, I promise." He kissed her temple and then heaved himself
off of her. He rolled onto his back and took her with him.

Audrey snuggled into his
side, sleepy and sated. If only it could always be this way... "I'm not
ready to go back to New York yet."

"You like it out
here?" His hand stroked along her side.

She stretched and sighed.
"I love being in your beach house. It'll be hard going back to my tiny
little box of an apartment."

"Would you ever
consider moving? You could just as easily work from here as you can in New
York."

Was he asking her to move
in with him? Was she ready for that? "I haven't thought that far ahead. My
leases for both the apartment and the design studio are coming up for renewal
soon. Once I receive the paperwork, if I'm not renewing, I'll have thirty days
to tell them."

"So I have two weeks
to convince you Cali is best before we return to New York. Mission
accepted."

She grinned. It
definitely sounded like he wanted her close by. "You don't have to come
back with me if you'd rather stay in Cali."

"I'd rather stay
with you, wherever that is. You're not getting rid of me that easily."

"I don't want to. In
case you haven't noticed, I like having you around." Even though they'd
slept together almost every night while in New York, he'd still kept the hotel
room. But things had changed between them and she didn't see the need for it
any longer. Did he? She took a deep breath and lowered her focus to the sheets.
"When we get back, you don't need to get a hotel room. Unless you want it.
And it's fine if you want it. I just thought that since we've been—"

He raised up
on one elbow and pinched her chin gingerly between his index finger and thumb.
Her breath caught at his serious, intense, blazing blue stare. "You're
letting me stay with you?"

"I'll give you a
key, too. That way you're not stuck inside or locked out if I'm not home."

"Sounds like a good
deal to me." A grin spread across his features, as bright as the lights of
The Strip. He wrapped his arms around her and his hand resumed the slow stroke
along her side.

She settled against him
in the cocoon of soft sheets. No one except Renee had a key to her apartment.
And that was just for emergencies like locking herself out. She'd never given
Dante a key. Or Rob. But she'd offered one to Luke without hesitation.

Maybe it was just a key
to her apartment.

But maybe it was more.

***

After
a night of bliss, Luke sang while he packed his things for the return trip to
L.A. Audrey had joined Jayne for breakfast in Zander and Jayne's suite.

His phone lit up with
Irisa's number. "Hey."

"Donnie's article
was just released. It's not good. He shared it on your page, too. I wanted you
to see it before I deleted it. Renee must have removed it from Audrey's page
because it's not there."

"That bad,
huh?" Frowning, he opened his laptop.

"I'm handling it, so
don't overreact. Call me when you and Audrey have seen it."

He tossed his phone
aside. Donnie Snell's article on their launch party had made his magazine's
front page news story. One photo showed Luke standing head to head with Owen.
They looked like they were about to come to blows. Headline:
Ready to
Rumble.
The article went on to list choice sound bites that painted both
men as blood-thirsty fighters. Not great, but not awful. Plus, anyone in
attendance at the party could attest that no fight had broken out.

Another photo showed
Audrey and Rob standing close together in the alcove. Rob's lips were on her
cheek. Headline:
Secret Rendezvous?
The article talked about a
clandestine moment for the couple while their significant others were otherwise
occupied. The picture alone was enough to send fire through his blood. The hint
of Audrey cheating on him and planning on leaving him for Rob sent the savage
beast deep within beating his wings against his cage. But he knew Audrey would
never hurt him like that.

Audrey sauntered into the
room. She glanced at his face and hers immediately creased in concern.
"What's wrong?"

That emotion couldn't be
faked, right? Her invitation to basically live with her in New York had
actually happened, right?
Calm the fuck down, Thompson.
Reminding
himself that Donnie always twisted words and situations, and that he again knew
Audrey would never betray him, he motioned her over. "There's something
you need to see."

She dropped down beside
him on the bed, reading the article over his shoulder. Little hisses and
squeaks sounded, and then she shifted and gripped his forearm hard, her eyes
wide and earnest. "I swear nothing happened. He gave me a quick peck hello
on the cheek. More of an air kiss, really. That's it. I had no idea he was even
at the party until I saw him. I don't want him back and he doesn't want me. I
only want you."

Her words quieted his
heart. Luke lifted his arm until she'd detached her grip, and then wrapped it
around her waist. He dropped a kiss on her bare shoulder. "I trust you.
Donnie does this kind of thing all the time."

"Then why did you
guys agree to talk to him at all?"

"Saying no only
makes things worse. He was probably ticked off that I called him out on what he
was doing. This is his way of retaliating. He got me too." He pulled up
the article with Owen and him. "See?"