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

"You're going to New
York now? You're supposed to be in Nashville in a few days for your first fan
audition, remember?"

"Don't worry, I'll
make it to Tennessee. But there's no way I'm waiting around until the
thirteenth to see her. If there's a chance I can get her back, I'm taking it.
In fact, I'll also present a proposal to her for our project. One less thing
for you to worry about."

"I think I'll still
worry about you. Are you sure you're going to be able to work with her that
closely?"

"That's a chance I'm
willing to take." He pulled up short by the door. Landry had driven him to
Zander's. Shit. He pulled out his phone, ready to call a cab.

Before he could dial,
Irisa dragged him by the elbow to the door, keys in hand. "Come on, I'll
drive you back. With the way you're acting, I don't trust you to remember to
book a hotel, let alone get on the right flight. Plus, you need help drafting
the proposal."

"You rock, you know
that?"

"Yeah, yeah.
Flattery will get you everywhere."

He grinned. "Don't
need everywhere. Just the airport."

Skyscrapers towered overhead, gleaming in the harsh sunlight. Luke
stepped out of the cab onto the sidewalk outside Audrey Pierce Designs. He
hooked his sunglasses onto his shirt collar, tried to ignore the twisting in
his stomach, and swung back the glass doors to beeline for reception. Then
bounded up the stairs two at a time.

A blonde woman wearing
all black smiled at him. "May I help you?"

"I'm here to see
Audrey."

"Your name?"

"Luke
Thompson."

"Just a
moment." She disappeared down a hallway.

Blondie left
him plenty of time to appreciate the office digs. At least he had a lot to look
at while his heart pounded through his chest. Mannequins draped in leather,
sequins, chains, and denim showcased her creations. Audrey had claimed her fame
dressing rock's biggest names, The Fury included. The first time he saw her, at
a photo shoot for their album cover three years earlier, it was as though
arrows had scored a direct shot to his heart. He'd yet to recover.

She'd been connected with
Rob Hawke at the time. The larger than life rocker had been kind to The Fury
during their early years. His endorsement of Audrey's designs had made her the
most sought after designer in the music industry. When Luke and Audrey had met
and he'd looked into her eyes and felt her soft hand in his, he'd finally
understood the phrase
love at first sight
. Or maybe
soul mate
was
more accurate. All he knew was something had clicked, and the look in her eyes
had suggested she'd felt it too. But he wasn't a poacher, and he liked and
respected Rob too much to try to steal his woman.

Audrey's sunny personality
made her instantly likable, and his band mates and Irisa had warmed up to her
immediately. After that, Luke requested Audrey's clothing line for any photo
shoot or tour or interview that he could. Anything to stay on her radar.

T
he
floor creaked behind him and Luke twisted to glance down the hallway. No sign
of Audrey. Hopefully, Irisa hadn't been wrong. Maybe running off like a love
sick teenager hadn't been a smart idea after all. But he hadn't known what else
to do. Shoving his hands into his back pockets, he wandered the room and took
deep breaths of the lemon-scented air to calm his pounding heart.

Framed photos lined one
wall. At the center, a picture from The Fury's photo shoot in Central Park,
taken a few months earlier, caught his attention. That was the last time he'd
seen her. When he'd learned she wasn't with Rob anymore, he'd convinced her to
hang out with them while they played shows in New York and New Jersey. At the
final show, they'd shared a private moment in the band's dressing room. He'd
asked her out and she'd put on the breaks fast.
"I don't date rockers
anymore."
Definitive. Final. He'd waited for her to add in that she'd
still give him a chance, because it was
him
, and she'd felt their bond,
but she'd remained silent. He'd been embarrassed, pissed as hell at himself
that he'd either read her interest wrong or that she'd dismissed him based on
his profession alone. He'd immediately shut down.

And she'd quickly moved
on. To a New York suit, who was his complete and total opposite. Getting good
and roaring drunk that night had been the first of many mistakes.

Soft steps sounded behind
him. "Luke?"

Audrey's voice, sultry
and low, spiked his heart rate into the sky. Heart in his throat, he turned.

Dark hair tumbled well
past her shoulders. Light blue eyes, wide and surprised, searched his. She wore
a simple black t-shirt, black shorts showcasing sexy legs, and strappy black
sandals with mile high heels. The thin gold bracelets adorning her wrists jangled
as she linked her fingers together.

"Hey." He
managed to get out the word despite the air backing up in his lungs. Seeing her
so close, something swirled deep in his core. The urge to reach out and touch
her burned through his arms. He plowed his fingers through his hair and then
let his hands fall to his sides.

She mirrored his stance.
"What are you doing here?"

His heart fell.
"I... uh... I spoke to Irisa and thought—" Shit, this was hard.
Everything he'd rehearsed on the plane sounded so stupid and trite. "I
thought you'd want to talk." He sighed and raked his fingers through his
hair again.

"I do. I just
thought you'd call."

Okay. Better. "Not
my style. As you know." He paused a moment when she didn't return his
smile. He couldn't talk to her here, while her assistant hovered. "So...
you want to get some coffee or something? I have a proposition to discuss with
you."

Her brows arched. She
opened her mouth, then glanced at her assistant, and then at the slim gold
watch on her wrist. "I have a client coming in soon for a dress
fitting."

That wasn't a
no
. But it also wasn't a
yes
. He inhaled a short breath that
didn't help the tightness in his chest. "I can wait." His gaze
flashed to one of the uncomfortable looking chairs across from Blondie's desk.

Her gaze jumped from his
eyes to his lips, then back again. "Can you give me an hour? I can meet
you at the coffee shop on the corner."

She'd agreed. Sweet
relief eased his muscles. The sunlight streaming through the window beamed
brighter. "Sure. I'll... uh... let you get back to work." Tucking his
hands in his back pockets, he backed up a step toward the door. "See you
soon, Sunshine."

Her eyes widened again
and a tremulous smile graced her lips. "I'll see you then."

Too late, he realized
what he'd said. But he didn't care so much. Before, he'd been cool and too far
removed. He'd never opened up about how he'd felt and it had cost him. No more.

Now, he'd do whatever he
had to do for a chance to win her heart.

***

Sunshine
.
Five minutes since he'd left and Audrey was still replaying that endearment
over and over in her mind. He'd looked... wonderful... just as she'd
remembered. Tall and muscular, dark messy hair short on the sides and longer on
top, and a light beard gracing the sculpted bones of his face. The face she'd
conjured in her mind countless times since they'd last met. The air between
them had seemed charged—nothing new there.

She'd known
by asking Irisa about Luke she might be cracking open a door, but she hadn't
expected it to burst wide less than twenty-four hours later. And with some type
of proposition, no less.

Nerves buzzed in her
stomach, more potent than the strongest cup of coffee. She ran her fingers over
the garment in front of her. The pale blue silk nearly matched Luke's eyes.
Eyes she could get lost in...

Stop
.

Annoyed with how easily
she'd lost concentration, she snapped her attention to pulling the needle and
thread through the fabric. It needed to be perfect. All of her designs did.
Focusing on anything other than her business was a mistake. It was all she had.
The past few years had shown her that the road to love was riddled with
frustration, disappointment, and heartache.

Romance didn't work.

Romance with rockers
especially didn't work.

And, that fast, Luke was
back in her head. Sighing, she set aside the needle and thread and crossed the
room. Her desk was cluttered with sketch books, fabric swatches, and her agenda
and to-do list for her upcoming show. Behind it all, tucked into a design book,
was her backstage pass from The Fury's last concert in the city. She pulled it
out and ran her hand over the glossy plastic card.

The first
time she'd met Luke, a connection so strong had slammed through her like she'd
known him forever, even though they'd never met before. When their gazes had
locked, her head had skipped a beat, but she'd been dating Rob and cheating
wasn't in her make-up. Not even when their relationship hit rough times did she
consider giving into impulse. Not even when it had ended and she was free to
follow her heart. She'd hung out a lot with Luke on that leg of the last tour
and their connection was palpable—stronger than ever. But he kept getting
pulled away by the fans, the band, and the media. Just like Rob always did.

And now, Luke was here.
To see her. Questions and tender thoughts swirling in her brain like thread on
a spinning wheel, she placed the pass into the book and returned it to the
shelf.

Renee sauntered in,
blonde strands streaming over her shoulders. Her ever-efficient assistant
carried a notepad and pen in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. "The
caterer called to finalize the head count for the show, and the rental company
needs you to sign off on one more thing."

Right. The show. The
thing that she'd been throwing all her time and energy into for months. Two
weeks to go, and the nerves were already building. Her first show since the
breakup. Her professional collaboration with Rob Hawke had put her designs on
the map and made them synonymous with rockers. Hopefully, that success would
continue even though her personal relationship with him had ended.

"Thanks. I'll take
care of both right away."

Renee came to a stop in
front of her desk. She reached for the event checklist. "I love that
you're making the show look like a rock concert."

"Putting the clothes
in their element is the best way to showcase them." Everything had to go
perfectly with the show. A who's who list of the top names in the music
industry would be in attendance. Knocking them out of their socks was the goal.
Nothing else would do.

"I'll try to keep
from fan-girling all over the place. I still can't believe the bands that are
coming."

Audrey stifled a groan.
The last thing she needed was her assistant bouncing up to people and hounding
them for an autograph. "I know you're excited. The first time can be
overwhelming, especially if you're a huge fan of a certain band, but we need to
be professional. This isn't just about the rock stars. If we impress the
director of the domestic violence program, we'll be able to partner up with them
to provide clothes for women and men starting their lives over. That means so
much to me. I really want to work with them."

"Don't worry, boss.
I won't embarrass you or myself. I promise." Renee held up her hand, thumb
crossed over her palm. "Scout's honor."

"Thank you."
She wasn't too worried. Renee might be young, but she was damn good at her job.
Audrey turned back to the blue silk and picked up the needle. A peek at her
watch revealed a fifteen minute wait until her client was due. Keeping busy
would make the time pass faster. As she pulled the thread through the fabric,
she took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.

"So." Renee
raised her brows and shifted her cup from hand to hand. "I realize I've
only been working with you for a few months, but are you going to clue me in on
Mister Tall, Dark, and Brooding?"

Audrey smiled at the apt
description and leaned against her desk. "Luke and I have been... friends,
I guess, for a while. The last time I saw him ended awkwardly."

"Sounds juicy. What
happened?"

"He asked me out but
I turned him down. I refuse to date another rock star."

"From what I could
tell, sparks were flying between you two."

"Sparks aren't
enough. It's... complicated. I hadn't heard from him since then. I have no idea
what he wants to talk to me about."

"Proposition sounds
intriguing. He looked pretty determined when he walked in. I guess you'll find
out when you see him." Renee gathered scraps of extra material into a
pile. "I can handle the fitting if you want to head over to him now."

"That's all right.
I'm not flitting off anywhere. Business comes first." Audrey glanced at
her watch and tapped her foot against the frustration flowing through her
muscles.

Speculating about Luke
was going to dominate her thoughts no matter what.

This time, she wasn't
getting her hopes up.