Love Song (Rocked by Love #2) (8 page)

Then her message
continued:

I'm on my way to you.

***

Audrey hoisted her
tote bag higher on her shoulder and made her way through Luke's hotel. Knowing
how late she'd be working, she'd packed a change of clothes that morning. Luke's
hotel was closer to her studio than her apartment. Exhaustion and needing to
see him had made the decision easy.

Three straight days of
working with him at her studio, and four straight nights of unwinding with him
at the end of her day, of sharing a glass of wine, of climbing onto soft sheets
with him, and then sleeping tucked against him throughout the night, had
created a routine she craved.

It had also stoked her
desire for more.

She'd wanted to go slow.
Baby steps. But every taste of him only increased her hunger.

Three years of thinking
about him, of interactions, glances, and incidental touches, tacked on to the
time they'd spent together since he'd arrived in the city, gave her a clear
picture of who he was. Moving forward and taking things to another level was
scary, but holding back and keeping things exactly as they were wouldn't ever
get her—get them—to where she wanted to be.

Heart pounding a little
harder, she knocked on his door.

It swung open and Luke
waved her inside. A smile lifted his cheeks, but something deeper, relief,
reflected in his eyes and echoed in her soul. After her long day, all she
wanted was him.

Hair damp, wearing
workout shorts and a baseball t-shirt, he looked nothing like the lead singer
who entertained thousands and sold out stadiums. He looked like a regular
guy—if anything about Luke could actually be regular. He plowed his hands into
her hair, cupping her head, and brought his mouth down to brush teasing kisses
against her lips. "I needed this. My night was crazy."

"What
happened?" She set her bag on the floor and stroked her fingers along the
lines of tension in his face.

"My fan audition
turned into a shit storm. The girl used someone else's voice in the demo she
submitted. Apparently, she thought this would be a good way to meet me. I'm so
pissed. She seemed to think I'd be cool with the fact she wasted my time and
the band's time. She can't sing at all. Instead of her wanting to be in the
group, she wanted to be a groupie. She offered to keep me company tonight, if
you know what I mean."

She drew back.
"Excuse me?"

He lifted one of her
hands and placed it on his shoulder, and then wrapped his arms around her
waist. "I put on the brakes, but she wasn't too happy."

"I can
imagine..." Possessiveness snaked through her as she pictured the woman
putting moves on
her
man.

"All I wanted to do
was get back to you. How was the rest of your day?"

"Long. Busy. Oh, and
I pulled together a few things for you and the guys to wear on the show. Irisa
called me a few hours ago and said everyone is flying in on Friday morning, and
can stop by my studio around lunchtime."

"Yeah, Brendan
confirmed those plans when I spoke with him earlier. They're all staying here
at the hotel, too. I think she's doing that because both Zander and Brendan
tend to lose track of time. Jett's show is live, so we can't be late."

"It'll be good for
you to have some company and take a breather from the Furious Records project
for a few days. But if the guys want to discuss things, just let me know."

He drew her further into
the room and set her tote bag next to his luggage. "Your focus for the
next few days is your fashion show. I'm grateful for all the time you've been
sinking in to my project on top of your busy schedule, but I'll sure as hell
like it better when you're not working fourteen hour days."

"Me too. I'll be
taking some vacation time after the show is over." She wandered to the
window. Fifteen stories below, the city pulsed to its own beat. "My parents
want to see me for a few days. But maybe after that we could get out of the
city for a weekend?"

"I like
that idea." He sidled up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist,
nuzzling his face into her neck. "How's the west coast sound? You can join
me for both the fan audition in L.A., then the party in Vegas, and then after
that, we can unwind at my place in Cali.
"

"You said you live
near the beach, right?" She stepped out of her shoes.

"Very near."
Luke tightened his hold, drawing her back against his chest. "I forget how
small you are."

"I'm not that
short."

"Not short.
Delicate. And perfect. Perfect for me." Warm lips pressed the sensitive
spot by her ear, then traveled along the slope of her neck.

Letting out a sigh, she
reached for him and tangled her hand in his hair.

His hands roamed a slow
journey from her waist to her breasts. When he cupped her, her head fell back
onto his shoulder. His hands, lips, the slight scrape of his beard, and the
hardness of his body sent her on sensation overload.

She tugged his head until
his mouth latched onto hers. He tasted of mint, mixed with the cinnamon tea
she'd had at the studio. She turned in his arms, angling for a more thorough
taste.

Luke's fingers played
with the cap sleeves of her shirt, then traced along the collar, then stroked
their way down to the hem. "Too much material. I want to touch you."

"Please." After
all the time that had passed, after all the imagining of her hands on him and
his hands on her... finally. Finally. This was happening.

One by one, he popped the
buttons open, then pushed the shirt off her shoulders. It caught at her hands
and then fell to the floor.

"Gorgeous, Sunshine.
You know that?" His appreciative smile accompanied his touch. Large hands
molded her through the yellow satin bra. He kissed a line from her lips to the
swell of her breasts, then closed his mouth over one peak while his fingers
tightened on the other.

"Luke." Hands
in his hair, she held him tighter to her, sighing when he pulled away the
material and repeated his exploration with his mouth.

"I need to touch
you, too." Her hands tugged at his shirt. Each inch revealed another
section of defined abs, sculpted pecs, and the flexing muscles in his arms. He
yanked the shirt over his head and tossed it toward the chair and then sucked
in a breath when her hands raked over his skin. Desire ran through her, clean
and strong and stoking the need for
more
. She couldn't touch him
enough—slow sweeps down his arms, feather-light strokes along his back, and
then grazing her nails over his stomach.

He reached for her, then
dropped his hands to his sides. "I know we said baby steps. If I touch you
any more, I'm not going to be able to stop."

Touching him felt too
good. Being touched by him felt amazing. "I don't want to stop."

His eyes heated, grew
hungry, and he traced his fingertips over her face. "Do you know why I
call you
Sunshine
?"

She shook her head.

Luke smiled. "The
first time we met, the day had been gray and overcast. And then I arrived for
the photo shoot. And when I locked eyes with you, the sun came out, brilliant
sunlight spotlighting you. The sky cleared, and we touched hands, and something
deep inside me brightened, too."

The threat of tears stung
her eyes. "That's the most beautiful thing anyone has ever said to
me."

"I just wanted you
to know that before we go any further."

She stretched up to kiss
him. "I haven't been the same either." With her hands on his
waistband, she tugged him closer and worked the top button free.

Luke followed suit,
finding the side zipper on her skirt. The skirt caught on her hips for a
moment, then fluttered to the floor.

Gaze on his, Audrey
gently tugged his zipper over the bulge in his jeans. His eyes closed when she
parted the fabric and closed her hand over him. Breath hissed through his teeth
and he rested his forehead against hers. "Sunshine..."

After a long moment, he
eased out of her hold and dropped to his knees. Breath feathering over her
stomach, he roamed lowered. Strong hands grazed over her hips and to the back
of her thighs. He tugged the yellow lace at her hip lower and proceeded to
drive her crazy with teases of his teeth and tongue.

"We should move to
the bed." The words barely escaped her mouth before he swept her up in his
arms and carried her over.

He tossed the blanket
back and let her slide onto the soft white sheets first. The mattress dipped as
he climbed in and knelt between her legs. He ran his hands from her calves to
her thighs, then teased his way up her torso in deliberate strokes. When they
were lined up, lips to lips and eyes to eyes, he eased his way inside.

Her breath caught and
Luke groaned. He kissed her, thrusts of tongue mimicking the slow, seductive
rocking of his hips. Audrey gripped his back and lifted into him, seeking him
when he retreated. This wasn't just sex—this was sex with Luke. The difference
was enough to overwhelm her. Everything intensified. And suddenly, she was
flying high, swamped in pleasure as Luke increased his pace and then stiffened
with a harsh groan of her name.

She brushed his hair off
of his forehead and kissed him, lingering over his taste as her body calmed.

Luke lifted off of her
and tugged the cover from the foot of the bed. He pulled it over them and lay
on his side, facing her. "That was worth waiting for."

His lips met hers again,
soft and romantic, stopping only for breaths, then coming together again.

Everything they'd said to
each other, everything she'd felt, solidified that her decision to move forward
had been the right one.

"Yes," she
panted sweetly. "It was. But I won't make us wait as long for round
two."

"Really?" He
grinned and lowered his face to hers. "How long this time?"

"Depends on
you," she whispered against his lips right before he sank in for a breath
stealing kiss.

Luke
sat in a soft leather chair in the front room of Audrey's studio. The guys were
due to arrive any minute to pick out clothes for Jett's show. Sending out a
reminder to the fans about the band's appearance on the show, he caught himself
whistling again and glanced at the hallway, hoping Renee and Audrey hadn't
heard.

Waking up wrapped in
Audrey that morning had been the best feeling in the world. The sex had been
incredible, but then again he'd expected it to be because it was with Audrey.
The dark cave of drawn shades and curtains in his hotel room were a far cry
from the white walls, big windows, and blinding light that poured into Audrey's
apartment in the mornings. He definitely preferred her space, and how the light
shined on her face, hair, and curves, but in his room she was in shadows and he
wanted their relationship in the light. Hopefully, they would be sleeping there
tonight.

He sipped his coffee and
glanced at his watch. Now that he'd had a taste of what life was like with
Audrey in it, he wanted more. Even after their night together, he was afraid of
pushing too hard
or too fast. Luke knew he didn't
possess much restraint, but for her, he'd try his damnedest.

"Hey, there he
is." Brendan's voice pulled him from his thoughts. The drummer walked in, grinning,
arms stretched wide. He hugged Luke hard.

Zander, Jayne, Landry,
and Irisa trooped into the room. It hadn't been too long since he'd seen his
friends, but damn, he'd missed them. Hugs and greetings were exchanged, loud
enough to draw out Audrey and Renee from the back room. And then the
introductions and reunions began all over again.

Luke's heart beat
uncomfortably in his chest when Audrey met Jayne. They shared certain
personality traits, and the similarities had been too much for him to handle
when he'd thought he'd lost Audrey all those months ago. Suffering hadn't made
him kind back then. Luckily, Jayne didn't hold a grudge. Neither did Zander.
But Luke still felt bad about it.

Audrey and Jayne hit it
off immediately and continued to chat, laughing and smiling in instant
friendship.

Zander joined him on the
other side of the room. "You were right about their voices being
similar."

"Told you." His
guilt eased when Zander dropped his arm around his shoulder.

"You okay? You're
quiet. Things good with Audrey?"

"I think they're
moving in the right direction. But I'm—"

"Still afraid you
might fuck it up?"

"Yeah."

"You probably will,
but then again we all do. Just be honest with her. That's the best thing. But I
can see she makes you happy. She looks happy too."

Hopefully, he made her
happy. He followed the rest of the guys into the back room. A whirlwind of
clothes made their way to him. He trusted Audrey's taste, and she knew what
looked best on him, so he didn't argue. The jeans, gray shirt, jacket and boots
worked for him. The other guys weren't picky either, but Landry refused to
trade his beat up leather jacket for the new jacket in Renee's hands.

While the bassist debated
the virtues of his fake leather over the real thing, Luke pulled Audrey aside.
"You're coming to the show, right?" He posed the question partly to
feel out her preference for sleeping that night, but he genuinely wanted her in
the audience.

"Absolutely. I'm
excited to see you in action."

"Awesome." He
was more than a little excited she'd agreed to be there. But then again, she
could be the only person in attendance and he'd be happy. "We wanted to
announce you as our designer for everything, too. We can all grab something to
eat afterward. And then maybe I can head home with you."

"I have to get up
ridiculously early tomorrow to prep things for the show. I won't be much
company tonight."

"I don't mind. We
don't have to do anything—just go home and sleep. And I'll help out with
whatever you need tomorrow."

"You won't mind
hauling boxes and helping set up? I mean, there will be a crew too, but,
really, you'd help?"

"Without
complaining. And I'll bring the coffee."

A smile bloomed across
her face and eased the tension in his gut. "You're hired."

Hours later, the band
walked onto the set of
Hard and Heavy Live
. Luke waved to the crowd, and
then winked at Audrey in the audience, seated between Irisa and Jayne.

After Jett did his set up
and introduced the band, he gestured to Luke's outfit. "I'm sorry, I can't
just let this slide by. Your appearance today is a big step up from the last
time I saw you."

The giant screen behind
them showed side by side pictures of Luke. Leather jacket, shirt and jeans in
the live shot and a picture of him in an ancient tee and ripped jeans from the
time he'd met Jett for an impromptu lunch. The audience laughed and catcalled
his improved look.

Laughing, Luke shrugged.
"What can I say? The best designer in the business put this together for
me, so give Audrey Pierce all the credit. All of us guys are wearing her label
tonight, and she's the artist who created our new label's logo."

Jett grinned. "You
two were in your own little world when I stopped by the green room to say hi
before the show. Tell me, is it serious with Audrey? If it is, you just broke
the hearts of half your female fans."

The camera panned to
Audrey. Her eyes widened, her mouth gaped, and a deep pink blush crept over her
neck and cheeks.

What the hell? Luke
blinked. Jett was supposed to talk about their new label and the band's
contest, not question him on his love life. Part of him wanted to keep Audrey
all to himself. The rest of him wanted to stake his claim.

Brendan waved his hand.
"Hold up there, Jett. I wouldn't say Luke has half the fans' hearts. Maybe
a quarter. The rest of us guys have fans, too. Am I right?" He grinned at
the audience and beckoned for them to make some noise. Cheers resounded.

Jett smiled as the camera
again came to a rest on Audrey. "I didn't mean to put you on the spot.
Gang, let's give Audrey a round of applause for being a good sport."

Fuck it. Luke stood.
Keeping his gaze on Audrey's, he strolled to her seat. Blue eyes full of
questions, she mouthed
what
. He grasped her hand and gently pulled until
she stood by his side.

"What are you
doing?" Her whisper ghosted his cheek. Her hand trembled in his and Luke
squeezed to reassure her.

"Clearing up any
doubts about what I want." He threaded his hand in her hair and lowered
his mouth to brush against her petal-soft lips.

A soft gasp, and then she
opened for him, allowing him to take the kiss deeper. Like a drug, she flooded
his system. Cheers from the crowd accompanied whistles and cat-calls. Pulling
away from her required more effort than he'd expected.

With his arm around her
waist, he turned toward the stage. "Does that answer your question?"

More cheers rose up
around them and Jett waved to quiet them down.

Audrey's hand lay against
his chest. Luke smiled down at her. "See you after the show,
Sunshine." He couldn't help taking another taste, and then made his way
back to his seat.

"Dude." Brendan
shook his head, grinning. "Nice job."

He shrugged, then
accepted a slap on the back from Zander.

Jett directed the
questions and conversation back to the scheduled topics. Until he mentioned
Zander's recent engagement to Jayne. As with Audrey, the camera panned to
Jayne. Her hand played with the heart pendant necklace she always wore.

Zander tapped Luke's
shoulder as he stood. "Can't have my singer outdo me." He made his
way into the audience and kissed Jayne, adding in an elaborate dip.

After the audience
quieted and Zander returned to his seat, Jett raised his brows. "So all is
right in The Fury's world?"

"It's fucking
awesome." Luke shifted as the phone in his pocket buzzed. Probably fans
responding to the live show. "We're launching our label, Furious Records,
and we're exciting to be auditioning fans to form our label's first
group."

Furious Records' logo,
bold white letters on a black square appeared on the screen. Jett gave it an
approving nod. "The logo rocks. And you guys are probably loving that
you'll retain full control this way."

"You trying to say
we have a problem dealing with authority?" Luke quirked his brow and the
audience laughed.

"Any idea when
you'll start recording again?"

Zander spoke for the
group, "We just started decompressing from the non-stop action that we
kept up for years, plus we're devoting all our time to the fan auditions and
gearing up for the launch party in a few weeks, where we'll announce the new
band winners. So give us at least this summer, man."

"Can I get you on
record saying you're not breaking up? We've had so many people write in, asking
that question, in prep for tonight's show."

"We're not breaking
up." Luke sighed. He couldn't get angry, he knew Jett wanted to ask the
question to quiet the rumor mill. "We love our music and our fans too much
to stop. Creating Furious Records is our promise to them and our commitment to
each other."

"And we look forward
to hearing the new band perform live, right here on our stage two weeks after
their launch party." Jett smiled at the camera, then turned to face the
band. "Since the fans will have to wait a bit to hear you play together
again, how about you guys give us a song here?"

Luke locked eyes with
Audrey. It wasn't the song he and the guys had practiced backstage, but he knew
exactly what he wanted to do.

***

The
band stood up from the chairs and headed toward the instruments set up in the
left side of the set. Audrey turned to Irisa. "What song are they going to
play?"

"Beats me. They
rehearsed a few today, including covers of some other bands. So I have no idea."

Music started, but it
wasn't the hard and heavy beats the guys were known for. Luke leaned into the
microphone. "This one's for Audrey."

It was slower, less
aggressive, and vaguely familiar. But she couldn't place it. When Luke crooned
out the first line, she knew. One of the love songs he'd been singing every
morning while in the shower. The decades' old song made modern and tough enough
for a rock band with faster beats and heavy guitars and Luke almost growling
the lyrics.

Touched, she grinned at
him and then admired an artist in action. He sang with his whole body. And his
facial expressions mirrored the words he sang and the feelings invoked. He
caught her gaze a few times and winked.

A woman behind her
murmured, "Lucky bitch."

Surprise shot through
her. Audrey glanced at Jayne and Irisa. From their shocked and annoyed
expressions, they'd heard the woman. Thoughts tumbled—should she ignore it,
turn around and say something, or laugh it off?

Irisa nudged her and her
head shook slightly. Let it go. But she didn't want to be a doormat. Heart
beating fast, she turned. Two women sat behind her. Both wore The Fury
t-shirts. One smirked at her while the other eyed her with cool disinterest.

Saying something now
wouldn't solve anything and would only cause a scene. She faced forward. If she
had to bet, she'd put money on the smirker. But then again, the other woman had
Luke
tattooed on her arm. The incident tinged her enjoyment of Luke's
gift to her, but then the band launched into one of their high octane numbers,
and the entire crowd was on their feet. Being upset about a tiny comment she
wasn't entirely sure was directed at her didn't make much sense when she had a
new friend in Jayne, a reliable friend in Irisa, and the company of an
entertaining group of guys. And, most of all, when she had Luke.

The next afternoon,
controlled chaos reigned at the venue she'd rented out for the show. Instead of
a regular fashion show, the models would begin by walking across a stage set up
like a typical rock concert, with guitars and a drum kit, while lights flashed
in the background. They'd then move to a low catwalk that would bring them out
into the "pit". Afterward, more of a party atmosphere would take
over, with models walking around wearing the designs, mingling with the
attendees. Food, drink, music, and hopefully, lots of sales and new clients.

Audrey rushed between
checking on progress with the models getting dressed, hair and make-up, and
last-minute chats with the venue manager. Her nerves increased with each
passing minute. In addition to the bands she'd invited, other band managers,
rock news bloggers and reporters, fashion bloggers, and record company
representatives would also be in attendance. And of course, the director of the
domestic violence program. Now was not the time for anything to go wrong.

Renee flagged her down.
"Jacob can't go on. He just called me. He's home, and sick as a dog.
Stomach bug."

"Ugh. Seriously?
Now?" She glanced at her list, hoping a last-minute replacement would
appear.