Whisky Lullaby: Rock Star Romance, Step-brother New Adult Romance (Tennessee Romance Book 1) (8 page)

“You wanted diversity…” Logan shook his head. Was she crazy?

“Exactly! I wanted to see the world from a different perspective. Besides, if I went to Juilliard, I’d just live at home, and I needed to break out on a path of my own.”

“Well, I’d say you’re definitely doing that.” Logan grabbed a chip. “It might not be the right one, but who am I to say?”

“We’ll see.” They settled back and Logan watched as Ashley looked around the car. “It’s like walking back in time.” The dining room was divided by twenty-four booths, twelve on each side of the room. Each booth sat under a picture window and was upholstered in glittery red fabric and had its own coin-operated jukebox. The waitresses all wore poodle skirts and the waiters and the bus boys wore crisp white shirts, black ties and nice black slacks. “This is too cool,” she murmured.

“Glad you like it,” Logan said, enjoying the amusement on her face. “The food’s really good, too.”

The waitress came and took their order and after she brought them drinks Ashley turned her focus on him. “So Logan, you’re from here?”

“Yup. I grew up not far from here. It’s a rundown little country town. Real quiet. There are more cows than people,” Logan said with a nervous laugh. He did not want to talk about his family.

“It’s so different from what I’m used to. It looks idyllic,” Ashley said with a smile.

“Don’t be fooled by the white picket fence and serene atmosphere. Growing up out here wasn’t always such a picnic,” Logan said, scrunching his nose at the bite in his voice. He hoped he hadn’t offended her. When her eyes continued to sparkle back at him, he knew she wasn’t one to scare off easily.

“Tell me about it,” Ashley pressed. “We can compare childhood war stories.”

He scoffed. “Well… Where do I start?”

Ashley smirked and Logan chuckled at her reaction. He was figuring out that her smirks were usually followed by a snarky response or a healthy dose of sarcasm. He anticipated the onslaught.

“Wherever you feel is natural,” Ashley said with a sly smile.

Here it comes
, Logan thought.
The zinger
.

“This is not the Logan Murphy Barbara Walters Special, after all,” Ashley said as a wild grin crossed her pretty face.

She certainly had a way about her. As she gazed back at Logan, he didn’t feel judged. He suddenly didn’t feel as if she’d run away at some of the darker things he had withheld from people in the past. He felt like she would accept anything he said. He grabbed a bunch of chips and stuffed them in his mouth to avoid answering. This was uncharted territory for him. As far as he was concerned, everyone had an opinion, everyone had an agenda, and loyalties only went so far as a person’s own personal interests stretched. Except as he looked into Ashley’s vibrant green eyes, he lost himself in the warmth there. There was no judgment, no expectation, and no pressure. He didn’t want to talk about his past. Nor did she need to know. Not first date material.

“Well…” he began. “I grew up here. Literally, five minutes away. I’m a military brat… but rather than moving us around, my dad decided to keep us at home and not uproot us every few years. Then, during Desert Storm, he didn’t come home. He was killed by enemy fire.” Shit, why was he telling her?

She reached across the table and slipped her hand in his. He stared down at her beautiful long fingers, well worn by stringed instruments. How had he not noticed that before? “About six months after my father’s funeral, one of his buddies came ‘round. Floyd started hanging around the house. He would treat my mother real nice, helped fix up the house. He had a kid too, Charlie. He’d buy little dollies for my kid sisters and take Charlie and me to the field for a game of catch.”

He felt anger deep inside him but he didn’t let it translate to the rest of his body. His hand rested calmly inside Ashley’s.

Abruptly, the waitress re-emerged from the kitchen and made a beeline for their table carrying Ashley’s bacon cheeseburger and his Reuben special and cheddar fries.

Ashley pulled her hand free and bit into a fry. “It sounds like Floyd helped your mom out a lot.”

Logan’s gaze looked out the window. He fought over in his mind how to respond. “Let’s just say Floyd wasn’t always so nice. After he married my mother, the façade dropped. It wasn’t hard to see that he favored beer more than anything else on this earth, my mother included.”

Ashley stared at him with wide eyes.

He hated the pity in them. Hated it.
Exactly why this isn’t first date material
. “Floyd’s not a good man. That bastard’s as good as dead to me, but I gotta watch out for my family. My mother loves him, though I have no friggin’ clue why.”

Ashley looked over at Logan with a sincere expression on her face. “Don’t let the actions of another man or the anger in his heart tarnish your own.”

Logan smiled. “Is that a Walt Whitman quote?”

Ashley laughed loudly earning a couple of stares from patrons who sat at a booth nearby. “No. That’s an Ashley Slater original.”

“Smart girl, you are,” Logan said as he brushed a finger over the back of Ashley’s hand. Her skin was soft to the touch. The mood had changed from somber to something lighter.

“So what’s the deal with your stepbrother? You guys act like you hate each other.”

Logan let out a sigh. Back to somber. “He’s a complicated mess… Charlie and trouble always have been fast friends.” Logan scratched the stubble that ran along his jawline.

“Lisa mentioned he was in the band.”

“Oh, you met Lisa? She’s real cool.” Logan smiled. “Charlie’s actually a pretty diverse musician. He plays guitar, bass, and drums, and can handle back-up vocals no problem. Our band took a hit when we lost him. What do you think of Lisa?” Logan didn’t want to talk about Charlie. He’d said enough about family for today. For a year in fact.

“She invited me to go with her to your show on Saturday.” She picked up her burger and took a bite.

“You’re gonna give me stage fright,” Logan teased. A small drop of ketchup hung on the corner of her mouth. Logan had to fight back the urge to lean across the table and wipe it off with his finger. He swallowed hard when her soft pink tongue darted out and licked it away.

“At least you don’t have to perform at a first performance workshop tomorrow.”

“You’re signed up for that, too?!” Logan asked with a hearty laugh. “I’m enrolled, as well. This is gonna be an interesting semester.”

“Oh, hell…” Ashley complained with a mild laugh.

“My bandmates Dale and Zip are signed up, too.”

“Mortification Station – one way ticket,” Ashley said as she lowered her face into her right palm.

Logan laughed. “I’m sure a seasoned Juilliard-trained musician such as yourself will be just fine.”

Ashley ran her tongue over her teeth as she gazed at Logan. “You’re gonna give me stage fright,” she mimicked his southern accent.

They ate in comfortable silence for a bit. Logan wanted to ask Ashley a million questions but held back. Guys didn’t ask girls stuff. They just talked and told guys everything. Kinda like he’d been doing himself for the past half hour.

“So…” Ashley said as she pushed her half eaten plate toward him, offering him the fries. “Why’d you kick Charlie out of the band?”

Logan lifted his eyebrows in surprise. “Wasn’t really my decision.” He shrugged. If she was hanging out with Kaylee, she’d be seeing Charlie on a regular basis. “We decided as a band. Charlie has two problems: drinking and women.” He wanted to say sex and alcohol, but held back as he considered Kaylee. “He crossed a line he shouldn’t have. It’s a shame. We’ve got an audition for Rock Star Royale next month. It could be our big break. Now we have to find a replacement.”

“Rock Star Royale… What’s that?”

“It’s a huge music competition that’s sponsored by a bunch of big corporations around here. The winner gets a record deal, cash prize and loads of publicity.”

“More than the celebrity status you guys already have?”

He cocked a single eyebrow at her teasing. “Bigger. Bigger than that.”

“Now I’m impressed.”

“We’ve been trying to land an audition for two years now,” Logan explained, “and they finally took the bait. I just got the letter two days ago.”

“Now I definitely can’t wait to hear you play.” She smiled, her face lighting up with excitement. “I heard you guys singing Mumford and Sons yesterday in the quad. Do you guys perform your own songs too?”

He smiled, enjoying her fascination in the band and the competition. Most girls were fascinated in what he represented. The rock star persona. It had little to do with who he actually was. “At the Cave, we stick to well-known songs. We do have some songs I want to add to Whisky Lullaby’s catalog before our audition. I’m not sure if the sound is right without Charlie.”

“I’d love to help you out.”

He stared at her in surprise. “Pardon?”

She blushed and he enjoyed seeing her shift in discomfort. He imagined other ways he could cause her a sweeter discomfort. He shook his head trying to clear the image from his mind.

“Let me have a listen. Composition is apparently my strong suit.”

She did have Juilliard training. It might not hurt to have her look at the new stuff. He’d have to run it past the band, but he was pretty sure they would say yes.

“Then, maybe you can introduce a new song in each set you do. Test it out,” Ashley suggested.

“You might be on to something.” The more he thought about it the more he liked the idea. Who would have thought that a classically trained cellist from New York City would be giving the lead singer of Whisky Lullaby tips on building a song catalog?

Certainly not him, Logan Murphy.

***

“Where the hell is Logan?” Dale demanded as he glanced up at the clock.

“He said he was gonna meet us there,” Gavin said as he took a swig of his soda.

“Meet us where? At the Cave?” Dale shook his head.

“Yeah.”

“What the hell, man! He knows we need to get a practice in before we do a gig.”

“It’s Music Mayhem Monday. That means it’s supposed to be fun, Dale.” Zip grabbed the keys to the band van.

“The guy never misses a practice. What’s his excuse? A chick?” Dale laughed.

“He said he had a date.” Zale chuckled.

“A date? Like a date,
date
? Logan doesn’t date.” Dale scrunched his face, as if the thought was foreign to him.

“Apparently he does now. He’s out with Kaylee’s cousin, Ashley I think. Took her out on his bike.”

“Oh, shit…” Gavin replied and frowned. “Charlie’s Kaylee?”

“I know,” Zip said. “Sniff sniff… Our baby boy’s growing up.”

While Dale and Chris laughed, Gavin threw a piece of sheet music at his buddy, Zip’s, head. “Can you not act like a moron?” Gavin shook his head.

Zip replied with a mischievous smirk on his face, “I can’t. It’s part of my charm.”

“What time’s the gig tonight?” Gavin checked his watch again.

“Eight o’clock. Sharp.”

“Guess we better get a move on then.” Gavin sighed and started packing up his keyboard. “Which set are we starting out with tonight?”

“Logan said; Boy and Bear.” Zip couldn’t keep a straight face.

“He must like this girl,” Dale said with a smirk. Logan felt everything and it all came out in his music.

“You know he’s going to come out flying on the stage like a bad ass,” Zip warned.

“And make the rest of us look like chumps,” Gavin griped.

“Hey,” Zip snapped as he adjusted his collar. “Speak for yourself.”

***

After they finished their dinner Logan took Ashley on another ride. They passed by the house where Logan grew up, but they didn’t stop in. He didn’t even mention it was his street. He kept his head down and focused on the road in front of him.

The wind whipped through Ashley’s hair as she gripped onto Logan’s shoulders tightly. “Riding at night’s completely different than in the day,” she told him as they slowed for a stop sign. The sun had begun its descent and set quicker than she expected. Shifting her grip from his shoulders to his stomach, she held on tight.

Logan’s eyes lingered in the distance to the bright lights of Nashville. “You okay, Ash?” he asked over the roar of his motorcycle’s engine.

He felt her smile against his shoulder as she slid her hands over his stomach and chest. It nearly made him pull the bike over to the side of the road so he could taste her.

In a confident and steady voice, she replied, “Just fine, Logan.”

He liked the way she said his name.

Her hands continued to roam over him and he slowed their speed so she wouldn’t feel the need to cling to him so tightly. She picked something plastic out of the chest pocket of Logan’s leather jacket.

“And just what do ya think you’re doing, Missy?” Logan asked with a delicious smile growing across his face.
Fuck it
. He pulled his bike onto the shoulder of the quiet country road. Pivoting his head back to Ashley, his eyes glimmered with expectation.