A Love Song for Always

by Piper Lawson

  On the other side of the door, Jax exchanges angry words with a man in a suit.

  “That’s Shannon Cross,” I say.

  The tech nods, stiff. “Correct. The CEO showing up means one or both of us is fired.”

  “Well… which is it?”

  We watch as Jax stabs a finger toward me and stalks off.

  “I’m guessing you,” my companion murmurs.

  The door opens, and Shannon Cross looks at me. “My office. Five minutes.” He turns and leaves.

  After gathering my papers, I take the tech’s directions to the elevator to the third floor. A watchful assistant greets me and asks me to take a seat in one of the wingback chairs.

  Great. I’ve been here less than an hour, and I’m about to be fired.

  Instead of spinning out, I study the picture on the wall and the caption beside it.

  Wicked Records’s headquarters. Founded in 1995, relocated to this new building in 2003. Employs two thousand people.

  “Miss Telfer.”

  I turn to see Cross watching me from his doorway. He exudes strength, but in a different way than Jax. He’s older, for one. Tall and lean, with hair so dark it’s nearly black. The ends curl over his collar, but I can’t imagine it’s because he forgot to get a haircut.

  His suit is crisply cut to follow the lines of his body. He was one of the men with all the gold statues in the picture yesterday. Yet on this floor, there are no pictures of him.

  Weird.

  He’s made millions—probably billions—in the music industry. Formed stars whose careers took off, flamed out. In the golden age of record executives, he’s one of the biggest.

  I follow him into his black-and-white office, a continuation of the pristine carpet outside. It should look like something from an old movie, but it doesn’t. It’s modern.

  A fluffy gray rug on the floor under a conversation set looks as if it used to walk.

  I’m struck by the urge to run my fingers through it.

  The photos gracing the walls here are black-and-white, but they’re not of musicians or awards receptions.

  They’re fields and greenspace.

  Err, gray space.

  “Is that Ireland?” I blurt. “It looks beautiful.”

  I turn to find his gaze on me. “It is. My father moved here when I was a child.”

  I wait to see if he’ll offer me a seat, but he doesn’t. Nor does he take one as he rounds the black wood desk, resting his fingertips on the blotter.

  “Miss Telfer, I understand you interfered with a studio recording session. And assaulted one of our biggest artists.”

  My jaw drops. “I definitely did not assault him. He started it.”

  I realize how childish it sounds. The memory of it has my skin shivering again, and I rub my hands over my arms. “Technically, he startled me. I was trying to defend myself. Every modern woman should have a knowledge of self-defense, don’t you think?”

  He doesn’t nod, but he hasn’t kicked me out yet, so I keep going.

  “I know I shouldn’t have walked in, but your tech had this ‘FML’ look I know from a mile away. I know the software. I use it in the campus music lab all the time. There’s a compatibility issue with the most recent update, and…” I trail off as he holds up a hand. “I wanted to fix it.”

  Appraising eyes study me. “And did you?”

  I realize Cross isn’t asking me about my outburst but what I’d done before that. “Yes. Yes, I think so.”

  Cross’ lips twitch at the corner. “Jax Jamieson is heading out on the final leg of his U.S. tour, and we’re short on technical support. We could use someone with your problem-solving skills to back up our sound engineer.”

  “You’re asking me if I want to go on a rock tour?” Disbelief reverberates through me.

  “Of course not.” His smile thins. “I’m reassigning you to a rock tour.”

  “He wants you to what?” Serena shrieks over the phone.

  “Go on tour. Four weeks.” From the way I’m hyperventilating in the bathroom stall, I’m surprised the force of it doesn’t lift me clean off the linoleum. “Then I can choose to return to the studio and spend the rest of the summer making coffee. Or they’ll sign a letter saying my co-op term was completed because I’m working around the clock.”

  “You have to do it.”

  “First, I have no idea what it means to back up a sound engineer on tour. And second, spending twenty-four hours a day with other people sounds like a special kind of hell.” I yank a sheet of toilet paper from the roll and start the productive task of tearing it into tiny pieces. “I bet they all travel on a bus.”

  “The horror.”

  “It is!” I insist. “They probably sleep in a pile, and…” I hiccup, yanking at my waistband. “Dammit, this skirt is really tight.”

  My fingers find the zipper, yanking it down enough that I can breathe while Serena laughs. “When does it leave?”

  “This afternoon. I’m supposed to report to this address and see the tour manager.” I take a breath.

  “You have to admit it’s kind of poetic,” she observes. “Plus, you’re out of options. The point of the co-operative education program is to put your training into practice. If you don’t have a job in the summer where you can practice, you’ll get kicked out.”

  Which is the only reason I’m still here instead of halfway down the street.

  “I’ve never had a real job before. I live behind a computer.” I slap my forehead. “And I was planning on a job where I’d have time to work on my program with Professor Carter.”

  “Forget Carter. This is a sign. You’re going to fuck Jax Jamieson.”

  This is the risk of being friends with Serena. She regularly makes statements that, although they may be entirely false, have the immediate effect of taking years off your life.

  “Serena, it’s not a sign. It’s a mistake chased by a coincidence wrapped in a bad idea. Jax Jamieson isn’t someone you fuck. He’s someone you study and watch and learn from. He’s someone you worship.”

  “Yeah, with your tongue.” Shivers run through me. “You go to college to learn and study. A guy like Jax Jamieson is exactly who you fuck. He probably has to lift an eyebrow and panties drop. He could blow on a girl, and she’d come. Hell, if he so much as brushes past you in the hallway? I bet you could live off the contact high for the rest of your life.”

  “I interrupted his recording session.”

  A loud bang has me holding the phone away from my ear. “Sorry, I dropped you. What the hell, Haley? You met a rock star and got invited on his tour. This is amazing. So… is he?”

  “Is he what?” I whisper.

  “So hot you’ll picture him every time you buzz yourself to oblivion.”

  I picture his amber stare, and this time I do feel a shiver. It’s surprising but pleasant. It starts in my brain, trips down my spine, tingles lower.

  “No?”

  “You totally said that like it was a question.”

  Two hours later, I spill out of a cab. The rolling bag at my side and my backpack should have everything I’ll need, but I feel naked.

  I round the hotel to find two busses parked in the back, plus an eighteen-wheeler truck.

  A woman sporting tailored jeans, heels, a cute blazer, and a blue Katy Perry ponytail comes up to me. “I’m Nina, the tour manager. You must be Haley. Shannon said we’re adding one more here.”

  “That’s me.”

  She tucks her tablet under her arm, presses her hands together, and executes a mini-bow. “Namaste.”

  “Um. Yeah, you too.”

  She straightens, and she’s all business again. “Did you get the paperwork emailed to you?”

  “I think so.”

  “Good. We’re running late, but I can answer any questions you have once we get rolling.”

  She calls everyone’s attention and goes over the schedule.

  “We’re off to Pittsburgh. Another sold-out show. We should get in by th
ree. Curtain’s at eight. It’ll be a tight setup, but you’ve only done it fifty times.”

  A few people chuckle. The words bring a shiver over me as I look around the circle.

  “All right, everyone get ready to roll out. Anyone seen Jerry?” Nina asks.

  “Yeah. He’s meeting us in Pittsburgh,” a guy says.

  She sighs. “Fine.”

  I still don’t know who Jerry is, but everyone seems to want a piece of him today.

  A striking redheaded woman who looks a few years older than me meets my gaze. “You must be the fresh meat.”

  “I’m Haley. And you’re Lita Holm.” I recognize her immediately. “You’re opening for Jax. I loved your Preacher album.”

  “Not the new one?” She raises a brow, and I wince. “Don’t take it back now. Honesty is refreshing.” She doesn’t offer me a hand. I like her already. “Come on. I’ll show you around.”

  I shield my eyes from the sun with a hand, scanning the busses. “These are big.”

  “This one’s for the crew and our band.” She points at the other bus. “That one belongs to Riot Act. But rumor has it Mace, Kyle, and Brick get the front half. The rest is Jax’s.”

  “Rumor?”

  She raises a brow. “You think any of us see the inside?”

  She nods toward the closer bus, and I get on, shouldering my bag.

  “It’s a pretty baller tour. We stay in hotels most nights.” Relief courses through me. “Occasionally we have to travel overnight, and you can sleep here.”

  She gestures to the bunks at the back, and I take a slow breath.

  I might not be able to sleep, but as long as it’s not every night, it should be manageable.

  A living room-type area makes up the front, and she drops onto a couch there.

  “Tour rules.” Her face gets serious as she holds up fingers. “One, thou shalt shower every day. It seems obvious. Apparently it’s not.” She shoots a look at a guy who laughs. “Two, thou shalt not touch other people’s shit.”

  “Three,” a voice shouts from somewhere behind us, “thou shalt not beat Lita in her fantasy baseball league.”

  The woman in question flips him her middle finger before returning to me. “Not actually. Though I’d love to see you try. Three, thou shalt not fraternize with the crew or with the artists.” I must look confused, because she says, “Fuck whoever you want as long as they’re not on either of these busses. You’ll get fired on the spot.”

  “That won’t be an issue.”

  She shoots me a look. “You’d be surprised.”

  Find out what happens next when Jax and Haley are forced together in this sexy rock star adventure…

  Read Good Girl now!

  Books by Piper Lawson

  ~ENEMIES SERIES~

  (Harrison + Reagan)

  Beautiful Enemy

  Beautiful Sins

  Beautiful Ruin

  ~RIVALS SERIES~

  (Annie + Tyler)

  Love Notes

  A Love Song for Liars

  A Love Song for Rebels

  A Love Song for Dreamers

  A Love Song for Always

  ~ WICKED SERIES ~

  (Jax + Haley)

  Good Girl

  Bad Girl

  Wicked Girl

  Forever Wicked

  ~ MODERN ROMANCE SERIES ~

  Easy Love

  (Wes + Rena)

  Bad Love

  (Logan + Kendall)

  Twisted Love

  (Ben + Daisy)

  ~ PLAY SERIES ~

  PLAY

  (Max + Payton)

  NSFW

  (Avery + Charlie)

  RISE

  (Riley + Sam)

  ~ TRAVESTY SERIES ~

  Schooled

  (Dylan + Lex)

  Stripped

  (Nate + Ava)

  Sealed

  (Dylan + Lex novella)

  Styled

  (Ethan + Jordan)

  Satisfaction

  (Kent + Dahlia novella)

  THANK YOU

  If you read A Love Song for Always…thank you. Thank you for trusting me with your time and your heart.

  This series has taken me on a wild ride. It’s undoubtedly the most raw, emotional story I’ve written. I’m so grateful for you participating in this with me. I hope Tyler and Annie stay with you for a long time to come. (And I’m not quite done with them yet…make sure you’re on my VIP list to get updates on news from this world!)

  My readers are the most amazing readers anywhere. You guys are positive, bold, enthusiastic, supportive, and amazing humans. I wouldn’t write without you.

  If you enjoyed A Love Song for Always, I’d be beyond grateful if you could take two minutes to leave a quick review wherever you picked it up. Reviews are like gold to us authors - especially indies.

  If you do leave a review, I’d love to hear about it so I can thank you personally. Here’re the best ways to reach out:

  www.facebook.com/piperlawsonbooks

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  piper@piperlawsonbooks.com

  Thanks for being awesome, for inspiring me every day, and for helping make it possible for me to do something I love.

  xoxo

  Piper

  Acknowledgments

  First, thank YOU for picking up this book. I love that you trust me to entertain you.

  Some of the best love stories take time to tell—time in my life to get it on paper, but more importantly, time in the characters lives to grow up, to make mistakes and learn, and for everything to align so they can finally get their hard-won reward.

  That’s why Tyler and Annie earned an entire four-book series, complete with an epic HEA. I hope their love, loss, and angst has torn you apart and made you whole again like it’s done to me.

  This series wouldn’t have happened without the support of my awesome readers, including my ARC team. You ladies provide endless enthusiasm, cheerleading, and help spreading the word. I could NOT do it without you, and it would be a lot less fun to try. Extra shoutout to Beth, Tammy and Michelle for the early read! You rock.

  Thank you Regina Wamba for the perfect image, and Lori Jackson for the stunning cover.

  Becca Mysoor, thank you for your story genius. Cassie Robertson and Devon Burke, thank you for questioning, polishing, and catching all the little things.

  Thank you Dani Sanchez for your sage advice and for helping my stories find their way to the right readers.

  And Annette Brignac and Michelle Clay… I would not be able to get these books to the people who matter most without you. Don’t ever leave me.

  Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. The best part of author life is having YOU in it.

  Love always,

  Piper

  About the Author

  Piper Lawson is a USA Today bestselling author of smart, steamy romance! She writes about women who follow their dreams (even the scary ones), best friends who know your dirty secrets (and love you anyway), and complex heroes you’ll fall hard for (especially after talking with them). Brains or brawn? She’ll never make you choose.

  Piper lives in Canada with her tall, dark and brilliant husband. She believes peanut butter is a protein, rose gold is a neutral, and love is ALWAYS the answer.

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  Copyright 2021 by Piper Lawson Books

  Content editing by Becca Mysoor

  Line and copy editing by Cassie Roberston and Joy Editing

  Cover design by Lori Jackson

  Cover photography by Regina Wamba

  This book is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments
, organizations, or locations are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.