Falling Out of Hate with You: An Enemies to Lovers Romance (The Hate-Love Duet Book 1)
Page 26
He motions toward the door. “So . . . should I tell the makeup artist to—”
“Yes, please. We’re running tight on time, apparently, and she’s got quite a bit more to do to make this shit stain look halfway decent.”
“Actually, I would have thought she’s already done. You look great.”
“Thanks. Zander’s hangover cure worked, exactly as promised. I feel . . .” Weird. Confused. Shocked. Skittish. Suspicious. Freaked out. “Remarkably good, actually.”
“Glad to hear it. Okay, well, I’ll go get the makeup artist for you. See you at the press conference.”
“See you then.”
He turns to leave.
“Actually, one quick question.”
Savage turns around slowly, his facial expression saying, And I was so close to escaping, too.
I smile. “In the second half of the chorus, that sort of post-chorus sing-along part . . . Are you singing, ‘La la la . . . Laila’ there?”
He flushes. “No.”
“No?”
“Nope. I’m singing ‘la la.’”
“Yeah, I know, but at the tail end there. After the string of ‘la la’s,’ you didn’t cap it off with ‘Laila’?”
“No. I sang, ‘La la’ the whole way through.”
“Huh. That’s so weird. I was positive I heard you singing my name.”
“That’s what being a narcissist will do to you, I guess. You think everyone is singing your name.”
I smile sweetly. “Takes one to know one, honey.”
We chuckle awkwardly. But, seriously. I swear I heard that part as Laila.
His face is red. His Adam’s apple bobs. “I was definitely singing ‘la la’ there. But if you think it sounds too much like Laila, then I can re-record that part, very easily, to make it crystal clear what I’m actually singing—which absolutely isn’t ‘Laila.’”
“No need. I’m sure I was just imagining it. Thinking the world revolves around me, like you said. I’m sure when I listen again, I’ll laugh that I ever thought you sang my name on that part.”
Savage chuckles with me. “Yeah, that’s funny.” He claps his hands together and exhales. “Okay, well, I’ll let you get to it. Like you said, time is tight.”
“Great. Thanks.”
Looking a bit out of sorts, Savage practically stumbles out the door, and a moment later, the makeup artist returns. After she’s picked up her eyeshadow palette, and I’ve settled back into my chair, I shove my earbuds back in, restart “Hate Sex High” from the beginning, and listen to every single word, this time extra carefully:
[Click HERE to listen to “Hate Sex High” along with Laila.]
Hate Sex High
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
One, two, three, let’s go
You’re falling, falling, falling, falling, falling in hate with me
I’m feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling something I don’t want to feel
Saw you with him at the show
I didn’t like it
I played it cold to your face
But I was on fire
He said you were his all along
And I didn’t like it
Turns out I imagined it all
Went back and punched a hole in the wall
You’re falling, falling, falling, falling, falling in hate with me
I’m feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling something I don’t want to feel
You’re falling, falling, falling, falling, falling in hate with me
I’m feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling something I don’t want to feel
Lalalalalala la la
Lalalalalala la la
I shouldn’t-a said what I did
Not tryna deny it
The harder I pushed you away
You wanted to ride it
I fucked with your body, baby
You fucked with my mind
You said it meant nothing to ya
But you came three times
You’re falling, falling, falling, falling, falling in hate with me
I’m feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling something I don’t want to feel
You’re falling, falling, falling, falling, falling in hate with me
I’m feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling something I don’t want to feel
Lalalalalala la la
Lalalalalala la la
I fucked with your body, baby
You fucked with my mind
You said it meant nothing to ya
But you came three times
Girl, you came three times
You came three times
You’re chasing a
Hate sex high
The song cycles through a few more choruses, until, finally, in an outro at the very end, Savage speaks conversationally over the music, his voice purring sexually above the sex-laden beat: “Did he make you come three times? Yeah, didn’t think so.” And I know, without a doubt, that’s absolutely one of the “kernels of truth” Savage admitted were buried in the song. Unless, of course, he was making every groupie he screwed come three times, the same way he did to me on the night of the hot tub, and was also totally obsessed with his achievement in regards to them, as well.
I listen again, from the very beginning, and, once again, I can’t help hearing my name at the end of the “la la la” section. Granted, Savage didn’t pronounce it like he normally would, almost as if he was pronouncing my name in a purposefully vague sort of way, like he was trying to reserve himself some deniability. Like he was pretending to sing “la la” in that part, while secretly singing “Laila” with a smug little smirk on his handsome face. In fact, I can almost picture Savage in the vocal booth, smirking wickedly while recording that part, as if he thought he was getting away with a fast one.
I feel a tap on my shoulder and open my eyes.
“All done,” the makeup artist mouths, and I pull out my earbuds and look in the mirror.
“Beautiful,” I say. “Thank you.”
“You’re an easy canvas.”
She begins cleaning up her station, getting ready for whoever is coming next. But I’m too lost in thought to move a muscle. Savage admitted he wrote “Hate Sex High” based on “kernels of truth” which he then spun into “popcorn lies.” Like I told him, that’s a concept I can fully understand, in general, since I’ve done the same thing in my own songwriting, too.
However, in reference to this specific song, a song called “Hate Sex High,” in which my name sure seems to be buried artfully among a string of “la la la’s”—a song about a woman chasing a “hate sex high” while Savage makes her come “three times”—a song about a woman falling into hate with Savage while he feels “something” he doesn’t “want to feel”—I can’t help wondering, in regards to this specific song: which parts are the admitted “kernels of truth” . . . and which are the supposed “popcorn lies”?
TO BE CONTINUED
Look for “FALLING INTO LOVE WITH YOU,” the conclusion of “THE HATE-LOVE DUET,” releasing April 19, 2020.
To find out how to stream or download “HATE SEX HIGH”, go to www.laurenrowebooks.com/music-from-the-hatelove-duet
And while you’re there, check out tons of spoiler-free BONUS MATERIAL about Savage, Laila, and many River Records artists.
To be the first to know about my new releases, sign up for my newsletter by clicking here!
Find Lauren on social media by clicking the links below!
FACEBOOK - INSTAGRAM - TWITTER - FACEBOOK GROUP - BOOKBUB
Books by Lauren Rowe
Standalone Novels
Smitten
When aspiring singer-songwriter, Alessandra, meets Fish, the funny, adorable bass player of 22 Goats, sparks fly between the awkward pair. Fish tells Alessandra he’s a “Goat called Fish who’s hung like a bull. But not really. I’m actually really average.” And Alessandra tells Fish, “There’s nothing like a girl’s first love.” Alessandra thinks she’s talking about a song when she
makes her comment to Fish—the first song she’d ever heard by 22 Goats, in fact. As she’ll later find out, though, her “first love” was actually Fish. The Goat called Fish who, after that night, vowed to do anything to win her heart.
SMITTEN is a true standalone romance that will make you swoon.
The Reed Rivers Trilogy
Reed Rivers has met his match in the most unlikely of women—aspiring journalist and spitfire, Georgina Ricci. She’s much younger than the women Reed normally pursues, but he can’t resist her fiery personality and drop-dead gorgeous looks. But in this game of cat and mouse, who’s chasing whom? With each passing day of this wild ride, Reed’s not so sure. The books of this trilogy are to be read in order:
Bad Liar
Beautiful Liar
Beloved Liar
The Club Trilogy
Romantic. Scorching hot. Suspenseful. Witty. The Club is your new addiction—a sexy and suspenseful thriller about two wealthy brothers and the sassy women who bring them to their knees . . . all while the foursome bands together to protect one of their own. The Club Trilogy is to be read in order, as follows:
The Club: Obsession
The Club: Reclamation
The Club: Redemption
The Club: Culmination
The fourth book for Jonas and Sarah is a full-length epilogue with incredible heart-stopping twists and turns and feels. Read The Club: Culmination (A Full-Length Epilogue Novel) after finishing The Club Trilogy or, if you prefer, after reading The Josh and Kat Trilogy.
The Josh and Kat Trilogy
It’s a war of wills between stubborn and sexy Josh Faraday and Kat Morgan. A fight to the bed. Arrogant, wealthy playboy Josh is used to getting what he wants. And what he wants is Kat Morgan. The books are to be read in order:
Infatuation
Revelation
Consummation
The Morgan Brothers
Read these standalones in any order about the brothers of Kat Morgan. Chronological reading order is below, but they are all complete stories. Note: you do not need to read any other books or series before jumping straight into reading about the Morgan boys.
Hero.
The story of heroic firefighter, Colby Morgan. When catastrophe strikes Colby Morgan, will physical therapist Lydia save him . . . or will he save her?
Captain.
The insta-love-to-enemies-to-lovers story of tattooed sex god, Ryan Morgan, and the woman he’d move heaven and earth to claim.
Ball Peen Hammer.
A steamy, hilarious, friends-to-lovers romantic comedy about cocky-as-hell male stripper, Keane Morgan, and the sassy, smart young woman who brings him to his knees during a road trip.
Mister Bodyguard.
The Morgans’ beloved honorary brother, Zander Shaw, meets his match in the feisty pop star he’s assigned to protect on tour.
ROCKSTAR.
When the youngest Morgan brother, Dax Morgan, meets a mysterious woman who rocks his world, he must decide if pursuing her is worth risking it all. Be sure to check out four of Dax’s original songs from ROCKSTAR, written and produced by Lauren, along with full music videos for the songs, on her website (www.laurenrowebooks.com) under the tab MUSIC FROM ROCKSTAR.
Misadventures
Lauren’s Misadventures titles are page-turning, steamy, swoony standalones, to be read in any order.
- Misadventures on the Night Shift –A hotel night shift clerk encounters her teenage fantasy: rock star Lucas Ford. And combustion ensues.
- Misadventures of a College Girl—A spunky, virginal theater major meets a cocky football player at her first college party . . . and absolutely nothing goes according to plan for either of them.
- Misadventures on the Rebound—A spunky woman on the rebound meets a hot, mysterious stranger in a bar on her way to her five-year high school reunion in Las Vegas and what follows is a misadventure neither of them ever imagined.
Standalone Psychological Thriller/Dark Comedy
Countdown to Killing Kurtis
A young woman with big dreams and skeletons in her closet decides her porno-king husband must die in exactly a year. This is not a traditional romance, but it will most definitely keep you turning the pages and saying “WTF?”
Free Short Stories
The Secret Note
Looking for a quickie? Try this scorching-hot short story from Lauren Rowe in ebook FOR FREE or in audiobook: He’s a hot Aussie. I’m a girl who isn’t shy about getting what she wants. The problem? Ben is my little brother’s best friend. An exchange student who’s heading back Down Under any day now. But I can’t help myself. He’s too hot to resist.
All books by Lauren Rowe are available in ebook, paperback, and audiobook formats.
Be sure to sign up for Lauren’s newsletter to find out about upcoming releases!
Author Biography
Lauren Rowe is the USA Today and international #1 best-selling author of newly released Reed Rivers Trilogy, as well as The Club Trilogy, The Josh & Kat Trilogy, The Morgan Brothers Series, Countdown to Killing Kurtis, and select standalone Misadventures.
Lauren's books are full of feels, humor, heat, and heart. Besides writing novels, Lauren is the singer in a party/wedding band in her hometown of San Diego, an audio book narrator, and award-winning songwriter. She is thrilled to connect with readers all over the world.
To find out about Lauren’s upcoming releases and giveaways, sign up for Lauren’s emails here!
Lauren loves to hear from readers! Send Lauren an email from her website, say hi on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.
Find out more and check out lots of free bonus material at www.LaurenRoweBooks.com.