by Lee Piper
My eyes take in every square inch of the venue, but there’s no dark hair, no wide shoulders, no lean hips or confident swagger. There’s no one but me.
My lead singer’s name bounces off the walls and rebounds back. With furrowed brows, I step into the wings, searching every corner and shadow. When I shift into the hallway, a low murmur sounds. It’s from near the rear door. The breeze coming through it causes sound to travel easily despite the distance. I tip my head to one side, listening. The conversation is hushed. The deep baritone I know so well is reduced to a whisper, and the pregnant pauses in between imply the conversation isn’t meant to be overheard. Obviously, I squeeze into a small alcove and eavesdrop.
“Reckon you can do it?” Drake asks.
I crane my neck and peek around the corner, listening.
The person on the other end of the line must say something, because the lead singer nods. “That’s what I thought. It’s possible though, right?”
Pause. More talking I can’t hear.
Something isn’t right. Why is Drake whispering? What doesn’t he want anyone to hear? My grip on the brickwork tightens.
The corner of his lips quirk. “Sweet.” But then he scowls. “What do you take me for? A fucking idiot? Of course, I can get my hands on it.”
I swallow, my throat tight. What the heck?
“Yeah, she trusts me. I’m a trustable guy.”
Wait. He’s not talking about me, is he?
“We’re tight. She’s opening up and telling me shit. It’s the Drake love dust. I’m telling you, no woman can resist it.”
Dread claws its way from my stomach to my lungs, leaving gaping wounds behind. Surely, he’s not referring to—
“I’m serious. Harper showed me her design and it’s on point.”
That fucking asshole.
“It’ll make serious coin. I’m talking massive returns here.”
I can’t breathe. It’s as though ten quad boxes have been dropped on my chest, and I’m expected to inhale. Exhale. Pretend his words aren’t crushing me to death. Was everything he said to me a lie? Was every look and touch a ruse? Is he simply using me for my design so he can cash in on it?
Closing my eyes, I think back over the past week and dissect every conversation using the knowledge I now have. The picture it forms is ugly. Nausea rolls through me, one tidal wave of sickness after the other. I can’t believe I fell for his act. God, I’m so stupid!
Swallowing the bile at the back of my throat, I will the illness away. Now isn’t the time to fall apart; I need to think. This must be the darkness he referred to. He gains people’s trust, then uses their strengths against them. He’s a saboteur. Shaking my head, I will the dizziness to subside. But why?
“You’re gonna blow your load when you see it. Chick’s a fucking genius.”
The optimist in me chooses this moment to question my line of thinking. Maybe I’ve got it all wrong? Maybe he’s referring to something totally different and I’m catastrophizing? Maybe he’s helping me somehow?
“Fuck, I don’t know,” Drake continues. “Didn’t understand all of it. Something about the voice coil and sound distribution. I’ll get you the details later.”
My heart hurts.
“How am I supposed to know? I’m not a fucking audio expert, am I?”
Everything hurts.
Drake sighs, running fingers through his hair. “Think it’s longer. The cone’s wider too.”
“How could you?” I murmur, my faith in humanity ruptured beyond repair. “How could you do this to me?”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ll get it. Don’t get your panties in a wad.”
I scrub a trembling hand down the side of my face. None of this makes sense. Drake didn’t know I was into sound engineering when we first met. It was only after we hung out that I admitted to fixing audio equipment. Surely, our initial friendship was genuine? I guess I can’t trust anything afterward, but for a short moment in time what we shared was real…. Wasn’t it?
“What changed?” I murmur to myself. “Why are you selling my idea to someone else?”
“I’ll send it through to you later.”
“No, you fucking won’t,” I hiss under my breath. “You’re not getting shit from me.” Stepping from the shadows, I face Drake Stone.
His back is to me, his shirt tight. I don’t care. I don’t care how beautiful the man is, he betrayed me. I’ll never look at him without seeing lies and deception. His perfect symmetry is no longer alluring; it’s repellent. His cocky half-grin stole the only leverage I had and used it against me.
There’s no coming back from this.
There’s no forgiveness.
There’s no exoneration.
As though sensing my presence, Drake turns to face me. His eyes widen and shock filters through his expression. It’s closely followed by another emotion I’ve never seen from him. Regret? Doesn’t matter. All I care about is getting some answers before cutting him from my life for good.
Tipping my chin, I straighten my shoulders and demand, “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
The On Tour duet concludes in Song for Me. Click HERE for your copy!
Connect with Lee
Want to be the first to find out about upcoming new releases? Join my newsletter!
I love chatting with readers! Connect with me:
Reader Group Website Facebook Goodreads Amazon Author Page YouTube
Connect with Lee
Let’s keep in touch. Join my newsletter.
Connect with me here:
Reader Group Website Facebook Goodreads Amazon Author Page YouTube
Coming Soon
SONG FOR ME
Bestselling author Lee Piper concludes Harper and Drake’s story in the final book of the On Tour duet, Song for Me.
I fell for his lies.
I trusted him with my heart.
Now it’s shattered.
Broken beyond repair.
When the bad boy rocker betrayed me, he stole more than my trust, he robbed me of my freedom.
He begs forgiveness.
I demand retribution.
And when we collide, this time he’ll be left in pieces… because I’m going to break him.
Song for Me is book two in the On Tour duet set in the world of Rock Me. You do not need to have devoured the Rock Me series in order to feast on this scorching hot new story, but you do need to have savored book one, Sing for Me.
Read Song for Me HERE!
Acknowledgments
Sing to Me taught me how be a writer. A real one. It forced me to own my shit and have faith in the words on the page. This book challenged me more than any of my previous novels and it’s because of this that I’ve learned so much.
There is one talented-as-fuck author who not-so-subtly encouraged me to embark on this journey of self-discovery. Like many times before, Sybil Bartel laid down the law over Messenger with her special brand of tough love. She dared me to stop seeking validation from other people. She told me to instead look inwards and trust in my abilities. At first, I thought she was crazy. I mean, how would I know if my work was any good if no one told me? I send off my manuscript to my betas one chapter at a time, damn it. I need to know if it’s okay.
Cue Sybil’s eye roll.
The idea of writing an entire book on my own was terrifying. Strangely, it was also liberating. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that if I didn’t seek validation from anyone other than myself, then I could write about anything. Whoa. A whole new world of possibilities opened up, and there are many people to thank for diving into it with me.
Mister, you show me every day what true resilience looks like. You remind me to stay true to myself and write what I love. Thank you.
Amber, you’ve been with me from the start. You’re never getting rid of me, ever. I don’t care if there’s an ocean between us; it’s not big enough to separate our friendship.
Friends and family, you continuously support m
e despite the stress I put myself under. Thank you for encouraging me to stop and breathe before I have yet another panic attack. Thank you for reminding me of what’s truly important. I’m doing better now. Promise.
Lorna, Michelle, and Jeannine, thank you for taking the time to read my words. For your feedback, comments, and kickass positivity. It’s a privilege to work with you.
Olivia and the team at Hot Tree Editing, I am so freaking thankful for your attention to detail and expertise. One day, I’ll know the difference between into and in to, onto and on to. Heck, I might even find a new word for after. But not today.
Clarise, you held my hand in the rebranding of this series and, as daunting as it was, we created something awesome together. Thank you.
Ena and Amanda at Enticing Journey Book Promotions, thank you for introducing my work to amazing bloggers and reviewers. Because of you, I’ve made lifelong friends I would never have met otherwise.
Core ARC Team, run by the incredible Book Nerd Services, you rock. Having you all by my side is so humbling. Thank you for taking a chance on my words, for sharing your love of my books, and for the reviews that make me ugly cry.
Lee’s Pipers, you’re the most beautiful group of humans I’ve ever come across. It’s an honor and a privilege to hang with you each day. Writing isn’t easy, but when I jump online and see your posts and comments, it inspires me to keep going.
Readers and bloggers, I want to hug every single one of you. Thank you for picking up this book, for diving headfirst into this world with me. I’ve got your back. I’ll take care of you. There’s more of this epic journey to come, so stick with me and we’ll go places. You ready? Good.
Me too.
About the Author
Lee Piper is a lover of books. When not writing, she is either reading, at the beach, or eating her body weight in chocolate.
Lee Piper wrote her debut novel in 2017. Rock My World became a bestseller and was a Raven Award finalist for Favorite Contemporary Romance and Favorite Cover. Her second novel, Rock My Body, was voted Best Book by LASR Readers and was a finalist in the 2017 Readers' Choice Award. Lie to Me, Book #1 in the Rock Me series was her first indie release, and was nominated for the Goodreads Choice 2018 awards.
Lee Piper lives in South Australia with her drummer husband, cheeky daughters, and neurotic dog.