Love Notes (Rocked by Love #1)

by Susan Scott Shelley

  The camera turned back to Dom, and the excitement calmed down as the fans readied to watch his at-bat. Zander's fingers shifted back to her chair but he kept his focus on the field. The game dragged on, too long for her. Each time Dom came to bat, the camera panned to the band, and then to the group of Zander's fans. The fans at the concerts would likely act the same way. Getting jealous would be silly. She didn't have any claim over him. But she couldn't help it.

  After the game, Security escorted them to meet the players. Zander stayed close but was immediately drawn into conversation with one of the ballplayers. The band dispersed. She stayed near Irisa and away from Luke. Most of the players made it a point to come by and say hello. A few were really friendly and asked her about other bands she'd worked with. One of them, Slade, was from Santa Clara, just like her.

  "It's nice to meet a girl from back home." Slade gave her a slow smile. He immediately put her at ease. "We're grabbing dinner at Lorenzo's. You should come."

  "That will depend on my ride. The band drove here together."

  "You can drive with me. I'm more than happy to take you home later."

  Zander's arm dropped over her shoulder. "Thanks, but we'll meet you there."

  Eyebrows arched, she turned toward him. He regarded Slade with friendly but cautious stare and then smiled down at her. "Ready to go?"

  "Uh, sure." He acted like they were a couple, keeping his arm around her until they reached the car. His closeness made her feel strangely secure, but she pushed the sensation away. She always relied on herself. Dinner at Lorenzo's was just for fun; she didn't want Zander to read anything more into it.

  Luke had begged off, catching a ride with one of the Riptide players. She was relieved she wouldn't have to deal with him on the ride to the restaurant. "Where's Irisa?"

  He opened her door for her and greeted their driver. "She's grabbing a drink with Dom."

  "Good. She needs to have some fun." She climbed into the back seat and Zander claimed the spot by her side. Brendan and Landry jumped in, arguing about one of the player's stats.

  Once inside the restaurant, the players waved to them from a table at the back. She followed Brendan and Landry. Zander kept his hand pressed to her waist while they walked to the table. She tried to ignore the sizzle that zinged up her spine. Slade indicated she should sit next to him, so she did. The only other open chair was three seats away, and Zander scowled as he sat down.

  She didn't like the way the waitress flirted with him, or the smile he gave with his order, or the way she kept thinking about his words, I have a thing for strawberry blonde tour managers. She tried to focus on Slade's conversation. One near-kiss with Zander didn't mean anything, and a relationship with him couldn't happen. She wasn't affected by him or their chemistry.

  Yeah right. She swallowed a sip of water and couldn't comfort herself with the lie.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Day one of the tour travel was half over. The bus lumbered its way down I-5. Zander had spent the morning tucked into the bus's back room, arguing with Luke and tweaking the new song. Thanks to both heavy traffic and two car accidents that brought traffic to a standstill, they were two hours behind their estimated arrival time. A notepad and pen lay on the seat beside him. He'd began writing out lyrics, but nothing seemed to fit.

  Strains of music flowed and the melody soothed him. The brain block could have stemmed from thinking about Jayne and the smiles she'd given Slade at dinner. He hadn't seen her in the three days since, until she'd arrived at the bus that morning. She'd seemed subdued. Hopefully, she wasn't regretting what she'd signed up for.

  Knocking interrupted his musing. Jayne came in, juggling her laptop, a tray with two cups of coffee and a large take out bag.

  He couldn't stop his grin. His fingers continued to pluck the keys. "Have a seat."

  She placed the bag next to the notepad. "You never came out to get your lunch. Everyone else finished over an hour ago."

  "I forgot it was there." When he was composing or tweaking, music came before everything else. His single-mindedness helped the band succeed, but drove his sister and band mates crazy.

  She nudged it closer. "You should eat."

  "As long as you keep me company." He set the guitar aside and reached for the bag. Forgotten meals often ended poorly—cold gone warm or hot gone cold. He unwrapped the burger. "It's still warm."

  "I heated it in the toaster oven. I didn't want you to have to eat a cold burger and fries." With a delicate shiver, she withdrew her own burger from the bag. At his raised brow, she grinned. "I got distracted too."

  "What distracted you?" He took a bite of the juicy burger.

  "Irisa asked me to take over your social media page and to monitor a few of the band's pages. She said you always forget to update yours. Do you mind if I handle that for you?"

  "You can handle anything of mine you want." Watching her blush, he ate another bite. He hadn't enjoyed a meal so much in ages.

  "You're giving me a lot of power with that statement." She focused her attention on her food. "I'll check in with you before I post anything. I'll mainly be sharing posts from the band's main page."

  "I trust you." He glanced out the window. Warm burger and warm fries. He tried his coffee—warm too. When was the last time someone had bothered reheating something for him? He couldn't remember it ever happening before. That she'd even think to take that extra step warmed him even more than the food and drink.

  She'd relaxed against the plush cushions while they ate. Her hair spilled around her shoulders like spun gold struck by firelight. She'd tucked her jeans-clad legs under her. The long-sleeved blue shirt she wore almost matched her eyes. He loved how they sparkled when she laughed and so he kept her laughing with stories of the early days on the road with the guys.

  Even he couldn't help laughing about the cramped van that broke down more often than not. By the time it finally died in the middle of nowhere, it was was held together with duct tape and a couple of old guitar pics.

  He moved their trash out of the way, and when he reclaimed his seat, she'd moved closer to him.

  "What are you working on?"

  "That song I played for you guys at practice the other day." She'd inspired him, but he wasn't ready to share that yet.

  "I thought I recognized it when I walked back here. Can you play it again?"

  "You really liked it?" He played the song, watching for her reaction.

  Eyes dreamy, a small smile on her lips, she sighed. "It's beautiful."

  So was she. His blood thrummed with the melody that had been playing in his head since he'd met her. He set his guitar aside and turned to face her once again. "I'm glad you think so."

  Being just friends wasn't going to work.

  He rested his arm along the back of the cushion and his fingers brushed against her hair. Easing closer, until her knee bumped his thigh, he gave into the urge to cup her cheek. She gazed at him, head tilted to the side, for a long moment. Instinct demanded he claim her lips but he forced himself to hold still. He hadn't meant to touch her, but like a moth seeking heat, something about her pulled him, making him forget the promise he made to himself.

  Jayne reached for him. Her hand rested on his knee. Her other hand traced his jawline. The soft pads of her fingers glided along his skin. He groaned at the sensation, and then they were moving together as one. Her lips parted on an inhale seconds before he slanted his mouth over hers. And groaned again. She had perfect lips for kissing—soft and full. The hand on her cheek slid into her hair. He fisted the red-gold strands like he'd dreamed of doing and directed her toward a better angle. When she sighed, he licked a path across her lips and then slipped inside. Soft strokes of her tongue on his and her fingers grazing his neck sent sensations straight to his groin.

  Needing an anchor, he grasped the hand she'd placed on his knee. Their fingers locked together and he craved both the sweetness of their hands linking and the ultra-hot meeting of lips and tongue. Her hand tightened in h
is and she shifted her thigh so more of it rested on his leg. Getting close enough wasn't possible. He wanted to haul her into his lap or lay her down on the seat to discover more of her.

  Movement and loud voices from the other side of the door broke through the haze of desire. Jayne stiffened in his arms. Breathing hard, she dropped her hand from his neck but couldn't pull away because of the tight grip he had on her hair. "We can't do this here."

  He wasn't ready to let go. He'd barely gotten a taste. Landry and Brendan's voices erupted in shouts and laughter. "What are they doing out there?"

  "Showing Irisa how to play some video game with lots of explosions." Up close, he could see the flecks of light blue mixed in that deep ocean color like breaking waves.

  More laughter and talking echoed back, and the voices grew louder. Her gaze flicked to the door and she leaned away as much as she could. Releasing his hold on her hair, he raised their joined hands to his lips and pressed a kiss against her knuckles. "If not here, then soon."

  A shaky breath tumbled from her lips, swollen from his kisses. "Maybe."

  "Definitely." He brushed the faint red mark that covered her cheeks and chin. "Next time, I'll make sure I shave."

  When they reached the hotel, Jayne helped Irisa hand out keycards. For convenience, they were staying in the same block of adjoining rooms, on a low floor per Brendan's preference, and on an even-numbered floor to suit Landry. Luke hadn't voiced any preferences, not to her, but then again, he wouldn't speak to her. And Zander kept looking at her like he couldn't wait to devour her again. She shivered, wanting that too.

  But they were officially on tour business. She'd made her rule for a reason, and she didn't need anything to interfere with how well she could do her job. Zander was the biggest distraction to ever challenge her rule.

  Members of the co-headlining band, Assertive Ire, trooped into the lobby. The bands were friends; Zander and their front man, Griffin, went way back. The groups meshed well together, but Assertive Ire had a reputation for being fairly destructive. Hopefully that wouldn't translate over to The Fury.

  With the other band around, the guys immediately began planning things for their off hours. Jayne slipped up to her room to relax. She needed time away from Zander to think. That kiss, his hands, the way he'd held her… Her gaze kept slipping to the interior door which separated her room from his. As much as she wanted him, as much as he made her feel desired, the kiss had been a lapse in judgment. All a result of that song, which never failed to make her want things she shouldn't.

  When the knock came on her interior door later that night, she pretended she was asleep. And when faint notes from the guitar slipped under the door and into her heart, she tucked in ear plugs and pretended she wasn't affected at all.

  She managed to avoid him for a full day and a half by bogging herself down in tour details and double and triple checking everything she could. She begged Irisa for even more work. Her friend, initially so desperate for her to tag along on the tour, now resisted relinquishing her duties. But Jayne persisted and soon had more work than she'd normally handle.

  At opening night sound check, Jayne couldn't hide any longer. Zander's gaze kept tracking to her and she felt the intensity of his unspoken questions. She stood off to the side of the stage, watching both bands play a joint song they planned to perform that night. Loud and aggressive, the cover, a number-one hit of one of rock's classic bands, took on an extra dose of energy with the added wailing guitars, double the drums, and with both Luke and Griffin taking the vocals.

  They finished and Zander headed her way but she let her attention get caught by one of the crew members. He was gone when she turned back and her stomach ached with a pang of regret.

  Luke strode to her, the glowering gaze not quite as severe as usual. She gripped her pendant and pasted on a smile. He didn't cut eye contact, didn't turn away, but came right up to her. "I need tea."

  She glanced around the emptying stage, searching for something to mark the occasion of him actually speaking to her. "There's black tea in the dressing room."

  He shook his head. "I need licorice root tea. I always drink it before a performance."

  "That wasn't on the list of items you guys gave me. Can you drink something else as a substitute today and I'll make sure you have it for tomorrow?"

  "No. You'll have to go out and get it." He loomed over her, as tall as Zander, and seemed primed for a fight.

  But his expression was nothing like Zander. Zander wasn't cold and angry. Her stomach tightened in that awful way she hated. She took a breath and looked past Luke's scowl. His request wasn't that unusual. Other bands she'd worked with had made special requests. One forgotten item, one time, wasn't a big deal. "All right. I'll see if I can find it."

  He didn't say anything further. One brief dip of his head, a semblance of a nod, and he was gone.

  "You're welcome." Part of her job was to keep the guys happy, but maybe if he noticed she didn't mind this extra chore, he'd stop scowling and glaring at her every time their eyes met.

  One of the arena's interns pointed her in the direction of a specialty grocery store a short distance away. Twenty minutes later, she presented the tea to Luke.

  "Here you go, licorice root tea." She set the box on the table in the dressing room.

  He muttered something she decided to interpret as thanks. It wasn't much, but maybe it was a start.

  Zander came in. Her heartbeat thudded—fast and hard and loud. She hugged her clipboard to her chest and forced a grin. "Well, I have a lot to check on out there. See you guys later."

  He frowned and his eyes narrowed, but she skirted past him and into the safety of the behind the scenes chaos, managing to keep things at a professional distance for the rest of the night.

  The next show the following night, gave her a sense of déjà vu. Evading Zander, staying busy, and she pretended to be fine. She stood backstage, going over her lists, while the band decided what to do for dinner, their voices carrying from the dressing room.

  "My throat lozenges aren't in the dressing room." Luke's voice, as much as his scowl, snapped her spine straight.

  She checked the page of items the guys had requested. "They're not on the list."

  A shrug lifted his shoulders. He didn't appear apologetic. "I guess I forgot to add them. But I need them."

  She sighed. Irisa hadn't mentioned that Luke was so absentminded. But if this was what Irisa usually put up with then she'd do it too—after all, it was a temporary job. "I'll find some for you."

  "Lemon or honey flavored. Leave it in the dressing room." He walked away, dismissing her without waiting for a response.

  His gruff bark reminded her of the dogs in the shelter. Some rescues or strays had to be socialized all over again, and some took a long time to give their trust. Patience and gentle handling worked well for them. Maybe it would work for Luke.

  "Jayne." Zander's voice rumbled low, jolting her out of her musing. He stood entirely too close and smelled entirely too good. "We decided on the diner. Are you ready?"

  She couldn't sit in a booth with him, pressed close together. "Actually, I have some things to do. You guys go ahead."

  His brows drew together. "All right."

  He didn't look happy.

  She didn't feel happy.

  Maybe coming on the tour had been a mistake.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  A full Saturday off, with no show that night, meant a clean break from the band. Jayne spent the entire day alone away from the hotel. She turned off her phone and went to the beach, a museum, out to dinner, and to a movie. Darkness had fallen by the time she returned to the hotel.

  Music came from Zander's room. Avoiding him for three days had made the situation incredibly awkward. She crept through her room, lights off, intent on silence. Stumbling over a pair of shoes, she dropped her purse with a thud and fell on the bed. Damn it.

  Silence reigned. Followed by a knock on the interior door. Her fingers tangled in her n
ecklace. She was the one who'd caused the awkwardness. She couldn't avoid him forever. Throat dry, she flipped the lock and pulled the door open.

  He wasn't wearing a shirt. Sculpted muscles defined his arms, chest, and stomach. She wouldn't allow her gaze to dip lower, and focused on his face and the scowl darkening his features. He rested his hand on the frame. "Where were you?"

  Of all the things she'd expected him to say, that hadn't been one. "Excuse me?"

  "You've been gone for hours. No one knew where you were."

  "I told Irisa this morning that I was going off the grid today."

  His eyes narrowed and his gaze traveled over her from head to toe and back again. "It's not safe for you to be off the grid and out this late alone… Unless you weren't alone."

  "Of course I was. I don't know anyone in this city."

  "The Riptide and your buddy Slade are in town to play the Fleet."

  "What does that have to do with anything? I haven't spoken to Slade since we all went to dinner."

  "Torres was here earlier to pick up Irisa. When I couldn't find you, I assumed you were out with Slade."

  "Well, I wasn't. I took off today because needed a break from everything in the tour."

  The dark look on his face deepened. "You've been distant with me since we arrived at the hotel. I wondered if you were pulling away from me because you were starting something with him."

  "That's ridiculous."

  He shifted his stance. Broad shoulders filled out the doorway, showcasing his strength. "Is it? Then tell me why every time I try to get you alone, you shrink away or come up with an excuse?"

  "Because that kiss was a mistake. We shouldn't have done it. We work together. I've seen this a thousand times and it never works out. I don't want to be a groupie fling." She dragged a hand through her hair. The intensity of her body's responses to him scared her. The risks of falling for him were too big to be outweighed. "And even if I did, you overwhelm me. I have a job to do, and between you and some other people, I already have enough distractions to make my job difficult."