Ethan turns towards his sister. "Your drive okay?"
"All twenty minutes of it," she teases.
"You catch the entire set?" he asks.
"Yeah, you were great." She rises to her tip toes to hug Ethan. "Mal was just okay though."
"He's not close enough to hear you mock him." Ethan smiles.
"You're right. He was great too." She looks to me. "And you too, though it's a bit harder for a person with no musical talent to judge a bassist's skills."
"He was great." Ethan winks at me. "Don't let it go to your head."
Piper gives me a long once-over. It's not like I have famous written on my forehead. It's not quite like I'm a piece of meat either—though I wouldn't complain about Piper looking at me like she's thinking of—
Fuck.
I can't be going there.
I certainly can't be thinking about unzipping her skinny jeans and tossing her crop top aside. Can't wonder what color bra and panties she's wearing.
And what she looks like in them.
Need to discuss something else. Now. "Your hair looks good. It's lighter than I figured it would be."
"You and Kit are talking about your new hairstyle?" Ethan asks.
"Oh, well, I send him nudes every night. He took a few nights to notice the hair— not that it's his fault, so many of the pics were beaver shots- but he liked it. Blondes are his type." Her smile widens as she teases Ethan.
He leans in to not quite whisper. "You and Kit dating happens over my dead body."
"I'll miss you." She smiles serenely.
He frowns. "Not funny." He shoots me a don't even think about it look.
Piper laughs. "It's really funny the way your eyes are bugging out of your head. But I'll stop. I want to stay on your good side. I'm starving. Tell me there's food here."
"Nothing good," he says.
"I'm gonna get dinner then. Hmmm... this neighborhood is jammed. And I'm craving pho," she says.
Ethan laughs. "That's unusual for you."
"I know. I haven't had it in forty-eight hours. It's been horrible. Come with?" She turns to me. "You too, Kit. And maybe Mal. Sounded like Joel has plans."
"I'm gonna stay and see if Jim survives this." Ethan turns back to Piper. "You okay going alone?"
"Yeah, sure." She plays cool. "You want to come, Kit?'
"Sure," I say.
Ethan looks at me with incredulity. He drops it enough to whisper something in Piper's ear.
She whispers back.
They both laugh.
They're a happy family, the Strongs, even with Piper's near daily complaints of Mal and Ethan getting bossy and over-protective. I've never seen a family that loves each other as much as they do.
"You should come with us," Piper insists. Her eyes stay glued to mine. Her eyes scream Ethan, please don't see through how badly I want you to stay here.
Ethan shoots me another don't even think about it look then he turns to Piper. "I'll head home after this. Meet you there."
"Sure." Piper hugs Ethan goodbye then she nods to the side door.
After I wish Ethan goodbye, I follow her.
The parking lot is starting to fill with people who left after the Dangerous Noise set. As much as I enjoy most of the guys in the headlining band, I have to smile. It's flattering knowing people came to a concert just for you. Especially when you're the opener.
Piper laughs. "You look like a kid in a candy store. Should I scream, 'Kit Lockhart loves all his fans?'"
"Only if you want a stampede of horny women."
"I'm sure you're used to that." She laughs. "You okay with pho?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"Not if you want me to be happy."
"Good thing for you, I do."
We're teasing but I can feel the truth in the words. It shouldn't feel profound, something as simple as caring about another person's satisfaction, but it does.
I feel the same way I do before I step on stage— nervous and excited.
I haven't felt like that around a woman since I was a teenager.
Piper is a teenager. Nineteen but that's still firmly teenager. I remind myself that this can't happen, but that doesn't do shit to wipe away the excitement in my chest.
Get Dangerous Crush Now
Author’s Note
When I started writing Brendon and Kaylee’s story, I was sure it was going to be a palate cleanser, something short and smutty to clear my head before I dove into Wicked Beat. I was going to add a little meat to the original novella Bound to the Bad Boy and finish as quickly as possible. I had a falling out with one of the authors in the Begging for Bad Boys bundle and I wanted to erase every memory of it from my mind and my life ASAP.
But my brain refused to keep the story breezy and casual. My brain always refuses to smooth out the edges that make my books quirky and offbeat. I set out with plans to write something by the numbers, and all of a sudden, I’m writing a scene where the hero is daring the heroine to say cunt in a shopping mall. It’s a good thing I prefer unique to normal, because I don’t really have a choice in the matter.
I didn’t plan for Brendon and Kaylee’s story to get this personal, but this was what it had to be. During the beta reading phase for this book, I was shocked by how many readers told me they appreciated my frank depiction of depression and suicidal thoughts. I was shocked by how many readers had dealt with depression or anxiety.
Depression morphs your brain (though I probably don’t have to tell you that). I write books very much inspired by how badly I wanted to save the broken bad boy—the depressed/manic depressive lyricists I fell in love with in high school—but, sometimes, I still believe I’m the only person who’s ever felt this way. That no one else could ever understand.
But people understand a lot more than they let on. They hurt a lot deeper than they let on.
I’ve always wanted to be a writer. I’ve always wanted to examine the fragility of relationships, how easy it is to ruin something beautiful and how hard it is to nurse it back to health. I love writing about characters who keep getting in their own way, because they’re damaged or hurting or carting around too much baggage. But this was my first time, in a long time, writing a heroine with a specific mental illness. Kaylee is a person, not a representation of depression, and her feelings are not meant to reflect those of everyone with depression. This is just one story—her story. I hope it’s brings comfort to those who have suffered from depression and illumination to those who haven’t. But, mostly, I hope it helped you forget the world for a few hours.
If you’re interested in learning more about depression, take a look at the National Institute for Mental Health. The National Suicide Prevention Hotline is always a phone call away for those who are considering self-harm. Phone: 800.273.8255
As always, thank you for reading.
I hope I’ll see you for Playing, a fun, sexy fuck buddy romance featuring Walker and his heroine.
If you’d like to stay up to date on the latest Inked Hearts or Crystal Kaswell news, please join my mailing list, join my Facebook group, like my page on Facebook, or friend me on Facebook.
Acknowledgements
My first thanks goes to my husband, for his support when I’m lost in bookland and for generally being the sun in my sky. Sweetheart, you’re better than all the broken bad boys in the world. Even Jesse. (Even though you’re wrong about which Brendon is hotter).
The second goes to my father, for insisting I go to the best film school in the country, everything else be damned. I wouldn’t love movies, writing, or storytelling half as much if not for all our afternoon trips to the bookstore and weekends at the movies. You’ve always been supportive of my goals, and that means the world to me.
A big shout out to all my beta readers. You helped give me the confidence to put out a book a little more heartbreaking than usual. And also to my ARC readers for helping spread the word to everyone else in the world.
A special thanks to my fellow pop-punk a
ddict, Molle, for fangirling over music with me, for talking me through my business decisions, and for reminding me that loving my work matters as much as all the marketing money in the world.
Athena Wright, you are the best author BFF a girl could ask for. Thank you for your feedback, for being my chat buddy, and for always being there to give me the perspective I need. And thank you for mocking me when I deserve it and telling me no when I need to hear it. (Though I still think a reference to Panic would have been hilarious).
To my cover designer Letita, thank you for your work in making my rock star series perfect. And thank you so much to Wander and Jonny James for the perfect image. To my editor Marla, thank you for whipping the story and the prose into shape. And thanks to all the other book bloggers who helped get the word out.
As always, my biggest thanks goes to my readers. Thank you for picking up Tempting. I hope you’ll be back for Playng and Wicked Beat.
Stay in Touch
Sign up for my mailing list to get an exclusive extended epilogue (if you’re already subscribed you’ll get this soon).
You can also join my Facebook group, like my page on Facebook, or friend me on Facebook.
More books about the men of Inked Hearts are coming soon. Playing, featuring Walker and his heroine, will be out early 2018.
Also by Crystal Kaswell
Dangerous Noise
Dangerous Kiss - Ethan
Dangerous Crush – Kit
Dangerous Rock – Joel
Dangerous Fling – Mal
Dangerous Encore - series sequel
Sinful Serenade
Sing Your Heart Out - Miles
Strum Your Heart Out - Drew
Rock Your Heart Out - Tom
Play Your Heart Out - Pete
Sinful Ever After – series sequel
Sign up for the Crystal Kaswell mailing list
Tempting Page 62