Jax (Southern Sands Book 1)

by A. M. Williams

  Jax

  Southern Sands

  A.M. Williams

  Contents

  Dedication

  1. Karlie

  2. Jax

  3. Jax

  4. Karlie

  5. Karlie

  6. Jax

  7. Karlie

  8. Jax

  9. Karlie

  10. Karlie

  11. Jax

  12. Jax

  13. Karlie

  14. Jax

  15. Karlie

  16. Jax

  17. Karlie

  18. Jax

  19. Karlie

  20. Jax

  21. Karlie

  22. Karlie

  23. Karlie

  24. Jax

  25. Karlie

  26. Karlie

  Epilogue

  Playlist

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by A.M. Williams

  Keep Reading…

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Copyright © 2018 A.M. Williams

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof

  may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever

  without the express written permission of the publisher,

  except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This novel’s story and characters are fictitious.

  Certain long-standing institutions, agencies,

  and public offices are mentioned, but the

  characters involved are wholly imaginary.

  ISBN: 9781723778018

  Cover Design: Ran at Designrans

  Edited by: Your Editing Lounge, Editor: Kristen

  Created with Vellum

  To my husband.

  He always believes in me when I don’t.

  Chapter One

  Karlie

  “You always say you’re going to come and then back out.” Bailey flopped face down on Karlie’s bed.

  Karlie rolled her eyes and continued to read her computer screen. Bailey was being dramatic, as always. Even still, Karlie knew Bailey’s words were true. She always backed out.

  “Karlie, I swear to God,” Bailey sat up and glared at her, “if you say something about being busy, I’ll stab you.”

  Karlie cocked a brow as she turned to face Bailey. “With what?”

  Bailey glanced around the room and discovered what Karlie already knew: there wasn’t anything sharp to use. Her lips curled into a smile as Bailey groaned in frustration.

  “It’s almost the end of the school year and you’ve been telling me all year that you’d come with me to at least one of these concert series.”

  “I know, it’s just—”

  “It’s just what? You’re allergic to fun?”

  “I think that’s taking it a bit far, don’t you?”

  It was Bailey’s turn to roll her eyes. “Please. Taking it a step too far is calling you a shut in.”

  Karlie glared at her best friend. “Why do I spend time with you?”

  “Because you love me. Come on, get up and get dressed. We’re going to the local jam.”

  Karlie sighed but dutifully closed her computer and stood to join Bailey who was now standing in front of her open closet flicking through clothes.

  “I knew you’d give in.”

  “Only because you don’t take no for an answer.”

  “Damn straight. If I didn’t make you come out, you’d sit inside all the time with your bottle of wine, and your phone off.”

  Karlie didn’t have a retort because Bailey was right. If given the choice, she’d curl up on her couch with a bottle of wine and a good TV show. She was a homebody at heart, and she had no problem admitting that.

  “Go hop in the shower while I pick out your outfit,” Bailey said.

  “I can dress myself,” Karlie grumbled.

  “Yes, in frumpy clothes. If we’re going to the concert, then we’re going to make sure you step out in style.”

  Letting out a low growl, Karlie turned on her heel and trudged into the bathroom. She showered quickly, wrapped a fluffy white towel around herself, and wiped the steam from the mirror. She eyed herself; she had shoulder-length, caramel colored hair cut into long layers and blue eyes framed by thick eyelashes. Her skin was pale and smooth and she was lucky enough to get by with minimal makeup.

  “Karlie! Get your ass out here!”

  Tightening the towel around herself, she stepped back into her bedroom. Bailey thrust clothes into her hands and pushed her back into the bathroom.

  “I guess I should get dressed?”

  “Is it that obvious?” was Bailey’s muffled reply.

  Shaking her head, Karlie did as Bailey commanded. She snorted when she saw the barely-there lacy underwear Bailey picked out, but had to admit, however, that the clothes looked good on her. A simple navy-blue t-shirt and cropped pants were simple enough but still looked nice.

  Karlie stepped back into her room where Bailey thrust more accessories into her arms. Her eyes widened. “What the hell is all this?”

  “What you’re pairing with your outfit.”

  “Why do I need…ten bracelets? And a necklace? And what the hell are these?” Karlie held up ridiculously long earrings. “I don’t think I own earrings that look like this.”

  “You don’t. I brought them.”

  “And…for that reason, you can take all these back. I think I’ve got it from here.”

  With a huff and a glare, Bailey left Karlie alone. Breathing a sigh of relief, she quickly finished getting ready, putting on understated, gold, dangling earrings and light makeup, and joined Bailey in her tiny living room.

  Bailey flicked through a magazine on her oversized couch. “Ready?” she asked without looking up.

  “Yep.”

  Karlie trailed Bailey outside and, after locking her front door, climbed into the passenger seat of Bailey’s two-seater convertible. Soon, they were zipping through the streets of their small town. It was late spring, and the weather was delightfully warm and sunny. Even at seven o’clock at night, it was still warm enough to go without a sweater. That made it the perfect weather to go to an outdoor concert series. Her hometown hosted a twelve-week concert series called Gunner Falls Jam where local bands were highlighted.

  “So, who’s the headliner tonight?” Karlie asked, tipping her head back on the headrest as the wind whipped through her hair.

  “It’s a newer band called Southern Sands. I think some guys you went to high school with are in it.”

  Karlie lifted her head to glance at Bailey. “How do you know that?”

  Bailey shrugged and tightened her hands on the wheel. “I might have overheard someone talking about it.”

  “You overheard someone?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Who?”

  “Harry.”

  Karlie sighed and dropped her head back, looking at Bailey from the corner of her eye. “When did you see Harry?”

  Bailey’s jaw clenched, causing Karlie to raise her eyebrows. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “I might have run into him at Flashbacks.”

  “You might have?” Karlie asked dubiously.

  “Alright, I did.”

  “What else aren’t you telling me?”

  “He invited me.”

  Karlie snorted and shook her head. Bailey and Harry had quite the history. Whenever they got together, sparks were sure to fly. It was mainly a question of whether the sparks would set everything around them on fire.

  “So, we’re going to see him?”

  “No! We’re going to see his band. He’s excited and nervous about it. He said he’d like to see some friendly faces.�
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  Before Karlie could respond, Bailey whipped her car into a parking spot across from the parking lot where the concert was going to be held and turned it off.

  “It’ll be fine.” Bailey flapped her hand at Karlie as she checked her makeup in the flip-down visor.

  Karlie just shook her head and opened her door. She ran her fingers through her hair as she looked over the downtown area. This series always drew a big crowd. People loved to see local bands play, especially when the concert was free. It not only drew in the locals, but people from surrounding areas as well. It was the highlight of the spring and summer seasons and one of the biggest events the city hosted.

  She joined Bailey at the trunk and pulled out the camping chairs Bailey stashed there. They wound through the crowd and Karlie smiled at everyone. It was a small town, and she recognized most of the people here from growing up. The ones she hadn’t grown up with, she was able to meet being a middle school teacher. It was both wonderful and awkward to know so many people in the town. It meant that there was almost always a friendly face, no matter where she was. But it also meant being stopped while out around town and it was almost guaranteed she’d be stopped on that one day she was wearing stained sweats with no makeup and her hair was in a messy bun. She specifically hated when it was her students that saw her that way.

  “What do you think?” Bailey asked, stopping in front of the stage. “Close enough?”

  “Looks good.” Karlie glanced around at the open asphalt and saw they had a good view of the stage.

  They unpacked their chairs and settled in as others around them did the same. Karlie checked the time and realized it was later than she thought. The concert would be starting within the next ten minutes.

  “Do you want a drink?” she asked, standing.

  “Sure.” Bailey dug through her purse, but Karlie waved her off as she stepped back.

  She walked over to the beer tent and waited in the short line to get two cups of a local craft beer. They had a rotating tap for each concert, highlighting local brewers. It was a big hit, usually.

  She smiled as she paid for their beer and slowly wound through the crowd that was still growing. She nodded at a few people she recognized and exchanged a few words with others. She handed Bailey her beer and sat down beside her. As she took her first sip, members of the band and crew walked onto the stage.

  Bailey had been right earlier when she’d said Karlie would recognize members of the band.

  Harry was one of Karlie's best childhood friends. He stood, fiddling with the microphone at center stage with his electric guitar hanging off his back.

  Veronica, the quintessential cheerleader who had graduated a year two behind Karlie, and who Karlie had heard from her mother was considering going for her doctorate in business was chatting with a man wearing a black band-shirt, enthralled by the screen of an iPad.

  Harry's friend from high school, Grayson, stood just behind Veronica with his shaggy brown hair hanging in his face as he tuned his bass.

  And Bentley, Grayson's older brother, sat at the drums, looking out of place among his bandmates, furiously thumbing away at his cell phone.

  Karlie's eyes finally slid to the final band member on the stage, and she sucked her breath in. The man tuning the acoustic guitar looked like a blond god. He was wearing a tight, navy blue t-shirt and ripped jeans with work boots. Her eyes raked over him from those boots to his hair that was just a bit longer than she normally preferred. It brushed the collar of his shirt, and he had a bit of a Kurt Cobain look about him. If she was honest, she dug it.

  As she finished her appraisal of him, their eyes met and her breath hitched. He had bright blue eyes that pierced right through her. She held her breath as he shamelessly checked her out too, and a slow smile spread across his face before he winked at her. She ripped her eyes from his and tried to find something else to concentrate on.

  “You okay?” Bailey asked, breaking Karlie from her trance.

  Her head snapped to the left, and she met Bailey’s eyes. “Yeah, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”

  Bailey arched a brow at her. “I don’t know. Maybe because you were just eye-fucking blondie over there.”

  Karlie’s face warmed. “I was not eye-fucking him.”

  “Please. The way the two of you were looking at each other, I’m surprised we didn’t all spontaneously combust.”

  “It wasn’t that bad,” Karlie muttered, slumping in her chair and sipping her beer.

  “Keep telling yourself that.”

  Karlie opened her mouth to retort, but a burst of feedback cut her off. The crowd hushed as Harry cleared his throat. “How y’all doing tonight?”

  The crowd cheered and Harry smiled. “That’s great to hear. We’re so glad to see y’all, and we appreciate you coming out to hear us play. For those of you that don’t know, we’re Southern Sands, a band based right here in Gunner Falls.” Harry paused again, waiting for the cheering to die down. “We like to consider ourselves a southern rock band, which means we play covers from bands that we all know and love. Who’s ready for some music?”

  While the crowd cheered even louder, Bentley tapped out a three beat and they started their set. The first song of the night was “Can’t You See” by the Marshall Tucker Band. Karlie tapped her foot to the beat as Harry crooned the lyrics. She tried to stop herself from looking at the acoustic guitar player, but she found her eyes sliding over to him more often than not. There was something about him that seemed to call to her.

  It was sexy watching him strum the guitar, the sinews in his arms tightening and loosening as he played. She imagined his fingers were calloused, and she wondered what they would feel like dancing over her skin. Realizing the tenor of her thoughts, her face heated, and she consciously turned her focus back to the concert. She laughed when she realized what song they were gearing up to play.

  “Now, when you think of songs of the south, there are certain ones that just come to mind, am I right?” Harry asked the crowd, playing it up. “This next song is one of them, and we have someone joining us on stage: Waylon Duke, here, is going to play the fiddle and he’s one of the best damn fiddle players I’ve ever met. I hope y’all can help convince him to join our band on a regular basis. We can’t get him to commit.”

  The opening bars of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” started and the crowd cheered. Karlie watched some people move closer to the stage, watching Waylon as he played the fiddle throughout the song. She had to admit that he was quite good and she could see him winning the duel with the devil just like the man in the song. Some of the people standing at the front of the stage paired off and started to dance. Karlie smiled as she watched. It wasn’t a song she considered good for dancing, but that didn’t deter anyone else.

  “They’re great, aren’t they?” Bailey yelled at her as the closing chords finished.

  Karlie nodded. “They really are.”

  “Now, this next song is for all the ladies out there. We want you to sing along because we know you know it.”

  They started playing “Summer of ’69’” and, sure enough, all the women started to sing, many of them holding their beers in the air while they danced and sang along with Harry. One song turned into two and Karlie realized her beer was empty.

  “You got the first round. I’ll get this one,” Bailey said, grabbing her cup.

  Karlie turned back to the stage as blondie pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it to the side. She was drooling, she just knew it, and she couldn’t bring herself to care. Him in a shirt was sinful, but without a shirt? It should have been illegal. He had tattoos covering his torso and she could make out some on his arms as well. She could see the definition of his abs from where she sat, and she longed to drag her nails across them.

  When her gaze trailed up to look at his face and met his eyes hers widened. A blush crept up her cheeks, as he smirked and licked his lips, having caught her ogling him. Her eyes immediately darted away. As she glanced around
, she noticed that she wasn’t the only woman to notice how scrumptious blondie looked. Women all around her were eying him like he was a piece of meat. She turned her attention back to Harry when he started talking.

  “As I said earlier, we’re Southern Sands. I’m Harry and I play the electric guitar and am the lead vocalist. This lovely lady over here is Veronica. She’s our lead female vocalist and sometimes she doubles as our keyboardist. To the left of her is our bassist Grayson, and the ugly devil behind me is his brother Bentley. To my right is the jack-of-all-trades, master of none, acoustic guitarist and harmonica player, Jax.”

  Jax. She now had a name. It suited him.

  “Here.” Bailey thrust a cup of beer in her face. It sloshed over the rim.

  “Thanks.”

  The rest of the concert passed quickly and Karlie unabashedly stared at Jax for its remainder. He didn’t seem to mind and continued to meet her eyes.

  She snapped out of her trance when Harry said, “Alright y’all. We have one more song tonight and it’s always a crowd pleaser. I’m sure y’all know it. If so, sing along.”

  Karlie’s eyes closed as they started playing “Wagon Wheel” and she sang along with the band. No matter what, “Wagon Wheel” was always one that people would sing along to. Living in North Carolina, it was a requirement.

  “Thank y’all for being a great crowd. We have a table over there,” Harry pointed to a small table to the left of the stage, “where we have shirts and a calendar of our upcoming events as well as a CD with some of our covers for sale. We hope to see y’all there.”