by Lisa Lewis
Having grown up traveling with a roadie-turned-road manager father, she loved listening to all types of music. What she’d told Tom when they first met, about not listening to country music, was a lie. She actually preferred the simple tunes about everyday life when she was in a sad mood and needed to be uplifted. Traditional country songs reminded her of the basic pleasures in life and how easy it was to forget about the small things which made you smile.
But Beth really wouldn’t consider the music that Roadhouse played true country. Country rock was probably more appropriate, because while the songs they sang still revolved around the joys and sorrows of daily existence, the men performed with a definite edge. Roadhouse exuded so much energy when they were on stage that their concerts were the complete opposite of relaxing.
Even now, Tom was whaling out a solo on his guitar and looking for all the world like a wild rock star. He bent his trim body around and let out kicks like a hyperactive child who’d consumed too much sugar. She knew how great of shape that body was in because she’d felt it against her last night. And she couldn’t wait to find out what kind of contortions they could engage in together.
“They sound good, don’t they?”
Beth jumped at the question, having been so consumed with watching the activity on stage that she hadn’t heard anyone come up beside her. She reluctantly pulled her gaze from Tom and turned to face her father.
“Yeah, they do. And they seem to love what they’re doing.”
“Well, of course they love it. Anybody in this business has to enjoy what they’re doing to put up with all the crap they’ll get, both from the public and the recording industry. They’d have to be insane otherwise.”
She remained silent, and George offered another comment. “I hear you and Tom had a date last night.”
Beth rolled her eyes and let out a resigned sigh. She’d known this would happen. Between Tom’s asking Mike for a suggestion on where to take her to dinner and Liz and Hannah’s teasing after she’d entered the RV last night, Beth was sure the news would get around to the rest of the crew.
“We had dinner together, yes.”
“Dinner? I heard you got back kind of late. Did they have to kill the cow before they cooked it?” Her father raised an eyebrow and gave a teasing smile, obviously hoping for more information.
“And we played miniature golf afterward, okay? Anything else you want to know?” Not that she would tell him. Beth was only willing to share so much with George. The intimate details of her evening with Tom were her business only.
“Yeah. How serious is this? Am I finally going to walk my baby girl down the aisle?”
Beth shook her head and let out another sigh, this time of exasperation. “Dad, we’ve eaten a couple of meals together. He’s a nice guy, and we like each other. That’s it. Don’t make more of this than it really is. You know I’m only here for a little while.”
“Why do you say that? There’s nothing holding you in San Francisco anymore. You could work anywhere in the country with your accounting degree. And you were great at your job. It was the circumstances that forced you to leave, not your poor job performance.”
“Yes, Dad, indirectly it was my performance.” And lack of judgment, she added silently. “Besides, I’m not even sure if I want to keep working as an accountant. The whole episode left a bad taste in my mouth.”
Her father reached out and laid his hands on Beth’s shoulders, giving her a little shake. “Now, Bethany, you worked damn hard to get where you are. Don’t let one bad experience sour you on something you honestly enjoyed doing. Just use these next few weeks to take a break and relax your mind. Maybe another opportunity will jump out in front of you.”
Beth gave George a quick hug and then stepped back. “You’re right, Dad. This is my time to relax and do something totally different for a while. Have some fun before returning to the rat-race of corporate finance.”
“Any of that fun going to be had with Tom?” Her father seemed hopeful for an affirmative answer.
“I’d like to say yes, but we’ll see what happens.” Beth shot a quick glance at Tom, now busy wrapping up the rehearsal on stage, before giving her father an earnest look. “And Tom doesn’t know about what happened in San Francisco, so make sure you don’t say anything in front of him, okay? Promise?”
Her father dodged her question by throwing out one of his own. “Why haven’t you said anything to him? You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I haven’t said anything because it’s not his business. I consider him a friend, but it’s not something he needs to know. It’s not like we’re going to see each other once this tour is over, so why share unnecessary information?” The thought of not seeing Tom on a daily basis sent a twinge of pain through her heart, and Beth was shocked. She didn’t think she’d grown that attached to the man after less than a week. Obviously she was wrong. “Anything that develops between us will be finished in a few weeks.”
And Beth knew that, logically, that was the way it had to be.
“Maybe you should tell that to Tom.” George tipped his head to the side, and Beth turned to see Tom approaching from the stage. There was a smile on his face as he sauntered their way, his eyes on her the whole time. “I don’t think he has the same idea you do about your relationship.”
•
Tom kept his gaze on Bethany as he neared, watching as a slight flush arose over her face. Good. He wanted her to feel as unsettled as he did, especially after what had happened between them the previous night.
“Hi,” he said softly, staring into her wide blue eyes. Getting lost in them. Wanting to stay lost in them …
“A-hem.”
The less than subtle disturbance made Tom tear his gaze from Beth’s in order to give a nod to her father. “Hey, George.” Then he turned back to Beth.
“Well, I can see I’m not needed here. I’ll just go play with some equipment somewhere.” And with an indulgent smile on his face George ambled off, leaving them alone.
“Oh. Bye, Dad!” Beth belatedly called out after him, casting only a quick look in her father’s direction before returning her focus to Tom.
“You sounded good up there.” A hesitant smile accompanied Bethany’s words, but her gaze slid down, away from his. It was a sure sign she was nervous, and that was the one thing Tom didn’t want her to be.
“Hey,” he said, reaching out to take her hand. “Are you okay? No regrets about last night?” He slowly rubbed his thumb over her skin, waiting for an indication that things were still going well between them.
“Oh, no! Of course not!” She looked surprised he’d even asked the question. “But, um, I didn’t think you’d come talk to me, and, you know, draw more attention to the two of us, together.” Beth glanced over to the stage where his pals were avidly watching Tom’s activities. Then she lowered her eyes again.
“Hey,” Tom said again, this time in a not so gentle way. He used an insistent finger to urge her chin up, forcing Beth to meet his gaze. “What goes on between us stays between us. The guys can think what they like. Anything that happens between you and me is our business only. They’re my friends and my band mates. They’re not my conscience.”
Beth frowned at his words, drawing her dark blonde brows together and causing cute little wrinkles to appear on her forehead. He wanted to lick them away.
“Does that mean you’re going against your conscience if you get involved with me? You think it’s wrong?”
Tom let out a frustrated sigh. “Absolutely not. Bad choice of words. The only thing I meant was that I have relationships with whomever I choose. My friends have no influence over that part of my life. And besides, I told you before—we already are involved. I would’ve thought last night proved that to you.”
He tugged Beth’s hand up for a kiss and then pulled her along behind him, heading toward the backstage area. “Be back in a few!” he called to his band mates as he and Beth passed by.
“Where are we going?”
Her question was meaningless since Beth showed no resistance to coming with him.
Tom pushed her into the first dressing room he came to. Thankfully it was empty.
“What are we doing in here?” Beth looked curious but not uncomfortable.
Tom followed her into the small area and closed the door behind him. “You seemed tense in front of everybody, so I figured we could find some private space for a few minutes. But mostly I just couldn’t wait to do this…”
Tom hauled Beth into his arms and lowered his mouth to taste the sweet lips he’d been craving since last night. She quickly opened to him, allowing full access to the deep recesses of her mouth.
He wrapped his hand around her long blonde braid and tugged, slanting her head to obtain better contact. Bethany’s arms wound around his neck, her fingers tousled his hair. She definitely was a full participant in this embrace. Glad to know her interest hadn’t waned since yesterday.
Tom lifted his head to gulp a much-needed breath before returning his mouth to Beth’s. He turned around to press her up against the door, then moved his hands down to the hem of her T-shirt.
“Okay?” he asked in a guttural voice.
She nodded jerkily, her breaths coming in harsh gasps.
He pushed his hands under her lime green shirt, sliding them over the warm, smooth skin of her belly, then up toward her firm, high breasts. His lips took a slow, meandering path over her face, touching on her well-defined cheekbones, her pert nose, the area of her brow that he’d wanted to lick earlier. There were no lines there now. Nope, she had no worries at all that he could discern.
His mouth closed over hers at the same time his fingers closed around her breasts. He remembered how they’d looked and tasted. He wanted to taste them again. He pushed Beth’s shirt up, reached to release the front clasp of her satin ivory-colored bra.
“Hey, Tommy, you in there?”
A loud banging on the door at Beth’s back accompanied Leo’s intrusive question.
“You wanna grab something to eat before we go on? George ordered in some Chinese.”
Tom lowered his hands to Beth’s hips and rested his forehead against hers. He closed his eyes and let out a haggard breath.
Bad timing once again, but it really was for the best. Bethany deserved better than to be groped in a dressing room while various cohorts milled nearby. If she still intended to have sex with him, he was going to make sure it happened in a relatively classy place. Not backstage at the Macon City Auditorium.
“Yeah,” he called back to his friend. “I’ll be right there.”
Tom adjusted Beth’s shirt and stepped back from her. She looked just as dazed as he felt. When he kissed her he lost all touch with reality, and Leo’s knock had brought him back with a crash.
“Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to get so carried away. Not here, anyway.”
Beth’s gaze sharpened. “I’m glad you added that last part. If you’d tried to apologize yet again for kissing me, I would’ve clocked you. In case you didn’t notice, I wasn’t telling you to stop.”
“I know. You were right there with me.” Tom grinned. “I guess you really do find me irresistible.”
Beth rolled her eyes and playfully slapped his arm. “Oh, pul-leeze,” she said. “You just happened to be available at the moment. I could suck face with any one of a million guys if I really wanted to.”
Tom’s grin faltered a bit, but he quickly caught it. He knew Beth meant it as a joke, but he also realized the truth. She was so beautiful and funny and intelligent that she really could be with whomever she chose. He felt lucky she’d picked him.
“C’mon,” he said, pulling Beth away from the door so he could open it. “Let’s go get some grub before all the orange chicken and egg rolls are gone. I need more than rice to sustain me.”
Beth followed him into the hall but then stopped.
“I need to go check out some lines. Cole thought he’d seen some fraying but he can’t remember exactly where. I told him I’d help him look.”
Tom was disappointed he wouldn’t be seeing her again until after the performance, but he understood. Beth wasn’t one to take her responsibilities lightly.
“All right. We definitely don’t want any equipment malfunctions when we’re on.” He leaned down for a final kiss. “Go make us look good.”
Beth walked away, moving back toward the auditorium. But he still heard her parting comment. “Hmmph. You do that just fine on your own.”
A huge smile spread across Tom’s face as he headed toward the makeshift mess area down the hall.
•
There were five good-looking guys on the stage six rows in front of her, but the girl’s attention unwaveringly remained on only one of them. Tom Crowley. Her soul mate.
He was everything she could ever want. Handsome, gifted, and above all, sweet. She’d known he would be, but meeting him the other night in Jacksonville had definitely confirmed her beliefs.
His smile had made her all warm inside, and the way he’d signed her concert program solidified her notion that he was just as enamored with her. “Happy to meet you.” It seemed like a simple generic greeting at first glance, but she understood the hidden meaning behind it.
She knew that Tom, nice guy that he was, wouldn’t want to come on too strong with her at their first meeting. Even though he felt all the urges that she did, and he knew they were meant to be together, Tom wouldn’t rush things. He would woo her slowly and steadily, showing his appreciation of her devotion by singing to her and buying her sweet little tokens of affection.
Knowing Tom was a struggling musician, she didn’t expect, or want, extravagant gifts from him. She had no interest in his moneymaking potential. She had enough money to support both of them.
And that was one reason to be thankful to her parents. The only reason, actually. Harold and Edith Sommersby were definitely not your run-of-the-mill parents. Having inherited a fortune from his father, in addition to making millions more dollars through his own corporation, Harold was not a man to sit around letting life pass him by.
No, right now her parents were touring Europe and the Far East, probably for at least their third time. They had a globetrotting lifestyle that didn’t bring them back home to Georgia all that often. They usually stayed long enough to attend a few important society gatherings, say hello to their only daughter, and deposit money into her bank account. They wouldn’t be returning to the States for at least two months.
Which suited her just fine.
This way no one was around to interfere with her plans for the next month and a half. She was free to attend every single performance of Roadhouse’s premiere tour. With each concert and encounter with Tom, she knew their relationship would become deeper and stronger.
And by the end of Roadhouse’s tour, Tom Crowley would love her as much as she loved him.
Chapter Six
Beth was too inexperienced to realize the initial string of concerts had gone too well. Or maybe she’d been having such fun with Tom that she’d mistakenly donned rose-colored glasses toward the whole tour. Regardless, a series of mishaps over the last three performances changed her outlook pretty quick.
At least Beth felt secure in knowing nothing had gone wrong because of her. It was just bad luck showing its face at inopportune times.
First, the tractor-trailer hauling Roadhouse’s equipment to Columbia got a flat tire. Well, actually, it was four flat tires. Some jokester had thought it was funny to throw a bucket of three-inch nails across a dark highway to see what would happen.
The simultaneous leakage of so many tires at once could’ve resulted in tragedy, and only Sal’s many years of driving big rigs saved both his life and the precious cargo he carried.
As it was, a delay of several hours occurred while police reports were filled out and a service truck arrived to change the tires. Beth and the rest of the crew had to work their asses off to ensure Roadhouse’s performance proceeded on schedule, but they did i
t.
Then, in Charlotte, an unexpected late spring storm brought thunder, lightning, and torrential rains. The house lights flickered twice while the crew set up, causing concern of a power outage. Everyone also wondered if the awful weather would deter fans from traveling to the show.
They needn’t have worried about anything.
Just as eerily as it had blown in, the storm disappeared about an hour before show time. And the theater was packed with enthusiastic fans who demanded not one but two encores.
The last bit of misfortune involved the entire band. All five Roadhouse musicians came down with food poisoning after consuming a catered meal from a local Italian restaurant.
Luckily the crew members had all decided on deli sandwiches that day. Also fortunate was that Marty had scheduled their day off in Richmond, giving the band time to recover before performing at the Carpenter Center.
Today, Tom sat next to Beth near the rear of the remodeled Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore.
She’d been working on the final connections of wires to the mixing board. Tom had arrived early to sound check, and he’d sought her out as soon as he’d entered the theatre, stopping only to grab a cold drink for each of them.
Aside from the time he’d been ill, Tom had spent most of his waking hours with her. Beth realized as the days passed how much she really liked him. He impressed her with his sense of humor and amazing talent. He thrilled her with every touch, which, unfortunately, hadn’t been as numerous as she would’ve liked.
At the moment he was holding her hand, talking about his childhood hobby of fishing and how much he’d like to get back to it again once his music career got established. While one part of her loved his familiar contact and the easy way he shared personal information with her, another part of Beth was troubled.
Tom’s childhood and dreams were the extreme opposite of hers. He’d had a stable upbringing, and she’d been shuffled from one town to another, one performance to another. Now, when she was looking for a safe, solitary existence, he was embarking on the unsteady journey of every hopeful musician who longed to hit the big time. And, of course, he’d have to do whatever it took to remain there.