'Tis the Season for Love: A Charity Box Set

by Maggie Dallen

  Luke Cook.

  “What are you looking for?” Avery followed her gaze.

  Nicky let out another groan. Was that all he did these days? “Wylder, your brother is famous—”

  She cut him off. “Don’t forget about his equally famous paramour.”

  Nicky continued without missing a beat. He knew Wylder in a way few people did. “Isn’t it a little weird for you to fangirl when you’re constantly surrounded by famous people?”

  She rested her chin in her hand. “I can handle weird.” Plenty of people thought she was a little nuts, anyway. She tended to invade people’s lives and change them. Just ask the two gay couples she’d played matchmaker for—or her friend Lillian who hadn’t known what to do about having a friend.

  “He’s just so…” She sighed as she tried to pick out Luke’s smooth voice in the air.

  “Dreamy?” Avery chimed in.

  “Talented.” Nicky smiled. “She definitely only likes him for his music.”

  Avery nodded like he completely believed that.

  But Wylder was used to these guys. She knew when they were making fun of her. “Am I the only one not allowed to fall in love with a rock star?”

  Avery and Nicky shared a look. Both of them were used to having famous significant others. “Wylds.” Nicky’s brow arched. “Have you ever even met the guy?”

  “Well… no.”

  “Then how is it you love him?”

  Her shoulders drooped. “He’s perfect.”

  Avery snorted. “Luke Cook is definitely not perfect.”

  Wylder’s eyes snapped to Avery. “You know him?”

  Avery shrugged. “We go to the same gym in Nashville. I’ve spotted for him.”

  It didn’t surprise Wylder that Avery was a gym rat. He played football for his fancy college, and a girl would have to be blind to not see how in shape he was. “What does he talk to you about? Tell me everything. Does he mention me?”

  A laugh barked out of Nicky. “Yes, the guy who has never even heard the name Wylder Anderson talks about you nonstop.”

  Wylder sent him a scowl. “Everyone has heard of me.” Well, everyone in their small town of Twin Rivers. She was the girl parents warned their kids about, the one always looking for mischief. With her patented dread locks, skinny jeans, and red leather jacket, she even fit the image.

  Avery smirked, and it looked much more natural on him than sweet Nicky. “He doesn’t really talk much, to be honest. Just a few grunts here and there.”

  Wylder pursed her lips. “That doesn’t sound like Luke at all.”

  “Stop with the fangirling, Wylder.” Nicky shook his head. “You’re freaking me out. The Wylder I know would never have a crush on a rock star.”

  It was true. Wylder usually wanted little to do with Beckett’s world. She had her own problems—like being in her fifth year of high school and still having no clue what was next for her.

  But every time she turned on a Luke Cook song, she drifted away to a world where she wasn’t imprisoned behind the high walls of Defiance Academy, where life was as it used to be—fun. She’d once lived for the small gigs Becks booked for their little band. Being on stage was everything.

  Once the rest of the band graduated, leaving her behind, she’d joined an all girls band. It was then she realized something.

  Wylder didn’t like girls.

  Well, some girls. Particularly ones that got her into trouble.

  That experience ended abruptly and painfully. And she hadn’t touched her drum set since.

  Taking a moment to glance around the open air VIP area, Wylder wondered who the other people were who’d been deemed very important. They stood or sat around tables, talking amongst themselves and paying no attention to the stages nearby.

  Who paid no attention to music?

  Wylder lived and breathed music.

  Avery leaned back in his chair. “Has Becks told you guys about this Christmas in July thing?”

  Nicky grimaced. “Yeah, and he’s adamant it’ll happen.”

  “Christmas in July?” Wylder laughed. “That sounds like Becks.”

  “He wants us to get a live Christmas tree and the whole works.” Nicky pushed a hand through his hair. “How are we supposed to do that during the summer?”

  “Fake tree?” Avery shrugged.

  Wylder laughed. “If you get my brother a fake tree, he’ll blow a gasket.”

  Becks was… dramatic. He didn’t always think before acting, and he liked coming up with these crazy ideas like Christmas in July. He didn’t care about the logistics, only that it happened.

  And Nicky… well, he’d bend over backwards to do anything for Becks. It was sweet… and also nauseating.

  “Nicky?”

  “Hmm?”

  Wylder gave him a sweet smile. “Remember how you were my friend first so you have to do what I say?”

  “I don’t think that’s a thing.”

  Avery took a drink from his water bottle. “If it was, he’d have to do what I say because he’s known me longer.”

  Wylder narrowed her eyes. “Just because you’re his brother doesn’t mean you have a claim on him.”

  “Guys!” Nicky groaned. “No one has a claim on me. Wylder, what do you want?”

  She tapped a finger against her chin. “I want to head over to the Luke Cook stage, but I’m guessing Becks has told his entourage not to let me leave.” He was always way too protective, but she was eighteen.

  Nicky sighed. “This festival is huge, Wylder. People are drinking—probably doing a lot more than just that.”

  “I can take care of myself. I don’t need big brother’s boy toy babysitting me.”

  He frowned at that. “I’m not only Becks’ boyfriend. I’m still your best friend, Wylder.”

  “I know that, and I know Becks doesn’t trust me and wants to keep me out of trouble.”

  “It’s not that he doesn’t trust you…”

  She leveled him with a glare.

  “Okay, fine. But can you blame him? You can’t keep yourself out of trouble. It’s like you deliberately search for it.”

  “That’s because I do.”

  Avery—who’d been suppressing a smile—laughed.

  Wylder uncrossed her arms. “What if I promise no trouble is to be had? I just want to let my fangirl out… and I want to do it without you all breathing down my neck.”

  The brothers shared a look. Avery nodded, and Nicky sighed. “Becks won’t like this.”

  “I know.” She stood.

  “Just remember Luke Cook is a normal person, just like Becks.”

  “Becks is anything but normal. Thanks Nick Nick.” She pressed a kiss to his cheek and waved to Avery before latching on to her freedom with both hands. No more babysitters trailed her, and it felt good. Now, the entire concert opened before her.

  She skirted the edge of the crowd who stood watching Becks strut across the stage. Behind him, Nari hammered on her keyboard and leaned in to pick up the chorus with Becks. Her brother was meant for this life.

  And Luke Cook?

  Nicky and Avery claimed she didn’t know him.

  But she would.

  Because her friends were right.

  Wylder sought trouble, and she never failed to find it.

  Chapter 2

  Wylder reached Luke Cook’s stage and pushed her way through the crowd. It was a considerably smaller crowd than Beckett’s, but that was to be expected. At this point, Luke was more of an indie act, but it wouldn’t be long before he became a superstar.

  She was sure of it.

  Gathering her dreadlocks, she tied them back with the hairband she kept around her wrist.

  The words to Luke’s song, You and Me, washed over her. She’d never admit it, but she was a romantic. If Becks ever found out she spent so much time listening to love songs and watching romcoms, he’d never let her hear the end of it.

  She was a matchmaking guru, but that was about other people, not herself.r />
  Despite her complete confidence, she’d never even kissed anyone. Sure, she’d gone on a few dates, but boys didn’t get her. They didn’t understand her, taking all her jokes the wrong way. Once she’d been told her cavalier attitude meant she didn’t care about anything.

  Wrong.

  Double wrong.

  Would it be too much to say triple wrong?

  Her jokes were just that… jokes. Sometimes they were tasteless, but most of the time they were hilarious.

  At least she thought so.

  Summer was her break from the uptight academy. They seemed to have a problem with her stealing the gate codes to get off campus. And don’t get her started on their reactions when she helped people sneak on to campus.

  Once again, people didn’t get her. Just like they hadn’t when she was kicked out of Twin Rivers High for cheating. They didn’t get it that stealing copies of her final exams was a desperate attempt to pass her junior year when her grades plummeted while she searched for her birth mother. They just saw the cheating and then the epic beach party—complete with sand—she’d thrown inside the school as her farewell to TWH. Epic. People still talked about it.

  Which was why she’d been drawn to Luke Cook. He sang of rebellion.

  And Wylder was a rebel.

  She threw her arms in the air, dancing as if no one could see her. That was how she lived her life.

  A man sidled up next to her and tried to pull her close to dance. Wylder took one look at his too-old-to-grope-a-teenager face and pushed him away. “Gross.”

  He shrugged and turned to another unsuspecting girl.

  Wylder pushed through the crowd to get closer to the stage, closer to him. Sweat shone on Luke’s face as he did a sexy little hip move. His thick ash-brown hair clung to his forehead. His throat bobbed as he belted out the last words of the song.

  The music faded, and the crowd started screaming for more.

  Luke smiled—a smile that felt like it was just for her—and leaned in to the microphone. “Hey, Cincinnati.”

  The crowd screamed.

  “Thanks for coming to watch my show.” Wylder felt his smile all the way down to her toes. “This next song is for all the lonely hearts out there.”

  Wylder sighed. Could he be any more perfect? She pinched herself, trying to snap out of fangirl mode and see him as a real person.

  Her eyes drifted to the side of the stage where a gaggle of people stood. One was just as recognizable as Luke himself. His twin brother Logan shared the same features, but he didn’t make her heart skip a beat.

  Next to Logan was a taller man. She said man because there was no way this guy was in high school. Something about him kept her attention. Maybe it was the soft smile on his lips as he watched Luke, or the way his eyes surveyed the crowd as if searching for something.

  The sky rumbled overhead, and Wylder looked up into the churning gray clouds.

  Thunder crashed again, but Wylder didn’t move. She needed to hear the entire concert.

  The stage was covered for days such as this, but as the skies opened, pelting the crowd with rain, most of Luke’s supposed fans scrambled for cover to avoid getting wet.

  Too late. None of them would make it.

  The music didn’t stop. As chaos ensued, Luke continued to play, to sing. Only a handful of people stayed through the rain, allowing Wylder closer the stage. She lifted her face and stuck out her tongue to catch a raindrop.

  A smile flitted across her face as she swayed to the song.

  A man started calling people back, and Wylder recognized him as the smiling guy from the side of the stage.

  “Wait!” he yelled. “A little rain can’t stop a concert.”

  Wylder smiled at those words, but she didn’t take her eyes from the man. Who was he?

  He turned around with a flustered look on his face. His eyes met Wylder’s and held. A sheet of rain poured between them, yet neither moved.

  Water dripped into Wylder’s eyes, and she wicked it away before turning back to the stage and continuing to dance. The few people who’d stayed wasted no time in getting back into the groove.

  Luke looked down from the stage as he sang, and Wylder’s face flushed. She was not a blusher. He’s a normal person, she told herself. Yet his gaze made the hair on her arms stand on end.

  The connection snapped when the man who’d been trying to save the concert stepped up beside her with a grin.

  “Hi,” he yelled over the rain.

  Wylder smiled but didn’t say anything.

  He joined her dancing. She bounced on her toes, knowing she didn’t have much rhythm, but also not caring.

  She felt the stranger’s eyes on her, and she smirked, giving him a sideways glance. He had chocolate brown hair that clung to his face as rain dripped from it. His eyes held mischief that matched her own.

  There was something ornery about him, something rebellious, and that was hotter than anything else he could have had.

  She hadn’t noticed when her attention drifted from Luke on stage to this unknown man, but she wasn’t sad about it.

  Nicky had been right. Luke didn’t know her, he never would.

  But this guy… It was her summer vacation, and in a few days, she’d be in Nashville with Becks watching her every move.

  If there was ever a time for rebellion, it was now, here.

  Wylder turned toward him, considering him for a moment longer. One corner of his mouth curved up, a mouth she couldn’t take her eyes from.

  Wylder wasn’t sure she believed in true love. Relationships weren’t in the cards for her—mostly because she tended to scare guys away.

  But that didn’t mean she couldn’t have a little rebellious fun.

  She stepped closer to the stranger, noticing how his sopping shirt clung to well-defined muscles. He cocked his head as if trying to understand her.

  Good luck.

  As Luke launched into the bridge of her favorite song, Wylder reached out, clutching a handful of the man’s shirt and yanked him to her.

  She didn’t have time to think as their lips collided in a bruising kiss. Her first kiss.

  He tried to take control, but she didn’t let him as her arms wound up around his neck, holding him in place.

  She didn’t know his name, his story. But that was what made it exciting. Adrenaline surged through her as their wet lips slipped and opened to deepen the kiss. Everything around them faded away save for the music coming from the stage.

  The rain couldn’t touch them in Wylder’s fantasy. There were no overprotective brothers or VIP areas she’d never belong in.

  This man was separate from every part of her life, and it felt darn good.

  Luke started playing one of his older songs called “Trouble”.

  The man pulled away with a laugh and looked to the stage.

  “What are you laughing at?” Wylder hugged her arms across her chest. Was her first kiss laughable? She forced herself to glance at the stage where Luke smirked at them as he sang.

  The man shook his head. “That song wasn’t supposed to be part of today’s set.”

  “Oh.” It was what she’d wanted, wasn’t it? For Luke Cook to know who she was? He sang a song just for her, and a chill worked up her spine.

  Luke Cook was singing to her.

  Luke Cook was… A laugh burst out of her. This entire situation was completely ridiculous.

  The rain didn’t let up, but Wylder thanked it anyway for giving her what was sure to be the best moment of her summer.

  The man she’d kissed leaned in again, but Wylder shook her head. One kiss was enough for now. She’d never see this man again, but their moment would go into the time capsule of her mind.

  Luke finished his song just as a voice boomed out from a speaker nearby.

  “Hello.” Wylder recognized Becks’ voice, and she sighed. “Has anyone seen my sister?” Many of his fans knew what she looked like—unfortunately. “The kid ran off, and now I can’t find her.”
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  The kid. Wylder rolled her eyes. That was her cue to leave. She hadn’t been there long, but already, she knew she wouldn’t forget the kind-eyed stranger and the rock star who sang for her.

  She turned to walk away.

  “Can I at least get your name?” The man called after her.

  Wylder glanced over her shoulder. “Not today. We had our moment. Don’t ruin it.”

  As she crossed the grass, his voice rang out once more. “My name is Sebastian.”

  “Good for you,” she hollered back. “Have a nice life, Sebastian.”

  Becks saw her as soon as she walked around his stage. He jumped down and ran toward her. “Where have you been?” The words weren’t harsh, they never were with Becks. She knew he loved her.

  Wylder smiled. “Just starting my summer, bro.” She walked past him, humming the tune to Luke Cook’s “Trouble.”

  Chapter 3

  “Wylds! Where are you?” Becks shouted through the trees.

  Wylder smacked another mosquito against her skin, casting a disgusted look at her stupid brother at the far end of the trail.

  How did she end up traipsing through the Tennessee wilderness? Becks. The answer was always Becks.

  “Come on Wylds,” Becks called over his shoulder. “You gotta see this!” He bounced on the balls of his feet like a five-year-old let loose at Disney World.

  “Remind me again why I’m here?” She barely managed to not roll her eyes. She’d been rolling them so much lately it was giving her a headache.

  “I told you, we’re doing a shoot for the new album cover.” Becks gave her his big puppy dog eyes that usually got him whatever he wanted from most people.

  “No, that’s why you’re here. The question was why am I here?” She drew in a deep breath, batting at the mosquitos that seemed to like her dreads. “And how did Nicky get out of this?”

  “We’re spending the summer together, little sis.” He threw his arm over her shoulder and led her along the trail. “But today it’s just you and me.”

  “I didn’t realize that meant following you around on your job,” she muttered under her breath, forcing a smile for her brother.