A Voice to Love (Fallen Tuesday Book One) (A Brothers of Rock Novel)

by Karolyn James

  **

  Amy stared at her watch. After pinching herself all day, a black car pulled into an empty parking spot at five o’clock. Amy froze at the window.

  Luke was true to his word.

  The driver’s door opened and Amy rushed to her door. She didn’t want to inconvenience the driver. Amy left her apartment and with each step she took to leave the building she felt her heart racing faster and faster. By the time she saw the driver, her mouth had run dry. She was nervous. So nervous.

  “Ma’am,” the driver said. He opened the backdoor and pointed.

  Amy walked to the open door and let out a small cry. There on the seat was a folded Fallen Tuesday t-shirt. She climbed into the car. She stared at it, shaking her head. She had admitted to Luke that she didn’t own a Fallen Tuesday t-shirt. Now she did.

  The entire ride was like a fantasy. The black car pulled into the arena lot and was able to bypass all the cars waiting in line. The parking lot was flooded with cars and fans. Amy was in awe. People really loved Fallen Tuesday.

  The car continued around to the back of the building before finally stopping. Amy reached for the door handle but then stopped. Was is the driver’s job to open the door? She didn’t like the idea of someone opening a door for her. She could do it herself. Just as she tried to pull the handle, the driver opened the door. He helped her from the car and then walked her to a side door labeled VIP and the second Amy stepped inside, she was asked for her ticket and then shown to a small gathering of about twenty people, all wearing Fallen Tuesday shirts and hats. They had posters, signs, and CDs.

  A few minutes later the crowd began to cheer.

  That’s when Amy saw the band coming from a hallway.

  She counted five guys and when she saw Luke, her heart jumped a little. When she first met him outside he’d been wearing long sleeves and had been trying to keep himself bundled from the cold air. Now inside, Luke had a black t-shirt on that revealed defined arms. No wonder nobody could take their eyes off him.

  The fans flocked to a long table, all wanting their shot at meeting the band. Amy wasn’t sure what to do so she went to the end of the line. People talked, laughed, some even cried. Fallen Tuesday took pictures with every fan. They signed everything asked to be signed. They got together and let fans take pictures of them as a band.

  Luke was the first one for Amy to meet. She could not believe how nervous she was as she shuffled down the table to see Luke. This was an arena Luke was going to perform in. All those people outside, working their way into the arena, they all paid to see Luke and Fallen Tuesday play.

  “Amy,” Luke said. He stood up. “You came.”

  “Free concert ticket,” Amy said. “How could I not.”

  Luke reached across the table for a hug and Amy opened her arms before realizing what she was doing. They hugged and Amy let out a sigh. Luke’s strong arms around her lasted all of a few seconds, but the effect to Amy’s body would linger for some time.

  “Do you have your shirt?” Luke asked.

  Amy showed it to him. It was an off-white colored shirt. Luke took it from her and signed it. He then slid it down the table and said, “Here, Gray, sign this. For Amy.”

  “Amy?”

  Amy looked at the man now holding her shirt. He wore a mile wide smile. Amy felt the color rush to her face, again. It meant that Luke had been talking about Amy to his band.

  How was any of this possible?

  “Hey, how did everything go last night?” Luke asked. “After you left?”

  Amy watched her shirt get passed down the table. Each band member looked at Amy and smiled. They must have known something she didn’t. Amy wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

  “Everything is fine,” Amy said. “Thank you for doing all this. You didn’t have to though.”

  “I was worried,” Luke said.

  “You have better things to worry about,” Amy said. “You have to play a concert for all these people.”

  “That’s nothing to worry about,” Luke said. “That’s my job. It’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of. Well, almost…”

  Luke’s words lingered as he stared at Amy. With each second that ticked by, Amy realized she was sinking deeper and deeper. She wasn’t sure if the night was going to be a good experience or a bad experience, but it was definitely going to be an experience.

  Someone appeared and knocked on the wall.

  “Gentlemen,” the voice said. “Time.”

  The rest of the band stood and left the table. Amy looked at Luke. They had the table between them, which for some reason felt metaphoric. It also probably saved the two of them from doing something crazy like kissing. Amy couldn’t believe how bad she wanted to kiss Luke. Then again, there were thousands of women in the crowd who wanted to kiss Luke too.

  “I have to get going,” Luke said. “Need to run through the setlist and do a warmup. Opening band hits the stage in fifteen minutes.”

  “Okay,” Amy said. “I can’t believe I’m here.”

  “Neither can I,” Luke said. He reached out and touched Amy’s face with the back of his hand. “I’m really happy you’re here tonight. Are you going to your restaurant after the show?”

  “I took care of that,” Amy said.

  “Good. I’ll make sure my manager takes care of the bill tonight,” Luke said.

  “You don’t have to…”

  “Better get your seat,” Luke said with a grin as he hurried away.

  Amy found her seat just as the first band took the stage. They were a local four piece band that sounded pretty good. The singer tended to scream more than sing, and Amy struggled to hear the words. They were very young too, and had a look of awe on their faces each time they looked out to the growing crowd. They were well aware that everyone there wanted to see Fallen Tuesday, but they enjoyed themselves. Their set lasted a little over thirty minutes. They finished up and asked the crowd if they were excited for Fallen Tuesday. Screams erupted. The band waved and left the stage. Then in a systematic routine of long hair, ripped jeans, and t-shirts, a group of guys took to the stage and began to take apart the opening band’s equipment. The opening band quickly joined and in less than a minute, the stage was clear. Then they started to set up everything for the Fallen Tuesday show. Amy found herself on the edge of her seat, watching.

  The crew grabbed guitars, a bass, and made sure the drums were set. The mic stands were set up. Setlists were then taped down on the stage. Monitors were placed all around the front of the stage. The backdrop was then released, a long and wide banner with Fallen Tuesday’s name and logo. That gained a reaction from the crowd.

  When the crew left the stage Amy’s heart raced. She played with her nails and waited for something to happen.

  The lights were cut a minute later and the arena exploded with cheers and screams. A scratchy, prerecorded song began to play through every speaker in the arena. The emotions in the arena grew by the second. The sound of drums hit. Live drums. The band was on stage. In the darkness, Amy could make out three figures on stage and the drummer behind his kit.

  Guitars kicked in, followed by the thick sound of the bass.

  Then came the voice…

  “Are you ready?” Luke asked, his voice carrying through the arena.

  The crowd erupted again. Amy even started to clap.

  “I can’t hear you,” Luke said. “I said… ARE… YOU… READY…”

  The crowd was so loud that it started to overpower the music.

  “Okay then,” Luke said. “Let’s do it.”

  The sound of drumsticks hit four times and the show officially began. The lights came on and the band broke into a song. The middle of the stage was empty though. Luke wasn’t there yet.

  Amy wanted to see him. She needed to see him.

  She felt something touch her shoulder and she looked up only to see Luke standing next to her. He looked down at her and smiled. Amy gasped when a spotlight hit Luke and he began to sing.
The place went crazy and Luke jumped over a barrier and was then in the mix of the crowd. Amy had never seen anything like it. For the entire first song, Luke walked through the crowd, covering as much ground as he could. And he didn’t miss a note or lyric.

  The song ended with Luke climbing on stage, putting the mic on the stand, and throwing his arms open, pointing to the band. The cheers were so loud that Luke looked at the guitarist to his left and nodded. Another song began to play. Luke stayed on the stage but he didn’t stay still. He ran corner to corner, pointing to fans, waving, smiling, calling to them in between singing. One thing was clear, Luke wanted every person in the arena to feel like they were part of the show, and he did a hell of a job at it.

  The show continued and after an hour of playing, Luke took a quick break and left the stage. The band didn’t seem to know why he left. They hurried to collect themselves, everyone returning with acoustic guitars. The band then slowed things down with a few acoustic songs. Luke looked even hotter as he sat on a stool with one leg bent, one foot flat on the stage, holding a mic. Surrounded by the other four members of the band, everyone playing guitar, it was unbelievable. On the last acoustic song, Luke made everyone stand up. Every person in the crowd, including Amy, listened. Luke put a hand up. Everyone raised a hand. The connection between Luke and the crowd was so intense and deep.

  After the acoustic set, the band took their original spots and began to play more songs. The concert continued for another half hour. Then the band stood at the front of the stage, arms around each other, smiling, bowing, basking in the applause.

  Amy stood and clapped. She watched the band leave the stage. The lights came on in the arena and the fans started to pour out. Amy was unsure what her next move was supposed to be. The same men that setup Fallen Tuesday’s equipment were now on stage taking everything apart. The floor and seats were almost all cleared out. Was she supposed to leave? Meet the band at the restaurant? She didn’t like that idea at all. She wanted to see Luke, especially after the show.

  A security guard came walking from the side of the stage. He pulled and opened the gate that kept the fans from getting to the stage and sound equipment. He pointed to Amy. He motioned for her and she looked at the small barrier that kept her off the floor. The security guard nodded and Amy climbed over it.

  “Amy?” the man asked in a deep voice.

  “Yes,” Amy said.

  “Follow me. Luke is expecting you.”

  There it was, Amy’s next move. She followed the tall, wide security guard alongside the stage to a place nobody else would be going. She watched the techs carrying equipment down a small set of steps and down a hall. The backstage area was bustling with all the work that needed to be done to pack up the equipment and get it to the next city. Amy felt out of place backstage, but it’s where she was wanted. When she heard the sound of Luke’s voice a warm feeling came over her. The security guard stopped and pointed to an open door. Amy looked inside and saw the band. As soon as Luke saw her, he rushed to her.

  He was covered in sweat, his hair still wet. He looked like a dream.

  “That was amazing,” Amy said. “I swear, I’m not just saying that.”

  “Thanks,” Luke said. “I’m glad you were here for it.”

  Luke smiled and then touched his throat. He stretched his neck.

  “Are you okay?” Amy asked.

  “Fine. Just post show stuff, that’s all. Let’s get a drink real quick.”

  Amy nodded.

  The rest of Fallen Tuesday was suddenly there. They stood around Luke, smiling, looking sweaty and tired.

  “Who is this?” someone asked. He had a scruffy beard and looked ready for a fight.

  “Cut it, Mack,” Luke said. “You know who it is. But she may not know who you are. Amy… this is Mack, Jack, Trent, and the guy behind me is Gray.”

  “Your name is Gray?” Amy asked.

  They all laughed.

  “There’s a story behind it,” Gray said and winked.

  “Hey, we’re going to hit the bus,” Mack said. “Celebrate. Relax.”

  “Okay,” Luke said. “I’m going to show Amy around. We’re going to her restaurant in a few minutes.”

  “Restaurant,” Gray said. “A businesswoman hanging around a bunch of rockstars.”

  Amy opened her mouth to say it wasn’t technically her restaurant but she stopped herself. What was the use? She had five rockstars staring at her. She stood backstage at a Fallen Tuesday concert. By tomorrow morning it would all be a ghostly memory. Amy would wake in her bed and Fallen Tuesday would wake in their tour bus.

  The band left the room and Luke took Amy’s hand. “Come on, let’s get a drink.”

  Amy wasn’t sure what get a drink actually meant, and to her surprise, it was a bottle of water.

  “You seem disappointed,” Luke said as they stood at the end of a hall.

  “No, not at all. Just wasn’t sure what to expect backstage at a concert.”

  “Well, it’s not a crazy party,” Luke said. “Not right now. If you want something stronger to drink, we can go to the bus.”

  “I’m good with water.”

  “Good. Listen, I need to wash up a little. Can you hang for a few minutes alone?”

  “Sure thing,” Amy said.

  Luke stepped toward her. The way he looked at her, Amy wasn’t sure what to feel or what to do. Luke’s eyes seemed to imply something much different than a one night kind of thing.

  Amy trailed Luke until he went into a bathroom to shower. She stood outside the door, watching as the crew for Fallen Tuesday still worked. She had never realized so much went into one concert. The stages, the lighting, all the pieces of the fixtures, speakers… it was amazing. It would all be taken apart, packed up, and driven to the next venue.

  When Amy heard the water running, she felt her toes curl in her shoes. The thought of Luke standing there half naked, splashing water on himself, it was a thought she enjoyed. She shook the thought from her mind when she heard Luke cough. It was a deep cough, followed by another and another. The coughing fit grew worse and Amy stepped forward to the door. She touched it but hesitated.

  “Luke?” she asked.

  Luke didn’t reply. He coughed again and then came the sound of him coughing something up. Amy couldn’t help herself as she opened the door to the bathroom. Luke was hunched over the sink, his hands gripping the edges.

  “Luke, are you okay?” she asked.

  Luke popped up and turned around. He reached back and turned on the water. He smiled.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a tickle in my throat. Ever get one that won’t go away?”

  “Yeah…”

  Amy stepped toward Luke. She slowly reached for his face. With the tip of her finger she touched his lip. In her mind she screamed I’m touching the lips of the hot lead singer for Fallen Tuesday! but her heart stayed within the realms of reality.

  Amy wiped a speck of blood from Luke’s lip and showed it to him.

  “Are you coughing up blood?” she asked.

  “It’s nothing,” Luke said.

  He grabbed a piece of paper towel and wiped Amy’s finger.

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m fine,” Luke said. “When you sing for two hours like that, your body gets tired. Add months of touring on top… let’s go get our ride to restaurant.”

  Amy nodded and Luke put his arm around her. He led the way, and while Amy felt protected, she felt just as uneasy. She wasn’t sure what bothered her more… seeing Luke cough up blood or the fact that she cared so much about him already.

  (8)

  Luke wanted to curse and punch a wall. Of course he’d have a coughing fit in front of Amy like that. Of course she’d find blood on his lip after he hurried to turn on the water and wash the rest of the blood down the drain. Of course he didn’t get a chance to inspect the blood to see if it was worse than before.

  Either way, Luke had done his best to play it off. This wasn
’t Amy’s problem. With his arm around Amy, he made sure to pull her tight. He was enjoying her body against his. He walked her from the building to the waiting black car. When he let her go and watched her climb into the car he couldn’t help but wonder what she was thinking of the night.

  What did the night actually mean?

  Was it just some one night stand in the works? Was it something more?

  But how could it be more than tonight?

  The obvious questions were sometimes the hardest to face. They were also the hardest to ignore, but when Luke saw the happy yet nervous look on Amy’s face, everything slipped away. He got into the car and sat next to her. There was a bag on the floor and Luke looked at Amy and smiled.

  “I have to get changed real quick,” he said. “Just my shirt and clean myself up.”

  “Uh… yeah…”

  Luke laughed and grabbed the bag. He pulled out a fresh shirt and a bottle of cologne. He could have showered in the arena or on the tour bus but he wanted to spend all his time with Amy. He tore his shirt off and balled it up, dropping it in his bag. He looked at Amy, catching her staring at him.

  “Do you always stare when someone takes their shirt off?”

  Amy gasped and turned her head. “Sorry. I didn’t mean…”

  “Amy, I’m joking. Look at me.”

  Luke watched Amy hesitate. He gently touched her shoulder and pulled. She turned and in the dim light of the backseat he could see her cheeks were red.

  “I didn’t mean…”

  “You think that bothers me?” Luke whispered. “A beautiful woman staring at me as I take off my shirt?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Luke stared at Amy. She was trouble. The good kind of trouble, but potentially bad for the heart. She was also the trouble worth risking stuff for. So that’s what Luke did. He risked rejection as he leaned over and pressed his lips to Amy’s.

  Maybe it wasn’t the hottest kiss in the world. Maybe it wasn’t the best first kiss, sitting in the backseat of a black car as it left the arena. For Luke though, it was delicious and perfect. Amy’s lips were tender. He couldn’t have just one kiss. He needed a second, and a third. His hands slowly worked their way to touching Amy’s face. After the fifth kiss he couldn’t believe when he felt Amy’s hand touch his chest. He thought for a second that she was going to push him away. And that would be fine. He would back right away and apologize, but that didn’t happen. Amy curled her fingers, her nails cutting at his chest. It was delicate yet passionate.

  Luke parted his lips so he could taste Amy’s mouth. She did the same and they kissed for a little while. Luke felt the urge to move his hands elsewhere. He wanted to touch Amy. He wanted to caress her, hold her, explore her.

  But not in the back of a car.

  She didn’t deserve that. Luke didn’t want to be the typical rockstar. At least not with Amy. He broke the kiss and put his forehead to hers. They both let out deep breaths and stared at each other.

  “I suddenly feel like skipping the restaurant,” Luke said.

  Amy smiled. “If you do that, you’ll break my uncle’s heart. You don’t want to be on his bad side.”

  Luke moved away from Amy. He grabbed his fresh shirt and put it on. He smiled the entire time. Being with Amy made his mind relax. He didn’t think about the show, his throat, the tour, the upcoming album. They arrived at the restaurant a short time later.

  The second they got out of the car, someone recognized Luke. An eager fan charged up to him and hugged him. He signed an autograph and then allowed Amy to escort him into the restaurant. The rest of the band was already there and a tall man came running toward Luke with his hand out.

  “This is my uncle Tom,” Amy said.

  “Tom,” Luke said. “Pleasure to meet you. Thank you for letting us eat here.”

  “Of course,” Tom said.

  He looked at Amy, then to Luke. There was some confusion as to why a rockstar was in his restaurant.

  “Amy told me this was the best restaurant in town.”

  “It is,” Tom said. “She’s the best chef in town. In the state. In the world!”

  “Okay, let’s all calm down,” Amy said and laughed.

  “Are you cooking tonight?” Luke asked Amy.

  Amy looked up at him. “I, uh, well…”

  “I’m kidding,” Luke said.

  “Everything is already made,” Tom said. “Come. Sit. Have something to drink. The food is coming out.”

  “The food’s ready?” Luke whispered.

  “I made sure it would be,” Amy said. “We are closed at this hour, but I had the kitchen stay open.”

  “No,” Luke said. “You didn’t.”

  “Yes,” Amy said. “It’s not everyday we get rockstars here.”

  “Don’t think of me as a rockstar,” Luke said. “I don’t like that.”

  “What if I do?”

  Luke smiled. He never met someone like Amy before. She was so shy one second and then so open the next. It was obvious that she felt comfortable in the restaurant, which made Luke happy, because he wanted Amy to relax and enjoy their meal together.

  They all sat at a long table.

  It was the band, Amy, and Frank. Frank sat at the far end, looking down on his phone, working. There was one open spot. When Tom came to the table, Luke stood and pointed to the chair.

  “Join us,” he offered. “Have something to eat.”

  “I couldn’t,” Tom said.

  “Yes,” Amy said. “Eat.”

  Tom looked around the table. “I should be serving and helping.”

  “You’ve done enough,” Amy said. “I wasn’t here today either. Take a break.”

  “Okay,” Tom said. He looked uncomfortable sitting down.

  Luke leaned to Amy and whispered, “Promise me… you’ll cook me something someday.”

  Amy looked at Luke. She nodded. “Okay, I will.”

  As sad as it sounded, that was the biggest commitment Luke had made to a woman in a long time. A commitment to see her again and to be alone.

  Everyone ate and drank and laughed. Amy watched as the band drank drink after drink after drink. They certainly lived up to the expectations of rockstars. They were all drunk by the time they were done eating but nobody got rowdy or caused a problem.

  Luke had a few drinks just to loosen up. Amy had two glasses of wine and when she looked at Luke he could see that she wasn’t used to drinking big glasses of wine.

  Tom excused himself from the table to start cleaning up.

  Luke saw his opportunity to be bold again.

  “I have to say something,” Luke said. “Come to the hotel with me.”

  “What?” Amy asked.

  “You heard me. Right now. Let’s leave.”

  “I… what about the band?”

  “They’ll leave on the bus,” Luke said. “I’ll catch up tomorrow. We’re going across New York to the city, that’s all. A few more shows, then we’re done. I’m not worried about that.”

  “No,” Amy said. “You guys travel together.”

  “Are you being nice or nervous right now?” Luke asked.

  “Both?” Amy gave half a smile.

  “I have the hotel room to myself. We can relax, have wine, talk. I’m not looking to…” Luke wasn’t sure how to say what he wanted to say.

  “We have to get moving here,” a voice said.

  Luke knew it was Frank. The mood killer. He turned and saw Frank standing.

  “Is that so?” Luke asked.

  “We have some press stuff tomorrow afternoon,” Frank said. “We have to get on the road.”

  “Go ahead,” Luke said.

  “The bus is right around the corner,” Mack added.

  “I’ll catch a ride tomorrow.”

  All eyes went wide. Frank sighed.

  “Don’t give me shit,” Luke said.

  “He’s right,” Gray said. “Luke’s a big boy. He’s fine.”

  Frank star
ed at Luke. “We have obligations tomorrow afternoon.”

  “I would never hurt the fans,” Luke said. “Get out of here and I’ll catch up with everyone tomorrow morning sometime.”

  “Tomorrow morning,” Mack winked.

  They all started laughing. They were drunk, but thankfully they didn’t say or do anything stupid. When they cleared out, Luke looked at Amy.

  “Hope that wasn’t too uncomfortable,” Luke said.

  “You kind of implied that I said I would come with you tonight,” Amy said.

  “I could sit in the hotel room alone,” Luke frowned.

  “That doesn’t sound fun.”

  “Not at all. So join me.”

  Amy looked around the restaurant. She was nervous. She was hesitant. Luke made a fist and knew he had to say something.

  “Look, Amy, I’m not telling you to come to my hotel room so I can take you to bed and ditch you in the morning, if that’s what you’re worried about, okay?”

  “Thanks for being honest,” Amy said.

  “I hate to sound like that. I just… I don’t know, I just want to spend more time with you right now.”

  “Then you’ll leave tomorrow. Then what?”

  “Does that matter?”

  “I want to say it does,” Amy said, “but I kind of want to ignore that.”

  “Then ignore it.”

  “Let’s go.”

  Just like that, plans were made. Luke stood and took Amy’s hand. Amy said goodbye to her uncle. Luke shook his hand and thanked him for the food. He checked and made sure Frank paid for the meal, which he did. Then he and Amy were off to the hotel for the night.

  It was always a cool feeling when someone saw the luxuries of being a rockstar. The hotel room wasn’t a normal hotel room.

  “This is an apartment,” Amy said as she stood right inside the room looking around.

  “It’s the only way to live,” Luke said. “Plus, when you’re on the tour bus for days at a time, it’s nice to have something that resembles a home.”

  “This is beautiful.”

  “See? Aren’t you glad you came?”

  Amy turned and looked up at Luke. There was a moment of silence as Luke stared at Amy. His heart began to race and his mind warned him not to do anything… but before he could finish the thought, Amy jumped at him, kissing him.

  He didn’t fully intend on coming to the hotel room to have it be like this, but with Amy kissing him, wrapping her legs around him, forcing Luke to lift her, what was he supposed to do? In that moment he let his body guide the way. He took Amy straight to the bedroom. He placed her on the bed, kissing her, his hands finally able to freely travel. He touched her sides, following the curve of her hips to her legs. Around to her ass, he cupped and pulled her to the edge of the bed. He placed himself between her legs and with a gentle thrust, he made sure she could feel what she had done to him.

  Amy let out a long whimpering sigh as Luke began to kiss her neck. Her arms were then tight around his neck. She slowly started to kick back, climbing the bed to the pillows. She sat up and stared at Luke. Luke walked to the side of the bed and met Amy. She sat, he stood. She touched the bottom of his shirt. There was no need for words. Her hands slipped under his shirt, moving up his body. Amy lifted Luke’s shirt as far as she could. Luke then finished, taking his shirt off. Before it could hit the floor, Amy kissed his stomach. Luke groaned and reached down to Amy’s shirt. He pulled with a passionate aggression, wanting her naked. It was the only thing his mind could think of. Amy moved from Luke’s body and lifted her arms. Her shirt was then off and Luke went for her hands.

  He spread his fingers and held Amy’s hands. He pulled at her, forcing her to stand. He let her hands go and reached around to the small of her back. She was against him, their bare stomachs touching. It was enough to drive a sane man mad. Luke kissed Amy, parting her lips with the tip of his tongue. As they kissed Luke used the tips of his fingers to slide up Amy’s back to her bra. He unsnapped her bra and continued up to her shoulders. He tugged at the straps and Amy leaned back to let the bra come off her body. The sight of her breasts made Luke feel ravenous. His mind, heart, and body couldn’t decide what he wanted to do first.

  Luke reached down for the bed sheets and threw them back. He wanted Amy in bed, right now. His hands spread across her back and he pulled her closer than ever to him. The feel of her body against his, her bare body, was perfection. He slowly pushed at Amy, forcing her against the bed until she had to get on it. Their faces were close together, but they didn’t kiss. Luke loved the sexual tension between them. He never had that feeling before. When it came to physical activity like this the sole purpose had been to start and then finish. That was it. Most of the time it was about him too. With, he didn’t care about himself at all. He cared about her body. Her wants. Her needs.

  Once on the bed and under the sheets, Luke touched Amy’s face. His hand remained there momentarily before he touched her shoulder and then slowly caressed down to her chest. His hand cupped over her breast as though they were meant to be together. He squeezed and Amy moaned in his mouth. Their lips were just so close… yet they still didn’t kiss. Their eyes were wide open, devouring each other in other ways. Luke opened his hand and moved down, allowing his fingertips to gently graze Amy’s hard nipple. Each time a finger moved along, she would gasp or softly whimper.

  Luke then cupped her breast again, this time with more force. Amy opened her mouth and Luke couldn’t handle it any longer. He put his mouth to hers and they began to kiss. He moved Amy to her back and started to climb on top of her. He planted his left hand to the bed and lifted himself a little. He moved over Amy and then their kiss broke. Luke was rock hard. Amy had her legs open. Their clothing separating the obvious connection they wanted.

  “Amy…”

  “Is it wrong to stop this?” Amy whispered.

  “You can do anything you want,” Luke said.

  He retreated from Amy but he still held her. He made sure she looked at him, they were still in bed, under to covers, in the comfort, peace, and silence of the bedroom in the hotel.

  Amy swallowed and licked her lips. “I want… but…”

  “You don’t want a one night stand,” Luke said.

  “No. It’s complicated.”

  “I’m a rockstar, Amy, I know complicated.”

  Amy smiled. It faded quick. “I just don’t want… you’re leaving tomorrow. You said so.”

  Luke sighed. “Yeah, I am. I have to finish this tour. I can come back and visit you.”

  “That’s sweet. I’m just so afraid you’re so interested in me because of how you met me.”

  “Because a beautiful woman walking home alone at midnight crashed into me?” Luke asked.

  “It’s more than that,” Amy said. “That situation…”

  “You can tell me anything you want,” Luke said.

  “It’s kind of hard to be serious while you’re holding my boob,” Amy rolled her eyes.

  Color rushed to her cheeks as Luke opened his hand. “Sorry. Here… how about this…” Luke gently caressed Amy’s face. “Tell me, baby. Let me help you.”

  “It’s dangerous,” Amy said. “It could be. I don’t want anyone involved in my mess.”

  “How could you have a mess?” Luke asked.

  “Trust me, Luke, I have a mess. If you want to sleep with me, that’s okay. We can have fun tonight, but that’s it. You’re a famous rockstar. I’m a chef at a restaurant.”

  “Sounds like you’re breaking up with me,” Luke said.

  “I don’t know what I’m doing right now.”

  Luke knew he had two choices right then. He could easily push at Amy and get inside her. Maybe it was wrong to think like that, but it was the truth. All he had to do was kiss Amy again. Touch her body again. Push her. She wanted him, he could see it in her eyes. Her hesitation came from, something deeper, darker, something more serious. The strange part was that Luke had the same feeling. It br
ought him to his second option, the one that he decided to choose.

  Luke moved to his back and pulled Amy to his chest. He pulled the covers up to her shoulders, ensuring she was warm and touching him. He then touched her shoulder and let out a long sigh.

  “Are you mad at me, Luke?”

  “I can’t be mad at you,” Luke said. “I don’t know enough to be mad.”

  “I’m sorry,” Amy said. “I don’t want to pull you into anything.”

  “Maybe you already have.”

  “But you get to leave tomorrow.”

  “You keep saying that, Amy. I don’t like thinking about it.”

  “I didn’t think about it until just now… maybe I should have waited five minutes.”

  “Five minutes?” Luke asked. “I can last a lot longer than five minutes.”

  Amy giggled.

  Luke looked down at the beautiful woman on him. Come to think of it, studying those perfect features, smelling her hair, watching how her breasts pushed against his chest, maybe he wouldn't even last five minutes.

  But tonight, he’d never know.

  Silence fell and Amy lifted her head. “There was blood in that sink, wasn’t there?”

  “What sink?”

  “After your show. When you were coughing.”

  “Maybe there was,” Luke said.

  “Are you sick, Luke?”

  Luke shook his head. “No, not at all.”

  “Are you hurt?”

  Luke swallowed. His throat was annoyed. So was his soul. He didn’t want to lie to Amy yet at the same time he tried to remind himself that for most purposes in life this woman in his bed was a stranger.

  “I don’t know what I am,” Luke said. “Seems you and I are two people, topless in bed, keeping secrets.”

  “Can we at least hold them together?” Amy asked.

  “As long as I can keep you tonight.”

  Amy kissed Luke. The kiss started to heat up, but Amy pulled back. She bit her lip, regret in her eyes.

  “I’m going to regret this,” she whispered. “What I didn’t do tonight…”

  “There’s always tomorrow,” Luke said. “And the next day.”

  “Hopefully.”

  Luke didn’t respond. Amy’s words were cryptic yet beautiful. The connection between them was instantaneous and strong. Luke felt Amy already knew everything about him. There would be a tomorrow - and a next day - but Luke would be a fool and a liar not to think about his future. His future with Fallen Tuesday and his future with music. It was all scary to think about, but having Amy in his arms made it easier to deal with. Luke knew something was wrong with her. It was obvious by the way they met and by the way she acted. Even in bed, she seemed so hesitant yet in need. Whatever had been following Amy was dangerous. It left Luke wondering what he could do.

  “Just hold me,” Amy whispered as though she could read his mind.

  Luke did as told. He held Amy. He waited for her to fall asleep before he closed his eyes too. It was the first time in a very long time that Luke wished time would stand still. Everything felt so right.