His New Jam

by Shannyn Schroeder

  “I swear I can keep a secret.” His words were more like a growl.

  “It’s not that. Although after what happened with Daniel, I have my doubts. I have to focus on school.”

  “Is this about missing class?”

  “Yeah. I can’t afford that.”

  Again, he knew there was more she wasn’t saying.

  Pressing on his shoulders, she climbed off his lap. She turned and bent over to grab the bottle of water she’d set on the floor.

  Her ass poked right in front of him, so he squeezed. Maybe groped a little. She squealed and spun around.

  He raised his hands in surrender. “It was right there. I couldn’t help myself. How about dinner on Saturday? Band and regular classes will be over then. Just finals after that.”

  She squinted one eye. “Okay. Until then, nothing.” She uncapped the water bottle and took a swig. “Ready for your lesson?”

  Crap. He’d already had one lesson on self-restraint. “No. Not unless I’m pulling my dick out to use as a drumstick.”

  She giggled. He tried to give her a dirty look, but when he saw the sweet smile on her face, he couldn’t.

  “Sorry. Things got a little out of hand again. I tried to stop you.” A little shake of her head said she wasn’t the least bit sorry for his condition.

  He closed his eyes and thought about unsexy things. Tuba players. Free dressed like the Riddler. Band uniforms. Old Mrs. Thompson who lived across the street and had eight cats. He inhaled deeply. All he had to do was keep his distance for two days.

  When he reopened his eyes, her head was tilted back and her throat worked as she chugged the remaining water in the bottle. He thought again of Mrs. Thompson—in a bikini. Mission accomplished.

  “Okay. Today’s lesson.”

  Sydney smirked. “Are you still going to be okay if I come back behind the drums?”

  “I’ll try.”

  When she strode over, she took her stool and moved it over a few inches so they would no longer be touching. He hoped it would be enough to help with his focus. She pulled out sheet music and set it on the tom in front of him. With her stick, she pointed to notes, explaining as she went.

  After a half hour, Hunter realized he wasn’t absorbing anything other than the scent of her warm skin. He laid a hand over hers. “Can we just play a song? I’m not getting this.”

  “You’re not getting this because you keep thinking about getting into my pants.”

  “Guilty. So let’s play and get my mind off it. Teach me ‘Bad Reputation.’ ”

  “You’re not ready for that.”

  “Try me.”

  She gave him a little shove away from the drums and started to play. When she paused, he pointed with his own stick for her to scoot away. He might suck at reading the music she put in front of him, but he had a great ear and picked it up fast. He repeated her actions. While not as fast or as smooth as she’d played, it was acceptable. Acceptable wasn’t good enough for him, though, so he did it again.

  When he looked over, Sydney was shoving her sticks into her bag.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Like I said before, you don’t need lessons. You certainly don’t need my bumbling attempts to teach you.”

  He jumped from the stool and dropped his sticks. “I learn fast, but because I’ve never had lessons, the basic stuff you’re giving me is great. I’m never going to play drums for me. I need those little things, like tapping out a rhythm on my lap. I don’t know that stuff.”

  Everything he said was true, but mostly, he didn’t want her to cut out. He liked hanging out with her.

  “How about a beer?”

  “Not tonight. I have studying to do. Finals next week. If I’m playing with you tomorrow night, at the game on Saturday, and then going out Saturday night, I need time to study.”

  “Okay. Water to go?”

  She nodded. “Thanks.” Then she went back to shoving things into her bag.

  When he came back from the kitchen, she took the water. “Do the guys know you play at Andy’s?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “It seemed like it was a secret or something. The music you play there, the music I heard when I came in today, it’s not like what you play with the band.”

  “I like variety.”

  “You should play like that more often. It’s who you are. I saw it at Andy’s and I heard it from the porch. Those songs, the ballads, are . . . God, they’re full of so much emotion.”

  “Like you playing ‘Bad Reputation’?”

  She nodded again. “They mean something to you.”

  He lifted a shoulder. He didn’t often like to talk about what music did to him. “I play music at The Garage because I get paid to do something I like. We play what people want to hear. When I’m at Andy’s it’s a different crowd, so I play different music.”

  “But you prefer one of those slow ballads to everything else, don’t you?” Her warm brown eyes stared at him knowingly.

  “Yeah. I like the slow emotion of them. The way you don’t have to hear the words to feel what the song is expressing.”

  She slid her arms into her jacket and then stepped close. “I think I need help with my zipper again. It’s cold out there,” she whispered.

  “You trying to test me or kill me?” he said as he tugged to close the jacket.

  “Maybe I just wanted a good-bye kiss.”

  The zipper hissed between them as he slid it up. He didn’t need to pull her close because she rose up to brush her lips against his. He angled his head to take the kiss deeper. If he wasn’t going to be able to touch her for two more days, he needed to make this one count.

  His fingers found the soft skin of her neck and he stroked it as he thrust his tongue past her lips. Their breath mingled and their tongues tangled. Her hands moved across his chest, around his back and lower until she had a palm full of ass cheek. She groped him the way he had her and in doing so brought her hips crashing into his. He was hard again but thinking it away wasn’t possible.

  Hunter eased back and straightened the collar of her jacket. “Go study. See you tomorrow.”

  “I like the way you talk about music almost as much as I like to hear you play it.”

  Whoa. Hearing her talk like that was almost as good as the whimper she made on his lap. “Any requests for tomorrow? It’s our last practice together.”

  “Surprise me.” She grabbed her bag and left.

  He looked out the front window as she got into her car and waited for it to warm up. Jay had wondered if Hunter was on the same page as Sydney. Having fun. As she pulled away, Hunter questioned if that was all they had. It felt like a lot more.

  Friday night, Sydney paced through the small living room. Nerves tightened every muscle in her body. She’d thought getting through her last marching band practice with Hunter would be hard. For the most part, he acted as though he’d never laid eyes on her, which was exactly what she’d asked for, but it stung. She didn’t think he’d be so good at it.

  But then as they were dismissed, he broke out in song. He’d played the same song as when she’d arrived at his house yesterday. She’d stopped in her tracks, and although she didn’t turn to look at him, she listened. She closed her eyes and felt the music, the way he’d described. The song was painful but beautiful.

  She’d always seen Hunter as the party guy, quick with a joke, a laugh, a smile. Yet when she heard him play like that, it was nothing short of heartbreak.

  Now, standing in her apartment, all she felt was fear. She was supposed to play her first paying gig tonight and all she could think was that she would screw it up.

  Hunter texted to ask if she wanted to drive together. The Garage was closer to her house than his, so he offered to pick her up. It was probably for the best because she wouldn’t be able to back out.

  She rolled her shoulders. She could handle this. This was what she wanted to do with the rest of her life, so she needed to get over the nerves.


  But that was where the fear took hold. If she screwed this up, she’d be stuck with her backup plan and she really didn’t want that.

  Trisha came home then and tossed her keys on the counter. “What time do you guys go on?”

  “Uh, eight, I think.”

  Trish glanced into the kitchen at the clock on the microwave. “You should get going then, don’t you think?”

  “Uh-huh. Hunter’s on his way to get me.”

  “This is the kisser?”

  Syd rolled her eyes, but nodded. Trisha didn’t know about him spending the night, and she wanted to keep it that way. She shook out her arms and inhaled deeply. She definitely couldn’t think about kissing Hunter. Or anything with Hunter, for that matter.

  Throwing her arms around Syd’s shoulders, Trish squeezed and said, “Don’t be nervous. You got this. I’ll be there to cheer you on.”

  “No.”

  “You can’t stop me. I want to see my baby sister rock.”

  “Oh God. Please don’t talk like that in the bar.”

  “I promise not to embarrass you.”

  The bell rang and Syd grabbed her jacket and an extra set of sticks, just in case. “See you later.”

  “Break a leg.”

  She ran down the stairs and walked out to meet Hunter.

  “I don’t get invited in?” he asked.

  “We have to go, don’t we?”

  “I would’ve made time for you to give me an official tour of your apartment.”

  “I’ll introduce you to my sister later. She said she’s coming to the show, so she can give me a ride home if you want.” She tugged her gloves on and followed him to his van. “Did you have to load everything up yourself?”

  “It’s not too bad. I had my roommate help.”

  She felt bad, though, because the drums took up a lot of space and had to involve multiple trips. “I could’ve come to help. I’m using your drums.”

  He started the car. “No big deal. And I’ll drive you home.”

  Without thinking about why, she decided she liked that. Her nerves settled somewhat, but she tried not to attribute it to Hunter’s presence.

  They drove in silence for a while, except for the radio playing some smooth jazz. She found it almost funny that he geared up for a rock concert by putting on easy listening. But then she remembered how he explained his love of the music.

  “I liked what you played on the field today.”

  “I cheated. I didn’t learn something new. It was the song you heard me playing at home.”

  “I know, but I really listened this time. It’s a sad song, right?”

  “I guess. It was ‘Let Her Go’ by Passenger.” He started to hum and then picked up with some lyrics. As soon as she heard the words, she recognized the song. It was a lonely, painful kind of song, about loss and missing what you once had.

  He stopped without finishing the song. Syd looked at him. “Life isn’t fair.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Not only can you play just about any instrument you pick up, but you can sing, too. It’s not normal, and certainly not fair.” Plus he was gorgeous with great hair and an even better smile, which she absolutely refused to say out loud.

  Of course, he chose then to turn his killer smile on her. “Don’t hate me. I can’t help that I was born gifted.”

  “You have to be bad at something. I’d feel a whole lot better if I knew what.” She was only partially joking.

  “I suck at being organized, which means I’m late a lot.”

  He’d never been late for marching band, so she wasn’t sure she believed him. She waited for more.

  He shot her a look out of the corner of his eye. “I suck at math. That’s why I chose history as my second major. I can’t draw. My roommate, Adam, is an artist, so if I ever need a drawing, I go to him. I’d just embarrass myself.”

  “I’m still not feeling the balance here.”

  He drove down an alley and pulled up behind a brick building. Pointing at a green metal door, he said, “This is the back entrance. Jay and Lance are here to help unload. Sit tight.” He took out his phone and sent a text, then got out and opened the hatch.

  Syd sat stunned for a minute. Sit tight? She got out of the car and went to the back to carry in the instruments. “If I’m part of the band, even temporarily, I should help. I can handle carrying in the drums.”

  Lance and Jay came through the door. Lance held it open as she walked through carrying the bass. With the four of them moving, it only took a few trips. Jay brought his own guitar and Hunter brought the keyboard, his guitar, and the drums. He also had the amps and microphones. She wondered how he’d managed to accrue so much equipment. She made a mental note to ask him about it later.

  They were the first band on for the night. As they set up onstage, Sydney’s nerves returned tenfold. What she’d imagined as a small dive bar actually had a huge audience waiting for them. They set up the instruments and went to the bar to have a quick drink.

  Lance downed a shot of whiskey. Jay and Hunter each had a beer. Sydney opted for water. She feared alcohol might not stay down.

  Hunter ran a hand down her arm and leaned close. “You okay?”

  “Nervous. I didn’t think the crowd would be so big.”

  “You’ll be fine.” His hand slid down and he interlocked fingers with hers. “We’ll start with ‘Bad Reputation.’ You could probably play it in your sleep.”

  She nodded and hoped he was right. They finished their drinks and went backstage to wait for their introduction. Hunter still held her hand and she let him even though it mostly broke every rule she’d set for them. She was too anxious to care.

  Backstage, he pulled her down the hall, into a dimly lit space.

  “Take a deep breath.”

  She did.

  “Look at me.” When she didn’t immediately respond, he cupped her jaw and tilted her face up. “Nothing to be nervous about. Just like playing in my living room.”

  When she looked into his eyes, it seemed simple.

  He stepped closer and kissed her. A gentle lip lock and quick swipe of his tongue. She tasted the beer he’d drank, but was quickly swept up in the feel of him. Her stomach settled even though her heart continued to race.

  Hunter pulled back. “Better?”

  She smiled. “Just one more thing you’re really good at.”

  The smile on Sydney’s face made Hunter’s lungs freeze. It was better than the smile she gave other people because she was open and unguarded. With a sudden fierceness, he realized he wanted more of this. He wanted to capture this feeling, this moment.

  “Would you prefer I tried to suck at kissing?”

  She laughed and it echoed off the bare walls in the hall. “God no. I was making a point.”

  “That’s a relief. I like kissing you. You’re pretty damn good at it yourself.” He pulled her hand and they moved back down the hall. “You ready?”

  “I have to be.” She straightened her spine and lifted her chin.

  He loved the way she could change herself like that. In a heartbeat, she could bury her vulnerability so no one saw. That she let him see made him feel even better. He’d finally gotten past some of her defenses and all it took was some kissing that he’d completely enjoyed.

  They played their set, including an encore. Sydney was great. She blended in with the guys, and by the end of the night, they were all laughing and joking as they loaded his van. Once all the equipment was stowed, they went back to the bar for a drink.

  “Can I buy you a beer?” he asked Sydney.

  “No, thanks.”

  “Crap. That’s right. You have studying to do. We can get out of here.”

  “No. It’s okay. It’s not too late. Have your drink. I can find my sister and get a ride with her.” She pulled her phone out as she spoke.

  He took her phone. “I want to spend time with you. If all I get is a ride to your apartment, that’s what I’ll take. I drink with these guy
s all the time.”

  Her face filled with suspicion.

  “No games. Let’s go.” He waved to Lance and Jay, who nodded and smiled at Sydney. “Do you want to find your sister and let her know you’re going home?”

  “If I had my phone, I’d text her.”

  He handed her phone back. “Sorry.”

  She sent a text and a minute later she looked up. “Trish is already gone. She said she stayed for most of our set but had a headache so she went home.”

  “See? You need me.” He put an arm around her shoulder and waited for her usual slide away, but she allowed the casual touch.

  He led her out the back door and into the alley where his van sat. He unlocked the door and opened it for her. “You were good tonight. Was it what you expected?”

  She sat and waited for him to get in. “It was different. I’ve never played for a real audience. You know, people who came for the music, not family members who feel obligated, like at school concerts.”

  “Did you like it?”

  “Are you kidding? It was a total rush, everything a little kid dreams of when she thinks about rock stars. I can’t imagine playing in a stadium. This was a pretty small venue, but amazing.”

  “That rush is hard to find in other places. People who don’t perform don’t get it.”

  “You really want to give that up to teach a bunch of snotty kids?”

  “I enjoy the rush, but it’s fleeting. There’s no stability. Working with kids is a different kind of rush.”

  He drove through the city on what he hoped would be the busiest streets to prolong the trip. They talked about the bar and Jay and Lance. The trip was shorter than he wanted.

  When he pulled up in front of her apartment, she said, “I know I said I’d introduce you to Trish, but since she has a headache, she’s probably in bed. Tomorrow night?”

  “Sure. Get some studying done so you won’t be distracted when you’re with me.”

  She leaned across the console and gave him a quick kiss. “I can’t imagine anything that would occupy my mind when I’m alone with you.”

  And just like that his dick was hard again.

  She pulled the handle to open the door. “Hey, how were you able to afford all the instruments and equipment? That’s a lot of stuff you’re hauling around.”