by RB Hilliard
While Quinn’s mom was in town, Madden Daze called. One of his buddies was selling his sound system and he wanted to know if I was interested in purchasing it. The next morning, I jumped in the car and drove three hours to take a look. It was exactly what I wanted.
Much to my surprise, Madden showed up later that week with the delivery truck. While Quinn helped me with the logistics, her mother showed Madden around the house. That night, he stayed for dinner and we saw him every day after until Quinn’s mother returned to Florida.
A little over a month after the fire, my house sold. Even though Quinn and I were already living together, we decided to make it official. We did this by moving my favorite leather sofa and chairs— the ones Mandy hated—my sixty-inch TV, and my two gaming systems into our upstairs living area. After properly christening them, I whooped her ass in Call of Duty three times. Let’s just say that Country did not like to lose.
Mallory finally gave birth to a baby girl. They named her Avery Elizabeth Hardy. Grant conferenced us all in so we could see her. We were on for a total of five minutes before Chaz called her a bald alien and Grant hung up on us. Avery had been alive for less than a day and Grant was already neurotic.
One afternoon, Quinn came busting into the studio. By the look on her face I could tell she was upset.
“You’re not going to believe this. Sam got another job! Not only that, but Alex-Ann wants to go back to school and Gretchen’s thinking about taking a job at The Pole in the Wall.” The Pole in the Wall was a strip joint located about a mile past Margo’s.
“The Pole in the Wall, really?” I asked, thinking that she could do better than that. Then I remembered who we were talking about.
Leaning forward, Quinn hissed, “Will’s been working there since last month.” I got that she was upset. I even understood why.
“Babe, they have to work.”
“They already have a job,” she snapped back at me.
“Come here.” Shoulders hunched, she shuffled in my direction. When she got within touching distance, I pulled her onto my lap. “Margo’s could take six months to a year to rebuild. With the arson investigation, it’s likely to be longer. You can’t expect them to wait.”
She slumped in my arms, and with tears in her voice, said, “I know, but Margo’s won’t be the same without them.”
“So don’t rebuild.”
Her chin shot up, her troubled gray eyes landing on me. “If I don’t have Margo’s, what will I do?”
“Go on tour with me.” The words were out of my mouth before I’d even considered them, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted it. “Seriously. First, help me fix up the studio here. We’re supposed to start laying down tracks at Grant’s in December. You’ll meet everyone at Nash and Rowan’s wedding next month. After that, come on tour with us. The girls will all be there. Olivia already loves you. Knowing her, she’ll con you into working for her. Trust me, it will be a blast.” I could tell she was considering it. “Come on, baby. Say yes,” I urged.
Instead of giving a yes or a no, she asked, “Will Tut be there?” At the surprised look on my face, she burst into laughter. Then she kissed me. Then she flung her arms into the air and shouted, “I’m going on tour with Meltdown!”
God, I fucking love this woman.
EPILOGUE
Evan
One month later...
“The wedding was amazing. I loved meeting everyone, but Chaz is still my favorite,” Quinn said on a sigh.
We were driving back from Nash and Rowan’s wedding weekend in Austin. They’d really done it up. Nash had rented out a beautifully landscaped Austin stone vineyard in the Hill Country and rooms for the guests at a nearby resort close to Lake Travis. Everyone was there. Hell, even Hank showed up. I’d gotten a chance to talk to him last night and learned that he was moving to Charlotte in order to work security at a bar called Dragonfly. We all tried to talk him into coming on tour with us, but he claimed he’d had enough of the big life and was ready for something slightly lower key.
“Chaz is an ass,” I said, as if she didn’t already know this.
“Which is why he’s my favorite. Every time he referred to Avery as a mutant mushroom, I thought Grant would explode.” The sound of her laughter made me smile. Still giggling, Quinn said, “Oh, I forgot to tell you. Guess who Alex-Ann is nailing?”
“Do I really want to know?”
Of course, she told me anyway. “Her calculus professor.”
“Alex-Ann is taking calculus?” Surely she was joking.
“I’ll have you know that Alex-Ann is a mathematical genius,” she answered. Huh. Talk about unexpected.
The moment I turned onto our drive, my hands began to sweat. Shit. My nerves were riding high by the time I pulled the car to a stop in front of the house.
“Stay,” I said, and could feel her eyes on me as I circled the front of the car.
Taking a deep breath, I opened her door and held out my hand. This cute little crease appeared between her brows. “What are you up to, Rock Star?” I didn’t bother to answer, I simply wiggled my fingers. Smiling, she placed her hand in mine. Sweat trickled down my spine as I pulled her from the car and led her down the path to the studio. I’d done this a million times, but never like this. Once we were inside, I steered her over to our new sofa and motioned for her to sit.
Focus on the song, I told myself as I made my way over to the piano. It took me a moment to settle in. The second my fingers touched the keys, the nerves disappeared. It was just me and the music—A love song for the woman who’d saved me.
I didn’t know I needed her. To me she didn’t exist. I was starving but didn’t even know it. She was an angel, a dream, my savior...she was my everything. I hit my stride in the chorus.
All those lonely years of heartache and pain.
Anger and disappointment were nothing new.
The bitterness inside wasn’t in vain.
Because it all led me to you...
Quinn’s eyes were riveted on me as I gave her my heart in a song. She was up off the sofa before it was even over. I barely had time to push the bench back and she was on me.
“I love you. I love you. I love you,” she chanted between kisses. Pretty soon, the kisses turned to deep, pulsating tongue thrusts. Her hands dropped to my fly as I reached under her skirt. I felt my cock in her hand right as I pushed her panties to the side and buried two fingers inside her. Her head dropped back on a groan and I licked my tongue across her throat. When we couldn’t stand the foreplay any longer, she shifted up onto her knees, jerked my cock to her entrance, and slammed herself down on me.
“Fuck!” I barked.
“Yes!” she shouted, and then she started to ride me. I’m talking a bareback, western, take no prisoners kind of ride. It didn’t take long. After all, we both were pretty damn primed.
The second it was over, I looked right into those gorgeous eyes of hers and I said what I’d been thinking all along, but could never seem to vocalize.
“Thank you for saving me.” She blinked and then she burst into tears.
_______________
Around the middle of the month, Quinn and I were sitting on the porch listening to music when a car pulled up.
“It’s the arson inspector,” she said. We both stood and met him at the bottom of the steps.
He nodded. “Miss Kinley, Mr. Walker. I wanted to stop by in person to talk to you about your case.” We ushered him inside and into the living room. Once we were all seated, he began.
“Truthfully, there’s not much to tell. The evidence is inconclusive at most, but here’s what I think. None of the usual signs of arson were present. There were no unusual chemicals or accelerants detected. I think the fire started in or near the office. My guess, it was by a cigarette or a lit candle. However, when I looked for a candle, I didn’t find one. That being said, I can’t one hundred percent say it was or wasn’t a deliberate act.” He told us he would submit his findings to the insuran
ce company and we all stood. After thanking him, we followed him out to the porch and watched him drive away.
“A cigarette,” I murmured. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”
Innocent gray eyes stared back at me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You know that I quit smoking long before that.” Yeah, right. I followed her up the stairs and inside the house.
“Well, at least you won’t be wearing that fucking Margo’s uniform anymore,” I muttered.
“That’s what you think,” she shot over her shoulder. “I’m bringing it on tour. It’s my new concert o—”
I was on her before she got the rest of the sentence out. She squealed as I lifted her over my shoulder and continued all the way up the stairs and into our bedroom, where I dropped her on the bed.
Then I gave her my imperial, dictatorial king dong.
The End
A NOTE TO MY READERS
Thank you for taking this wild ride with me! As I was writing Shattered Rhythm, I kept thinking that Evan needed a second chance. I wanted to give you his story, but knew that I wouldn’t be able to deliver it in the same manner as the other three books. Enter my country girl, Quinn. I loved writing her and I especially loved her for Evan. Evan and Quinn prove that love happens when you least expect it, and sometimes...things are exactly as they seem.
I appreciate you reading this series and hope you’ll take the time to drop a review.
Much love,
~RB Hilliard
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
~ Christian Brose – I think we may finally have this thing down, baby! A million thanks, and all of my love for everything you do.
~ Natalie Weston – I couldn’t do it without you! Thank you for your friendship and for understanding where I’m going with my stories, even when I don’t...
~A.C. Bextor – Thank you for our funny as hell chats and your friendship.
~ Betas: Danielle Brass, Lyndsey Hodson, Nicola Adams, Jayne Wheatley, Jenn Allen, Tara Slone, Tara Champine, and Jennifer Dagis- Love you ladies! Thank you for reading and for helping to make Evan and Quinn’s story AMAZING!
~ Hilliard’s Hellions – The BEST group EVER! You ROCK!
~ My Fellow Authors – Keep on keeping on...
~ Bloggers – Thank you for reading, reviewing, pimping, and believing in my stories.
EVAN’S ENCORE PLAYLIST
“How’s it Going to Be”- Third Eye Blind
“Mama’s Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” – Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson
“Summertime”- Kenney Chesney
“Satan Pulls the Strings” – Avett Brothers
“Cheeseburger in Paradise” – Jimmy Buffet
“Tenessee Whiskey” – Chris Stapleton
“Country State of Mind” – Hank Williams, jr.
“Written in the Sand” – Old Dominion
“I Wish I Knew You” – Revivalists
“Smoke on the Water” – Deep Purple
“You Never Even Called Me By My Name” – David Allen Coe
“House Party” – Sam Hunt
“Avalanche” – Meltdown
“In Color” – Jamey Johnson
“In My Blood” – Shawn Mendes
“What Ifs” – Kane Brown
“John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16” – Keith Urban
“I Feel Like I’m Drowning” – Two Feet
“Friends in Low Places” – Garth Brooks
“Soul to Squeeze” – Red Hot Chili Peppers
“I was Jack (you were Diane)” – Jake Owen
“Hit the Road Jack” – Ray Charles
“Girls Like You” – Maroon 5
“Superfly” – Curtis Mayfield
“Tiny Dancer” – Elton John
“Bohemian Rhapsody” - Queen
“All My Exes Live in Texas” – George Strait
“Ball and Chain” – Social Distortion
“It Ain’t My Fault” – Brothers Osborne
“Broken Halo’s” – Chris Stapleton
“Flatliner” – Cole Swindell
“Bartender” – Lady Antebellum
“Somebody Told Me” – The Killers
“Going to California” – Led Zeppelin
“Creep” – Radiohead
“America’s Sweetheart” – Elle King
“Down to the Honkytonk” – Jake Owens
“Islands in the Stream”- Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton
“If it Makes You Happy” – Sheryl Crow
“Ask Me How I Know” – Garth Brooks
“Follow Your Arrow” – Casey Musgraves
“I Will Wait” – Mumford and Sons
“Brace for Impact” – Sturgill Simpson
“Interstate Love Song” – Stone Temple Pilots
“Famous in a Small Town” – Miranda Lambert
“Rusty Cage” – Soundgarden
“Stay a Little Longer” – Brothers Osborne
“Burn the Witch” – Radiohead
“Led Me to You” – Evan Walker
OTHER BOOKS BY RB HILLIARD
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Utterly Forgettable - Amazon - http://amzn.to/1SETzgs
Gold Digger - https://amzn.to/2r2T5us
Fractured Beat- Amazon - http://amzn.to/2cXBUTu
Broken Lyric – Amazon - http://amzn.to/2uITR2h
Shattered Rhythm - http://amzn.to/2ym4Lhs
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