Reckless Redemption: A Bad Blooded Rebel Novel
By Mellie George
Text copyright ©2014 Mellie George
All Rights Reserved
Edited by Jennie Wurtz
Cover Photo Courtesy of CanStockPhoto.com
Cover Design ©2014 Mellie George
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the author.
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The Author acknowledges referencing the following people, places, music, bands, sports teams, movies, and all that noise: Cincinnati Reds, Netflix, Disney, Facebook, McDonald’s, Anchorman, Talledega Nights, Will Ferrell, Tommy Boy, Gatorade, Dodge Charger, and Netflix.
This book is dedicated to my readers; thanks for being the true rock stars in my life!
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Soundtrack
Chapter 1
Danni
Even though it was almost evening, the sun was still as bright as midday and my sunglasses were doing little to block the harsh light from my eyes. I looked around the crowded parking lot of the restaurant and didn’t see any cars I recognized yet. Good, I thought to myself. I need a few minutes to collect my thoughts before I see him. As I put my car in park, I shut off the engine and laid the seat back. Tossing my useless sunglasses onto the empty passenger seat, I put my arm over my eyes and took a deep, nervous breath. As I waited for everyone to arrive at the restaurant, I sighed and my thoughts started to wander as I thought of the past year and a half.
Have you ever fallen in love with someone you knew would break your heart? Did you see all the warning signs but completely ignore them just so you could be in his arms, even for a moment? Knowing all the bad that would happen, did you jump in anyway, hoping for all of the good to win in the end?
From the moment I met Beau Cavanaugh I knew that I was headed for trouble. He was a perfect mix of beautiful, sexy, dangerous, and cocky…everything I should have run away from. I knew all about him and his reputation, seeing as how he was the famous lead guitarist in my favorite rock band Bad Blooded Rebel. He and the other guys in the band had been in and out of the tabloids for the better part of three years due to their hard partying and womanizing ways. I should have known better than to fall for him, but from the moment we met I knew I was in deep. Now, as I closed my eyes under my arm, my mind took me back to a year and a half ago…
I was at the Bad Blooded Rebel concert in their hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, about two hours away from my hometown of Muncie, Indiana. I had dragged my best friend, Everleigh, along with me even though she wasn’t a hard rock fan at all. She needed a fun night out more than she knew because her father, Max, was dying of pancreatic cancer and she spent most of her time taking care of him.
Luckily when I bought the concert tickets I was able to get VIP passes as well so we could go backstage and meet the band. All of the band members were ridiculously hot and talented in their own ways, but Beau Cavanaugh was the one that just sucked me in with his jaw-length, wavy brown hair and smoldering brown eyes. I would listen to their albums on repeat for hours on end and every time Beau had a guitar solo I would crank up the volume. He was so skilled on the guitar that his playing actually gave me chills that I felt down to my bones.
The concert was phenomenal, just like I knew it would be. As they played their last song of the night I pulled on Everleigh’s arm, dragging her to the back stage entrance. I was so crazy excited to meet these guys that I couldn’t even wait for the show to end before getting in line.
To say Everleigh wasn’t excited to meet the band was an understatement. She was a classic rock and country girl and didn’t give a damn at all who these guys were. They’d been in the tabloids for reasons other than their music and she was holding that against them. Why she was doing that I had no idea. It wasn’t as if we’d ever see them again after this one night, right?
Everleigh and I waited eagerly to get into the meet and greet room; I was trying to calm my nerves when I heard screaming coming from the end of the line. I turned toward the noise just in time to see all of the guys walking down the hall toward the dressing rooms. Kris Engle, Jude Miller, Ryder Matthews, and Beau Cavanaugh were just a short distance from me…I felt like I was in a dream. My breath caught as I watched them walk past one by one and when Beau passed me, he looked up and our eyes met for a split second. I felt every nerve ending in my body come alive in that moment when his eyes crinkled as he smiled at me. Just as quickly as we’d made eye contact, his left mine. He continued down the hallway to his dressing room, leaving my heart pounding in my ears and my cheeks flushed. I already knew Beau was gorgeous from his music videos and album covers, but in person he was goddamned beautiful.
About an hour later the line to meet Bad Blooded Rebel had dwindled down and finally it was my turn to meet my musical gods in person. Everleigh had stayed behind in the corner to let me meet them on my own, knowing that she’d probably be bitchy to them since she didn’t want to be there. I took a deep breath, counted to ten in my head, and waved excitedly at Everleigh before I took the last few steps up to their table. I felt my cheeks burning as I looked up and saw Beau’s deep brown eyes fixed on me with a panty-busting smile on his face. Oh god I was in trouble already.
“Hi,” I said excitedly. “It’s so awesome to meet you guys. I’m seriously your biggest fan!”
Beau held out his hand to me and said, “It’s nice to meet you too, sweetie. What’s your name?”
I placed my hand in his and when we touched, I fought back a shiver as I felt a jolt of electricity race through me. “I’m Danni. Danni Sharpe,” I replied breathlessly.
“I’m Beau, and this is Kris, Jude, and Ryder,” he said, nodding at the other band members. My cheeks felt like they were on fire…I couldn’t believe I was actually talking to the band I’d loved for more than seven years.
“I know,” I mumbled, completely star struck.
“So, did you like the show?” Ryder, the lead singer, asked me.
“Oh, totally. You guys rocked so hard out there.”
“Thanks, sweetie. So, you here all alone?” Beau asked me, still holding my hand. He was rubbing the back of my hand in little circles and I felt a deep clenching in my belly.
“No, my best friend came with me,” I answered, pointing over my shoulder to where Everleigh was standing. I felt embarrassed for her as all of the guys looked at her while she was mindlessly scrolling through her phone.
“Why didn’t she come over here with you? Is she not a fan?” Ryder asked me. I fought back a smile as he looked from me
to her like he wanted to eat her alive (in a good way).
“No, not really. She’s more of a classic rock and country girl,” I answered. “I bought these tickets a while ago and she agreed to come with me.”
“Well, that was nice of her, I guess,” Ryder said, huffing out a laugh.
I smiled at Ryder and let out a sigh. “I know, right?”
Beau squeezed the hand he was still holding and said, “Well, I’m glad you came. It’s always nice to meet such pretty fans like you.”
I am pretty sure this was a come on, but even though it was obvious it was working like a charm. My panties were getting damper by the second.
“Thanks,” I said, grinning at him. Before I made a fool of myself I decided to change the subject and ask for a picture. “Okay, so I know this is lame and you’ve done a million of these already, but is there any way I can get a picture with you guys?”
“Anything for a beautiful girl,” Beau answered but Ryder interrupted.
“Hold on. I’ll do it if she’s in the picture too,” he said, nodding in Everleigh’s direction and everyone looked at her, including me. I smiled and looked back at the guys.
“Um, okay. I’ll be right back,” I said, reluctantly letting go of Beau’s hand and walking quickly toward Everleigh.
She looked up at me and smiled. “Hey Danni, did you meet your rocker boys?”
I nodded and smiled. “Oh yeah.”
“Cool! So, are you ready to head back home then?” she asked me.
“Um, well…no. I want to get a picture with them and they all agreed except Ryder.”
Everleigh’s eyebrows drew together and she stared at me. “Who’s Ryder?”
I rolled my eyes at her, annoyed that she didn’t know. “He’s the lead singer, Ev. The hot one with the lip ring and the faux hawk.”
She eyed him and said, “Oh yeah. Why doesn’t he want his picture taken with you? Does he think he’s too good or something?”
“No, actually, he will only take the picture if you are in it too.”
Everleigh’s mouth dropped open. “What? Me? Why?”
I huffed out a laugh and said, “Are you seriously asking me why?”
“Danni, I don’t-”
I took her hand and squeezed. “Ev, this is important to me. Getting to meet Bad Blooded Rebel is a once in a lifetime thing for me and I want a picture to remember it. Please do this for me.”
Everleigh sighed and bit her lip for a moment. “All right, fine. Just one picture?”
“That’s all I ask.” I squealed and hugged her. “I love you, Ev!”
“I love you too, Danni,” she said, laughing.
I took her hand again and we walked back to their table together. “Hey guys, we’re back,” I said brightly.
“Yes you are,” Beau said, winking at me. Holy shit…if he did that again I was afraid I would combust in a spontaneous orgasm right then and there. I couldn’t help the giggle that escaped me.
“Who’s your friend?” Ryder asked, his gaze fixed on Everleigh.
“This is Everleigh Stone, my best friend in the world. Ev, these are the guys in Bad Blooded Rebel,” I said, smiling widely, as I was on the verge of a total fan girl meltdown.
Everyone introduced themselves to Everleigh and then Ryder introduced himself, holding his hand out to her.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Ryder Matthews.”
She was hesitant to take his hand at first but when she did I swear I saw her shiver. “Nice to meet you, Ryder,” she said breathlessly.
“Everleigh…that’s a beautiful name. It’s unique,” he said to her, staring at her like she was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. My heart was so happy for her in that moment. She really didn’t know how gorgeous she was…hopefully Ryder’s attention would help her see that.
“Thank you,” she said curtly.
“You’re welcome,” Ryder said, staring at her intently.
Jude stood up at that moment and stretched his arms out. “Okay, so are we taking this picture or what?”
The band members stood up and came around the table, flanking my sides. Beau stood next to me, placing his arm around me and pulling me closer to him. If he hadn’t been holding onto me, I probably would have fainted.
“Hey man, can you take this picture for us?” he asked a man that was standing off to the side of us.
I looked over and my eyes widened. This guy had to be the hugest beast of a man I’d ever seen. He was tall, tan, and looked like a solid wall of sheet rock in a tight black tee shirt and black pants. He looked like he had to be ex-CIA or something.
I held my cell phone out for him and explained, “It’s already set. You just have to push the button.” I looked over to Everleigh, who was standing off to the side. I rolled my eyes and said, “Come on, Ev, get in the picture.”
She moved closer to Ryder but apparently that wasn’t close enough for him because he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to his other side and up against him. I fought back a chuckle, knowing she was probably just as affected by him as I was by Beau in that moment. At least I could admit I was turned on.
“All right, everyone ready?” the guy in the black shirt asked. “Everyone smile on three.”
We all smiled and I felt Beau’s fingers flex against the small of my back. I fought back a groan…holy shit he smelled good.
Jude laughed and said, “Okay, maybe we should take one more picture. This time maybe everyone could actually look at the camera.” I looked over to Everleigh and Ryder and found them gazing into each other’s eyes like they were going to make out any second. Everyone got ready and we took another picture, this time with everyone smiling.
We all broke apart but Beau kept his hand on my lower back. I looked up at him and I melted into a puddle as our eyes locked.
“So, Danni,” he said, “do you and your friend have plans after this?”
Struggling to keep my wits about me, I answered, “No, we were going to drive home.”
“Awesome,” he said, grinning at me. “Since tonight was our last stop on this tour, I am throwing a party at my house. You think you can convince your friend to come and hang for a bit?”
I blinked a few times and stuttered, “A-are you serious?”
Not only had I gotten to meet my favorite band ever, one of sexiest men on the planet had asked me to come to a party at his house.
Beau cocked his head to the side. “Hell yes I’m serious. I think you girls would have a good time. Music, food, hot tub,” he said, and I shivered as his hand moved lower to rest right above my ass. “What do you think?”
“Let me go ask what she thinks,” I answered, smiling at him. I turned and walked to Everleigh with Beau following close behind me. My head was spinning from his closeness and the scent of his cologne. When we reached her, Everleigh looked pissed as hell.
“Hey Ev, you okay?”
Everleigh blinked and looked at me. “Yeah, I’m fine. Are you ready to go?” she asked, practically gritting her teeth.
“Um, well, Beau is having a party at his house and he just asked if we wanted to come and hang out for a bit. What do you say?” I asked her, hoping like hell she would agree. I’d never get another chance like this again.
She shook her head and said, “Danni, we can’t. I have to work in the morning and we have a long drive ahead of us.”
“You’re not from around here?” Ryder asked her.
She completely ignored Ryder. “No, we’re from Indiana,” she said to Beau.
“And you drove all this way to see us?” Beau asked me, gazing into my eyes as he trailed his fingers lightly down my arm.
I giggled like a little girl and said, “Oh, it’s no big deal. We live in Muncie, so it’s only about a two hour drive from here.”
“Really?” Ryder asked Everleigh with interest.
Everleigh shot me a death glare and spat out, “Really. Danni, seriously. We need to go.”
“Ev, come on. Just for a little bit?”
I begged her, sticking my lip out and pouting. I could have sworn I heard Beau groan and I felt him shuffling his feet.
Everleigh moved close to me and said as quietly as she could, “I can’t leave him alone for long, Danni. I need to get back.”
I nodded, disappointed but I understood. I turned to Beau and said, “I know. You’re right. I’m sorry Beau, but I will have to take a pass on the party.”
He cocked his head at me again and said, “Bummer. Here’s your phone back sweetie.”
I took my phone back from him, our fingers touching for just a moment before I put it in my back pocket. “Thanks.”
“It was nice meeting you Danni, Everleigh,” he said, giving Ryder a nod.
“Nice to meet you too, Beau,” Everleigh said to him, trying her hardest to ignore Ryder.
I smiled at how hard she was trying to hide that he’d bothered her enough to look turned on.
We said our goodbyes to Kris and Jude before they left to do their own thing. Once they were gone, Beau turned to me again and said, “Hey, tag us in these pictures you took, okay? I’d like to see how they turned out.”
He looked at Ryder for a second and smiled at him before he looked back at me.
I flashed him my best “I want to make out with you” smile and agreed, “Okay, Beau. Sure.”
I was about to say thank you and goodbye to him but before I could, his head moved closer to me and he crushed his lips to mine.
My whole world stopped in that moment as Beau Cavanaugh kissed me for the first time. I gasped in shock, unsure if I was just imagining it or if it was real. Once he took charge and his tongue slid into my mouth, I knew for sure I wasn’t dreaming and I melted into him. I felt tingles all through my entire body and I had to ball my hands into fists to keep from freaking out.
I decided then to take advantage of my amazing luck and take charge of the kiss. If this was the one time I would ever get to kiss him then I was going to make the most of it. I moved my hands up into his soft, thick, wavy hair and combed through it with my fingers. He moaned into my mouth and continued to kiss me like I was his favorite meal and he was starving.
Reckless Redemption: A Bad Blooded Rebel Novel (Bad Blooded Rebel Series) Page 1
