"I missed you, too."
"Are we good? I'm so sorry I messed up that night."
"We're good. Better, actually, now that we understand each other more." She tugged her arms from his grasp and then wound them around his back. "I'm glad you're here."
He nuzzled her neck. "Can I spend the night?"
She sighed when his lips met the soft skin by her ear and tilted her head to give him better access. "To sleep, yes. Nothing else. I still want to take things slow. I know we agreed on baby steps, and I think that's a good idea."
"We can go slow. As long as I can lie beside you and hold you, I'll be happy." He needed to feel her in his arms, to lie beside her and breathe her in. Reversing their positions, he rolled until he was cradling her body with his, then massaged her back and neck in slow circles. Easing the tension, feeling her soften, taking care of her in a tiny way, and hopefully showing her just how much the second chance meant to him.
Chapter Six
Audrey slipped slowly toward sleep while Luke rubbed the tension right out of her body. Rain continued to pound against the window. Another bolt of lightning lit across the sky, quickly followed by a resounding boom of thunder rattling the windows. She tightened her hold on him and then laughed. "That was louder than I expected."
"I'm just glad I'm not out there. Warm and dry is better. Warm and dry with you is better still."
Stifling a yawn, she stretched against his muscular frame. "It's getting late."
His fingers traced her face. "You look exhausted."
"I've been working more than anything else. And sleep hasn't been easy."
He dropped a kiss on her lips, then rolled off of her and extended his hand to help her to her feet. "We'll both sleep better tonight."
"Unless you hog the blankets, pillows, or mattress."
Hand in hand, they walked to the bedroom area. She refused to let nerves set in. They weren't doing anything other than sleeping, but sleep in itself was a vulnerable thing. When he ducked into the bathroom with his bag, she pulled out a tank top and sleep shorts and changed clothes, then flipped off the lights. He came out wearing his t-shirt and boxers.
"Be right back." She slipped by him, trading places, and zipped through her nighttime routine.
When she emerged, he stood by the bed. He'd turned down the covers and clicked on her bedside lamp. "You have a side preference?"
"The left. Closest to the window."
"Good. I like being closest to the door."
She slid into soft, cool sheets and hard, hot Luke. The perfect combination.
He switched off the light and slipped his arm around her waist. They lay there in the dark, listening to the patter of rain and talking about their days.
For the first time in a long time, she fell asleep feeling complete.
Audrey woke up to sunlight streaming in the windows. The sheer pink curtains gave a rose-colored tint to the room. The heavy weight of Luke's arm was a solid band, locking her to him. She glanced at the clock and then rolled to face him.
Sleepy blue eyes blinked open. "Good morning, Sunshine."
"Hi. It won't be morning for much longer. We slept in pretty late." She traced a finger along his beard. "Sleep okay?"
He grunted an assent and tucked the pillow under his head. "You don't have to work today, do you?"
"Just a quick meeting this afternoon with one of the models for my show. She's been away on a magazine shoot and I need her to try on her outfit one more time."
His fingers skated along her spine. She shivered against the sensation and wiggled closer to him. "Then here's the plan, we get up, shower, coffee, and then we're picking up breakfast at the cafe near the park."
"And eating it at the park?"
"Yeah." He nipped at her lip. "Then I'll watch you do your fashion designer thing, and then you're mine for the rest of the day."
"Sounds like a pretty good deal to me." She cuddled in for a moment and then forced herself to roll out of bed. "Okay, let's go. You can shower first. I'll start the coffee."
While the coffee brewed, Audrey stuck the roses into a large tote bag. She'd drop them off to her downstairs neighbor on the way to breakfast. Dante would be expecting a response to the roses. Calling him now wouldn't work. She didn't want to upset Luke.
The sound of his singing drew her into the living room. She smiled. He really did have a great voice. And the cheesy love songs he'd chosen made her laugh. If only the hard rock world could hear him now.
The pipes squeaked as the water stopped. Audrey grabbed her coffee and rifled through her closet. The day promised to be a scorcher. She needed something light and cool and as happy as her mood.
Luke joined her, wrapping his arms around her waist. He wore a white t-shirt and faded gray shorts. She pulled out gun-metal gray metallic sandals and a white cotton sundress with bold purple flowers splashed across the skirt. "Did you save me any hot water?"
"Some. We'd save more if you joined me next time." His teeth sunk into the curve between her shoulder and neck.
She shivered as awareness tingled up her spine. "If you throw in another private concert like today's, I might consider it."
"You liked my medley for you, huh?"
Twisting to face him, she grinned. "Loved it. I'll take an encore anytime."
A short time later, they sat sprawled on the Great Lawn in Central Park enjoying their breakfast picnic of bagels, fruit, and iced coffee. He'd been recognized at the cafe, and again as they strolled by the park's boat pond. Both times, he'd kept his hand on her arm, shoulder, or waist, and introduced her to the fans.
He'd done everything to make her feel included. If she were keeping score, he'd be even date-wise, one-to-one. Time would tell on which side he'd predominately fall. She fed him a grape, then leaned back on her hands and stared at the sky. "Today's been a nice breather. It'll get me through the next six days until the show."
"Nervous?"
"Every time. But especially this time. So much is riding on it. Not only is it the first one I'm doing post-Rob, but I really want to show the domestic violence program's director that I'm the right designer for this project. The model I'm meeting with later today was in an abusive relationship a few years ago and so this is something very close to my heart. So, yeah, I'm pretty nervous about this show going well."
"I'll be there." He shifted until they were shoulder to shoulder and intertwined their fingers on the grass. He said it easily, like her depending on him was a given, like he wouldn't let her down.
She rested her head on his shoulder. "Maybe next Sunday we can do this again. The show will be over then, and I'll know the director's decision, and I'll need to decompress."
"Irisa, Jayne, and the guys will still be in town then too."
"It'll be good to meet Jayne and see everyone else again." Her watch winked in the sunlight. She glanced at the time and calculated the distance to her studio. "We'd better go. I don't want Vanessa to be stuck outside waiting for me."
"That's the model, right?"
"She's also become a good friend. She stayed with me for a while after she left that bad relationship. Anyway, her fitting won't take too long. Her new boyfriend is in town with her, so I'm sure she has things she'd rather be doing with him."
Luke gathered the remains of their picnic. "Probably the same type of things I want to do with you."
"Luke." Heat crept across her cheeks.
Grinning, he reached for her hand. "Come on, Sunshine, let's get you to the old salt mine."
"Vanessa asked me to design some things for him too. He's a rocker. I wonder if you know him."
"What's his name?"
"He plays in a band called..." She scrunched her forehead, trying to remember. "Ox something or other."
He stopped walking. "Swindle Ox?"
"That's it. I'm not sure which guy in the band she's dating."
"Their lead singer is an ass. The other guys aren't as bad as him." He fell in step beside her again. "I really hope
it's not Owen."
"Why?"
"He's the asshole who hacked into our fan club a few months ago, posing as me, announcing that I was leaving the band."
"Oh." That incident had happened a week after the band had wrapped up their tour. She remembered reading about it and the PR nightmare it had caused for Irisa. The announcement had created a giant headache for everyone in the band.
"Well, in that case, I hope it's not him either."
When they arrived at the shop, he held the door for her, and followed her inside. "If Renee isn't better by tomorrow. I'll come in and help you."
She sighed at the state of her to-do list. "Thanks. I may take you up on that offer."
They both turned as the door opened. Vanessa glided in, tall and tan and glowing. A tall man followed behind. Audrey rushed to hug her. "You look fabulous."
"That's what the Caribbean will do for you." Vanessa stepped back and raised her brows at Luke. "This is..."
"Luke Thompson." Audrey placed her hand on Luke's arm, excited for them to meet.
Beside her, he vibrated and growled like an angry dog on a tight leash. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Audrey blinked at his rudeness. His words and gaze weren't directed at Vanessa, but at the glowering man by her side.
The man rolled his brawny shoulders and closed in on Luke. "What's it to you,"—he sneered with an exaggerated curled lip—"candy-assed shit-bag?"
Tension snapped and crackled between the men staring each other down like boxers before a fight. Luke's fingers flexed at his sides and his jaw went rigid as a stone.
She glanced from them to Vanessa. Her friend shrugged. "I take it you two know each other."
"We go way back," Luke snapped out, his stare frozen on the other man.
She'd never seen him quite so angry. All hopes for a stress-free afternoon vanished. Her caring, brooding man had morphed into a vengeful, seething fighter.
And it looked like Luke was about to collect payback.
***
Luke's hands clenched into fists. He and the front man for Swindle Ox shared a mutual hate of each other. The feud had started years ago with a slighted Owen blaming Luke for an upset at a music awards show and showed no signs of stopping.
The fact they had girlfriends who apparently were friends? Fucking nightmare.
Audrey stepped in between them. "Vanessa, come on back with me. Guys, I get that you don't like each other but this is a place of business. If you can't be civil, then please leave."
Vanessa slipped her hand into Owen's. "Come on, baby. Be nice."
"To him? No way." He glanced at Audrey, and then sneered at Luke. "Still with your band?"
Luke moved in front of Audrey. "Why? Thinking of starting any new fake rumors? Come at my fans' space again and I'll take you down so fast your head will spin."
"What are you—the fan club police?"
Luke's muscles burned with the urge to punch the smirk right off of Owen's face. "I'm the guy who's going to rearrange your fucking face if you do one more thing to mess with me or my fans."
"Luke." Audrey's hand tugged the back of his shirt. He hadn't realized he'd moved a step in Owen's direction.
"What." He spat out the word as he turned toward her. The tunnel vision he'd had slowly expanded to include his surroundings. The clothes, the photos on the wall, the light lemon scent, but most clear of all was the confusion and unhappiness on Audrey's face.
"Let's go." Her hand linked with his and she drew him toward the door. "Go get a coffee or something. I won't have bloodshed on my floors."
"You're kicking me out?" He stopped walking. After all they'd shared last night, he couldn't believe she didn't have his back. "What about him?"
"I need to check Vanessa's dress and then fit him for two shirts and a pair of pants. I can't do that with the two of you having a pissing contest."
He dipped his head low until his lips met her ear and then his whispered through gritted teeth, "I don't want to leave you with him here."
Audrey peered at Owen and Vanessa for a moment and he followed her gaze. His nemesis had his arm around the tall, tan model, playing the part of adoring boyfriend. "What he did to you wasn't right, but he doesn't seem so bad."
"Trust me, he is."
She nudged him closer toward the door. "I have experience handling moody rockers. Give me a half-hour, forty-five minutes tops. I'll call you when the coast is clear."
Behind Audrey's back, Owen flipped him off. Shaking his head, Luke strode out of the shop and headed for a hit of caffeine that wouldn't do a damn bit of good. Sucking down icy black coffee with two shots of espresso, he walked the neighborhood until the urge to throttle Owen lessened to the level of possibly being in the same room with him without punching his lights out.
When Audrey's call came forty minutes later, he'd calmed down enough to realize he shouldn't have let Owen bait him. He returned to the studio and found her standing in the front room of the shop. Her serious expression didn't harbor any hint of a smile. His gaze swept the space. What he was looking for, he didn't know, but Owen always put him on edge. "You okay?"
She set down her phone on a glossy white table. "You've been in a few fights recently."
He'd been in a few scraps lately, and admittedly, at least one was his fault, but he never went off half-cocked without a damn good reason. "So?"
"So, I didn't want another one to break out in the middle of my studio. You guys looked like you were ready to tear each other's heads off."
"Likely were." But she looked far too upset for his comfort, and that wasn't okay. Remorse trickled through him, shaming the angry beast within. He cupped his hands over her shoulders. Stiffened muscles met his palms. "And I apologize. Owen and I have a lot of bad blood between us. He gets under my skin."
"I noticed. How did this feud start?"
"We were both nominated for the same award a few years ago. The Fury won and he thought his band should have. He was pretty vocal about it. Then, one of the online rock magazines held a weekly head-to-head contest for lead singers. He and I were going against each other. Again, I won and he got pissed off. We've had some interesting exchanges since then. Some were minor pranks, and a lot of trash-talking, but that incident with the fan club and my supposed leaving the band went too far."
"Aren't you guys with the same record label?"
"We were before Excite released my band. That doesn't mean we have to like each other." He massaged the tension knotting her muscles. "But I shouldn't have done anything here. That wasn't cool. Again, I'm sorry."
"Apology accepted. Just promise me that you guys can get along at the fashion show."
His fingers tightened on the muscles he'd just finished soothing. "He's going to be there?"
"Since Vanessa is modeling, he said he'd come. He'll know a lot of the attendees."
"Hmm." The last thing he wanted was to be stuck in a room with Owen. At least he'd have his guys there to hold him back if necessary.
Her hands slid from his hips to his chest. "Luke, this show is really important to me. I don't want to have to worry about you and Owen on top of everything else."
"I promise I'll do my best to not kill him." He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "You don't have to worry about that."
Finally, her smile returned. "Good."
The jangling tune of Audrey's cell phone filled the air. He glanced at the screen and her shoulders stiffened again. A sigh escaped her lips. "That's Dante's number."
He bit back a growl. "I'll leave if you want privacy."
"You can stay." Remaining in the circle of his embrace, she held the phone to her ear. "Hello."
"Audrey, how are you?" A deep voice with a hint of an Italian accent came through the speaker, as loudly as if Audrey had put the phone on speaker.
"I received the roses you sent."
"They made me think of you, bella. I hope you liked them."
"They're beautiful... but remember that rocker I told you ab
out?" She raised her gaze to his face and smiled. Her small hand tightened further around his back, securing her hold. Luke leaned into her touch.
Silence reigned for a long moment, and then Dante sighed. "Luke, right?"
"Right. The thing is, we just started seeing each other."
"I see." Another long pause followed. "Well, I hope it works out the way you want it to."
Luke shook his head at the voice coming out of the receiver. The guy answered like a true suit, without backbone and giving up without a fight. Not that Luke wanted him to fight, but Dante wasn't any kind of man in his book. Audrey deserved better.
"Thank you. Me too." She cuddled in closer until the warmth of her body mingled with his. Luke rubbed his hand up and down her back. She was smart, beautiful, talented, and kind—damn, he was lucky.
Dante continued, "You're special, Audrey. Make sure he treats you that way."
"I will. I hope you find what you're looking for, too." She ended the call and set the phone on the table. "There, all settled."
He hoped so. "Think that's enough to make sure he gets the message you're not available?"
"Yes. He really is a good guy, you know."
"He can be someone else's guy. Not yours."
She pulled him down for a kiss. "I have my hands full with you anyway."
He wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss. Having her hands full with him was one thing. Being a distraction to her was another. He'd find a way to deal with being around Owen. No way would he disappoint Audrey again.
Chapter Seven
Luke spent most of Wednesday huddled in the back room of Audrey's studio. They finalized the few tweaks she'd made to the Furious Records logo and began discussing color and texture preferences for the launch party in Vegas. She'd been working non-stop for days, going from The Fury's business to her preparations for the show, and if he hadn't culled out a corner of her space to use as his makeshift office, he would have only seen her for a few minutes at night before they tumbled into sleep.
Late that afternoon, he stood outside a hotel near Central Park South with Ivan waiting for the next contestant. He checked the info Jayne had sent him. Mikala Mason's demo had impressed him. Her range stretched several octaves and the way she'd torn up one of The Fury's newer songs, Shredded Justice, was too awesome to believe.
Love Song (Rocked by Love #2) Page 5
