Melody of the Heart

by Katie Ashley

  My brows furrowed in confusion. “Wait, what are you talking about?”

  Closing the gap between us, the guy stood directly in front of me. At the intense look blazing in his baby blues, I had to look away. The next thing I knew his hands had slithered around my waist, jerking me against his hard body. He stared down at me with eyes hooded with desire. “Damn, you’re so beautiful,” he murmured, his alcohol-laced breath burning against my cheek.

  “Let me go!” I protested, my hands pushing against his sculpted chest.

  As he dipped his head to kiss me, I tucked my neck to my chest, so he only ended up kissing my forehead. He grunted in frustration. When I dared to peek up at him, he gave me a pleading look. “Please, beautiful, open up to me. You’re just what I need.”

  The sound of a voice behind us caused us both to freeze. “What the hell is going on here?” Brayden demanded.

  The guy smirked at Brayden over his shoulder. “Man, your girl really has been gone too long if you don’t know what this is.”

  In a flash, Brayden was beside us. Planting both of his hands on the guy’s chest, Brayden shoved the guy hard, sending him spiraling backwards. “Dude, what the fuck?” the guy demanded, as he flopped down onto the couch.

  Jerking me to him, Brayden’s chest heaved up and down. “What are you doing groping my girl, Jake?”

  Jake’s blue eyes widened in shock as his head slowly shook back and forth. “You’re Lily?” he asked incredulously.

  “Yes,” I squeaked.

  “Fuck!” He jerked his hand through his dark hair. “I’m sorry.” He glanced from me to Brayden. “I really am sorry, man. I had no idea she was Lily. If I had, I would have never, ever come on to her.” With a grimace, he added, “She reminded me of Stephanie.”

  Brayden’s arm remained tight around my waist. I wanted to tell him I couldn’t breathe well, but I didn’t want to set him off. The last time I’d seem him this furious was the night we became official—the night I’d demanded he fight for me when it came to Mitch. Now it seemed he didn’t have any problem fighting Jake for me. “You better not ever let it happen again,” Brayden finally growled.

  “I swear I won’t.” Extending his hand, Jake said, “You have my word.”

  Brayden eyed it momentarily before he reached out and shook it. Jake then offered me his hand. “Lily, please accept my apology.”

  I glanced between him and Brayden. “Okay.”

  With a teasing smile, Jake said, “I guess I should have believed Bray when he told me how hot his girlfriend was. Then I would have known it was you right off the bat.”

  My face flushed with his compliments. “Now I know what you meant when you mentioned groupies.”

  Another growl came from Brayden. “You thought Lily was a groupie?”

  “Shit, here we go again,” Jake muttered.

  I tugged on Brayden’s shirt. “Babe, it was all a misinterpretation. Let it go, okay?”

  Brayden narrowed his eyes at Jake. “Have you been drinking?”

  Jake shrugged. “Maybe a little.”

  “Dude, it’s only fucking noon.”

  “Yeah, well, I needed a little something for my nerves.” Jake shook his head. “Hell, you act like I’m fucking plastered. I can still walk a straight line.”

  “Can you do the nose test?” I teased.

  With a wink, Jake stretched out his arms. Then he brought his right finger to the tip of his nose and then his left. “You look too much like a little goody-two-shoes to know about DUI nose testing.”

  “My dad is the chief of police in Roswell.”

  “Ah, I see.” He grinned. “Guess I really better watch my step with you considering you have two very protective men connected to you.”

  “That’s right.”

  AJ stuck his head in the door. “Okay, guys, let’s go.”

  The butterflies I had in my stomach for Brayden and the guys turned over to boulders. I couldn’t imagine what they were feeling. I mean, it wasn’t their actual performance, but it was just one step closer.

  Brayden kept his arm wrapped around me as we started out the door. It was a tight squeeze, but we made it. Glancing up at him, I smiled. “Think you’re being a little overprotective?”

  He grunted. “I just want to make sure Teague doesn’t get the wrong idea.”

  “You know, you’re kinda cute when you’re being a caveman.”

  “Is that right?” he asked, with a grin.

  “Mmm, hmm. It gets me kinda hot.” I ran my hand up his chest. “You think that maybe you and I could christen that dressing room for my birthday?”

  A gleam of lust burned in his eyes. “Oh yeah, I think I can arrange that.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.”

  He gave me a kiss on the lips before he broke away. AJ had already sat behind the drum kit near the auburn-haired guy with the bass guitar had to be Teague by process of elimination. Jake and Brayden took their guitars and then went on stage.

  I eased down on one of the bar stools and prepared to hear my very first Runaway Train performance.

  LILY

  THE PAST

  I don’t think I moved from my spot for a full hour. I was that mesmerized by the guys making music. It didn’t hurt a lot of the songs that they were playing were written by Brayden about our relationship. Of course, it was really strange hearing Jake sing lead on Until There Was You. Hearing Brayden’s words of love come out of someone else’s mouth was going to take some time to get used to, especially with it coming from Jake.

  The guys bantered back and forth about which songs they should play, and then they finally came up with a list of ten of their own, along with a few covers by Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, and Tom Petty. Once they finished rehearsing, they were starving, so we made a quick stop at The Varsity, which apparently was a favorite of theirs too.

  “So Lily, besides Brayden, who do you think is the hottest member of Runaway Train?” AJ asked, after we’d made a decent dent in the massive pile of food.

  I couldn’t help laughing at his question. “I don’t look at other guys.”

  AJ rolled his eyes. “I don’t believe you.”

  Throwing up my hands, I said, “I think you’re all very good-looking, okay?”

  “Did you hear that, Bray? Your girlfriend is hot for us?” AJ teased.

  “You are impossible,” I replied.

  “Got any single friends you wanna hook us up with?” Teague asked.

  “I have a few who are single. But it depends on what kind of guys you are.”

  Jake cocked his brows at me. “I would think it was pretty evident.”

  Wrinkling my nose, I replied, “Manwhores?”

  The guys laughed at my summation. Jake took a swig of Coke and then winked at me. “I just got out of a relationship a few months back—”

  Teague snorted. “What he means is he got his heart broken when his girlfriend refused to take sloppy seconds of his time anymore.”

  Jake smacked the back of Teague’s hand. “Shut the fuck up, man.”

  With a shrug, Teague replied, “It’s the truth.”

  “Whatever,” Jake grumbled. “Anyway, I’m on the rebound, so I’m not looking for anything long term. These two jokers might be up for a relationship if the right girl came along.”

  Playing with my straw, I asked, “Why didn’t you make time for your girlfriend?”

  Jake glowered at me across the table. I could tell I had hit a sensitive nerve for him. “It wasn’t that I didn’t make time for her.” At Teague’s “bullshit” turned into a cough, Jake once again smacked him.

  “We’d dated for two years. We were both busy with school, and then AJ, Teague, and I were trying to work on getting the band to another level, but not having any luck, which led to a lot of stress. Then last semester, I had the chance to play and sing backup with a band we met at the Moonshine Festival up in Dawsonville. So I dropped out of school and went on the road with them. Nothing much came of it career wise
other than it showed me that Runaway Train really needed to get on the road and start playing festivals, fairs, and shows. As far as my personal life, it really strained things between me and Stephanie.” He sighed. “In the end, she wanted a bigger commitment. The last thing I want right now is to be engaged or God forbid, married. So she broke up with me.”

  “Wow,” Brayden murmured.

  “What?” Jake asked.

  “I think that is the most open and honest I’ve heard you be with anyone in the last few months.”

  With a wry grin, Jake replied, “It’s because of Lily. She brings out the gentleman in me.”

  I laughed. “Was that you being a gentleman earlier today when you tried to kiss me?”

  AJ and Teague’s eyes widened at my statement. “Holy shit, where was I when this was going on?” AJ demanded.

  “You were setting up,” I replied.

  Glancing between Jake and Brayden, Teague asked, “Wait a minute, Jake tried to kiss Lily, and Brayden didn’t shed his blood?”

  I waved my hand dismissively. “No, no, it was just a misunderstanding.”

  Jake chuckled. “It might’ve been a misunderstanding, but he still shoved the hell out of me.”

  Brayden narrowed his eyes at Jake. “You had your hands on my girl.”

  “I know. And I said I was sorry. I was sorry then, and I’m sorry now.”

  The tense expression on Brayden’s face receded slightly. Dropping my hand down beneath the table, I reached out for his hand. When I squeezed it, he gave me a warm smile.

  Jake broke our moment by rising out of his chair. “Well, we better get going. We need to get ready for tonight.”

  “What are we going to wear?” AJ asked.

  Brayden frowned. “Good question.”

  Jake’s gaze fell on me. “Why don’t we get Lily to help us?”

  A nervous giggle escaped my lips. “You want me to be your unofficial stylist?”

  Bobbing his head, Jake replied, “Sure, why not?”

  “I’m not sure I’m really qualified to do that.”

  Brayden kissed my cheek. “You’ve always picked out my clothes.”

  AJ grinned. “Then it’s all settled. Lily is our new stylist.” Scratching his chin, AJ then asked, “Do you do hair?”

  In that moment, I wondered what I had gotten myself into. At the same time, I couldn’t help being grateful that the men of Runaway Train were openly embracing me. I just hoped it would last.

  ***

  I spent the rest of the afternoon back at Brayden’s loft, going through the guys’ closets. When it came down to it, they were almost as bad as a girl trying to decide what to wear on a first date. After we’d settled their outfits, I finally had a moment to slip into the shower myself. I’d brought a swanky red and black dress to wear in case Brayden and I went out to dinner somewhere nice for my birthday. Instead, I was going to be wearing it to Eastman’s. I didn’t care if I was a little overdressed. Tonight was about celebrating.

  Just as I was putting the finishing touches on my makeup, AJ knocked on the door. “Come on, Lils, some of the rest of us need to get ready.”

  I laughed. “Last time I checked there was another bathroom in this place.”

  “Yeah, your boyfriend’s been in there the last twenty minutes working on his hair.”

  “Whatever,” I mumbled. When I opened the door for him, his eyes bulged at the sight of my dress.

  “Damn, girl, you’re looking hot as hell tonight!”

  “Why, thank you.”

  As he squeezed by me to get to the counter, AJ mused, “Man, Brayden is one lucky man.”

  “You’re such a flatterer, AJ,” I replied, as I headed out into the living room.

  Brayden came out of the bathroom a few moments later. “Mmm, don’t you look handsome,” I said, as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

  He grinned. “Thank you. I must say that you are looking sexy as hell. I’m not sure I’ll be able to concentrate on anything tonight but you.”

  “Oh, I’m sure you’ll muddle through somehow.” I gave him a light kiss, so he wouldn’t end up wearing my lipstick. “Tonight after all the girls have screamed your name and mentally undressed you a thousand times, you just remember that you’re only going home with me.”

  Throwing back his head, Brayden laughed. “I don’t think that will be a problem.”

  “I’m sure it’s going to be a problem. You should have seen the way the waitresses were sizing you up today.”

  “Really?”

  “Mmm, hmm.” I fixed the collar of his button down shirt. “With you guys taking this gig, things are going to change for you. You’re going to have women falling all over you.”

  “That might be interesting to see, but it’s sure as hell not something I will be acting on.” When I didn’t immediately reply, his fingers reached out to grip my chin, tipping my head to meet his eyes. “You do know that, Lils? There won’t ever be anyone for me but you.”

  Feeling overly emotional, I shrugged. “I’m sure for a guy it would be tempting to see what sex was like with someone else.”

  Brayden shook his head emphatically. “I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize what we have, and that includes cheating.” Leaning his forehead against mine, Brayden said, “You’re it for me, Lily. I couldn’t imagine even kissing another woman.”

  “I’m glad to hear that.”

  With a tentative smile, Brayden said, “I guess our roles are changing.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Remember how in high school I was always afraid you would find some other guy? I couldn’t imagine such a beautiful, popular, and sweet girl like you would want me.”

  “Yes, I remember you being stupid about that,” I replied.

  Brayden laughed. “Well, it’s kinda reversed. Now you’re the one worrying about me.”

  “I guess that’s true.”

  “So there’s nothing really to worry about. Right?”

  “Right.” Then I brought my mouth to his for a long, lingering kiss where I didn’t care about lipstick.

  “Jesus, do you guys ever stop?” AJ questioned behind us.

  When we pulled away, Brayden replied, “Two weeks, man. We’ve not seen each other for two weeks.”

  Shaking his head, AJ said, “I think that’s just an excuse. You’d probably be all over each other no matter when you saw her last.”

  I giggled. “You might be right.”

  “Come on, let’s go,” Jake said, as he motioned to us from the loft’s doorway. While Jake, AJ, and Teague all piled in a car together, Brayden and I went in his. We made the short drive over to Eastman’s and then parked.

  I don’t know if Brayden was nervous or not. I could barely contain both my excitement and anxiousness. When we got inside, Sean met us. “You guys go on and get set up,” he said. Brayden gave me a final kiss. “Wish me luck.”

  “Luck times infinity,” I replied.

  He grinned and then followed the guys through the bar to the stage. Just when I wondered where I might sit in the packed house, Sean took my hand. “I reserved a place for you.”

  “Really?” I asked, as I followed him through the crowd.

  “Yes, right here,” Sean said, motioning to a small, two-person table almost up on the stage.

  “You’re so sweet. Thank you.”

  He winked. “I figured I would go a long way with the band if I was good to their girlfriends.”

  I laughed. “That’s a really good plan.”

  After I took my seat, I didn’t have to wait long for the guys to take the stage. A roar went up over the crowd. I knew some of the people in the audience knew the guys from school. “Hey everybody, how you doin’ tonight?” Jake bellowed into the microphone. A few whistles went up around me when he flashed them his most come hither smile. “We’re Runaway Train, and we’re the new house band. Are you ready to rock tonight?”

  A resounding yell of approval came from the crowd. “Then let’s get start
ed!”

  With my seat close to the stage, I could see and hear everything almost too well. My ears rang from the noise, but I kept right on singing along and clapping my hands as the guys went through their set. Jake was a natural at working the crowd. Where Brayden was too shy, Jake knew exactly what to say and do. Even behind the drum set, AJ threw a few jokes out.

  After finishing up a cover of The Rolling Stones Start Me Up, which Jake received a pair of panties thrown in his face as his reward, Jake’s amused expression grew serious.

  “So, we’re going to excuse one of our members for a moment.” I furrowed my brows in confusion as I watched Brayden put his guitar up. I couldn’t imagine what he was doing. Pointing to Brayden, Jake said, “You see this guy here?” At the whistles and applause, Jake continued on. “He’s not only one hell of a guitar player, but he wrote most of the songs we just sang. But besides his talent, ladies and gentleman, he is the biggest romantic sap in the world. He’s been with the same woman since he was sixteen years old.”

  A chorus of “Aw’s” rang around the room. “Speaking of that same lady who has shackled our good man, she’s sitting right here.” The spotlight beamed over to me, and I fought the urge to dive under the table with mortification. “Don’t be embarrassed, Lily. Stand up so the good people can see what a stone-cold-fox you are.”

  I don’t know why I listened to Jake’s command, but I slowly rose out of my seat. Before I could sit back down, I saw Brayden cutting through the crowd with a dozen red roses in his arms. “It just happens to be Lily’s birthday next week, but she’s not going to be able to spend it with Brayden. So, we’d like to let them have a dance right now to celebrate Lily turning twenty one.”

  Brayden sat the roses down on the table, and then offered me his hand. When I took it, he pulled me against him and then bestowed a kiss on my lips. “Happy early Birthday, baby.”

  “Thank you,” I said, as I tried to fight the tears that stung my eyes from his romantic gesture.

  As Brayden led me to the dance floor, Jake said, “So here’s one of Brayden’s favorites that adequately expresses his love for Lily.” He started playing the opening of Eric Clapton’s Wonderful Tonight.