Taut Strings: A Rock Star Romance (River Valley Rebels)

by Gabrielle Sands

  A month later, I’d torn the photo down.

  7

  ADELINE

  I returned to the studio the next day empty-handed. The SUV wasn’t in the parking lot, but there was a white Jeep, a truck, and a Tesla. Something told me the Tesla belonged to Abel. Beautiful and untouchable.

  The guys were waiting for me in the studio when I walked inside. After some scattered greetings, Cole shot a look at Abel, and the lead singer rolled his eyes. He stood up from his chair and took a few steps toward me, his green eyes fixed on me with a focused intensity. A part of me was curious what words had been exchanged after I had left the day before. Then again, another part of me was sure it was none of my business.

  He cleared his throat, as if steeling himself for the words that were about to come out. “I apologize for yesterday,” he said in a neutral voice. I couldn’t read him, couldn’t even hope to know if he was being sincere or not, but I held his gaze, nonetheless.

  “Your playing was fine,” he added, blinking a few times and making me notice the lush fullness of his lashes. “I’d like to keep working together.”

  It wasn’t a flaming endorsement, but at least now he’d gone on record saying that he was fine with me being here. If I’d had more pride or other gigs on the table that paid twenty grand, I might have sneered at him and walked out. Instead, I gave him a terse nod. “I accept your apology.”

  Something closer to a grimace than a smile fluttered across his face. Without another word, he moved his attention to the guys behind me.

  “I want everyone ready to roll in two minutes,” Abel barked. “We’re not leaving for lunch until you’re able to nail this next song.”

  Abel set a frantic pace over the next two days. He wanted to start recording the following week, which seemed incredibly ambitious, and this upped the pressure on me to learn the songs quickly.

  I asked Ezra what he thought about our progress when we began to pack up on Wednesday night. “I think we’re on track,” he said. “We have three more songs to rehearse by the end of this week. Feels doable.”

  Over the past few days, I’d gotten a chance to know him better, and we’d built an easy rapport. He wasn’t an open book like Cole, or gruffly direct like Silas, but he answered my questions without hesitation and seemed to enjoy working together. He smiled often, but I thought there was something sad hidden in the depths of his eyes.

  Cole came to stand by us, drawing me out of my thoughts. “Adeline, do you want to grab dinner with us?”

  “Thanks, but I should head back,” I said to him with an apologetic smile. “I haven’t spent much time with my sister, and she’s leaving in just a couple of weeks.”

  “Why don’t you bring her?” he offered. “We can all go home to drop off our stuff and then meet at the Italian place on the east side.”

  That all sounded great, except for the fact that I hadn’t exactly told Molly what I’d been doing this week. I knew she’d blow this out of proportion, thinking it was going to be my big break or some other nonsense like that. I didn’t want that pressure, but at the same time, I hated lying to her. I’d been telling her that I was spending my mornings at the gym and then working more shifts at the bar.

  “What do you think?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows in a way that made me laugh. Cole was easy to get along with.

  “Okay, I’ll see if I can drag her out. She’ll want a picture with you guys. She nearly killed me when I told her I didn’t get one at the show.”

  Cole smiled, and my eyes caught on the perfect shape of his lips.

  “And you haven’t gotten one with us during the past few days, either. We’ll have to fix that tonight.” He looked back over his shoulder. “I’ll go tell the guys, they’re always so goddamn slow getting out of here.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you in about an hour.”

  “You are doing what?” Molly gaped at me when I filled her in on my new gig.

  “And you kept it from me? This is huge! Oh. My. God. My sister is going to be a rock star!” she shrieked, her palms coming to press against the sides of her face.

  “Molly, no,” I said, even though I couldn’t help but laugh at her over-the-top reaction. “This. This right here is exactly why I didn’t want to say anything. It’s just a short gig to help them record one album. Don’t make it a whole thing.”

  “But it is a whole thing, Ade. They are huge. I mean huge! You need to start an Instagram account right now and document the process. You’ll have a hundred thousand followers within a few weeks. That’s your platform right there,” she said as she followed me into my room.

  I huffed. “Look at you, little miss marketing queen. What are they going to teach you at Northeastern if you already know everything? And no, I am certainly not documenting anything. I’m pretty sure they’re trying to keep this whole album on the down-low for now. So don’t say a word to anyone, okay?”

  She groaned, as if keeping it a secret would bring her serious pain. “Okay, I’ll stay quiet, but…oh my God!”

  “You said that already. Now calm down, go change, and meet me by the door in ten. We’re going to all have dinner together.”

  “Together?” she whispered. “You mean me and you? Or do you mean…”

  “You and me and the band. Please don’t scream.”

  Molly slapped her palms over her mouth and failed to stifle her excited squeal.

  “And I already checked, you can get a picture. Just one. Now go. Hurry.”

  Fifteen minutes later, we were in the car driving to the restaurant.

  “What are they like?” Molly asked, fidgeting with the collar of her T-shirt. “Are they nice?”

  “They’re just people, Molly,” I responded with a shrug.

  “C’mon, give me a little more than that.”

  I blew out a breath. “Okay. Silas is a little quiet, but he’s sincere and encouraging. He’s been coaching me a lot, since we’re both guitar players, and it’s been incredible to learn from him. Cole is funny and easy to get along with. He’s the kind of guy that everyone likes immediately. I’m still getting to know Ezra, but he strikes me as kind and levelheaded. He has a more mature air to him compared to the other guys. And Abel is…a brilliant singer. He’s producing the album.”

  She hummed in response. “And which one is the most attractive, in your opinion?”

  “Molly!”

  “Oh, please. Don’t even try to tell me you haven’t noticed you’re surrounded by four really, really, good-looking men. Come on, Ade. Nothing wrong with a little innocent crush.”

  I bit my tongue. Sure, there was nothing wrong with one crush, but how about three? A part of me was glad Abel was acting cold to me. At least that helped me ignore the way my entire body reacted to him when he sang.

  “It’s a job, Molly. Not a hunting ground.”

  She snorted. “Fine. Anything else I should know?”

  “Don’t bring up Charlie, the member who died. They’re still grieving him,” I explained.

  “Got it,” she said, and I knew she did.

  A ringing bell announced our arrival at the restaurant. I scanned the rows of tables covered in checkered red and white table cloths, topped with delicate jars of olive oil and crushed chilies. The smell of baked dough wafted through the restaurant, two huge clay pizza ovens being the likely culprits.

  “Over here!”

  Cole waved at us from a round table in the corner of the dining room. His dark curls somewhat tamed and slicked back behind his ears.

  “Hey, guys,” I greeted them as we got to the table. “This is my sister, Molly.”

  Molly gave them a shy wave, her usually outgoing demeanor dampened by her nerves.

  “Hey,” Ezra said, giving her his best disarming smile. “We’ve heard so much about you from Adeline.”

  “Yeah, she’s been spilling all your dirt, so you know, tonight is the perfect chance for payback,” Cole joked. The mischievous bastard.

  “Don’t listen to him. And d
on’t trust a word he says,” I advised, guiding her to an empty chair between Cole and Ezra before taking the last free seat between Silas and Abel.

  “All right, quick introductions,” Ezra said. “The brooding giant is Silas. He doesn’t look it, but he’s harmless. Just keep your eyes on your fries—he’s been known to eat a truly astounding amount from other people’s plates.”

  Molly stifled a laugh, and I could’ve kissed Ezra in that moment for trying to make her feel more comfortable.

  “The one on your left is Cole. He snuck onto the tour bus one night, and we’ve never been able to get rid of him.”

  “If by snuck on, you mean you begged me to start a band with you and told me you’d never find another bassist who sounded as good,” Cole retorted, “then yeah, sounds about right.”

  Ezra shook his head at the bassist and then continued. “This is Abel. He…” Ezra trailed off as if trying to figure out the most appropriate thing to say about the enigmatic lead singer.

  “He can introduce himself,” Abel said, glaring at Ezra before pinning his gaze on Molly.

  My palms were clammy. In that moment, I wished I’d asked Abel to play nice with my sister before agreeing to come to this dinner. I could deal with his attitude and biting comments, but the thought of him being cruel to my sister made my blood run cold. The urge to protect her was so strong, I was about to jump out of my seat and do God knows what.

  To my shocked relief, Abel sounded perfectly cordial as he said, “Nice to meet you, Molly. I don’t try to be a comedian because I know I don’t possess one funny bone in my body. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about my bandmates. I also sing and write our music.”

  She smiled back at him. “You know, I think Adeline could learn a thing or two from you. Sometimes her attempts at being amusing are truly cringe-worthy.”

  I narrowed my eyes. So much for needing to protect Molly.

  “Hey, you’re not supposed to throw me under the bus in front of my new coworkers,” I grumbled.

  “Nice to meet you all,” Molly said, rolling her eyes at me. “It’s really cool that you’re working with my sister.”

  “Hey, it’s been a ton of fun,” Cole said. “Your sister might not be funny, but she’s a badass guitarist. And she knows how to put Abel in his place, which might be even more impressive.”

  I barely suppressed a wince as Abel shot Cole a dark look.

  Molly remained oblivious. “You know, I’ve been telling her for years that she can have a career in music if she wants to, but she’s never listened to me.”

  “And why’s that?” Ezra asked.

  I scowled at Molly from across the table, but she ignored me. “It all started when that stupid music school didn’t—”

  “That’s enough, Molly,” I cut her off. Jesus, she’d warmed up to them quickly enough. “Look, the waiter is coming back, do you know what you want to order?”

  “We ordered a bunch of stuff already,” Cole said, glancing between my sister and I. “Thought we’d share everything. You ladies okay with family style?”

  “Yeah, that’s great. I hate deciding on what to order, I always just want to try everything,” Molly agreed, casting Cole a shy smile.

  Moments later, a waiter was at the table with the appetizers they had ordered.

  “Could I get a beer?” I asked him, needing to take the edge off. Molly was talking to Cole about something, seeming completely at ease, and now I was the one feeling awkward. My interrupting her hadn’t gone unnoticed, and I wished I hadn’t made it so fucking obvious that I didn’t want her to keep talking.

  Silas’s palm landed on my knee under the table, swallowing it whole. The friendly gesture sent a thrill up my spine. I turned to look at him, my brow raised in question.

  He was looking at me with a contemplative expression, his eyes darker than normal. I wondered how many drinks they’d had before we arrived.

  “You okay?” he asked under his breath, giving my leg a gentle squeeze.

  “Fine,” I answered, enjoying the sensation of his hand on my skin a lot more than I should. “You?”

  “Great. You’re picking things up quickly.” He pulled his palm away, sending shivers down my thigh.

  “Yeah, I have to if we want to start recording next week.”

  Silas shrugged. “It won’t be a problem. A lot of the techniques repeat throughout the songs, so now that you’re getting used to them, it should be smooth sailing.”

  “Why didn’t you just record the two guitar tracks yourself? Clearly, you’re more than capable of playing them.” This question had been needling at me ever since I saw how proficient Silas was at playing both the rhythm and lead parts.

  “It’s not just ability that matters. It’s also a matter of style. Charlie and I had two very different sounds and that’s a big part of what made us stand out. Him and I complimented each other well, just like I know you and I will too.”

  Our conversation was silenced by Ezra clinking on his beer glass with a butter knife. I saw that my beer had arrived as well.

  He jumped right into his impromptu toast. “Been a long fucking time since we’ve done something like this,” he stated in his smooth voice as he looked around the table. “To new friends, new albums, and new dreams.” He looked directly at me as he said the last part.

  We clinked our drinks together and drank to his toast. A few moments later, the mains arrived.

  The conversation began to flow once again, and when the entire table laughed at some joke from Cole, the sound fresh and easy, I caught Ezra’s sky-blue gaze from across the table. His smile no longer seemed sad.

  “Molly, Adeline told us you’re going off to college soon. Studying marketing, I believe?” Cole asked my sister.

  “Yep.”

  “What are you planning on doing after you graduate?” He frowned. “Jesus, I sound old.”

  Molly giggled. “I want to be a social media manager, or maybe a talent manager down the road. I think it’s fascinating how people are now able to connect and grow their fan base online through new engagement channels.”

  Silas sipped on his beer, somehow drinking half the glass in one go. “That stuff didn’t even exist when we were getting started.”

  She grinned at him, “Well, you managed to figure it out eventually. Or your team has. You guys have over ten million followers on your band page. That’s impressive. Abel has…what? Two million?”

  Molly looked at the singer sitting across from her, waiting for him to respond, and again, I was gripped with this fear that he was going to be nasty to her. Instead, he shrugged and said, “Almost three now. It’s all due to our social media manager, Christina. She understands the strategy inside out.” After a moment, he added, “Do you want me to introduce you two? If you have any questions or want to get career advice, I’m sure she’d be happy to help.”

  My jaw dropped. Who the hell was this, and what had he done with the jerk who’d yelled at us over the past two days about not playing well enough?

  Molly beamed, her eyes literally sparkling. “Oh my God, that would be amazing. I’d love to chat with her.”

  Abel smiled, and I discovered that this made the dimples on his cheeks even more pronounced. “Cool, give me your email, and I’ll set it up.”

  While Molly scrambled for a pen in her purse, Abel’s eyes locked on mine, as if he were gauging my reaction to this personality change.

  The smile I returned was wobbly and uncertain. Over the past few days, I had begun to assume that Abel was cold toward everyone. That it was his personality, rather than a personal dislike of me. Now, I wasn’t so sure.

  An uncomfortable feeling swept through me. The guys were talking to Molly, but I was deep in my own head, going over every interaction we’d had in the past few days. Abel had said no more than a handful of words to me while we worked together, and when he had said something, it had usually been a curt comment about my playing or instructions on what we were doing next. I didn’t think him
capable of the generosity he was now showing Molly, because he sure as hell never showed it to me. What had I done to make him dislike me so much?

  Rubbing at my nose, I forced myself to once again pay attention to the conversation. I wasn’t going to let this affect me. I sure as hell wasn’t going to go out of my way to get Abel to like me as a person. As far as I could tell, I hadn’t done anything bad to him, so if he had an issue with me, that was his problem.

  The table was cleared for dessert, and Molly took the opportunity to get her Instagram-worthy shot.

  “Could we stand up and take it with the wall as the background?” she asked, pulling out her phone and waving it around to find the perfect angle.

  The guys, so obedient to my seventeen-year-old sister, stood up and arranged themselves in a row.

  “Give me the phone, Mol. I’ll take it.”

  My sister handed me her phone before taking her place in the middle, flanked by Abel and Ezra.

  I took a few pictures, despite telling Molly she’d only get one.

  “Okay, now you gotta get one with us and Adeline. She told us you’ve been on her butt for not taking one at the show,” Cole said.

  “Yeah! Get over here, Ade.”

  I switched spots with Molly and handed the phone back to her.

  “Stand a little closer,” she directed, waving her hands for emphasis.

  We squished together until I could feel both Ezra and Abel pressed up against my entire sides. Ezra curled his arm around my waist, while Abel snaked his around my shoulders. I glanced at the lead singer to find him looking at me, his face mere inches from mine. His long eyelashes fanned across his cheeks when he blinked.

  Why couldn’t this man who seemed to hate me be a tad less attractive?

  “Look here!” Molly said, and I flicked my attention back to her, plastering a smile on my face.