CHAPTER THREE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

H er heart had never pumped so fast in her life; not even her freshman year when she stepped on stage for her first open mic night. Never. She could have used a couple of minutes to regain her composure. Heck, she needed days to recover from that kiss. Unfortunately, she didn’t have a chance to dwell on a newly developed crush. Odds were good she’d never see Mr. Man ever again. That feeling sank like a rock in her stomach.

“Well, that kiss scored a ten from my viewpoint.” Maddy slapped Caroline on the back, causing her to stumble forward. For such a small package, Maddison Albright packed a punch.

Caroline regained her footing before slamming into the wall. The backstage room wasn’t much bigger than a closet. Their gear scattered around, waiting to be put to good use. “Felt like an eleven,” she whispered, not loud enough for the others to hear, but needing to voice her thoughts. Her lips still tingled. So, did her ass. Damn, those hands. She wondered what other parts he might have sent ablaze if given the chance.

“That was hot! Hands down the best kiss I’ve seen this year,” Nathan announced. Coming from him that meant a lot.

Caroline beamed at the compliment. Her cheeks ached from the silly ear to ear grin plastered on her face. She’d known he would be able to kiss, but she never expected him to make her weak at the knees. Seriously, he was the best kisser ever. Part of her hoped he’d stick around for the show, but then she wasn’t exactly sure what she would say to him. “Thanks for the kiss, want to get naked and sweaty?” There’s no way she could ever be that forward. But her thighs flexed at the thought of being wrapped around that big body. Her fingers danced along her bottom lip as she contemplated her options.

“I’ve never seen you so wrapped up in a kiss before. I thought I was the actress in our relationship?”

“You are; I wasn’t acting. That… oh his.” She sighed unable to describe her feeling. She switched tactics. “Thanks for taking those ladies for a walk. You’re a genius.”

Maddy smiled, but it was short lived. “Girl, you can’t kiss that guy again. I think—”

Brody wrapped his arm around her shoulder possessively. “Cheap tricks; that kiss wasn’t more than a seven. You looked hot, but he’s a chump.”

Caroline disagreed with his statement and his closeness. Maddy raised her eyebrows, forming deep lines on her forehead. Caroline wanted to know why she shouldn’t kiss Mr. Man again. It had been months since her last relationship ended, and she was ready to move on. Granted, she wasn’t the love em and leave em type. Caroline liked commitment and being in a relationship. This scared away her ex-boyfriends who felt she was too intense and needy. She didn’t think there was anything wrong with planning and knowing what she wanted.

She also knew what she didn’t want. “There were no tricks involved. Just two lips and one amazing tongue.” She removed his arm and walked towards her violin case.

“I’ll show you tongue,” Brody mumbled as he picked up his guitar. “I could do better. Kissing me would be off the charts hot.”

Her need to keep the peace overruled her need to respond. She didn’t want to argue or start a fight with her new band. While her friend had proven her abilities over a year ago, tonight was her turn. She had a lot to prove to this group, so she bit her tongue. Her eyes landed on Peter as he grabbed his sax, wrapping the strap over his shoulder. She needed one last vote to officially end this conversation. “What did you think, did I win?”

“That was smoking. You’ve got my vote, Caroline.” He blew a high note for extra emphasis which made her blush. Peter was her new favorite person. His easy charm and vivacious personality made people gravitate to him. “Since no one else will get a turn in before the end of the year, Caroline wins.” Peter fanned his face.

“Thanks, Pete. Now, we can move on to the next order of business; blowing the roof off this hotel.” She removed her instrument from its case and inspected the strings. It looked good.

“I think you made that man blow his load and honey, I would have traded places with you in a heartbeat. That guy is fine. The way he manhandled you was perfection. I’d love to get a big set of mitts like that on my ass.”

Caroline’s cheeks turned redder than Rudolph’s nose. “Peter!” She swatted his arm.

“What? It’s true. You looked about ready to come and I bet you left woman juice on his slacks. It was epic.” He clapped his hands, and she wanted to die.

What he said was totally possible. She was damp down there and she had rubbed herself against his thigh. More like humped his leg. She covered her face with her hands to hide the embarrassment.

“Enough!” Brody’s voice boomed. “We have a show to do. Get your heads out of the clouds.” He opened the doors which lead back into the ballroom. “Let’s get out there and do this. It’s time to see what people think of our new sound.”

The band had been close to signing a record deal when the rug was pulled from under them. They shifted gears recently, taking her on as a female vocalist and adding some violin riffs. She prayed the crowd would be receptive. The risk had been high, dropping out of school and moving out of her childhood home. But the reward would be life changing. She lacked the desire to follow her father’s footsteps; Caroline wanted to pave her own path. The first steps lead her to this moment.

Brody was right. There would be a time to daydream about sinful lips and rough hands, later. “I’m ready.” She gripped her bow and exhaled audibly. Their playlist was memorized and her body vibrated with excitement to step out in front of the crowd and play. She hoped her father would finally understand her talent was better served in front of an audience and not a hockey team.

Maddy bumped her hip and giggled. “Don’t be nervous. You’re gonna kill it.” She gave her a wink and walked under Brody’s outstretched arm. A look passed between them, and Caroline wondered what that was all about.

“Of course she will,” he said, holding the door open for them all. The rest of her band members went ahead of her. This was an acoustic set, so there wasn’t much to set up. The drum kit was already in position and Brody had his sticks in his back pocket.

Before she passed through the door, he squeezed her arm, halting her step. His grip wasn’t tight, but there was determination written all over his face. “When the show’s over, maybe we—”

“Let’s not keep them waiting. Okay?” She gave him a small smile and pulled her arm free. The last thing she wanted was to talk about hooking up. The way his eyes stared at her cleavage let her know exactly what interested him. She’d suspected he had a crush on her with how he flirted constantly, but now was not the time or place. Never was a better option, but at some point she’d have to address the elephant in the room. She wanted to prove her musical talent first, and then she’d let him down gently.

“Yeah, we’ll pick this up later.” The hint of irritation in his voice didn’t go unnoticed.

Letting it go, she walked out into the ballroom. It was packed with people dressed to the nines. Her sister was the first face she saw when she looked out at the crowd. The rocking motion persisted. Caroline had half a mind to leap off the stage and yell at Meagan. But it wasn’t her fault; she was following orders. They all knew better than to cross her father. He could be a tyrant.

Next, she spotted her father talking to a young couple who looked very much in love. They couldn’t take their eyes off each other and the way their hands were locked sent a pang of jealousy through her. It looked like they would never let go of each other. One day, she hoped to meet someone who wouldn’t be able to let her go either. The man, no doubt another hockey player, wore a suit and his tie matched the girl’s auburn curls. They were so damn cute together. As if they read her mind, the couple turned their attention to her and smiled. Her father pointed in her direction and the couple nodded. She was still furious with her father and gave a slight irritated wave before taking her position in the center of the stage.

She couldn’t get over the fact he let Connie stay, but she wasn’t her mother. It wasn’t her decision to make. But that didn’t mean she had to like it. She couldn’t look at her father anymore without wanting to cause a scene. Maddy stepped close enough for her long brown hair to graze her arm. “She’ll be fine for another thirty minutes. Once she hears you sing it will calm her. Relax,” she said in a low voice.

Her entire body was stiff, and she had to take a calming breath. “You’re right. Thanks. Are you all ready?”

The band nodded and Caroline made sure they were all set up. The ballroom had a small stage built in the corner. It wasn’t more than a foot off the ground, but it gave her a chance to look out into the sea of well-dressed party-goers. She didn’t want to find him, but that didn’t stop her from scanning the room until she found him. He stood along the entry wall, looking as large and brooding as he had when he first walked in. Only now his hair was slightly more disheveled. Caroline avoided looking down at his pants. Not caring to know if Peter had been right. Yet, once she found him, looking away became impossible. There was a pull there that she couldn’t explain.

“Hello everyone; are you having a good time?” Nathan belted into the microphone. He had a voice meant for the radio; deep and seductive. There were some cheers, but it was all fairly subdued. Mr. Man didn’t move an inch. He stayed glued to the wall. Stoic; his expression masked by his burly beard. “I guess you didn’t hear me. Are you having a good time?”

This time the crowd yelled back and cheered. That was more like it. But the man in leather didn’t respond, only stared at her. Nathan introduced the band, and she smiled on cue, but her eyes remained locked onto the ominous hunk of sex on two legs. She broke first and looked away before speaking into her mic. “Let’s put this year behind us in style.” She placed her violin under her chin as Brody counted them down. They started with a bluesy Elvis cover with a modern twist. Caroline closed her eyes and let the beat take over. When it was time for her to sing, she lowered the violin and let her voice take on the rasp she’d practiced. The lyrics rolled into the mic as she sang for Connie.

Her sister loved her voice. When Connie was a baby, Caroline would slow the beat of current pop songs down and lull her to sleep. Singing to her sister was how she discovered how healing music could be. The loss of their mother had forced her to grow up fast. Her father did his best, but having an autistic baby was overwhelming even for the strongest person. Connie needed so much attention and her final diagnosis had taken years to come. If Connie was in the midst of a breakdown, Caroline would sing until it passed. As the years passed, her voice still had the same effect on her sister. She opened her eyes and noticed that Connie had visibly relaxed. The little girl wouldn’t look at the stage; she rarely looked at people directly, but Caroline knew she saw her.

The crowd swayed to their adaptation and seemed to like it. It sent a rush through her. Being on stage was the best. She wished she hadn’t waited so long to follow her heart. When that song ended, they rolled through half their playlist to a roar of cheers. People liked their music; they liked her and that was the best feeling in the world. Her throaty sound was being well received.

She’d purposely avoided the blond kissing machine, but her eyes sought him again. With his jacket still on, he wasn’t clapping; just staring. Once she locked onto him, the rest of the set flew by. He never danced or smiled, or showed any outward sign of appreciation.

“Let the countdown begin,” Caroline said. Beside him, not one, but three women approached. They wanted their New Year’s Eve kiss. She couldn’t blame them, but she didn’t need to watch. She gripped the mic stand hard enough to snap it. He crossed his arms over his broad chest. His lips moved as he talked to the women.

“Ten, nine, eight.” The crowd joined in.

They chanted and cheered. “Seven, six, five.”

Why did he have to be so imposing and delicious?

“Four, three, two.” She diverted her attention and focused on Maddy.

“One; Happy New Year!”

The band played their version of Auld Lang Syne and the dance floor was littered with people kissing. She avoided the back wall. Keeping her eyes on her friend, who had her eyes on Brody. There was definitely something going on there. How had she missed that one?

The second the song ended the band left the stage, retreating to the back room. Her first gig was over and she floated on a high like she’d never experienced before. Nothing could bring her down. She put away her violin, stood up and got spun around. A set of warm lips covered hers. The kiss was rough, demanding and unexpected. Her eyes widened as Brody pulled her body closer to his.

This was not happening. She pushed Brody back with a giant shove. A second later he was on the ground and Mr. Man was standing over him. WTF!