A Voice to Love (Fallen Tuesday Book One) (A Brothers of Rock Novel) (16 page)

“Okay, baby,” Luke said.
“I’m right here. I just need to get something.”

Luke hated to move away
from Amy but he needed to. He reached for his jeans and retrieved protection.
The lingering moment between them was enough to actually have Luke couldn’t
believe that he was slightly shaking. He was nervous. He wanted to have Amy,
and it wasn’t for one night. Amy had unlocked feelings and emotions within him.

Luke was over Amy again,
ready. He came forward and with a single hard thrust, he entered Amy.

It quickly became clear
that it wasn’t just a physical connection happening. Amy moved with Luke,
arching her back when needed, thrusting up at the right time, staring at Luke,
her lips trembling, her nails softly scratching at Luke, it was hard for Luke
to keep himself composed. He moved with the rhythm of Amy’s body, wanting to
show her how beautiful she was. His hands moved everywhere on her body. He
touched her hips, cupped her ass, held her breasts, tasted her body, and
finally, he had a hand behind her head. He lifted and began to kiss Amy.
Nothing would ever taste or feel better than the moment when they began to
climax together.

Even after they were both
finished, Luke didn’t stop. He kept his body tight to Amy’s, resting easily
inside her. He held her hand and they kissed for what could have been hours.
Together, they slowly turned to their sides and still holding hands, their legs
locked, their mouths touching. Even when they weren’t kissing, their lips were
still touching. Luke placed his right hand to the middle of Amy’s back and pulled
her to his chest. He wanted to feel her breasts against him, but more so, he
wanted to feel her heartbeat.

He did.

Her heart was racing.

The tips of their noses
touched and when Luke wrinkled his nose for a second, Amy smiled. She touched
his face.

“I’m so happy you’re
here,” Amy said.

“Me too,” Luke said. “I
don’t have to leave either.”

“Yes you do,” Amy said.
“You’re a rockstar. You have fans. You have a life.”

“I’m resting my throat,”
Luke said. “Doctor’s orders. And right now… I think I’m staring at a big piece
of my life right now.”

Amy closed her eyes and
tucked her head down. She was trying to hide. It hurt Luke to see her like
that. She reminded him of an abused woman.

“Did he ever hurt you?”
Luke asked.

Amy looked at him. “Are
we really going to talk about this while we’re naked?”

“Do you feel like getting
dressed?”

“No.”

“Then, yes, we’re going
to talk about this while we’re naked.”

Amy closed her eyes.
“Luke, what if I told you he was right.”

“Calling you a name like
that?”

“Maybe not that,” Amy
said. “But maybe everything else.”

Luke placed his hand to
Amy’s cheek. He used his thumb to tease at Amy’s eye until she opened both
eyes.

“Baby, I’m right here,”
Luke said. “I’m not going anywhere. That man I saw tonight is a dangerous man.
We both know that. And he’s making threats to you and your uncle. I want to
help you.”

“Punching him only makes
him happy,” Amy said. “He prides himself off being some kind of bad biker guy.”

“That’s okay,” Luke said.
“I shouldn’t have done what I did.”

Amy touched Luke’s lip.
She rubbed against the small cut there. “You shouldn’t… but it was kind of sexy
to see someone knock Denny down.”

“Tell me why,” Luke said.
“What did he do to you?”

“I’m afraid,” Amy said.

“I told you, I’m right
here.”

“That’s what I’m afraid
of, Luke.”

“Of me?”

“I’m afraid of you being
here,” Amy said, “and getting hurt.”

“Amy…”

“I’m afraid if I tell you
everything, you’re going to leave. I would leave.”

“What did you do then?”
Luke asked. “Did you kill someone, Amy?”

“No,” Amy said. “No. I
didn’t kill someone.”

“It’s okay, baby. I’ll
help you.”

Luke saw the fear spread
across Amy’s face. The fear was deep in her eyes. He purposely held her tighter,
wanting her to know he really was there. He wasn’t going to go anywhere.

“Tell me,” Luke
whispered.

“Okay.” Amy licked her
lips. “I was supposed to take over the restaurant from Uncle Tom. That was the
plan. He was going to retire and it would become mine. The thing is, the
restaurant is all he knows. He started the place. He lost his wife early and
never remarried. He never had kids either, which meant I was the closest person
to a child he ever had. Being able to go to college and work there and slowly
take over the kitchen, it’s a dream come true. I thought I would have the
restaurant by now but Uncle Tom can’t let it go. I don’t blame him for it, I
don’t hate him for it. At all. I spent all my savings, all my money trying to
pay back my debts and get ready to take the restaurant over. Then something
happened… Uncle Tom got sick for a few months and the restaurant took a hit. We
basically had a terrible year, which a lot of businesses did when the economy
toppled.”

“I could understand
that,” Luke said.

“Yeah, that’s where
things get bad. Uncle Tom had spent some money updating the restaurant. Most of
the things were my suggestion. Again, I thought we were getting everything in
order for me to take over. I thought he was using cash, but as it turned out,
Uncle Tom was using credit cards to pay for a lot of things. With the economy
down and business sliding, the restaurant survived on credit for a good while.
When he got better and came back, he was devastated to find that we were in
financial trouble. No banks would help us, not that there was much they could
have done. We needed money, and fast. So I did something…”

“It involves Denny?” Luke
asked.

A shameful Amy nodded. “I
asked him for money. He gave it to me. I was going to pay him back once I took the
restaurant over and had control of the books and finances. Once the restaurant
started to turn around again, Uncle Tom came to me and explained he wasn’t
going to be able to step away just yet. By then Denny and I were broken up and
he wanted his money back. Part of me felt I earned it because of how he treated
me. But I know better, Luke. I’m not a thief. I’m not a criminal. Yet I feel
like one. Denny has every right to come after me. To come after the
restaurant.”

“Nobody has a right to
call a woman what he called you,” Luke said. Luke gently ran his hand down
Amy’s face. “What does your uncle think of this?”

That’s when Amy blinked
and a tear fell. “He doesn’t know.”

“He doesn’t know? How?”

“He thinks I put the
money into the business. He thinks I had a savings account and used it all to
save the restaurant. He feels guilty and I feel like the worst person in the
world.”

“Wow,” Luke whispered.
“That’s…”

“I’m a terrible person,”
Amy said. “You can say it.”

“You’re not a terrible
person,” Luke said. “You were in a terrible position. I’m sorry you had to make
those decisions, Amy, but this isn’t the end of the world. And whether you owe
money to Denny or not, he has no right to threaten you or call you names.”

Amy swallowed. “I know.
But I feel like maybe if he does it enough, it’ll go away. He disappears from
time to time, leaving me alone for a month or two. But he always comes back.”

“I need to ask,” Luke
said. “How much do you owe him?”

Amy shook her head.

“Amy, I’m not leaving,”
Luke said. “I know what secrets can do. I just lived through it. I had to watch
the rest of Falling Tuesday stand there and look at me like I quit the band.
All because of a secret I kept. Don’t do the same…”

“It’s a lot of money,”
Amy said.

“Try me.”

“Eighty… thousand…”

Luke nodded. “Okay. That
is a lot of money. I can see why he wants that back.”

“I’m horrible.”

“No. You’re not horrible.
We just need to figure out a plan.”

“It’ll hurt Uncle Tom,”
Amy said. “If he finds out that I never told him how I’ve been living since it
happened, he will be devastated.”

“It’s okay,” Luke said.

Tears fell faster from
Amy’s eyes. Luke tried to collect as many as he could. There was no need for
Amy to feel the way she did. The guilt and fear were vile. Luke kissed Amy’s
forehead and then her mouth. She let out a shaking breath as she kissed back.

“Please don’t go,” Amy
whispered.

“I would never leave,”
Luke said. “Do you trust me?”

Amy nodded. “I do.”

“Good. Then we’ll figure
something out.”

Luke stared at Amy and
saw the look in her eyes. He couldn’t move away from her. He couldn’t be mad at
her. She made a decision that today may not have been great, but in that
moment, it was the best decision she could have made. Luke knew that all too
well.

Amy pulled at him. She
wrapped her left leg tight around Luke and gently moved against him.

“Amy…”

“I want you again, right
now.”

Luke couldn’t deny her.
For as much as Amy needed him, he needed her. Luke rolled on top and then
across Amy. He touched his jeans and sighed. He wasn’t well prepared for a night
like this.

“Amy, I’m sorry,” he
whispered.

“Top drawer, Luke.”

Luke smiled. He opened
the drawer and found just what he needed. He rolled back and then pulled Amy on
top of him. She let out a giggling cry but the silence that fell between them
was intense. Luke put on protection and then held Amy by her hips. He looked at
everything he could. Her face. Her hair. Her body. The perfection of beautiful
before his eyes.

“You look like you want
to say something,” Amy whispered.

“We can talk again
later,” Luke said.

They came together,
again, and once they were finished this time, there was no energy left to talk…
so they slept.

(15)

Luke woke up the next
morning before Amy. He managed to sneak from the bed without disturbing her. He
grabbed his boxers and jeans, dressing from the waist down. Luke then stood at
the bed and admired Amy as she slept. The covers were just below her shoulder,
showing enough skin to entice him but not too much. Even when she slept she was
beautiful. Luke wanted to protect her. He wanted to be with her. He wanted
everything that came with the feelings inside him.

As he searched the small
kitchen for coffee, Luke came up with a solution to a couple nagging problems.
It was nice to be in a kitchen that had actual food and drink. With the coffee
made, Luke sat at Amy’s table alone, sipping his hot beverage and thinking. His
throat felt thick and irritated but it didn’t hurt that much. He hadn’t sang in
a little while and maybe it was already helping. At least that’s what Luke
could believe.

After his first cup of
coffee, he watched in awe as Amy appeared from the bedroom. She wore a long
t-shirt and it tortured Luke to wonder if she wore anything else under it. Her
hair looked thick, messy, and sexy. When she saw him, she smiled.

“I thought you left.”

“Just made coffee,” Luke
said. “Thought about breakfast, but I’d hate to insult you.”

“Insult me?”

“If I made eggs, you’d
never eat or want to cook again… it’s that bad.”

“You know, I am a
professional chef,” Amy said.

“As long as you cook like
that,” Luke said.

Amy walked to the kitchen
and when she reached for a mug, the t-shirt pulled up. Luke’s eyes widened.
When he saw the black lines of panties that hugged and cupped in all the right
areas on Amy’s backside and hips, he wasn’t sure whether to be turned on or let
down. Seeing her in just a t-shirt and panties was sexy, but his mind couldn’t
help but imagine her in nothing but a t-shirt.

“Get your coffee and come
sit with me,” Luke said.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“For you, yes.”

Amy blushed and almost
spilled her coffee. She stumbled and walked to the table. Sitting across from
Luke, they stared at each other, the passion from last night still present. It
was all Luke could hope for right then. He didn’t want to just spend a night
with Amy. He wanted more time… more of her…

“I have something for
you,” Luke said.

“Something?”

“A way to help everyone
out.”

Amy sighed and sipped her
coffee. “Can we talk about this in a little while? I really don’t want to get
into anything first thing in the morning.”

“Okay,” Luke said.
“Whatever you want, baby, I’m right here.”

“How does your throat
feel?”

“Better,” Luke said.
“That’s what rest will do.”

“Should you be resting
more?”

“Resting more?” Luke
asked.

He watched color flood
Amy’s face. “You know, I mean, what we did last night… does that…”

“Making love to you does
not hurt my throat,” Luke said. He reached across the table and took Amy’s
hand. “And if it did, I wouldn’t stop. I’d lose my voice if it meant taking
care of you, baby.”

Amy’s bottom lip
quivered. She then bit on her lip and that was all Luke could handle. He stood
from the table, his hand still holding Amy’s hand. He pulled her, forcing her
into his arms.

“This is dangerous,” Luke
said.

“What is?”

“How much I want you.”

They kissed. His hands
touched the line of panties cupping her ass. He lifted Amy and carried her to
the bedroom. Luke should have known better than to leave the bedroom. They
should have just stayed there all night and all morning.

When they finished that
morning, Luke rolled from Amy short of breath. Any kind of apprehension she may
have had the night about with them coming together for the first time (or
second time), it was long gone by then. Luke couldn’t recall being with a woman
who wanted him so badly or who was willing to show the passion in return like
Amy had done. It wasn’t because he was a famous rockstar, it was because Luke
was simply Luke. He faced Amy in her bed, fighting to get the last few strands
of sweaty hair off her face. She looked at him with the most innocent,
in-need-of set of eyes that tore through any barrier Luke ever thought of
putting up. That made the thought easy rolling through his mind, he was falling
for Amy.

They remained silent
except their breaths, long enough that Luke actually considered just staying in
bed with her all day long.

“I want to help you,”
Luke said.

“Luke…”

“Amy, don’t look away
from me.” Luke held Amy’s face in his hands. “I care about you. I really care
about you. I’m falling for you. Right now as I speak and from the second you
crashed into me outside that hotel.”

“Don’t say things like
that,” Amy said.

“It’s the truth. That
night, we were in a hotel room because our tour bus got a flat tire. I needed
the night to rest my throat but the guys wanted to play. Next thing I knew,
fans were showing up and it turned into a damn concert. I had to get out of
there because my throat started to really bother me. So I left. I stood in the
cold and waited for something to happen. Something to come to me. Then you
came… and you’ve become a part of me somehow.”

“Luke, I’m naked right
now,” Amy said. “Any guy…”

Luke shut his eyes. “My
eyes are shut and I’m still falling for you.”

“Luke,” Amy said with a
sigh. “I’m a mess. You’re recovering from a throat issue. You have a band. I have
a restaurant to run.”

“We have each other,”
Luke said. “Right here, right now. Fallen Tuesday is recording in New York. I’m
going to get it done right around here. There’s a studio, I’m sure. If not,
I’ll build one. I don’t care. I’m not leaving.”

“You have a house in Los
Angeles.”

“No. I have an apartment
that’s half trashed and mostly empty. It’s not a home. It’s nothing. When I
stepped into that apartment, my heart broke. It was so lonely. I’d rather be
here, with you, chilly and naked in bed.”

“Even if I was wearing
clothes?” Amy asked with a smile.

“Sure. We can get into
bed with you wearing clothes. I’d end up taking them off… but sure.”

Amy put her lips to
Luke’s chest. “This is too good for me.”

“No, it’s not. I’m sorry
for the guilt you’re carrying. I’m going to take care of that.”

“Take care of what?”

“Denny.”

“What does that mean?”
Amy looked at Luke with worried eyes.

“I played drums for
Chasing Cross after their drummer left and took a break. It was the offer of a
lifetime and I took advantage of it. But I also took advantage of my body. I
played two shows a night, one with Fallen Tuesday and then one with Chasing
Cross. It was grueling and fun, but it screwed my throat up. I spent three or
four hours a night singing and screaming. That’s when it started. I went to a
doctor and got the news that I should take a break. But I didn’t take a break.
I kept going.”

“I’m sorry you went
through that,”Amy said.

“Well, I was paid like I
was the drummer for Chasing Cross. I thought I would take the money and buy
something I didn’t really need, but to be honest, I hate the money. I hate the
idea of that money being the reason why I’m in this position with Fallen
Tuesday. I’ll pay Denny back the money you owe. He’ll disappear and you move
forward.”

“No,” Amy said. She
hurried and sat up, holding the sheet to her chest. “I would never do that.”

“I’m not offering,” Luke
said. “I’m doing it.”

“I can’t end up owing you
now.”

“You won’t owe me. I’m
paying it forward. You shouldn’t have been put in that situation.”

“I refuse to take it.”

Amy started to move from
the bed. Luke tried to grab at her but he ended up with the bed sheet instead.
It pulled from Amy’s nude body. The sight was beautiful but definitely not the
right time to see. Amy retrieved a robe and put it on.

“I’m not a whore,” Amy
said.

“I never said that. I’m
trying to help you.”

Luke didn’t get it. What
was so wrong with helping?

“Your heart means well,”
Amy said. “I can’t take your money. You earned it.”

“I hate that money,” Luke
said. He moved from the bed and grabbed his pants. “I just said that, Amy. I
don’t want that money.”

“Fine,” Amy said. “Go
invest it in something.”

“So what are you going to
do then? Spend your life looking over your shoulder? Waiting for Denny to text
you? To come back? What about your uncle?”

“That’s my life,” Amy
said. “Those are my problems. Not yours. You have enough to deal with without
my life. I already told you, I’m a mess.”

“Yeah? Well I think I’m
in love with this mess,” Luke said. “Okay?”

Amy touched her mouth.
“Please…”

“No,” Luke said. “You’re
not going to be afraid of this.” Luke walked to Amy. He touched her arms. “Tell
me. Tell me how you feel about me. About us. About this between us."

"I don't know what
you want me to say."

"How you feel,"
Luke said.

"I like you, Luke. I
can't believe that you're a famous rockstar and that you want me."

"Don't treat me like
that," Luke said. "I'm not a rockstar right now. I'm a man confessing
my feelings to you."

"You want to give me
money. How can I look at you and not feel guilty? Every purchase I
make..."

"I want to put the
money to good use," Luke said. "Your happiness is worth it to me. Get
this guy out of your life."

"I told you already,
invest it."

Amy shook away and walked
by Luke. She made it to the door and Luke called her name. Amy looked back, her
eyes glossy.

"I can't walk out
again," Luke said. "Not like last time."

"I have to go tell
Uncle Tom the truth," Amy said. "That's what needs to be done here.
I'll talk to him and see what he can do."

"I'll tell him my
plan," Luke said.

"No. Look what I've
done. I've dragged you into this, like I said I didn't want to."

"I'm not being
dragged anywhere," Luke said. "I'm standing right here, waiting for
you to tell me how you feel."

Amy hesitated. With a
hand on the door, she threatened to walk out and shut it. Luke knew he could
have charged at her and held her there in the room. That moment was gone
though. Luke wanted truth. If he was going to be hurt, then fine. He could
handle it in that moment.

"I can't take your
money," Amy said.

"That doesn't tell
me how you feel."

Luke took a couple steps
and then stopped. Amy took her hand off the handle as a tear fell from her eye.
She fell toward Luke and he held her. He scooped her up and hugged her.

"It's going to be
okay, baby," Luke said. "I'm here. I'm not leaving."

"Luke, I'm scared
everything is going to hurt me again."

"Why?"

Amy looked at Luke.
"Because losing you might kill me."

Luke kissed Amy. He
couldn't contain himself. He didn't want it to be like this but he couldn’t stop.
He had to taste Amy's lips. He wanted to contain her fear and pain and show her
that her life would be good with him.

When the kiss broke, Amy
stepped back. "I have to talk to my uncle. I have no choice, Luke."

"Will you think
about my offer?"

"Will you think
about what I said?" Amy asked. "It's your money. Take care of
yourself."

"I want to take care
of you," Luke said.

"I need to take care
of myself right now," Amy said. "You can stay here. I'm not asking
you to leave or anything. You do what you have to do here. I just need to talk
to my uncle."

Luke kissed Amy one more
time and then he watched her leave the bedroom. He was still hungry but he
didn't bring that up to Amy. A plan began to form in his mind though. He knew
Amy was falling for him and he couldn't believe how he felt about her. For all
the things he'd done in his life, good and bad, for the secret he kept that
almost took his band down, Luke felt it was time to step forward and start
thinking about the future. The future didn't belong in Los Angeles, in a
cramped apartment - or even a mansion. The future, according to Luke's mind and
heart, belonged right where he was, with Amy.

**

Amy knew calling Uncle
Tom and asking to meet him would send off about a hundred signals for him. She
felt bad that Uncle Tom already had it in his mind that she didn't want to be
part of the restaurant. Not that this confession was going to help the matter
at all. Amy wanted to believe that Uncle Tom had the money saved up. She'd seen
the receipts and reports. The restaurant did an amazing business. But it wasn't
all to keep. There were employees, expenses, a nice lifestyle that Uncle Tom had
earned and enjoyed. The wait staff were paid higher than any other restaurant
in town. The sous chefs and chef were brought in with college educations and
experience, which came at a cost. It wasn't cheap to run the restaurant, but
nobody minded because all was well.

Uncle Tom answered the
restaurant phone after Amy had already tried his cell phone.

"Where's your cell phone?"
she yelled at him.

"In the
office," Uncle Tom said. "Why are you calling? Are you calling in
sick? Spending the day with your guy friend?"

"Stop that,
no," Amy said. "I wanted to call and have a meeting with you. In
person."

"A meeting?
Huh."

Amy's heart was already
pounding. "It's kind of important."

"That works out for
me," Uncle Tom said. "I was just about to call you and ask for a
meeting."

"You were?"

"Yes. I have
something for you," Uncle Tom said. "I think you're going to like
it."

Amy bit her lip. She
dared herself to ask if he was giving her restaurant. She couldn't bring
herself to do it though. The thought of getting the restaurant just to drain it
of money for Denny made her stomach sick. She'd almost rather watch the
restaurant burn down at the hands of Denny.