Love Notes (Rocked by Love #1) (16 page)

The community center was a flurry of
activity. Jayne stood in the music room as old instruments were hauled away.
The shipment Zander had promised Kate had arrived. Guitars, three drum kits,
mics, amps, even a new piano. Her throat thickened when she touched the keys.
He'd done that for her.

It looked like she'd have
a lot more time for piano lessons. Vendetta's manager called to inform her that
the band had canceled their summer tour. They were taking a break, citing
artistic differences. Was every band she connected with doomed for failure?

Footage of The Fury's
concert from the previous night had surfaced, and she couldn't get the image of
Zander and Luke throwing punches on stage out of her head. She had to be the
reason. The temptation to reach out to Zander was strong. Her phone held the
two voicemails and texts he'd left.
Call me. I need to talk to you.
And,
Stop being stubborn and answer the phone. We can work this out. I need you.

Torn between missing him
and doing what was best for him, she didn't know what to do. And music, her
lifeline, just reminded her of Zander and the mess with the band. Her
reflection in the window caught her attention. Being a strawberry blonde had
been fun, but she missed her platinum locks.
Change your look and change
your life
. She'd tried that once, going for the red tint after Pepper had
died. Life hadn't worked out well as a redhead.

Three hours later, after
a trip to the salon, she was back to being blonde. And she couldn't get any
blonder than the platinum locks.
Blondes have more fun.
She needed fun,
but more than fun, she needed something to go
right
.

She sat at the piano,
playing with a version of the song Zander had written. A knock at her door
broke her concentration. She checked the peephole, blinked, then checked again,
sure she was seeing things. Nope. He really was there. Trepidation rose like a
ball in her stomach. Why was he there?

Only one way to tell. She
flipped the locks and eased the door open.

Luke towered over her,
for once not wearing his usual scowl. "Hi."

"How did you get in
here?"

"Your neighbor held
the security door open for me. Can I come in?"

Too many question swirled
in her head. She nodded and stepped back. Patch, far from being a guard dog,
ran to the bedroom.

He shoved his hands in
his pockets. Then withdrew them and sighed. "Look, there's no easy way to
say this. I was an asshole to you and I'm sorry."

"Um… Okay?" She
frowned as he paced her living room.

Coming to a stop in front
of her piano, he faced her. "I won't be one anymore. I swear. Please come
back on tour."

"Wait. What? Why
would you of all people want me back?"

"One—Zander needs
you. You mean a hell of a lot more to him than anything else. And, two—you're
really good at your job. Irisa was headed for a breakdown and you saved her.
The band needs you."

"But you don't like
me. You're always so—"

"Awful? I know. I'm
sorry. It was never anything personal against you." He shoved his hand
through his hair. "You remind me of someone I lost. Seeing you every day
was a continual reminder that I'd fucked up something special and lost it for
good."

The pain in his eyes
tugged at her. "I'm sorry."

A bitter laugh escaped
his throat. "I don't deserve your forgiveness or your pity. I know that,
believe me. But despite what you've seen, I'm not usually an asshole."

"I did notice that,
actually." She eased her hip against the side of the couch. "I'd see
these glimpses of kindness when you were with Irisa or Dalton and wonder what I
did to make you hate me."

He touched the framed
photo of Pepper on her desk. "It was never about you. I wish I could redo
the last few months. There's a lot I'd change. A lot."

She knew the band had a
show in Sacramento that night. "Do the guys know you're here?"

"They know. Zander
and I had a long talk. We're fine now. Except for the part about you being here
in L.A. and not up in Sacramento with us." He walked to her window
showcasing her view of the mountains. "Zander's never brought someone on
tour. I get that you were working with us and not some chick who tagged along,
but it's still the same thing. He's never been so wrapped up in someone before.
It's obvious you're special to him. He was ready to leave the band for you. It
kills me knowing how much of a mess I made and that you were going to give him
up."

"It was either that,
or watch the band break up, and I couldn't do that to him, not after seeing how
much you guys mean to each other."

He turned to face her.
"I've seen the way you two act, how you are. You go out of your way to
make sure we're happy. Zander does that for you too. You've been doing little
things to take care of each other since day one of the tour. Bottom line, you
guys make each other better. You need each other. Don't throw that away. Not
for anything."

She hugged herself.
"I don't want to agree to come back and then have the same problems
again."

"I swear it. Even if
I have to duct tape my mouth shut." He smiled.

"Please be kidding.
I don't know how you'd manage to sing that way."

He rubbed his hand over
his face, his expression a combination of weariness, sadness, and loneliness.
"I can't promise I'll be happy and cracking jokes all the time, but I know
how bad I messed up before. You have my word that nothing else will happen. I'm
dealing with my problem. You make my best friend happy. I'd like to think we'll
be friends someday but I know it might take a while for you to trust me."

Hope stirred in her
chest. "I'd like that."

"I do, too. So does
this mean you're back with us?"

"What about the
other guys and Irisa? I did bail on them. They may not want me back."

"This might convince
you." He opened the door. Irisa, Brendan, and Landry crowded into the
doorway. She didn't see Zander.

Irisa entered first and
caught her in a hug. "I was so worried you'd hate me. Of course we want
you back. The rest of the tour is going to be so much better, I promise."

When Irisa released her,
a grinning Brendan hugged her. "Glad to have you back. My gummy bear stock
is running low."

"But, it's only been
a day since I refilled them."

He shrugged. "Things
happen."

"He lost them to a
kid at the airport." Landry was next in line, more subdued, but he gave
her a smile. "But more important than that, welcome back."

She swallowed hard and
turned toward the source of the drama. Blue eyes sober, Luke extended his hand.
"Again, I'm sorry."

"Apology
accepted." She placed her hand in his. A handshake equaled a promise.
They'd start over with a blank slate. "Guys, where's Zander?"

"Behind you."
Zander's voice filled the room.

Heart in her throat, she
slowly turned.

A muscle worked hard in
his jaw. He looked exhausted. "Welcome back."

She swallowed several
times to hold back her tears. "Zander."

He turned to his band.
"I need to talk to Jayne alone."

One by one, they filed
out of the room. Luke closed the door at his back.

"The blonde suits
you." His gaze held hers. He treaded close enough for her to smell his
scent, close enough for her to touch him but she resisted.

"I needed a
change." She reached for her pendant and her hand closed over the heart
he'd given her.

His stare shifted to her
clasped hand holding his heart, then back to her face. "I need you back.
Not just as tour manager. I need you by my side, in my life. I love you."

Her throat thickened.
"I love you, too."

His hands dove into her
hair and his mouth fused with hers. Jayne strained closer, winding her arms
around his neck, then sliding one into his hair. His tongue licked along the
seam of her lips. She opened for him, stroking the wet heat, angling for a
deeper taste. She missed him. It didn't matter that they'd only had a short
separation. In her heart it had felt as deep and wide as an ocean. His arms
around her, his hands roaming along her back, his scent, his taste—all of that
felt
right
. As necessary to life as oxygen or food.

"Missed you."
He murmured the words between kisses trailed along her jaw.

"Me too." She
tugged his shirt up and slipped her hands under the fabric. Warm skin, hard
muscles, a fast-beating heart.

Knocking interrupted
their reunion.

"Guys,"
Brendan's voice came through. "We're going to miss our flight. Save the
make-up sex for when we get to the hotel in Sacramento."

Heat flushed into her
cheeks. Jayne buried her face in Zander's neck. "Oh my God."

"Don't worry, I'll
kill him." He pulled back and nudged her chin until her gaze met his.
"And then we'll take up his suggestion when we get to the hotel."

Her body yearned for the
welcoming heat and sensations of joining with his. "I think we should do
that part first."

He groaned and pulled her
tighter against him. "I like the way you think."

The arena buzzed with energy. Waiting
in the wings, Zander felt it in his bones. Excitement, adrenaline, contentment,
feelings swirled together in preparation for the final show of the tour. They
were home, and closing out the tour in L.A. felt right. Everyone could sleep in
their own beds tonight.

Jayne brushed by him, her
hands full of t-shirts for the evening's giveaway. Having her back meant
everything. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her in for a kiss.
"I can't wait until I get you alone in that hotel room tonight."

He'd booked a suite in a
hotel close to the arena so they could begin celebrating the end of the tour as
soon as possible. Plus, he wanted to spoil her with the five-star treatment she
deserved.

"Break a leg out
there. But don't break anything else. I have plans for you for later." She
leaned into him for a moment before continuing on with her task.

Once Irisa had released
her stranglehold on her duties, she and Jayne and the band had worked out a
balance. More importantly, his sister had worked out her relationship with Dom.
The sparkling diamond on her left hand glinted under the stage lights.

Beside him, Dalton
shadowed Chad, watching as he tuned a guitar. The kid looked a hell of a lot
happier than he'd been when Zander first met him. Dalton and a lot of the kids
at the center would benefit from the band's donations of instruments, money,
and time. He had gotten every member of the band on board to help out with
lessons there, and had pledged to support the center with whatever they needed
going forward. He finally felt like he was making a difference, and that was
all thanks to Jayne.

Luke wandered over.
"Are you going to do it tonight?"

He shook his head. The
purchase Luke had accompanied him to buy that afternoon was safely hidden in
his suitcase. "I had an idea for doing it when Jayne and I get home from
the hotel tomorrow morning. Maybe you could help me out?"

"Whatever you
need." He smiled and waited for Brendan and Landry to join them.
"Ready to rock this place?"

He'd never looked forward
to a performance more. "Let's do it."

Together, they took the
stage, basking in the glow of lights, fans, and friendship.

The next morning…

"Home.
Finally." Zander drove his new Camaro through the gates of his estate. He
rolled his shoulders and parked the car. He'd been operating on a buzz of
anticipation for hours. Countless texts with Luke confirmed plans were set for
his surprise. The tour was over and the rest of the summer stretched out before
him. He pictured relaxed days, lots of rest, and lots of time spent with the
woman curled up in the passenger seat. He gently nudged her shoulder.
"We're here."

Jayne stretched and
lifted her sunglasses. "Don't we have to stop by your parents' house to
pick up the dogs?"

"My mom called
earlier. She dropped them off a little while ago."

"I can't wait to see
them." She climbed out of the car.

Zander rushed around the
car and blocked her path. "Before we go in, I need to talk to you."

"All right." A
frown wrinkled her brow.

He reached his hand toward
hers. He'd never been nervous in all his years onstage. Yet, here with this
woman, with this most important question, nerves jostled his stomach.

"I've never seen
that look on your face before. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's
wrong." His nerves settled a bit once he held her hand in his. He glanced
over his shoulder at the house. On cue, Shredder and Patch came running toward
them. Bow ties adorned their necks.