Love Song (Rocked by Love #2) (12 page)

"Definitely tell
him. You'll make his day. It's nice Nicole wanted you all here. I'm really glad
I got to meet all of you. I'm an only child. I always wanted sisters."

"Try being the
youngest. It's like having five moms." She rolled her eyes, but then
smiled. "Really, they're the best. They pulled me out when I spiraled too
far into a dark place."

"Are things better
for you now?" Audrey hated the thought of the sweet girl being under
attack.

"Well, I graduated
in June, so I don't have to see the people who were mean to me on a daily basis
anymore. There's an anti-bullying program in Anaheim that helped me too. I just
started volunteering there this month. I want to help people like me."

"I would love to be
involved with something like that." She hadn't endured bullying on a daily
basis for four years like Olivia, but the weeks of daily attacks were brutal
enough for her to understand why some victims made heartbreaking choices.
Olivia had sparked an idea. Audrey wanted to take a stand. Fight back. Make a
difference. "Can you give me the organization's name?"

"Of course. The
program serves all of Southern California. I'll send you a link with their info
when I get home." Olivia smiled and then stood. "Come on. Let's join
the others."

Audrey walked up to the
group arm-in-arm with Olivia. Apparently one-on-one was the way to convince
people she wasn't a horrible human being.

Five people down... five
million to go.

The
Las Vegas night club looked like someone had poured all of the lights and
glitter found on The Strip into a single room. Streamers and balloons,
appetizers and alcohol, friends and colleagues and well-wishers, all shiny and
sparkly and over the top, and all in support of The Fury and their newest
venture. A floor to ceiling image of the Furious Records logo lit up one wall.
Every time Luke saw it, pride and excitement shot through him.

He'd worked his ass off
getting the evening to come together. Every band member had played a part. And
Audrey had helped tie it all together. In her gold dress, threaded with a hint
of shimmer, she sparkled even more than usual—and he wasn't the only one who
noticed. Heads turned, people stared, and more than one man found an excuse to
talk to her.

She smiled up at him. The
past two days with her had been magic. Ever since the afternoon with the warm,
welcoming sisters, she'd been happier. Staying offline had helped, too. When he
hadn't been with the band, he'd kept her as occupied as possible, on the beach
and in the bedroom, exhausting them both so much the idea of turning on a
computer or checking email seemed too taxing. He'd been pleasantly surprised
when she brought up the idea of working with an anti-bullying program. His girl
was fighter in her own way and he'd support her in anything.

Zander tapped his
shoulder. "It's time."

Luke released Audrey's
hand and followed his best friend to the small stage. He couldn't wait to
announce the contest winners. The decision had been tough. He'd gone back and
forth between Hugh and Nicole. The other guys hadn't had easy times deciding
either. In the end, he'd gone with his gut.

People gathered around
them. The contestants stood close by while Zander gave a speech about being
grateful for opportunities and how the band had enjoyed every audition. Luke
raised his brow at that. Not
every
audition. Every contestant except
Mikala was in attendance.

"We'd like everyone
to meet the members of Wild Intention. Lead singer, Hugh Tremont. Drummer,
Chelsea Jankowski. Bass guitar, Autumn Grainger. And lead guitar, Spike Peters.
Congratulations, guys. We're excited to work with you."

As applause and cheers
rang out, Luke made his way over to Hugh. "Congrats, bud."

Blond hair flopping over
his forehead, Hugh hugged him hard. "Thank you. I promise I won't let you
down."

Nicole was next in line,
congratulating Hugh. Then she smiled at Luke and held out her hand. "Thank
you for the opportunity."

He leaned in until others
were out of earshot. "I have something else in mind for you. I like the
dynamic you share with your sisters. Give me a few weeks to get things going
with this band and then give me a call. I'd like to see if we can do something
with all five of you."

Her eyes widened.
"They're going to flip out. So cool. Thank you." After hugging him,
she almost tackled Audrey with another hug, and then left to call her sisters.

Shaking his head at the
amount of confetti falling from the ceiling, and ridiculously pleased and
relieved that the party had gone off without a hitch, Luke turned to Audrey.
"Want to dance?"

She placed her hand in
his. "Love to."

He led her onto the
crowded floor. Zander and Jayne danced close by. He waved and then pulled
Audrey into his arms. They fit together well, her head on his shoulder, his
hands on her back. She fit so much of his life. He could already imagine her
sharing his space.

Her fingers brushed the
back of his neck and she sighed. "This is nice."

"This is perfect.
All the work's done now. We can relax for the rest of the night." His hand
spanned her low back. He nudged her closer to him. He figured another hour
would be enough for putting in an appearance. Then he could get Audrey back to
their hotel suite and have her all to himself.

The song ended and they
headed in search of champagne. Brendan, Landry, and Irisa stood near a large
twisted metal sculpture. Holding Audrey's hand, he detoured in that direction.
Zander and Jayne joined a moment later. Luke chatted, one eye and one ear on
the conversation and the other on how Audrey was fitting into the group. Irisa
and Jayne and Audrey were already a tight trio. No problems there. Brendan
liked everyone and teased her like a kid sister, and she'd even gotten Landry,
the least talkative and most stoic, to smile. Zander's opinion mattered, and
his oldest friend kept grinning at him and gave him a thumbs up.

"Excuse me,
guys." Donnie Snell, a reporter for one of the music industry's widest-read
rag magazines, approached the group with phone in hand. "I'm doing a story
on the party. Can I get a few words?"

"Sure." Zander
waved him in, grimacing over Donnie's head, and shifted Jayne to his other
side. Luke didn't blame him. Something about Donnie made him want to wash his
hands after they spoke. He didn't want the guy near Audrey either. Donnie's
column always stank of sensationalized stories. Not inviting him to the party
hadn't stopped him. He'd arrived as another reporter's guest.

"First, congratulations
on your new label." He started recording using his phone. "Do you
have anything to say to Excite Records for releasing you?"

Brendan leaned over and
spoke into the phone. "We're excited about the opportunities we have
coming up with Furious Records, and especially working with Wild
Intention."

Luke patted him on the
back and echoed what he said.

Donnie turned to him.
"You seem to be recovered from your fashion show brawl with Owen Riess.
Can you give our readers a sense of what you were thinking that night?"

To his right, Audrey
stiffened. Luke linked hands with her and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles.
"That night, I was thinking about how talented the designer is. Everyone
should check out Audrey Pierce's collection."

"
That's
what
you were thinking?" Donnie shook his head and then thrust his phone in
Audrey's direction. "How about you? How did it feel to have a fight break
out at your show?"

Audrey offered him a calm
expression and an apologetic smile. "We're here to celebrate Furious
Records and Wild Intention. I'd rather keep the attention on them."

"All right, little
lady, we can do that. Much like The Fury is launching the careers of Wild
Intention's members, Excite's president, Vance Dubrow was responsible for
launching the careers of Rob Hawke and Luke Thompson, both of whom you're
intimately acquainted with. How does it feel to be accused by Luke's fans of
using him to promote your brand?"

What the fuck? Luke
pushed forward and growled, "Now hold up there..."

Donnie side-stepped him
and shoved the phone closer to Audrey. "And a follow-up: What about their
accusations of your recently-ended relationship with Rob, whom they believe you
used to break into the music world? Tell me, are the fans correct in their
assumptions or are they operating from a basis of jealousy?"

Pulse pounding, heat
spreading through stiffened muscles, Luke grabbed hold of the phone and
glowered at Donnie. He turned off the recording and paged through the app,
looking to delete the conversation. "You're part of the problem, trying to
stir up shit for readers and fans to latch onto, and spew out even more crap.
People like you are encouraging hate with loaded questions like that, which can
snowball into bullying, all for the sake of a few clicks on your website so you
can sell more ads."

Donnie's lips set in a
thin line. He pulled the phone away. "That's an interesting way to avoid
answering the question, Luke. Perhaps Ms. Pierce would like to answer the
question on her own? Maybe you're worried about what she'll say?"

He shifted to block
Audrey from Donnie's view. "She doesn't have to talk to you."

But Audrey's hand met his
forearm and she squeezed and then stepped forward. "The comments are
hurtful because they aren't true. I can stand here and say I'm not a user or opportunistic,
or any of the other terms they've called me, but my doing so isn't going to
change peoples' opinions. Everyone has a right to believe what they want to
believe but the sad part is they're forming their opinion based on
misinformation, speculation, or fabrication."

Luke wrapped his arm
around her and stared Donnie down, daring him to ask another question. Audrey
was smart, a fast-thinker, and eloquent.

Donnie spun from one end
of their half-circle to the other as the band closed ranks around their newest
addition.

Zander cleared his
throat, drawing the reporter's attention. "Thanks for chatting with us.
We'll overlook that you crashed our party and let you move on to other guests
now."

Donnie looked over
Audrey's shoulder and his eyes lit up. "There's the next guy I was looking
for. Owen Riess, how are you?"

Fuck. Temper flashed from
annoyance to seething in the space of a heartbeat. Luke turned and came
face-to-face with Owen. He definitely hadn't been on the guest list. "What
the hell are you doing here?"

"Couldn't resist
stopping by to see this little party. The guy at the door let us in." The
singer had his band mates from Swindle Ox and his girlfriend with him. They
closed in around Owen, mirroring the way The Fury surrounded Luke.

Tension charged the air
as the groups stared at each other.

"This is
ridiculous," Landry mumbled on Luke's left. "We look like two
musically-inclined rival gangs getting ready to rumble."

"I know,"
Brendan, on his right, added. "I feel the urge to start snapping my
fingers and breaking into song."

At the image, Luke huffed
out a laugh. And Owen's gaze narrowed further.

Donnie pushed his way
into the middle of the pack, phone in hand. "This is the first time you've
seen each other since the fashion show?"

"You mean, since
Luke attacked me." Owen crossed his arms over his chest, the light of
battle in his eyes.

Rehashing the events of
that night was getting old. "I didn't throw the first punch. But I don't
back down from a fight." He wouldn't get into one now. Audrey's hands,
resting on his back, were a gentle reminder to keep a level head.

Owen cracked his knuckles
and lumbered too close into Luke's space. "Is that an invitation to go
again?"

Luke drew himself up to
full height and tensed his muscles out of habit, but he didn't back down. He
outweighed Owen by a solid thirty pounds and had him beat a good four inches in
height. Brendan and Landry closed ranks, moving just a bit in front of him. He
didn't need his friends to fight his battles, but none of them wanted to end up
in the headlines again for the wrong reason. Two bar fights on their last tour
were good reasons to hold back. "I'm not fighting you here. First of all,
you weren't invited. So unless you want security to escort you out, I suggest
you leave."

Owen's gaze tracked to
Audrey, and then her hold on Luke's jacket. "You're letting your
girlfriend call the shots? Is that it? You really are a pussy."

Audrey's hands tightened.
Luke reached one arm behind him and held her hip, silently communicating he'd
keep his cool. "I'd rather make my girlfriend happy than waste the night
fighting with you. As someone wise once reminded me, we're not two kids
fighting on a playground. So yeah, if she asks me not to fight, I'm not going
to fight."

Vanessa moved next to Owen.
She didn't look happy about Owen's behavior at all. "Baby, he's right.
Come on. You're causing a scene."

Glaring at him, Owen
growled, "This isn't over." He allowed Vanessa to draw him away.
Swindle Ox followed. And Donnie disappeared.

Luke let out a breath. He
wrapped his arm around Audrey's waist and faced his band. "Thanks for
standing with me. You all helped me keep my cool."

"We would've had
your back either way." Landry rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck.
"Bar?"

"Sure."

The group moved as a
unit. Audrey paused by an empty, narrow alcove and pulled Luke inside.

"What's up?"

She slid her arms up his
chest and around his neck. "Thank you for not fighting."

He clamped his hands on
her hips. The soft material of her dress bunched under his flexing fingers.
"Anything for you, Sunshine."

"Kiss me?"
Five-inch heels brought the top of her head level with his chin. She tilted her
face up and her fingers glided into his hair to pull his mouth down to meet
hers.

With a groan, he angled
his head and deepened the kiss. Her tongue played and stroked against his and
he couldn't get enough. Laughter and conversations interrupted the moment and
reminded him they weren't in their room, they were in a temporarily empty spot
in a very crowded party.

He lifted his head.
"How about that champagne?"

"Please."

"You wait here. I'll
grab it, and then we can sneak off to our room."

"I like your
thinking."

He kissed Audrey's temple
and adjusted his clothes and then headed out.