Love in Tune (3 page)

“You didn’t think that!” Kyle’s voice carried over the crowd. “I damn well asked you that straight out.”

I thought the fans would rip him to shreds, but instead they cheered him on.

“Is that so? Was that you? I thought the little voice in my head said it.”

“I
am
the little voice in your head.”

I watched the interchange knowing that this could spiral at any moment. I’d seen the two laugh off the worst remark and come to blows over a French fry. I will never understand boys.

“So,
little voice,
why don’t you get up here and prove it yourself.”

Kyle made a gesture my momma would have had him eating dinner alone in his room for. “Because I don’t have a multi-million dollar record deal I need to back up.”

“Oh, really? You want to argue about your contract now?”
 

Contract?

His Majesty rolled his eyes and waved at the guy covering the drums to hand him something. Magically another guitar appeared.

“Kyle, get your ass up here.”

The crowd was way into their bromance by now and the chanting—Kyle! Kyle!—was deafening.
 

He glanced around the room, gauging the crowd. With a quick word to the doorman, he wove to the front, making a hushing motion.

By the time he made it to the stage, a second mic had been pulled around to a chair that had been dragged up on stage. Kyle gave His Majesty a glare when he accepted the guitar and sat.

“So, we’ve been working on some new tunes for the next album and we’ve actually brought it down a little. If you’ve been enjoying this unplugged night, then get ready because the fourth album is going to really blow out everything you’ve heard us do before.”

His Majesty leaned over and whispered something to Kyle and then did the countdown.

I’d seen Kyle with a guitar, messing around, playing a little here and there. But, I’d never seen him really play. I wasn’t the only one noticing. Girls who had checked him out then turned their attention back to His Majesty were now swaying toward his side of stage. Great, now I was going to have to manage to get them both out of here without some drunk, musician-crazy girl trying to tear their shirts off.

Kyle’s voice was smooth and low, more bluesy than the rock-gravel of His Majesty’s. But, somehow the two of them blended together perfectly.

“So, are you just going to stand there looking dumbstruck?”
 

Oh, yay again. Extremely Angry Teen Barista Abby was back.

“Excuse me?”

“That guy’s been all over you. Flirting and hands and trying to make you laugh. If he thought standing on his head would get your attention, we’d be picking crumbs out of his hair now. He’s glared down every guy who looked at you. And now there he was, up there basically getting every single and not-so-single girl’s attention.”

“So?”

“Really? Are you that stupid?” She threw her rag down and leaned over the counter. “Since I started working here, all I’ve seen is twenty-somethings come in, buy their fancy, overly-specific drinks, and ignore the good things in front of them. Don’t be one of those girls.”

With a shake of her head, Abby moved back down the counter to snip at someone making origami out of her napkins.

I glanced back at the stage to find Kyle looking right at me and singing about a girl who made him crazy. And, just as I wondered if Abby had been seeing things, he winked at me. A row of girls whipped around and glared, which pretty much meant that I couldn’t convince myself I’d been seeing things.

That warm feeling I’d had the first time and that I’d tamped down every time since, rushed over me again in a more complicated mix of lust, tenderness, and confusion. I couldn’t forget that he was my third biggest pain in the butt, the guy who made my day so much longer. But, as I stood there watching him sing—watching him watch me—I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe…just maybe.

They finished the song and then played another before Kyle stood, putting an end to that. Girls practically rushed the stage when he stepped off it. Security was
not
loving this. If there was one thing I knew about security, it was that they hated surprises. Doubling targets was exactly that kind of surprise.

How glad was I that this wasn’t my team?

FOUR

“THAT WAS…”

“Amazing? I know, right?” He slid his arm around my waist, pulling me back into his side. And I, stupid girl that I was, let myself be pulled in. Just like he could with a grin or a joke. Pulled. Back. In. “I’ve completely blown your mind and now you want to jump me…I know. I’m irresistible.”

He smiled down at me, his hand running up and down my spine in a slightly hypnotic way.

“I don’t know about that,” I tried not to smile even as I could feel the tips of my lips turning up. This was not the time to be flirting with the enemy.

“You do. You totally know. You know that we’re more than co-workers and that you want more than to just be annoyed with me.”

“But, I’m constantly annoyed with you.”

“It’s the lust. It’s skewing your brain.”

“Right.” I shook my head and focused on the front of the room. “You’re so hot you melt all my senses into a puddle of useless female sensibilities.”

“As long as you’re admitting it.” He grinned, seeming so proud of himself.
 

“I admit nothing.” Who I was reminding, I’m not sure.

“Mel.” He pushed my hair back out of my face and looked at me the way that made me feel like we were the only two people in the room.
 

Everything dropped away, the security issues, the fans, the music, my over-stressed job. All that was left was Kyle and the way he looked at me.

“You know, you’re amazing.” He grinned at me, a little less certain than before. Especially since so often it felt like he was laughing at me instead of with me.

A wash of panic swept through me, turning my hands to ice. I stepped back, out of his reach, afraid that he’d suck me back in. “Is this you trying to distract me. Is that your job tonight? Keep Melissa busy so you boys can have your little show?”

He stepped back, a deep crease forming between his brows. “Is that what you think this is?” Even as he was running his hand through his hair, he had shifted to keep an eye on the stage. “You think I’m hitting on you to keep you busy?”

“Well, it’s quite the coincidence tonight is the first time you’ve hit on me…or even just flirted with me since we met.”
 

At the look he gave me, everything I believed flew out of my head. He looked angry and frustrated and confused and like he couldn’t decide if he was going to kiss me or scream at me.

I knew I should hope for screaming for my own sanity, but kissing sounded really good too.

Really, really, good.

Like…good-good.

You get the picture.

“Melissa, are you that insanely naïve?”

“Um…no?”

He stepped into me again, backing me into the counter his voice dropping to a rumble that shook my nerves. “Are you sure?”

“But, you and His Majesty—”

Kyle’s hand dropped and he stepped away. “Don’t call him that. I get it. He’s difficult, but you’re not exactly a fluffy bunny yourself.”

“I have to be tough to do this job.”

“So does he.”

I glanced to where His Majesty—Dalton—was smiling out at the crowd, trying to see him objectively, to notice how he might have to hold people at bay and still be the good guy. I guess at least I didn’t have to pretend to love everyone as I dealt with all the details. I could be blunt. I was
hired
to be blunt.

“Ok. Maybe you’re r—”

“Kyle!” Dalton shouted into the mic. “Is that our favorite pain in the ass?”

Kyle’s head dropped back as his eyes rolled shut.

“I wrote a song just for her. Kyle, it’s a shame you’re not still up here to help me out.” Dalton picked up his guitar strumming away to a slightly familiar tune and making the words up on the go every line ending with a word that ended with
itch.

The crowd ate it up, some of them turning to snap my photo.
 

“Melissa—” Kyle reached for me as I took a step back.

“You know what? You’re right. I have been too naïve. Here.” I pulled open my bag, shoving my iPad, phone, and the car keys at him. “The Jag is half a block down. Have a great tour.”

“Mel!” Kyle tried to grab me, but with his hands full it gave me a second to make a break. I tried to ignore the crowd who had picked up on the nifty chorus that said something about Killer of Joy as I made it to the door.

The doorman looked me over as I made my way toward him and, at the last second, opened the door for me. “Ma’am, they all have a rough side.”

I looked up, up, up at him realizing he was trying to tell me not to take it personally. Letting me know we were on the same team just as I quit. But, I really was done.

“Thank you.” I gave him a slight smile and headed out the door. My luck held as the train came to the stop at the end of the block. “Hold the train! Hold it!”
 

The college students mulling around pointed at me as the driver started to close the doors. The woman was a saint, because she held the train. I didn’t even know where it was going. All I knew was I’d somehow manage to just quit the job I’d basically sold my soul to get.

Guess my soul wasn’t worth as much as I’d thought.

FIVE

SOMEHOW I'D JUMPED on a train going the right way. No idea why I’d felt such a dire need to escape. Even if Kyle had wanted to come after me, he couldn’t leave His Majesty—no, I was
not
calling him Dalton—alone unsupervised.

But, after a quick chat with the driver, I waited for my stop and walked back to where the vans were.
 

I’d just grab my bag off the bus and head on out. Kyle could let Lenny know I was gone. I was pretty much toast in this business leaving mid-tour anyway, so who cared?

And Kyle, well, he could deal with it himself. I hoped he had enough of a soul to know playing with someone like that, knowing she was about to be humiliated, was evil.
 

Make that Evil. The capital is important.

Or, I dreamed a little…Maybe Kyle
wouldn’t
tell Lenny and they’d get all the way down to New York City and not know where to go from there. Sure, they’d know the venue and maybe the hotel if Lenny paid any attention to his emails. But, where to park the bus? What time to be at the Today Show? What appearances to make? Yeah. Not so much.
 

I took a moment, pausing outside the gates and thinking of all the chaos it could make.
 

Yeah. A girl could dream.

Finally, I waved to security as I came through. At the first bus, Buck opened the door and stopped me.

“Where’s the boy?”
 

“He’s on his way!” I gave Buck the brightest smile I could and started heading back toward bus 4 before turning back. “Buck? You’ve been great to work with. You’re a pro and I’ve always appreciated how you balance keeping the tour on track with your client’s temperament. It’s truly been a pleasure working with you.”

He looked at me like I was crazy. “You ain’t dying, are you, Mel?”

“Nope. Not dying. Alive and kicking. Just wanted to let you know that.”

“Well, thanks. People never thank the drivers. I really appreciate that.”

I gave him a real smile and headed back to bus four. I quietly grabbed my gear and dragged it off the bus while everyone else mulled around.

Luckily no one cared.

Sad statement, but true.
 

I circled around the bus and sat in a dark corner of the lot on a beat up picnic table afraid that if I tried to get out past security they’d ask again where their rock star was.

The chaos began about thirty minutes later when people realized there was still no rock star. Lenny started making calls and shouting into phones.

I wish I’d brought popcorn.
 

After another fifteen minutes, the Jag pulled into the lot and His Majesty managed to swagger across the lot as if close to one hundred heart attacks weren’t relying on him.
 

Kyle tossed the keys to the roadie who raced up to load the car on its trailer, pushed His Majesty onto his bus, and gave Lenny the high sign. And with that, the busses started up and headed out the gate.

I took a sigh of relief as I watched the taillights of the last one turn the corner and head for the highway.

“Hey.”

I closed my eyes wishing, I didn’t know who had sneaked up on me from the other direction.

“You missed your ride.” I nodded my head toward the gate as Kyle stepped into view.

“Yeah. Well, I thought maybe you and I could take a rental.”

“I think you missed the part where I quit.”

“Is that what that was?” He grinned, cock-sure of himself. “I thought you were just tired of holding your stuff. Don’t worry. It’s in my bag.”