Love Notes (Rocked by Love #1) (4 page)

"Thanks, but I think
I'll let you keep your stockpile."

Zander winged the red
gummy back at the drummer, but he grinned when he threw it, and then he focused
those hazel eyes on Jayne. "Did you know Shredder can sing and play the
drums?"

"Can he?" She
shared his smile. He looked so good when he smiled… "I'd love to see
that."

He nodded and called the
dog over to Brendan's kit, then knelt and positioned the dog's back leg by the
base drum. "Okay, boy. Sing."

He strummed a few notes
and Shredder let out a few barks and yips, followed by a howl. His back leg and
his tail thumped the drum. The sounds mixed in with Zander's playing and didn't
sound too bad. Every time he pointed to the dog, Shredder would let out a
single bark.

Jayne laughed. "You
should take him on the road with you."

Landry set down his bass.
"We have. Where do you think he learned to do this? Hours and hours,
driving across the country."

"Now that we're finished
goofing off, can we get back to work?" Luke stood in the middle of the
room, hands splayed on his hips. The brooding scowl once again darkened his
features.

Zander exchanged the
acoustic guitar for his blue Gibson. "What's your deal, man?"

"Maybe I have
something else to do."

Did they have to argue?
Jayne shifted in her seat. After growing up in a house filled with fighting and
tension, she avoided it at all costs. When Luke spun in her direction, her
first thought was to soothe. Maybe he was angry about his forced driving ban.
"If you need to go somewhere, I can drive you."

"I'll grab a
cab." He paused and thought for a moment. "Later."

Shredder padded over and
lay over her feet. Leaning down, she scratched his head, absorbing comfort, and
then slid to the floor and rubbed his belly, giving him her undivided attention
while the guys ran through the National Anthem close to a dozen times. No drums
for the ballpark. Brendan harmonized with Luke while Zander and Landry played
the melody.

Finally, the guys were
satisfied. Either that or they were tired of each other or of playing the same
song so many times. Luke and Irisa left first. He'd accepted a ride home from
her. While Landry chatted with Zander, Brendan sat beside Jayne. "For the
tour, can you make sure I have gummy bears at every show?"

She smiled. "For
eating or for launching attacks on your band mates?"

"Both." He
shrugged. "Things can get pretty heated and it lowers the tension."

She'd witnessed that
first-hand. "Don't worry, I've got you covered."

"Thanks. I'll see
you tomorrow at the ballpark." He stood and said his goodbyes to Zander
and Landry. When all three men walked toward the doorway, Jayne got to her
feet. As much as she loved playing with the dog, she didn't want to overstay her
welcome. 

Zander turned back.
"You don't have to go. He hasn't had this much attention in a while."

Shredder barked and
nudged his head against her legs. Zander laughed, and the rich sound echoed
through the room and sent a flutter of awareness through her blood. "See?
He's asking you to stay."

"All right."
Her heart beat faster. She bent down and rubbed the dog's head. "It's
pretty tough to say goodbye to you. We can play a little longer."

Zander rewarded her with
a smile before following the guys out of the room. She rejoined Shredder on the
floor and tried not to dwell on the fact that she was now alone with the one
man who tempted her to throw caution and rules out the window.

Zander closed the door
behind his band mates and made his way back into the practice room. Jayne
sprawled on the floor playing with the dog. Her hair fell over her shoulders
and a smile as brilliant as a sunbeam lighted her face.

"Looks like he made
a new friend."

She smiled. "I love
dogs. I was the kid who always brought home strays."

He knew she volunteered
at the animal shelter with his sister. "Do you have any pets?"

"I had Pepper, my
Yorkie, for six years. She passed away two months ago." A shadow clouded
her eyes.

Shit. He joined her on
the floor, and mirrored her position, back against the couch, forearms resting
on his knees. "I'm sorry. Losing a pet is like losing a family
member."

"It's true.
Especially with Pepper. I adopted her when she was eight weeks old. We went
through a lot together. She was the runt of the litter, and had all sorts of
health problems from the beginning. But the last eighteen months, she battled
cancer."

"I'm so sorry."
He remembered Irisa flying home during their East Coast tour to visit Jayne.
And now he remembered why.

"I tried every type
of treatment to save her, but it wasn't enough." Her voice quavered. She
cleared her throat and cuddled closer to Shredder. "But I'm happy she's
not in pain anymore."

Shredder nudged his head
into her legs again. Comfort offered, canine-style. Jayne's hand rubbed over
his head, then she leaned over and hugged the dog. "He's a sweetie."

Zander agreed. His dog
was awesome, but he needed to lighten the moment. "You know, his master's
pretty good too."

At that, her head came
up. "Yeah?"

"Sure. Once you get
to know him." He shifted closer. Her breath caught when his elbow brushed
against the side of her breast. The little hitch of breath aroused him
immediately.

Her eyes deepened to
darker shades of blue. "I like what I know so far."

"Do you? Me,
too."  He leaned down until only a few inches separated them and trailed
his fingertip down her cheek and across her mouth. He'd been dreaming of
tasting her lips for days.

Those full lips parted
and the look in her eyes, surprise mixed with need, sent his desire soaring.
"It's not a good idea."

"What isn't?"
He could barely hear over the buzzing in his head.

"Kissing. I never
get involved with someone I'm working with."

Her words and definitive
tone registered loud and clear. He sat back. "I never have either."
If things headed south, they'd still have to see each every day. He liked
Jayne—admired her as a person. She wasn't the kind of person for a casual
fling. She was also Irisa's best friend. He definitely didn't want to hurt her.

Pink spots appeared in
her cheeks and her gaze dropped to Shredder. She tucked her hair behind her ear
and then her fingers tangled around the gold necklace she wore. "So…"

He didn't want her to be
uncomfortable. Kissing or no kissing, he liked her and wanted to get to know
her better. He tapped her hand with his finger and smiled when she looked at
him. "So. How'd a nice piano-playing girl like you end up being a tour
manager for rock bands?"

"Music saved me. It
was my escape." She shifted her position, stretching her long legs out in
front of her. "I mentioned before that my parents' divorce was similar to
what Dalton is going through. They had awful fights for years. I'd hide in my
bedroom blaring the music as loud as I dared to drown them out. I fell in love
with rock because the drums and guitars covered their arguments better than
anything else."

Zander moved Shredder's
bulk off of Jayne's legs. He settled the dog between them. "I gravitated
to it because it's powerful and aggressive and I like playing loud."

"I noticed you tend
to play the blue guitar more than any of the others you have. What makes it
special?"

"I've had it the
longest. I bought it when the band was just starting out, after we'd all found
each other. I met Luke in college. I was studying music. He was a chemistry
major. We were both in other bands that didn't work out. He knew Landry, and
the three of us started hanging out, jamming, and realized we had something
special. Landry met Brendan through another band, and then he joined us too. He
clicked. It all fit. We all fit." He smirked. "You'd never know it
from the way we've been acting lately. Anyway…"

"Anyway, it's a
beautiful guitar."

"It matches your
eyes. That was one of the first things I noticed about you. That, and the way
your presence lights up a room." What the hell was he doing? She'd just
said she didn't get involved with anyone she worked with. But he couldn't shake
the chemistry between them.

Those blue eyes focused
on his mouth long enough for him to consider leaning in and tasting her,
consequences be damned. Her lips parted but then her gaze flicked to his eyes.
"I should probably get going."

"You can stay."

"I don't think
staring temptation in the face is a smart idea."

He grinned. "Maybe
not, but it's a beautiful view from where I'm sitting."

The blush crept up her
neck and over her cheeks. "Thank you. And on that note, I'll say
goodnight."

As they stood, Shredder
whined and rubbed his head against Jayne's shin. "I think he's protesting.
You'll have to come back and visit him."

She gave the dog one last
rub. "I don't think I could stay away."

Zander led her to the
door. He'd spent so much time picturing kissing Jayne that he couldn't not see
it every time he closed his eyes. Her position on not getting involved made
sense, as much as he didn't want to admit it. A sadistic part of him demanded
he test them both. When they reached his door, he stopped her by laying a
single fingertip on her shoulder. "What, no hug goodbye?"

 She clasped the gold
pendant dangling from the long chain around her neck. "All right."

They opened their arms at
the same time. Jayne took a step toward him and his hands closed over her
shoulders and drew her into his embrace. Her curves fit against him perfectly,
like they were two puzzle pieces. Soft golden-red hair brushed his cheek and he
inhaled the scent of honeysuckle. She'd turned her face toward his chest rather
than away and when he looked down, her eyes were closed. Her chest rose and
fell in time with his as she relaxed, her muscles growing soft, yielding to his
form.

All he had to do was
slide his hand into her hair and direct her mouth to his. His hands flexed on
her back but he didn't move them further.

Releasing her was torture
but he'd scored a small victory—he'd seen how much of an effort it had cost
Jayne to pull away.

One of his earliest and favorite
memories of his childhood was coming to the Riptide's ballpark with his dad. If
someone had told him back then that one day he'd be on their field playing the
National Anthem with his rock band, he'd never have believed it in a million
years. Yet here he was.

Zander turned in a slow
circle, taking in the scoreboard, the dugouts, the baseball diamond, the scents
of grass and dirt and ballpark foods, and the murmurs from the sea of people
filling the stadium's seats. Beside him, Landry and Brendan chatted with one of
the security guards. Luke stood off to the side performing the series of
breathing exercises he did before every show. He'd been quiet on the ride to
the stadium, sitting in the back of the SUV Irisa had hired to drive them,
scowling and saying nothing.

Irisa and Jayne would be
watching from one of the suites. Keeping his mind off of Jayne and the way
she'd felt in his arms hadn't worked. She didn't get involved with people she
worked with, he didn't either, and the band typically hired the same people
over and over again. Irisa seemed happier with Jayne on tour. He wouldn't be
surprised if Irisa wanted her again for the next one. Pursuing Jayne wouldn't
be smart. But they could be friends. With maybe some harmless flirting added
in.

The crowd cheered as the
two teams filed onto the field and stood in front of their respective dugouts.

Show time.

A rush of energy flooded
his body. Zander glanced at the band. "Let's rock this place."

He played the opening strains
of the anthem and it rang out from the stadium's giant speakers. Landry's bass
followed, his accompaniment filling out the low end of the song. He grinned.
This was so fucking cool.

Luke grabbed hold of the
mic and belted out the lyrics, his voice strong, his pitch perfect. Brendan
joined in. Not having his drums didn't stop his fingers from moving. They
tapped the side of his leg, keeping time with the music.

Too soon, the last chords
faded. Luke thanked the fans and rallied the crowd for a Riptide win. Flying
high, Zander led the way to the line of Riptide players. He went down the line,
receiving either handshakes or high fives. Dom Torres, one of his favorite
players, stood at the end. He had an inkling that his sister's sudden interest
in baseball stemmed from the center fielder's recent move into her apartment
building.

He shook Dom's hand.
"Good luck today."

"Thanks, man. Nice
job out there. I'll see you in the locker room after the game, right?"

"I'll be
there." And he'd be sure to let the ballplayer know that he had better
take care of his sister.

When he reached the
tunnel, he turned around for one last look, and watched the players take the
field. Temptation to stay and soak in the moment battled with the temptation to
get to the suite and see Jayne. Being with her was sweet torture. The one woman
he wanted—and he couldn't have her.

After the band left the
field, Jayne left her position by the window. During the performance, her gaze
had been riveted to Zander's jacked frame, the way he held his guitar and the
way his jeans and black t-shirt showed off well-developed muscles. Muscles
she'd experienced to be as strong as they looked. Wrapped in his arms
yesterday, leaning against his chest, she'd wanted nothing more than to raise
her lips to his. But she never broke her own rule and got involved with any
client. She excused herself and headed into the restroom. A few minutes to
compose herself, to gain control of her breathing, and she would be fine.

Over the exhaust fan's
noise, male voices called out—the band congratulating each other on a job well
done. With one final glance at her reflection, she opened the door and stepped
into the room, and came face-to-face with Luke. His smile faded and his blue
eyes hardened. Without a word, he turned away. Her stomach lurched and she
stood rooted to her spot as members of the road crew entered the suite and
swarmed the food table.

Zander came toward her,
holding two beers. "I saved you a seat."

His smile warmed the ice
out of her bones. "Nice job out there."

"Thanks." His
grin formed fast and he passed her a bottle. Then he guided her to a seat in
the suite's first row. They had an unobstructed view of the field. She sank
into the cushion and let the beer soothe her dry throat. He settled beside her,
hot and tempting. His knee rested against hers and his arm brushed hers on the
shared armrest. She didn't want to pull away.

"Hey." Zander's
voice rumbled low.

She looked up from the
bottle and her breath caught at the intensity of his gaze. He shifted closer
and her pulse thudded, but before he could say anything, Brendan dropped into
the seat on her other side, carrying a beer and a plate piled high with a
burger and a small mountain of fries. She angled her body closer to Zander to
give Brendan more room.

"Dude. Look at the
Jumbotron." He pointed to a section on the other side of the field. A
group of young women in one of the nosebleed sections were all wearing
I
love Zander
t-shirts. They saw themselves on camera and began cheering and
waving.

"Cool." Zander
reached over her and snagged a fry from Brendan's plate. "Maybe I'll send
them some pizzas."

The camera zoomed in on
an attractive brunette pointing to the text stretched across her ample chest
and the stadium filled with catcalls. She then held up a
Marry Me Zander
sign
with a phone number scrawled underneath.

Jayne pulled away so her
body no longer touched his. Her imagination didn't have any trouble picturing
the curvy olive-skinned woman draped all over him. He had women hitting on him
all the time. It wasn't his fault. He was attractive, talented, famous, and
nice to the fans. Sipping her beer, she kept her focus on the ball field and
away from the giant screen. Commercial break over, the play resumed.

Zander leaned in, close
enough for his lips to brush her ear. "Groupies aren't my style. Neither
are college-aged girls, or brunettes who broadcast their numbers on national
television."

The murmured words
feathered over her neck and goosebumps dotted her arms. She glanced at Brendan,
but he was deep in conversation with Landry. Her gaze darted back to Zander and
his intense hazel stare. "It's not my business."

His large hand touched
the back of hers. "I have a thing for strawberry blonde tour managers."
He spoke the words evenly, and his chin jutted in the same stubborn way that
Irisa's did whenever she was adamant about something.

"Zander." She
licked lips gone dry.

His gaze zeroed in on her
mouth and he draped his arm over the back of her chair. Not touching her, but
still there. So near she could feel his heat. He leaned in again.

The familiar guitar riff
from "Cut Down" blared over the stadium. The suite erupted in cheers
so loud they matched the crowd's noise level, and around her, the guys high-fived
each other. Then the Jumbotron's camera panned from Dom Torres at home plate to
their suite, landing on the band. The cheer turned into a roar.

She vaguely heard Irisa
telling the guys to smile and wave. Seeing herself on camera, Jayne
straightened her shoulders. Brendan thrust his half-eaten burger in her hand
and jumped to his feet, fists raised high. The crowd went wild. Zander's hand
curled around her shoulder. He leaned forward and waved. She didn't know what
to do, so she smiled. The smile bloomed brighter when his hand tightened its
hold. She shouldn't encourage him—she should move away—but the warmth seeping
into her shoulder felt too good.

The camera turned back to
Dom, and the excitement calmed down as the fans readied to watch his at-bat.
Zander's fingers shifted back to her chair but he kept his focus on the field.
The game dragged on, too long for her. Each time Dom came to bat, the camera
panned to the band, and then to the group of Zander's fans. The fans at the
concerts would likely act the same way. Getting jealous would be silly. She
didn't have any claim over him. But she couldn't help it.

After the game, Security
escorted them to meet the players. Zander stayed close but was immediately
drawn into conversation with one of the ballplayers. The band dispersed. She
stayed near Irisa and away from Luke. Most of the players made it a point to
come by and say hello. A few were really friendly and asked her about other
bands she'd worked with. One of them, Slade, was from Santa Clara, just like
her.

"It's nice to meet a
girl from back home." Slade gave her a slow smile. He immediately put her
at ease. "We're grabbing dinner at Lorenzo's. You should come."

"That will depend on
my ride. The band drove here together."

"You can drive with
me. I'm more than happy to take you home later."

Zander's arm dropped over
her shoulder. "Thanks, but we'll meet you there."

Eyebrows arched, she
turned toward him. He regarded Slade with friendly but cautious stare and then
smiled down at her. "Ready to go?"

"Uh, sure." He
acted like they were a couple, keeping his arm around her until they reached
the car. His closeness made her feel strangely secure, but she pushed the
sensation away. She always relied on herself. Dinner at Lorenzo's was just for
fun; she didn't want Zander to read anything more into it.

Luke had begged off,
catching a ride with one of the Riptide players. She was relieved she wouldn't
have to deal with him on the ride to the restaurant. "Where's Irisa?"

 He opened her door for
her and greeted their driver. "She's grabbing a drink with Dom."

"Good. She needs to
have some fun." She climbed into the back seat and Zander claimed the spot
by her side. Brendan and Landry jumped in, arguing about one of the player's
stats.

Once inside the
restaurant, the players waved to them from a table at the back. She followed
Brendan and Landry. Zander kept his hand pressed to her waist while they walked
to the table. She tried to ignore the sizzle that zinged up her spine. Slade
indicated she should sit next to him, so she did. The only other open chair was
three seats away, and Zander scowled as he sat down.

She didn't like the way
the waitress flirted with him, or the smile he gave with his order, or the way
she kept thinking about his words,
I have a thing for strawberry blonde tour
managers
. She tried to focus on Slade's conversation. One near-kiss with
Zander didn't mean anything, and a relationship with him couldn't happen. She
wasn't affected by him or their chemistry.

Yeah right. She swallowed
a sip of water and couldn't comfort herself with the lie.