Love Notes (Rocked by Love #1) (7 page)

Movement at the corner of
his vision caught his attention. His sister walked toward them. She looked
happy but Dom wasn't with her.

Jayne tried to untangle
her hand from his, but he held tight and burrowed them further in the sand.
"How's Dom?"

A smile bloomed on his
sister's face. "Fine. Where's Luke?"

"In his room. He
didn't want to come."

She chatted with them for
a few more minutes about her date and then left, saying she'd check on Luke.

Soon, she rejoined them
with Luke in tow. "I want some shots for your fan page. Come on, play
two-on-two and make sure to stay close enough for the floodlights to catch you.
And Jayne, you can take some pictures too, so we're not posting the exact same
ones."

Stifling a sigh, Zander
rose and brushed the sand from his hands. Usually he paired with Luke when they
played. "Same teams?"

Luke shrugged.
"Sure."

Irisa held up her phone.
"Remember, you're supposed to be having
fun
in these pictures. It
wouldn't kill you all to smile."

Zander covered Brendan
while Luke tried to block Landry's throw. The spiral arced toward the drummer.
He spun, then leapt for the ball and Zander ended up wrestling him for it as
waves crashed around them. They reset. He had the ball. Rather than throwing,
he ducked around Brendan. Landry barreled down on him. Bracing for the hit, he
threw a lateral pass to Luke but the bassist caught him with a shoulder to his
ribs anyway. They ended up on the ground. Zander flung wet sand at him in
retaliation.

Landry smiled.
"Always follow through with the tackle."

"Not when I don't
have the ball anymore." He stood, and waved Luke over. "We need to
take him down."

Luke didn't smile like he
normally would have, but he nodded. "One more play, then I'm heading
in."

Brendan threw the ball.
Instead of trying to block, Zander went after Landry and Luke attacked from the
opposite side. The three of them fell into the waves.

"These are
great." Irisa's voice carried over the breeze. "I think I have
enough."

"I think I've had
enough too." Landry splashed water at him. "Wait for payback."

"Game over." He
grinned. Cold seeped into his skin. Wet clothes clung to his body. Zander
caught Jayne's smile and something in him warmed.

When the group reached
their floor, the logistics of staying so close to the band, and wanting to be
with Jayne, and her insistence to keep things a secret, hit him. Thank God they
had adjoining rooms.

He went into his room,
and rapped his knuckles against the interior door. Her door opened immediately,
as though she'd been expecting him.

A fine coating of sand
and his soaked clothes kept him from wrapping her in his arms. He traced his
finger from her temple to her chin, and then tilted her chin up as he bent his
head, his mouth seeking her lips.

Jayne's soft hands
grasped his forearm, holding her to him. Their kiss continued, deepened to hot,
and then eased back to sweet.

His heart beat quickened.
The song lyrics he'd been struggling to compose suddenly filled his head. Every
single word.

She laid her hand against
his cheek. "It's late, and I'm sure that sand isn't comfortable. I'll let
you go so you can shower."

"Good night."
After one more taste, he eased back and they closed the doors between them.

Energy sparked with the
need to write. The guys weren't stupid, once they heard the lyrics, they might
put two and two together and figure out Jayne was his muse. But he couldn't
not
share the song.

He'd just have to take
his chances.

The pub pulsed with music and
laughter. The after-concert crowd had thickened once word spread that The Fury
had arrived. Jayne stood by the bar, sipping her drink and chatting with Irisa.
After a week on the road, she was happy to be home and back in her own bed for
a few days. Her friend had invited Dom to the band's first L.A. show. The
ballplayer and Zander traded stories while signing autographs and posing for
pictures. Fans wandered between them and to the opposite side of the room where
Brendan, Landry, and Luke hung out by the pool tables.

She swallowed her whiskey
and her frustration. No matter what she did, Luke still treated her with a
coolness impossible to mistake for friendliness. After five shows and countless
hours with the band, she'd hoped something would have changed.

Beside her, Irisa hissed
a breath. "It's good to be home, but I'd thought tonight would have gone
differently."

"Dom's pretty
popular." There seemed to be as many baseball fans as Fury fans.

"I'm glad he came
and is getting time to talk to Zander, but it's like the flow of fans never
stops. I'd like to spend time with him too."

"I'm sure things
will calm down soon." Jayne patted her shoulder. As she spoke, Dom turned
toward them and took a step in their direction. "See?"

To give her friend some
privacy, she moved to the other end of the bar and signaled for another drink.
People-watching for a while relaxed her.

Warm hands settled on her
waist. She stiffened, ready to throw an elbow into whoever held her. Then
Zander's scent surrounded her and she relaxed into his hands and twisted toward
him. "I'm glad it's you. I was about to break into self-defense
mode."

"I wondered where
you went." He smiled and leaned in and brushed a kiss over her lips.

"I thought I'd give
your sister and Dom some space. And I didn't want to crowd you while you were
with your fans." The band's strict "no groupies" policy
backstage during the tour meant every bar, restaurant, airport, and venue
parking lot turned into fan events.

"I think I've spoken
to every person in this place. Except you." He slid his hands across her
stomach and drew her body against his solid wall of muscles.

She sipped her drink,
enjoying the burn of the cinnamon flavor. His hand covered hers and he raised
the glass to his lips. Less than a week had passed since their conversation by
the beach. Keeping their blossoming relationship under wraps was harder than
she'd expected. She liked touching him and kissing him too much.

He passed the glass back
to her and she finished it off. The burn of the alcohol was nothing compared to
the fiery desire in Zander's gaze.

"Dance with
me."

"But someone could
see us and—"

He pressed the warm pad
of his finger against her lips. "The dance floor's crowded and believe me,
my guys won't be out there. But they could come up here any time for a drink.
We'll keep it friendly but I want to hold you. It's been a damn long day."

She couldn't argue with
that.

He stopped in a shadowed
space and drew her into his arms. Not as tight as some of the couples around
them, but close enough for her to breathe him in and enjoy the warmth of his
arms.

A thunderous crash
drowned out the music. Angry male voices rang out from the direction of the
pool tables.

Zander's hand tightened
on her shoulder. "Goddamn it. Luke's involved."

The singer stood toe to
toe with a giant biker. And then the biker's fist flew and the crowd swallowed
them from view.

"Shit. Find my
sister and get outside." He nudged her in the direction of the exit and
then ran toward the fight.

Glass shattered and more
people yelled. She dodged people and tables, searching for Irisa. No luck.

Chaos broke out around
her as the fight spilled out into the rest of the pub. The biker's friends and
Luke's supporters, including Zander, Brendan and Landry, jumped in.

She couldn't leave—not
with them involved and not without Irisa.

To her left, Zander threw
punches with two different men. Her stomach lurched. If she couldn't find
Irisa, she'd try to help him. She rushed by the bar. Someone huge barreled into
her side, knocking her off her feet. She flung out her arms and grasped at air.
Sickening fear shot through her. Her head smacked into the bar top. Pain
exploded and the floor rushed up to meet her.

The fall knocked her
breath out of her. Gasping, she clung to a bar stool. Around her, things calmed
down as bouncers tossed out patrons.

Zander knelt beside her.
He had a gash on his cheek and blood on his shirt. With gentle fingers, he
turned her head toward him. "Are you okay? Damn it, you're bleeding and
you already have an egg forming on your forehead. Can you stand?"

"I think so."
She held onto his arms and allowed him to lift her. The room spun.

He dumped ice from a
glass onto a bar towel and held the bundle to her head.

A black-clad bouncer came
up to them. "You were in the fight. You're getting tossed. Let's go."

Her head throbbed. She
leaned into Zander. He kept his arm around her and they followed Landry and
Brendan. Irisa and Dom followed. The bouncer shut the door behind them.

When the band met at the
middle of the parking lot, a few of the bikers came forward, looking ready to
finish the fight. Zander drew her to the side farthest away. "I swear, if
they take one step this way…"

"God, I hope
not."

"Don't worry, I'll
protect you."

Thankfully, it didn't
come to that. After tense moments, Dom stepped in between the groups and
managed to talk the guys down.

Relief eased some tension
from her muscles but her head still hurt. She wasn't dizzy or nauseous, but
laying down seemed like a very good idea.

Dom had his arm around
Irisa. Her friend clutched her wrist. "We're going to the hospital. You
need an x-ray."

"We'll meet you
there." Zander rubbed Jayne's shoulder. "She hit her head pretty hard
on the bar."

During the drive, he kept
touching her hand or her knee and asking if she was okay. After the fifth time
she'd reassured him she was fine, he sighed a long expulsion of breath.
"I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your
fault. You didn't bang into me."

"You should've gone
outside when the fight broke out."

"I couldn't find
Irisa, and then you guys all were fighting. I couldn't walk away."

He nodded, eyes weary and
mouth turned down. "I guess I can't argue with that. I couldn't walk out
on Luke."

She'd seen their bond.
The way he and Luke could communicate almost intuitively. Even with the tension
between them, their friendship obviously ran deep.

Zander stayed with her in
the ER while the doctor ran tests, keeping her company and keeping her calm
until the nurse took him away to bandage the cuts on his face and hand.

Finally, the doctor
released her. She found Irisa, Dom, and Zander in the waiting room. "I'm
cleared to go home."

"What did they
say?" Zander craned his neck to read the sheet. "Concussion
aftercare?"

"Just as a
precaution. I don't exhibit signs of a concussion so they don't need to keep me
overnight. The doctor told me to take it easy for the next twenty-four hours.
It's good we don't have a show tomorrow night."

His fingers gripped the
paper. "This also says someone's supposed to wake you regularly throughout
the night."

She met his gaze. Would
he volunteer? He opened his mouth but before he could speak, Irisa stood.
"Jayne can stay with me tonight."

"Are you sure you
don't mind?" Her friend's bandaged wrist probably hurt like hell. Maybe
she'd be able to help her, too. If nothing else, they could feel miserable
together.

"It's the least I
can do."

When they reached the
parking lot, Zander pulled her behind a large mini-van while Dom fussed over
making Irisa comfortable. "Call me if you need anything."

She grasped his hand.
"Will you be okay?"

"Please, you think
these little scratches will slow me down?"

For the first time in
hours, she smiled. "Of course not, Mr. Indestructible."

He cupped her cheek and
pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Not entirely indestructible. I do have
one weakness." He stroked the bandage covering her temple with his thumb.

"What's that?"

Zander caressed the
underside of her chin with a rough finger. "You."

The throbbing of her head
was forgotten and so was the need to keep their relationship quiet. She wrapped
her arms around his waist and pressed herself into his solid warmth. Watching
him throw and receive punches in the fight, she'd realized she cared about him.
More than was wise, and sooner than she'd ever fallen for anyone else. And that
scared her.

He took her hands from
his waist, keeping them in his, as he took a step back. "I'll see you
tomorrow."

"Tomorrow." She
had an entire night to think about whether ending their relationship early
would be for the best.

By the next morning, the fight was
all over the internet and the label wasn't happy. Zander didn't give a shit
about those things as much as the three guys nursing injuries in his practice
room. They were supposed to be practicing, but instead of drumsticks,
microphones, or guitars, they held ice packs, heating pads, and bottles of pain
relievers.

"Hell of a fight
last night." Zander tossed fresh ice packs to Luke and Landry. They sat at
opposite ends of the couch, with a snoring Shredder between them on the middle
cushion.

"Crazy bikers."
Luke shook his head. The purple bruise around his eye looked painful. "Thanks
for having my back."

"We couldn't leave
it eight-on-one." Landry smirked. His torn-up, swollen knuckles looked
like he'd put his fist through glass. "You're good, but you're not that
good."

Brendan stretched out on
an overstuffed chair with a heating pad over his left side. "What happened
with Jayne and Irisa at the hospital? Are they okay?"

Zander rubbed his hand
over his face. Every time he thought about Jayne's head hitting the bar, he
wanted to punch someone. "Irisa has a sprained wrist and Jayne was
evaluated for a concussion, but they let her go home."

He'd texted her that
morning and she'd responded that she was okay. 'Okay' didn't tell him a whole
lot.

Footsteps echoed down the
hall. He was expecting his housekeeper, but Irisa came through the door.
"How's everyone feeling today?"

"Fine." Zander
shrugged. He wouldn't complain about his cuts, the sore wrist, or the large
bruise on his thigh. He'd toughened out worse fights in the school yard.

Brendan touched his ribs.
"Got some bruises from last night, but nothing that'll keep me from
drumming."

Landry flexed his
fingers. "I'm still icing, but should be fine by tomorrow night."

Luke removed the ice pack
he'd held to his eye. "Now that we've all determined everyone's fine,
what's the word from Excite? Did you have to assure them that their investment
was fine?"

"Oliver did ask
about your condition, and yes, they'd like you guys to refrain from making poor
decisions."

Zander cracked a smile.
"Really? That's what Oliver said?"

Replacing the pack, Luke
laid his head on the back of the couch. "I can't believe Excite keeps that
whiny ass-kisser around."

Irisa surveyed them with
a sympathetic smile. "Take the day off, no practice, just rest. Keep icing
things. I'll see you tomorrow."

"You're heading out?
I'll walk you." Zander followed her from the room. When they reached his
kitchen, he stopped her. "How's Jayne?"

"She's okay. Nothing
odd. She's back at her place now. I told her to rest all day, and to skip
tomorrow's show if she needs to."

"I couldn't get to
her in time." He finally said it out loud.

"What are you
talking about?"

"Last night, at the
bar. The fight started and some guy slammed into her. I saw her going headfirst
into the bar and it was like everything was suddenly in slow motion. If I'd been
five seconds faster, it wouldn't have happened."

She pressed her lips
together and studied him for a moment. "Is something going on between you
two?"

Hell, he wasn't going to
lie. "Something." He shrugged and tugged his hand through his hair.
"I don't know what to call it. She's different from the other women I've
dated."

 "Just be
careful."

Shit. Jayne didn't want
anyone to know yet. "Don't say anything to her, okay? It's too new. No one
knows. I don't want to upset her. Or scare her off."