Free Love Notes (Rocked by Love #1) by Susan Scott Shelley

by the cover of sand. The feel of her fingers
against his was as erotic as her lips and tongue had been. He traced patterns
across the back of her fingers, rubbing soft skin amid rough grains.
    She sighed and flexed her
hand under his, then turned hers so palm met palm and her fingers could tease
him too.
    Brendan and Landry
splashed through ankle-deep water. Diving catches, balls deliberately
overthrown, they reminded him of the old days, when everything was simpler with
the band.
    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.

CHAPTER EIGHT
     
    The pub