Free Love Song (Rocked by Love #2) by Susan Scott Shelley

first
choice there."
    "Try the last."
He laughed again. "It'll be good to see you, man. Landry will be here
soon. Our flight is at the butt crack of dawn, so we'll be in New York late
morning, your time."
    "Cool. You guys are
staying at my hotel, right?" He hoped so.
    "Yeah. Irisa made
all the arrangements. Zander and Jayne are coming in from Maine, and Irisa is
flying out from LAX around the same time as Landry and me. I think we're all
meeting you at Audrey's studio at noon."
    They chatted for a few
more minutes, until Landry had arrived and said his own hello. Bidding his
friends goodbye, Luke sat in the utter silence of the room.
    He needed Audrey.
    Finally, his phone pinged
with her response.
    Sorry, was busy with show
stuff. Just got into a cab now.
    Good. He'd feel a lot
better after holding her. Lying across his bed, he typed his reply.
    Is it cool if I come
over?
    He threw clothes into his
carry-on bag. Then her reply chimed.
    No.
    His lungs froze. They
hadn't slept apart since he'd returned from Nashville. He could sleep alone,
but preferred dropping off into dreams while wrapped in his dream come true.
Especially after the day he'd had.
    Then her message
continued:
    I'm on my way to you.
    ***
    Audrey hoisted her
tote bag higher on her shoulder and made her way through Luke's hotel. Knowing
how late she'd be working, she'd packed a change of clothes that morning. Luke's
hotel was closer to her studio than her apartment. Exhaustion and needing to
see him had made the decision easy.
    Three straight days of
working with him at her studio, and four straight nights of unwinding with him
at the end of her day, of sharing a glass of wine, of climbing onto soft sheets
with him, and then sleeping tucked against him throughout the night, had
created a routine she craved.
    It had also stoked her
desire for more.
    She'd wanted to go slow.
Baby steps. But every taste of him only increased her hunger.
    Three years of thinking
about him, of interactions, glances, and incidental touches, tacked on to the
time they'd spent together since he'd arrived in the city, gave her a clear
picture of who he was. Moving forward and taking things to another level was
scary, but holding back and keeping things exactly as they were wouldn't ever
get her—get them—to where she wanted to be.
    Heart pounding a little
harder, she knocked on his door.
    It swung open and Luke
waved her inside. A smile lifted his cheeks, but something deeper, relief,
reflected in his eyes and echoed in her soul. After her long day, all she
wanted was him.
    Hair damp, wearing
workout shorts and a baseball t-shirt, he looked nothing like the lead singer
who entertained thousands and sold out stadiums. He looked like a regular
guy—if anything about Luke could actually be regular. He plowed his hands into
her hair, cupping her head, and brought his mouth down to brush teasing kisses
against her lips. "I needed this. My night was crazy."
    "What
happened?" She set her bag on the floor and stroked her fingers along the
lines of tension in his face.
    "My fan audition
turned into a shit storm. The girl used someone else's voice in the demo she
submitted. Apparently, she thought this would be a good way to meet me. I'm so
pissed. She seemed to think I'd be cool with the fact she wasted my time and
the band's time. She can't sing at all. Instead of her wanting to be in the
group, she wanted to be a groupie. She offered to keep me company tonight, if
you know what I mean."
    She drew back.
"Excuse me?"
    He lifted one of her
hands and placed it on his shoulder, and then wrapped his arms around her
waist. "I put on the brakes, but she wasn't too happy."
    "I can
imagine..." Possessiveness snaked through her as she pictured the woman
putting moves on her man.
    "All I wanted to do
was get back to you. How was the rest of your day?"
    "Long. Busy. Oh, and
I pulled together a few things for you and the guys to wear on the show. Irisa
called me a few hours ago and said everyone is flying