Free Some Kind of Hell by London Casey Page A

I’m taking you out to lunch and then we’ll casually drop in on a DownCrash practice. I’m going to go to Tatum’s tonight and you’re going to bring Logan back here.”
    “Back here?”
    “Why not? Annie, this is your place. You need to be here, be home. Enjoy it. Bring a guy back here and enjoy it. Shit, Annie, this is your life right now. If you don’t embrace it, you’re going to look back and regret it.”
    “You sound like my grandfather,” I said.
    “That’s because we’re both smart.”
    I smiled.
    My day was booked and my night would end with Logan in my bed.

~8~
     
    I started to reach for the garage door and Maggie took my wrist and pulled me back. The muffled sound of music came from the garage and I turned to look at her, wondering what the heck was wrong.
    “Just listen,” she said.
    So we did.
    It was the acoustic song Logan had offered up. As the band played, I realized that they had definitely been working on it since that first night. They played together a little smoother and all three sang at certain parts. Logan and Tripp traded vocals, their voices different yet equally sexy. It made the song that much better. When the solos came, I picked up right where Logan and Tatum each played. Logan had more guitar skill than Tatum did, but I would never say that to Maggie. Or Tatum. Logan’s guitar solo sounded more technical, more notes, adding more life to the song. For Tatum’s guitar solo, he would strike notes and hold them or bend them. It was a slower solo, but it worked for the song.
    The song was incredible. If added to the end of the demo, it would definitely get DownCrash a deal. I really hoped they would use it. I could picture music executives listening to the demo and hearing the normal DownCrash songs with the fast and powerful music. But then this last song, this bonus track even was so slow, so beautifully written.
    “Fuck, they are so good,” I said. “So, so good.”
    “They’re going to be huge,” Maggie said. “They’ll be on some kind of tour by next week, I know it.”
    I wanted to ask, Then what about us? but I knew Maggie didn’t want to live like that, so I opened the garage. We would enjoy DownCrash as we knew them now.
    The song had ended, but Logan continued playing. Strumming the chords, hitting the notes, staring at his guitar. He was deep in thought, but the second he saw me, he put the guitar down and had his eyes set on me.
    “Annie,” he said.
    “Hey,” I said.
    We stood awkwardly and unsure if we should hug, kiss, or just bolt out of there and finish what we started the other night.
    “How’s practice?” I asked.
    “Awesome, as always. We’re leaving for LA...”
    “Maggie told me,” I said. “That’s really cool. I mean, really really cool, Logan.”
    “I know. Jason wants us to come out and sign some papers, jam with him, and talk songs, shows, whatever.”
    “Not whatever,” Tripp said. “Not whatever.”
    “Don’t mind him,” Logan said. “He’s shit his pants three times already.”
    “Dude, fuck off,” Tripp said and stormed away.
    “Is he okay?” I asked.
    “Nerves,” Tatum said. “He doesn’t do well with failure.”
    “What’s failed?” Maggie asked.
    “Nothing. He’s just worried.”
    “You guys are too good,” I said.
    “She’s pretty and smart,” Tatum said. “You better get her soon.”
    My mouth fell open and I felt my cheeks starting to blush a little. Logan wrapped his arm around me and walked me out of the garage. Once we were outside and I saw the back of Tripp’s house, my body started to ache again. My heart picked up speed as I reminded myself what had happened in that house.
    “Annie, listen,” Logan said, “about the other night...”
    “What about it?”
    “Do you always have to get so defensive?”
    “Why not? What are you going to tell me? That you have a girlfriend? That it was just fooling around? Is that why you didn’t want to fuck me?”
    Logan stared at me in disbelief. I