“Come out when you’re ready,” he said discreetly as he suppressed a smile.
“Oh, okay.” I quickly grabbed my guitar case, then slung my purse over my shoulder and walked out.
I looked around the bar, and there were a few customers still there. I looked down to check my guitar and almost ran into a wall. I looked up, and Logan was looking down at me.
“You’re still here…” I said, more of a statement than a question.
“Yes. We’re still here,” he said, pointing to the same group of friends that he was with at McDonald’s. “Would you like to join us?” His eyes were so hopeful that it was difficult to say no.
“Well, I really should be going…”
“Just for one drink?” he asked, hopeful as he raised his eyebrows.
“Alright. Just one drink,” I agreed.
I followed him over to the table where his friends were sitting. “This is Kyle,” he said, pointing to the guy who had been impatiently trying to get Logan to leave at the McDonald’s.
He rose to his feet. “It’s a pleasure to officially meet you,” he said as he extended his hand.
I took it, and he shook my hand firmly. “The pleasure’s mine.”
“These are my friends, Lathe and Mason,” he said, pointing to the two other guys. Lathe had bright blonde, short cropped hair with hazel eyes, and Mason was a brunette like Kyle, but Mason’s dark brown hair brushed his shoulders, whereas Kyle’s was short, just covering his ears. All were tall, towering over me as they each rose to their feet. Perfect gentlemen.
“You were wonderful tonight,” Lathe said. “Where did you learn to play like that?”
I shrugged. “I’ve been playing for as long as I can remember, but when I took the stage tonight, something inside of me took over.”
All four men laughed. “You mean to tell me that this is the first time that you’ve played in public?” Logan asked.
I nodded. “Except in church.”
“Wow,” Mason said, laughing as he looked over at Logan. “Well, you have yourself a nice church girl who can rock.”
I smiled sheepishly.
“That’s enough,” Logan said, then turned his attention back to me. “Man, you were smokin’ it tonight! It’s hard to believe that was the first time you’ve played in public.”
“Thanks.” I felt pink filled my cheeks.
“So, gentlemen, lady, anything for last call?” a waitress asked expectantly, holding a serving tray.
“Another beer for me,” Kyle said, holding up an empty bottle.
Lathe and Mason agreed.
“Me, too,” Logan said, pointing to his empty bottle. Then, he turned his attention toward me. “And what for you?”
“Diet Coke,” I said, knowing that I was only eighteen and underage.
Logan smiled.
“So, what brings you here to Nashville?” I asked Logan. These men knew a lot about me, but I still didn’t know much about them.
“Promise that you won’t laugh?” Logan asked as the other guys snickered.
“Why would I?” I asked. The waitress slid a soda in front of me and I took a sip. “You already know why I’m here.”
“Well, we’re a band,” Logan replied as he motioned around the table. “Lathe is our lead guitarist, Kyle here plays bass, and Mason is our drummer.”
“And what do you play?” I asked, taking another sip of my soda. It felt cool all the way down, and a chill ran through me.
“I play rhythm guitar, and I sing,” he said, taking a sip of his beer.
“You’re a band?” I asked, unable to believe what I was hearing.
“Yes. Why are you so surprised?” Logan asked, running his hand through his dark blonde hair.
“Well, I just so happen to need a band,” I said, taking another sip of my soda.
“As your backup?” Logan asked, frowning as he looked down at his beer.
“Yes, but you can have the lead, too,” I said after seeing his discomfort. “Never mind. It was just an idea. I’m sure Frank can find me one.”
“Frank? Tasha Granger’s manager, Frank Mallory?” Lathe gushed as he shook his head in disbelief. “Logan, man! What’s wrong with you? This is the big time!”
“What do you mean?” Logan asked, looking into my eyes, ignoring Lathe.
I took a deep breath. “I’m going on tour with Tasha, and I need a band. She just asked me.”
“Oh my God, Logan!” Morgan said, practically jumping to his feet. “This is what we’ve been waiting for!”
Logan took a deep breath. “Do you have a place to stay yet?”
I took a deep breath, not sure how much to tell him, but something inside of me wanted to trust him. “No; not yet. I’m going to stay in a hotel tonight.”
“Well,” Logan said with a sly smile as he took my hand into his, “do you feel like jamming tonight, or are you too tired? If you are, we can get together tomorrow.”
I laughed. “I’m so excited that I couldn’t sleep if I tried! Now’s good. What do you have in mind?”
“Well, we just got an apartment this afternoon,” he said. “You can come over and we can jam if you like. Then, we can talk about working together.”
“Alright,” I said, hesitantly, not sure how I felt about going to an apartment with four guys that I had just met, technically.
Eying my reluctance, he whispered, “You’ll be safe. I promise.”
I nodded, not sure if this was such a good idea. But I needed a band, and I also wanted to hear them play. But, above all else, I wanted to jam. “Let’s go.”
Logan nodded, and he quickly called the waitress over to the table to pay the bill as his friends downed their beers. When he was finished, he turned to me. “Shall we?”
I nodded, smiling as Logan placed his hand on the small of my back as we walked outside, followed by his friends. I just hoped that this wasn’t a mistake.
“Do you mind if I ride with you?” Logan asked just above my ear as we stepped outside.“Sure. Of course,” I said, already digging my keys out of my purse.“Hey, guys,” Logan said to his friends. “I’m riding with Alyssa. I’ll meet you there.”“Just don’t be too long,” Mason said with a sly smile.“Shut the hell up,” Logan said as Mason laughed. “We’ll be there in a minute.”“It wouldn’t take longer than a minute, anyway,” Mason joked, laughing as he headed toward their car.Lathe punched him on the shoulder and muttered something about treating women with respect.“This isn’t such a good idea,” I said, fumbling with my keys. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Just let me know where to meet you.”Logan immediately placed his hands on my shoulders, forcing me to look into his eyes.
They laughed, and Logan nodded to Mason. “Count it off!”“One, two, three, four!” Mason yelled as he hit his drumsticks together.I recognized the tune and immediately picked it up. These guys weren’t just good … they were great. I hadn’t had this much fun in my life. As the song came to a close, we ended it in an elaborate rift as Logan and I leaned our backs against one another, and then we all jumped into the air together and landed on the last cord as we all cheered.“Man! You guys are great!” I yelled, laughing. “Let’s do another“Sweet Home Alabama!” Lathe yelled, and Mason counted it off.Lathe and I alternated doing the beginning rifts, and then we launched into our own rendition. Logan took the lead on the verses. He had a great voice: rocking, sweet, and sensual. I immediately felt my heart stir, and I wondered what it was. A few minutes later, the song came to
I closed the door and turned around. There was a huge, king-sized bed taking center stage in the middle of the room. To the left was a set of drawers, and to the right on the same wall as the door was a set of mirrored sliding glass doors, enclosing a closet. I slid it open and took out one of his rock concert T-shirts. Then, I stripped down to my panties and slid it on. I was just about to slide under the comforter when I heard a knock on the door.I opened it just a crack, and it was Logan. “Lock the door,” he said, breathing heavily, then walked away. It seemed as if he wanted me to lock the door to keep him out just as much as the other guys in the house. He didn’t realize that a part of me wanted him to come in, but I was glad that he walked away.I turned out the light and slid into bed. It smelled like him: a mixture of leather, lavender, musk, and rain. I snuggled down under the covers and wrapped the thick comforter around my nose, then fell
“So, you just graduated from high school, huh?” Logan asked as we walked out to my car.I popped the hood, and Logan picked up my suitcase. “I’ll get that,” I said, reaching for it, but he pulled it out of my reach.“No. I’ll get it.” His muscles flexed under his T-shirt under the weight of the suitcase. “You haven’t answered my question.”“Does it make that much of a difference?” I asked. But from the look on his face, I could see that it did.He shrugged. “I’m just trying to wrap my head around it is all.”I nodded. “Are you in college?”“I just graduated from NYU and came here.” He adjusted the suitcase, shifting it to his other hand. “What do you have in here? Bricks?”I laughed. “I’ll carry it if it’s too heavy for you.” He gave me a dirty look, and I laughed. “What was
I drove around town, looking for an apartment, biding my time until it was time to go to the studio. Then, I thought of Logan’s apartment building. He had said that there were apartments available there. I sighed, wondering if it would be too weird to get an apartment so near Logan.The hell with it, I thought as I quickly turned the car around and headed back to his apartment complex. My heart raced at the possibility of seeing Logan again, but I quickly pushed the thought aside. After all, I was going on tour for God knew how long and I had no idea when I’d be back. He would probably have a girlfriend by then, and would have forgotten all about me. But it was a chance I would have to take.After parking my car in front of the office, I walked inside. Luckily, it was out of sight from Logan’s apartment. I didn’t want him to think I was stalking him or something. As I walked in, I was a bit leery, not sure if I wanted to start something with Log
“There she is!” Frank greeted me at the door as I rushed in. “Alyssa, this is Sam and Bill. They’ll take good care of you during your session today.” Frank turned to leave, then he added, “By the way, your band is waiting in the sound room for you … where you should be right now, so go!”I smiled, then hurried into the sound booth, and was stunned when I walked in, for there, tuning his guitar, was Logan and his friends. Microphones set all over the room. Even the drums were mic-ed!“So, you decided to come after all?” I asked, looking over my shoulder at Logan as I hurried to set my guitar case down and quickly flipped it open.A broad smile spread across his face as he shrugged. “Well, the guys talked me into it.”I slipped my guitar strap over my shoulder and struck a chord, checking to see if it was tuned. “Ah … you just can’t stay away from me,” I teased
Frank nodded as he bit his lower lip. “Okay, but make it quick. We’re wasting valuable studio time.”“You got it!” Mason said, and then walked quickly toward the door, motioning for us to follow. He walked out the back of the studio. The sun shone down brightly in the sky, but a warm breeze was blowing. “What the hell were you thinking in there?” Mason asked, turning on Logan. “Man, we have a shot to go on tour …”“As a backup band!” Logan interjected as his eyes flared.“He said that we could do our originals, too!” Kyle interjected, trying to keep his voice down.“Yeah, but what do we do when the crowd is chanting her name?” Logan replied.It felt as if he had just slapped me in the face. “Well, you guys hash it out, but I’m going in.” I needed to leave before I said something that I would regret.“Wait a minute…&
We spent the rest of the afternoon doing only my songs. During the whole session, Frank never asked to hear more of Logan’s songs. I had no idea if I would ever see Logan or the guys again after this day, but I vowed to enjoy our time together while it lasted. We spent the whole afternoon laughing and playing. We all worked so hard that day, but I was so high on adrenaline that I never felt tired at all.“That’s a wrap!” Frank said later that day, and we all cheered.“Already?” I teased, hating to see the day come to an end.Frank laughed. “Aren’t you tired yet?”“Are you kidding?” I asked, letting my fingers fly over the neck of my guitar one last time. “This is the most fun I’ve ever had!”Frank looked over at Sam, and then back at me. “We ran over our studio time, but it was worth it. We got enough for a full album.” Then, he looked over at Kyle, who