Melody of the Heart Read online

  “I probably should get going.”

  “Can’t you stay a little while longer?” Even though we weren’t going to have sex again, I still wanted to be with her, to hold her in my arms.

  “I guess so. I just don’t want to get caught.” Her brow did the cute little wrinkle she always did when she was really worried about something.

  “Okay, we’ll get you dressed and back. Don’t want you turning into a pumpkin, Cinderella.”

  Lily laughed and rose up off the mattress. As she grabbed for her clothes, I couldn’t help watching her a little longer in the candlelight. When she started to pull on her shirt, she glanced at me over her shoulder. “What?”

  I shrugged. “Nothing. I just couldn’t help looking at you.”

  “I would have thought you would have gotten your fill of finally seeing me fully naked,” she mused, as she pulled her shirt on and started for her sweatpants.

  “I could never get enough of seeing you.”

  With a smile, she came over to give me a kiss. “I’m going to leave the lingerie here, if that’s okay?”

  “It’s fine. We can use it next time.”

  She laughed. “We’ll just see about that.”

  After one last, lingering kiss, she started down the ladder. I followed after her and walked her to the edge of the woods. “I love you, Lily,” I said.

  “I love you, too,” she replied.

  Part of me felt completed by making love to Lily, but as she hurried down the hillside to her house, it felt as though she was taking a little piece of me with her, too.

  BRAYDEN

  THE PRESENT

  “Babe, come on. It isn’t that mortifying,” I said, as I tried to coax Lily to stop hiding her face in her hands.

  “I just talked about making out in the backseat of your car and how we lost our virginity. I would say that was pretty embarrassing,” came her muffled reply.

  Giovanni chuckled. “I’m sorry I needed some details about that first time in the tree house.”

  His statement caused Lily to jerk her head up. “Thankfully, they were just the bare minimum.”

  Wagging my eyebrows at Lily, I said, “Maybe for him, but trust me, I was reliving them in all their glory.”

  “You’re terrible,” she replied, although the corners of her lips did turn up a little.

  After clearing his throat and shuffling his notes, Giovanni said, “So, to do a little recap. The original question was what was the most romantic thing Lily ever did for you. I believe you were setting up the importance of this car and how it might play into the most romantic thing?”

  “Yes, that was the point of that story,” I replied, with a laugh.

  “A ‘68 Challenger was a pretty impressive car to have as a teenage boy.”

  “Oh hell yeah, it was. That baby was my pride and joy.”

  “Did your parents give it to you?”

  I snorted. “No, my parents believed in you getting a job and earning the money for a car. Thankfully, my mom’s dad came through for me. See, she was an only child, and I was the only grandson. He had several old cars he had collected over the years, so when I turned sixteen, he gave it to me.”

  Givoanni’s brows shot up. “He must’ve been a special man to entrust such a special car to a teenager.”

  “Yeah, he was. When I was just thirteen, I used to go over and wash it for him, put special oil on the leather seats. He taught me a lot about cars.” I sighed. “It’s sad to say, but I was glad he had passed away when I had to sell it.”

  “Why was that?”

  “Even though in my eyes, it was for a good cause, I know it would have broken his heart.”

  “So why did you sell it?”

  “To get the cash we needed to fund Runaway Train’s first album.”

  Giovanni’s eyes bulged in surprise. “I had no idea that you weren’t with a studio the first go around.”

  Shaking my head, I replied, “No, the one that got us the attention we needed to get that first real record deal was from the Challenger.”

  Lily reached over and squeezed my thigh. “I really didn’t know if he was going to make it those first few weeks after he sold it. Whenever he would have to go get in the older Honda he’d bought, there would be tears in his eyes.”

  I swatted her hand away with a laugh. “That’s not true.”

  She grinned. “Yeah, it is.”

  Rolling my eyes, I countered, “One time. I cried one time about that car, and she wouldn’t let me forget it.”

  Giovanni’s brows lined in confusion. “So if you sold the car when you were twenty one, how does it figure into being the most romantic thing Lily ever did?”

  “Well, that’s because my wife is really good at surprises.”

  BRAYDEN

  The Past

  “Are we there yet?” I asked for probably the hundredth time in the last ten minutes.

  Lily groaned. “Would you stop? Jeez, I never realized you were so impatient.”

  I turned toward the sound of her voice. I couldn’t see anything since she had insisted on blindfolding me. Today was our first wedding anniversary. I’d managed to get a night off the road to fly back home, so we could celebrate. While I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her, Lily had other plans when she picked me up at the airport.

  I’d missed her more than just physically. She had only been able to come out two weekends this month to be with me. Whenever she wasn’t with me, I felt lost. But between her job and the pregnancy, she was worn thin. Regardless of how much I wanted her with me, I wouldn’t allow her to do anything to jeopardize her health or our baby’s.

  When the car started slowing down, I sat up straighter in the seat. “Is this it?”

  Lily giggled. “I bet you used to drive your parents crazy.”

  “No comment.”

  The car came to a stop, and I held my breath until Lily put it in park. “Okay, I’ll come around to get you.” When she opened her door, I was tempted to jerk off the blindfold. As if she anticipated me, she said, “No peeking, or you don’t get your gift.”

  “Fine, fine,” I grumbled.

  Tapping my foot, I waited for her to come around the car. She opened my door and undid my seatbelt. Taking me by the hand, she led me out of the car. We took a few steps and then she let go of my hand. “Are you ready?”

  “Yes, dammit, I’ve been ready the last thirty minutes.”

  She laughed and then pulled off the blindfold. I was momentarily disappointed to see that we were just in our driveway. But then when I saw what was in front of me, I dropped onto my knees, which earned me another laugh from Lily. “Oh. My. God.”

  It was a black, 68’ Challenger just like I’d had gotten when I was sixteen. Just like the one I’d sold to fund our first record deal. Staggering back to my feet, I said, “I can’t believe you found another one.”

  Lily slid her arm around my waist. “I didn’t find another one. I found the one.” When I stared at her in shock, she said, “That’s your old Challenger, babe.”

  I was speechless. She had literally stunned me speechless. “But how?”

  “I ran the VIN number through some collectors, tracked it down, then explained to them the story behind the car.” With a teasing grin, she winked at me. “I might have used my feminine wiles a little bit to sway them to sell it.”

  “Please tell me you didn’t show them your boobs?”

  She smacked my arm. “Honestly, Brayden. I merely tossed my hair, gave them lots of smiles, and then maybe I turned the waterworks on about my dad and the baby.”

  I threw back my head and laughed. “You’re terrible.”

  “It got you the car, didn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it did.” I pulled her to me, wrapping my arms around her. “Baby, this is the most amazing gift I think I could ever receive.” Feeling her tiny bump brush against me, I quickly corrected myself. “The most amazing gift until our baby is born.”

  “Good save, Vanderburg,” she murmur
ed, her lips hovering over mine.

  “Glad you thought so.” I kissed her deeply, plunging my tongue into her mouth. When I finished we were both breathless.

  She smiled up at me. “Wanna take the car for a spin?”

  “Fuck yeah. But considering I’m hard as a rock, I think I would rather take you for a spin.”

  Lily pulled away from me. Swaying her hips, she walked over to the car and opened the backseat door. “Wanna fuck me in here like old times?”

  Glancing around, I tried to gage if any of the neighbors were home to see us. When I thought the coast was clear, I hurried to her side.

  Not taking her eyes off of mine, Lily lay back on the seat, opening her legs invitingly. “You want to know why this car is special to me?” she asked.

  Licking my lips, I asked, “Because I love it so much?”

  She tsked at me. “No silly.” She then whipped her shirt over her head. “Because I had my first orgasm with a guy in this backseat.”

  I grinned. “I was happy to oblige you with that one.”

  As she slid off her jeans, she said, “I almost lost my virginity in here.”

  “Yeah, not the most romantic place to lose it.”

  Cocking her brows at me, said, “Lose the pants, Vanderburg.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Not caring about the neighbors, I unzipped my jeans and tugged them down.

  “Going commando, are we?”

  With a laugh, I replied, “I ran out of clean underwear.”

  Lily giggled. “Heaven forbid you have to do some laundry.”

  “You got that right.”

  The leather seat warmed my bare ass as I sat down. Once I closed the door, I covered Lily’s body with my own. She brought her hands up to grip my shoulders. “You want to know the number one reason why I love this car?”

  “Mmm,” I muttered, as my hands came to her breasts.

  “Because it was the place where you first said you loved me.”

  My fingers stilled their movements. “I remember that,” I replied.

  “In that moment, I didn’t think I could love you more, but I had no idea.” She cupped my face in her hands. “My love for you grows each and every day.”

  “As does mine.” I brought my lips to hers for a tender kiss. When I pulled away, my heart did a funny flip-flop in my chest like the first time I ever saw her or kissed her or made love to her. We were coming full circle from the horny teenagers who had romped in the backseat to a married couple with a baby on the way.

  And as the car rocked back and forth with our exertions, we made new memories in the Challenger with all new orgasms.

  LILY

  THE PRESENT

  After shifting in his chair, Giovanni gave me a wry smile. I couldn’t help bracing myself for his next question. The twinkle in his dark eyes told me he was about to pose a question that he really wanted to get some dirt on—something potentially salacious. I couldn’t imagine where he planned on going since he’d already gotten the dirt on Brayden’s and my first time, not to mention our R rated Challenger shenanigans. “This question shifts forward just a bit, but I think it will help tie everything together from your high school days to the days of Runaway Train.”

  “Okay,” I said.

  “Everyone is under the impression that the women of Runaway Train get along very well together.” He cocked a brow at me. “Is that the truth or a very carefully constructed PR façade?”

  “No, we really do all get along and like each other. We’re so very lucky that we’ve become best friends, especially since we’re all so very different. Abby, Mia, and now Allison feel more like my sisters, than just my friends or bandmates wives. Over the years, I’ve really leaned on them, and they have me. I can’t even imagine how awful it would be if we hated one another.”

  When Brayden snickered, I cut my eyes over to him. “What?” I demanded.

  He held up his hands in surrender. “Nothing. I was just thinking myself how thankful I am that you girls all get along because there’s nothing scarier than one pissed off female, least of all four.”

  Giovanni and I both laughed at his response. Brayden then winked at me before looking at Giovanni. “It really is the truth that the girls get along well. Any bitchy attitude is usually given to their men, not each other.”

  “That is true. Although I would add that the men usually deserve it,” I replied, with a smile.

  Brayden laughed. “I would agree with that, too.”

  After smoothing my fingers over my skirt, I sighed. “In the end, it isn’t easy being a rock star’s wife. The somewhat nomadic life on the road with all the endless touring, the overeager female fans…it’s an emotional landmine. I really don’t think I could have survived if I hadn’t surrounded myself with supportive women like the girls.

  “But you didn’t always have them to fall back on. You two were together before Runaway Train, or what would become Runaway Train, formed.”

  “Yes, that’s true. Two of the guys in Brayden’s first band had girlfriends, but we were all so busy with school and jobs that we really didn’t get to be together that much except at shows. The Benders didn’t do any touring either.”

  “I can only imagine it was hard being the only female with the four very different men of Runaway Train,” Giovanni remarked.

  I nodded. “Very hard.

  “Now that brings me to the question I really wanted to ask. What was it like the first time you met Brayden’s bandmates?”

  “Oh God,” Brayden groaned, burying his head in his hands at the same time a flush entered my cheeks.

  Giovanni’s eyes flashed like he had hit the jackpot. “Hmm, so it wasn’t all fun and games in the beginning?”

  As the different memories of meeting Jake and AJ flickered through my mind, I gave an embarrassed laugh. “I guess you could say that although they were hours apart, my first introductions to the men who would become my brothers were quite interesting.”

  LILY

  THE PAST

  The summer I turned twenty one was the first birthday I had to spend away from Brayden since we had become a couple. I had been accepted into a summer internship program that I received college credits for. It was a camp for troubled teens up in the North Georgia Mountains. I would only have every other weekend off, and I didn’t know how Brayden and I would get through our first real separation. The day I had to leave him, I cried the entire hour trip to the camp, and I didn’t stop until the next day.

  I wouldn’t have been able to survive if we hadn’t been able to talk to each other every day on the phone. I shared stories about how far some of the campers were coming in their ability to trust or control their anger while Brayden told me more about his new band that had formed a few months beforehand. Two of the guys, Jake and AJ, were childhood friends who had formed a band in high school. Their bassist was Jake’s cousin. They hadn’t gotten as far on the music scene as the Benders had, but Brayden said they had way more talent. They just needed some polishing, and he hoped with his experience they could start to go places.

  It was good hearing the excitement about music in Brayden’s voice again. After the breakup of the Benders, he had been adrift. I had begun to worry what would happen to him if he didn’t find another outlet for his music. With work and school, I hadn’t had the chance to meet them yet, but it sounded like they were all a perfect musical fit.

  The weekend before my birthday, I drove home so I could spend some time with my parents, but most of all, with Brayden. After we had a home-cooked birthday dinner at my parents, we left on the pretense of Brayden showing me his new apartment. The truth was we wanted to be alone. Before this separation, we had never gone longer than a few days without having sex. Now it was two weeks each time, and we were both feeling the pain enough to want to rip each other’s clothes off.

  Since I had left for the summer, he had moved into a loft with his new bandmates. I was really interested in seeing the place since Brayden had been hounding me for a year t
o move in with him. We’d both stayed in campus housing our first two years, and after that, I moved back home to save money. Most of the time, I’d end up staying at Brayden’s apartment anyway.

  When we drove up to the building, I began to wonder if it was a building with lofts or an abandoned warehouse. “Is this place safe?” I questioned, after I got out of the car.

  Brayden chuckled. “This block was once one of the most up and coming neighborhoods in the city.”

  “Once?”

  With a grin, Brayden replied, “Yeah, this know-it-all developer bought it and then went bankrupt. The new contractor who bought it got it for a steal. You should see the way they remodeled our floor.”

  “You have an entire floor?”

  “Yeah, it’s pretty amazing. Four bedrooms and two baths.”

  My brows shot up. “That’s like a house. How in the world do four college guys afford it?”

  “One of my roommates, Jake, his dad owns the contracting company that bought the building. His dad has this giant guilt trip when it comes to Jake, so he offered it to Jake for the same amount of rent he was paying at his old place. It’s worked out well because Mr. Charismatic, Jake, has been able to rope more college kids into moving in. A win-win situation for them both.”

  “He’s the lead singer, right?”

  “Yep, Mr. Jake Ego-Trip Slater,” Brayden mused, with a grin.

  Wrinkling my nose, I replied, “I’m not looking forward to meeting this guy. Tom was enough of an ego-trip for me.”

  “Just wait, babe. I think Jake is even worse.”

  “Ugh, that sounds horrible.”

  “He grows on you once you get to know him. Deep down, he really is a nice guy. He’s a helluva singer and songwriter, too. With him as our front man, we’re really going to start going places. I can feel it.”

  “I hope so, baby. No one deserves it more.”

  With a growl, Brayden jerked me to him. “Enough talking. I think it’s past time we got to fucking.”