Love Song (Rocked by Love #2) by Susan Scott Shelley Page B

a bit to hear you play together
again, how about you guys give us a song here?"
    Luke locked eyes with
Audrey. It wasn't the song he and the guys had practiced backstage, but he knew
exactly what he wanted to do.
    ***
    The
band stood up from the chairs and headed toward the instruments set up in the
left side of the set. Audrey turned to Irisa. "What song are they going to
play?"
    "Beats me. They
rehearsed a few today, including covers of some other bands. So I have no idea."
    Music started, but it
wasn't the hard and heavy beats the guys were known for. Luke leaned into the
microphone. "This one's for Audrey."
    It was slower, less
aggressive, and vaguely familiar. But she couldn't place it. When Luke crooned
out the first line, she knew. One of the love songs he'd been singing every
morning while in the shower. The decades' old song made modern and tough enough
for a rock band with faster beats and heavy guitars and Luke almost growling
the lyrics.
    Touched, she grinned at
him and then admired an artist in action. He sang with his whole body. And his
facial expressions mirrored the words he sang and the feelings invoked. He
caught her gaze a few times and winked.
    A woman behind her
murmured, "Lucky bitch."
    Surprise shot through
her. Audrey glanced at Jayne and Irisa. From their shocked and annoyed
expressions, they'd heard the woman. Thoughts tumbled—should she ignore it,
turn around and say something, or laugh it off?
    Irisa nudged her and her
head shook slightly. Let it go. But she didn't want to be a doormat. Heart
beating fast, she turned. Two women sat behind her. Both wore The Fury
t-shirts. One smirked at her while the other eyed her with cool disinterest.
    Saying something now
wouldn't solve anything and would only cause a scene. She faced forward. If she
had to bet, she'd put money on the smirker. But then again, the other woman had Luke tattooed on her arm. The incident tinged her enjoyment of Luke's
gift to her, but then the band launched into one of their high octane numbers,
and the entire crowd was on their feet. Being upset about a tiny comment she
wasn't entirely sure was directed at her didn't make much sense when she had a
new friend in Jayne, a reliable friend in Irisa, and the company of an
entertaining group of guys. And, most of all, when she had Luke.
     
    The next afternoon,
controlled chaos reigned at the venue she'd rented out for the show. Instead of
a regular fashion show, the models would begin by walking across a stage set up
like a typical rock concert, with guitars and a drum kit, while lights flashed
in the background. They'd then move to a low catwalk that would bring them out
into the "pit". Afterward, more of a party atmosphere would take
over, with models walking around wearing the designs, mingling with the
attendees. Food, drink, music, and hopefully, lots of sales and new clients.
    Audrey rushed between
checking on progress with the models getting dressed, hair and make-up, and
last-minute chats with the venue manager. Her nerves increased with each
passing minute. In addition to the bands she'd invited, other band managers,
rock news bloggers and reporters, fashion bloggers, and record company
representatives would also be in attendance. And of course, the director of the
domestic violence program. Now was not the time for anything to go wrong.
    Renee flagged her down.
"Jacob can't go on. He just called me. He's home, and sick as a dog.
Stomach bug."
    "Ugh. Seriously?
Now?" She glanced at her list, hoping a last-minute replacement would
appear.
    Luke approached her. He'd
been a huge help all day long, doing anything that needed to be done.
"Need anything else from me? If not, I'll go join the guys out
front."
    "One of my models
got sick." She bit her lip and looked him up and down. Different coloring
than Jacob, but a similar enough build. "You guys are about the same size.
It could work..."
    "You want me to walk
down the runway?" He shook his head and laughed. "I'm not