Pick (Recoil Rock #1) Read online

  What that battle is, I’m not sure.

  But right now, I’m too spent to care.

  We’re in an old abandoned warehouse we’ve rented for rehearsals. It’s the only space Luke could find big enough for two bands with no noise restrictions to practice in near the hotel. Recoil is near the end of their set, and I’m excited at how well Luminous and Recoil sound when they play together. Danger and Effa still haven’t gotten anywhere near to finalizing their duet, but the bands practice together, so when the song is ready they know how to work together. And to be honest, they would be awesome as one big band ‘cause they sound epic together. I really do think Luminous will be an asset for Recoil.

  The harmonious flow of rock music stops, and the vibration through my chest eases as the deafening echo fades through the open expanse. I slide off the bench and make my way over to the food table to grab a sandwich as Recoil pack up. The thudding of footsteps making their way to me from behind makes me turn to see Nate jogging toward me. Smiling at him, he grins at me from ear to ear in his usual drop dead gorgeous way.

  Why do all the men of Recoil have to be stunning?

  Even Ryan is good looking in his goofy way. Sure he may not be all toned abs like the others, but his face is really handsome. Shaking my head from my thoughts, I look to Nate. “Hey, you guys sound amazing as usual.”

  He laughs and shrugs. “You really think so?”

  “You know you do.”

  He leans in wrapping his arm around my shoulders pulling me to him and smiles. “You know, you’re all right, Lunar. I think I had you pegged wrong at the start, but I like you, and I think we could be good friends.”

  “Well, that’s nice, thanks Nate. I hope we can be friends ‘cause otherwise this long ass tour is going to be very long indeed.”

  “We’re friends, Lunar, I promise. In fact, if you get sick of dangerous men my door’s always open.” He winks, and I cough from the shock of that statement.

  He laughs as Danger walks over glaring at Nate, and I remove his arm from around my shoulders. Danger looks at the shocked expression on my face then to Nate and frowns. “Everything okay here?”

  I nod emphatically, I don’t want to cause issues between band mates.

  Nate laughs. “I was just telling your girl here if she gets sick of you then she can come to a real man like me.”

  I gasp as Danger’s fists clench, his chest heaves as I step in front of him watching while his nostrils flare and his face turns a bright shade of tomato red.

  “Hey! He’s so not worth it,” I murmur.

  His eyes slide down to meet mine and he swallows hard looking deeply into my soul. It sends a tingle down my spine and pushes my heart into overdrive the way he’s looking at me like I’m his and no one else can even look at me right now.

  “She is my girl. No one else can have her, and I want to make this perfectly clear right now.”

  Furrowing my brows, I hear speeches like this at the club when a brother claims an Old Lady.

  “Lunar is my girlfriend and no one… I mean no one, especially you, Nate, gets to think they can have their way with her. Lunar is mine. Got it everyone?” he barks keeping his eyes locked on mine like he’s also making sure I understand his orders as well.

  I must admit being claimed is definitely as hot as I thought it would be. My skin is littered in goosebumps, and my thighs are clenching together with the show of dominance and control he has over the situation. It’s a turn on knowing he wants me and only me, and right now I’m putty in his hands. Everyone nods as he slowly looks up at them then turns back to me.

  There’s only one person who can deny his claim.

  That person is me.

  I look at him and smile, easing his nerves as he wraps his arms around my waist. I lean in sliding my arms around his neck, hoisting myself up as I wrap my legs around his waist and lean down, pressing my lips to his passionately. Cheering filters through the warehouse as his tongue dances with mine effortlessly. He wants me to be his girlfriend, and right now in this moment, I’m pretty sure he knows I’m saying yes.

  We pull back from the kiss, resting our foreheads together as we try to catch our breath. “Do you mean it? You really want me to be your girlfriend?”

  He nods. “I hate seeing you with other guys. Especially Nate. And knowing we’re not official is doing my head in. So will you?”

  I nod and lean back in to kiss him again. “Of course. I’ve always wanted to be a rocker’s girlfriend.”

  He chuckles. “Liar.”

  Grinning, I nod. “True, I always saw myself as a biker’s Old Lady, but a rocker’s girl has a much edgier ring to it.”

  He smiles. “Just so you know I’m still damaged, but I’m working on it.”

  “I know. I know how hurt you are… I’m not going to do that to you.”

  He places my feet back to the ground but continues to look into my eyes as his thumbs run circles on my hips under my shirt. “You’re nothing like her, so I know you couldn’t, but you’ll have to give me time to break down my barriers.”

  “We’ve got all the time in the world, big guy.”

  “Yeah. I guess we do, Candy.”

  I lean forward running my fingers through his hair and pull his head to mine pressing my lips to his yet again.

  “Get a room!” Ryan calls out making me break from Danger in a fit of giggles as I look to see Ryan running past us shirtless like a maniac. He really is a strange one. But I love him.

  “Let’s go back to the hotel, hey?” Danger asks.

  “Yes, we need to celebrate.”

  “Yes, we do.”

  In the last week we’ve had quite an uprising. Luke has had us on a morning show called Sunrise on Chanel Seven. We played three songs and the crowd were crazy. We knew the Aussies loved us, but we didn’t quite realize how big we had become until we performed on the morning show. Girls were screaming, they had a red carpet for us and people were lined up for city blocks to see us. It was crazy, but incredible. And all of this is happening because of Luke’s handling. Our songs are now booming on the radio and we’re splashed all over the headline papers in Australia. It’s almost like with a bit of publicity we’ve become an overnight sensation, which is thrusting us from general pubs and clubs into stadium gigs. We had them lined up already, but now the tickets are selling out within minutes of them going on sale. The hype around Recoil is buzzing which has me buzzing, but there’s still work to be done.

  Lunar’s been out having a Skype session with her mom and Stuart while Effa and I have been working on this duet again. We really wanted to have it finalized by opening night of the first show in Melbourne, but that isn’t likely to happen now.

  It’s a hot February day in Australia, and so I’ve taken off my shirt to make myself more comfortable while Effa is still a freak and is wearing a onesie. How she’s wearing that in this temperature is beyond me, but everything that girl does is strange.

  We’re on the sofa sitting right next to each other, our legs are touching but there’s nothing sexual in it, she’s just a friend. Our heads are down as we look over our notes, the sides of our heads are almost touching as we shuffle closer together humming the harmony of the song trying to get the perfect pitch. It sounds fantastic. We’re finally getting somewhere with the tune of the song—the lyrics, not so much, but the tune is getting there. And as we harmonize we’re getting closer and closer as we weave our magical musical genius together. We sound great. I’m lost in the sound as my heart flutters at the great melody we’re making.

  “Hey guys,” Lunar calls out with a sternness to her voice.

  Looking up, the harsh glare she’s sending our way instantly makes me shift my weight away from Effa, which makes me realize how suspicious that must have looked.

  Damn it!

  I stand up and walk over to Lunar and press my lips to hers a little too enthusiastically. I’m compensating for how bad that must have looked to her. I know Lunar is jealous of the friendship
Effa and I have, because of the reminder that Effa has similar qualities to Ella, but she has absolutely nothing to worry about. Effa and I connect on a friend only level—on a musical level—nothing else.

  Lunar chuckles and pulls back. “What’s gotten into you?”

  I lift my shoulders in excitement. “We’ve actually been a little more productive today. Gotten a few more lyrics down and more of the tune.”

  “Oh, you did? Amazing. Can I hear?” she asks excitedly.

  “Sure,” Effa says.

  “No!” I blurt out.

  Lunar jolts her head back as she looks at me scrunching her brows together in confusion. She takes in a deep breath and swallows hard. “Okay,” she exhales.

  Slumping, I rub the back of my neck. “It’s not that I don’t want you to hear it, Candy. It’s just I want it to be the best it can be when you do finally hear it.”

  She purses her lips. “Why? It’s not like it’s about me or anything?”

  Her words cut me deep and make me feel like everything I worked on today was for nothing. “No, I wouldn’t write about you,” I reply as Effa looks at me, winces, then she stands up.

  “I’m gonna go. Good work today. I look forward to breaking down some more walls with you,” Effa says.

  Lunar scoffs under her breath, but I don’t miss it.

  “Thanks Effa, you’re a great help.”

  “Bye Lunar,” Effa offers nicely and Lunar simply waves Effa off as she walks out the hotel door.

  Taking a deep breath, Lunar looks at me and stiffens her stance folding her arms over her chest and tilting to one side. “I’m gone for two hours and you guys are practically all over each other?”

  “I’m sorry, what?”

  “I walk in and you’re against each other, heads practically touching, bodies aligned in every way. You’re half naked too by the way. How am I supposed to take this?”

  “Well, for starters we were harmonizing when you walked in, you know, matching pitch. If you bothered to learn anything about my world you’d understand singers have to get in sync with each other, Lunar, it doesn’t just magically happen. And secondly, you should try some trust, like I trust you!”

  “Right, so if you saw me like that with a half-naked Nate you’d be fine?”

  “No, I would not be fine, because he’s purposely trying to find a way to break us up. But maybe you’ll do that all by yourself.”

  She stops, slumping her body, her eyes welling with tears. “You wanna break up? Already?”

  Sighing, my chest aches and I close my eyes. “No, I don’t. But Lunar, Effa and I are just friends. That’s it, I swear.”

  “You better bloody swear!”

  My cock strains in my shorts and I smirk as my chest heaves in appreciation for my woman. “Fuck I love it when you go all Aussie bogan on me.”

  She laughs and walks over, wrapping her arms around my neck. “Why is your shirt off?”

  “Because it’s February in Australia.”

  She laughs. “Fair call, it is hot today. Okay, big guy, you’re forgiven.”

  “Well, thank fuck for that, even though I didn’t do anything wrong.” I laugh.

  She leans in pressing her fruity lips to mine and I smile against her mouth. I hate Lunar’s jealous side, but at the same time I love it. It lets me know she truly cares about me, something I haven’t felt from a woman in a long time. Not even from Ella. I always felt second best, played second fiddle. But with Lunar I feel like I’m her number one and that makes me feel fucking amazing.

  Pulling back, I smooth some hair behind her ear. “How’s the fam?”

  She smiles so wide it makes my chest hurt. “So good, they’re getting some in-house support from the foundation, and Mum said she couldn’t be more proud of me.”

  “I’m proud of you too, Candy. You’re doing so well.”

  “Well, between my jealous fits of rage.”

  I laugh. “Yeah, between those.”

  We both chuckle as I step her backward toward the bed. She grins and then falls down to the mattress and I move in on top of her.

  My arms holding me up either side of her body. “You do know how beautiful you are, don’t you?”

  She shakes her head. “No, why don’t you show me?”

  Danger and Effa still haven’t finished their duet, so they’re going to keep working on it during the tour. The buzz around them is growing, and they’ve been doing plenty of television interviews along with radio to hype it up. The first show is tonight in Melbourne at AAMI Park, which is nestled between the Yarra River and the legendary Melbourne Cricket Ground. The arena is huge, and we’re all backstage in the green room preparing.

  I glance over to Danger and notice while he sits on the couch his knee is tapping up and down in quick succession like he’s nervous as he guzzles down a beer. Sighing, I walk over to him and sit down. I should be out at the merch stand, but for the first night I wanted to be here with him for support. And now I’m glad I am, he seems unsettled.

  “Should you be drinking before a show?” I ask as I slide in next to him, the couch dipping under my weight. The sounds of Luminous ending their set echoes quietly through the room.

  “Lunar, I’ve done this before, I think I know what I can and can’t handle.”

  Jolting my head back, I purse my lips at his blunt reply. “Okay… geez, I’m just trying to help. You don’t have to be a prick about it.”

  He slumps his body and nods, turning to look at me. “I know, I’m sorry. This is my first headline, I’ve always been the backup. This is my night to shine, and I don’t want to fuck this up in front of a twenty-one thousand capacity crowd… you know what I mean?”

  Nodding, I half smile and reach forward taking the beer from him. “Then lay off the booze, and just breathe. You know your songs, you know the order, and you know you can do this. This is only the beginning for you and Recoil, Danger. Only the beginning…”

  He nods and rushes forward pulling me unexpectedly into a hug.

  I smile and embrace him back giving him all the comfort he’s seeking. “You got this.”

  “I’m so glad I have you!”

  “You’ll always have me. Now go and rock out like you know you can.”

  He pulls back then leans in kissing me briefly, but forcefully. Danger stands up taking a deep breath and heads over to Ryan and the guys who seem all fired up and ready to go.

  Smiling, I chew on my bottom lip, so proud of my man for coming this far. Standing up, I walk behind the band who are now laughing, and he seems to be a little more relaxed now I’ve had my pep talk. Danger going on stage with a bundle of nerves wouldn’t have been good for anyone.

  We step around to the backstage area, and the sound of the crowd talking amongst themselves is almost deafening. I can’t wait to hear them all cheering for my boys. I’ve seen them perform in bars and the bigger clubs, smaller arenas, but nothing like a packed out stadium. I have a feeling the roar of this crowd is going to knock me off my feet.

  I can’t wait.

  Luminous are gathered around the back and seem to be on a high. This is the biggest crowd they’ve ever performed to, and I’m so happy for these girls. They really are a great bunch, even if Effa is a little too friendly and spiritually connected to my guy. Danger looks over to me, and I wave as he takes a deep breath and smiles back. He mouths ‘it’s show time’ and I nod and give him two thumbs up.

  “Good luck,” I call out.

  Ryan, Matt, and Nate all race up the stairs. Blackness engulfs the stage as the crowd cheers even though they can’t see the guys running on. I listen on as Ryan strums his guitar, and the crowd erupts in a manic screaming fit. The ground beneath me vibrates, and I smile so wide it makes my eyes water. I turn back to Danger and he’s grinning the biggest I’ve seen him smile since I said I was leaving the club. His chest heaves in pure adrenalin-fueled excitement, and it fills me with so much happiness to see him in his element.

  I stand up on my toes excited
ly as the neon lights flash brilliantly and strobe down onto Ryan and Matt as Nate kicks in with the drum beat. The powerful beats flowing through the stadium make every inch of me tingle. The reverb and heavy bass filling me with a deep vibration through my very soul only heightening the excitement running through my veins. I take one last look at Danger as he cracks his neck to the side and jumps on the spot a couple of times before he looks at me, winks, and then turns running up on to the stage.

  The shockwave of noise that erupts from the crowd makes me lose my balance as I stumble on the spot. I almost have to bring my hands to my ears, the screams and cheers so loud it’s practically deafening. I can hardly hear the music over the ruckus, and my eyes well with so much pride that the hot salty water seeps from my eyelids and runs down my cheeks as he runs to the middle of the stage soaking in the appreciation from the crowd.

  They love him, just like I knew they would, just like he deserves, and with the sheer volume of noise echoing through the stadium right now I’m sure it can be heard from the other side of Australia.

  Shaking my head as I chuckle in excitement, Danger opens his mouth to sing the start of the song. The cheers erupt again and they stomp their feet as his deep sensuous voice flows around my body, tying me up in knots and pushes through my veins. Every inch of me litters in goosebumps at the way he makes lyrical love to the words, and my muscles clench at how every time he sings he manages to turn me on.

  Chewing on my bottom lip, I clench my thighs together as my breathing increases, and I stand in awe of my man rocking it out like the greatest performer I’ve ever seen. And right at this moment I wonder how the hell I got so lucky to score him. Sure he’s damaged, sure he needs time to work on things, but hell if I’m not going to help him in every way I can. He’s worth it, and as he thrusts his hips on the stage in time with the music, I know that every girl out there wishes they were with him and every guy wants to be him. Danger doesn’t know how amazing he is and I want to show him.