Under the Lights (A Brothers of Rock - GONE BY AUTUMN - Novel) (6 page)

Maya swatted at Ryan.
“
And you have someone, moron.
”

“
I
’
m very happy,
”
Ryan said.
“
Raine is all mine. I have no
temptation other than ending this amazing conversation and finding her.
”

“
Then
go,
”
Gabe said.
“
We don
’
t need you, lover boy.
”

Everyone laughed.

“
Okay,
I
’
m going to make some
calls,
”
Sam said.

“
I
’
m going to find my friends and
have a drink,
”
Maya said.
“
Great show, guys.
”

Maya didn
’
t make it more than ten steps before Blake was
trailing her.

Gabe kept his arm around Asher
’
s neck and pulled at him.
“
Come on, bro, let me buy you a
drink or two. Then we
’
ll
find someone for you to enjoy. I promise.
”

“
You
in?
”
Asher asked Tanner.

“
I
’
ll be there,
”
Tanner said.
“
Not really ready to jump back
into a crowd out there. You know how it gets.
”

“
Dude,
we
’
ll crash the stage and security
will keep the crowd at bay,
”
Asher said.
“
We
’
re rockstars. We call the shots.
”

“
Go
have a few shots,
”
Tanner
said.

“
I
won
’
t argue that,
”
Gabe said.

They left and Tanner and the stage
crew were all that was left backstage. Tanner spotted the backdoor and went
outside for some fresh air. He stuck his hands into his pockets and took a deep
breath of the night
’
s air.
He felt the guitar pick and he shook his head. It was kind of stupid to save
the guitar pick.

Tanner didn't believed in fate. Life
was merely moments and nothing else. Those moments led to experience and all
the experiences collected to make a life. Grabbing a guitar wasn
’
t fate. It was something to do
and he just happened to be damn good at it. Meeting Ryan, Gabe, Asher, and Blake
wasn
’
t fate. It was a group
of misfit punk kids without rules and boundaries who found music as a way to
stay ground and mostly out of trouble.

Just as Tanner turned the corner of
the building, he spotted someone walking toward him, and perhaps for the first
time in his life, he thought about fate. Fate could have been responsible for
Jules walking toward him right now.

Or maybe it was just because Jules was
heading to her car to go home.

When Jules looked up, she stopped in
her tracks.

“
Oh,
hey,
”
she said.

“
Hey,
”
Tanner replied back.
“
Enjoying your drinks?
”

“
No.
I
’
m not drinking. I
’
m good. I have to drive home.
”

“
You
could drink,
”
Tanner said.
“
We can make sure you get home
safe."

“
Trust
me, I
’
m good.
”

Jules took a step to the side and
Tanner cut to his left to block her.
“
Was
this your first real gig?
”

“
Sort
of,
”
Jules said.
“
Why?
”

“
Just
curious. Can
’
t we make
small talk?
”

“
You
’
re a big time rockstar and I
’
m a backup singer. I
’
m trying to walk to my car and I
figured you
’
d be in there
enjoying the night.
”

“
You
figured wrong,
”
Tanner
said.

What the hell are you doing,
man?

Part of him wanted to grab Jules
and kiss her. Part of him wanted to grab her and hold her against the building
and ask her a million questions. And part of him wanted to just let her walk
by.

“
That
was a great show,
”
Jules
said.
“
Not the first time I
’
ve seen you guys. But definitely
cool to see from a different perspective.
”

“
Your
voice stood out to me,
”
Tanner said.
“
It
’
s really good, Jules.
”

“
Jules
…
how did you know
…”

“
Ryan
announced you,
”
Tanner said
with a grin.
“
Now I
’
m just curious why a beautiful
woman like yourself would have been sitting at the bar so worried about the
show. You could have sang every song by yourself and it would have been
amazing. You could have stolen that show right from us.
”

“
Wow,
thanks,
”
Jules said.

She was blushing and fiddling with
her keys. She was nervous still.

Tanner was very attracted to her.

“
I
saved something for you,
”
Tanner said.

“
Oh?
”

Tanner pulled his hand from his
pocket.
“
Just a little souvenir.
”

“
Your
guitar pick.
”

“
Not
just any guitar pick,
”
Tanner said.
“
The one I
used when we were standing next to each other. When I heard your voice, Jules.
You have something special. I hope you know that.
”

Jules reached for the guitar pick.
When her fingers touched Tanner
’
s
hand, he felt his body tightening.

“
Thanks,
”
Jules said.
“
This is really nice. I
appreciate it.
”

Jules started to walk again and
this time Tanner put his hand out and stopped her. He didn
’
t mean to touch her stomach
…
well, yes he did.

“
This
isn
’
t your first and last
gig, darling,
”
Tanner said.
“
Hope you know that.
”

Jules looked up at him.
“
Is that so?
”

Her voice was sexy. Her words lightning
to his heart.

Fuck, I want her.

(7)

Jules' heart started to beat faster.
Tanner had his hand against her stomach. Why was he so insistent on keeping her
there? She looked up at him. His dark eyes were intoxicating. They were
commanding.

She curled her hand around the
guitar pick and held it tight.

“
You
’
re not going to bail on us,
”
Tanner said.
“
We have other shows to play.
”

“
That
’
s good,
”
Jules said.

“
We
’
re going to have to practice.
Work on material. You know, get close.
”

“
Okay.
”

What is he doing? Is he flirting
with me? Is he trying to scare me?

“
But
that
’
s not until later,
”
Tanner said.
“
What are you doing tonight?
Going home alone?
”

“
That
’
s my plan.
”

“
What
about your roommate?
”

“
She
drove herself. I
’
m fine.
Believe me.
”

“
I
never said I didn
’
t believe
you, Jules.
”

He keeps saying my name
…

And Jules felt the effect of the
rockstar speaking her name. It made her more nervous than being on stage. It
didn
’
t seem possible that
staring out to a crowd that could boo you off the stage felt more comfortable
right now than being stared at intensely by a tall, handsome man.

“
I
’
m sorry,
”
Jules managed to whispered.
“
I don
’
t know what you want to me to do or say right now.
”

“
It
’
s pretty simple, actually,
”
Tanner said.

With a quick tug, Jules fell into
Tanner. She put her hands out and now she was the one touching his stomach.
Through the cloth of his shirt Jules
’
felt hard muscle.

Tanner started to reach for Jules
’
face. She was paralyzed by
need. Not want. Of course she wanted Tanner. But this was more. She needed him.
She needed him to touch her, choose her, to have him want her
…
maybe even need her.

The tips of Tanner
’
s fingertips touched her cheek.

“
Hey!
There
’
s one of them! Yo!
Tanner? Is that you, man?
”

One voice turned into two and then
there were more than a dozen screaming voices. A small crowd of people were charging
across the lot. They were darting in and out of cars, waving their hands,
yelling for Tanner.

“
Oh,
shit,
”
Tanner said.
“
We have to move.
”

“
They
’
re fans,
”
Jules said.

“
Yeah.
And we don
’
t have much
protection out here right now. Inside, that
’
s
a different story. Come on, darling. Don
’
t
let go of my hand.
”

Tanner grabbed Jules' hand and
squeezed it tight. She trailed behind him, looking over her shoulder, watching
the crazy Gone by Autumn fans hoping to close in and touch the rockstar.

But it was obvious Tanner knew what
to do and where to go.

At the end of the building, he cut
to the left. There was an alley with several parked cars. All of them were
waiting, drivers standing outside.

Tanner pointed and whistled to one
of the drivers.
“
Hey! Get
in your car and speed away! Now!
”

The driver did as told.

Jules started to step to the right,
figuring she and Tanner were going to be getting into the car to make their
great escape. But Tanner pulled her to the left, away from the waiting cars.
Jules twisted her ankle and let out a cry as she started to fall. Tanner
quickly caught her just before she hit the ground. Jules looked up at him as his
strong arms held her.

“
Are
you okay?
”
he asked.

“
Yeah.
I twisted my ankle. I can move though. Where are we going?
”

“
To
the roof,
”
Tanner said.
“
Hurry.
”

“
The
roof?
”
Jules asked. She was
flabbergasted.

Tanner took her to what looked like
a very unsafe rusted ladder attached to the side of the club. He pulled on the
ladder and then nodded to it.

“
Go
up.
”

“
What
about you?
”

“
I
’
m right behind you, darling.
Trust me.
”

Jules looked at the ladder and then
looked up. She was scared of heights, but she didn
’
t want to freak out and run away in front of a sexy
rockstar. She pulled herself up. When she stepped on the bottom rung of the
ladder, it made a creaky noise and moved. She hesitated.

Then his hands touched her lower
back and slid down to her ass.

“
You
have to move,
”
Tanner said.
“
Right now.
”

Jules didn
’
t mind where Tanner
’
s
hands were. But when she heard the yells of the crowd searching for Tanner, she
finally found the ability to move. Her hands and feet worked quickly together
and she flew up the ladder. Tanner climbed right behind her. The ladder swayed
left to right against the building. Even though it was gently, it left Jules
wondering how the ladder was attached to the building.

When she reached the top of the
building she climbed over and backed up, watching Tanner do the same. It was
like he was manifesting from the building, coming to save her. He rushed right
to her, taking her by the wrists.

“
Are
you okay?
”
he asked.

“
Yes.
I
’
m fine. Confused. Freaked
out a little. But I
’
m fine.
”

Jules went to the edge of the
building to watch. Tanner stood next to her, his hand touching the small of her
back.

Why does he keep touching me?

On the ground, the black car Tanner
had ordered to drive was already on the move. Behind the car was an unruly
group of fans. Yelling, cheering, throwing bottles and cups at the car. It
looked like something out of a zombie movie.

“
I
don
’
t get that,
”
Jules said.
“
They
’
re your fans. Why'd you run?
”

“
You
see that?
”
Tanner asked.
“
That
’
s what booze does to some of them. They lose common
sense. Trust me, you don
’
t
want to be in the middle of it. They forget I
’
m
just some guy that plays guitar for a living.
”

Jules looked up at Tanner.

Just some guy? Not a chance in
hell, Tanner.

“
Look,
if it was the entire band and we had Stevie
’
s
security, I wouldn
’
t care,
”
Tanner said.
“
But I just wanted to talk to you.
So I took off. Oh well. I got what I wanted.
”

“
Which
is
…”

“
You.
Alone. Up here. To do what I wanted to do down there.
”

Jules was taken back by how
aggressive Tanner was.

“
Here,
let me show you something pretty cool,
”
Tanner said.

He stepped behind Jules. He put his
hands to her waist and slowly turned her around until she was staring out to
the city. The lights looked beautiful. Traffic lights. Street lights. All the
businesses and homes lit up. It was an incredible sight from the rooftop.

“
Just
wait,
”
Tanner whispered.

His lips were dangerously close to
Jules
’
ear. It made her
shiver.

Tanner guided her near another edge
of the roof, which Jules assumed to be the front of the building.

“
That
’
s the next view,
”
Tanner said.
“
Look down.
”

There was a group of people out
front. Most of them were enjoying a smoke break. They were talking, laughing, discussing
the show they had just watched.

“
This
is what we used to do,
”
Tanner said.
“
We
’
d watch a show, sometimes play a
show, and then we
’
d grab
some beer and crash up here. Play guitars. Drink. Look over the edge and wonder
when the day would come that people would be waiting for us.
”

“
Why
are you telling me all this? You could have just ran away without me.
”

“
Like
I said, I had some unfinished business.
”

Jules strained her neck to look
back.
“
Maybe you should
finish it then.
”

Tanner moved fast. He twisted her
around and his hands were at her face. His thumbs grazing her cheeks. His eyes
so beautiful and intense. Calling to Jules. Tempting her in ways she never
thought she could be tempted.

If he started undressing me
right now, right on this roof, I couldn
’
t
stop him. I wouldn
’
t
stop
him..
.

But Tanner didn
’
t undress Jules.

He simply brought his lips down to
hers. He kissed her once. His lips were soft, the complete opposite of his
fingertips. Jules wasn
’
t
expecting a second kiss, but she got one. This time, Tanner parted his lips a
little, tasting her lips, the tip of tongue flirting with her mouth. Jules let
out a satisfied sigh as Tanner pulled away.

His thumbs caressed her cheeks
again.

“
I
’
m going to get addicted to you.
”

Before Jules could speak a word,
Tanner kissed her again. This time with more aggression. His tongue slipped
into her mouth. Jules found her hands clawing at his shirt, pulling, wanting
him closer. She kissed back with the same passion Tanner offered her. When he
stepped forward, pressing against Jules, she stepped back. It was her attempt
at flirting, keeping Tanner on the move.

But then he stopped.

He ended the kiss and backed up.

Jules' face was flush and her body was
on fire.

“
Tanner
…”

“
Darling,
don
’
t do that,
”
Tanner whispered.
“
I just wanted a taste. That
’
s all. Let me help you down the
ladder.
”

Jules felt like she had been hit in
the gut. It took her a few seconds to find her breath.

What had I done wrong?

Didn
’
t
rockstars want to hook up with women? Didn
’
t
they always go for that? Jules wondered if she wasn
’
t
groupie
enough for Tanner.

Tanner went down the ladder first,
Jules second. The entire climb down, her body was shaking. She couldn
’
t stop tasting Tanner
’
s kiss. She couldn
’
t stop wanting more.

At the bottom of the ladder, Tanner
had his hands all over her, making sure her feet were able to get on the
ground. He held her for a split second, looking into her eyes.

But then it was all over, again.

Tanner walked Jules to her car and watched
her climb in.

“
You
’
ll be getting a call soon,
”
Tanner said.

“
Oh?
”

“
For
more gigs. You were amazing tonight. And not just on stage either.
”

Tanner grinned and backed up.

Jules somehow found the strength to
drive away from The Jack.

She looked in her mirror three
different times, and each time, she saw Tanner standing there. Watching her
drive away.

What the hell just happened?

*

Tanner went back inside and the guys,
Sam, Maya, and the other backup singers were hanging out backstage. Everyone was
drinking, laughing. All eyes went to Tanner the second the door clicked shut.

“
There
he is,
”
Ryan said.
“
Thought you took off on us.
”

“
Sorry.
Was up on the roof.
”

“
The
roof?
”
Asher asked.
“
Christ, I haven't been up there
in forever. What were you doing?
”

“
Enjoying
the view,
”
Tanner said.

Enjoying the taste of Jules. His
fingers tingled as he thought about her waist. The way her head leaned back and
touched his chest. How her hair smelled. How she looked at him. She was
flustered around him, blushing, looking at him like he was something greater
than anything she
’
d known.
Which Tanner knew he could be. He could take her to bed and change her life.