Page 16 of Rock Strong

The feel-the-burn question then, was—would I be able to handle him?

More important, would I want to? There was something very compelling about the possibility of handling Liam Collier. About the fact that a rock god like him seemed interested in a quiet girl like me. That didn’t happen in real life, did it?

Rosemary was right—the very thought scared the crap out of me. After four years with Samuel, I felt my stomach flip at the thought of being with someone new…someone different…someone built like an ancient Greek statue. Holy heaven.

The concrete parking lot turned to a Chattahoochee gravel walkway, and before I knew it, I was on the path to someplace beautiful. Literally. All around me, bees buzzed, butterflies flitted, and the smell of summer hung crisp and refreshing. Big, shady trees lined the path, and laughter dotted the landscape like an allegro melody suspended on a staff. Scattered on the bright green lawn lay several blankets with members of our road crew on them, soaking up some sun or having a picnic. The relaxed ambience put a big smile on my face for the first time since I’d left New York.

In the garden, on the other side of the central fountain, someone was singing a Point Break song. It was one of their other ballads, the one they’d done acoustically last night. It wasn’t half bad. It left a soulful echo in my mind. Whoever was singing did a fantastic Liam Collier impression. I hummed along, strolling around the fountain. In my head, I imagined propping up my cello and accompanying the singer, just one of those spontaneous let’s make music together things you see happen in YouTube videos all the time. But of course, I didn’t have my cello, and even if I did, I wouldn’t do it.

“When I get you alone…when I get you alone…” The voice crooned into a falsetto then cracked artfully, like warm honey being poured in an open wound.

Wait…

Rounding the fountain where the singing was loudest, I froze. Was it him? Out here in the garden in the middle of the day? Well, it’s not like he’s a vampire, Abby. The man is allowed to roam during daylight.

Without the screeching guitars to weigh down his voice, his vocals—if it was him—were even more lovely, melodious, rich, and layered. Another few steps, and I edged my way around the stone benches by the fountain. A light mist of watery spray dissipated in the breeze, cooling my skin. I inched closer.

And then I saw him, though he wasn’t alone.

Heart in my throat, I retreated and listened…

Chapter 6

Liam

It wasn’t every day that Tucker Benning acted like a decent human being, but every so often, he climbed out of his dickhead clothes and put down his bottle of Grey Goose. He might even take a walk with me away from prying ears and eyes to listen to me brood in a garden full of flowers and fountains and other pretty shit.

“So, what’s up?” He planted one foot on a stone bench and stretched his bass drum leg, then the other.

“There’s a girl…” I said.

His face swiveled toward me. “Please don’t say that. There can’t be a girl.”

“There might be a girl.”

“Liam, last time there was a girl, she pitted us all against each other.”

“She’s nothing like Giselle. At all.” I began pacing down the stone benches then back up again.

“So she’s short, fat, and ugly?” Tucker reasoned, doing his best to commiserate.

“Dude. That is so offensive. You need to stop doing that.”

Tucker twisted his body at the waist and cracked his back. Thirteen hours on a bus could make your body freeze up. “I’m just kidding, man. Okay, so who is it?”

“I can’t tell you. Yet. But I will say this—she’s so different, it’s refreshing. In fact, she’s so different…she probably hates me.”

“Refreshing? Different?” He mocked me. “From what? Women are all the same, bro.”

“They’re not, Tuck. Remember Katyna?”

“The one you used to salivate over every time she walked by in the hall?”

“No, there was nothing to salivate over. Okay, no, that’s not what I mean. What I mean is, she wasn’t just eye candy. Katyna was in my drama class. She was smart, funny, full of wit. She blew the other girls away with her pure self. Do you know what I mean?”

“Oh, you mean before…”

Yes, before I met Vanessa. I’d been too scared to chat up Katyna, so I went for Vanessa instead. I’d really cared about her. I think she loved me more than I loved her, even though she taught me loads about myself, and I would always appreciate her. Unfortunately, I’d ended up hurting her, and the memory still left a bitter taste in my mouth.

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