Page 2 of Another Postcard

“Guys, this is Brooklynn Hawk”—she gestured to me then continued, pointing at each person as she rattled off their names and instruments—“Brooklynn, meet Simon Ruiz, bass, Matteo De Rossi, drums, Sasha Blue, keyboards and anything else she gets it in her head to play, Kristi Davidson, backup vocalist, and—”

“Levi Matthews,” the lead singer cut her off and stood. He swiftly approached me and reached out a hand. I gave a little wave at the others, then placed my palm into Levi’s. I was completely unprepared for the shock that sparked between us where our skin touched.Holy shit.My natural reflex was to pull my hand away but when I tugged, Levi’s grip tightened and he grinned, showing off even white teeth, while a single eyebrow arched over one of his aquamarine eyes. I sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of them as they darkened with heat and . . . hunger. My body’s reaction took me by surprise, especially after the long hiatus my libido seemed to have embarked upon over the last several years.

Whoa.

It wasn’t like he wasn’t freaking gorgeous from afar. I mean, the guy could melt the panties off of a nun with his smooth baritenor alone. His reputation and talent reminded me of Jon Bon Jovi, mixed with Dan Reynolds, and a little Billy Joe Armstrong. His versatility was astounding. It didn’t hold a candle to the intensity of being right in front of Levi, though. Of touching him. There was intense chemistry between us, but I couldn’t help wondering how many women had been recipients of that look. He was at least a half-foot taller than my five foot nine frame, with sculptured muscles that were in no way hidden beneath his long-sleeved thermal and distressed blue jeans, which were molded to his equally drool-worthy legs. I had no doubt the package included a very fine ass. His dark brown hair was cut short, though it was a little shaggier on top, carelessly messy in a sexy, bed-head kind of way. He had a light growth of whiskers along the harsh angles of his jaw line that continued on to form a scruffy goatee around his kissable lips. A straight nose, aquamarine gems for eyes, framed by dark lashes that would make any woman jealous, and high cheekbones all worked together to create a face that belonged on the cover of a magazine.

He also smelled ah-mazing. My girly parts danced in delight, and I had to shut it down before I did something stupid. Sleeping with a member of the band would be a disastrous move, considering that if anything went wrong, it would be my ass on the line. So, I gave him my best “let’s be friends” smile and finally managed to extract my hand from his. “It’s nice to meet all of you.” Levi smirked and amusement twinkled in his eyes like he knew a secret and was just waiting for the right time to spring it on me. When he backed up and took a seat on a stool in front of a microphone, I stifled a sigh of relief as I began to feel less overwhelmed.

“So yeah, that’s Levi,” Sheryl muttered sardonically. I glanced over in time to see her roll her eyes, but there was also clear affection in them. She turned to me and her excitement was clear as she indicated a stool next to Kristi, slightly behind where Levi was perched. “I have a feeling you’re going to fit right in, and you’ll all make magic together.” I walked over to Kristi, giving Levi a wide berth, and trying to be inconspicuous about it. After I sat and pulled over a music stand, I glanced up to find him eying me with a knowing smile. Butterflies erupted in my tummy, and if I hadn’t already been sitting, I think my knees might have buckled. Damn, he was hot.This is going to be a problem, isn’t it?No, I told myself sternly. I wouldn’t let it be.Good luck with that.

I looked around at the group, observing their dynamic. The closeness and comfortable atmosphere between them. They were all so different and yet they were a cohesive, solid unit. One of the reasons I decided to work with Stone Butterfly (beyond my school-girl crush on every band member. That’s right, even Sasha) was because of the way Sheryl talked about them. They weren’t just a band, a bunch of people making music—they were a family. It was something I craved. A normalcy I’d never really known but always wanted to experience.

It certainly hadn’t been around when I was growing up. My childhood was…less than ideal, to say the least. My parents weren’t fit enough to take care of themselves, much less kids. When I was seventeen, my mother died and my father went to prison. My thirteen-year-old sister Baylee and I were put into foster care. Although we were lucky enough to be in the same town, we were separated because Bailey required a special home. In her pre-teen years, her mental growth slowed down and her maturity level never caught up to her age. She would always need a certain level of care and would never be fully independent.

I’d always intended to go to New York City and pursue a career in music after I turned eighteen. Bailey’s foster parents were amazing, and I was sure she would have been fine. But, I couldn’t bring myself to leave her yet. It wasn’t that I thought she wasn’t emotionally capable of surviving my departure. I told myself I was simply waiting until she was older. For her. But the truth was, I wasn’t ready to leave her either. She was my only family. I accepted a scholarship to a smaller, local university, and though it was harder to gain the contacts and opportunities I needed, I managed to do it. By the time I’d graduated with my degree in vocal performance, I’d been working as a freelance studio musician for two years. The first year was difficult because I had to travel, but they were short trips, mostly to the city. I managed to work them around school, but tours were out of the question. I didn’t want to be away from Baylee for months at a time. At least until she was older.

One day, I received a call from the manager of a rising, young pop star. She’d heard about me from another band I’d recorded with and wanted me to back her up on her next album. With her recommendation, my career took off and I was so busy I was able to become very selective in the jobs I took. Suddenly, artists were offering to come to me. Over the next year, I didn’t have school to build my schedule around, so I was able to take on more requests. At twenty-two, I’d already built a healthy nest egg, so when Baylee turned eighteen, I moved her into an apartment and hired Cecily Turner, a home companion, to help care for her. Which meant I could feel safe leaving her from time to time.

Touring still hadn’t really been on my radar until Unhinged called with an offer several months later. It was a US and Canadian tour, which meant I could come home often. In any case, Baylee was thriving in her limited independence, needing to rely on me less and less. She and Cecily had grown thick as thieves and were always off on one adventure after another, sometimes even traveling small distances. Like most children, Baylee handled things pretty well as long as she kept certain steady routines in her life, sort of like life rafts that kept her tethered to the shore while she enjoyed the unpredictable waves. But, if things became too turbulent, she regressed to an even more child-like state, confused and often scared of every little thing. At first, I worried that my popping in and out would upset her carefully balanced life but the doctors assured me there were things we could do to keep my presence consistent enough to avoid setbacks. All we needed was a solid plan. I explained things to Baylee as plainly as I could and she was very accepting. In fact, she and Cecily spent more time obsessing over the band and begging for signed posters, than they did about missing me.

Hesitantly, I signed a contract with Unhinged, but it was for a trial period of three months. If things went well, I would sign on for the last six months of the tour. Cecily and I worked with Baylee’s doctors and therapists to come up with the right combination of activities, such as scheduled, daily phone calls to keep continuity in our relationship. We put it into practice right away, easing both of us into getting used to being apart. It was a lucky break that the members of the band were all from Syracuse, so rehearsals were only a few hours away, still close enough to come home if Baylee needed me.

The whole scenario was playing out beautifully until Travis, the lead singer, started having vocal issues. No sooner had the announcement been made that the tour was permanently on hold than I received a phone call from Noah Andersen, Stone Butterfly’s manager. They needed a temporary replacement for one of their backup singers. It was a similar contract, a three-month stint, except this was a global tour, and I was nervous about going so far away. I agreed to go to the city to meet with Noah first, then if I wanted to take the next step, I’d spend some time with the band.

When Noah opened the door to his office, I was momentarily struck speechless by the sight of him. His tall, lean body filled out a perfectly tailored suit, and his neatly groomed blond hair, silver eyes, and classically handsome face, gave him the appearance of the boy next door mixed with a GQ model. A few more muscles and I’d have dubbed him Captain America. You’d think I would have been swooning, but for whatever reason, I immediately felt an easiness with Noah that was more brotherly than physical.Maybe notcompletelybrotherly, the man was seriously hot.Anyway…

“Brooklynn,” he’d greeted with a bright smile and a handshake. “Thank you so much for agreeing to meet with me.”

“I’m happy to,” I assured him with an answering smile.

He took my elbow and guided me to a small seating area. “Please, have a seat.” I sat down on an enormously comfy brown leather couch. Noah lowered his lanky body onto one of the matching chairs and leaned forward, placing his elbow on his knees. “I’m going to be blunt,” he said matter-of-factly. “There isn’t much I won’t do to get you to sign a contract with Stone Butterfly.”

I laughed, sure he was exaggerating to keep things light, but I quieted when I saw the serious intent on his face. The determination in his expression pushed me to ignore his lack of bulk and nickname him Captain America anyway. “I appreciate your honesty, Mr. Andersen—”

“Noah,” he corrected, his mouth quirked up in a grin.

“Okay, Noah,” I agreed happily. Then I took a deep breath and turned the conversation in a more serious direction. “I’m going to take a leap of faith and trust you,” I told him. It wasn’t well-known that I had a sister because I’d gone to great lengths to make sure she wasn’t ever in the spotlight. I couldn’t begin to imagine the impact that media scrutiny would have on her life. However, I felt I owed it to Noah to be honest and planned to plainly lay out my concerns. I gave him the basic rundown on my situation with Baylee, the vague synopsis of our history, and why I wanted her existence kept quiet, as well as other anxieties with going forward. To my relief, he put on his superhero cape and came up with workable solutions for each of my fears. He even suggested that since Stone Butterfly was based in Manhattan, that we move Bailey and Cecily to an outer borough or just north of Manhattan so my time with her wouldn’t require a several-hour drive when I was home. The tour contract was three months, but they also wanted me there for the six weeks leading up to it for rehearsal, as well as for finishing an album, which would release mid-tour. Noah even managed to turn it into a selling point, mentioning that it would give me plenty of time to get myself and my sister settled in before I took the leap into touring. I was getting more and more excited about the future and I hoped that things with the band would go smoothly.

“Could I persuade you to head over to the studio and meet the band?” he asked hopefully with lopsided smile.

I laughed at his boyishness and nodded. I was also eager see if the chemistry was right.

Speaking of chemistry. My thoughts strayed to Levi—Nope. Not gonna go there.There is no spark between me and Levi.I almost believed my own lie.Damn, it.Focus, Brooklynn.

Right, chemistry. Breaking out of my reverie, I felt excitement buzzing over my skin. Just in the few minutes I’d spent in the studio, I’d already felt it. I believed Sheryl was right—we were going to make magic.

3

Levi

My heart was racing. It had been since the moment my hand had touched hers, and I felt a shock of electricity. Damn, she was fucking gorgeous. My eyes couldn’t seem to stop drinking in the sight of her long black hair, high and defined cheekbones, deep brown eyes surrounded by dark, sooty lashes and a slight tilt, like a natural cat eye. Her plump, pouty lips had dirty images playing on a loop in my mind, imagining how that mouth would look and feel around my cock. It was something I was one hundred fucking percent determined to experience. I tore my gaze from her face and journeyed down. She was wearing a sleeveless sweater that showed off her naturally tan skin, toned arms, and clung to her full breasts. Fitted jeans hugged her curvy hips and endless legs. When she turned to reach for a music stand, I was treated to the sight of her tight, round ass.

You’re practically drooling, dude.I surreptitiously rubbed a hand over my mouth, making sure it was all in my mind and I wasn’tactuallydrooling because I couldn’t deny that it was a real possibility.

As if her outer package wasn’t appealing enough, when she first spoke, her warm, husky voice washed over me like a cresting wave of lust that crashed hard on my dick.And, I do mean hard.She was a walking wet dream, and fuck, I wanted her. I leaned down beside me and grabbed my guitar off of the stand, positioning it on my lap so it hid my visceral reaction to her. I’d never been this attracted to a woman in my entire life and I was reeling from the strength of it. Glancing to my right, I watched her laugh at something Sheryl said and the sound was like a new form of music, uniquely hers. Turning back to my mic, I saw Matteo and Simon watching her with naked interest and it started an unfamiliar burn in my belly.

“Let’s fucking do this,” I snapped, scowling at them both. Matteo simply raised his brows, but Simon’s face broke into a wide grin, his brown orbs darting back and forth between Brooklynn and me. My eyes narrowed, and I glared at both of them, warning them away, laying claim on Brooklynn before I even realized what I was doing. I dropped my focus to my guitar, but not before I clocked Noah’s frown as he watched me from where he was leaning against the wall by the door. There was a lecture in my future. But, it wouldn’t make a difference. I’d made up my mind to make Brooklynn mine.

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