Page 4 of Another Postcard

Disappointment flooded me, but I understood. I knew she came straight from her home upstate to her meeting with Noah, then spent the rest of the day and night jamming with us, and with the grueling schedule we had before us, her days weren’t going to get any easier. I nodded, then curled my arm around her shoulders. “Come on, at least let me escort you to your hotel.”

She tilted her head back to look up at me and then chuckled. “I’m not used to this.”

“Chivalry?” I joked.

Her eyes twinkled with merriment and she laughed again. “No, although it’s very sweet of you. But, I meant having to look up to a guy. I’m five foot nine. It’s not often that I meet someone who has me crooking my neck to see their face.” Her cheeks were already pink from the harsh cold, but they darkened even more, and it was sexy as hell. She dropped her gaze and mumbled, “It—um—makes me feel almost…dainty.” She said the last word with a self-deprecating laugh.

I took hold of her chin and tipped her head back again so I could see her gorgeous brown eyes. “I’ve never been more grateful to be a giant if it makes you feeldainty.” The urge to kiss her was powerful, but I managed to push it back and instead, tucked her back into my side and walked toward the corner to catch a cab.

We pulled up in front of the entrance to her hotel, and a porter rushed over to open the door. I slid out and shooed the man away then reached a hand back in to help Brooklynn. I used the leverage from pulling her up to tug her into my arms once she was on her feet. “How about lunch tomorrow?” I begged, with exaggerated puppy dog eyes, tugging her scarf down and brushing her hair back so I could see her whole face.

She shook her head and smiled apologetically. “Sorry, I have to meet with my realtor and then make my moving arrangements.”

“Dinner then,” I insisted, clutching her a little closer.

She sighed and gently pushed against my chest until I reluctantly let her go. “It’s not a good idea, Levi. Dating a band member will only cause problems in the long run, and I don’t want to jeopardize my job.” Her voice was regretful and it was the only reason I let it go. I’d convince her, just not that night.

Without warning, I leaned in and kissed her icy cheek. “We’ll discuss it later. Goodnight, beautiful,” I whispered. I spun her around and urged her forward. She threw an exasperated look over her shoulder but continued on until she was inside.

4

Levi

Our first rehearsalwith Brooklynn was three days later, and even though I’d sent her a text so she would have my number—after badgering it out of Noah, the bastard—I hadn’t heard a peep from her in the interim. I knew she was busy with everything that went along with moving her life to the Big Apple. Still, I’d been a little shocked. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had to chase a woman. But, if that’s what I had to do to get Brooklynn to give me a chance, I was up for the challenge.

We only had three more tracks to lay down to complete our albumFor Your Sanitybefore we hit the road, so we had plenty of time to get Brooklynn acclimated to singing with us. She was incredibly talented and it only took one rehearsal for her to fall right in with us, as though she’d always been a part of the band. Sheryl wasn’t surprised at Brooklynn’s ability, but she’d given me endless shit for accepting an “outsider” so fast. Begrudgingly, I admitted that I was the pickiest when it came to who we worked with. I wanted nothing less than complete cohesion. Playing together needed to be a natural instinct, otherwise we would lose the sound the fans loved us for.

After we called it a night, Brooklynn asked Sheryl to stay behind for a little while to go over some of the music. I didn’t want to give her the creep vibe by staying in the room and staring, lost in the magic of her voice and her chocolate brown eyes. That didn’t mean I kicked the stalker act altogether. I made my way to the sound booth, keeping the lights off and flipping on the mics. I was watching them through the darkened window when the door opened. Noah poked his head in, and his eyes went from me to the window and back. He pressed his lips together so they formed a straight line, his brow dropping low in a disapproving glare.

He walked fully inside the room and crossed his arms over his chest. “We need her, Levi,” he warned. “We have to do everything we can to convince her that Stone Butterfly is who she belongs with. If Sheryl decides to quit and Brooklynn leaves after the contract is done, it will be a bitch to find another vocalist to replace them.” He scowled at me, his silver eyes narrowed. “I’d like to tell you to back the fuck off but I know you’ll just do whatever you want, like you always do.”

I grinned cockily and shrugged. It was true.

That was clearly not the response Noah was looking for and he sighed, obviously frustrated. “At least promise me that you won’t pursue her unless you’re serious about her. Because if you break her heart, not only will I beat the living shit out of you, we’ll keep her and find a replacement foryou.”

It was my turn to scowl. Not because he’d threatened to kick my ass—in his dreams—but the level of protectiveness he was displaying toward Brooklynn was a little too strong. The thought that he might have feelings for her pissed me the fuck off. “Do I need to give you your own warning, Noah?” I growled.

His eyes flashed with an unreadable emotion and then strayed over to the rehearsal space once more. When he looked back at me, his face was deadpan. “No. It’s crystal clear where you stand, and you know I would never cross that line.”

I nodded, somewhat mollified. In all the years we’d been friends—brothers really—we’d never shared an interest in the same woman, so drawing that line in the sand had never been necessary. I suppose I should have figured it was implicit.

Noah turned and stepped into the hall, then reached for the handle to shut the door behind him. Just before it closed completely, he paused. “That doesn’t mean that if you break her heart, I won’t be the first one in line to pick up the pieces.” He shut the door before I could respond. The jealousy eating at me was as unwelcome as it was unexpected. I’d never felt this possessive over a woman, and it was a little hard to swallow. Maybe it was my ego poking at me, annoyed that Brooklynn hadn’t fallen at my feet. But whatever the reason, I didn’t care for the burning in my gut, the caveman instinct to grab Brooklynn and run off to someplace no one could find us. Nor did I want this new side of me to damage my friendship with Noah.

I sat on a stool and faced the window once again. The girls were packing up. My eyes had just landed on her when, suddenly, Brooklynn threw her head back and laughed. A burning of a whole different nature began heating my body. My every muscle stilled, except the rapidly hardening one between my legs. She was so fucking beautiful and her laughter was as musical a sound as was her singing voice.

It was entirely possible that if I let the jealousy and possessiveness have their way, I would come on too strong and might end up scaring Brooklynn off. No, patiences and persistence were the best tools at my disposal.

Before the girls exited the rehearsal room, I swiftly crossed the hall to the office and grabbed my coat. Then, when I heard them enter the hallway, I walked out, shrugging on my coat as if I’d been working in there and hadn’t been watching Brooklynn through a window for the last half hour as though she were an animal at the zoo.

“Ladies,” I greeted. “Brooklynn, can I talk to you for a minute?

Sheryl smiled and gave her a quick hug, then slyly winked at me as she strode by.

“What’s up?” Brooklynn inquired with a friendly smile. I took her black, wool coat from where it was draped over her arm and held it for her as she slipped it on. Then I wound her pink, knit scarf around her neck and used the ends to drag her close, but not so close that we were touching. Once I was sure Sheryl was around the corner and out of earshot, I stepped in, crowding her, and pushed a wayward strand of her silky black hair behind her ear while smiling with my best “I’m so cute and charming” smile.

“Have dinner with me. I know a great little Italian place.”

“No.” Her expression was deadpan.

---