Page 5 of Rocked: The Price of Dreams

“So why don’t you?”

My heart cinched and shriveled as I twisted back around to face the piano. I slumped and stared at the keys. “Um...I can’t afford them.”

Hunter glided toward us, still doing his sexy hip sway.

“Where the fuck did you learn to do that?” I asked.

“I’ve been taking singing, dancing and music lessons since I was six. I want to be a star. A rock star or a Broadway star or a dancer. I don’t care. I just love performing.”

“Dude...with that voice? Sing,” I said. His voice still hummed in my head. “You are amazing.”

“Nah... I’m just goofing around.” He leaned against the piano; a cocky smile curled across his lips as he flicked a wayward curl off his forehead.

Hmm. Clearly there was nothing wrong with his ego regarding his talent. But if that was him just goofing around, what would he be like performing when serious?

“Gem, if you wanna hear amazing, you should hear this one sing.” Hunter slapped Kyle on the back.

I gaped at Kyle. “You’ve had singing lessons too?”

“Yeah.” He scratched the side of his cheek. “My mom’s also a vocal coach.”

“Holy fuck.” My head spun with dizziness. Who needed The Juilliard School when you had your own professional teacher at home? Lucky him. “Well then? Let me hear you. Sing something.”

“Only if you join in.” Kyle dared me.

“I can’t sing.” Not that I’d really tried. I always sang at home when playing, but I didn’t like the sound of my own voice.

“Come on.” He nudged my arm. “Let’s play something easy. Do you know ‘More Than Words’ by Extreme?”

“Doesn’t everybody?” I rolled my eyes. Typing on my laptop, I found the lyrics online. “ButI only know how to play it on guitar.”

“Cool.” Kyle rushed over to the wall and grabbed two acoustics off the rack. He handed one to Hunter and one to me. “You two play, I’ll do piano. Let’s give this a whirl.”

“I’m not singing.” I stood, then took to one of the chairs.

Kyle slid onto the piano stool. “Humor me. Please?”

Hunter sat beside me and propped the guitar over his lap. “I’ll lead. You join in.”

“Okay.” I strummed the guitar. It didn’t have the depth of my acoustic at home, but it’d do. I practiced the tune, recalling the notes and chords. It had been a while since I’d played the song, but it quickly came back to me.

“Ready? One. Two. Three. Go.” Kyle’s hands floated over the ebony and ivory like liquid silk. The tune tumbled from beneath his fingertips. He didn’t even look at the piano.

Total envy burned in every cell in my body. I wanted to play like that.

Hunter and I joined in, strumming in time with Kyle’s tempo. These guys were good. Way better than me. But I kept up.

Then Hunter sang. Holy. Shit. His voice was sultry, seductive magic.

But then Kyle joined in.

A hot rush charged through my veins. My heartbeat quickened. The air around me warped. Holy. Fucking. Crap. While Hunter’s voice was deep and a touch raspy, Kyle’s was lighter, softer, more alto, but totally mesmerizing. Pitch perfect. Goose bumps darted over every inch of my skin.

What would these guys sound like when their voices broke? Just...wow!

Licking my lips, I swallowed the lump of awe lodged in my throat. I buried my nerves into the base of my belly. Taking a deep breath, I joined in the chorus.

I sang, mild and quiet. Hunter nodded, encouraging me to ramp up my volume.

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