Saxon Read online

  Tonight is going to be a fun night.

  *****

  Daniel, at least I think that was his name, was a good enough looking guy. He tries to take my hand once more, but I retract it, my other hand reaching for Lexi. There is no way I’m letting her out of my sight tonight. It’s just the two of us out, and it’s not safe for us to be wandering around alone. Even tipsy as hell—I know that. So when Daniel, some guy I just met and had one dance with, keeps trying to get me alone by pulling me away from Lexi, that’s when I start to get angry. I try and handle him, because you see the thing I’ve found with some males, especially drunk ones, is that they don’t like rejection.

  “Thanks for the dance, but I have to go now,” I tell him. “It’s ladies’ night!”

  He frowns, not liking the idea, but too fucking bad. I look at Lexi and then back at Daniel, too late to move out of the way as his lips come down on mine. He tastes like stale beer. I pull my hand out of Lexi’s and put all my strength into the swift kick I deliver to his nuts.

  He drops.

  Shaking my head, I turn to Lexi who is staring at me like I’ve grown a third head. “What? I tried being nice.”

  She giggles. “Let’s go to a different club.”

  Good idea.

  *****

  We walk back into Lexi’s house at five am, carrying our shoes in our hands.

  “I really liked your rendition of that Morning Alliance song,” Lexi tells me, giggling as she opens the front door.

  I smile and lean against the wall. “It was definitely one of my finer moments.”

  Her phone goes off, and I know it’s Ryder. “He needs to get a life.”

  “I told him I’d message him when we got in, and he’s probably wondering why I haven’t messaged,” she replies, opening the door and walking in. We were just sobering up after a long-ass fun-filled night.

  It felt like old times.

  Lexi starts getting busy in the kitchen, cooking bacon and eggs, while I take a quick shower and dress in my black pajamas. I walk back into the kitchen and smirk at Lexi’s red smudged lipstick around her mouth but decide not to tell her.

  It’s more fun this way.

  “Waiting on the bacon,” she says, sipping on some orange juice.

  “How can you drink orange juice right now?” I ask her.

  “Why not?”

  “We drank it with vodka all night,” I say, pouring a glass of water.

  Her mouth grins around the glass. “And now it’s minus the vodka.”

  We both smile.

  “So…” she says.

  “What?” I ask as I sit down.

  “Ryder told me Saxon spoke to him about you,” she says, wiggling her eyebrows.

  “And you just waited until now to tell me? After all that boring shit you told me about you and Ryder?”

  She pokes her tongue out at me. “Us talking about trying for a baby is not boring!”

  It was to me.

  “What did he say?” I ask her, trying to act casual. I make swirls with my finger on the table.

  “He told Ryder he wants you. Apparently Ryder laughed and wished him good luck,” she tells me, smirking.

  Ryder is such a gossip.

  “I think you should give him a chance. He’s changed,” she says with hesitance.

  I narrow my eyes. “Since when do we share penis?”

  She laughs. “I know, that part is a little weird, but come on. It was so long ago, I can’t even remember what he looks like naked.”

  Fucking phenomenal is how he looks naked.

  They should make a cast of his penis and put it in sex shops for women everywhere.

  “I don’t know how I feel about sloppy seconds,” I admit, looking away from her.

  She slams her glass down. “Is that what you think? Let me tell you something Tee, Saxon thought he was in love with me, but he wasn’t. We were young and had no idea what we were doing. I’ve seen the way he looks at you and that’s on a whole different level. You brought Ryder into my life, and maybe I was meant to bring Saxon into yours.”

  “This is weird,” I announce.

  She serves the food and puts my plate down in front of me. “Best friends share, don’t they?”

  “You’re a bitch,” I laugh, shaking my head at her. “I’m only friends with you because you give good breakfast.”

  She fills her own plate then sits next to me. “I can live with that.”

  We share another smile and then dig into our food.

  Chapter Six

  Saxon

  I look down at the photo of Tee that Lexi sent me once more. She’s wearing a black dress and knee high stiletto boots and looks sexier than I’ve ever seen her. I can only imagine what those two got up to last night, considering Ryder was pacing the tour bus worried about Lexi. He seriously needs to try and relax. I hope Tee didn’t hook up with anyone, but since she was with Lexi and wouldn’t want to leave her alone, I’m assuming she wouldn’t. Like I said—she’s as loyal as they come. They probably just had a crazy ass girls’ night. Ryder showed me the picture message Tee sent him, and I couldn’t help but laugh. She’s such a shit stirrer.

  Jet walks into our small kitchen on the tour bus and opens the fridge. “Where’s Ryder?” he asks me. Jet is Tee and Ryder’s younger cousin. He’s the youngest in the band and is treated as such.

  “Sleeping,” I reply, glancing down at the pic one more time before locking my phone.

  “Still?” he asks, forehead creasing.

  “Yeah, he was up worrying about Lexi having a night out on the town with your cousin.”

  Jet smirks. “If my girl was out with Tee I’d be up all night panicking too.”

  I frown. “She’s a lawyer, she has to be somewhat responsible. She seems so to me.”

  “Oh she is,” Jet replies. “She can be responsible, she’s smart. Badass even. She just tends to get into trouble. Oh and sometimes she doesn’t know when to shut up.”

  I could see that.

  She has a bit of a wild side I guess, which is not a turn off for me. She’s fun to be around and makes the best of any situation. She’s also successful and ambitious. What a mix.

  Jet’s grey eyes find mine. “She is one person you don’t want to piss off or get on her bad side.”

  “Trust me, I know,” I mutter, thinking back to how she vandalized my car.

  Jet laughs, clutching his stomach. “Oh so you found out about how she knifed your tires did you? I caught her doing it and told her off but the damage was already done.”

  That was her?

  I sigh and run my hands through my gel-free hair. I should have known that was her as well; it was a few weeks after I ran into Lexi for the first time after she got together with Ryder.

  “And then she told me off for taking sides and choosing you over my own blood,” he continues. “And somehow I ended up saying sorry to her.”

  He scratches his head. “Fucking lawyers.”

  “Are you close with Tee?” I ask, wanting to know everything about her.

  Everything.

  “Not as close as Ryder,” he replies. “But if I ever need her, I know she’ll be there in a second. She’s like that, someone you can always count on.”

  Like I said, loyal.

  My older brother Kidd walks out, lifting his chin at us in greeting. Dressed in nothing but a pair of track pants, he rubs his chest absently.

  “What time’s rehearsal?” he asks me.

  I look down at my watch. “In about an hour.”

  “Better get Ryder’s ass up,” he replies, grabbing a beer out of the fridge and taking a sip.

  My eyebrows raise. “Beer?”

  “It’s twelve o’clock somewhere,” he replies, walking back to his bunk.

  Jet looks at me and shrugs.

  “Didn’t he bring a girl back with him last night?” I ask. Something’s going on with Kidd, I just have no idea what it is. He’s been acting off for a few weeks now but won’t talk to me
about it.

  Jets chuckle makes me look up at him. “Trey’s messaging me.”

  Another one of their cousins and another musician.

  “Where is he?” I ask.

  “He’s spending some time with Sasha and her kid,” he tells me, which sounds about right. From what I’ve heard Trey is very close with her son Jye.

  “We better get our asses ready for rehearsal. I want to try a new song for tonight’s show,” I say, standing up.

  A song inspired by her.

  *****

  The crowd screams as we play our first song.

  “I see some gorgeous women in here tonight,” Ryder calls out, looking into the crowd. “Does someone want to come on stage for the next song?”

  Louder screams.

  I grin from my safe spot behind my drum set and watch as Ryder, Jet, and Kidd work the crowd.

  “You! The pretty blonde,” Ryder says into the microphone, pointing at a woman in the audience. “Security could you help her up please.”

  The woman is lifted on stage and instantly wraps herself around Ryder.

  “What’s your name beautiful?” he asks her. A chair is brought out on stage from one of the backstage crew.

  She fans herself and speaks into the microphone. “Aileen.”

  “Aileen. Pretty name. Why don’t you take a seat right here,” he says, helping her sit down. He whispers something in her ear, and she blushes like crazy. On the count of three we start to sing ‘Lay You Down’, one of our newer songs. Ryder sings the song to the girl like he wrote it for her, when I know for a fact he didn’t, because it was me who wrote this one. She swoons as Ryder does a little grinding and thrusting movement with his hips. He’s basically fucking the air.

  The crowd goes wild.

  Good thing Lexi isn’t here.

  The song comes to an end and I look into the audience, smiling at the ‘Marry Me Saxon’ sign someone is holding. Aileen gets escorted back to her spot, and we go into the next song ‘Timeless’.

  I think of Tee and wonder what she’s doing right now. Maybe one day she could come on tour with me.

  Wishful thinking.

  I concentrate on drumming and the music, pushing away all other thoughts.

  But in the back of my mind—she somehow always lingers.

  Chapter Seven

  Tenielle

  I leave work in a not so great mood and drive straight to my usual watering hole, Knox’s Tavern. Hot guys, drama, and good music—what’s not to like about the place? I sit down at the bar and wait for Ryan to notice me. When he does, he comes right over, face smiling.

  “Long time no see,” he says. “We’ve been going broke without your business.”

  I smirk. “Oh come on, I don’t drink that much.”

  “Sure you don’t. So what can I get you?”

  “Three tequila shots and a beer please,” I tell him in all seriousness.

  He bursts out laughing.

  “What? I’ve had a bad day,” I grumble, narrowing my eyes on him.

  “How about we start with just a beer?” he says, grabbing one out of the fridge.

  “Why do I come here at all?” I ask dramatically, raising my voice.

  “Because every time you get drunk off your ass we put you in a taxi and drop off your car,” Reid says as he appears from the back.

  I roll my eyes at him. “That happened like… twice.”

  “Seven times,” Reid and Ryan say at the same time.

  “Not that you’re counting or anything right?” I reply, giggling at them. “Should we make it an even eight?” I lean closer to them over the counter. “I drove the beast here. She’s gorgeous.”

  “The beast?” Reid asks, sharing a curious look with his brother.

  “Ryder’s car,” I explain. “You know, my famous rock star cousin. Not that I’m name dropping or anything.”

  Okay, so I totally am.

  The twins go out to stare at my borrowed car so I help myself to a bottle of tequila and a shot glass. I manage two shots before they walk back in.

  “That’s a fucking sexy car,” one of them says from behind me.

  I turn to look at them and smile. Ryan spots the bottle and sighs, taking it from me and putting it back behind the bar.

  “Rock, paper, scissors,” he calls out to Reid.

  “For what?” I ask, confused.

  “For whoever has to deal with you tonight,” Ryan replies.

  They play their game, and Reid wins, smirking. He waves at us then walks right out of the bar.

  “Is he coming back?” I ask after a few seconds, staring at the door where he exited.

  “Nope. Lucky bastard,” he replies but looks amused while he says it.

  “I’m not that bad. Where’s Tag? I know he loves me,” I say, lifting the beer to my lips and taking a sip.

  “Tag loves you alright,” he says, laughing. “He just stares at your boobs all night.”

  I lift my shoulder in a shrug. “So? I stare at his ass all night so we’re even.”

  “Like I needed to know that,” Ryan replies in a dry tone.

  “How’s Taiya?” I ask him, referring to his stunning wife. A woman of mixed heritage like me, the two of us get on like white on rice.

  “She’s good. And no you can’t take her out with you again.”

  I pout. “Hey it’s not my fault she can’t handle her liquor.”

  “You made her enter a beer funnelling competition with you!” he says, giving me a wide-eyed look.

  I sigh heavily. “You do something once and people bring it up for the rest of your life. You should be glad it wasn’t the wet t-shirt competition that we entered. I wanted to do that one too.”

  He scrubs a hand down his face and gives me a ‘what the hell am I going to do with you’ look.

  “How are you a lawyer?” he asks, shaking his head in exasperation.

  “How did you ever get a woman as good as Taiya?” I counter. I know it doesn’t have anything to do with anything, but it was all I could think of.

  “I’m good looking,” he points out.

  “Yeah, well so am I,” I reply.

  We both start laughing.

  And that’s why I love this bar.

  *****

  I’m onto my third beer and fifth tequila shot when a guy I’d seen checking me out decides to make his move. He sits down next to me and tries to get my attention. Tag, who arrived for his shift over an hour ago, grins wolfishly as he sees the man leaning towards me.

  “Hello beautiful,” the stranger says in a low voice.

  I turn to him with a coy smile on my lips. “Hello.”

  “Can I buy you a drink?” he asks, grinning like he’s going to get lucky tonight.

  As if I’m that easy.

  Or interested.

  He’s attractive enough, he’s just not what I’m looking for.

  Or who.

  “Thanks but I think I’m set,” I reply, lifting my bottle in the air.

  “May I ask where you’re from?” he says, and he moves closer to me.

  I always get asked this, and I always answer the same.

  “Australia,” I reply, raising an eyebrow.

  “Well yes,” he says. “But where are you from originally?”

  “Australia,” I say once more. “Born and bred.”

  “Oh,” he replies.

  I smile and put him out of his misery. “My mother is Sri Lankan.”

  He nods his head like he knows exactly where that is.

  “Want to dance?” he asks, staring at my chest. You’d think he would at least try to be subtle about it—but no.

  “No thanks. My boyfriend over there,” I say, tilting my head towards Tag, “is insanely jealous. So I don’t think that would be a good idea. But I’m flattered.”

  He stares at Tag, probably taking in his muscular body—shown off in a tight white t-shirt and jeans, his bald head, and narrowed gaze.

  “Lucky man,” he says after a while. Aww
w. That’s sweet.

  “I sure think so,” I reply, sliding off my stool and stumbling slightly.

  Tag quickly walks around the bar, telling some chick working there to man the fort as he takes me by my elbow. He looks down at me with an amused look on his face. “You’re a heartbreaker, you know that right?”

  “I am not,” I reply, as his arm goes around my waist. “I’m not that drunk you know.”

  “I’ll quickly drive you home and get your car dropped off later tonight,” he says, ignoring my comment.

  Luckily I live close by.

  “Okay but don’t tell anyone you drove the beast. Ryder would kick my ass,” I say, slurring my words a little.

  Tag laughs. “Looks like the tequila is finally hitting you.”

  I shake my head. “No it isn’t.”

  “So, are you dating someone?” he asks.

  “No, why?” I ask as he opens his car door and helps me in.

  “Because that’s not what I heard,” he replies, smirking at me before closing the door.

  I have to wait for him to slide into the driver’s seat before I can question him.

  “Explain,” I demand.

  “Just heard that you and Saxon have something going on,” he says, shrugging his broad shoulders.

  He’s a sexy man. That bald head really works for him. And that goatee—yum.

  “That’s not what’s happening at all,” I mutter, folding my arms across my chest. My boobs are big so really I’m just resting my arms on top of them.

  “That’s not what I heard,” he cajoles, clearly liking that he’s annoying me.

  “Heard from who?” I ask, turning my body towards him. “Perth is too small of a city.”

  I swear, everyone knows everyone’s business.

  “Just around. Saxon is a good guy—trust me you could do a lot worse.”

  “I could do a lot worse? What a ringing endorsement,” I grumble.

  He laughs, which annoys me, and says, “I’m sure you’ve already done worse.”

  Yes I have—him.

  I pretend like I’m going to throw up in his car and the laughter immediately stops.

  Then I start laughing.

  “You’re such a pain in the ass,” he grumbles, pulling into the car park at my apartment.