“I was just kidding.” He pulled the strap over his head and placed it over hers.
She knew it was a heavy guitar, but she didn’t expect the weight that pulled on her shoulder. As she cradled the instrument against her, she admired the gorgeous mahogany body and the grain of the wood, clearly visible through the rich red paint. The maple top was thick in her hand as she tightened her fingers around it and pressed a few chords into the neck, still not brazen enough to run her pick over the strings.
Lucas closed the space between them and ran his hands under the body of the guitar. He gazed at it as if it was his first born child. “Every musician has that one instrument that sings to them. This lady serenaded me from the moment I saw her.”
His eyes shifted upwards and locked on Sindy’s. She could hear her heart beating in her ears, and she swallowed at the dryness in her throat. Holding the Les Paul while staring into Lucas’ beautiful face made her dizzy.
“Are you all right?” Lucas wore an overconfident smile. “You look a little flushed.”
Ruffled by a mixture of arousal and agitation, she let out a deep breath. “It’s . . . it’s . . . I’m not used to being around all of these expensive guitars.”
He mocked her with a short laugh. “If you say so. Let’s go in the other room. I wouldn’t want you to lose control or anything.”
He made her so God damn mad sometimes with his smart remarks. She pressed her lips together with frustration and followed him into the studio. As she walked behind him, the way his jeans hugged the curve of his ass caught her attention. She lifted her gaze to his flowing blond hair and the way it bounced off the curved muscles of his shoulders as he walked. This man was just as gorgeous from the back as he was from the front. She wiped her hand across her forehead and exhaled a deep breath. What the hell was wrong with her?
She rushed past him so she’d stop staring at the different parts of his body, and went to the music sheets on her stand and concentrated on reading the chords. One by one, she played them and the melody toDrivenfilled her head with excitement. She was reading music! Playing a song from paper! On Lucas’ Les Paul!
“You’re doing great.” Lucas came up behind her, pretending to read the music over her shoulder, but Sindy knew he had other things on his mind. He nodded along as she continued to play, flipping the page when she got to the end. Determined not to let him distract her, she concentrated on the song and for a few moments forgot about his aura of sexual magnetism. Until his breath landed on her neck. She froze, mid chorus. Neither said a word, and the dead quietness in the room accentuated their lack of conversation. She willed her fingers to move, but all she could do was swallow and try to steady her breathing. She felt the warmth of his breath grow hotter and closer to her shoulder, making her heart race even faster. When his lips placed a long succulent kiss on the spot where her neck met her shoulder, she thought her heart stopped altogether. A row of goosebumps rose on her flesh as she exhaled a loud breath. She didn’t mean to tilt her head to the side and invite his lips to move up her neck, but that’s exactly what she did. A soft whimper left her throat when his lips touched her again. She turned to face him and their mouths collided. With hot gusts of breath, they pressed their lips together and rotated their mouths in all directions, as if they couldn’t get enough of one another.
Noise on the stairs alerted Sindy that Tessa and Mason were coming, and she jumped back breaking the intense kiss. The look of disappointment on Lucas’ face, and the way his eyes pleaded with her, practically begging her not to pull away, made her heart sink. She slowly shook her head. “You know we shouldn’t be doing this,” she whispered quietly.
He didn’t answer, only continued to gaze at her with those sad, pathetic eyes, as if she just tore his heart out.
Tessa and Mason entered the studio discussing the songs they planned to go through today, while Sindy and Lucas continued to stare at one another with a look of longing and remorse.
“Are you guys done?” Tessa asked. “Because we’re ready to get to work.”
“Yeah,” Lucas replied, never taking his eyes off Sindy as he took his Les Paul from her shoulder and slowly walked across the floor to his spot.
Sindy took a few deep breaths in order to regain her composure and picked up her Strat. She needed to concentrate on learning the songs and forget about the tingle Lucas sent through her body.
“Here.” Lucas offered her a bottle of water and a crooked smile. “You look a little overheated.”
She snatched the bottle from his hand and took a few big gulps.
“Stop trying to fight it,” he whispered in her ear.
As he walked away, he turned and glanced at her with that smug smile still on his lips. He could be so infuriating sometimes. Other times, he could melt her heart with one look.
They jumped into rehearsal and once Sindy started playing, the music that she created was all that mattered. Until Lucas sauntered over to her side of the floor and jutted his Les Paul at her with his hips. She challenged him with her Strat, and the sexual tension that they shared fueled a dueling guitar solo that was totally off the hook.
Three hours later, Sindy was mentally and physically exhausted. She went upstairs, climbed into her makeshift bed on the couch in Tessa’s suite, pulled the blanket over her head and didn’t move until Tessa shook her by the shoulder.
“Wake up. Everyone’s here. It’s almost dinner time.”
Sindy stretched and rubbed her eyes to clear the fog from her head. “Dinner? How long did I sleep?”
“A few hours. It’s almost six.”
Sindy was tempted to skip dinner, stay on the couch for the rest of the night and sleep until morning. But she knew her friend wouldn’t hear of it. She washed up, changed her clothes and followed Tessa downstairs. The sound of happy laughter and multiple voices, all talking at once, grew louder as they reached the bottom of the stairs. Apparently, the house was full of people, a welcomed buffer, which made her feel a little more at ease about seeing Lucas after this morning’s passionate kiss.
Tessa brought Sindy to the kitchen, where Angel stood at his rightful place at the oven, white apron slung over his neck and tied at the waist. The front of it said “Real Men Like Their Pork Pulled”, making Sindy chuckle, and then blush profusely.
“Sindy!” Angel’s warm greeting filled the room. “Here. Taste my fricasé de pollo.” He walked toward her with a serving spoon, his free hand cupped underneath it.
She was expecting traditional chicken francese, but this was a stew, with pimento stuffed olives and capers, and the flavor assaulted Sindy’s palate. “This is delicious!”
Tessa stuck her hand on her hip and pursed her lips playfully at her father. “Look what I made, Sindy.” Tessa went to the counter and picked up a tray. “Pineapple-Coconut Mojitos!”
