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Giselle
Giselle’s fingertips glided gracefully across the guitar strings, eliciting a soft, resounding note. The music filled her ears and sent chills running through her body. Goosebumps popped up on her skin as she strummed another dulcet tone. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back. She liked to feel the music as much as she heard it. It was a special thrill to touch every note, let it wash over her like a caress. Ever since she was a teenager, almost nothing in this world could calm or excite her the way a good song did. Especially when it was a song she’d written herself, drawing on her own feelings, her own memories.
She hummed along with the simple melody as she slowly built upon it, note by note, matching it with her voice. Her natural vibrato filled the room and made her throat tingle ever so slightly. She opened her eyes and smiled when she heard the beautiful voice of her cousin Gentry, singing harmony with her from across the recording studio. At the same time, Gentry began to strum along with her own guitar. Her notes wove in between Giselle’s, the two complimentary tunes interlocking.
The wall of sound only became stronger and more moving when Gemma joined in with her violin. The quiet young woman slid the bow across the strings with a look of distant passion on her face, like she was transported to another realm. Almost like she was thinking of someone far away. She swayed with the melody, pulling the most lovely, clear notes from the instrument notched on her shoulder. It sounded almost like a third singing voice. A heavenly, wordless hymn from the trembling strings of her beloved violin.
They improvised like this for a few minutes while the others watched in awed silence. If not for the soundscape created by Gentry, Gemma, and Giselle, you could’ve heard a pin drop in the studio. Matt, Jimmy, Asher, and Blaze sat on the other side of the glass, watching the three young women play their hearts out.
When their voices and guitar twangs faded into the still air, a round of applause went around the room. The men all stood up, nudging each other and shaking their heads like they couldn’t believe what they were witnessing. Giselle grinned at everyone and set down her guitar.
She leaned in toward the mic and said, “Anyway, that’s what we’ve got so far.”
“That was one hell of a start,” Blaze remarked.
“What a clean first take. I could’ve listened to those chords for hours,” Matt said.
Jimmy added, “And the harmonizing? Wow. Hauntingly beautiful.”
“You sure you guys haven’t practiced this yet?” Asher prodded.
“Nope. Brand new song. I woke up with a melody stuck in my head this morning, and we just got the chance to finally give it life,” Giselle explained. “We just happen to sound this good because we’re bad-ass.”
“True. I’m tellin’ you, musical talent runs in the family,” Gentry claimed proudly.
“It’s such an honor to be here recording with you guys,” said Gemma in her soft, gentle voice. “I’ve been all over the world and performed on a lot of stages, but there’s nothing quite like making music with the people you care about.”
“You can say that again,” Giselle quipped brightly.
Her eyes went straight to Asher and Blaze, who were gazing at her with pure adoration on their handsome faces. Asher gave her a nod, and Blaze tossed a roguish wink her way. Giselle’s heart skipped a beat, that familiar rush of exhilaration rolling through her body. All it took was one look from her boys, and she was a goner. As much as she loved the way they doted on her and protected her so fiercely, she knew she was just as head over heels in love as they were. She would gladly walk through fire for them, and their love inspired her every day.
“I have to say, it’s refreshing to see you write a real love song,” Matt teased.
“We’ve been trying to get a ballad out of her for years,” Jimmy explained to the girls.
Gentry giggled and gestured toward Asher and Blaze. “It’s a lot easier to write a love song when you have the inspiration to fuel it,” she commented. “Hell, ever since I met Linc and Seth, it’s hard not to turn every tune into a love song.”
“I can’t wait for Hans and Sebastian to hear this song,” mused Gemma. “They’re both on assignment in Austria, but I’m going to play it for them on our video call later on tonight.”
“Oh, that’s a great idea,” enthused Gentry. “My guys back in Miami would love a sneak peek of the new song. They may not be musicians, but they’re connoisseurs at this point.”
Giselle felt another pang of intense affection for her boys. She was so damn lucky. Not only did she get to spend her off hours luxuriating in their love, but they were all in the same industry, so they got to work together too. There was a time when she had thought any added variable might throw off the delicate, perfect balance among the Tortured Hearts band members. After all, they had been jamming together since they were all angsty teenagers. They could nearly read each other’s minds. Giselle had assumed any love interest in her life would only throw off their mojo, interfere with the magic she created with a guitar in her hands. She used to return to the same painful memories of rejection as a teen, letting that pain consume her music. All she knew how to do was make herself prickly so nobody could get close enough to hurt her.
Now, she didn’t have to hide behind that tough-girl persona anymore. She was still a diva from time to time. It was her personality, after all. But she had learned how to open up, how to let Asher and Blaze see her vulnerable side. They awakened feelings in her she had never known before. The music she wrote these days was in a league above Tortured Hearts’ old work. Every song resonated with new meaning, with bright emotions of joy, freedom, and unwavering love.
As the others left the studio for a coffee run, Giselle stayed behind with her guys. She came sauntering up to them with a smile on her face, feeling like she was on cloud nine. Her happiness only intensified when the two men folded around her, their strong arms draping over her protectively. Giselle nuzzled her cheek against Blaze’s chest while Asher traced his fingers up and down her back from behind.
Her world, once full of jagged edges and dead ends, felt so different now. She didn’t have to fight anymore. She didn’t have to spend another night tossing and turning in bed alone, pretending not to need anybody. Giselle had learned that it wasn’t embarrassing to be vulnerable; it was freeing. Without those heavy, self-imposed shackles holding her back, she could do anything. The music flowed through her, lyrics and poetry growing in her heart every time she looked at the men she loved.
“I think we’re really creating something magical here,” said Giselle.
“You’re right about that,” said Asher. “I’m so proud of the work you’ve been putting in. All this time, I’ve been trying to teach you how to find inspiration—and you’re the one who ended up teaching me. Just being near you makes me want to write a song.”
“I never knew a bigger thrill than jumping a dirt bike over the desert dunes, but damn if you didn’t change my entire perspective,” Blaze laughed gently. “You were one hell of a challenge, but loving you is so easy.”
“Easy enough to do it forever,” Asher added.
“Good, because I love you guys,” Giselle giggled. “There’s no getting rid of me.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it, baby. I love you,” said Blaze, kissing her on the lips.
Asher leaned in from behind to kiss her cheek, his warm breath ticklish on her neck. He whispered to her, “We’re not going anywhere. I love you, Giselle.”
Giselle tilted her head up to them, her brown eyes shining with bliss.
“You know what? I have a feeling this third album is going to be the best one yet.”
