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With three levels and a deck that leads to the lake, this place is a dream. The main level is on the second floor, where I am now. The bedrooms are on the first and third floors. The furnishing and décor are contemporary and don’t look like the home of rockers. Leave it to Mr. Nolan, Asher’s dad, to spare no expense for these guys. That trait is what attracted my mom to him until she got greedy and went for a bigger fish. I think my favorite is the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, which let in all the natural light. The only thing missing is having Irelyn here with me. She is visiting family instead, and then she’ll be transferring to the University of Alabama with me in the fall. I’m walking around the state-of-the-art kitchen and admiring the cherry wood cabinetry when the other bandmates arrive downstairs.
“The guys are here,” Asher says excitedly. He hops up from the sofa and heads to go meet them and to clue them in that I’m here, I’m sure. The guys come upstairs in a boisterous manner, bantering about whom was going to put away the groceries they just bought. Asher introduces them to me, and I must say, my first impression is that they aren’t as bad as I originally thought they’d be. So it seems. Killian Andrews is their lead guitarist, whereas Asher is the bass guitarist. Like my brother, Killian has shoulder-length hair, but his is brown like his chocolate eyes. Ren Lowry is their drummer. He has a black Mohawk and seems to be the only one who rivals my Gothness, as my brother would say. I’m digging his all-black attire. He gives me a slight chin lift as a greeting.
The guys are all welcoming. They don’t appear to be judging me for the way I look. I get that a lot, but it’s kind of the point. I’m just about to ask who their singer is when he comes up the stairs.Holy shit balls.I wasn’t ready. I hear Asher introducing him as Phoenix, but I’m speechless. Phoenix looks me up and down and smirks. I bet he gets this reaction from women all the time, but this is different. I don’t fawn over men. They’re not even on my radar. My heart quickens, and I work to swallow the lump in my throat. My nerves have kicked into overdrive. This feeling is foreign to me. This guy is so far from what you would expect as a singer of a rock band that it is unreal. He stands about six inches taller than my five-foot-four frame and is built like a fucking tank. The name Phoenix is so fitting for him. He is simply gorgeous. His shirt hugs his chest like a second skin, and I can see every etch of muscle. The tattoo sleeve on his left arm is an intricate work of art and draws your eyes even more to his fit physique. From his goatee to his perfectly styled short hair, he is perfection. His angled facial features are chiseled beauty. The fucker knows it, too. I can tell this one is going to be trouble. He arches an eyebrow in question, waiting for me to say something.
“Hi. Nice to meet you,” I manage to say without getting tongue-tied. Geesh, I feel like an idiot. He is just a good-looking guy.Get it together.“Where is my room?” I ask, turning toward Asher. I’m going to have to stay far away from this Phoenix guy. The others seem nice enough, but my gut is telling me that he is trouble with a capital T.
“The guys and I discussed it. You can take the master bedroom on the third floor,” Asher says. A look passes between him and Phoenix before he grabs my luggage to take them upstairs. Phoenix follows us up the stairs.
“They discussed it,” he comments. “That was my room. I got booted to the room next door, so don’t think you’re going to get that bathroom all to yourself,” he informs. I don’t want to come in taking over their space, so I just nod and look away as we pass the only other bedroom on this floor.
“There are two more bathrooms in the house, Phoenix,” Asher chastises.
“Yeah, but I want to use that one. That is the only master bathroom and the only one with a rain shower. Don’t worry; I won’t bother yourprincess.She is not my speed anyway.” Phoenix smirks. Asher’s face hardens, and I know he is getting ready to put his foot down. The last thing I want is to cause problems on my first day here. I can’t believe he told them he calls me princess, but like Phoenix just confirmed, I’m not his type anyway. I grab Asher’s arm to shush him.
“It’s fine. Really. I’m sure he and I can set up some sort of schedule. We’re the only two rooms up here, so it’s no problem,” I assure.
“Whatever. You don’t have to agree to that. You’re the only female in the house and should have your privacy—”
“Don’t make this awkward,” I plead, cutting off his rant. I look over at Phoenix, and his smugness is revolting. He didn’t win. I just don’t want any special privileges or to upset the balance of the house.
“Fine. One complaint and he’s out,” Asher promises.
“I’ve yet to have a woman complain about anything that concerns me.” Phoenix winks. He leaves the room chuckling.
“Fuck,” Asher groans as he leaves the room with him.
I take a look around the room now that I’m alone. This bedroom is huge. It has a sitting area as well as doors that lead to a balcony overlooking the lake. More floor-to-ceiling windows compliment the space. The four-poster bed looks inviting until I imagine all the kinky sex that has taken place in it. I shudder at the thought as I walk into the en suite bathroom. Somehow, I knew it would be a dream. I can see why Phoenix didn’t want to give it up. The rustic travertine tiled shower, encased in glass, could fit like ten people. I see the rain shower that he spoke about next to a regular showerhead. It even has a bench in there.Interesting.The Jacuzzi tub sitting off to the side of the shower is the icing on the cake. I know where I’ll be spending a lot of my time. I love to soak and read. Well, more like an escape into a different realm of reality and pretend I’m the heroine who gets the happily ever after—not the dysfunctional life I have.
First, I guess I’ll unpack. The walk-in closet within the master bath is massive. I flip the light on and am shocked to already see men’s clothing hung up and sneakers lining the wall. So, it appears he hasn’t cleared the space yet, or does he want to share the closet, too? It’s definitely big enough. It’s almost big enough to be a sixth bedroom.Whatever. I’ll just grab my favorite romance novel and read for now. I push the suitcases against the opposite wall as his shoes and grab my book out of my bag. I walk back into the bedroom and curl up into the oversize chair next to the window. I’m not getting in that bed until I change the sheets—just in case.
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CHAPTER TWO ~ PHOENIX
The guys are discussing what songs we’re going to cover tonight from the band, I Prevail. Honestly, I’m tired of singing other people’s shit, but our music is not ready yet. We only have one original song that we perform, titled “Something to Believe In.” I write all of our music, and that song has special meaning since it’s the first one I started working on. It has significance to my past, but the guys just think it is a badass song. We don’t play it every set, but when we do, we play it to close the night, and it brings down the fucking house every time. The topic changes to what after-hours club they plan on hitting up tonight after our show, and I smile as I think about Asher’s“princess”upstairs.
I’ve overheard him call her that nickname. It was odd as shit, to say the least, to hear the word come out of a grown man’s mouth. Imagine my surprise when this princess arrives dressed from head to toe in black, looking as dark as my soul. I see the Goth image, but something is amiss. I just can’t put my finger on it yet. I saw the instant attraction she had for me, yet she chose to pretend otherwise. The shift of her eyes toward the ground when I speak to her gives her away. I’d kill to know what thoughts ran through her mind. What she must think of me? I’m very aware of how most women see me. They want any opportunity to fuck me, and some even want to “tame the bad boy.”Fucking hysterical. Not her, though. I can tell little Miss Harlow is planning on staying the hell away from me. Too bad it’s a challenge I’m willing to accept even though she’s not really my type.
I got a peek at what she really desires, and I plan on opening her up. I bet she has a hot body under all those baggy clothes. Those piercing gray eyes of hers got my attention. It’s going to be fun exploring the rest of her. Asher has warned us all off her, so she will have to come to me, but she will. She will submit. In the end, they all do. Yup, my summer just got a little more interesting.
I watch as she comes downstairs. Apparently, she is coming to tonight’s gig. This should be fun. I hope she’ll be in the front row. She is in for a treat. I have a special performance just for her. This will be the real test. She looks around nervously, and I almost feel sorry for her.Almost.
“Ready for tonight, princess?” I ask cheekily as we load the Escalade with our equipment.
“Don’t call me that,” Harlow whisper hisses. Hmm, so she has some bite. I don’t mind. Even better.
“Why not? Asher calls you that. You don’t like it?”
“It’s condescending when you say it,” she points out.
“It isn’t meant to be.” I smirk. “It’s just so fitting,” I continue while gesturing toward her all-black appearance. She huffs and walks around to the other side of the SUV.
So the goal is not to get under her skin. No, I want to get under something else completely. The more she resists me, the harder my dick gets. This feeling is foreign to me. Women usually make this shit too easy. I won’t lie and say it isn’t great to have my pick of pussy, but a challenge may be just what I need for a change of pace. I have to be careful not to get too involved, though. The last thing I need is to have her fall in love with me. Asher really would kick my ass if I break his sister’s heart. No. Get in and get out. That’s the challenge. My dick accepts.
