Music of the Heart by Katie Ashley
“Get a grip, dude. You do not want to get entangled with her,” I muttered.
“Huh?” some guy in a stall asked.
“Nothing,” I grumbled before exiting the door.
Thankfully, when I came back from the bathroom, Abby and AJ were no longer singing and had rejoined the table. Since the appetizers had arrived, we started attacking them. Abby did a pretty good job putting some away as well. Once they were devoured, we waited anxiously for our main courses to arrive. I cut my eyes over to where Abby twirled the straw in her Diet Coke. A question popped into my mind, and I acted on it. “So Abby, you’re twenty-one and legal, don’t you drink?”
“No, I don’t,” she replied, before taking a dainty sip of her Diet Coke.
“So caffeine is your only illicit substance?” I implored with a smirk.
With a shrug, she replied, “I guess so.”
“Ever tried a beer?”
She eyed my frothy mug and wrinkled her nose. “No, thank you.”
“Oh come on. Just try a sip.” I slid my beer closer to her. When she nibbled her lip, I couldn’t help goading her some more. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid to try it?”
Abby snapped her gaze up to mine, and the fire that flashed in her eyes made me shift in my seat. Damn, how was it possible for Miss Priss to affect me with just a look? I could only imagine that with the proper stoking, that flame could be scorching in the bedroom.
Without a word to me, she reached over and grabbed my mug. She licked her lips as I leaned forward, silently daring her to continue. She took in a mouthful before her eyes widened, and she turned away from me to spew out the beer. “Oh.My.God! How do you drink that? It tastes like horse pee!” she exclaimed, swiping her hand across her mouth.
AJ and Rhys chuckled at her response. “You been drinking a lot of horse pee lately, Angel?” I questioned, as I took my beer back.
She scowled at me. “No, I haven’t. I haven’t even been around a horse since I got thrown from one when I was ten and broke my arm.”
“You need to get back in the saddle.”
Abby shot me a withering look. “And let me guess. You’re the man to teach me?”
I ignored her dig at the innuendo of teaching. “Well, I did grow up on a farm, and I do have six horses—well, my mom and I do.”
Abby’s disdainful expression slowly faded, and she eyed me with curiosity. “You still live at the farm with your mom?”
“When I’m not touring, it’s the only place I want to be.”
“No big city, swinging bachelor pad and wild parties?”
I grinned and shook my head. “Nope, give me backwoods bonfires, mudding, and fishing over all of that.”
“Hmm, I wouldn’t have pegged you for a boonies kind of guy.”
AJ snorted. “You won’t get any more boonies than where Jake grew up in Ball Ground, Georgia.”
Abby’s brows furrowed. “But I thought you guys knew each other as teenagers?”
“We did. After my mom and dad divorced, he left and moved to Atlanta. I’d visit him on weekends, and AJ’s family lived next door. ”
AJ nodded. “My family has always been city dwellers. We don’t do backwoods. Rednecks aren’t real tolerant, ya know?”
I laughed. “Oh please, that’s so not true.”
“Yeah, right. You don’t know how many times I got the ‘You’re not from ‘round here are ya, boy,’ ” AJ drawled in his best hick voice.
I smacked his arm. “I call bullshit, AJ. My redneck family are some of the best people you know and don’t deny it.”
AJ grinned. “Okay, so maybe I enjoyed being in the boonies a little too much with Jake.”
“Yep, I taught his sissy, city boy ass to hunt, fish, and rope cattle.”
Abby’s mouth gaped open. “You have cows too?”
“Naw, my Papa does.”
AJ nudged Abby. “Did you hear that? Every once and awhile, Jake will slip up and sound like a total country bumpkin.”
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever.”
Abby smiled. “I like the Southern drawl. I mean, I was twelve when we moved back to the states, so I really can’t call myself a Texan but I sure do love it there. My dad’s brother has this huge ranch that’s out in the middle of nowhere. I could spend days just wandering around the fields and wading through the creeks, feeding the cows, and petting the horses.” A little shiver went through her. “I swear that one day I’ll conquer my fear about getting back on one.”
I stared at her for a moment, taking in the sincerity of her words. I’d never, ever met a girl who sounded like she loved the backwoods as much as I did. “You won’t have much time for ranches if you start headlining with your brothers.”
Her expression darkened a little. “Tell me about it. They’re going to put us on a grueling tour in the fall. I can’t even remember how many cities are on it. We’ll barely get home for Christmas.” She sighed. “That’s not the life I see for myself. For the first time in my life, I have some roots, and I want it to stay that way.” Her cheeks reddened a little as she added, “Not to mention wanting a home of my own and kids.”
AJ chuckled. “You want all that now?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.” She cocked her head at him. “You think I’m too young to be married and have kids?”
At the same time, Rhys, AJ, and I in perfect unison replied, “Absolutely.”
She rolled her eyes. “Considering the sources, I’ll choose to ignore that.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.
Billie Jean, along with another waitress, interrupted the conversation by bringing our food. Once they left the table, Abby leaned in on her elbows and pinned me with a hard stare. “It means that you three are out for nothing but no-strings-attached sex. You can’t imagine anyone wanting more than just one night stands or meaningless hook-ups. I’m sure if I asked Brayden, he would feel differently.”
Bray winked at Abby. “But I’m probably not the best person to ask. I’ve always been an old soul. Lily and I married when we were your age, and Jude came a year later.” A genuine smiled formed on his lips. “I wouldn’t take anything—not the stardom, the fan adulation, or the money—for what my family means to me.”
Abby’s expression melted at his words, and she practically puddled at his feet. “Aw, that’s so sweet.” She reached over and patted his arm. “I sure hope I have what you do some day.”
“You will. Just be patient. The right guy will come along—one who accepts everything about you and respects your boundaries and your character.”
Abby gave Bray a beaming smile. “Thank you.”
At the mention of her ‘boundaries’, there was a question I had to ask. “So Angel—”
She huffed out an exaggerated breath. “Do you all really have to keep calling me that?”
“Fine. Abby,” I began with a grin. “Is what you claimed earlier really true? You know, about being a virgin, or were you just shitting us to try and steer us from getting in your pants?”
“Jake,” Brayden warned.
I held my hands up. “What’s wrong with asking a simple question for clarification?”
“Because part of your bet with Abby entailed you being a gentleman, and last time I checked, a gentleman doesn’t question a woman’s past or lack thereof.”
Abby shook her head. “It’s okay, Brayden. I don’t mind answering the question.” She stared straight into my eyes. “Yes, it’s true that I’m a virgin.”
“Damn,” AJ muttered.
“But how is that humanly possible?” Rhys questioned.
Abby laughed. “Mainly because I have a strong belief system, but I also have pretty high standards.”
I glanced down at her hand. “So where’s your purity ring then?”
Her cheeks flushed a little. “Well, I don’t wear one because they mean you’re waiting for marriage, and I don’t necessarily believe in that.”
“You don’t?” I pressed.
?
I furrowed my brows. “So all it’ll take is for you to fall in love with some dude, and you’ll give it up? Just like that?” I snapped my fingers for effect.
“You say that like it’s something easy. To fall in love with someone deeply and then have them love you back is truly a miracle.”
“Then it sounds like you’ll be holding on to your V-card for a while, Angel.”
She shrugged. “We’ll see. I just know it’ll all be worth the wait.”
“Good for you, Abby,” Brayden said, through a mouthful of steak.
With a disgusted grunt, I replied, “That’s all peachy for you, but I gotta say more power to the guy. Me, I could never get it up for a virgin.”
Abby gasped and dropped her hamburger. “You liar!”
“Excuse me?”
“Y-You totally were…well, you know, this morning in bed with me,” she sputtered.
Swallowing a mouthful of my chili dog, I rolled my eyes. “That’s because at first I thought you were Bree who is always showing up to bang me when we’re on the road.”
Poking her finger in my chest, she countered, “Oh no, you kept coming on to me when you turned on the light and saw it wasn’t Bree.” She pursed her lips. “I may not know a lot, but I do know what that was.”
The guys snickered to which I shook my head. “Sorry, Angel, but it’s still a void point. At the time, I had no idea you were a virgin. Had I known then what I know now, my hard-on would’ve been withering fast.”
AJ snorted. “Oh come on, Jake. That’s a bunch of bullshit. Any guy that looks at Abby, virgin or not, would totally get a boner.”
“Um, thanks…I think,” Abby replied.
With a wink, AJ said, “Just know I would have no problem, mi amor. Any time or any place.”
“Or me either,” Rhys added. He licked his lips suggestively at Abby.
She let out a frustrated puff of breath. “I cannot believe we’re discussing this least of all that I’m about to say thank you, AJ and Rhys, for admitting you could…well, you know, even for a virgin.” She glanced at Brayden who widened his eyes.
Holding his hands up defensively, he quickly argued, “I can’t comment on this conversation.”
Abby’s cheeks reddened at his comment. “Oh no, I didn’t mean for you to!” She then buried her head in her hands. “This is so mortifying.”
Bray shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. “I will say this though.” Abby tentatively raised her head to peek at him. “My wife, Lily, was a virgin.” He gave a sheepish grin. “We both were.”
“Really?” Abby questioned.
He nodded. “It never bothered me that she hadn’t been with anyone else.”
I grunted. “Yeah, because you were a horny sixteen-year-old dude who didn’t know any better.”
Bray narrowed his eyes at me. “Yeah, well, there was that year we broke up right when the band hit, and I banged everything that moved, trying to forget how much I loved and needed Lily.” A fierce expression spread over his face. “But none of those experiences hold a candle to making love to Lily, and she’s only ever been with me. Yeah we might’ve been two fumbling teenagers back in the day, but nothing was fucking sexier than us discovering it all together.”
I stared at Brayden in shock. I’d never heard him speak so passionately about sex with Lily. He usually was very guarded and threatened to kick our asses when we alluded to anything involving them getting it on. His favorite thing to do was to growl, “That’s my wife, fucker!” or “That’s the mother of my children!” when we made dickhead comments about Lily being a MILF.
“Wow,” Abby murmured at Bray’s statement.
He grinned at her. “Sorry, I got a little carried away there.”
She shook her head. “No, I appreciated it, and I’m sure Lily would, too.”
I exhaled noisily. “Regardless of what you three dickwads say, I hold firm to my claim that I wouldn’t or couldn’t get it up for a virgin.” When Abby cocked her head at me, I said, “Fine then. I couldn’t knowingly, how’s that?”
She bit down on her lip and turned her head from me. The table fell into an awkward silence before Abby muttered, “Um, I’ll be right back.” She practically fell out of her chair and sprinted from the table.
After downing the rest of my beer, I glanced up to see the guys glaring at me. “What?”
Brayden leaned forward so far across the table that his elbows bumped into mine. “You’re an utter and complete asshole for hurting her feelings about the virgin thing.”
“I’m a dick for telling the truth?”
AJ snorted contemptuously at me. “It’s called a fucking filter, man. Try using it from time to time.”
When I glanced at Rhys, he narrowed his eyes. “So not cool to make Abby feel bad about herself, especially when she’s as smoking hot as she is.”
I opened my mouth to argue when the screech of the karaoke microphone being tapped drew my attention to the stage. Gazing out at us, Abby gave me a sickeningly, sweet smile. Immediately my stomach churned, and I knew I was in trouble at being publically called out for being a douchebag.
“I hope you all don’t mind me singing again.”
The scattered group of truckers whistled and hooted appreciatively, which caused Abby to grin and breathlessly say, “Thank you.” Gripping the microphone tighter, she said, “It’s just that I really would like to win a bet tonight, and singing this song is the only way I see being able to do it.” Once again her blue eyes locked with mine. “Jake, this one is for you.”
She nodded at the DJ who pressed the play button on the music. It took all of two seconds for me to recognize the opening bass thumps. “Oh fuck,” I murmured as Like a Virgin began blaring throughout the bar. As soon as some of the inebriated truckers realized the song, they hollered and clapped their hands.
From the minute she started singing, it was like Abby sent a direct beam of lust straight to me. I mean, I knew I put on an act when I was on stage, so the fact she was a performer should have made her behavior less believable. But damn was she convincing as a temptress. Every shimmy and shake of her luscious body, every time she tossed her head back and ran her fingers through her hair, every slinky step she took and thrust of her hips was driving me fucking insane.
If I thought I was stunned, the other guys were open-mouthed and wide-eyed at her performance. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught AJ gulping down his beer like a man dying of thirst. Even Brayden was eying Abby in a way I hadn’t seen in years—although it was a helluva lot more innocent than how AJ, Rhys, and I were ogling.
Shifting in my seat, I knew it wasn’t going to be long before I lost the bet. I glanced down and glared at my traitorous dick. When I peeked up at Abby again, a pained noise escaped my lips as all hell broke loose below my belt with what I saw. Sinking down to her knees, she then began doing the unthinkable. She started crawling towards the end of the stage—never missing a beat or lyric. Sitting below her, I had a straight shot down the front of her dress with an epic view at her fabulous rack. When she reached the end of the stage, she swung her legs around, and for a brief moment, I got a flash of her upper thighs before she let her legs dangle off the edge.
She hopped down and slunk over to our table. Without a glance at the other guys, she gave me a seductive crook of her finger. I shook my head and grinned, trying to make her believe she was having no effect on me, which was a fucking lie. But Abby wasn’t having any of it. She strode over to me as she ran her hand over her hips and ass as she sang about being touched for the first time. Her fingers then slid through my hair and across to cup my cheek before playfully smacking it.
Just when I thought she was headed back to the stage, she backed up and straddled me. A hiss escaped my lips as she started moving her ass across my crotch. I couldn’t help throwing my head back and groaning. I’d been given expert lap dances in my day from some of the
Even in her non-existent experience, she knew what was up, no pun intended. With the song still playing, Abby glanced over her shoulder and shot me a triumphant look. “Do you now concede to all the guys that you knowingly and willingly got it up for a virgin, or should I continue?”
Although my dick would have enjoyed her continuing the half-hearted attempt at a lap dance, I shook my head. “Okay, Angel, you win.”
As AJ and Rhys clapped and cat-called, Abby started to slide off my lap. When she did, I grabbed her arm and spun her around to where she was straddling me again, but this time we were face to face. A startled look flashed in her dark blue eyes. I leaned in closer to her. My breath tickled her earlobe, and she shivered. “So you got me all hot and bothered. Art thou now to leave me so unsatisfied?”
Her chest rose and fell in heavy pants. “You’re quoting Romeo and Juliet?”
“Why do you act so surprised?”
“You didn’t strike me much as the kind of guy who liked to read, least of all Shakespeare.”
“I’m full of surprises, Angel.” My hands gripped her hips tighter. “Just get to know me a little better.”
Abby rolled her eyes. “Did you seriously just use a bad pick-up line on me?”
“Who says it was a line? Maybe I do want you to get to know me better.” When she quirked her eyebrows, I laughed. “And not just in the biblical sense.”
“With everything you know about me and not having sex, you still want to get to know me?”
For reasons I didn’t begin to understand, I nodded. “Yeah, I do.”
She stared at me like she expected any minute for me to go, “Gotcha! Just kidding!” But when I didn’t, a slow smile spread on her face.
“Okay, I can try to let you get to know me.” She nibbled her bottom lip, which did nothing for my hard-on. “And I might as well give you a try, too.”