Rock Star: The Song (Book 1 of a Bad Boy Romance) by Kate Ward Read Free Book Online

into the water. As I pushed and pulled she kept her gaze on me. The air was warm, the lake still as I took us further out.
    “You know this lake has no water source.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Yeah, it’s one of the natural wonders of this area. Some say it’s a volcano, others say a meteorite caused it. Though most believe it’s a sinkhole.”
    “Great, I’m not sure which of those inspires the most confidence in me to stay out here.”
    “Oh, we are fine. It’s been here forever. At least since I was a kid.”
    I pulled the oars into the boat and let it drift.
    “You grew up in Lakeside?”
    “Yep, homegrown.” She took another swig.
    “What about your parents?”
    She cast a glance off to the banks. A flock of birds broke in the trees, their reflection breaking the perfect circle of the moon above us.
    “They’re dead.”
    “I’m sorry.”
    “It was a car accident. Happened four years ago. Just on the outskirts of town.”
    She remained quiet for a moment before continuing.
    “They were returning from an evening out in the city. It was their forty-second anniversary. There was a lot of snow on the roads that night. From what I’m told they lost control of the vehicle coming down an incline. There was no barrier to stop them.”
    She closed her eyes as if to shut out the memory, or maybe to recall it.
    “Anyway, enough about that. What about you?”
    “What do you want to know?”
    “How does a big star like yourself end up here?”
    I leaned back in the canoe, tucking a cushion behind my back.
    “I need to write a song. I’m here to write.”
    “How’s that coming?”
    “Guessing you must have spotted the Everest size of crumpled paper balls in the corner of the cottage.”
    “I did see that, yes. I just thought you were a lousy shot.”
    I laughed.
    “A lousy writer, more like it.”
    “Come on, I’ve heard some of your stuff.”
    “Oh, so you have listened.”
    “Today. I mean…”
    “Did the music belong to your friend?”
    She nodded while draining the last drop of beer from her bottle.
    “Yeah, she’s quite a fan of yours.”
    “And you never told her, I was here?”
    “I didn’t tell anyone. I only clued in today.”
    “But you’ve seen me several times.”
    “I saw your bits, and you standing in the dark.”
    “Yeah, about that. Not exactly my finest moment.”
    “I don’t know. I’ve seen worse.”
    Her eyes met mine. We held each other’s gaze for a second before she broke it.
    I could feel the chemistry between us. At least I could feel my pulse quickening.
    We sat for a moment looking up at the stars. A canopy of darkness surrounded us, and the stars reflected in the water created what almost looked like a thousand fireflies of white light moving as the waves lapped up against the canoe.
    “The other night. Did you write that song?”
    She bit her lip.
    “Please don’t tell me you were there? Oh my god.” She broke into an embarrassed smile and placed her hands over her cheeks.
    “Oh, I was there. At least until the Jelly dudes took the mic.”
    “Yeah. Good old local entertainment.”
    “So?”
    “Yes, in answer to your question.”
    I nodded, studying her face. The way the light dancing on her features created shadows that only highlighted how beautiful she was.
    “It was good. Really good.”
    “Oh c’mon, you’re just saying that to be nice.”
    “No. Believe me, I’ve heard of a lot of shit in my time. That wasn’t shit.”
    “I don’t know about that. But thank you. That means a lot coming from you.”
    “You should submit a demo.”
    “Well, I actually just got…” she cut off in mid-sentence.
    “Got what?”
    “Ah, it doesn’t matter.”
    I picked up an edge to her voice. The sound of rumbling thunder in the distance was our cue to leave. I grabbed at the oars and double-timed it back to the dock. Thankfully the storm wasn’t going to arrive any time soon. As we made our way back into the cabin, I wanted to ask her if she would