Page 4 of Love is a Lyric
2
Piper
Disappointment rushed through Piper as she watched the band work the stage.Fatewas good, excellent even. They didn’t need to resort to antics like lead singers ripping off their shirts. It was something Piper would have expected from her sister more than Ben — if that wouldn’t get Quinn yanked from the stage.
Quinn had always been a bit out there, even when they were kids. Her need for attention sucked the energy out of a room, and it had sucked it right out of their parents, letting Piper live under the radar.
Until she couldn’t anymore, until suddenly she was all Quinn had. Their parents died, leaving a ten-year-old as the emotional support for her eighteen-year-old sister.
If Ben’s parents hadn’t stepped in, Piper didn’t know where they’d be.
“What is that boy doing?” A sigh coming from behind Piper could only mean one thing.
She turned with a knowing smile. “Hey, Mel.” Melanie Snyder, the pant-suit wearing woman with ear length blond hair and a pen sticking out from behind her ear, gave Piper a tired smile. “You look about as good as I feel.”
Melanie laughed and reached out to give Piper a quick hug. “How was the rest of the tour?”
“Tiring. How’s the job?”
“Tiring.” They shared a smile. “Keeping all these boys…” She gestured to the shirtless Ben. “In line is no easy feat.” Melanie worked for the label as a publicist, keeping four of their biggest clients in line.Fate, Drew Stone, Dax Nelson, and Noah Clarke. It wasn’t a job Piper envied when she could barely handle one of those.
“What did Noah do now?” Noah Clarke, the British bad boy, was a PR nightmare moving from one scandal to the next.
Melanie sighed. “He had to back out of this concert last minute because of a public rift with Drew.”
“And privately?”
“The two of them are having a lot of fun with their Twitter war. Me, not so much.”
Piper shook her head. “And here I thought Conner and Quinn were a handful.”
“Right? Ben was supposed to be the easy one, and now he’s out there half naked, shedding the good-boy image we’ve carefully crafted.”
Mel was right. Ben and Quinn were rock’s golden couple, the standard to live up to. They’d gotten to that point with Ben’s wholesome portrayal. “They should pay us a heck of a lot more than they do.”
“Heck yes, sista.” Melanie bumped her shoulder in solidarity. Despite their ten year age gap, Piper always considered Melanie a friend. She was sanity in this otherwise bonkers world of rockstars and fame.
“I’ll pay you more,” a voice whispered in her ear.
Piper jumped, her elbow shoving back on instinct and connecting with a hard stomach.
Drew let out a grunt. “Remind me not to scare you again.”
Her entire face reddened as she turned. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”
He rubbed the place she’d hit. “I think I’ll live.”
Without thinking, she reached out to touch the spot, feeling his lean muscles underneath. “I swear I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
Melanie’s chuckling reached Piper, and she realized she was basically feeling Drew up. She yanked her hand back. “Sorry.”
“Darlin’ you can continue if you want.” One corner of his mouth curved up.
“Drew.” Melanie laughed. “I keep telling you, no one will believe you’re a southern gentleman. Stop using the word darlin’.”
His brow creased. “I’m from Gulf City. Florida is in the south.”
“Yes, but it’s not Southern. At least, not this part of Florida.”
