Hearts on Fire (The Hunter Family) Read online

  At around 6:00 Claire and I went back to our room to shower and we made plans for that evening.

  Claire looked over at me as she brushed her hair. “There is a really cool bar on the resort and they’re having a musical showcase tonight, so we should go check it out after dinner.”

  “Okay, but I don’t want to stay out too late, I am emotionally drained from all of the Scott stuff so I’m really looking forward to climbing into bed and drifting off to la la land tonight.”

  “Okay, deal. We’ll just watch a couple of the acts and then turn in. We can plan a bigger night out tomorrow night.”

  I let out a deep breath and tried my hardest not to whine.

  “Claire, I hope you don’t think that we're going to go out every single night we’re here. This is not the kind of trip where I'm going to need to take a vacation from my vacation by the time I get home, is it? I want to relax while I’m here.”

  Normally, I would be the one dragging us out every night and I knew that she was coming from a good place, she was trying to help me get over Scott, but I really didn’t feel like hitting the bars every night, at least not during this trip.

  “No, it’s not, don’t worry. I just want to make sure you have a little bit of fun. I don’t want you moping around thinking about Scott the whole time.”

  “Honestly, Claire, the gorgeous beach and weather are helping me forget all about…what’s his name again?”

  We giggled as we walked back to the room and she put her arm around me.

  “That’s the sister I know and love.”

  Chapter 2

  When we walked into the bar the room was completely packed that night. It wasn’t a typical, small bar, it was more like a nightclub that you’d find in New York. It was huge. I looked over at Claire and she looked just as puzzled as me.

  “I didn’t know they had a place like this on the resort!” The music was really loud so I had to shout.

  “I know, I feel like we’re at home!”

  We turned a lot of heads as we made our way to a roped off VIP area. Our travel agent had arranged for us to have VIP treatment everywhere we went during our vacation. Not to sound spoiled, but it was the life we were used to.

  We had been ballet dancers since we were little girls and while we didn’t get special treatment in class, we did get special treatment everywhere else. As we got older we both wanted to be just like all of the other kids but we found out that it wasn’t possible. The only other place we felt like everyone else was at our private school. Everyone’s parents were wealthy and all of the kids were like us. It wasn’t until we joined dance class that we were able to meet kids from different economic backgrounds. Claire and I gravitated toward them because they seemed to have such a normal life, a life that we craved.

  I think my privilege pushed me toward guys who didn’t have a ton of money because I was not into the entitled rich guys at all. When I brought home my first boyfriend my dad wasn’t surprised that his family didn’t have money and it didn’t bother him. Most people in my parent’s circle were surprised that my father didn’t make a bigger fuss. My father was a fairly private person so only his very closest friends knew how my parents met. My mom went to college later in life and she was a star intern at my dad’s company, and they fell in love. He didn’t care that she didn’t come from money, he always told us that it was what you felt in your heart that mattered most.

  I looked around the bar at all of the people and the crowd was literally packed wall to wall. There was a buzz and an energy in the air and I knew it couldn’t just be because everyone was happy to be on vacation. We decided to walk around the bar because we didn’t want to be cut off from everyone in the VIP section. As we walked by a group of girls, I decided to ask them what was going on.

  “Hey, is there something special going on tonight, the bar is totally packed!”

  “This really hot band, Kisses on Fire, is playing tonight!” A bubbly blonde looked super excited.

  “Kisses on Fire?”

  “Yeah, you’ve never heard of them? They’re a really cool underground band. They’re really big in New York.”

  Now wait a second. If they were big in New York, I would have heard of them.

  “Really, what kind of music do they play?”

  “Rock, with a hint of funk. Never heard of them, huh?”

  “No.” I was starting to feel like my cool card would be revoked. “What are they doing in Mexico?”

  “They’re on tour and this is their last stop.”

  “Oh, cool! Thanks!”

  I turned to my sister who was chatting with some guy and I tugged on her arm. She turned to me and raised her eyebrows.

  “There’s some band that’s supposed to be a big deal playing here tonight. They’re called Kisses on Fire, have you heard of them?”

  “I think I’ve heard Melissa mention them, she said they’re pretty good.”

  Melissa was my sister’s best friend. “How is it that I haven’t heard of this band, have I been living under a rock?”

  “I don’t know, you’re always the first one to tell me about things like this. I think you were so caught up in Scott that you have been oblivious to a lot of stuff going on around you.” She looked around the room. “They’re obviously really good because all of these people are here to see them. Should be cool.” She turned back to talk to the guy again.

  “Claire, I’m going to go get us drinks, what do you want?”

  “Sparkling water.”

  She barely got the words out and then she turned back to the guy she was talking to. My sister talked about me getting caught up in guys but she couldn’t seem to tear herself aware from that one. She had a boyfriend back home but you would never know it from the way she was hanging on to that guy’s every word.

  I went to the bar to get our drinks and as I was waiting for my vodka tonic the lights slowly dimmed and a guy from the bar jumped on the stage.

  “Alright, alright! Let’s make some noise for Kisses on Fire!”

  I leaned against the bar and quickly downed my drink before ordering a sparkling water. My sister would give me a really hard time if she knew that I was drinking alcohol because as dancers, it was not supposed to be part of our diet at all. I liked to have a drink every now and then and she knew that and told me that was why I wasn’t as good as I could be when I danced, but I ignored her. I didn’t think that one drink every now and then would make any sort of difference. I grabbed our sparkling waters and as I was walking back to where my sister was standing I froze in my tracks as my eyes fixated on the stage. Standing in front of me, hands wrapped around the microphone, was gorgeous Zane belting out a gorgeous melody. I was totally taken aback by how good his voice was, and then I was instantly confused.

  How is he a part of this band that is on tour and working at this resort at the same time? It didn’t make sense.

  When I handed Claire her water she grabbed my arm, shaking it with excitement.

  “Do you see who’s on the stage? How is that possible? He was our waiter yesterday!”

  “I know, I was thinking the same thing. If I get a chance to talk to him again I’ll have to ask him because it’s really weird.”

  “The drummer is so hot!” Claire couldn’t take her eyes off of him.

  My sister was acting a bit out of the ordinary and it was good to see her letting loose. She was always the one who followed all the rules and did everything she was supposed to and I always thought it would be good for her to let her hair down every once in a while.

  As I stood there enjoying the music I couldn’t keep my eyes off of Zane. He seemed at home on the stage and the band was incredible. The women in the room were screaming like crazy and I could see that they were focused on Zane, and for good reason. He stood there, tall and sexy, in jeans and a simple white t-shirt that stretched across every inch of his muscular chest and arms. By the third song, as the sweat slowly rolled down the side of his face, I wanted to jump up on that sta
ge and rip his shirt off, totally not caring that everyone there would see me.

  Abby, get a hold of yourself! My reaction to him was the weirdest thing, I had to keep telling myself in my head, over and over, to relax. I hadn’t had sex in a long time so I was thinking that might be the reason that I was acting like a dog in heat. The good thing was he was far away for me on the stage and not right in front of me where I could have really made a fool of myself.

  The band did not play for very long, and when they were done the crowd erupted in screams and whistles. A few women even threw their bras on the stage at Zane.

  Claire tore herself away from the guy she was talking to and linked her arm through mine as we made our way back to the VIP section.

  “What happened to Mr. Wonderful?” My tone was teasing as we settled onto the plush couch.

  “Oh, he was just a distraction, something to do to pass the time before the band started. Speaking of the band, they were really good, didn’t you think?”

  “Yeah, they were amazing.” I glanced around the crowded bar not wanting my sister to know just how affected I had been by Zane.

  “I still can’t believe that guy is the lead singer of the band. Something doesn’t add up. There is no way that he is a waiter/cabana boy or whatever they’re called. Didn’t that girl you were talking to say that they were on tour?”

  “Yeah, she did. If we see him again we’ll have to ask him about that.”

  Just then, a guy who looked like he was with the band came over to us and whispered something in the bouncer’s ear who was standing in front of our section. The bouncer nodded and then turned to us.

  “Ladies, the band would like for you to join them backstage.”

  Claire jumped up before I had a chance to protest and she turned to look at with me with a semi-irritated look. “We’re going backstage, come on.”

  I reluctantly stood up and followed her. My heart was pounding as we made our way backstage and I could barely breath.

  What is going on with me?

  The guys were hanging out in a room in the back and, thankfully, no one was smoking. I could feel Zane’s eyes on me before my eyes met his and he walked right over to us.

  “Hey, it’s the twins, I’m glad you guys could see the show. Can I get you something to drink?” His eyes slowly traveled up and down my body before settling in my eyes. I had to tell myself to breathe.

  Claire launched right into him, her hand on her hip.

  “Speaking of that, why are you a waiter at the resort if you’re a successful musician who’s on tour?’

  He seemed amused by her irritation and he glanced at me as a sexy smile played at the corner of his lips.

  “I never said I was your waiter, I simply asked if I could get you anything. Like now, what can I get you?”

  “We’ll both have sparkling water, thanks.” Claire suspiciously looked him up and down. He quickly told a bouncer and then turned back to us.

  We both stood there totally confused, trying to digest what he had just said. Claire was first to fire off her comment.

  “So why did you do that?”

  He looked at me and held my gaze. "Because I saw a beautiful girl and I didn't want to do the typical, hey-what's-up-thing, I wanted to approach you in a much more easy going way.”

  Claire and I were both speechless.

  His gaze didn’t waver. “Did it work, Abby?”

  My gaze did not waver either. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

  His eyes perused my body and his words were slow. “Yes, you are.”

  The bouncer guy handed us our waters and I quickly took a sip. You could have cut the tension in the room with a knife and Claire was the one to do so.

  “Is this how you pick up all of your girls?” Skepticism dripped from her words.

  His eyes were sincere as he looked at her.

  “Not at all, I didn’t want to get turned down before having a chance to get started. I could tell that you just wanted to veg out and chill. It was harmless fun, Claire.”

  She looked surprised that he remembered her name and his words seemed to satisfy her. Zane looked at me, his eyes still sincere.

  “I hope I didn’t overstep any boundaries, I just wanted to talk to you.”

  I looked at him and gave him a little smile, completely flattered. "No you didn't over step any boundaries, but we only talked for a couple of minutes. You didn’t even know if you would see me again.”

  His eyes smoldered as they held mine. “Oh, I knew I would see you again.”

  A little cocky, I like that, but this won’t go anywhere.

  “So how long have you been in this band? I’ve never heard of you guys.”

  “About two years, it’s been pretty cool. You haven’t heard of us, huh? We have a pretty big underground following in New York. Have you been there?”

  Claire chimed in. “Been there? We live there.”

  Zane’s eyes totally lit up when he heard that information.

  “Really? Not into the underground scene I take it.”

  “We don’t have a ton of time to do the bar and club scene.” I didn’t want to look like I wasn’t cool, so I hoped that explained why we hadn’t heard of them. Sounds shallow, I know but I prided myself on being in the know about stuff.

  “Oh yeah, why not?”

  Claire chimed in. “We’re professional ballerinas.”

  I could tell that he didn’t expect that answer. “Wow, real ballerinas, that’s pretty cool. Do you guys perform all over the country?”

  “We do. We just finished our first cross-country tour with our ballet company.”

  “So, do you and Claire dance together, or how does that work?”

  As I began to answer him, for the first time ever, I felt inadequate. “Claire is the lead and I am her understudy.” I was surprised at how disappointed I was with myself as I told him what we did. That had never happened to me before. Maybe it bothered me more than I realized.

  Claire reached out and grabbed my hand. "She's my understudy for now. Her day will come where she will be the lead. Abby is an extremely talented dancer.”

  I didn’t want it to turn into a pity party for me so I changed the subject.

  “You guys are big in New York?”

  “Yeah, I’d say we have a pretty big following. The fans are pretty loyal.”

  “That’s really cool. So, where do you live?”

  “I’m in the Village. Been there for about five years. What about you guys, where do you live?”

  I didn’t even want to say it because I knew how people reacted when they found out, but I couldn’t lie. “We’re on the upper Eastside.”

  I saw the look that I had seen far too often when I told people where I lived and I didn't want Zane to think any differently of me.

  “Wow, being a ballerina has been really good to you, huh?”

  Claire and I glanced at each other. “Something like that.”

  Thankfully the drummer came over and we were able to change the subject. I didn't really feel like getting into explaining my background to Zane, and I was sure that he had questions.

  “Zane, introduce me to your two beautiful friends.”

  Claire’s eyes were fixated on him and I almost laughed because I had never seen her like that.

  “This is Abby and Claire. Ladies, this is Logan.”

  “You girls must be trouble for the men, you’re drop dead gorgeous!” Claire giggled like a schoolgirl and he was totally focused on her when he said that. She seemed to be in heaven.

  “You were incredible tonight!” Claire was totally gushing and I could tell that she meant it.

  He winked at her. “Thanks, darlin’.”

  Zane lightly touched my arm. “Hey Abby, do you want to step outside with me and get some fresh air for a minute?”

  My tummy flipped at the thought of being alone with him.

  “Sure.” I told Claire we were going outside for a minute and that I would be right back. She seemed tot
ally fine with me going off with Zane because she was all about Logan and she barely looked at me.

  We went outside and he pulled me around to the side of the building where no one could see us and pressed me up against the side of the building. His body was inches from mine and he reached out and gently stroked my cheek. I couldn’t breathe.

  “I have not been able to stop thinking about you since yesterday. Something about you, Abby, drives me absolutely crazy.” His eyes traveled all over my body and then settled back in my eyes. “Where did you come from?”