A Lush Rhapsody: A Rhapsody Novel Read Online Free

row.”
    I flip him off again, but then I can’t help the grin that works its way through my irritation. “Carson’s my warm-up,” I tell Dez as I face away from the rest of the guys.
    “Play fair, man,” Dez counsels. “It’s just for fun.”
    “Losing is never fun.”
    “If it involves hot sex it can be,” Dez answers.
    “Speaking of,” Garrett interjects. “Let’s get this game on so I can find me some.”
    We rack up the balls, and I break. The game is over in five minutes. I make sure to win. I fucking hate losing.

    * * *
    “ D id you see this article on Lush?” Dez asks as he saunters into rehearsal the next day.
    I turn a peg on my guitar, getting it tuned. “No. I specifically avoid articles on Lush,” I mutter.
    “Well, looks like they’re going to have a girl on this 666 tour with them.”
    “They always have their girlfriends, wives, whatever, on tour with them. Shit, I think Walsh brings his baby too. I mean, who the hell brings a baby to a rock tour?”
    He sets his guitar case on the floor and gives a chin lift to Carson who’s screwing around with something on his drum kit, dark hair in a sweep across his gray eyes as he works.
    “No, man, a girl in the band. They’ve added keyboards. Some chick named Tully O’Roark.”
    I stop pinging my strings and blink at Dez. “Lush added a member? Are you serious?”
    “As shit.”
    “And we all know shit is highly serious stuff,” Carson jokes from behind the drums.
    “I don’t believe it,” I protest. “Those guys grew up together. They’re legends. Why the hell would they add a new member to the mix? It’s probably for one song, like a special arrangement.”
    Dez pulls out his iPad from his guitar case and swipes it on, hunting and pecking for a minute while I go back to my tuning.
    “Here. Read it for yourself,” he says, handing me the tablet. “There’s even a picture of her.”
    I take it from him, scanning the headline that reads, “America’s Favorite Rockers Segue Into New Era of Diversity”. My eyes drop further down the screen and there is an artsy shot of the most gorgeous girl I’ve ever seen. She’s standing over a keyboard, face full of concentration, blue eyes glowing, black ringlets hanging down past her shoulders. Her skin is creamy and she’s got a smattering of freckles across her nose. She’s wearing a black corset that laces up the front with a satin ribbon, and shows off cleavage that should be fucking illegal. Below that is a tiny waist. And her hands are tiny too, to go with her tiny nose, tiny ears, and the tiny diamond stud above her lip, like a beauty mark. But her eyes are big, and luminous, and framed by long inky lashes.
    “Dayum,” Carson says over my shoulder. “Guess I see why they hired her.”
    “Fuck off,” I mumble as I continue to stare at the photo. I know there are words there, but I have to get some blood back up to my brain to decipher them. I take a deep breath then read the caption on the photo, Tully O’Roark, Lush keyboardist, will be adding to the band’s next album .
    “So, still think I’m fucking with you?” Dez asks reaching for his iPad.
    I quickly glance at the web address before I hand it back. I need to bookmark that photo.
    I scratch my head. “Uh, no. Looks like it’s for real.” And in a few months she’s going to get realer. Maybe I’ll like touring with Lush more than I thought I would.

Tully
    “ I still can’t believe you’re complaining about spending six weeks on the road with all that hotness,” my sister, Savannah, says.
    “They’re all married,” I tell her for the millionth time. “Plus, they don’t really like me that much—well, except for Colin and Walsh, but they like everyone.”
    She laughs. “And Joss and Mike hate everyone, so what’s your point?”
    I scrub at the bartop I’m standing behind while she stocks the cooler with bottles of Guinness, Harp, and Kilkenny. I came home for the weekend to visit before we head out