Changing Plans (Rocked Love - Vol. 2): Rocked Love, #2

By Emma Brown

Volume 2 of the Rocked Love series!

Juliet Davies - the next hottest thing in the music world. She's smart, she's sexy, she's a full-blown Rock Star.

Juliet and Ben, her long-time friend and new-found fling, have been exploring the passion and heat in their relationship for a few days when the arrival of Ben’s cousin and band mate, Jesse, throws everything into confusion.

As if the presence of an additional person in the house didn’t add enough stress, forcing the two of them to change their plans and adapt to less privacy, Juliet finds that Jesse’s intentions may not be as platonic as they used to be.

And, as bad as that sounds, she starts to think that might actually be a good thing.

Note: Parts of Rocked Love were previously published as Sweet Harmony.

Also includes Sneak Peeks at some upcoming novels!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Roja Publishing
• Release date: Nov 14, 2016
• ISBN: 9781540185679

Emma Brown

Emma Brown is an investigative reporter at The Washington Post. In her life before journalism, she worked as a wilderness ranger in Wyoming and a middle school math teacher in Alaska. She lives with her husband and two children in Washington, DC.

Book preview

Volume 2 of the Rocked Love series!

Juliet Davies - the next hottest thing in the music world. She's smart, she's sexy, she's a full-blown Rock Star.

Juliet and Ben, her long-time friend and new-found fling, have been exploring the passion and heat in their relationship for a few days when the arrival of Ben’s cousin and band mate, Jesse, throws everything into confusion.

As if the presence of an additional person in the house didn’t add enough stress, forcing the two of them to change their plans and adapt to less privacy, Juliet finds that Jesse’s intentions may not be as platonic as they used to be.

And, as bad as that sounds, she starts to think that might actually be a good thing.

Note: Parts of Rocked Love were previously published as Sweet Harmony.

Also includes Sneak Peeks at some upcoming novels!

~Volume Two~

Juliet sat on a couch in the control room, pretending to revise lyrics to a song that she had begun working with Ben on the day before. One of the particularly attractive things about working with Ben and his cousin Jesse was the constant inspiration of like minds. Jesse would be arriving soon, and Juliet reminded herself for perhaps the hundredth time not to be nervous. It had been so much simpler to contemplate his arrival when it was just theoretical—when it was something on the horizon. It had been even easier to contemplate before Ben had arrived. Juliet chewed at the cap to her pen, thinking of how complicated things were suddenly.

She and Ben hadn’t told anyone that their long-time friendship had developed into something else, triggered by a flirtatious, impulsive moment in the vocal booth when Ben had started working with her. She and Ben hadn’t even really talked much about it between the two of them; Juliet wasn’t sure what she wanted the outcome to be. She dreaded the possibility that her friendship with Ben might be ruined—the stakes were so much higher, after all. She also dreaded sneaking around with Jesse staying in her house as well. Ben had said that he wasn’t sure he wanted to tell Jesse about the change in their friendship, and Juliet had hastily agreed; while she had long had feelings for Ben that she hadn’t admitted to, among them an intense attraction, she had also entertained lustful thoughts about Jesse, though their friendship wasn’t as close.

It was difficult not to be attracted to Jesse, Juliet thought. Ben’s cousin and band mate was just an inch or two taller, but where Ben’s body was solid, with slim muscle along the arms and chest, Jesse was slender—not quite skinny, with graceful hands and long limbs. He didn’t look as strong as he was, Juliet knew from experience; he had picked her up and thrown her into a swimming pool during a party one year, and while Juliet wasn’t overweight, she would never have thought that Jesse was able to actually pick her up.

Jesse’s hair was a medium blond to Ben’s golden brown, and his eyes were piercing blue. Then too, he was the more stylish of the two of them, with a certain bohemian chic look; briefly, Juliet had entertained the notion that Jesse wasn’t interested in women at all. When he had dated a string of beautiful women, that notion had evaporated. Part of the reason her feelings toward Ben had been so conflicted for so long was the existence of Jesse; while he had never given her an indisputable indication of his interest, there had always been something about the way he talked to her that made it possible for her to hope.

Juliet replaced the cap on the end of her pen, trying to make herself focus. She shifted her position on the couch and felt the tenderness in her hips that reminded her of why Ben was going to pick Jesse up from the airport instead of her. She smiled to herself, remembering the course of events; she and Ben had made a wager on who would be able to nail their track in the least takes. It had been a foolish bet, and in retrospect, Juliet wondered that she had even attempted it. She knew that Ben was a more talented, more skilled studio musician than she was. When his competitive nature was called into play, he was even more gifted, and Juliet was unable to even realistically compete with him. She had insisted that he had cheated somehow, feeling a sense of pique that Ben was doing a better job than she on the process of working on her own album. Ben had laughed at her annoyance, pointing out with a little grin that there was really no way he could have cheated—particularly since he hadn’t done anything to interfere with her takes or make her laugh.

Ben’s complaisance had spurred Juliet to launch herself at him, knocking him onto the floor of the living room where they had been arguing. Ben had continued to laugh at her reaction, letting her think she had the upper hand as they wrestled. The very moment that she had thought she had him pinned, and would be able to regain some of her pride, Ben had broken her hold, knocking her off of him and quickly moving to pin her down on the floor; being taller and heavier, he of course had every advantage. When Juliet tried to reach out and tickle him, he intercepted her hands, pulling them up over her head and securing them with one hand clamped down on her wrists. Give up? he had asked in a low voice, the flicker of mischief in his eyes deepening into something much more intense. Ben had run his free hand over her body slowly, taking a moment to cup her breast through her bra and give her a careful squeeze. Juliet had moaned softly, unable to help herself, and Ben had taken the opportunity to lean in and kiss her deeply, letting go of her wrists to wrap his arms around her tightly. Juliet’s sense of annoyance dissolved as he began to touch her all over, teasing her through her clothes. The kiss continued, Ben in firm control, until Juliet was breathless, breaking away to try and keep from fainting. It’s not fair, she said quietly, panting, already starting to become aroused at the way Ben was caressing her. You get me so angry, and then you just—you—this! Ben had chuckled, brushing his lips along her jaw.

Is it so bad that I know your hot buttons? he had asked, tilting her head up and to the side to kiss her neck. Juliet’s back had arched, a moan bubbling up from her chest at the sensations he was creating.

It is... when you use them to stop making me mad at you... she mumbled, running her fingers through his hair. As Ben’s lips traveled down, he started nipping and licking at her neck, in addition to kissing the sensitive skin, and Juliet had whimpered, her whole body craving him.

She didn’t understand why she needed him so badly, but in those moments when he was so close to her, she couldn’t think of anything she wanted more than increased contact. She had to have him when he turned her on like this, and nothing else would do. It was a little incredible, how well Ben knew what to do to make her respond in a certain way; when she started to get annoyed on the drive home from the studio, he would grab her free hand and start kissing her palm, dragging his lips down to her sensitive inner wrists until she was more interested in the sensation than whatever she had been annoyed with. But he also knew exactly how to push the wrong buttons—how to get her fired up and annoyed at him. He seemed to delight in working her up into a fury and then diffusing her anger. Juliet wondered if that was a healthy way to interact—right up until it happened again, and she had him naked in her arms once more, thrusting into her slowly and filling her up. At other moments, he was so wonderfully tender, his fingertips running over her body as they both recovered from orgasm, or his hands moving through her hair gently as they sat around at home.

Would he be on his best behavior with his cousin joining them? Juliet wondered. He had suggested they hold off on telling particularly his band mates about their situation—whatever it was—until they were a little more established. Juliet had agreed; at least until they knew what it was they were to each other, it was probably for the best that they avoid mentioning it to other people. But then the question swirled in her mind: would she and Ben continue to have sex? How would they go about it? While her house wasn’t exactly tiny, it also wasn’t big enough to be able to avoid Jesse for sure at all hours. Add to that the fact that they would be working with Jesse in the studio—there was no way to avoid him in that context. They would be spending a lot of time together. It hadn’t seemed like such a strain before she and Ben had ended up having sex, and then continued having sex.

When she had initially invited both men to help her with her album, Juliet had considered the worst of her troubles to be the inevitable pining that she would do after both of them. But now, she wasn’t sure what would happen next, and she was equally uncertain how she would be able to handle it. She really didn’t want to go back to a celibate life—not when Ben was only down the hall from her. She couldn’t see how they would go about conducting their sex life with Jesse only a few steps farther away, however.

Surely, she told herself, doodling idly on the page she was working on, she and Ben would find some time to be alone together. It couldn’t be that difficult. Plenty of people kept up clandestine relationships without third parties finding out. It was practically a trope in movies. She sighed, putting down her notebook and deciding to take some time in the studio while everyone was busy or out and practice a little bit. One thing that having Ben in town had done for her was to remind her of the fact that she needed to practice consistently. Ben had been playing for years—he, Jesse and Ezra had become an established act before Juliet had even seriously started playing. He didn’t need the practice as much as she did. She sat down and picked up an acoustic guitar, letting her mind wander while her hands went through scales over and over again. It would work out. It had to. In the worst case scenario, maybe they would have to tell Jesse about their not-quite-formal relationship. Jesse was mostly discreet.

*****

The rest of the crew of the studio arrived, and Juliet set to work recording vocal tracks. She tried not to be on the lookout for Ben and Jesse’s arrival, telling herself that they’d hardly interrupt a session—and anyway, flights were often late. She remembered, without being able to help it, recording harmonies with Ben. In a flash, she saw Ben’s face when she stood up on the balls of her feet and licked his tongue, triggering the course of events that had led to Ben kissing her, and then their first sexual encounter. She could remember the way that Ben felt as he thrust inside of her the first time, the way her body had yielded to his cock so wonderfully. In the days since, they had repeated that first encounter and expanded on it, with Juliet learning as much as she could about Ben’s body. They showered together, ate together, worked together, and tumbled into bed together, their hands all over each other as long as no one was watching. They were almost hysterical when they kept up their usual banter in front of others, laughing to themselves at the fact of their secret. It hadn’t been at all difficult to maintain their usual playfulness—though it had been difficult to keep it to the friendly, almost impersonal tone they had kept up for years; it hadn’t been easy to restrain herself from turning a cuff to his shoulder into a move into his arms.

Juliet hit a wall—metaphorically—while she was waiting for Ben’s return with Jesse. She couldn’t quite nail the vocals on a particular song; she tried over and over again, but there was something wrong. Juliet sighed, telling Bob to roll the playback again. Maybe if she listened to the song without trying to hit the vocals, she’d hear what she needed to make it work. She thought of the song Ben had been working on since their first day in the studio; after having her record the scratch demo, he had been secretive about it, working on it in his spare time, keeping it from her. She could see it working through his mind in odd moments, giving him an abstracted look to his dark eyes, a slight curve to his lips as he worked out some particular part. The track played out, and Juliet realized that she wasn’t any closer to figuring it out than she had been minutes before. She was about to call a break when she heard commotion in the control room.

I heard you need help, Jesse said over the intercom. Juliet laughed, looking up at the window to see both Ben and Jesse standing at the sound board, watching her.

Professional help, she replied, taking the headset off and putting it aside. She crossed the room at a run, so happy to see both Ben and Jesse that the troublesome problem of her vocals was forgotten. She heard both men laughing as she threw open the door separating the main performance room from the control room, launching herself at Jesse for a hug.

Jesse hugged her tightly, spinning her around slightly and laughing at her entrance. She could smell the faint scent of cloves mingling with his cologne, a woody-green scent that seemed almost as if it was natural to him. She broke out of the hug and took in Jesse’s tall, slender form. He was keeping his hair somewhat short more recently, the dark blond of it curling at the ends around his ears and across his forehead. She reached up and tousled it playfully, laughing back at him. He was much more of a clotheshorse than Ben was, dressed in a dark brown casual collared shirt, the top to buttons undone to expose a slice of his throat and the ends of his collarbones, the sleeves rolled up almost to his elbows. With it he wore a pair of jeans that fit him like a glove, a well-made belt threaded through the loops, and a pair of worn, but well-made boots. She could see a leather jacket slung over the back of a chair that looked like it could easily be his—vintage styled, light brown leather. She was struck, as she inevitably was whenever she saw him, by how he managed to look effortlessly handsome. It really wasn’t fair for a man to look that good—without even really trying, beyond owning good clothes. Juliet grinned and put her hands on her hips, regarding both Jesse and Ben. I need professional help, not you two amateurs, she joked, not quite able to marshal her face into the stern lines she wanted. Jesse rolled his eyes, sitting down in a chair and pulling up to the sound board.

Let me hear what you and Ben have been working on, he suggested.

Ben watched Juliet and Jesse catching up, discussing the work that still needed to be done on her album. He stifled a sense of envy at the way she talked to his cousin; he knew that she, like so many other women, found Jesse attractive. Even though they had been having sex, over and over again, falling asleep in each other’s arms, Ben was not quite secure enough to name what the two of them had. It wasn’t that he thought that Juliet had doubts as much as the fact that he was wary of interrupting the friendship they had for something that might not work out. They lived in different parts of the country; there was not just the distance to be overcome, but also the decision of how to solve that problem. He was also wary—albeit less so—of the fact that Juliet was a musician like him. It was not a question of wondering at her faithfulness if they did decide to engage in a relationship, so much as it was his concern that they would not have enough time together, if they were both touring and working constantly. He wanted a family, children, something to anchor him in the real world far away from the glitter and falseness of the industry.

Watching Jesse and Juliet discussing arrangements, Ben told himself that he had no claim on her. If, after all was said and done, she wanted to remain single, he would have to accept it. He had been the first one to make the comment that they shouldn’t reveal the change in their friendship just yet. But he knew, deep down, that he understood Juliet better than anyone else she knew. Jesse had always been more attractive than he had, at least in the classic sense, and Ben had come to terms with that long before. He had also come to terms with the knowledge—confessed to him by Juliet in a bashful tone—that she had a crush on Jesse when they had been younger. She had told him more recently that her feelings for his cousin had developed into a simple warmth and enjoyment of his company.

We’re not similar enough, she had said, before she and Ben had even become physically involved. I’m sure he’d just piss me off—and not in the delightfully charming way you have. They had been talking on the phone, and Ben had been able to hear the smirk in her voice as she spoke.

Ben knew something that Juliet didn’t—at least not yet. It wasn’t just the two of them who were newly single. Jesse had broken up with his girlfriend a few weeks before, the two of them unable to come to an agreement on where they wanted the relationship to go. Jesse had wanted a family—the same as Ben wanted one—he wanted stability and children and the whole deal. His girlfriend had not wanted that—at least not yet—and she had told him that she couldn’t stay with him in good conscience when she couldn’t tell him that she was ready to settle down. So Jesse was at loose ends romantically speaking, for the moment at least. Ben wondered at the fact that Jesse had recently started to take more notice of Juliet’s existence. For most of the time that the Madsen family had known Juliet, Jesse, at three years older, had not had a particularly close relationship with Juliet. When they had first met, Jesse had treated her something like he treated his younger sisters, leaving the close relationship to Ben. They had grown closer over the years, Jesse and Juliet, but Ben had always been the receiver of confidences. Ben didn’t quite enjoy feeling as though he needed to compete with his fine-featured, stylish cousin.

Benji! Ben realized he had been woolgathering only when Juliet called his attention. He looked up; finding her and Jesse huddled over the soundboard.

Sup? Juliet gestured for him to join them; he pulled up a chair and sat down.

Remember when we were talking about the vocal harmonies for ‘Love Isn’t’? she asked. Ben nodded. It was one of only two songs that she wanted his cousin and him both to harmonize with her on. They had discussed it at length, with Ben occasionally taking Jesse’s harmony part in practice to let her hear approximately what it would sound like; while he and Jesse could mimic each other’s ranges, there was a difference in their vocal tone that couldn’t be overcome. Do you want to try it now?

If Jesse’s up for it, I’m up for it. Ben shot his cousin a challenging grin. There was always a sort of competitiveness between them. They had never fought over a woman before, but Ben had always had a sort of need to do everything as good—if not better—than his cousin. He knew for a fact that even if Juliet went into Jesse’s arms, he would be able to win her back.

They all went into the studio, Jesse stepping through the door first. Ben reached out and rested his hand on Juliet’s back as they crossed the threshold. She glanced over her shoulder at him, sending him a look that told him that, no matter how she had noticed Jesse when he had arrived, he had her attention. Ben smiled and focused his attention on working hard.

*****

He was finally able to get her alone in the late afternoon. Jesse was working on laying down piano tracks in the main performance room, and Ben had lured Juliet away from overseeing the work with the promise of coffee. As soon as they were in the deserted kitchen area, he pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her hungrily. He had been wanting her all day, craving her from the moment he’d left the house in her car to pick his cousin up at the airport. He had realized that he would have limited time with Juliet once Jesse had arrived; even without the complication of Juliet’s attraction to Jesse, they would have to be more discreet to avoid revealing their new entanglement. Juliet wrapped her arms around him as he kissed her, relaxing into his embrace