Alluring Turmoil: Bayou Stix, #1

By Skye Turner

Alexia Sloane is the owner of the highly successful Louisiana coffee shop/bakery, Java and Sweeties. The past couple of years have been all she's dreamed of and her business takes all of her focus, all of her heart.

Jude Delecroix is the lead singer of one of the most famous rock bands in the country, Bayou Stix, and the man who broke Lexi's heart.
Lexi and Jude have a past.

When Jude comes back to town eight years after leaving to fulfill his lifelong dream of being a famous musician and comes face to face with Lexi, forces collide, old hurts are brought to the surface, and life as these two have been living it will never be the same.

There are two sides to every story.

 

What happens when the things you believed to be concrete suddenly crumble like ash and fade away?

What happens when two people afraid to face the past, become involved in the present?

 

Can they hope for a future?

Welcome to Louisiana where humidity and passion are high and things are not always what they seem.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Skye Turner
• Release date: Sep 13, 2013
• ISBN: 9781502240484

Skye Turner

Skye Turner is an avid reader and an editor turned International Bestselling Author of Sexy Adult Romance across the board! (See her book list for her abundance of titles!)She has recently expanded her writing capabilities and is writing Paranormal Adult Romance as Sloane Nicole. Her Bewitching Bayou PNR Series is called L’Amour Bayou with the first book being Antoinette’s Fall.She attended Southeastern Louisiana University and Louisiana State University where she majored in Mass Communications, centering her studies in Journalism. Unfortunately, life intervened and she never finished her studies.She lives in small town Louisiana with her husband, two children, and far too many rescued fur babies.When she's not chained to her laptop pounding out sexy stories she can usually be found playing ‘Supermom’, reading, gardening (playing in the dirt), listening to music and dancing like a fool, cooking, baking, crafting, or spending time with those most important to her.She loves to incorporate pieces of her home state of Louisiana into her writing.

Book preview

Chapter One

Lexi

---

"Come on, Lexi. Why are you being difficult? It’s front row at Bayou Stix. BAYOU STIX! Do you not understand this? Micah pulled some serious strings to get us these tickets. Come on!" is what I hear from my old college roommate, now best friend Bradi.

Bradi, I just don’t know. Things are so busy here, I have inventory to do, and I really need to get started on the Masons’ wedding cake. Besides, I’m not a big fan of Bayou Stix. You know that. I answer her, as I look around at my coffee shop/bakery.

Java and Sweeties is my baby. It was always my dream to own and run a coffee shop/bakery. I’m living my dream and I’m immensely proud of what we’ve put together here over the past few years. Looking around, I take in the autumn sunset-colored walls with the back wall being a built-in bookshelf. The black leather couches and recliners spaced intermittently with the iron and slate-topped bistro sets and warm mocha throw rugs on the polished hardwood floor give the space a warm and welcoming feel.

Over the past two years, business has really taken off and Java and Sweeties has become the go-to place for LSU students and professionals alike to come to study, or work on presentations. My cakes and baked confections have also been on more than one highly respected person’s table over the past year.

"Oh, don’t give me that bullshit Lexi! This place can spare you for one night. One night! I get it. It’s your baby, but you still need a life. You are coming with me to the concert. It’s Jude… fucking… Delecroix! Sex on a stick! Don’t make me break out the big guns because you know I will!"

That doesn’t work on me Bradi. I’m immune to your wiles, I say with a chuckle. "But you’re right… ok, fine. I’ll come with you. If it gets you out of here and lets me get back to work, I’ll come. But I am not going backstage.

I mean it. I’m serious!

"Okay, whatever you say. We’ll see. Yay! Bradi exclaims as she jumps around doing some sort of ridiculous happy dance. Her arms are waving above her head as she shakes her hips and shimmies her ample chest. Glancing at me over her shoulder, she grins impishly and says, Sheesh, I don’t want to have to browbeat you. And I know it isn’t your thing, but it’ll be fun. You’ll see!"

"Yo, Erik, she said yes!" Bradi yells out to my lifelong best friend, as he’s making an espresso behind the counter.

Oh great. That’s awesome. It’s going to be an interesting night. One that we’ll certainly never forget! Erik calls back, giving me a small wink and a sheepish smile, before turning back to the customer.

So, what should I wear? I’m thinking my purple skinny jeans with my black stilettos and my black sequined halter top. You know the one that makes my boobs look fabulous? Or should I wear my leather mini skirt with the red tube top and my thigh high leather boots? I want to be sure the band notices me! Bradi asks me with a smirk and her typical Bradi twinkle in her eyes.

Come on Bradi, seriously? You’re with Micah. You know, hence the front row tickets to the sold-out concert. Why are you even saying that? And you being noticed is never a problem! Bradi is gorgeous. As in supermodel gorgeous. She’s what guys call stacked. At 5’8 with wavy blond hair accented with dark chocolate lowlights, moss green eyes, a perfect heart shaped mouth, breasts that women pay for, a narrow waist, and curvy hips with legs for days, yeah, she has no trouble being noticed. She’s a damn knockout.

Now, I’m not unattractive, but next to her, I feel like a wallflower.

Bradi gives me a devious grin and says, "Yes, I’m with Micah. I’m always with Micah. Even when we’re off, we’re on.

"I love that man! And was he on last night… Ahhhhhhh!

"However, there is nothing wrong with trying to catch a sexy rock star’s attention. It’s a confidence thing. Besides, I’ve already told you, if Jude Delecroix motions my way, I’m dropping my panties before he can blink and change his mind. I would so have his rock star babies. He’s my Hall Pass, Lex."

My heart starts racing and my head feels strange, as if I’m not getting enough oxygen, as I say, "Okay, you do that. Rock stars are overrated. In my opinion, you should stick with Micah and have his babies. He’s crazy hot. He’s in love with you. And he puts up with your insanity."

Bradi gives me a serious look and her eyes lose the gleam as she says, "Lexi, you know I’m joking, right? Are you okay? I would never do that to Micah…

"I couldn’t hurt him like that again…

"Jude is a fantasy… you know, most women have a guy they fantasize about.

Sometimes, I wonder about you chick. Are you feeling okay though? I mean really, you look a little off. You’re not coming down with anything are you? I think you’ve been working too much. You really do need a break, even if it’s just for one night!

I wipe my hands down my jeans and cover her hand with mine. I know, babe. You’re you and that’s why I love you. And yeah, I have been working a lot. This place just takes a lot out of me, but I love it.

"And that’s why you’re coming with us Friday night! You need to remember that you’re only twenty-six. You might be a crazy successful business owner, but you’re also a fabulously sexy chick who needs to get out, have some fun, and shit, get laid! she says with a smirk. Now what are we going to dress you in?"

Rolling my eyes at her, I can’t help but laugh. I love this crazy woman so much. Besides, she’s right, I do need to have some fun. It’s time to let loose again and be a regular, twenty-six-year-old, single woman. You pick. Just make sure all my womanly bits are covered!

Well, you’re no fun, Bradi says with a smile. As she reaches over to kiss my cheek and I give her a hug, I don’t hear the door to the shop open.

My back is to the door. The shop is busy for a Wednesday night. Almost every couch and chair is filled and there’s a nice line of people at the counter waiting to order their coffee or pick up a sweet treat from our bakery display racks. John Mayer is playing over the speakers low enough not to bother anyone working, but loud enough that you can hear the music.

Suddenly, the hair on the back of my neck stands up as if I’ve just been shocked. Bradi is facing the door and her eyes go wide as her mouth falls open in complete disbelief. She sputters, "Oh my God… Oh my God…

"OH MY GOD!"

I slowly turn around, as if pulled by an imaginary cord, but I already know what I’ll see. I see everything as if in slow motion. My eyes travel the length of a slim, but cut, 6’1 body, taking everything in, from the tips of his black boots to the top of his spiked dirty blond purple-tipped hair. I notice all of the tattoos and the scruff that looks as if it’s a permanent part of a chiseled face.

"Oh, FUCK ME!" I gasp out before I forget how to complete the simple act of breathing.

I feel faint. My hands start to sweat, my stomach starts to clench, and my panties start to moisten. It’s instinctual. My eyes move back down a smidge and rest on the clear, hard, hazel eyes of the one and only Jude Delecroix, lead singer of Bayou Stix, and he’s staring right back at me.

I unconsciously start to shake and forget that I’m still holding onto Bradi. Only now I’m squeezing her as if she’s a lifeline. I feel her move around until she’s looking into my face, but I can’t move. I can’t speak. I cannot break the all-consuming hold of the hazel eyes across the room. Those eyes that still haunt my dreams… every night.

Jude

---

I’m staring into the whiskey golden eyes across the room, and I can’t stop. It’s almost as if I’m frozen. Rooted to the floor. My hands clench and unclench, and I have to grit my teeth. The urge to run across the room and kiss those moist naturally red lips or to scream into that beautiful, perfect face for still affecting me is almost too much to handle.

Alexia Sloane… here, in front of me. This is what I wanted. This is what I needed. But now that I’m here, everything I’ve ever thought this moment would be, the way it would play out, goes out of the window. My head is suddenly blank, but I can’t stop looking into those eyes.

Those eyes, that I once thought could see into my soul. The eyes that every night when I close my eyes, I still see, no matter what I do to banish them... no matter how many women I take into my bed. My heart is empty. Dead.

But those eyes… those fucking gorgeous eyes.

They haunt me.

Chapter Two

Lexi

---

Bradi is pulling on my arm. I can feel her, sort of. It’s as if I’m in a tunnel, me on one end and Jude on the other. Everyone, and everything, else is covered in fog. Nothing else exists. It’s only him and me.

Our eyes stay locked. I’m stunned, frozen in time. I thought I’d do this differently. I knew there was going to come a time when we would be in the same room together again, but I’m not ready.

Not now. I’m not ready!

I need more time.

"Lexi. Lexi. What the fuck Lexi? LEXI?" Finally, I’m able to tear my eyes away from Jude and focus on my best friend.

Shaking my head to clear it, I look at her. I see the concern and confusion on her face. I’m finally able to comprehend that she’s talking to me, though I can’t yet understand what she’s saying. I manage to gasp out, What?

"Lexi! WHAT THE FUCK? Why are you and Jude Delecroix… ‘Jude Fucking Delecroix’, eye fucking and looking like you want to strangle each other at the same time from across the room?

"Do you know him? Lexi, tell me now! DO. YOU. KNOW. HIM?" Bradi is squeezing my hands now; I never even noticed she’d grabbed them. Her grip is so tight it’s painful.

Sighing in complete resignation, I look into her eyes, before glancing back at him. He’s still staring, and I can see the rage displayed on his face and deep within his eyes. The rage directed at me. Tearing my eyes away from Jude. I look back at my confused best friend.

Suddenly I feel defeated. I feel my shoulders slump as I whisper brokenly, Yeah. I sigh. "Yeah, you could say that. There was a time when we knew each other very well. A time when we ripped each other’s clothes off at every available opportunity and fucked like rabbits. A time when the only way I was me, was with him.

So yeah… you could say I know him. Or I guess I knew him. My voice fades in and out as I talk. My voice is flat, monotone, as if I have no emotions.

Bradi’s mouth is opening and closing like a fish and her eyes are wide, like saucers in her head, as if she can’t form a coherent sentence. She’s looking from me to Jude and back, like she simply cannot believe it. Finally, she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before looking directly into mine. "The fuck you say? You…. you and Jude Delecroix?

"THAT Jude Delecroix? She points at him. The ROCK STAR! The one I talk about nonstop?

"Are you fucking serious? How? Why? Oh my God…

I-I don’t understand this.

I sigh long and loud. My heart is still racing. I cannot believe he’s here. He’s here. In my shop and in my space. It’s hard for me to breathe and I feel as if I’m going to throw up, but I can see the confusion and a hint of betrayal on Bradi’s face. I know I owe her some sort of explanation. Speaking quickly, I say, We grew up together. You know he’s from here. We were inseparable. My eyes flit to Erik at the counter before quickly returning to the accusatory glare from Bradi. The three of us were inseparable… Erik, Jude, and me. I swallow and close my eyes so I can continue. "You know the guy I told you about? The guy I said I lost myself in? The guy who broke me… well… there you go.

That’s him. It was Jude. I’m flapping my hand in his direction as I talk.

Looking at her and waiting for her reaction, time stands still. I don’t know what I’ll do if she walks away. With Jude here, with my emotions all over the place, with my heart in my throat and fear consuming me, I just wait… and wait.

She takes another deep breath, and she looks at me, really looks at me. It feels like an hour has passed, but I guess it’s really only been a few seconds.

Okay. Okay then. You and Jude Delecroix. Okay. It’s perfectly fine. But wait, no. No, you know what? It’s not okay! You and Jude Delecroix! You and Jude and you never told me?!?! Why didn’t you ever tell me Lexi? I’m your best friend! You should have told me!

Suddenly we realize the coffee shop is no longer quiet. We both look around. Girls are screaming. Laptops are left on tables and couches as Jude is completely surrounded. Hands are all over him, people are in his face, thrusting things at him to sign. He meets my eyes one last time and then it’s as if a switch is flipped. He turns away from me, dismissing me, and turns towards his fans. He’s instantly smiling, signing things, shaking hands. He’s no longer the boy I once knew. The boy I can’t get out of my head. He’s in his element; he’s Jude Delecroix… the world-famous rock star.

Grabbing Bradi’s arm, I pull her into the back, towards my office. I have to get away, away from Jude, away from his fans, away from the chaos in my beloved shop, I need to get away!

Jude

---

I look up from my fans. My fans, the people who love me. Guys who want to be me. Girls who want to be with me. I notice that Lexi is running from the room as if the hounds of hell are on her heels, dragging the blonde bombshell with her.

I smile. I take photos. I shake hands and sign whatever is thrust at me. I’m going through the motions. I can do this in my sleep, but my mind continues to focus on the redhead who just tipped my world on its axis, again, and then fled. Leaving me and racing from the room as if she can’t get away from me fast enough.

I don’t know why I’m surprised. It’s Lexi, and that’s what she does. It’s what she’s good at. At least with me.

I come to a conclusion as a busty, brunette rubs blatantly and intimately against me and slips me her phone number and address on a white and green paper Java and Sweeties napkin. Giving the voluptuous brunette a sexy smirk, I place the napkin in my pocket and use her hand to pat it. Then I gently squeeze her ass, as I look in the direction Lexi just fled.

Lexi can run, but she and I have unfinished business. And it’s past time she gets the fuck out of my head.

Chapter Three

Lexi

---

I fall against the desk in my office. Bradi is as breathless as me and is still looking at me like she’s never seen me before. I cannot breathe. Like at all. I feel like there’s not enough oxygen in the room.

Dammit, I will not let him do this to me. He’s just a guy. A guy I used to know better than I knew myself, at least that’s what I thought, but still, he’s just a guy.

I try to take deep breaths and calm my racing heart. Finally, I am able to see straight and as I look into the shell-shocked face of my best friend I realize he’s not just a guy.

He’s Jude. He was my Jude. My life. He’s back. And I’m totally and completely fucked.

"I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you, Bradi. I don’t talk about him. I can’t talk about him.

I just… can’t.

I’m biting down so hard on my lip it splits beneath my teeth. I wince as I taste blood.

As Bradi looks at me, she takes in my wild, glazed eyes, my erratic breaths, my lip biting, and her face softens. She walks over and sits next to me on the desk, taking my shaking hands in hers. "Lexi, it’s okay. I don’t really understand what just happened, but I get it.

"I’m not mad. Honestly, I am shocked though. You’re my best friend. We’ve been best friends for seven years, since freshman year of college, and you’re always so put together.

The Lexi I know hates rock stars, so the thought that you’ve gotten jiggy with one of the hottest rock stars on the planet is a lot to take in, okay? But it’s cool. I love you. She sighs softly. Are you going to be okay? What are you going to do?

Breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth, I look at her and shrug as I realize I’m clueless.

I knew this day would come. There was no way that it wouldn’t. But what do I do?

"I have no idea. What can I do? He’s here. I don’t know why he’s here or why he came into my shop, but he’s here! Fuck me."

There’s a knock at the office door and it slowly opens. Erik pops his head in. Hey love, you okay? He looks at me with concern. "That was… well shit, that was intense. I’m sorry it happened.

I shut the place down for the night.

Nodding my head, I drop Bradi’s hand and look at Erik. "Yeah… I’m okay…

Is he gone?

Yeah, babe, he’s gone and his fan club along with him. Now tell me the truth. Are you okay? Remember I know you, so I know when you lie. And I know that was hard for you. He throws his arm around me, and I lay my head on his muscled chest and squeeze his jean-clad thigh as his warm minty breath caresses my forehead.

I’m not sure, E. I really don’t know. I shrug and his arm tightens around my shoulders as I look up into his face. It’s creased with concern for me. I mutter, "I wasn’t expecting that, although I should have. I mean I knew he was in town with the concert and all, but why did he come here? Why would he come here?

"Did you know he was coming here?"

Erik hugs me tight, and I wrap my arms around him. He’s so built, my hands can barely reach around his waist. He’s warm and comfortable and he feels like home. I love him so much.

Well, I’ll give you one guess as to why he came here. Did you really think he wouldn’t? I mean, Lexi, look at you. Did you honestly think you two could avoid each other forever? After everything... He looks at me closely, taking me in. I’m sure he wanted to see you. He wants to know if you’ve changed. And I know he wanted to see if you were still the sexy thing he used to know. But to answer your other question, I didn’t know he was coming here. I imagined he might show up eventually, but I didn’t know. And if I did know, you know I’d tell you. I’ll always tell you.

I know I’m attractive. I’m not stupid or naïve. I’m petite, only 5’3 with bright auburn hair to the middle of my back, that no matter what I do, always has waves. My eyes are a bright golden brown, technically they’re amber. They’ve been called bedroom eyes by more than one person. In fact, they’re almost the same color as my hair. My face is clear of blemishes, and I have a few freckles across the bridge of my nose. I have long, thick naturally dark eyelashes and full, naturally red lips. I’m not skinny, but I’m not fat. I have curves. I have large breasts for someone so short and my waist curves in while my hips and butt flare out. My legs are toned. I get attention from males. So yes, I am attractive.

Well, he got a look. Now hopefully he’ll just leave me alone. It was obvious he still hates me, so maybe we won’t run into each other again, right? I mutter into Erik’s chest as I rub my face back and forth just breathing in his smell. It’s comforting to me. A mix of coffee and musk, that’s naturally Erik.

Erik pets my head, soothing me with his familiar touch while stroking my unruly waves off of my face. Yeah, sure love… whatever you say. But I wouldn’t hold my breath.

I sigh again as I look up into his smoky blue eyes, hugging him tighter, I know… I know… his eyes sent a pretty clear message. I just hope I have a couple of days to regroup.

Erik kisses the top of my head and jumps off of the desk, pulling me down with him. Whatever happens, I’m here. I’ve always got your back, love. You know that.

Bradi hops across the room, after sending a text on her phone, enveloping us both in a hug and says, "I’ve got your back, too, babe. But for now, all this crazy anxiety and sexual tension has me needing a freaking drink. Both of you get your sexy asses in gear!

We’re going to Mustang’s. Micah already has us a table!

Smiling, I hug both of my best friends; I really do have the best damn friends in the world. As we make our way to Erik’s car, I try to push the tension at the back of my neck down. I need this and I’m determined to have some fun tonight. All the craziness can wait until tomorrow. I’ll try to figure it out then.

Mustang’s is packed as is usual. We have to circle the place three times before someone leaves and Erik quickly jumps into the spot behind the bar. We all three laugh and link arms as we head to the door and focus on putting the insanity of the past two hours behind us.

Once we clear the door, we see Micah waving to us from across the bar. He’s secured us a table at the edge of the dance floor, near the pool