The Sunstone Brooch : Time Travel Romance by Katherine Logan (comprehension books .TXT) 📗

Their relationship was one of mutual respect and love. Their mannerisms were twin-like, and while Rick’s eyes were brown, not green like Austin’s, the shape and long lashes were identical. And if she closed her eyes, she could barely tell their voices apart.

When Remy complained that Tavis wasn’t there to harass him about getting shot in the ass, no one said anything, and Ensley couldn’t figure out why. But they didn’t talk about the treasure, either. There must be some unspoken agreement to put a lid on both.

Remy broke into the silence. “It’s time to get the band together. Bring your beers, and let’s do it.”

“Great idea,” Rick said. “But how are you going to play drums? You can’t even sit down.”

“Not a problem. I can improvise.” Remy crossed the pavilion to a raised platform covered with tarps. “I could use some help over here.”

David and Rick excused themselves to help Remy pull tarps off a drum kit, an electric keyboard, a sax, a multi-guitar rack with two guitars, and a banjo, plus microphones and speakers.

“Wow! It’s a real band. Who plays all those instruments?” Ensley asked.

“David on sax. Rick on vocals, keyboard, guitar. Amber on vocals, guitar, banjo. And Remy on drums.”

“He’s a serious drummer? I thought he just liked to play sticks.”

“No, he’s serious. But he’s missing his gig in Lexington tonight, so everybody’s pitching in so he won’t feel so bad.”

“That sucks, but I’m glad we get to hear him play. That’s some kit he’s got.”

“Four cymbal stands, hi-hat stand, throne, snare, floor tom, two rack toms on the bass drum, and a DW-5000 double bass pedal,” Rick said.

“McBain!” Kenzie yelled. “Your fans want to hear ‘Summertime.’”

“If I play it, will ye throw your panties at me?”

“Sure will. Just do it for me, babe.”

Remy picked up his sticks and started with a single-stroke roll.

“Wait till he gets going,” Austin said. “I bet he starts with the two-and-a-half-minute drum solo from Iron Butterfly’s album In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. It was cutting edge when it released, and now it’s one of the top-ten drum solos of all time and Remy’s favorite.”

“How do you know?”

“What? That he’s going to play it, or that it’s one of the best all-time drum solos?”

“Both.”

“I’ve heard Remy play it too many times. You’ll recognize it. He was playing it on the train with his sticks and the tabletop.”

“Austin,” Daniel said. “Help me turn the sofa and chairs around.”

They rearranged the furniture and pulled in more chairs for a second row while Remy warmed up and the others got their instruments ready. Ensley assumed that once the music started, the kids would pour out of the house. Austin grabbed five beers and a bottle of water from the fridge and gave water to Penny, who stretched out on a chaise lounge, and beers to Daniel, Amber, Ensley, Kenzie, and kept one for himself.

He sat on the sofa and patted the cushion beside him. “Come keep me warm,” he said to Ensley.

“Warm? Your body is like a furnace. You can keep me warm.” She snuggled up against him, and her mind immediately went to those intimate moments they shared before they ran out of time. She squeezed her legs together as a delightful shiver ran up her body, instantly hardening her nipples.

He whispered, “I’m thinking about us, too. I hope I don’t embarrass you.” He crossed his good leg over his bad one at the knee in an attempt to hide his hard-on. “Damn. I want you.”

His warm breath tickled her neck. “I want you more.”

“That’s impossible, but I like hearing it anyway.”

While Remy finished his drum solo, David attached the reed to the mouthpiece, the strap to the sax, and looped it around his neck. Kenzie leaned forward in her seat, excitement flashing across her face. If David played the sax with the expertise he did everything else, Ensley knew she was in for a treat.

He blew air through the sax and then winked at Kenzie as he curled his fingers around the keys. Rick played the intro on the keyboard, then David and Remy joined in. Remy used brushes instead of sticks, creating a swooshing sound on his snare drum. And the music they produced was soulful, sexy, and breathtaking.

Austin wrapped his arm tighter around Ensley. “If you want to attack my bones while he plays, that works for me.”

The seductive sounds brought all conversation to a halt, and even the crickets stopped chirping. David didn’t just play with lips and fingers, but with his entire body, and he moved with the music as he played to an audience of one—Kenzie.

Kenzie came out of her chair and swayed. And Ensley watched them as they made love from twenty feet apart. The same thing was happening between Penny and Rick.

Then Amber started singing in a breathy alto voice, and Daniel had the same reaction as Penny and Kenzie.

The quartet was a razor-sharp performance of musical textures that captivated everyone. And as the last notes hung in the air, Ensley didn’t think they could ever top it.

Then Rick and Amber sang “Island in The Stream,” the timeless, genre-spanning love song. Rick crooned…

“Baby, when I met you there was peace unknown / I set out to get you with a fine tooth comb / I was soft inside / There was something going on…”

And seconds later, Amber joined in…

“You do something to me that I can’t explain / Hold me closer and I feel no pain / Every beat of my heart / We got something going on.”

Their harmony was a mixture of fierce and soft, and the two voices’ push and pull was spellbinding. That number was followed by five more until Rick announced, “For our last number, we’re debuting a new song. We hope you like it.”

Amber opened with a mellow acoustic guitar riff, and Kenzie said, “Oh, my God! They’re finally doing it.”

David added the sax, and Rick began to sing…

“Tell me somethin’, girl / Are you happy in this modern world? / Or do you need more? / Is there somethin’ else you’re searchin’ for?”

And