Encore Worthy

Title: Encore Worthy

Series: Mountains and Men prequel novella

Author: R.C. Martin

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: January 28, 2015

He was arrogant. 

He was beautiful. 

He was to be her one night fix.

She was gorgeous. 

She was haunted.

She was to be his temporary muse. 

Millicent Valentine isn't looking for much when she walks into The Brew Cycle for a night out with friends. She isn't after love. Why risk the heartache when one night of unbridled passion will do the trick? Any handsome, willing male will do just fine. When she is introduced to the lead singer of Mountains & Men, she can't seem to take her eyes off of him. He’s an arrogant little shit—but it’s only one night, right?

Sage McCoy is always on the prowl, knowing he can get just about any girl in the room after a night on stage. When he’s introduced to Millie, there is no doubt in his mind that he has to have her. But when he gets her alone, she makes his heart sing and he’s convinced one night will never do.

When morning dawns, the knowledge that comes with the sun has Millicent kicking Sage to the curb—but he knows what he wants and he’s ready for the chase. 

His one night stand is worthy of an encore.

Sage

I order a beer, as I always stay away from the hard stuff before I go on. I don’t perform drunk or high or any of that shit. For me, it’s all about the music, the energy, the crowd—I don’t need anything other than the thrill I get just from being on stage, and I’ll never compromise my sound. Most of the guys don’t perform drunk, either. They may have a few drinks—and I sure as hell won’t stop them; I’m not their fucking mother—but we all know our limits and we don’t play sloppy. We play hard and then we party hard.

“Hey, Rockstar.” I hear her voice just as she taps my shoulder. 

I turn, unabashedly happy to see her face. “Sarah! You made it,” I cry as I pull her in for a hug. 

I live and breathe Mountains & Men. It’s who I am. That said, it doesn’t pay the bills just yet. By day, I work a part time gig at Little Bird Cafe, also recently named Home of Brandon’s Bakery—that’s how I met Sarah. She’s new, been around for about a week now. It didn’t take long for me to decide she’s one sweet-ass chick. Case in point, she came to see us play tonight.

I step back, curling my fingers beneath hers as I lift her arm and give her a proper once over. I’ve seen the way my boss, Brandon, looks at her. She’s most certainly off limits, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t look. 

“Damn, babe. Remind me not to introduce you to the guys. Their girlfriends would kill me,” I tease. 

Truth be told, only two of us have girlfriends. Maddox has Andrea. Well, today, at least. They break up about once a week, so they really don’t count. Then there’s JJ; his woman’s name is Violet. I swear he’s going to marry that girl. The rest of us are just a bunch of single fools playing the field. Knox is the worst. He’s about one notch away from being a fucking man-whore. 

Sarah laughs at me, shaking her head as she lets go of my hand. “I brought friends,” she says, turning her attention over her shoulder. “These are my neighbors, Aria, and her boyfriend, Josh.” I shake both of their hands and thank them for coming. 

Then all I see is her.

Her long legs, tucked into that tight, frayed jean skirt.

Her narrow hips, begging to be guided in a side to side sway.

Her perfect tits, smaller than average and perfect for biting.

Her straight hair, hanging past her shoulders.

Her sweetheart lips, just plump enough to suck on.

Her eyes, green and gorgeous. 

Her eyes, haunted and mysterious. 

There are demons in those eyes…

“…my roommate, Millie.” I nod, hearing only the end of Sarah’s introduction.

“Hi,” speaks the vision before me. A smirk tugs at the corner of my mouth, pleased to know that the name Sarah just spoke into my ear belongs to this woman. 

I can tell as I take her hand that she’s completely unfazed by me, but that will change. I see the demons in her eyes and I know we’ll dance. 

My smirk morphs into a smile at her cool touch. She’s not convinced, but I am.

Fuck, yes—a challenge.

When I let her go, I feel her melody start to swirl around in my head. My heart rate kicks up a notch, the thrill of this chase—of this composition—amping me up. I don’t hear the overhead music, I don’t hear the hum of the crowd, I hear her—I hear Millie.

I will myself to look away, knowing I’ve got to get back to the guys. Before I go, I bring my lips to Sarah’s ear. “Your roommate is a fox. Put in a good word for me, alright?” I grin at her as I begin to back my way through the crowd. I look at Millie one last time before I turn my back on them, pulling out my phone as I go. I’ve got to get this out… 

I hit record and the words tumble from my lips.

I see the demons in your eyes and I want to dance

Can’t stop the beat I hear from one haunted glance

Take my hand, baby, don’t let go

I’ll set you free, baby, won’t let go

All night/One song

This room/My home 

I’ll set you free, baby, don’t let go

Tonight/Just give me tonight

“I thought you were going to get a beer?” asks Knox as he jumps from the side of the stage upon my approach. I shake my head and chuckle, pocketing my phone. “What the hell happened to you? Ten minutes ago, you looked about ready to make heads roll,” he mutters with a frown.

“I’m getting laid tonight, bro,” I state boldly. 

His face breaks out into a grin as he laughs. “Why am I not surprised? Point her out to me later and maybe I’ll be nice and keep my distance,” he adds with a wink. “Come on, the guys are waiting on us.”

I'm a born and bred Coloradan. While I now reside in Virginia, the land of the Rocky Mountains is where I've left a piece of my heart and where my characters come to life. When I'm not writing I'm reading; when I'm not reading I'm writing...you know how it goes! I also enjoy cooking, baking, crocheting, and jigsaw puzzles. Basically, I'm an old soul with a young heart, nonchalantly waiting for my prince to come.

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