Page 37 of Hard Rock Deceit

"Guitar lessons," August said. "Let me show you a fewchords."

August shifted to place himself behind me. His firm chest pressed against my back. One leg curled aroundmyhip.

"This is how you hold it," hetoldme.

Wrapping his arms around me, he took my handsinhis.

His movements weren't seductive or suggestive. He put my hands and fingers in the correct position, then let go, allowing me to get a feel for the instrument onmyown.

My fingers were barely long enough to reach the correct positions on the fretboard. They felt awkwardly placed as I stretched and strained to press down hard enough on thestrings.

"That hurts," Icomplained.

"Why don't we do itthisway?"

Replacing my fingers on the fret with his, he took my other hand and positioned me tostrumonly.

"Use the pick and strum from the top to thebottom."

I did as he said. A pleasant tune reverberated throughout theguitar.

"Do it again," hecoaxed.

As I did, he changed the position of his fingers, changing the sound with each of my strums. We continued playing that way, with me strumming and him spidering his hand across thestrings.

We weren't playing anything I recognized. It might have been a made up tune. Still, I was having fun. I grinned and turned around to face August. His eyes were bright, looking as satisfied asIfelt.

"Does this count as playing guitar?" Iasked.

"You've got the strumming down, so you're fifty percent of the waythere."

"I don't think I have the patience to learn the other fifty percent." I placed my hands flat on the body, the smooth wood cool to the touch. "I didn't know you played guitar as well asdrums."

"I play quite a fewinstruments."

I suppressed asmile.

"Of course you do. You're August Summers. I don't know why I expected anything different. Let me guess." I paused thoughtfully. "Piano?"

"Yes."

"And…violin?"

"Yes." His eyes sparkled. "Any otherguesses?"

"Don't tell me you play something weird likethetuba?"

"No. But I do know how to play thesaxophone."

"You're a one-man band," I teased. "Why do you need theothers?"

"I could do it all myself, if I wanted," he acknowledged. "But each of the guys bring something special to the group. Something unique. We all work together to create something bigger thanourselves."

"That's kind ofbeautiful."

"Itis."

We went silent, staring at each other. I was practically in his lap, our legs tangledtogether.