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  A Way With Words by Kitt Crescendo COPYRIGHT © 2019 Kitt Crescendo All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner of the above publisher of this book. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products, bands, and/or restaurants referenced in this work of fiction, have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Acknowledgment

  A huge shout out goes to my Wild Women Write partners, L.J. and Sandra, thanks for your belief and your amazing support in both tangible and intangible ways. Sandra, you’re a beast with banner promo. I wouldn’t have made it through this journey without you. To my terrific editor, Tracy Damron-Roelle, thanks for your patience and feedback. A heartfelt thank you to the amazing cover created by Laura Jean Designs. It’s exactly how I pictured it in my head, and you breathed life into it. To my pal Andy, who challenged me to write about the mile-high club, I’m guessing this wasn’t exactly what you had in mind, but I hope you love it. Thanks for talking with me on the phone as I fleshed out the general plot in my brain. To my friends and family who told me I had this, thanks. Turns out you were onto something.

  Dedicated to my beloved husband, Kirk. Thank you for your love, patience, and support. You truly are the best man I know and I’m lucky to share my life with you. Whether you realize it or not, you’re my inspiration for pretty much everything I do.

  Blurb

  Kalina Santos went to Nashville to lick her wounds and regroup. A random encounter with a stranger leads her to adventure and a new career opportunity.

  Country star, Drew Kendall, was jaded and worried about losing his band. The last thing he expected was to be intrigued by a brown-eyed beauty with no idea who he was.

  Drew never intended to hurt his bandmate, Ty. But carelessness has consequences and some things can’t be undone.

  One woman. Two bandmates. Will Kalina come between them, or is between them where she’s meant to be? If love is a song, what happens when the tune of your heart sounds more like a trio? Will outside forces generate discord and sharp notes, or can three unique souls blend to create the perfect harmony? You won’t want to miss a beat of this love ballad.

  Chapter 1

  Life did not pull any punches. That was the message Kalina took away from the debacle her life had recently become. Just when she thought she had everything figured out, the universe laughed and pulled the rug out. She took a cleansing breath and squared her shoulders. Moving on. One step in front of the other. Find her zen and all the other trite bullshit people say when life is blown to smithereens.

  Her parents didn’t raise her to cower in defeat. They believed in facing adversity. And they had! Not everyone was accepting of mixed marriage or the children they produced. Personally, she thought most multi-racial children were beautifully exotic. Her Filipino dad called her a mestisa, and she was proud of her combined heritage. Her parents were opposite in appearance; him dark and swarthy with an exotic tilt to his deep brown eyes and she was a willowy blonde with blue eyes. Mom liked to say that they made beautiful babies. She knew she was genetically blessed, even if sometimes it felt like a curse. Not everyone looked beneath the beautiful cover.

  She shook out her long, dark hair, tipped her chin in defiance, and scanned the nearly deserted airport for anything eye-catching. She grinned inwardly. Some things never changed, like her love of people watching. Imagining the poetry of their lives. Maybe ‘playlist’ was more appropriate, since she was Nashville bound. Too bad the place was almost empty. Like her life.

  Ugh. She had to quit the pity party. She was a phoenix, damn it! She should be grateful she escaped what could’ve been a sad, painful life. She only hoped her best friend, Jude, meant it when she invited her to move in. A temporary roommate was a far cry from the house guest she’d originally intended to be.

  She breathed a sigh of relief and nearly shouted ‘hallelujah’ when a beep and a bored woman’s voice droned overhead. “Now boarding our Premier Members and passengers with small children and babies or in need assistance. Please step forward. We’re finally boarding Flight 268 to Nashville.”

  A sparsely populated O’Hare was a pretty sweet side benefit, she thought as she stepped into line. Maybe she’d luck out and be seated alone. Or maybe…

  Well, hello, there!

  Her libido sat up and practically drooled at the guy strolling in like he owned the place. His loose stride of rolling hips and a bit of strut screamed athlete, and long legs encased in worn, perfectly fitting designer jeans with embroidered pockets that accentuated his tight ass were the cherry on top. That tasty, muscular frame led her gaze to broad shoulders, a crooked bad boy smile, and landed on hazel eyes staring back at her.

  She looked away, laughing at herself. Busted! Maybe she should’ve been mortified, but instead she wanted to run her fingers through his messy dirty blond hair. Tame it, or maybe him. Focus, girl! She had a flight to board and decisions to make about what to do with her life.

  Kalina rushed to the attendant, grateful she paid for early boarding, and handed the woman her phone. As her ticket was scanned, she pushed away distracting thoughts of the sexy stranger. No more distractions needed right now.

  “Welcome and have a safe flight.” The lady handed back the phone.

  She nodded, thoughts returning to the incident back home. Her instincts surrounding the opposite sex obviously couldn’t be trusted, nor were they honed enough to harden her into a predator, and she’d be damned if she’d be someone’s prey again.

  Fuck Greg and the horse he rode in on. She’d always been confident with a solid sense of self and good judgement. Until him. How had it come to this? She blinked and allowed herself to remember the moment her life went to shit. Had it really only been two weeks?

  She’d been so excited that day. Thrilled as she idly toyed with her engagement ring while making plans with Jude by phone to fly out for a visit. She was giddy at the thought of surprising her dearest friend with engagement news. No one else would do as her maid-of-honor, and she wanted to ask in person. Heels clacked on the tile as she headed to Greg’s office by the gym to share her plans.

  Instead, she’d gotten a rude awakening.

  In retrospect, maybe she should’ve expected it. The resonant moan she’d heard should’ve given her pause. Instead she’d naively assumed someone had been hurt, and Greg was administering care. Yeah, Kalina probably should’ve hung up with Jude when she stalked through his office door once she heard moans and panting, but she didn’t. She’d thought there was an injured student up to the moment when she saw his sandy blond hair plastered to his head, sweat dripping down his red-from-exertion face while he pumped in and out of the new Spanish teacher.

  Had she not been shattered; she may have laughed. Laura, she thought that was the woman’s name, was nude from the waist up. Elbows and forearms braced on the desk, her squeaks and squeals were nearly porn-worthy while her bare breasts swung with every thrust. Greg hadn’t bothered to remove his shirt and his tiny gym shorts were wrapped around his thighs as he pounded her like he was angry.

  Kalina blinked a few times, tempted to rub her eyes. Sadly, her imagination wasn’t vivid enough to make this up. She must have gasped because his green eyes nearly bugged out of his head when they met hers.
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  “Oh, shit!” Greg choked out. “Babe, it’s not what you think!”

  Nope! This was real. She slammed her finger down on the ‘End’ button, disconnecting from Jude. When it rang back, she sent the call to voicemail, her attention focused on the debacle in front of her.

  “Let me guess,” Kalina said, her voice deadly calm. “You tripped and landed dick first in the Spanish teacher?”

  “Um, hello.” The little idiot pulled the straps of her sundress around her shoulders, her voice grating like an 80’s valley girl. “Like, I’m right here. And I have a name.”

  “Oh, you do?” Hostile laughter burst from her mouth as she eyed the younger woman. “Let me guess. Home wrecker? Thief? Tasteless skank? Am I getting warm?”

  “Excuse me?” The brunette bimbo had no sense of self-preservation. Instead of backing away slowly because the calm voice didn’t match the hot fury on Kalina’s face, she kept talking. “Who do you think you are, talking to me like that?”

  “How about his fiancée.” The words were downright scary with controlled violence. “Actually, make that his ex-fiancée.” She yanked the ring from her finger and threw it at him as Greg rushed around the desk, his arms open. Her fists came up as her eyes met his. “Back up. You don’t touch me unless you want your nuts in your throat. People tried to warn me you were playing me. Stupid me. I trusted you. Defended you. This is what my loyalty gets?” She shook her head, saddened, disillusionment dripping from each word. “Fuck you. I hope you’re miserable together. Or your dick falls off.”

  She slammed the office door with a thud, head held high, and walked out.

  Chapter 2

  It hadn’t taken much consideration for her to put her two-week notice. She’d needed a clean break. A chance to chase her dreams where peers and folks she’d known half her life didn’t look at her and whisper behind their hands with pity in their eyes. Walking away probably would’ve been harder, but when she thought back to her college dorm room when she and Jude would hang out and dream, teaching hadn’t even been a blip on her radar. It was just another Greg concession.

  She tugged her journal from her carrier, tucked a pen into the spine, and stowed the bag under the chair in front of her. Kalina had slipped her notebook into the pocket for safe keeping then plunked into her seat. She was just about to click her seatbelt over her hips when someone behind her cleared their throat.

  She turned around and looked up at her new seatmate. Maybe things were looking up.

  “We meet again.” The man’s deep baritone washed over her, his hazel eyes playful with just a hint of trouble.

  It was Mr. Hot Guy from the terminal.

  Emboldened and feeling a bit coy, she raised an eyebrow. “Again? When exactly was the first time? Because I’m pretty sure I’d remember you.”

  “Well, darlin’,” he said, his sexy-as-sin rumble tinted with a southern drawl. “They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. If that’s true, I’m pretty sure we’ve fucked on a spiritual level out in the lobby.”

  His brazenness startled a laugh from her. “Aren’t you bold?”

  “I don’t see the point of playing games.” He shrugged, a haunted look crept into his eyes then disappeared so fast she thought she might’ve imagined it. “They only lead to someone getting hurt, and not in a good way.”

  She considered her own recent history and nodded. “I respect that.”

  Kalina listened with one ear as the flight attendant ran through the security protocols. The quiet stillness on the nearly empty plane was deafening, and awkward silences made her chatty.

  “So, you just barely made it to the terminal in time for boarding. I was beginning to think I’d have first class all to myself.” Kalina mentally kicked herself for showing her obvious curiosity.

  His self-deprecating smile was charming. He shifted to face her; restless energy had him fiddling with his seat belt. “You saw that, huh?” Cheeks pinkened under his tan. “It’s embarrassingly stupid,” he groaned. “I stopped to hit the head and splash my face.” He shrugged. “Late flights and cramped airplane lavatories don’t mix with big guy like me. Of course, my dumb ass had to put my phone on the edge of the sink when I washed my hands. Not normally a big deal.” He smacked himself in the forehead emphasizing his frustration with himself. “Except I forgot to turn the ringer back on and I got a call. The damned thing vibrated itself right into sink. This will be my third cellular victim this year. I’m starting to feel too stupid for these ‘smart’ things, or maybe I’m just a menace to technology at large.”

  She’d tried to hold it in, but he sounded so affronted that she lost the battle and snickered. At least he was a good sport, she thought when his laughter joined hers.

  “Didn’t your mama ever tell you it’s rude to laugh at the misfortunes of others?” His laugh lines creased around deep set hazel eyes and gave him away even as he tried to pout. “So glad you find my communication crisis so entertaining.”

  “Oh yeah,” she chuckled. “I can tell you’re so bothered. Honestly, I’m just relieved. For a second, I was afraid of where your little sob story was headed.”

  His brows knit together in confusion.

  “Come on. Wet phone. Men’s room”—she rolled her eyes and shrugged—“it wasn’t unreasonable to think it might have fallen in the toilet.”

  His snort turned into a chuckle.

  “So?” She was dying of curiosity. “Don’t keep me in suspense. Did it survive?”

  He bent down and pulled the phone from his rucksack.

  “I’m a little afraid to find out.” His big hands dwarfed the phone he handed her. “Care to do the honors?”

  She snatched it and pressed the power button. The screen began to light up white, and they held their breath together, her free hand grabbing his wrist in excitement. Suddenly, the thing began to vibrate. Powerfully. Unfortunately, the screen was still all white, so she handed it back.

  His breath tickled her neck when he leaned in and placed the vibrating phone high on her thigh. “No offense darlin’, but this might be more use to you than me.”

  All that cheese and he had the audacity to wink.

  “Holy shit, you went there!” Shocked humor flew from her mouth and rocked her shoulders. “One thing’s for sure. You’re definitely not from around here.”

  “Well, where do you think I’m from, darlin’?” She enjoyed the silky way flirtation rolled off his tongue and recognized the sexual challenge in his eyes.

  Adrenaline flooded her veins at the game they’d begun to play. “Someplace south, for sure.”

  They’d been so caught up in each other that they jerked apart when a new voice chimed in. “What can I get you?” The flight attendant stopped her cart and watched us expectantly.

  “Got whiskey?” He glanced at the cart.

  “Jack Daniels ok?” she asked, grabbing a glass.

  He clapped his hands together. “On the rocks.” He looked over at Kalina. “What are y’all havin’?”

  “I’ll have the same.” She smiled at the attendant. “And a blanket would be great.”

  “No problem,” she said, handing each of them a drink, then reaching overhead for a blanket. “Would you like a pillow as well?”

  Kalina shook her head and accepted the thick cover.

  “We appreciate y’all,” blondie drawled, not at all subtle with his hint for privacy.

  The woman moved on.

  This guy intrigued her. He was laid-back country charm and intelligence, topped with tempting glimpses of irreverent humor; a combination she found irresistible. It was a long flight, but this man energized her.

  As the amber liquor slid down her throat, his gaze practically bore a hole into the side of her head. She growled at him with feigned irritation. “What?”

  He shook his head and muttered sheepishly. “Nothing. I just figured you for a wine drinker.”

  “Shame on you,” she snickered.

  She watched him fight back a smile. “For w
hat?”

  “You pegged me for a girly girl, didn’t you?” She narrowed her eyes at him to hide her amusement.

  He bowed his head, unsuccessfully attempting to look ashamed. “Guilty.”

  “You’re good.” She placed her hand on his wrist, telling him with a touch that she wasn’t offended. “And maybe a little bit bad. In the best possible way.” Was that her flirting so shamelessly? If so, she really liked the new her. Maybe change was good.

  Her pulse sped up when he covered her hand with his. “Well, if I had to catch a red-eye home, I’m glad it was with you, Beautiful.”

  “So, Nashville’s home?” The darkness of the cabin and the feel of his calluses against the smooth softness of her skin felt intimate.

  His smile was a pearly gleam in the darkness. “It is, indeed. Where are you from, darlin’?”

  “I’m from the Chicago suburbs,” she said. “But I may be transplanting. My life is kind of up in the air, so my best friend invited me to try your city on for size. In non-loser speak? I’m on an adventure.” She winked at him. “So, is that southern accent of yours native?”

  “Nah,” he chuckled. “That’s a Louisiana drawl. Like the song says, I’m just a good ol’ boy, but Nashville’s where I park my boots.”

  Kalina had no idea what song he was talking about, but based on where he lived, she was curious. “Don’t tell me you’re a musician.”

  “Okay, I won’t.” Although she could’ve sworn she saw mischief in that smirk, she could’ve sworn she also saw relief?

  She shrugged internally and reminded herself again. Not her business. Besides, he was just a random hottie. No one she planned on seeing again, and somehow that made her bold.

  Chapter 3

  “Enough about me. I’m boring.” She thought he might’ve side stepped her, but she couldn’t pinpoint how or why. “You’re escaping the Windy City, huh? Their loss is our gain. Besides, everyone deserves an adventure.” His eyes were intent on her face. “So, what’s your take. Do ladies really love country boys?”