BreakingBeau

  Breaking Beau

  Chloe Cole

  Book two in the Rock Hard series.

  When Rex and Quinn hire a chef to come on tour with the band, Beau Trudeau finds a welcome distraction in quirky Gigi Somerville. She’s not his type at all, but she’s fun to have around, and she’s sort of growing on him…

  If Gigi wants to start the business she’s worked so hard for, she needs something big to happen. When the members of Hank Lemon and the Law contact her to cook for them during their summer concert tour, she’s elated. Not only is this a dream opportunity, when she meets Beau Trudeau, she realizes she can kill two birds with one stone. He’s the perfect guy to foist her unwanted virginity upon before she has to go back to the real world and fifteen-hour workdays. He’s scorching hot but, even better, he has no interest in a relationship. In fact, he’s so perfectly wrong for her, there’s no chance of her actually falling for him…

  Ellora’s Cave Publishing

  www.ellorascave.com

  Breaking Beau

  ISBN 9781419937743

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Breaking Beau Copyright © 2011 Chloe Cole

  Edited by Grace Bradley

  Cover design by Syneca

  Photography: Bart78; Yuri Arcurs/Shutterstock.com

  Electronic book publication December 2011

  The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing.

  With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.

  Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

  The publisher and author(s) acknowledge the trademark status and trademark ownership of all trademarks, service marks and word marks mentioned in this book.

  The publisher does not have any control over, and does not assume any responsibility for, author or third-party Web sites or their content.

  Breaking Beau

  Chloe Cole

  Dedication

  For Aunt Helen, who read my books, dirty parts and all, at the age of eighty-five, because she loved me.

  I miss you.

  Chapter One

  “And this last dish is called Chicken Italiano. It’s organic chicken breast with olive oil, chicken stock, roasted red peppers, hot cherry peppers, onions, garlic and red bliss potatoes.”

  Gigi set the plates in front of Rex and Quinn then stepped back. She tried not to stare at them as they ate, but it wasn’t easy. This job meant everything to her. If they hired her to be their personal chef on the road, her dream of launching Some Like It Hot catering would finally become a reality.

  If they didn’t? It’d be another year or more before she could secure the loans she needed to move forward, and that was if she even got approved. She clenched her hands together to keep them from shaking.

  Relief swamped her as, for the fourth time in less than an hour, Rex groaned as he swallowed the first bite.

  “How can it be healthy and that good? I still can’t believe you managed to make this kind of stuff in that tiny little kitchen,” he said with a shake of his head.

  Quinn chimed in with a sigh of pleasure as she set her fork down. “If we didn’t still have desserts to get through, I would totally gobble down this whole plate.”

  Rex chuckled and reached out to pat her rounded belly. “Hey, if my boy’s hungry, I say feed him as much as he wants.”

  She let out a snort. “Yeah. If I do that for the next three months I’ll never get back into my real stage clothes.”

  “I think your maternity clothes look great on you.”

  “Well, what looks cute when you’re six months pregnant doesn’t look so cute once you’ve given birth. Come on, Rex, the whole reason we wanted Gigi to come in is so that I can eat healthy for the baby while we’re on the road. Don’t encourage me to be a glutton!”

  Gigi watched their interaction with a pang. They were an amazing-looking couple. Rex was dark and a total bad boy, complete with tattoos and a faux hawk. He had this brooding air about him, until he looked at his wife. Then he lit up as if he was the happiest guy in the world.

  She shifted her gaze to Quinn. Rex was right, she did look great in her maternity clothes. She wore a stylish baby-doll dress in black with white stripes. It was short enough to show off long, toned legs that any woman would envy. Her black hair was adorable in a pixie style.

  Gigi quelled the urge to run a hand over her own sloppy up-do and wipe the flour off her apron. It wouldn’t matter anyway. With or without the trappings, she would never look like Quinn Myles.

  She watched as husband and wife bonded over their baby, Quinn pressing a hand over Rex’s as they tried to get their son to kick. They were obviously crazy about each other.

  What would it feel like to have someone look at her that way? As if she was the most important thing in the world to him?

  Didn’t matter, she reminded herself. After more than a decade of busting her ass, she was within arm’s reach of her dream. She wasn’t going to get distracted now with silly notions of romance. She needed to stay focused on what was important—getting these potential clients to love her and her food so she could make her dream a reality.

  “I’ll take these away and get the desserts lined up. And by the way, I brought some carryout containers with me. I’ll pack the leftovers up so you can heat them up later if you’re hungry.”

  “Did I hear leftovers?” a silky voice drawled.

  Gigi set down the dishes on the countertop and turned to face the newcomer with a smile. Her smile froze in place as she tried to keep from keeling over. A towering Adonis with honey-blond curls had just stepped into the miniscule kitchen of the tour bus.

  “Howdy, ma’am. Beau Trudeau.” He stepped closer and held out his big hand.

  She swallowed hard and tried to find her voice. “Gigi Somerville. Nice to meet you.” Her hand was dwarfed by his and she tried to ignore the sizzle that snaked up her arm at his touch.

  “Gigi catered that benefit Rex and I went to last month with the amazing crab dip. She’s considering coming on the road with us for the next couple weeks so it’ll be easier for me to eat healthy while we do this last set of shows.”

  “Like I told you before, I think it sounds like a great idea, darlin’. You need to take care of yourself and my little godson.”

  He gazed at Quinn and Rex and for a second it seemed as if a dark cloud passed over his features before his face cleared and that infectious grin returned, dimple and all. “Besides, I assume I’ll reap the benefits? We’re a package deal, after all.” He aimed his smile at Gigi this time and her mouth went dry.

  She wet her lips and his eyes followed the path of her tongue. Crap, what had she been about to say?

  “Of course,” Quinn said. “She’d be cooking for all of us, both buses, crew included. Just dinners though, breakfast and lunch we’re on our own an
d we have to stay out of her way in the afternoons so she can get around the kitchen. You’re still cool with sharing the Man Bus? And…curtailing your activities for the next couple weeks?” She gave him a pointed look.

  “I can handle anything for two weeks. Besides, maybe a break would be good. I could take up needlepoint or something.”

  Gigi’s cheeks grew warm. As far as his “activities”, it didn’t take a genius to figure out they meant sex. She’d known the job would entail staying on a tour bus with some of the guys, but she hadn’t known one of them would look like this guy. Not that it would have made any difference. She had no choice but to take the job if they offered it. Having a gorgeous, horny guy living next to her while she did it would just make things a little less relaxed. She’d manage.

  Quinn and Rex exchanged a look. “We might as well make it official,” Quinn said. “Gigi, we don’t need to taste dessert to decide. We’d love you to be our chef for the next month, if you’ll have us. We’re a little rough around the edges, but I promise, you won’t find more appreciative customers. We love food and rarely get the home-cooked variety, so you’ll be treated like a queen here.”

  Tears of joy and relief sprang to her eyes and she blinked them back. “I accept and I can’t wait to start. Shall we celebrate with some fresh berry tart?”

  Everyone began chattering as she passed out the small dessert plates. This was it. The pay from this gig and the cache that came along with being the chef to a relatively high-profile client was exactly what she needed to start her business. Maybe Rex and Quinn would even like her enough to recommend her to others.

  Now all she needed to do was not screw things up by drooling all over their band-mate. Piece of cake.

  * * * * *

  Beau kept his eyes trained on the new chef as she bustled around the kitchen passing out plates and making small talk. They’d called the crew in to help polish off the desserts and celebrate their upcoming fast-food moratorium. Everyone was in great spirits and he had to admit, as he forked up the last bite of banana cream pie, she was a damn good cook. For him to say so was something too. He’d grown up on his mama’s food and she was about the best cook he knew.

  He briefly contemplated licking his plate, but reconsidered. She hadn’t gotten to the formality of signing the contract, better not to scare her away by acting like a Neanderthal. Yet.

  He set his dish in the sink and leaned his back against the counter as he watched her work the crowded room. She was a bundle of energy, flitting this way and that, hell-bent on making sure everyone had enough of everything. A natural nurturer. His cock twitched as he wondered if that nurture carried over into the bedroom. Not that she was his type at all. Her hair was a sort of nondescript light brown and sat in a haphazard pile on top of her head. A semi-frumpy figure was shrouded in a serviceable apron with little red cherries on it. Under that she wore baggy jeans and a blue polo shirt. If he had to put a name to the look, he would’ve dubbed it “Frazzled Soccer-Mom”.

  Not that there was anything wrong with moms. Jesus, he only had to look at Quinn to remind himself of that fact. She looked beautiful in her little dress and the glow of pregnancy only made her look better. The purple lock of hair that usually hung over her eye was now black since she couldn’t dye it until the baby was born. It made her look softer somehow.

  At that moment, she tossed her head back and laughed at something Rex said and Beau pinched his eyes closed to shut out the view. He was long past any romantic feelings for her, but something about seeing her and Rex together made him feel empty inside…as if he was missing something. Despite the revolving door of female companionship, he was never more aware of his dissatisfaction than when he looked at the two of them together.

  They were happy, he reminded himself. And he was happy for them. No reason to be a hater.

  He turned his attention back to Holly Hobby as she plucked a fat raspberry off one of the tarts and popped it into her mouth. It was the same color as her full lips and Beau had the sudden desire to see if those full lips would be as sweet. Must be thoughts of the impending dry spell getting to him.

  Almost as if she read his thoughts, her gaze flickered to his. Her cheeks flushed and he grinned his easy, good-old-boy grin. She’d seemed nervous around him from the get-go. Was she just shy, or was she star-struck? Either way, it was a welcome change from the usual aggressive style of the groupies he was used to. Who knew, maybe they could be friends? Might be nice to have a woman to talk to who wasn’t Quinn. Plus, a little flirting and maybe he could talk her into making some fried chicken and greens, bring a little of the South to the Man Bus.

  “What’s my name, Skip or something? How come nobody told me about a party?”

  Beau turned to face the newest member of their band. Up until last year, they’d managed as a three-piece, but with their popularity growing and their desire to make more layered, complex music, they’d taken the leap and gotten a bass player. Enter Tai-Nan Jose Rivera. He was a great addition to the group and was slowly becoming part of the family. It was nice to have someone back in the Man Bus with him now that Rex had moved into Quinn’s bus. It wasn’t that he was lonely, there were too many people around for that. It was just nice to have someone to bullshit with after a gig again who didn’t want him to sign their tits.

  The only thing about Tai was that he wasn’t down with the ladies all that much. Although the ladies were extremely down with him. Half-Korean and half-Puerto Rican, his dark, exotic looks drew them in droves. That was fine with Beau, because he had more than he could handle now that Rex had defected. But in spite of numerous invitations, Tai had yet to hook up. He insisted he didn’t have a girlfriend back home, and he wasn’t gay, so Beau wasn’t sure what the problem was. Turning away women night after night took a kind of discipline he just couldn’t get his head around.

  He held up a hand at Tai. “Don’t blame me. I didn’t know there was going to be food, I just got here.”

  Quinn and Rex came over and brought Gigi with them. “Gigi’s our new chef. She’ll be bunking with you guys for the next couple weeks since my bus only has the one room. No worries, though, Beau’s going to take the couch,” Quinn said, then stuck her tongue out at Beau.

  Two weeks on the couch for a good, home-cooked meal every night was a fair tradeoff so he nodded. “Can do.”

  “Nice to meet you, Tai.” Gigi smiled and shook his hand, then immediately moved away to make him a plate.

  Beau followed Gigi’s path with his gaze, compelled to watch her but clueless as to why.

  “This is going to be interesting,” Tai predicted in the slow, thoughtful voice he used so often. Beau couldn’t shake the feeling that Tai was right.

  Chapter Two

  Five days later, bags packed, Gigi waited for the bus to pick her up. The butterflies that had been camping out in her belly for the last few days kicked up a huge fuss as the behemoth vehicle came around the corner, right on time.

  She grabbed two bags and lugged them to the curb, leaving behind several others and a cooler in case the refrigerator wasn’t big enough for all the food she’d purchased. She was all prepped to walk in and focus one hundred percent of her energy on cooking. Maybe it would keep her mind off the fact that it was going to be her and Beau all alone for a day and a half on that bus.

  Beau had been staying at his fishing cabin in the Florida Keys, so the band had decided that he would swing by and get her in Tennessee on his way north. Then they’d meet up with the rest of the band in New York to play their first show of the tour. After that, there would be ten more shows with almost nonstop travel back down the East Coast. In spite of constantly reminding herself this was just work, she couldn’t suppress the feeling that she was embarking on a great adventure.

  The door folded open and Beau came down the steps to meet her. His hair glowed like a burnished halo over his head, but the grin was all devil. She resisted the urge to swipe a hand over her mouth to check for drool.

  “Hey
there, girl. Looks like you got a lot of clothes there for just two weeks. I woulda never took you for that type.”

  His puzzled gaze traveled over her jeans and polo shirt and she tried not to cringe.

  “Your first instinct was dead-on. I’m not exactly what you’d call a fashion plate. Most of this stuff is cookware, then some staples for the next few days. It’s heavy, so be careful,” she warned as he bent low.

  He hoisted up one of the largest boxes without even a grimace. His biceps bulged and she had to look away for fear of grabbing hold of one and squeezing. This nonsense had to stop before it started. He was so far out of her league it was as if they weren’t even playing the same sport.

  Her gaze returned to him just the same, and she watched as he boarded the bus. She grabbed a bag and followed. She was so taken with his rear twitching as he walked, she wasn’t watching where she was going. A terrifying, one-armed, windmilling second later, she was sprawled out over the steps, on top of a bag that had both sounded and felt suspiciously like a carton of eggs.

  “What the— Are you okay?”

  She craned her neck up to see that Beau had abandoned his box and was bent over her, his face tight with concern. If she had three wishes, she would have used one in a heartbeat to have a do-over of the previous ten seconds. Her knees throbbed where they’d connected with the metal steps and her face burned in abject humiliation.

  “Damn it, Gigi, answer me. Did you break something?”

  “My eggs,” she muttered miserably.

  “Your eggs? You mean…” His eyes went a little wide as he struggled to make sense of her words.

  “No! I don’t even—no. Like, eggs. From chickens.”

  He stared at her for a long second and then flashed his dimples. “Well, that’s all right then. We can get more of those at the store. Come on, let me help you up.”