Part 1 (1/2)

The Ruby Riot Series.

Cadence

Shuffle

Reprise.

Lisa Swallow.

Cadence.

A Ruby Riot Novel.

Lisa Swallow.

Dedication.

To Sasha, for sharing the determination to achieve our dreams.

Cadence.

(Ruby Riot #1).

Tegan Hughes joins Blue Phoenix and Ruby Riot on tour, and drummer Bryn isn't the only one who notices his little sister isn't a kid anymore.

Jax Lewis is the guitarist for Ruby Riot and the band are rising to success. He's hot property and loving every minute of his new found fame. Now, he's on tour supporting Blue Phoenix and living his rock star life to the full. Until Tegan walks into his world and puts the brakes on.

Tegan Hughes is taking a year out and has her sights set on touring Europe with her big brother's band. Blue Phoenix drummer Bryn isn't happy when his sister arrives unannounced at his hotel in Lisbon, but Tegan isn't the type of person to take no as an answer.

With her big brother breathing down their necks, Jax and Tegan attempt to keep a handle on their growing attraction but that proves harder than they thought. Jax is used to getting whoever and whatever he wants and after kissing Tegan once, he knows one thing...he wants more.

But Tegan isn't rock star girlfriend material. She has ambitions of her own and refuses to let anything stand in the way of her plans. When Jax and Tegan's relations.h.i.+p becomes public knowledge life becomes a h.e.l.l of a lot more complicated.

cadence.

(kdns).

Music: A progression of chords moving to a harmonic close, point of rest, or sense of resolution.

1.

LISBON, PORTUGAL.

TEGAN.

Bryn forgets I travelled across Asia on my own, and chooses to ignore the lesson he learned when we were growing up: my big brother doesn't tell me what to do. In fact, anybody who tries to will discover the slender girl who looks younger than her twenty years, and gets far more attention from men than she'd like, isn't a delicate pushover but a force of nature they can't control.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not rude - unless you're rude to me - I just know what I want and aim high. 'No' isn't an answer; it's a challenge.

Which is why my sour-faced brother is standing in the doorway of his hotel room, arms crossed. My big brother, the rock star, in his uniform of scruffy t-s.h.i.+rt and black jeans, a canvas of ink covering his muscled arms. Unimpressed deep-brown eyes regard me from beneath his curled fringe. This is the mountain-sized guy people at school were scared of, but they never knew he'd go home and have tea parties with his kid sister and her dolls.

Six years older than me, Bryn left town when I was ten, launched into the stratosphere with Blue Phoenix. On the day he left, Bryn promised my teary, snotty-faced self that one day I could join him and tour with the band.

Guess what day it is today?

”What the actual f.u.c.k, Tegan?” growls Bryn. ”Where did you come from?”

I flash him a smile. ”London.”

”Yeah, I know where you live, but why the h.e.l.l are you here?” His heavy brow tugs lower.

”Because this is where the taxi brought me from the airport,” I say breezily. ”Nice that you're kicking the tour off in Portugal, I haven't seen much of Europe yet.”

Bryn composes himself, steps back, and opens the door wider. ”Get in here.”

”Sure! Grab my bag.” I indicate my well-travelled rucksack, tiptoe to plant a kiss on his stubbled cheek, and head inside the air-conditioned room.

A muttering Bryn follows me into his suite. My last travels involved backpacker hostels: bunk beds in s...o...b..x-sized rooms and grotty, shared bathroom facilities of a basic nature. Bryn's accommodation is a hotel suite the size of the small flat I share with Phoebe. Well, technically I crashed on her sofa several weeks ago and haven't moved on.

I perch on the blue couch, sinking into the plush cus.h.i.+ons and continue to smile sweetly as Bryn half-throws my rucksack across the room.

”So, you forgot to buy my plane ticket and book my room, didn't you?” I ask.

”I told you it wasn't a good idea for you to tour with us.”

”Yeah, but you never gave a reason.”

”Apart from I don't want my baby sister on a Blue Phoenix tour!”

”Don't be ridiculous, I'm not a kid.” I s.h.i.+ft and remove my phone from the back pocket of my jeans and check for messages. ”Plus, you guys are tame these days.”

Bryn continues to hover by the closed door. ”Yeah we are, but there's plenty around who aren't. Some of the tour crew don't do this for the pay; they do it for the perks.”

I screw my nose up. ”I haven't come here to be the perks. I'll pull my weight. Give me something to do to help out with the tour, and I'll do it.”

”Like what, Tegan?”

”I don't know... anything. Find me something Blue Phoenix needs help with, or ask if Ruby Riot needs a bodyguard. Lots of girls want their hands on Jax. Dylan had better watch his king of the rock stars crown.”

Dylan, the lead singer of Blue Phoenix and the man who topped numerous 'World's s.e.xiest Men' lists over the past few years recently married. Now the world's scrutiny has s.h.i.+fted elsewhere - to the Ruby Riot guitarist, Jax Lewis.

”What?” Bryn misses my teasing tone. ”Jax? You want to get close to Ruby Riot, don't you?”

Seriously? Seven years a rock star and Bryn thinks everything is about s.e.x.