Page 121 of Hard Rock Tease

“The guys know I’ve got this hard-on for some girl on the internet,” he continued, ignoring my question. “They teased me about a musician being a groupie himself. I stopped talking to them about it, but I kept on reading her stuff, even after we hit it big. She’s insightful. I wanted to message her, but I was worried. Her reviews are always so carefully unbiased. Sometimes I can’t tell whether she even likes my music or not. She’s so smart and funny, though. I always thought it would be amazing if I could meet her in person. Get to know her.”

My heart clenched in a fit of pique. He had such glowing words for this girl. I didn’t want to hear Jayce talk about another girl like that, even if she was just someone he followed online.

Jealousy filled my chest, but I stomped it down viciously. I had no right to feel that way. Jayce and I were just work colleagues. He was free to have a crush on whomever he liked.

“I think it’s because I stopped talking about her that the guys haven’t figured it out yet.”

“Figured out what?”

Jayce looked amused.

“Aimee Lee. Ailey. AudioAiley.”

I choked. “What?”

His eyes caught mine, trapping me in that fiery gaze. “I’ve been following you for years.”

My mouth gaped open, trying to process what he had said. Jayce followed me online? He had wanted to meet me? He didn’t think I liked his music? I didn’t know which part to react to first. The music reviewer in me took over.

“How could you possibly think I don’t like your music? You’re amazing, you’re a genius, you’re—”

“I’m just another musician,” he interrupted.

“You’re not just another musician. You’reJayceEvansofFeral Silence. You’re not like other artists. You’re special.”

He shifted on the concrete steps, looking uncomfortable.

“That’s what all my fans think. I’m grateful to them, I really am, but I’m never going to have a normal life. I’ll always have to play the rock star god. Sometimes I wish I was just a regular guy.”

“Why? Why would you want to give all this up?”

Jayce turned to me and reached out, cupping my cheek to draw my face close to his. “Because then I could do this.”

Then he kissed me.

Chapter Seven

Ibarely hadtime to register the stroking of his fingertips against my skin before Jayce pressed his lips to mine.

I inhaled a sharp breath and held it, frozen in shock. He seemed to pause, as if waiting for me to protest or pull back. I didn’t. I just waited, anticipating his next move, not wanting to ruin this moment, not wanting to wake up from this dream.

Jayce’s lips were soft but firm, pressing against mine incessantly, not hesitant at all. He smelled like leather and earth, a musky masculine scent that drove a spike of heat through my body.

He licked the inside of my upper lip, seeking entrance to my mouth. I gave it to him, his tongue slipping in and exploring the wet heat. I moaned at the touch of his tongue to mine and clutched at him, fingers scrambling for purchase on his bare front. My hands slid down his chest, feeling the shifting of every firm muscle. His skin burned under my fingers, reflecting the heat growing inside me at his scorching kiss.

Jayce tangled his hand in the hair at the back of my neck and tilted my head to get a better angle. I succumbed to it, going limp and letting him take me however he wanted. He bit my bottom lip, teeth nipping lightly, the sharp sting breaking me out of my haze. My breathing stuttered, and I almost pulled back. What were we doing? What was he doing to me?

He laid one hand on my thigh, caressing and squeezing before moving it upward, and all intent to flee rushed out of me. I couldn’t pull away from him, from his touch, not even if the building burned down and fell into rubble around us.

He explored the shape of my hip and the curve of my waist before continuing onward to my chest. He curled one large hand around my ribcage and stroked the side of my breast with his thumb. My breath hitched as he found a nipple through my shirt and thin cotton bra. He circled it slowly until the nub was raised into a sharp peak, visible through my blouse. I let loose a sharp gasp into his mouth. He let go of my hair to repeat the process on the other side, rubbing and stroking until I was breathless with need.

Jayce finally released my mouth, but continued kissing my cheeks, behind my ear, the curve of my jaw, and, finally, my throat. The barest hint of his stubble scratched my skin and I relished the sensation, savoring the roughness.

He pressed his lips against my racing pulse. His lips seemed to curve up into a smile, and I knew he could feel my rapid heartbeat. He flicked his tongue out to taste, and I couldn’t stop the moan that escaped.

He silenced the noise with another blistering kiss, tugging me closer with one arm. My breasts pressed against his chest and our legs tangled together. He gripped me tight around the waist, shifting me up and over until my knees were on either side of his thighs, straddling him. He continued kissing me the whole time, crushing my lips with the intensity of it.

I sighed out another small sound of pleasure as the palm of his hand drifted from the small of my back to the swell of my ass. He cupped me, lifting me to press my body close up against the zipper of his pants. My skirt rucked up around my waist and I could feel the hardness of him through my thin cotton panties. I throbbed with need, wanting to feel him against my bare skin, soft and iron-hard at the same time. I shifted my hips and bucked against him, pushing up harder against his front. He gripped my hips on either side, pressing me down onto him. I rocked my hips back and forth, wanting more, wanting to rub myself all over him like a cat in heat.