Page 122 of Hard Rock Tease

Jayce let out a growl into my mouth before tearing himself away. He placed his hands on my shoulders and held me at arm’s length.

“I’m sorry,” he rasped out, breathing hard.

“I’m not complaining.” I continued to grind my hips against his.

He stifled a groan and leaned forward, resting his forehead against my neck. I pulled back, worried, trying to see the expression on his face, but he ducked his head away from me.

“What’s wrong?” I wrapped my arms around his wide shoulders. Instead of continuing the embrace, Jayce lifted me up and off his lap. I made a small sound of disappointment, not wanting to let him go, not wanting the moment to end yet. He settled me beside him on the cold, hard concrete steps, tugging my skirt back into place for me.

“I shouldn’t have done that.” He put his head in both hands, mimicking the same position I’d first found him in.

I stared at the back of his head. My heart was still racing. My lips were still stinging. There was a fire burning within me that I couldn’t extinguish—not without Jayce to help me. I wanted to pull him back down to meet my lips again.

Cold seeped through my skirt, chilling my thighs and helping to cool me down. I started to shiver, bereft of Jayce’s touch, of his body heat. I slowly came down from that fog of desire. Now that I was free from the feel of his hands and the taste of his mouth, I could think clearly again.

Jayce was right. We shouldn’t have done that.

“If the fans found out, they would freak,” he muttered, addressing the floor, head cradled in his hands. “They’re so possessive. Every time there’s a rumor that we’re dating someone, the girl gets terrorized.”

I thought back to the year before and slumped down, letting my limbs fall limply onto the concrete stairs, arms at my sides, legs splayed out in front of me. “I remember when rumors started about Kell kissing one of the make-up girls. Fans went crazy. They figured out where she lived and sent her hate mail and bomb threats for months. We can’t have a repeat of that. Not now, when your tour is just getting started, when you’re ramping up for your album release.”

“I don’t want you to be a target of their hate. It wouldn’t be fair to you.” Jayce exhaled slowly, collecting himself. “This can’t happen again. I promise I’ll be strictly professional from now on.”

I wanted to tell him I didn’t want it to be strictly professional between us, but I knew better. As much as I hated it, I knew he was right.

“I like you, Ailey. The more I get to know you in person, the more I like you. But more importantly, I respect you. I respect your work. I don’t want you to think I’m just some rock star looking to hook up with a groupie.”

A thrill of delight worked its way through my body and I suppressed a smile. Jayce liked me. Hadn’t he said he liked me online before he’d even met me?

“That’s why this will never happen again.”

Despite myself, my chest clenched with hurt. Now that I’d gotten a taste of Jayce, I didn’t want to give him up. I wanted to peel back the layers, wanted to discover who he really was when he wasn’t on stage. I wanted to bask in his touch and see what pleasure he could bring me.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated.

“No need to apologize. I understand.” I flashed him a smile, hoping I was able to mask the sadness washing over me.

Jayce was right. This couldn’t be good for either of us.

No matter how right it felt.

Chapter Eight

Ithrewmyself into my work as a distraction from what happened with Jayce.

It was difficult. The concert venues blurred into each other, one looking the same as all the rest. Frustration became a constant companion. It was hard to take interesting and unique pictures when the backdrop looked the same wherever we went.

Getting a peek behind the scenes sounded cool until you realized every backstage looked the same: bare hallways, a few offices, and a couple rooms with comfy chairs and sofas for the artists to relax in. It wasn’t the most exciting thing in the world. I mostly stuck to taking pictures of the guys.

Rehearsal was done, and the concert wasn’t for another few hours, so I took a bit of a break. One of the make-up girls and I had become friendly acquaintances, and she always had recommendations for me. She was giving me her opinion on which new brand of mascara I should try when that jerk walked toward me, the assistant producer who’d scowled at me to get out of his way without so much as a please or thank you.

“Hey Gabriella, is that guy really on the film crew?”

He still wasn’t wearing a staff badge. For all I knew,hewas the groupie sneaking in to see the band.

Gabriella raised her eyebrows. “Are you kidding me? You don’t recognize him?”

“I ran into him on my first day, but he was kind of an asshole. Why, who is he?”