Page 138 of Hard Rock Tease

I can barely stay awake.

Then go to sleep, sweetheart. I’ll see you in the morning.

***

“SO, WHAT’S WITH you and that producer?”

I looked up from my phone, startled by the whisper in my ear. Gabriella had snuck up on me, arms crossed over her chest, a grin on her face. I’d been hanging out near the tour buses, wanting to get some fresh air. The concert venue the guys would be playing at had a funky smell, like the sweat from every previous performer had sunk into the walls. I’d seen Deena scrunch up her nose and give the place a disgusted look, so I knew I wasn’t the only one. Luckily, we’d be in a different venue the next day.

“Give me all the details,” Gabriella continued.

A small giddy smile creeped onto my lips. “So I guess you heard about that kiss?”

“Everyone’s heard about that kiss.”

“It’s kind of a long story.”

“I’ve got time. The concert isn’t for hours.”

“I’ve been messaging this one guy online for months. We sort of made plans to get together when summer was over. Turns out Neil’s the guy I’ve been messaging.”

“Neil?”

“Cornelius,” I corrected myself. “He goes by Neil online.”

“And how are things going between you and Neil?” She stretched out his name, giving me a playful smile.

I furrowed my brow. “I thought I’d be seeing more of him since our first date, actually, but it’s been a while since I’ve been alone with him.”

We’d had that one amazing date, and we’d been messaging each other every day, but we still hadn’t managed a second date. I knew his shooting schedule kept him busy, plus we were on different tour buses, but I was starting to worry that maybe he was avoiding me. That couldn’t have been the case, though. He sent me sexy messages non-stop, to the point where I always had to double check no one could see my phone’s screen before I opened any messages, just in case.

“The film crew’s been pretty busy.” Gabriella shrugged, confirming my own thoughts. Then she rolled her eyes. “And everyone knows Cornelius is a control freak who can’t sit still and let people do their jobs.”

I wondered if that need for control would make itself known in bed.

“You should take the initiative,” she said. “Make him stop working for a bit and take you out on another date.”

“You think so? We are here for work, after all.”

“Sure, go for it. He’s the one who kissed you. Make him realize what he’s missing.” She threw me a wink. “I think I saw him backstage.”

I followed Gabriella’s advice and finally tracked him down to one of the back offices. He had a pen in one hand and a stack of papers in the other and seemed to be marking them up profusely. I knocked on the door lightly and he looked up, an annoyed expression on his face. It cleared up a bit when he saw me, but he still had a slightly harried look.

“Sorry for interrupting.”

“It’s fine. I’m going over some production notes before tonight’s concert.”

“Do you have a minute?”

“Is it important?”

I blinked. Important?

“Well, not really. I just haven’t had the chance to talk to you in person in a while. Not since our first date.”

He gave me a small smile and lowered his papers, but didn’t put them down. “Yeah, things have been pretty hectic over here. Now that the tour is in full swing, we’ve got a lot of scenes to shoot.”

“I was hoping maybe we could get together for another date sometime soon? We’re leaving this city soon, but we’ll be in the next one for a few days. Maybe we could go somewhere?”