Page 54 of Hard Rock Tease

But despite all my texts and voicemails and emails, Noah wouldn't respond. I had been contemplating showing up at his apartment door and not leaving when the solution came later that afternoon via text from an unknown number.

hey gorgeous, i'm throwing a huge rager at my place tonight. u in?

From thegorgeousI knew it had to be Cameron. I asked how he got my number. He said he had his ways with a winky face. I assumed he'd asked Naomi.

Is Noah going to be there?

so its true? the two of you? damn, i was hoping i had a chance

I need to talk to him.

i'll make sure he's there. give them ur name and tell them cam invited u

Going to a party with rock stars would be fun, not to mention I would get a chance to talk with Noah. Maybe I could corner him so he couldn't get away. Maybe if I went to the party I could salvage something. Maybe I could convince Noah to take me back—

I had to stop thinking of it like that. It had too many different connotations.

But as much as I tried to convince myself this was a purely professional move, there was a part of me mourning the loss of our relationship. It wasn't just the sex. It was all the other little things. The little smirks and the small touches and even the grumpy way he grunted after I caught him saying something sweet.

I knew there was something more between us. There had to be.

Chapter Eighteen

Ihadn't knownwhat to expect when I arrived at the address Cameron texted. Another expensive high rise condo building like Noah's, perhaps.

What I hadn't expected was an enormous mansion with loud pounding music vibrating from every door and window. Drunk party goers were laughing and falling over themselves on the front lawn, which was perfectly landscaped, aside from the beer bottles and trash littering the grass. Dozens of paparazzi were hanging around on the sidewalk out front, no doubt as close as they could get before officially invading private property.

As soon as I stepped out of the taxi, flashes went off in my face. I brought a hand to my face to shield my eyes. As soon as the media realized I was a nobody, they backed off, ignoring me completely.

As taken aback as I was, I had to admit this kind of thing was exactly what I should have expected from Cameron Throne, reputed to be the party animal of the bunch.

A bouncer stood guard at the front gates, tall, beefy, and intimating. I gave him my name when asked. I wondered for a second whether I'd even be on the guest list when he went to check his clipboard, but he gave me a nod and ushered me in.

The front door opened onto a vast foyer with five times as many drunk people inside as there had been out on the front lawn. I was torn between excitement and nerves. I wished I'd invited Ivy or Nat to come with me. They no doubt had experience with this kind of thing, although I knew their boyfriends Ren and Morris were a lot less crazy partiers than Cameron Thorne was known to be.

The moment I stepped through the door I was greeted by a group of drunk guys who tried to pull me into a game of strip football. I didn't know how exactly that would work, but I declined and made my way into the next room as soon as possible.

A random stranger thrust a beer into my hand with cheer and a grin. The top was on, so at the very least I knew it wasn't spiked. I still laid the beer down on a side table as I made my way towards what I assumed was the kitchen. I didn't want to drink this early in the night. I needed to have my head about me if I wanted to have this conversation with Noah. If I could ever find him among the throng of drunken party goers.

I caught sight of a tall blond in the corner and recognized him as August. I squirmed through a crowd of people to get to him. They mostly seemed to be talking about music and their work on the latest album.

"Excuse me," I said, sliding through an empty space.

August nodded when I caught his attention. "Hello, Jennifer."

I was still brought up short by how beautiful this man was. His platinum blond hair complimented his ice blue eyes. Eyes that looked like they could see into your very soul.

I gave myself a mental shake. "Hi, August." It felt weird to call a celebrity by his first name. He had always been August Summers to me. "Do you know if Noah is around anywhere?"

"I think I saw him out back near the pool." August gestured to the others in his circle of followers, indicating that they should leave us alone. When they dispersed he shot me a careful glance.

"How's it coming along?" he asked quietly.

"It?"

"Noah's song."

Tension spiked through me. "It's going fine. Great, even. He's working hard on it."