Page 15 of When the Stars Rise

But the night she asked me to take her virginity, I shoved my guilt aside, gave her what she wanted, and took something I wanted in return.

I was still inside her when she had a full-blown panic attack.

If I had PTSD over anything, it would be the first time I had sex with Hayley.

One month later, she moved to California for her senior year, and we never mentioned that night again.

Not even when we got back together the second time, and then she left me.Again.

So yeah, I want her, but also… I’m scared shitless.

I’m not afraid to push the limits on my motorcycle.

Rappelling down waterfalls and skydiving? Bring it on.

Last month I dove off a cliff in Hawaii, fully aware I'd crash on the rocks if I didn’t hit the water just right. I didn’t hesitate for even a second. After the first jump, I did it a dozen more times.

But getting intimate with Hayley again?

There’s so much at stake. If it all ends badly and she leaves me again, I don’t think I’d be able to handle it this time around.

Which just goes to show what a masochist I am for even coming on this tour.

CHAPTER SIX

Noah

I run.I’m not running away from anything. I have a destination. Alongside the streetcars, past mansions, and historic homes, under a canopy of live oaks.

The sun is just starting to rise when I set off, and the air is cool, the streets quiet. No music playing in my ears. Just the sound of my breathing and the rhythm of my Nikes hitting the concrete.

By the time I return to the house, I’ve run five miles, and I’m covered in sweat. The heat and humidity are oppressive now, but I feel more awake than when I set off.

I key in the code for the front gate and cross the front yard, the house looming before me like a stage set for a Gothic vampire flick. It’s hard to believe this house belongs to Dean, the former lead singer of Acadian Storm, who once led the life of a rock star. Sex scandals, drugs, and trashed hotel rooms.

Inside, it’s all gleaming hardwood, Oriental rugs, heavy velvet curtains, and soaring ceilings. My hand glides over the polished wood banister as I climb the stairs, my reflectionstaring back at me from a gilt-framed mirror on the second-floor landing.

After a quick shower in one of the spare bathrooms, I return to Hayley’s room to grab my backpack. Her yoga mat is laid out in front of the French windows, and the dregs of a green smoothie coat the glass on her bedside table.

The shower is running, and the door to the en suite bathroom is slightly ajar. Is it an invitation to join her?

If her words last night are any indication, that’s a big fat no. Just for the record, I havenevercheated on Hayley. When we were together, I didn’t so much as look at another girl. She was the one who pushed me away, but now she throws it in my face like I’m doing something wrong.

I’m packing the things I’ll need for the road when she comes out of the bathroom in a towel.Justa fucking towel. I don’t know why it seems more revealing than the tank top and cotton shorts she slept in, but it does.

The smirk on her face tells me she’s fully aware of the torture she’s inflicting. When she drops the towel, oh so casually, like it’s no big deal, I’m convinced this is payback. For what, I don’t know.

She’s completely naked now, moving around the room as if I’m not even here, and she has all the time in the world. The air con is on, so the room is cool, but I’m sweating.

My gaze sweeps over her, taking it all in as if it’s my first time seeing her.

Long, wavy chestnut hair with bangs that brush her eyebrows. A bit of a tan. Big hazel eyes. And when she smiles, two perfectly matched dimples appear on her cheeks. Those dimples… they just do something to me.

Hayley is small and built like a ballerina. Long legs, slender but muscular. Flat stomach. A curve to her hips. A round, tightass that I get a full view of when she turns to get clothes out of her bag.

My mouth goes dry, and my cock strains against the zipper of my jeans.

I should turn around and walk right out the door. But I can’t get my feet to move, and I can’t take my eyes off her. She spins, holding the clothes in her hands, and saunters over to the bed, where she drops them onto the mattress.