Page 15 of Wild Stars (Rock His World #2)

CHAPTER 15

Mateo

I straighten my sunglasses, even though where I’m going I don’t need sunglasses.

Being out of the spotlight for the last few years, I’ve gotten better at going incognito, but I have to admit I haven’t done many disguised outings since I moved back in with Hailee.

Honestly, I haven’t done many outings at all , outside of our most recent trips to Fuku and Saint & Sinner.

The streetlights outside The Palace shine down on both of us, and the line outside the door is pretty long.

I turn to my sister, who, without all her makeup and gothic attire, looks like she could still pass as someone in their early twenties.

She’s even forgone her usual extensions.

Fresh-faced with her hair pulled back in a bouncy brown ponytail and dressed in a Heart Killer tee and ripped blue jeans, the excitement in her eyes is unmistakable.

The sight reminds me of when we were teenagers going to shows, dreaming of becoming big stars ourselves someday.

Seeing her happy like this... I can’t help but feel nostalgic, and also a little happy myself.

Though I know it isn’t a good time with me, that has her all bright and beautiful.

I might not understand what she sees in Richard Wylde, but how can I judge her... or him... when I can feel her enthusiasm, her energy when he’s around, like a living breathing entity?

“You don’t really expect me to stand in line for an hour, do you?” I taunt her, sliding my hands into my jeans pocket.

I’m most known for my penchant for leather and black—in part because it’s branding, and in part because it helps me feel more dominant—but I prefer jeans and converse to sweatpants or trousers when I’m dressing down.

Though Dare can pull off just about anything, it seems. Ripped jeans, gray sweatpants, form fitting suit slacks...

Hailee shoots me a smirk. “You really going to tell me you wouldn’t wait in line for an hour to get a glimpse of Dare with his microphone between his legs?”

It is my turn to look appalled.

“Absolutely not!” I say deadpan, as she rolls her eyes.

“Uh huh, sure. Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt, Matty.” She flashes me with a wink.

“Do not call me that,” I snap, just as a security guard approaches us.

“Follow me,” he says, and with that I am relieved.

My sister takes off like a rocket after him, leaving me no choice but to follow along.

We follow the man to the inside of the venue, to a private section on the left of the floor. There are only about ten seats in our section, already filled with individuals who must be of some importance, but that I don’t recognize. Most of them, women.

Hailee immediately strikes up a conversation with the women beside us as the crowd starts to fill in, and I can’t help but take in the sight of their sold out show.

When the lights go down, the crowd roars as the spotlights dance. Dare’s voice carries over the loudspeakers asking his crowd if they are ready to be slayed. They roar in reciprocation as the lights flash, and some basic pyrotechnics go off.

Somewhere between the fire and the screeching guitars, Dare Wylde shows his true colors. He sings and he laughs with his crowd, tantalizing them with his infectious energy and a confidence that is undeniable.

And I realize as I watch him take the microphone stand between his legs, bending over as he cradles the mic itself, and his dark gaze catches mine, that I too am being slayed.

Because as I watch him command the audience and his stage, I can’t deny the fact that despite my insistence, Dare Wylde has poisoned my blood.

With his bratty attitude and his fiery kiss, with his dramatic flair, his love handles, and so much more.

The realization strikes me and renders me frozen, like a glacier.

Because for the first time in a long time, I long to be broken.

To be destroyed by a Heart Killer .

The eternal moment ends only a second later, and before I know it, Hailee is tugging on my sleeve as the band leaves the stage.

I shake my head, realizing she’s pulling me toward security again, and I follow her without question.

“Oh my God! You guys killed it!” She squeals as she abandons me and runs up to the band backstage.

Every one of them is covered in sweat, from head to toe. I fight the urge to stare at Dare, running a towel through his wet, dark hair, the sweat on his chest glinting in the low light.

“Thanks!” Richie says with a sheepish grin as Ines and Spike fist pump the air. “I’m so glad you guys could make it tonight.”

Hailee gives him a hug and I stand off to the side, letting them have this moment, but also because I feel like a third wheel.

Dare wraps his towel around his neck. His ripped jeans hang off of his hips deliciously, and I struggle to not look at his curves.

Everything about Dare is larger than life. His attitude, his personality, his fashion sense.

Like a supernova, exploding stardust in the dark

No planet could hold you

Because you are a wild star...

The words come to me easily, and a spark inside of me fuels. I want to tell him, to suggest them, but...

God, they sound so desperate, so awestruck, and....

I’m not entirely sure I can expose myself like that to Dare, let alone in front of my sister and his entire band.

So, I swallow my words as Dare’s gaze catches mine.

“Hey Matty, the eighties called, they want their sunglasses back,” he quips, flashing me with a devilish smirk, and I can’t help the way my jaw tenses, or the way my palm twitches.

Or the way Dare cockily grins, because he knows just how to push my fucking buttons.

“Ah, yes, well, one needs shade when you’re blinding everyone in a five mile radius.”

I don’t miss the way Dare’s eyebrows knit together, or the falter in his expression.

Does he not understand how utterly bright he is?

“So, I believe someone said there would be drinks,” Ines says as he elbows Richie.

Spike chimes in, nodding as he grabs a bottle of water from the pop up table next to him, downing it within seconds.

“Oh yeah, of course!” Richie says as Ines hands him a towel. “We should all go grab a drink and celebrate! The tour kicks off in less than a week! I can’t believe we’re almost there!”

Hailee nods in agreement. “I know, right? It seems like yesterday they announced all the acts, and in just a few days we’ll all be performing the kick off show and then we’re off!”

Dare tugs on the towel, covering his pale chest and nipples, and a part of me wishes he wouldn’t cover himself as he is.

Richie, Ines, and Spike seem to have no qualms about exposing their tanned, solid and bare chests.

And then I catch Dare’s gaze, the way it dips to them and then to the floor.

As if he is embarrassed, or ashamed.

Gone is the confident rockstar who owned the stage, and I realize that while Dare may know how to command attention when it comes to an audience, apart from the stage...

“Does Rosie’s sound okay?” Hailee’s voice brings me back to the here and now.

I tear my gaze from Dare, nodding as I take off my glasses and slide them in my pocket. “I suppose one drink won’t hurt.”