by Kylie Walker
“Just wait a few minutes. You both need to cool off,” Chloe warned.
“I can’t believe what an idiot I am.” Emelia groaned and glanced up at the ceiling with regret, then met Chloe’s gaze. “I’ve followed Trevor’s entire career. How could I snap at him like that?”
Chloe chuckled. “You’re human, silly. And after things are all smoothed out and this contract is in place, you’re dumping Grant’s ass.”
Emelia kept her retort to herself. She wasn’t going to admit out loud that she had been thinking the same thing. His verbal snarkiness she could handle. His childish behavior, she could look past, sometimes. Tonight, he had actually scared her, and that wasn’t justifiable. It was time to get the pieces back in place so she could move forward.
She smoothed her shirt and took a big breath. “Alright I’m going to try to make things right with Grant without ripping his head off, and maybe if the universe throws me a bone, I’ll get lucky and be able to apologize to Trevor along the way personally.”
“Good luck.” Chloe tenderly squeezed Emelia’s hand. “I’ll be drinking and mingling with these hot rockers, so peel me away when you’re done.”
“Okay. I’m going to stay here an extra second and get myself together.”
Chloe clipped across the lawn as quickly as she could in four-inch heels. Emelia smiled at her friend’s eagerness to get back to the party. She only wished she had the same enthusiasm. She had been looking forward to this event, and here she was, making a fool of herself and feeling miserable.
Something inside her had shifted just now — all the work she had put into helping Grant with this business. All the hours she had invested just to give him a leg up and for what? She finally got to see her music idol in person—and okay, her high school crush—and it was ruined.
Hugging herself, she carefully picked her way along the water. Her heels sunk into the soft ground. Frustrated, she kicked off her stilettos and hooked a finger through the straps. Swinging them along, she padded across the cool ground, enjoying the sound of the water lapping at the edge. It was hot out, slightly humid, the air heavy on her bare skin. The moon promised to be full tonight if the clouds would ever get out of the way.
“It’s really beautiful out here, huh?”
Emelia spun to look behind her. A dark shape was discernable in the half-moon light.
“Grant?”
The name popped out of her mouth, though she knew it wasn’t him. This man was too tall, too broad, his stride too confident to be her boyfriend. A sliver of moonlight peeked down from the clouds, washing him in angelic light. Her breath caught, her body incapable of movement as Trevor strode toward her. She ignored the urge to look around and make sure she hadn’t fallen into a movie set or something. The way he came toward her, slowly, casually, the glowing light highlighting the cut and bulge of muscles in his chest, arms, shoulders. The way his hair looked raven in the light.
She moved to make a step in his direction, but she tripped over her own foot. Arms shooting out to her sides, she tried to steady herself. And suddenly he was there, clasping her arm to support her, momentum bringing her nearly chest-to-chest with him.
“Hello.” She gushed sheepishly.
A warm smile crossed his mouth. “Hello.”
Butterflies went nuts inside her middle. The waft of his cologne was woodsy and rich, and she could feel the warmth radiating off his body. His smile faded as his expression dropped and he set her carefully away from him. “You good? Don’t want you falling.”
Except for the disappointment killing the butterflies, she was fine. “I’m good. Thanks.”
For a moment, she wondered if he remembered her? Is that why his expression changed because he suddenly realized she was the chubby, desperate girl who’d been his biggest fan in high school?
He took another step back, hands going into his pockets. Trevor seemed closed entirely off. No surprise, really. He was a famous rock star and she? She was not. She was an employee of a company he had hired, that was it. She had gotten her fan-girl moment, and now it was time to clear the air and move on.
No more girlish fantasies of reconnecting as old acquaintances. No more womanly fantasies that he would sweep her off her feet, not that she had those thoughts. Much.
“Anyway, I want to apologize for snapping at you back there. I appreciate your concern, and I hope this doesn’t interfere with our working relationship.”
He gave a shrug. “Husbands and wives fight sometimes. I get it. You were acting on adrenaline. I didn’t take it personally.”
She put up a hand. “Oh, we’re not married. Grant is my; he’s my boyfriend. His behavior was over the top, and I’m sorry you had to witness that.”
Trevor’s jaw clenched. “Does he act like that often?”
His voice was tight. Gooseflesh rose on Emelia’s forearms. “Not quite like that, no.”
The light prying of his question tripped her discomfort. Shame, really. She didn’t want to talk about her bad choice in men anymore. “So, me yelling at the Rock God isn’t going to jeopardize this job in any way, is it?”
Trevor leaned in like he was going to take a step toward her, but didn’t. A crooked smile pulled his lips. “Rock God, huh?” His eyes fell to her lips, and she felt the heat of that gaze rush her body.
“Well, you kind of are.”
“Mmmm, you’re right, I kind of am.” He took a step forward. Then another. His hands slipped from his pockets, the ease of his movements delicious and masculine. “Repeat it, Emelia.”
Christ, he remembered her name. He was moving closer.
“You’re bossy.” The words barely squeaked out of her.
“You have no idea.”
Oh, God. Were they flirting?
She shouldn’t be encouraging this. She was still Grant’s girlfriend, after all. She still had a job to do, and this could get messy in a big damn hurry.
“I’m afraid I’ll give you the wrong impression about me if I go around calling you Rock God.”
He stopped within inches of her. “I’m okay with wrong impressions. In my experience, they aren’t usually wrong, just the truth people try and cover up.”
Emelia had to concentrate on her breathing. In and out. In and out.
“Oh, really? Do you have an example?”
“Sure. You and Grant. You think I got the wrong impression about his character because of what I witnessed. You’ll probably tell me he’s a good guy having a bad moment. But the truth is, I saw him exactly the way he really is. I saw his truth. And you? That sass and attitude wasn’t wrong. It was exactly right.”
Her mind was swirling with so many thoughts, her body flooded with so much heat and want. “Okay... but, but the job is okay, right?”
It was all she could focus on, the only thing she should be focused on. Grant needed this gig and as him employee, so did she.
Trevor huffed a laugh. “Yeah, your job is fine. Everything’s fine.”
She shouldn’t be here with Trevor Jameson right now. She should be at Grant’s side, putting on a happy face, showing they were a good team and could help Infinity Prism have the best tour possible.
“Thank you.” It was her turn to take a step back. “I’d better go see what Grant is up to.”
“He’s meeting with Burt right now.”
She nodded, gave a little wave and turned to go. She had taken four steps when Trevor called her name.
“Yeah?”
“Calling me a Rock God wasn’t a wrong impression, was it?”
She laughed and kept walking. If she didn’t, she was going to throw herself into his arms and show him how much of a God she thought he was.
Chapter Five
“We fucking killed it out there tonight!”
Trevor was flying high. Blood rushed through his veins, carrying him on a euphoria he never thought possible. The band’s first tour performance to a sold-out stadium had gone off without a single hitch.
Jesus, this was so much be
tter than he had ever thought possible!
They retreated to the private room in the back of the stage where he gathered his bandmates in a sweaty, aggressive group hug, the five of them smashed together in a hooting, hollering pile.
Finally, he pulled away and tossed back his bangs from his eyes. Sweat plastered his locks to his head. His tee-shirt was soaked, his skin overheated. Every muscle in his body ached as if he never quite worked a stage like that before. Truthfully, he hadn’t! Each second of the show had been new and amazing because it had been theirs.
“Hell yes, we killed it!” Asher yelled with enough volume to cut through the melee.
He wrapped his arms around Lucas in a bear hug.
“Did you guys see all those hot chicks in the front row?” Colton laughed. “Panties were flying!”
“It was sweet!” Lucas said.
Trevor rolled his eyes. “Typical.”
“Come on man,” Asher nudged him. “You could take any number of that fresh pussy home. All you have to do is point and say, ‘let’s go.’”
He could. He knew it. Would be a liar if he said he didn’t think about it. Women had come in droves since Infinity Prism announced their tour almost a year ago. Now that it was in full swing, the groupies would only grow. It had been a while since he had a hot hook-up. Maybe it was time to break the dry streak.
Emelia.
Trevor groaned and took a bottle of water someone thrust at him. Flipping off the cap, he took a long drink, but it wasn’t enough to cool the hot flame igniting in his groin. He had avoided her since that night by the lake a week ago. No way was he going to let on that he knew her from his past. Besides, she was Grant’s girlfriend, and he wasn’t about to interfere in their relationship. For what? Nothing good could come from pursuing Emelia Greene. Nothing.
He needed to forget about her and move on to another sexy distraction. There were plenty of them to choose from, even if the idea was crap now. He traded the water for a beer and guzzled it. The band was still celebrating all around him, but he drowned them out. Emelia was taken, that’s all there was to it. Plain and simple. Not all issues were black and white, but this one was, and he was going to forget about it.
He finished the beer, and then another. The world began to fuzz and glaze over. He was swirling through the thrill of post-show amazement, suddenly, floating on cloud fucking nine higher than ever.
He was about to lose himself in the little party his band was throwing when a soft voice stopped him.
“Trevor.”
He turned to Emelia. Her brunette waves of gorgeous hair flowed down her shoulders like silk. Her perfectly white teeth lured him in as she gave him a beckoning smile. Her tank top left little to the imagination, and he couldn’t help but ogle at her magnificently breasts.
“Hi.” She waved at him with such genuine adoration that he was tempted to scoop her up in his arms and spin her in a circle. To hell with it. He was drunk, and they were celebrating so why not.
He wrapped his arms around her luscious body and lifted her off the ground, spinning her in a fast circle. She let out a cry, her mouth curved in the prettiest smile.
“Oh my God, you’re crazy!”
He gave her another swirl, feeling the rush go straight to his brain. He didn’t know if it was from the feel of her in his arms, her breasts pressing against his chest, or the motion combined with too much alcohol.
“Okay, okay! You can put me down now.”
Realizing all his bandmates were looking at them, he did as Emelia asked.
“What’s my name?” He asked with a cocky grin.
She rolled her eyes. “Trevor.”
“No, no. What’s my name?”
“Fine. Rock God. Happy now?”
No, he was happier with her in his fucking arms. “Good girl.”
She gave a flip of her hair, drawing attention to the ruby red of her lips. And her body clad in a shape-fitting black dress with a neckline that plunged well past the top mounds of her breasts.
He forced himself to look away. “Did you like the show?”
“Are you kidding me? I freaking loved it. You guys totally slayed it out there.”
“Thanks.” Trevor combed through his hair with his fingers. “That means a lot to me.”
“It should.” Emelia’s eyes sparkled playfully. “I’m quite the music critic.”
“Oh yeah?” Trevor raised his eyebrows with amusement. “So, where does Infinity Prism fall on that category?”
“Epic,” Emelia gushed. “The entire performance was top notch.”
“Takes a lot to impress you, huh?” Trevor grinned.
“Indeed.”
He had to quit this. She was a distraction, and honestly, if the truth of his past ever came out this woman standing before him could ruin him. With one stomp of her foot, she could erase Infinity Prism off the map. He knew he had to stop, but his mouth refused to obey.
“Next show, stand in the pit where I can see you. That way I’ll know if I’m doing a good job.”
“You want me to stand right up front and get mobbed by your raging fans?”
“I want to be able to see you.” He licked his lower lip and leaned closer. “Fuck, I want to be able to smell you. Taste you if I want. That’s how close I want you to be.”
Her throat moved as she swallowed, her nostrils flaring.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d think Rock God is hitting on me.”
She wasn’t smiling, and there was nothing but heat in her eyes. She was holding herself back, same as him: silent denial and all that.
He cupped her cheek, his fingers curling around her head as he pulled her in closer. “I’m not subtle, Emelia. If I want something, I’m upfront about it.”
“Are you being upfront?”
Not enough, if she couldn’t tell. He was holding back intentionally. He had to.
Trevor cleared his throat and stood at attention when he noticed Grant huffing through the room, seemingly steamed about something as he crushed an empty beer can and threw it across the room.
“Grant?” Emelia crossed to him, her brow furrowed.
Grant threw up his hands and made a semi-circle around the room. “Sorry, my bad. My bad. Hey guys, hell of a show!”
There was an awkward silence as the band stared at him.
“Dude, have another beer.” Asher proposed from the other side of the room and tossed one to Grant across the space between them.
Grant smiled, but it was tight. His gaze flickered to Trevor, then quickly touched on Emelia. A sharp sneer pulled his mouth, but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared.
“I’ll take it to go. Gotta get stuff packed up.” He reached for his girlfriend. “Let’s go.”
“Oh, I thought I’d stay and—”
“We have the equipment to pack.”
“That’s what the crew is for.” Trevor stepped up next to Emelia. “We’re headed to Pour Kingdom to continue this after party. We’ll take Emelia with us, you know, to keep us in line and all.”
Grant’s face turned red. “That’s not what you’re paying her for. She’s my assistant, and I need her to do the job you hired us for.”
Emelia shrank back a little, gave a slight shake of her head, but Trevor didn’t know if it was for him or Grant. He bumped arms with her.
“Emelia, do you like packing up electrical cords and shit? Is that what Grant hired you to do?”
Her eyes went wide. “Uh... no, I’m the, ah, accountant and do the marketing and things.”
“Marketing. Good.” Trevor whipped out his iPhone. “So if I have you take some great shots of us celebrating at the afterparty, say pics we can use on our Instagram page— that would be considered marketing help. Correct?”
It crossed his beer-foggy mind that he was making things worse for her. That showing Grant up and putting Emelia in this position wasn’t doing her any favors. That, probably, her boyfriend would take it out on her later. And the idea of that drove him to near ra
ge.
She crossed her arms and looked to the floor. “I suppose. Yes.”
He knew better. He really did, but the post-performance high and alcohol had ahold of his common sense. He spread his arms wide. “Great. Then you fucking choose which job you want me to pay you for. Photographer-slash-marketer or equipment packer.”
The room had gone quiet save for the slosh of beer in bottles. Emelia twisted her hand together, not looking at him. Not looking at Grant as she went to stand beside him.
“Equipment packing sounds fine. Let’s go, Grant.”
Trevor was about to call her name. To make her wait. He was being an asshole. God, he felt it to his very bones, but he was outside of himself. It wasn’t an excuse. But it kept him from apologizing anyway.
He turned away from Emelia and grabbed another beer. Roman was looking at him a little too seriously. Asher had a quirky expression. Lucas was double-fisting his drinks, not too concerned about what was going on. And the room suddenly got cold, empty, as the sound of Emelia’s heels retreated out of it.
Good. He had killed that little problem. She would never speak to him again.
Problem. Solved.
The past could kiss his ass because he had just turned the tables to make sure it never crept up on him again. This band was fucking his and nothing was going to take it away from him.
“Good riddance.” He tossed his bottle a little too hard. “Let’s go.”
Half an hour later, he had forgotten his own name. Never mind the hot brunette with big tits and curvy ass that kept creeping into his mind. He settled into the leather bench seat in the private VIP room at the Pour Kingdom. Someone had put a crown on his head, and he let it stay. That’s right. He was a fucking Rock God. No, a Rock King!
The guys were acting like the party animals they were. Roman had already wandered off a while ago to another private room with a woman who’d approached him and asked for an autograph. Lucas was settled in with a chick on his lap in the corner. All Trevor needed was his beer and the memory of Emelia. A memory he wanted rid of. Damn.
“To an epic summer tour!” Trevor began as the rest of them cheered. “To Infinity Prism!”