Rockstar Romance Boxed Set (12 Book Bundle New Adult BBW)

by Emme Rollins

  “I don’t think…”

  “You want the interview or not?” Gage growled, holding out his hand. “We don’t have to do this if you don’t want. You can go back to your magazine people and tell them you couldn’t get one measly interview with Gage Stevens all because you didn’t want to attend the after-party. One-time opportunity, Kate.”

  She seemed undecided still, before finally saying curtly, “No offence, Gage – but if I come with, you’re not going to treat me like one of your cheap groupies. This is just for work.”

  His lips curved humorlessly. “And you were always about that, weren’t you? Focused, ambitious Kate Preston. I’m glad that’s paid off for you at least, since you’re obviously some hot shot reporter if you could get this interview with me.”

  Her eyes flashed emerald fire, and he sucked in a harsh breath. Fuck she was so beautiful. Maybe the most beautiful woman he’d ever known. But she was also cold, single-minded – and she’d dumped him when he’d needed her most.

  Dropping his hand which she still ignored, he shrugged nonchalantly and grabbed his jacket off the back of a chair.

  “You can drop your high-handedness, Kate. As you can probably tell, there’s no need for me to throw myself at you or any chick. So if you really want me answering any questions for your magazine, I think you’re better off doing what I say. So shall we go?”

  *

  If Kate had ever considered a worst case scenario about how everything would go, then this was it.

  The shock of actually meeting Gage again had been more acute than she’d foreseen. Even worse was being kissed by him and then being unable to resist. She’d melted into him almost the same second their lips touched. If that wasn’t borderline needy and pathetic, Kate didn’t know what else was.

  The drive down in Gage’s limo had been a quick one across town to the hotel. Kate had never seen so many screaming people racing after them as they’d rode out of the arena. Everyone recognized Gage’s gleaming red customized limo. The driver had to speed down a few back roads before they finally got rid of the convoy of fans. A few more twists and turns and they were on the road to the hotel.

  The drinking started right from the limo ride, of course. Apart from Kate there were other people riding with them; a PR assistant, Gage’s personal aide and a couple of his guys from the band and they were all in a boisterous mood, drinking champagne and laughing.

  Kate felt swept up by the tide as they got to the magnificent hotel where the bar had been set up for the after-party. Kate had never seen so much booze in her life. The music was pounding through the speakers and people were dancing and chatting. Gage drew her to his side and started introducing her to a few key people. Someone pushed a mixed cocktail in her hand and she was almost afraid to try it. She wasn’t much of a drinker and when Gage glanced her way, he told her, “It’s just rum and black coffee liqueur. It’s great, you’ll like it.”

  She did, right from the first sip. She’d never tasted anything like that before and it seemed to zip straight through her system. Whoa. She had to remember to take things easy on the alcohol, which she didn’t handle so well. She couldn’t help wondering how long she’d have to hang around to get him to actually spare a few minutes to answer her questions.

  The party venue had the same buzzing atmosphere as the live arena but with a more cramped, head-spinning intensity. There was a lot of wild dancing, and girls crawling all over any member of the band or anyone connected to the band. Kate had to beat off two or more zealous roadies who thought she was one of the happy-go-lucky groupies.

  She looked around the crowded room for Gage. At some point they’d been separated by a few of his adoring group and she wondered if he’d probably forgotten all about her and the interview. He’d probably been stolen off by the two gorgeous blonde twins she’d seen clawing all over him just ten minutes ago. Kate coughed slightly as the mist of cigarette smoke and lord knew what else finally reached her nostrils.

  These folks sure knew how to party, Kate thought as she backed into a corner, gulping some of her cocktail in the hope of calming her nerves. and Kate would have tried to have fun if it wasn’t for the fact that this was meant to be an assignment – and Kate of all people knew she’d better not mess things up…

  “You don’t fit in very well, do you?” A familiar voice said in her ear, and she whipped around to find Gage standing there in the shadow of the heavy drapes. His hand circled her elbow and he drew her even further back.

  “What are you…”

  He lifted a finger in the air as if to silence her, and she scowled at him. He merely grinned. “If I didn’t know who you were, I’d have been intrigued. I’d think to myself, who’s this stunning redhead? But it wouldn’t be what you are that would catch my eye – it would be what you weren’t…such as overdressed, gushing, drunk or heavily made up,” Gage said softly, his eyes lowering as he looked down at the lock of her hair he’d caught between his fingers.

  Kate held her breath, wondering what he was up to now. But he went on in that same quiet tone, “All the other girls privileged to make it to this party are flirting, giggling and shrieking every time they catch sight of a famous face. But you…you keep yourself aloof; retaining that graceful air about you like fluttering wings. You don’t care much for rock stars, do you?”

  “I told you, I’m here on a job,” she said firmly, telling herself she wasn’t in the least stirred by being in a hidden, intimate corner with Gage, hidden from the rest of the partying crowd. “So when am I going to actually get down to it?”

  He gave her a lop-sided smile. “When we get up to my hotel room.”

  Gage saw the look on her face, and his chuckle deepened. “Relax; it’s not what you think. My mates and I are taking the party up to my suite. If we don’t sneak out now, we’ll never leave. You and I will have a better chance to talk without the smoke and the nosy photographers.”

  Lifestyle of the rich and famous…thought Kate as she begrudgingly left the party with Gage who was able to make it out without getting noticed, thanks to his guards making a diversion. They were at least eight cramming into the lift up to Gage’s suite. His band mates and their hangers-on were as rumbustious as ever, and some had even brought along bottles of liquor along.

  Gage sent Kate an expressive smile. “We’re just so happy the gig was so successful. It’s our last one before we go on tour,” he said just as the lift doors opened and they all piled out. Kate straightened her outfit which had been rumpled when she’d been practically sardine-packed with the others in the car.

  “I never asked if you enjoyed the show,” he said mildly once they were inside the massive suite. Almost at once the environment was filled with music as someone turned on the system. Kate couldn’t help staring around in awe. The suite had to be made up of at least five luxurious sections, including two bedrooms, living room area, office and bar.

  Kate was struck by the sheer opulence of every item in the suite and the fact that her whole apartment could fit into these accommodations at least thrice.

  Turning to Gage, she replied, “You must know how well you did, Gage. There’s no doubt you’re the master of putting up a great performance. It was very…stirring.”

  What she couldn’t tell him of course was how he’d positively oozed sensuality on stage and through his music, causing frenzy among the fans especially the females who had shrieked with adoration and lust through the whole show. Kate certainly couldn’t tell how much her mouth had watered – and her heart had ached – as she’d watched her ex give a magical live show in front of hundreds of thousands.

  Gage smiled at her reply, holding a frosted bottle in his hand from which he filled a glass for her and then himself. Kate took it reluctantly, taking a tentative sip and felt the sensation that this was the kind of drink that could go straight to her head if she let it. Other than that, she had Gage to worry about. He was still the same – yet so different.

  Here, in his fantasy world of opulence an
d fame. Surrounded by his admirers and fellow band mates, successful in their own rights and popular for their role in the band. It seemed almost incredible to picture Gage in the midst of all this, but then, looking at him now, she couldn’t deny that it suited him well.

  He didn’t yet have the dissipated look that some rock stars had; his youth was undeniable and he had a great shape still. At age thirty-two, his body was lean like a pro swimmer’s, as well as ripped with manly hardness. He grew his hair much longer than he used to and there was a sleekness to him that she’d never got to see years ago when he was just gorgeous yet slightly scruffy Gage.

  Now, the polish one could get only from making several million dollars per show was evident in everything about him. His expensive yet stylishly understated clothes, his mega-star looks and his demeanor reminded her that Forbes had listed him as making twenty five million dollars last year alone.

  He was regarding her with a speculative look that put her on her guard. Standing next to him made it easy to forget the other people mingling in the rooms; laughing, chatting and necking. The drummer who Kate knew his name as Chan, an Asian with dyed blue hair had one of the giggly groupies from down in the bar draped around him and they were giggling together like they were high on something. Kate forced herself to meet Gage’s eyes and at once, it was like being sent back in time.

  Kate really, really wished Gage wouldn’t look at her like that. The last thing she wanted to do was remember…and regret.

  “I always wondered what you’d think of me – that was, if you ever did think of me,” he said wryly. “Now that I’ve achieved all I set out to do, and much more.”

  “I was happy for you,” Kate said promptly, sincerely. “There wasn’t a day that I didn’t think you deserved it – all of it. No matter what may have happened or the things I said, I always wished you well, Gage.”

  His lips tilted in a crooked smile as he placed his glass on the nearby bar. “I believe you,” he said quietly. “In a way, I owe you some thanks. This all became possible because of you.” He waved his hands expansively.

  “What…what do you mean?” Kate asked in a voice hushed with confusion.

  “After you left me,” he said with a shrug, his tone bland. “It was like I was lost in a black hole. And during those dark weeks afterwards came my greatest inspiration. I wrote a whole bunch of songs that would later become my best selling debut album.”

  Kate felt realization dawn as she remembered that very first album that had gone on to win Gage countless awards for album of the year and song of the year and new artist of the year.

  The songs had been gritty and heart-felt, filled with depth and melodic agony. At least, that was what the reviewers had said. She remembered reading an article where Gage had confessed that a personal trauma had got him writing those songs with so much emotions running high in them.

  Well, those ‘emotions’ had sat well with the public and Gage’s songs became the top downloaded and sold songs for two years running, breaking the major charts around the world.

  “My success story is hinged on you walking out that door, Kate,” Gage said with a mild twist to his smile. “I always promised myself that if I ever saw you again, I’d thank you for being so instrumental to the success you never believed me capable of in my music career.”

  Kate wasn’t sure what to say. ‘You’re welcome’ just didn’t seem appropriate, and he’d only made her feel worse, not better, with his confession.

  She’d never believed she’d truly hurt him when she’d left. They’d been together barely a year, after all. She’d been so sure he’d forgotten all about her almost the minute she’d walked away. And then, seeing him in all those magazines with a different beauty every time, had shown her that with his fame came the choice that he could have any woman he wanted. No woman would ever think of walking away from Gage Stevens now.

  Not when he’d become the groupie king; with girls throwing their underwear at him and flashing their tits at him at concerts. He had a massive following in all the social media. He even had his own “fan base” known as “Gagers” who were the equivalent of the “Beliebers” and “Directioners” of this world. Anytime there was an awards show, or whenever a new single or video of his came out, his “Gagers” always came out full force to give him support and spread the word.

  This meant, of course, that Gage was hardly out of the media whether on the web or on TV and print. Anything he did drew a news crew’s presence. Kate began to feel that everywhere she looked; there was something about Gage even up to what he did in his private life. From who he had on his arm at the last red carpet event; to his latest tattoo.

  There were even rumors of him getting his very own reality show, and Kate just knew it would be another money spinner for him too.

  He had houses in numerous choice parts of the country and the world. Had his own private jet and ultra-fitted tour bus. A single two-hour performance on any major stage earned him more money than Kate could hope to earn in five years. It was staggering to think of. Gage Stevens was a rockstar god. And he used to be hers.

  “It was you, Kate,” Gage was saying plainly, his eyes pinned to hers. “No one knows till today the inspiration behind my breakout album. How does it feel knowing you broke my heart and gave me so many demons that drive me and haunt me till this day?”

  Kate’s heart was thumping; she felt like it was literally cracking to pieces. The anger, the pain in his eyes was so raw it cut through her like a blade. She believed him. Believed now that he must have truly cared and she had truly hurt him. He didn’t hide the profound torment from his expression and just holding his gaze made everything around them fade out like background pieces. No music, no voices, no presence. Just their long-buried awareness creeping up from the cracks and shrouding them in tempestuous sails.

  “Gage, I…”

  Kate didn’t get the chance to complete her sentence, as one of the girls swayed up to them and then practically stumbled into Gage, who caught her deftly. The willowy brunette was dressed in a slip of a frock and knee-high black boots with four inch heels. She was holding a half-drunk bottle of whiskey and grinning foolishly up at Gage.

  “Hey, sexy. Are you two going to be standing about yakking all night?” the young woman said in a breathy, come-on voice. “I’ve been waiting forever for a piece of your time, Gage. And if your friend insists on staying, then I don’t mind sharing. She’s pretty. I like redheads.” The girl turned and winked at Kate, who exhaled with suppressed annoyance.

  “Amanda, not now. This is a reporter from Stardom magazine. We’re trying to hold an interview here.” His voice was gruff and Kate could see his fingers biting into the girl’s slender arms as he held her back from his lips.

  “Reporter, huh? Is that what they call it now? I saw the way you two were looking at each other,” Amanda muttered while wagging a clumsy, reprimanding finger in Gage’s face. “I just had to come over here before someone ripped someone else’s clothes off.”

  “Amanda…”

  “Excuse me,” Kate mumbled, suddenly dumping her glass on the bar and spinning off to find the bathroom.

  She didn’t look left or right as she stumbled through the doors to the en suite bathroom. It was no surprise that it was as luxuriously fitted as the rest of the suite. There was a shower enclosure that had the latest spray technology with multiple showerheads above and at the sides of the walls. A huge whirlpool tub still couldn’t dwarf the immense spaciousness of the bathroom. Designer toiletries were arranged in stylish cabinets and all the fittings were well crafted and eye-catching. Kate sank unto the closed toilet seat and covered her face in her hands.

  What had made her think she could do this? Treat Gage like a normal stranger when they had a past, though brief, between them? And then just minutes ago, he’d made her believe that though brief, her time with him had impacted him in ways that made their break-up such a traumatic experience for him. She recalled every song in that first album and how Gage
had been drawn listeners around the world with his ‘tortured artist’ persona, laying himself bare and singing songs that hearts out there could relate to.

  And now he was saying it had been all about her. Or at least, about her leaving him. He’d just made the guilt she’d felt before now ten times worse.

  Suddenly realizing she’d spent way too much time holed up in the bathroom, Kate rose from the seat, checked out her reflection, and pinched her pale cheeks. If she could, she’d walk out, right out of the suite and not look back. Walk away from Gage and his rock band pals and his blonde floosy or whoever that chick was that had been crawling all over him back there.

  She walked back into the room, only just realizing that the tone of music had changed to one of Gage’s more sonorous songs, filling the suite with strains of string guitars and smoky, restless Gage singing through the speakers.

  She stared in amazement at the now empty room. “What happened? Where is everyone?”

  “Gone. I made them leave,” Gage said softly, turning form whatever he was fiddling with at the sound system. He viewed her with critical eyes. “Are you okay? Want to start the interview now?”

  “I don’t think…”

  “It’s late, and we’ve both had a long night,” he said mildly, “So I’ll be cooperative as possible. Ask me whatever you like. Go on, sit down,” he said, indicating an easy chair close to where he sat on the couch opposite.

  Drawing in a deep breath, Kate finally made up her mind to see this through. A few questions were required for the two-page feature. In a half hour, tops, she could wrap this up and leave without making a fool of herself and giving in to the urge to lunge in Gage’s direction and simply ravish him with kisses. She could just see herself straddling his thighs as she kissed him, her knees digging into the couch as she ground her panty-covered pussy over his erection sheathed beneath his pants.