Page 4 of His Secret Addiction

“So, don’t you think he is hot?” Abby asks, leaning on the desk, and I can feel her eyes burning into the side of my head.

Do I think Sebastian Foster is hot? Of course I do, and that annoys me to no end.

The man exudes that raw sexual energy that makes me feel things I would rather not. He is crazy talented at playing all instruments, as I learned firsthand growing up, and he perfectly embodies a rockstar with that ripped body and those beautiful dark eyes.

All that fades away when one learns what an asshole he is.

See, Sebastian Foster was and his parents still are my neighbors. I grew up in Valor Springs, in a beautiful neighborhood with friendly residents and plenty of kids my age to play with, but the most vibrant memories I have from my childhood all feature one person Sebastian.

He was the beautiful boy next door, whose one goal in life was to make it big in the music world. His window faced mine, and every night, I would fall asleep to the sound of him singing, and every morning I would wake up to him strumming his guitar.

When he got his record deal with his band and moved out, I was devastated. I struggled to fall asleep at night and felt like something important was missing. I was only ten years old, too young to be in love, but I adored Sebastian. He was my first crush, and nothing could ever live up to the image of him I carried in my memories.

But as his months away turned into years, I became annoyed with myself for never moving beyond my childhoodinfatuation with the man, especially since he couldn’t be bothered to visit. It was like he forgot where he came from the moment he left Valor Springs. Instead of coming home for holidays, he’d fly his parents out to meet him. He used to be close friends with my older cousins, James and Jax, but it didn’t take long for them to lose touch. It began to annoy me just how much I missed the sound of his music, how much I missed him, when he forgot me so easily.

I shake my head as if to rid myself of the memory of Sebastian before looking at my boss, who is watching me like a hawk. “Shouldn’t we be working?” I clear my throat, turning back to the computer. “You mentioned something about meeting James to discuss your upcoming wedding.” It’s a ploy to get her to drop the subject of my former secret crush, but she doesn’t take the bait.

“You are avoiding the question. Maybe it’s because you are hiding something from me.”

I start typing on the computer, manually logging in the hotel guest information. “And what could I possibly be hiding from you?”

“Rumor has it that Sebastian is originally from Valor Springs, is that true?”

“I’m certain James already confirmed that for you.”

“I didn’t ask James. I wanted to find out from you first.”

I shake my head at her. “Sebastian Foster might have grown up here, Abby, but he has wanted nothing to do with Valor Springs for years,” I say, flipping through the logbook to cross-check the dates and rooms for this week’s reservations. “But that has never stopped the town from claiming their favorite homegrown star. If Sebastian Foster is seeing someone, the entire town would be talking about it.”

“From what I read, the relationship has been kept a secret until recently.”

I smirk. “Haven’t you learned by now that you shouldn’t believe everything you read online?”

I don’t need to look up to see the embarrassment on her cheeks. Just last week she’d been convinced that Harry Styles was marrying a member of the British royal family and was going to become royalty.”

“This is different,” she insists. “Sebastian Foster confirmed it himself.”

The smirk drops from my lips and my eyes shoot to Abby, who is tapping the screen of her phone “W-what?”

“I’m trying to find the article I read this morning. Apparently, Sebastian posted a picture of the girl on his public profile, confirming the rumors.” She smiles and gives a little cheer when she finds what she’s looking for.

Jealousy. Blind, seething jealousy seers through me, leaving my heart racing. My hands grow shaky, and I find it hard to breathe as the news slowly settles in.

Sebastian is…dating. But he never dates!

I’m not one to keep up with celebrity gossip, but when it comes to Sebastian, I always want to know what he’s doing and if he’s released new music. For all his faults, the man is crazy talented, and sure, I’ve heard rumors about him with women before, but he and his manager always denied any relationship rumors. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, but I haven’t looked at the post yet. I was going to after I read the article, but James…distracted me.”

“Gross,” I say half-heartedly to distracted by wondering who this mystery girl is. An actress, maybe, or one of those prettyrunaway models with legs for days. Will I recognize her, or is she a non-celebrity? I could see it, Sebastian falling for a sweet girl in the city who shies away from the spotlight. For some reason, that thought hurts worse than the idea of him dating a model.

I don’t even know his type, if he has one. In the years we were neighbors, I never saw him bring a girl home. He was always in his bedroom writing songs and playing his instruments, and I was the little girl next door always trying to tag along and hoping for any scrap of his attention.

“Oh my God!”

Abby’s surprised voice forces my thoughts to the present, and I find her staring at her phone.

“What is it?”

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