Page 61 of Crave

I was about to shove him away and storm off, but he began rubbing his head and looked so nervous, I actually felt sorry for him. This was hell for him, too. Especially with Brody in his head, making fun that he was a virgin and trying to get the hot girl.

It was all fake. A role. If I could get my mind wrapped around the fact, maybe I could get through this and flourish. Maybe it would be all worth it.

“One kiss?”

He brightened. “Yeah. No hands.” He lifted his arms away. “Please?”

I must be nuts but I was going to do it. “Fine. Just stand there, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Close your eyes.”

His lids shut. A piece of me felt bad for the way he pursed his lips, obviously having no experience with kissing. Clayton was way over his head. I could do this.

I held one cheek gently and pressed my lips to his. I kept the pressure gentle and soft, showing him how to move his lips a bit until he seemed to relax and respond with a more natural ease. Then I pulled away.

“Wow.” He grinned, staring down at me with a happy light in his eyes. “Thanks, Landon. You’re a great kisser.”

I gave a half laugh and turned. “Sure. We better get back.”

It was then I saw the cameras rolling, catching every second of our kissing session.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Adam

Listen to Far Behind

by Candlebox

In forty-eight hours, I’d be on a plane to LA.

I checked my text stream but Landon hadn’t responded. Our schedules were a little off since I was running around doing last minute shit and Landon couldn’t have her phone while she was shooting. I thought of her on that awful remote farm surrounded by guys who wanted to get in her pants. It was hard to swallow but I kept reminding myself it was her career and she deserved to make her own choices. I wouldn’t be that type of toxicity for her.

I’d done a bunch of packing but it was easy to leave because I had nothing to care for. No plants or animals or people left who I gave a shit about. Just Landon.

I grabbed my guitar and headed out to meet the band. We were doing a dry rehearsal for a few new songs at the local club. Tickets were sold in limited quantities, but since I’d gone viral,Unison had become a hot topic of gossip, especially me as lead singer. When I got there, people were lined up and screaming my name, which was so fucking weird. Is this how it’d be in LA? I never expected to be in the limelight—only the guy in the background writing the lyrics.

But the thrill was real, whether I liked it or not. The idea that these strangers connected with the music we played gave me a feeling I’d never experienced. Like an adrenalin rush, but spiked with danger.

I knew what happened to assholes who let their egos take over. They did drugs and cheated on their girlfriends. They chased pleasure and forgot what they were there for.

I refused to let that happen to me.

I waved at the crowd and met JJ and the crew back stage. “What the hell is going on out there?” I asked, fist bumping the guys. “We giving something away?”

JJ grinned. “Not gonna lie, dude. Your little reality drama gave us a new audience and we want to take advantage. There’s a photographer here who’ll take a few pics to stream out ahead of LA.”

I groaned. “You gotta be kidding me. I’m over it. Ready to move on.”

Lance laughed. “We’re not! We’ll ride your pussy drama all the way to the bank.” The guys chimed in and agreed.

I rolled my eyes, taking the jabs because I had no choice. I wish I could be pissed at Gabby but I know her social media audience and that she figured she’d help get us some attention. Too bad it worked so well. “Let’s go warm up and do our real job.”

We tuned up and people began to stream in. The stage was small, the club cramped, and the air conditioning terrible. The drinks were watered down so everyone ordered shots. People crushed in around us and when we opened with a powered-uprock song, the energy immediately burst at me, making my blood throb and my adrenalin spike to massive levels.

I was drenched in sweat immediately. I bounced around the stage and interacted with the guys as flash bulbs popped and people screamed. When I did the slow song Elle and Noah wrote, a buzz lit up the crowd as they swayed back and forth. One girl began to cry and threw out her arms. It was a total addictive experience I was starting to get familiar with.

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