Page 72 of Hayden's Stalker

“But they probably camped out overnight to see us,” I point out, hopeful that she’ll see it’s unfair of me not to go and sign autographs for them after they waited so long for us.

Her jaw tightens, and she says simply, “No.”

Sebastian looks between the two of us and raises his eyebrows. “Well, I’m going to go see them.” He turns to Lita and smiles at her before he says, “Can you hold Mira, please?”

“Of course,” Lita says, holding her arms out to take their baby off him.

A surprising pang of envy floods through me at the unfairness of my situation. Seb gets to be carefree and dowhatever he wants. He has a fiancée who loves him and a beautiful baby.

I look at Tati and can’t help but frown as I do. She’s another reminder that I can’t have the life I want, and I still have to break up with my boyfriend tonight. Nonetheless, I promised her I would do whatever she asked of me, so I keep my mouth shut as I watch Seb walk over to the fans with Lita’s bodyguard by his side.

They cheer as he approaches them, and Jesse asks Tati in an undertone, “Can I say something?”

I turn to look at him as she frowns at him and says, “Sure.”

“I’m concerned that skipping something like this might make the stalker feel they have some kind of power over Hayden.”

I’m surprised to hear this, and I want to ask if that’s true, but I also don’t want to get involved. It does make the butterflies in my stomach double in number, though. I fucking hate having a stalker.

“Or, it’ll give the stalker an opportunity to get close to him,” Tati argues.

“Okay, but surely if we’re both there, we can get involved if there are any issues.”

A tiny spark of hope that I might get to go see the fans lights up inside me. I honestly don’t know if Tati will change her mind, though.

She turns to look at me and asks, “You always do this?”

“Every concert sinceCards Have Been Dealt,” I say quickly, and I can barely breathe as I wait for her to make a call.

“Okay.” She heaves a deep sigh, and I try not to grin too widely. “If I have even an inkling that something is amiss, I will pull you out so fast your head will spin. Don’t get distracted. Listen for my voice. If I tell you to do something, you do it.”

“Deal,” I promise her quickly.

I follow her over to the group of about forty fans, pleased that I won’t have to let them down today. Seb’s already taking selfies with them and signing autographs as they talk.

Their focus is entirely on him, but a couple of people notice me, and I smile as I approach them. “Hey, guys, thanks for coming.”

I’m immediately bombarded with requests for pictures and more autographs. Some people want pics with both Seb and me even though they already took pics with him alone. It’s awesome, and I thank everyone who I talk to for coming out. We don’t leave until we’ve both signed something for all of them and ensured that everyone has the pictures they want.

We have plenty of time before the soundcheck, so nobody tries to rush us away, and by the time I’m thanking everyone again and saying goodbye, I feel like I’m flying. Interacting with fans always reminds me of why I do this.

I walk side by side with Tati as we head back toward the venue. I’m so grateful to her for allowing me to do that when she would’ve had every reason to say no. I truly appreciate that she went out of her way to accommodate what I wanted instead of just taking the easy route.

I put my arm around her shoulders and squeeze tightly as I say, “Thank you, Tati. That made my day.”

“You’re welcome,” she says, and I’m caught off-guard by her breathy voice.

I look down at her, and I’m surprised to find that her eyes are wide, her lips slightly parted, and her chest is rising and falling rapidly.

All of a sudden, I’m hit by the feeling of having her in my arms. The warmth of her body next to mine is comforting, and she fits perfectly beside me. Her floral scent invades my senses, and I want to kiss her soft lips.

I want to hear her moan my name in ecstasy. I want to enjoy the sound of her panting breath while I eat her out. I want to spend hours exploring every inch of her and get to know her body as well as I know my own.

Even as I have this realization, I’m acutely aware that there are many reasons why we can’t be together. The air around us is thick with sexual tension, and I know I should do something to cut through it.

“It’s what a good friend would do. Of all my friends, the one who lets me go see my fans is my favorite,” I tell her.

It doesn’t come out at all like the casual joke I intended it to be. Instead, it sounds exactly like I want to throw her to the ground and fuck her where we stand.

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