Page 83 of Hayden's Stalker

I run my gaze over the handmade gifts from fans, bunches of flowers, and gift baskets that will likely be from brands and shrug. “Whoever accepted the delivery, I guess. The fan gifts are brought back by security.”

I catch sight of a hand-drawn picture that is clearly from a fan and based on the cover ofGames We Playand smile. It’s so life-like, except being in black and white because it’s drawn in pencil, and I’m always amazed by people who have the ability to draw like that.

“Don’t touch anything.” Tatiana walks behind me and opens the door. “Jesse, come in here. I need your help.”

“What’s up?” he asks as he joins us in the room.

“We need to look through these,” she gestures to the gifts. “Hayden, are you showering here or on the bus?”

She clearly wants me to go while they look through my gifts, so I offer, “I was going to take a bath on the bus, but I can shower here if you want me out of your way.”

Her jaw tightens, and she nods. “It would probably be helpful.”

“Not a problem.” I smile at her and head toward the bathroom.

I pause at the desk on the other side of the room and snatch up my phone. I cringe as I look at the screen. Blake’s been calling me during the concert, and I have multiple texts from him.

I know you’re probably in the concert now, but can we talk?

I’m not sure why you did what you did, but I love you.

Can you please call me? I’m sorry I accused you of sleeping with Tatiana. I didn’t mean it. I know you don’t want to throw away what we have just because of one mistake.

I close the app, grateful that I turned off read receipts, so he won’t know I’ve read his messages. I know that soon it’ll be obvious I’ve read them, but for now, he’ll probably assume I’m just busy with the concert.

I lock my phone and drop it back where it was before I head into the bathroom and strip off to get in the shower. I groan in satisfaction as the hot water hits my aching muscles. Now the excitement is fading, I’m tired and everything is sore.

As I’m wrapping a towel around my waist after I turn off the shower, there’s a knock at the door, and Tati calls out in a tight voice, “Are you decent?”

I glance at my pile of clean clothes nearby, then down at the towel that technically covers my modesty. “Uh, yes?”

Tati enters the room, and her eyes widen slightly at the sight of me. I would be turned on by the fact that we’re alone together and I’m practically naked, except that she’s clearly distressed. I can see it in the way her entire body is tense, and she has a frown on her beautiful face.

“I need your phone,” she says in a strange voice.

“What? Why?” I frown at her, confused by her request.

She sighs. “I have to call Blake and ask him if he sent you any flowers, even though I don’t think he did.”

Fear grips me, and I don’t know what she’s found in my gifts, but I know I won’t like it because her demeanor has changeddramatically since I left her in that room with Jesse looking through the presents.

“What’s happened, Tatiana?”

“You got some flowers and a card from someone that I think is your stalker. It’s the kind of thing that a boyfriend would say, though, so I need to make sure that Blake didn’t send you them.”

I stare at her, absolutely certain that Blake is so self-absorbed he wouldn’t have sent me anything. He never has for a concert before, so I don’t see why he would now. At the same time, I can see why Tati needs to check. I nod at Tati and head back into my dressing room to pick up my phone and unlock it before I hand it to her.

She opens the phone app and presses Blake’s name on the screen. I don’t know what he says when the call connects, but Tati scowls as she listens to him.

“Blake, do not hang up. I need to know if you sent Hayden flowers tonight.”

She rolls her eyes, sighs, and pulls the phone down to look at the screen. Obviously, he hung up on her because the call is no longer connected, but she just presses his name again to call him back.

Once again, she listens with a scowl before she snarls, “And I said, don’t hang up. You can answer my question, or I will come around to your house and ask it in fucking person.Did you send Hayden flowers?”

I have no idea what he says to her, but she pulls the phone away from her ear, and this time she’s the one who hangs up on him before she holds my phone out to me.

“It wasn’t Blake, and personally, I’d block his number if I were you.”

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