Page 8 of Verses Of Us

The car parked and they jumped out.

“Invite the brunette with the pink top in.”

“Brunette?” Anthony replied, confused. Ciarán’s pre-show preferences usually involved blondes.

“Did I stutter?” Ciarán snapped.

Anthony shook his head and went outside, being swallowed by the hoard of screaming fans. Ciarán continued on ahead to his private dressing room to wait.

The young woman walked in, wearing the wrong shade of makeup and her clothes were too tight, leaving nothing to the imagination. She wasn’t Alexis, but then again, he was positive no one was. Her blue eyes didn’t spark the same interest, and this girl’s body, though gorgeous, wasn’t calling out his deepest desires. He hid a sigh behind a sip of whiskey.

Ciarán put on the charm. Not that he needed to. She gushed about being a huge fan, but said nothing original, nothing that captivated his attention. His thoughts kept wandering back to Alexis—her lips, that perfect Cupid’s bow, the way her eyes shot like daggers across the table to stir something inside he’d repressed years before. Somehow, she had frightened him, jolted him. Unlike any drug or drink, those soft lips feathering his cheek had ignited his deepest desires.

The fan approached—her name had already slipped his mind—and within seconds, without him asking, she was on her knees. He despised not having to fight for sex anymore. More than willing to please him, these girls just did it. And as of a few hours ago, that had been a highlight of his career. Now, Ciarán resented the perk.

Most celebrities would mock him and tell him to enjoy the life, but he couldn’t help it. Years of being coddled, of being worshipped, of endless shags, left him jaded. Things came too easily sometimes and he couldn’t stand it. What he enjoyed the most about sex, the part that was magic, was the pursuit. But now, the need to pursue was gone. No longer did he have to beg someone to let him in, to put in the work of convincing them of his worth. And he wanted to, so badly. He ached to prove he was more than this rock demigod, and the more he thought of her, the more he believed Alexis was the one he wanted to prove it to the most.

He knew so very little about her. She liked purple; she had fairly decent taste in music, and shockingly, was worried she’d live an unexceptional life.

Was she kidding?With the mystery in every word that spilled from her beautiful mouth, and the maturity that went beyond her years, it was impossible someone so breathtaking would have anything but an exceptional life.

He tried to shake her from his thoughts and glanced down at the girl on her knees—the name Jennifer came to mind. Her slurping was making a fucking mess, her spit all over her face, but all he could picture was Alexis. He didn’t imagine her sucking him off. He saw himself sucking on her until she screamed and came against his face. The more he pictured it, the harder he got and, honestly, it was the only thing that kept his dick up.

When Jennifer was done, he thanked her with a kiss and sent her on her way, locking the door behind her. He fell onto the sofa and sighed. She had helped him relieve some tension, but far from enough.

That haunting green gaze returned to his mind, hardening his cock once more. He laughed at his insatiable need and, with a firm grip, stroked himself from base to tip, coming within seconds, so loudly, so forcefully, he saw spots behind his closed eyes.

Damn his fucking insufferable schedule and his powerlessness to get his way. People called him a diva rockstar, one who always got what he wanted. But that was so far from the truth. He was the by-product of a system that kept him chained to his career, to schedules, to never-ending demands. Shit, he couldn’t even get more than an hour with someone who’d piqued his interest and stirred his lust.

He hoped he’d see her tonight. And if he did, he promised himself he wouldn’t let his job stand in the way of what he wanted. He’d make the time to find her and get what he needed.

JUST A KISS

Alexis

“Youkissedhim?”Juliedropped onto the bed with a bounce, her eyes wide.

“It was a peck. On the cheek.” Despite her casual shrug, Alexis couldn’t hold back her smile.

Hours later, still giddy, she wanted to cling to the feelings their kiss had stirred up.

“That’s still a kiss. I can’t believe it!”

Alexis understood her friend’s shock. This was so unlike her; the girl who had only ever kissed one boy at Julie’s sweet sixteen party during a game of Spin the Bottle.

“And then what happened?”

“Nothing. I had to leave.” Alexis worked her lip, hesitating to tell her friend the rest.

“Bull,” Julie replied, sitting up. “There’s more you’re not telling me.”

The issue with having a best friend like Julie, someone who’d known Alexis her whole life, was that lying to her was impossible.

“OK, don’t freak out. He asked if I could be near the stage tonight. And when I left, I turned around and… he was holding his cheek.”

Julie’s eyes grew wider, almost as wide as her mouth. “Oh my God, Lexi. This is… this is… Like how exactly was he holding his cheek?”

Alexis laughed. “The way most people would, I guess.”

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