Page 10 of Hard Rock Sin
He scowled, eyeing me.
"I'll stick close to you and Jen the whole time," I promised.
With a sigh and a grunt, he nodded once.
I threw my arms around his neck with a cheer and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you. I promise I'll behave."
"It's not your behavior I'm worried about."
I bit my tongue as I picked up my bags from the floor and went to change quickly.
I'd finally gone shopping for more appropriate clothing. All I owned were school uniforms, yoga pants for the weekend, and grungy paint-spilled jeans and t-shirts I'd worn during my time at the artists' retreat. Aside from that one hot number I'd worn at my brother's concert, I had nothing that could be considered mature. Adult. Sexy.
My cheeks flushed, remembering the look on Cameron's face as he scanned me up and down.
I wanted to be mature.
I wanted to be sexy.
I settled on a classy little black dress with a hemline just shy of scandalous. Noah narrowed his eyes at me when I stepped out of the bedroom. I lifted my chin up, challenging him. He frowned and turned away, not saying anything. One point to Lily.
When we were all ready, Jen, Noah and I filed into a taxi. Jen's red face told me she wasn't quite over her embarrassment. I gave her an apologetic smile, knowing the awkwardness would fade after an hour or two, as it always did.
The taxi took us into the fancier part of town, full of mansions owned by celebrities, star athletes, and rich CEOs.
"Why don't you own a place here?" I teased my brother. "Aren't you a rich and famous rock star?"
"There's a difference between being well off and being obscenely wealthy."
As we pulled up to a mansion, I had to agree. The place was massive, with a handful of floors on a vast, expertly landscaped property.
Expertly landscaped, aside from the trash, beer bottles, and cigarette butts tossed haphazardly on the lawn. Loud music blasted from every open window. More than two dozen people mingled in the front yard, dancing, stumbling, and laughing in their drunkenness.
"I see Natalie!" Jen hopped out of the taxi the moment it came to a stop. As I climbed out, I watched a bodyguard at the front gates nod her through. Noah exited the vehicle and tugged me close to his side.
There were even more people milling about in the marble-floored foyer than there had been out on the front lawn. Everyone had one drink or another in their hand, whether it was a beer, a cocktail, or some other concoction in a red plastic cup. A few were even drinking straight out of liquor bottles.
As I took in the high ceilings, crystal chandeliers, and fancy art on the walls, something vaguely skunk-scented wafted through the air. I wrinkled my nose at the smell. Alcohol wasn't the only substance being consumed. Despite the classy decor surrounding us, this was like every frat party I'd seen in the movies.
People eyed me as we made our way through the mansion. Girls with quizzical looks on their faces whispered to each other, before recognition set in. Guys leered and started making their way over to me before their friends pulled them back with a shake of their head and a warning.
Great. Thanks to my social media stunt, everyone knew I was Noah Hart's little sister. Everyone was staying away. Especially the guys.
"Stick close to me," Noah said. "Don't talk to those guys over there. And whatever you do, knock before you enter any bathroom."
"Are you going to tell me not to take candy from strangers, too?"
"I don't want you getting into trouble."
"I'm here to hang out with you and your friends, maybe dance a little. That's all. Speaking of…" I looked around the room, not seeing anyone familiar. "I haven't seen August or the twins in forever. Can we go find them?"
Noah escorted me through the mansion room by room, looking for his bandmates. From what I recalled, the twins had always been mischievous pranksters, always trying to mess with me. August had been more distant, but he looked out for me when Noah couldn't. It had almost been like having a handful of brothers.
Of course, my feelings for Cameron had never been familial in the slightest.
Remembering that this mansion was his home gave me pause. I knew my brother's band was popular, but surely Cameron's royalties couldn't pay for a place like this. Like Noah had said, there was well off, and then there was obscenely wealthy. This mansion was close to being obscene.
"His Royal Highness has made an appearance!"
