Page 12 of Big & Burly Rockstar

Chapter 6

Elli

As soon as my alarm goes off, my eyes fly open and last night’s events come rushing back. Devon kissed me. Kissed me like I’ve never been kissed before. The memory of his lips on mine makes my core tense. I jump out of bed and hasten into the bathroom. I need a shower. A cold one.

I take my time drying my hair and getting ready, putting on more make-up than usual. Too soon I’m done. You’ll have to face him eventually. Bracing myself, I push open my bedroom door.

My eyes widen. A beautiful old Martin guitar is right outside my bedroom, placed carefully on a stand and with a note lying in front of it.

The message written in large, irregular handwriting is short. Enjoy, princess. Dev

A slow smile spreads over my face as I bring the guitar into my bedroom. Sitting on the edge of my bed, I strum a chord. The sound is rich and warm, and the body of the instrument vibrating against my belly calms me.

Still smiling, I start to sing. Quietly at first, but then louder. And with every note I sing, I feel the tension of the past six months flow out of me. My shoulders are loose, my jaw is relaxed, and I’m happy. So damn happy. For the first time in forever, I feel like myself again.

I don’t know how long I sit there and sing my heart out. But when I look out of the window, the soft morning light is gone, and the sun is shining hard and bright.

“You have a beautiful voice.”

I gasp, almost dropping the guitar, and jerk my head toward the door. Dev looms in the doorframe, smiling at me. I want to tell him off for sneaking up on me again, but I can’t. So instead, I smile back. “Thank you.”

He walks into the room, and my pulse quickens. Suddenly I’m hyper-aware of the bed I’m sitting on.

“Why did you stop playing?” he asks, standing in front of me so I have to crane my neck to look at him.

“I told you, it’s—”

“Complicated. Yeah.” He rolls his eyes. “I can tell how much you love it.” A sly gleam brightens his eyes. “Just how I could tell how much you loved our kiss.”

My face heating, I shake my head. “I didn’t. In fact, it was a terrible kiss. The worst kiss of my life.”

Devon lifts an eyebrow, and I laugh.

“Oh, really?” he asks, his voice husky. He sits down next to me, so close that his thigh touches against mine. His spicy, masculine scent fills my nostrils and I breathe him in.

“Really.” My voice is higher than usual.

He leans in close, his breath tickling the sensitive skin under my ear. “So you don’t want to do it again?” he murmurs.

I shake my head, my breathing going fast. “No. Nope. Definitely not.”

He brushes a kiss to my jaw, then to my cheek, moving closer and closer to my mouth. My heart thunders in my chest and I can’t help but lean into his touch. His lips are at the corner of my mouth, and my breath catches. But then—

“Shame,” he says, and pulls back, smirking. “Otherwise I would’ve kissed you.” He brushes his thumb over my bottom lip. “Here. And then here.” His thumb strokes down my neck and I wonder if he can feel my erratic pulse. Judging by the smug look on his face, he can.

“Maybe here,” he murmurs, his voice hoarse. He traces my collar bone. Goosebumps rise where he touches me. “Or here.” His hand hovers over my breast, almost touching it, and I can’t help but arch my back until his large palm covers my breast. The purely male smile he gives me makes my core tighten. He moves his hand lower, tracing my stomach, closer and closer to my throbbing center. “And I definitely would have kissed you here.” He rubs his thumb over my clit and I gasp, shuddering beneath his touch. My panties are soaked.

“But,” he says, his thumb circling my clit through my jeans, “I wouldn’t want to do anything you don’t want, princess.” And with those words he stands up, a broad grin on his face, and leaves me sitting alone on my bed, my face red and my pussy throbbing.

My phones buzzes on my nightstand and I jump up to get it, desperate for a distraction. I unlock the screen and see a bunch of missed calls from my sister, plus a few texts. And an email with the subject line: I see you.

My stomach twists, and I gasp for air. I try to breathe deeply, calmly, but it’s impossible. I can’t get enough air into my lungs. Feeling lightheaded, I click on the email.

Did you really think you could hide from me, Elli? Did you think I wouldn’t know where you’ve gone? You’re mine. You always will be. Don’t you dare forget it.

There’s an image attached to the email. Feeling like I’m about to throw up, I open it. Devon and me, walking toward the arena yesterday. I should feel relieved that it’s not a picture of the house. But I can’t. My hands are shaking so hard, my phone slips through my fingers. I can’t live like this any longer. I need to find out who’s after me.

Devon

---