Page 6 of Big & Burly Rockstar

He walks away, leaving me alone with my dark thoughts. An irrational part of me wants to run after him. Devon might be a pain in the ass, but the anger I feel when he provokes me is a welcome reprieve from my usual pain and worry.

Devon

I tap a rhythm against my thigh with my forefinger, watching Elli from under my sunglasses. She looks tired and pale under her makeup and she keeps jiggling her leg. Still, she’s gorgeous. I’ve never been into the girl-next-door type, but—well, there’s just something about her delicate features, her soft, curvy body that makes it difficult for me not to look at her. As if she can sense my attention, she glances at me before hastily looking away and letting her shiny dark curls fall into her face.

I hit a nerve earlier, and I’m not sure why. That was genuine fear in her eyes, and no matter how much I enjoy teasing her, I can’t bear the thought of scaring her. So I tried to apologize when we got into the car, but she didn’t want to hear it. We’ve been silent since, and it bothers me. And the fact that it bothers me bothers me even more. I shouldn’t care about what she thinks, or about what’s going on in her life. She’s here for the money, plain and simple. We don’t have to talk to each other more than necessary. And yet—I don’t like that pinched look on her face. And I miss our bickering. It seems dumb—I only met her yesterday. Still, I miss trading barbs with her. It’s been a long time since someone had the guts to give me shit. Well, other than my bandmates.

“Stop looking at me,” Elli snaps, glaring at me.

“I wasn’t looking at you.”

“Yeah, right.”

“You’re paranoid, princess.”

“No shit,” she murmurs, more to herself than to me.

“So you admit I wasn’t looking at you and you’re just paranoid?” I ask, holding back a smile.

She shoots me a dark look, but I swear the corners of her mouth twitch upward. “I’ll admit I’m paranoid. But that doesn’t mean I’m not also right about you looking at me. Admit it.”

I sigh. “Fine. Maybe I was looking at you.”

“Why?”

Because for some reason, I like looking at her. I could do it all damn day. “Because you look tired.”

“Oh.” Her lips draw into a thin line and she gazes out of the window, fiddling with a strand of her long hair.

I suddenly feel guilty, but before I can say anything, Elli leans her head against the window and closes her eyes. The guilt still bubbles in my stomach by the time we reach the venue. I should’ve just told her the truth. Should’ve made her feel good, instead of bad.

“Elli. Wake up,” I say when the car comes to a halt, but she doesn’t move. I reach out a hand and gently shake her arm. Her eyes fly open and she cringes away from me, her breathing ragged. She looks like a cornered animal, and the sight makes my stomach sink.

“Hey, it’s just me,” I say, my voice low and calm. The fear in her wide eyes dims, but she’s still shaking. “You fell asleep. I just wanted to wake you.”

She gives her head a little shake and then smiles at me. The smile doesn’t reach her eyes. “Oh. Right. I’m a little jumpy. Sorry.”

“No worries. You sure you’re okay?”

That fake smile of hers falters. “Yeah, I just—bad dream.”

Elli is many things, but a good liar isn’t one of them. Still, I decide to drop the subject. I open the car door and climb out.

“Ready to meet the guys?” I ask once she’s standing beside me.

“They know about our, uh, arrangement, right?”

I start walking toward the back entrance of the arena. “Yeah.”

“Good.” Elli hurries to keep up with me, and I slow my stride to match hers.

She glances around the fenced in parking lot, looking nervous. “Shouldn’t you have bodyguards in case a crazy fan tries to get to you?”

I point at the high fences. “I doubt anyone could get over those. Besides, most of the fans are pretty sane.” That still leaves plenty of crazy ones, but I don’t tell her that. She looks nervous enough as is.

“So you don’t have bodyguards?” Her teeth sink into her bottom lip. The sight distracts me and it takes me a moment to regain my composure.

“I do.” I look pointedly over my shoulder at Stan, my driver and bodyguard. He hangs back, knowing I prefer it that way. Having a bodyguard is a necessary evil. Don’t get me wrong, Stan’s a good dude and I’ve known him for years now. But having to have a bodyguard makes me feel cloistered; stifled somehow. At least it’s only Stan today. Normally I have two bodyguards, but Jeff took today off, and I flat-out refused a replacement.

“Oh.” Her tense shoulders relax a little.

“Don’t worry your pretty little head, princess. Stan will protect you once the crazies find out you’re my girlfriend,” I say, winking.

She stops abruptly, grey eyes flashing, and I try to not let my relief show on my face. Seems like she’s back to normal.

“You’re the absolute worst, you know that?”

“Better not let anyone else hear you say that,” I tell her, smirking. We’ve reached the entrance to the backstage area and I nod at the two security guards who step out of the way to let us in. “And now try to look like you’re madly in love with me, okay?” I murmur, not wanting the security guards to overhear.

She lets out an angry huff and I push open the door, quietly laughing to myself. Maybe having a fake girlfriend won’t be so bad after all.

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