Page 2 of Dare to Rock

“Back off,” Grey said to the woman, pulling at her arms, but she had them locked tight around him.

“Baby, you don’t mean that.”

“Oh, I really fucking do.” He glanced over, hoping to catch Lola or Danny’s attention and get help when his gaze fell on the woman who had just entered the room.

She was so beautiful she took his breath away. Wholesome yet sexy, creamy skin, gorgeous, silky dark hair, and a nervous expression on her face as she looked around, her overall appearance in stark contrast to the harsher-looking groupies who followed the band.

And she hadn’t seen him yet.

Left with no choice, he was going to have to physically extricate himself from the clinging octopus of a woman. He grasped her around the waist, intending to push hard, just as Avery’s gaze landed on him, her eyes flickering from his to the woman helookedlike he was holding in his arms.

A flash of emotion flickered across her expressive face. Everything from awareness and shock to disgust and hurt all showed on it before she swung around and headed for the door.

“Avery!” He called her name loudly enough to be heard across the room while shoving the groupie, sending her tripping backward.

She wailed and began crying, and her friends surrounded her, but Grey ignored her in favor of Avery. He reached the door just as Avery paused and turned to him.

“Avery.” His gaze met hers.

She blinked, a mix of pain and confusion in her unique lavender-colored eyes. “I shouldn’t have come.”

“Yes, you should have.” She was so close he could see the light sprinkling of freckles on the bridge of her nose, and his heart threatened to pound out of his chest. “This isn’t what it looks like.”

She tipped her head to one side. “But itisyour life. The one you worked hard to achieve and... I’m happy for you.” But the words were at odds with the sad smile lifting her glossed lips. “It’s good to see you, Grey.” She raised a hand his way before she turned and walked out.

Shit. “Avery!” He stepped into the hall.

“Kingston!” Simon barked out. “I’ve gotRolling Stoneon the phone, and they want an interview. I need an answer now.”

A glance back told Grey that Avery had gotten lost in the crowd held back by security. His head pounding, he walked back into the lounge, ignoring his manager.

“Was that her?” Lola came up beside him, her voice soothing in light of the chaos swirling around him.

“‘Was’ is the right word,” he muttered. “I can’t do this anymore, Lo.”

She laid her head on his shoulder in commiseration. “I hear you. It’s not good for us either. Rep doesn’t like the crap that comes with this lifestyle,” she said of her serious boyfriend, who was the Miami Thunder’s successful wide receiver. “I want to be around during his upcoming season, and he worries about me when we’re on the road and he can’t be there.” She let out a huge sigh. “We do have a tour to finish though.”

“We do,” he agreed. “But afterward? I’m coming home.” And he was going to get his girl.

Chapter One

Five Months Later

“And always remember to be your best self!” Avery waved at the computer screen and hit the stop button on the recording. Another videoin the can, she thought wryly. She’d rewatch later and do her editing before putting this one in the queue with the others.

She taped ahead, and she felt good about the upcoming weeks’ worth of material. In between videos, she interspersed her blog with written stories and photos of clothing and makeup and the celebrities who wore them well. Those she also wrote ahead of time. And she had plenty of future ideas, she thought, glancing at the yet-to-be-organized piles of free product that had been sent to her for testing.

One of the perks of being a professional blogger andvlogger with a huge online social media presence: she received packages from companies looking for her to pimp their goods. She also relied on her personal favorite products and looks, for which she did online tutorials. It’d begun as a cool hobby, but she’d somehow turned it into a career, and she loved it. She supported herself, supplemented by a trust fund courtesy of her maternal grandparents. She was lucky and she knew it. She never took her life for granted.

The irony of her online persona, when compared to her real-life one, never failed to amuse her. She was far from the extrovert she portrayed herself to be. When she was nine, she’d experienced her first panic attack after the scandal had broken about her father’s second family. The paparazzi had wanted more information about her family, and they hadn’t been above targeting a child to do it. She still had nightmares about the flashing camera lights and the crushing hordes of people coming at her. That incident and the ensuing ones had caused her to withdraw, preferring the comfort of friends and family to large crowds and intrusive strangers.

With those closest to her, she was comfortable and outgoing. To Avery, vlogging was still the equivalent of being behind the scenes, and she had no problem portraying that side of herself on camera. She provided her viewers with advice and how-to instructions on wearing the newest fashions and current makeup styles. She was twenty-five and played to her age group and younger, and her perky persona worked, making her a success. As a result, her fans looked at her as theirfriend, someone to whom they could relate.

Her brother Ian might be president of the Miami Thunder football team and her father the owner of a renowned hotel chain, but Avery never flaunted her family name or wealth. She’d had enough public scrutiny to last her a lifetime, and she never sought attention outside her small channel on the Internet.

A familiardingalerted her to incoming e-mails, and she clicked back to her mail program. An e-mail notice from a local gossip blog caught her eye, and she read the subject.

Reports of Tangled Royal breakup confirmed.

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