Chapter 13
Thirteen
HAZEL
“What’s on your neck?” The first words out of Greg’s mouth during our FaceTime isn’t even hello.
I touch my neck and squint at my reflection. “I don’t see anything.”
“Other side. Move your hair.”
Oh.
Oh.
There’s a dark and very obvious hickey on my neck. I can’t believe nobody mentioned it to me on the bus. But then again, I had my headphones looped around my neck and hightailed it away from Stone as quick as I could.
“Is that a hickey?” Greg pulls his glasses on and leans forward.
“Yeah, it is.” I could make up an excuse, but we’re not together. I’ve seen plenty of photos of him holding hands with dates over the years. I don’t particularly care if he gets jealous, in fact, it might light a fire under his ass.
“From whom?”
“Stone. The concert last night was electric. We both just got carried away and kissed each other.” He doesn’t need to know about the wandering hands or that I was seconds away from cumming just by dry humping against the wall.
In that short, fully clothed encounter, Stone gave me more pleasure than Gregg has in the past six months.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” A crease forms between his brows as he leans back in his desk chair.
“Why? Are you jealous?”
“You know that’s not how I operate Hazel. I just know you get so easily attached.”
“Don’t worry, it’s not like it’ll happen again. It was just a spur of the moment thing.”
“I hope so.”
“Though, I do have to say, I don’t get attached as easily as you seem to think I do.”
“In my experience, you do.”
“If I was attached to you, I wouldn’t be making out with another man.”
His lips press together into a firm line. “Right. Is Sierra meeting you in Cleveland?”
“Yes.” My shoulders relax with the change of subject. “Her flight is getting in soon, actually. I should probably get cleaned up before she gets here.”
“Okay, have fun tonight. Call me when you get back to your room?”
“I will.”
After saying our goodbyes, I walk over to the full-length mirror and tilt my head to the side. The hickey is so glaringly obvious. Did he realize what he was doing? I hope Sierra has something in her makeup bag to cover it because I definitely don’t.
Ignoring those nagging thoughts for the time being, I open my suitcase and pull out the outfit I’m wearing tonight. It’s a tight, dove gray mini dress, long sleeves of course. Definitely out of my comfort zone, but I know Sierra will want to push me.
There’s also the added bonus of the chance that Stone will see me.
God, I was such a coward last night on the bus. Pretending to sleep the entire time was ridiculous. But how am I supposed to look him in the eyes when I basically dry humped him to near orgasm?
It was shameless.
And I’d do it again.
I pull the lever to turn on the shower a little too aggressively as I groan at myself. I shouldn’t be thinking about it so much. He’s a rock star. That kiss probably meant nothing to him. Hell, a fucking orgy is likely so common place around him that he wouldn’t think twice about it.
But here I am, obsessing over something that probably meant nothing to him because I’m delusional.
The sight of the scar marring my left wrist catches my eye and twists my stomach.
People like me, chronically depressed and plagued by deep anxiety, aren’t going to catch the eye of someone as perfect as Stone Tyler.
Honestly, this book tour itself is going to take so much out of me. I won’t want to leave my apartment for months once it’s over. I let my thoughts drift to the story I’m crafting and away from anything that could trigger me.
The few days that I’ve been traveling have been helpful for getting my creative juices flowing.
Not that I’d admit it to anyone. And speaking of things I’ll never admit out loud, body doubling was helpful.
Maybe there’s just something about being in the same room as another creative that frees blockages.
It wasn’t just me who was getting work done, I noticed Stone writing in his notepad while he fiddled with his guitar.
I snarl at myself for letting my thoughts drift back to him and turn the shower off.
The tiny hotel towel gets another snarl.
This place has to be expensive, and they don’t even have towels that close around my chest. Maybe I should swing by a store on my way back after the signing and get some towels of my own. Or even a robe.
A knock on the door has me glancing at the time. Sierra shouldn’t be here already; there’s still a half hour until her flight lands.
“Just a second,” I call out to whoever is waiting while I grab a t-shirt and pull on a pair of shorts.
“Hello, little Archer.” Stone’s lips lift into a slow grin as his gaze rakes over me.
“What do you need?” My tone is shorter than I mean for it to be.
His brows rise. “I just wanted to stop and say hello. Wish you good luck at your signing tonight.”
The tension in my body relaxes. “Thank you. Sorry for being short, I didn’t expect you to be the one on the other side of the door.”
“You know there’s a way you can tell who’s there.” His eyes flick to the peephole. “You can look through it and see who’s standing outside the door. In fact, as a single woman you should do that every time you open a door.”
“There’s no one on this floor that’s not with the band.”
“Exactly. Use the peephole.” His eyes flare when he notices my neck. “Did I do that?” He reaches out, brushing the wet strands of hair out of the way.
“Yes.” I cross my arms to cover how my nipples pebble at his touch.
He makes a low sound of approval in the back of his throat. “You look good wearing my mark.”
Holy. Fuck.
My entire body heats with need. I can feel my pussy flutter with anticipation of the promise in his voice. We stand there, the threshold of my room the only thing separating us, when a door down the hall opens, and Darren’s voice calls out for Stone.
He reaches for the doorknob with a wry grin. “We’re not done.” With one last heated look at my neck, he closes the door.
I don’t move. I think I may have melted into place. What does he mean, we’re not done? Done with what? The conversation?
My phone vibrates on the desk with a notification. I pick it up to find a text from an unknown number.
UNKNOWN: Have fun at your signing tonight
ME: Who is this?
He replies with a series of emojis, the rock, a guitar, and the tongue. I fight a smile. Why does he have to be so damn charming?
ME: Thank you, Stone
I set my phone down on the bed, intent on ignoring it.
Sierra knows what room we’re staying in, so she won’t need to reach me.
I decide to sit down and do a few sprints on my Freewrite.
It’s always the easiest way for me to squeeze writing in when I don’t have time to stare at my computer screen and second guess every word that I type.
I get three rounds in before I hear a knock at the door. I throw the door open and practically jump into Sierra’s arms as if it hasn’t been only a week or so since I saw her. She laughs and squeezes me back just as hard.
She rolls her suitcase past me, and I close the door behind her. I watch as she takes in the room and sets her purse down on the empty bed. She’s so effortlessly beautiful that if she wasn’t my best friend I’d hate her on principle.
“Is this what you’re going to wear?” She looks at the dress laid out on the bed and back to me, doing a double take when she notices my neck. “Holy shit, what happened to you?”
I reach up and cover the spot. “Would you believe it was a curling iron burn?”
“Not a fucking chance.” She gently pulls my hand away, her eyes widening at her up close view.
“Do you think you can cover it up?”
She nods. “Yeah, I can do it, but I’m going to need to hear every single detail, and we’re going to need to start now.”
I pick up my robe and go change into it in the bathroom. She suggests letting her braid my hair into a fishtail on that side to help cover whatever she can’t color-correct. Once she’s got me sitting in the bathroom, she puts her hands on her hips and examines my face and neck.
“Spill all the details. I need to know how this happened.”
“I saw Stone after the concert last night, and he kissed me.”
“Looks as though it was more than a kiss.” She pulls out a green color corrector and applies it. “Also, look at you go, making out with a rock star after just a week of being on the road with them.”
“It won’t happen again. It was just something that happened in the heat of the moment.”
She hums under her breath as she uses a brush to dapple the area until it’s neutralized. “Was it good?”
“Probably the hottest experience I’ve ever had,” I confess.
“Wandering hands, pressed against the wall, the whole nine.” That’s actually saying quite a bit because early on in my puesdo-relationship with Greg, we fucked like rabbits all over his office and even in a few places around campus.
I just never felt desired in the same way I did in that five minutes with Stone.
“Hell yeah.” Her lips lift into a wide smile showing off her perfectly straight, white teeth. “Do it again.”
“It’s a bad idea.”
“Why?”
“Because we’re stuck together for months in a small space. Because he’s a fucking rock star. Because I’m just me. ” I gesture at my body dismissively.
“Hey.” Sierra yanks on my ear hard enough to hurt. “That’s my best friend you’re talking about. Watch yourself.”
“I didn’t mean it in a mean way, just I’m me. Boring Hazel, who spends too much time lost in her own mind.”
“Lost in the mind that’s making you, me, and many other people a fuck ton of money.” She puts a layer of concealer over the corrector.
We smile at each other in the mirror as we examine her handiwork. Once I put my foundation and the rest of my makeup on it’s just barely visible, easily mistaken for a shadow. The fishtail braid is the perfect final touch for our camouflaging job.
While I finish getting ready, she asks about how plotting and writing is going.
She listens intently, encouraging my ideas and the direction I’m headed.
The publisher has given me a decent amount of leeway to craft the story of these side characters that are so beloved.
I’m lucky to have a team behind me that’s so supportive.
There’s another knock at the door while I’m putting my shoes on. Sierra answers the door, and I hear Jade’s voice as she comes into the room. I look up at her and smile.
“You look gorgeous.” She gives me an up and down look of appraisal so similar to Sierra’s that I have to stifle a laugh. “I love that dress.”
“Thank you.”
She looks around, noticing Sierra’s bag. “Are they that cheap they’re making you share a room?” She pulls out her phone. “I can get you a separate one if you want.”
“No, it’s okay.” Sierra puts her hand over Jade’s and lowers it.
“We like our little slumber parties,” I add.
“If you’re sure.” Jade smiles. “Dan is going with you tonight. The band has a couple interviews scheduled, so I can’t come along, unfortunately. You are infinitely more fun to be around.”
“I don’t think I need security if it’s just me.”
Jade presses her lips together and shakes her head. “Now that people have seen you and Stone together, we don’t want to risk you going out without someone. There are so many things that could quickly go wrong.”
I share a look with Sierra who shrugs, leaving it up to me whether or not to fight them on this.
“Okay,” I say with a sigh. “I just don’t want to take security away from the band.”
She waves me off. “It’s fine. There’s plenty of security to go around.”
After she gives me Dan’s number to let him know when we’re headed out, she leaves.
Sierra and I formulate a game plan for answers to questions that skirt the boundary of what I’m allowed to share.
Not that I can plan for every possible question.
Two signings in, and I already know how off the wall, in a good way, some questions can be.
I freeze when I’m put on the spot, and unless I’ve been prepped, who knows what will come out of my mouth.