Chapter 1

I hear the tiny bells on the door twinkle as a customer walks in, but I can’t turn around to see who it is. I’m clinging onto a ladder trying to peel my floor-to-ceiling dedication to Prince from the wall. I may have overdone it with this massive montage to a man that broke my heart when he passed away last year.

“I’ll be with you in a second,” I call out, clinging onto the edge of the ladder with one hand as I carefully remove the iconic poster of Prince decked out in purple from the record store wall.

“No worries,” a deep baritone rumbles through me, stirring my interest and waking my soul. “I was just looking for the latest Twilight Sins album, do you guys have it?”

And that’s the end of that.

“Twilight Sins?” I step down the ladder, carrying the poster of Prince like an American flag, careful to keep it off the ground as I jump from the bottom rung. I swear, I’m so sick of hearing about that band. Ever since they announced they were playing a hometown show, it’s all anyone has been able to talk about. “No, we only sell good music here. Great music, actually,” I whirl around and my jaw literally drops open as my cheeks flush hot. “Seth?”

“Ouch,” he holds a tattooed hand over his leather jacket, pretending I shot him in the heart. “That’s pretty harsh, Raine,” his bright blue eyes twinkle.

“Oh, I didn’t mean you’re not good,” I feel like my tongue is made from cotton as I try to stop my voice from getting squeaky. “It’s just. Well… fuck,” I can feel my face radiating red as my excuses fall flat.

“Nah, don’t worry about it. I know you’re hard to impress,” he smiles, but it’s not that wide-eyed innocent smile he used to shoot me in high school. Back then when he looked at me, it was the very definition of dorky puppy love. Of course, his braces didn’t help. Neither did his bowl haircut. Or the fact that he was my friend’s little brother.

Now his smile is sultry, confidence swells around him and draws me in. Of course, the tattoos sprawled over his chest and hands help too.

“Oh yeah?” I finally answer, realizing that I’m shamelessly staring and him. I suddenly feel shy and tuck my long hair behind my ear as I look down.

“Yep, that’s why you never gave me the time of day,” he laughs again and I try not to melt.

Well if I knew you were gonna grow up to look like this, I would’ve! I keep the thought to myself. I’ve made this all awkward enough.

I clear my throat and try to regain my composure as I roll up the Prince poster I was just admiring. That was before I knew that a real prince would be walking in here.

“So, you work for Mr. Patterson now? He hasn’t changed this place a bit,” he looks around the old vinyl shop that has been a main-stay in our city since the 60’s.

“No, actually, I bought it from him,” I slide a rubber band over the poster and meet his eyes again.

“Really? That’s cool,” he looks around, soaking in the retro store. “It looks the exact same,” he marvels.

“Yeah, Mr. Patterson still comes in here from time to time, mostly to make sure I haven’t turned it into some kind of hipster espresso bar or something,” I laugh. “I like it the way it is though. You know me and my 80’s music,” I look up at him and wonder if he can see my heart beating rapidly in my chest.

“Oh, I know,” he runs his hand through his wild, dark hair and down over his slightly scruffy jaw. When I graduated high school and Seth was a sophomore, he could barely grow side burns. Like I said, he grew up.

It’s not like I didn’t know how sexy he turned out to be. I mean, I have eyes. I’ve seen him on the internet. I’ve seen the album artwork, even if I don’t carry any of their stuff in the shop. But, damn, it’s one thing to stare into the eyes of a picture, and another thing entirely to feel your pulse all the way down to your feet when you see the same guy in person.

“I bet what you don’t know is the whole reason I got into music was because of your love of all those new wave and hair bands,” his voice is like a deep bass guitar, vibrating in my chest with every beat.

“What? No you didn’t!” I smile and wait for him to laugh at his joke, but his face is serious.

“I did.” He holds up three fingers, “Scout’s honor.”

I put the poster down behind the counter, totally disregarding my rule about no Prince on the floor. “What do you mean?” I walk around to his side of the counter and look up at him. All six feet of him. He definitely wasn’t this tall in high school either. Or so built. Under his open leather jacket, I can see how his skin-tight white shirt is practically painted over his impressive chest and how it’s almost licking his cut abs. I feel jealous of his shirt, wishing I could lick his abs instead. Wait, am I drooling. Look at his eyes! Yet, I can’t stop my gaze from traveling down even further still, setting on the bulge resting against his thigh.

Well, holy shit.

This time I do look up, like a kid that just got caught trying to sneak some change out of their mother’s purse. The look on his face says it all.

Busted.

Seth clears his throat, but the mischievous sparkle in his eyes tells me I wasn’t too subtle with my staring. “Yep, remember how I was always trying to impress you. This is gonna sound crazy, but whatever, you were so into music and so not into me, so I took some guitar lessons. I had big dreams of writing you a power ballad or something,” he grimaces. “What can I say, I was a cheesy kid,” he looks down at me.

Have we been standing this close the whole time? I feel like if I stood on my tip-toes we could almost… kiss. I push the thought from my mind.

“I don’t think that’s cheesy. It’s incredibly sweet.” I answer honestly.

“Well, either way, I owe you one. If you hadn’t rejected me so hard in high school, I never would’ve been inspired to find music. Hey,” his face lights up and he clutches my hand in his. A shiver of delight runs down my spine and my nipples pebble at his touch. “I know Twilight Sins isn’t your kind of music,” he smiles.

“No, it’s not that…”

Seth holds up his hand and I stop protesting. “It’s all good Raine. The concert is sold out, but I can get you a few VIP tickets, if you’re interested. You could bring some friends along, if you want. I promise, I’ll even do an 80’s cover,” he drops his hand from mine and reaches inside his jacket for something, but all I can think about is how good it felt to hold his hand.

“I’d love that,” I answer honestly.

“Great, okay, here’s three passes. That’s all I’ve got. I have the sound check in a bit, so I should head out, but I’ll see you tonight, right?” He walks backward toward the shop door, waiting for me to answer.

“Absolutely,” I smile and hold up the passes. “Thanks a lot,” I call out as he reaches the door.

“No, thank you. I mean that,” he winks and then slips out the door to the quiet twinkle of the bells.

If I didn’t have three passes in my hand right now, I’d think I just dreamed that whole thing. That’s a lot to take in. Just like his cock. The thought whispers in my mind, making me blush again. I don’t mean to lick my lips. I don’t mean to let myself imagine what it would be like to do more than go to his band’s show. What it would be like to have a private show… naked.

I give my head a shake and stuff the tickets in my pocket. It only takes a minute before I have my jacket on and my keys to lock up, dangling from my fingers. I turn the sign in the window over to ‘Closed’ even though the store is supposed to be open for two more hours. To hell with that! I have a concert to get ready for. Now I’m the one who feels like a love-sick teen as I lock the store and practically bound down the sidewalk, racing to get home.

* * *

Chapter 2

I smooth my hand over my freshly washed and straightened hair and glance at the VIP entrance nervously. Wheeling around on my heel, I almost bump into Melody and Chris who I’ve brought with me tonight as my guests.

“Whoa! What are you doing?” Melody steps back in surprise.

“I just,” I bite my lip, “are you sure I look good enough in this dress,” I nod down at the short, flirty sleeveless number I finally decided on. “You don’t think the yellow looks weird against my hair, do you?”

Melody rolls her eyes with exasperation. “Seriously? You look like a freaking model. Why is it that girls who look like they’ve been photoshopped have the least amount of confidence? You gotta own it, girl! Be proud of what your mama gave you, men love that!” She smiles at her fiancé, Chris, and for a moment they get lost in a love-struck, hazy world of two.

“As usual, she’s right,” he doesn’t look at me. Chris always looks at Melody like she’s the only woman he’s ever seen. Like she’s his deepest fantasy come to life and he’s endlessly filled with gratitude for having the chance to be with her. What woman doesn’t want that?

They give each other a quick smooch and then seem to remember that I’m standing less than a foot away from them, looking back up at me.

“Listen, for the last time, you look amazing. You know it, I know it, anyone with eyes knows it. Seth’s big cock is gonna tear right through his pants when he sees you, okay?” She smiles and I can’t help but giggle at the visual.

“Hey, how do you know he’s got a big dick?” Chris pretends to be offended.

“Oh, like you don’t notice when a girl walks by with huge tits? Come on, I’ve seen you try not to snap your neck checking them out.” She gives him a knowing look.

“Not true, there’s only one set of tits that I’m interested in. And one beautiful ass. And one gorgeous face…” he kisses her softly and I don’t know whether to gag or feel jealous. Is it possible to do both?

“Alright, let’s get in there,” Melody stops Chris from turning this into a make-out session with an awkward bystander watching them. “I’m so happy you brought us, Raine, but we’re never going to see the show out here. March!” She orders and I swirl back around, making my way to the special entrance.

I hold up the pass that Seth gave me a few hours ago and a huge man with glistening ebony skin wearing a tight t-shirt that I could probably use as a bedsheet checks his list.

“Raine,” his thick finger trails down the sheet as he looks for my name in the printed off list. He flips over the page and I can see something handwritten along the bottom. He taps the paper and looks up at me with his deep brown eyes, “Are these two with you?” He jerks his thumb toward Melody and Chris.

“Yes, they’re with me,” I smile but he doesn’t return the friendly gesture. Instead he lifts a walkie talkie from his belt and turns his back on me, mumbling into it. I hear the distinctive crackle of whoever he’s speaking to on the other end and he clips it back, letting it hang at his waistline. “All of you can follow me,” he doesn’t explain further or wait around for us.

The man leads us through the entrance, and down a hall that I can see heads to the stage. Instead of turning off and taking us to the front of the stadium, he leads us through a labyrinth of hallways until we reach a door. He raps against it with his large knuckles and I glance at Chris and Melody, all of us reflecting the same question marks in our eyes as we wait.

The door opens and my heart races as I see the entire band inside.

“Seth’s guests have arrived,” the man announces and from the back corner of the room, I see Seth stand up and quickly make his way over. “Raine! Come in,” he leads us inside. “Thanks Tim,” he smiles at the man who led us here and closes the door behind us.

“Oh my God, is this your dressing room?” Melody squeals and looks like her eyes might fall out of her head as she twists around, soaking the space in.

“Yeah, it’s where we hang out before the show,” Seth shrugs like the table full of booze and plush sofas aren’t impressive. Along the opposite wall is a massive television and another table set up under it with bowls of random foods. Everything from fried spring rolls to a plate of all pink Starburst is set up.

Seth follows my gaze over to the strange array of food, “Oh, feel free to help yourself, if you’re hungry. It’s all stuff the band put on the rider, so you might want to pick and choose. Not everyone likes kale salad,” he says loudly over his shoulder to the sandy haired man I recognize as his bass player.

“Dude, it’s about balance,” the bass guitarist yells to us and throws back a double shot of whiskey.

“Who are your friends?” Seth steps in closer to me and I can feel the heat radiating from him, warming me.

I look back at Melody and Chris, I almost forgot they were with me. “Oh, uh, this is Melody,” I point to her, “she loves you guys.”

“I love you guys! You’re one of my favorite bands ever,” she echoes my statement.

“And this is her fiancé, Chris.” I finish the introductions.

“Hey man, you look familiar,” Seth smiles warmly but I can barely even pay attention because his hand suddenly grazes against mine and it’s as if the entire space around us slips away. All I can feel is his hand just barely touching mine. The little hairs on the back of my neck stand up as the electricity between us sparks.

“Good memory man,” Chris answers, “we were in a bunch of science classes together in high school.”

“Cool, well it’s great to see you again,” Seth is so down to earth and sweet. It’s nice to see that his fame and fans haven’t changed him. “Well, feel free to the drinks too, I don’t want Tommy getting too blasted before we’ve got to go on,” he nods at the bass player, working on another shot.

“Great, thanks,” Melody leads Chris to the table of booze, but my feet stay rooted to the spot. I feel like my body is under the pull of a magnet, or something stronger, maybe more like an orbit. I’m not sure I could move away from Seth if I tried.

“I’m so glad you came,” he steps into me, looking down at my lips and my heartbeat wildly beats in my ears.

“I’m glad you invited me,” I answer honestly, looking up at him from under my lashes.

“You look amazing, but then, you always do,” he drags his finger across my forehead, gathering a loose strand of hair that was dangling out of place and he tucks it behind my ear.

“Thank you,” I don’t know what else to say. I think the heat blooming through me, covering my cheeks in pink and spreading between my thighs says it all.

I look over at Chris and Melody by the table of booze. Both of them are sipping a Stella Artois and she’s blatantly watching me like my mom used to watch her favorite soap opera while she slowly folded laundry.

Suddenly the door to the room opens and a man with sparse, gray hair pops in his round face, “Twenty minutes until you’re up guys. The guests have to go!” His gritty voice demands.

“Got it,” Seth clenches his jaw and stares the man down until he pops back out of the room.

“I guess we need to go,” I state the obvious, but I’m too tongue-tied to do much else. What am I supposed to say? I never even realized how much I missed you until you walked into my shop this afternoon? I can’t believe how amazing you turned out to be? Go break a leg? It’s better to let our discussion happen in body language. The heat between my legs intensifies and my pussy gets wet as I let myself imagine how much more I could say with my body if it was just us in this room.

I didn’t even see Chris and Melody make their way back over here. “I think someone is waiting to take us to our seats,” she interrupts us and swirls back into my vision.

“Oh, okay,” I somehow manage to step back from Seth and follow her to the door. “I can’t wait to see you on stage,” I smile back at him.

Seth grabs my hand and tugs me back toward him hard so I stumble into his strong chest. Then he puts a hand on the small of my back, pressing me into him. Before I can overthink it, his lips cover mine in a slow, tantalizing kiss that makes me feel like I’m swimming in slow motion under water.

When he pulls back, it takes me a second to open my eyes back up. Seth smiles at me, “I needed that, for luck,” he smirks and runs his hand through his hair sheepishly. “I’ll see you out there,” he nods toward the door behind me and I get enough of a grip to make my way to my friends waiting for me in the doorway.

“This way ladies and gentleman,” the impatient man waiting for us bellows and leads us down the hall. Leads me away from a man I never realized had been my dream all along. A man I get to listen to sing for the next two hours. My heart feels as light as my feet as I practically float to our seats right in front of the stage. I’m excited for the show, don’t get me wrong, but right now, after that kiss, it’s the idea of the afterparty that I’m really looking forward to.

It feels like we only just got settled into our spots when the lights dim down and the crowd of thousands begins to cheer.

“San Diego! Welcome Twilight Sins to the stage!”

* * *

Chapter 3

Pyrotechnics fizzle around the stage and through the smoky haze I see Seth and the rest of the guys appear. The crowd is screaming so loud, it’s like a wall of noise behind me. I turn to catch a glimpse of the stadium full of excited fans, mostly women and girls, shrieking deliriously for them. It has got to be incredible to feel a building shake with the echoes of your name. I feel humbled by it and it doesn’t even have anything to do with me.

I turn back and look up at the stage and see that Seth is watching me. Just me. He’s not distracted by the surging crowd of women that would literally kill me if it meant they’d have his smile to themselves. I hate to think of what they’d do to share a kiss with him… or even more.

Jealousy roils in my gut and I push it away. This isn’t about them. It’s not about his intense fans or anything like that.

It’s about us.

With a wink that makes me melt a little, Seth jumps in the air and brings his guitar to life as he opens the show with their biggest hit right now, Drowning Without You.

I’ve gotta admit, it’s catchy. I’ve always said there was no music worth listening to after the early 90’s, but clearly I was wrong. The band fills the air with music that would easily stack up against any of the singers I adored in the era of big hair and even bigger tunes.

I somehow manage to look away from the stage, and by stage I mean Seth, long enough to see Melody dancing away with abandon. Chris watches her with the goofy grin of a man completely in love. For him, it’s clear the real show isn’t on the stage at all, but in her carefree spirit as she swirls around and screams the lyrics out.

I’m not a big dancer, but I can’t even stop myself from swaying to the songs as the band plays one after another to the wild crowd. The entire time, Seth has been watching me. I feel like he’s singing only to me. Like the lyrics are love letters from his heart to mine as he belts out songs of romance and heartache.

As another song comes to an end I wonder how long we’ve been here for. Time is a meaningless blur. If you told me I’ve been here for five hours or five minutes, I’d believe either. Seth wipes his hand over his brow as beads of sweat glisten in his hairline. It must be hot under those stage lights. I can’t help but lick my lips as he tugs off his leather jacket and tosses it to the side of the stage, revealing his white tank top and his ropy, muscled arms completely covered in sleeves of tattoos.

Of course, the stadium erupts into a frenzy. I can hear women screaming out “Take the rest off!” and I frown. He’s not a piece of meat! Besides, if he was, he’d be mine and I don’t share.

If it bothers Seth at all, it doesn’t show. He probably gets a kick out of all of his anonymous admirers. “San Diego, thank you for making the last stop on the tour the most amazing one,” Seth speaks into the microphone and the clapping and cries of love fill the stadium.

“Marry me!” I hear one girl cry out.

“I’m a virgin! I want you to be my first!” Another one screams.

Jeez, I’m starting to think I might have been completely delusional to think that Seth and I had anything special. When he’s got women who are practically models at his beck and call, why would he be interested in me?

“When we scheduled this tour,” he continues up on stage, “it was important to me to come back here. This is where it all began for us.” Seth sweeps his hand back to his bandmates. “This is where I met these guys and we played every gig in this city, like, fourteen times,” he laughs.

The crowd settles down a little, everyone hanging on Seth’s words. I glance around and all the shining eyes are staring up at the stage.

“But before any of that, before I ever met these guys, there was someone who inspired me to get into music in the first place. And I couldn’t be happier that she’s here tonight. I really want to do a number for her, so I’m gonna bring her up here.”

My heart is seriously going into cardiac arrest. There’s no way it can beat this hard and not be a heart attack, is there? Seth struts across the stage and stops in front of me. Leaning down, he holds out his hand, “Come on, I got you.” He waits for me and I clutch his tatted hand as he gives me a yank and plucks me from the floor to the stage.

“What are you doing?” I hiss, painfully aware of all the envious women watching me right now.

“You’ll see,” he smirks and then sweeps me up in his arms, carrying me over to a speaker where he gently sets me down. “Open your legs a little bit, you’ll like this,” he smiles before turning back to the band and yelling out “One! Two! One, two three!”

I can’t help but giggle as Seth begins singing Pour Some Sugar on Me. I must have played this song a million times as a teenager. What girl didn’t? Of course, when I played it back then, I didn’t have the vibrations of a giant stage speaker trembling between my thighs, sending little tremors straight to my aching clit.

Oh my God, this feels incredible. I watch as Seth sings to me with sexy swagger all while the speaker touches me with his voice in the exact place I’d like to feel his tongue.

I lean forward, shamelessly enjoying the sensation building inside me. I feel like Seth is going to make me cum without ever touching me. I can feel my panties getting soaked as he sings the words to the famous song. I can barely keep my eyes open, the vibrations are too much, quaking against my clit, taking me to the edge. I cover my mouth with my hand as an orgasm shudders through me and squeeze my eyes shut.

I don’t even have time to think about how I just came in front of a stadium of people because Seth is finished singing. He drops the mic and picks me up. I wrap my legs around his waist and he doesn’t even look back over his shoulder to the frantic women screeching for more as he walks me off the stage.

* * *

Chapter 4

It’s a short walk down the hall before Seth kicks open a door and carries me inside. It’s not the same one that him and his band were hanging out in earlier. This smaller room looks like a place for him to get dressed. With the heel of his boot, he slams the door shut behind us and pins me against the wall with a thud. His tight body is pressed against mine as he kisses me deeply and grinds his hard cock against my wet panties.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this,” he growls as he sucks my earlobe in over his teeth and thrashes his tongue against it.

“I feel like I’m dreaming. You’re so talented,” I try to communicate between our hurried kisses.

“If you think I’m talented with music, just wait until you see what I can do to your body,” his eyes twinkle as he holds me in place with his hips and rips off his tank top revealing even more tattoos.

“I already saw,” I admit, blushing. “That song, on the speaker, I came,” I bite my lip.

“Mmmm, is that why you’re so wet?” His fingers trail over my panties. Before I can respond, he clutches them in his hand and twists them around his skin until the fabric tears off my flesh and dangles from his hand.

I gasp as the cool air rushes against my clit, “Let me down,” I murmur and Seth furrows his eyebrows together at the request.

“What? Why?”

“Because I want to feel you in my mouth,” I lick my lips and he steps back, letting me slowly slide all the way down to the floor on my knees like he’s a stripper pole.

My fingers are shaking as I pop open the top button and tug down his zipper. Seth helps me pull his jeans down until his cock springs out, swaying in front of my face. I wrap my fingers over his thickness and take him in my mouth as he threads his fingers in my long hair and groans.

I look up at him and he’s staring down at me with a dreamy look in his eyes as I hollow my cheeks and suck his big cock. I tease the sensitive underside of his member with the tip of my tongue as I take him inch-by-inch into the back of my mouth, gagging slightly as he reaches my throat.

I bob my head quicker now, wanting to give him the same intense pleasure he already gave me on stage. I use my hands to match the rhythm of my mouth as I blow him.

“Get up,” his voice is raspy as he clutches my shoulders and pulls me to my feet. It’s not a request. I steady myself and Seth whirls me around so I’m facing the wall. “I need to fuck you, Raine. I can’t wait any longer,” he steps between my legs and teases my entrance with his throbbing cock. “Do I need a condom?” His deep voice makes a shiver run down my spine.

“No, I want to feel you when you cum. I’m on the pill,” my voice is breathy and I open my stance to accept him.

Seth pushes the hem of my dress up so my bare pussy is exposed and he wraps his hand up in my hair, tugging it back tight as he plunges his thick cock inside me in a relentless thrust.

“Ah!” It’s all I can say as my pussy makes way for his impressive girth. I can feel my walls hug him, squeezing down on his rigid member as he buries himself inside me.

I place my palms on the wall and wiggle my ass back against him. I am rewarded with a stinging slap as he gives my hair another tug and plunges inside me further.

I’ve never felt this full before. My head is under his control as he fucks me hard and fast from behind. I can feel every inch of his cock slide in and out of me. The ache in my clit builds again and I open my stance even wider, allowing him the deepest access possible to my center. I can’t help the moans that escape my lips as his balls slap against my pussy, driving me to the edge.

“You’ve always been the one I wanted, the one I dreamed of, the one I wrote songs for. It’s always been you, Raine,” Seth manages to pant his words as he fucks me. Filling me fuller than I’ve ever experienced with every pounding thrust.

“Oh. My. Ahh!” My eyes squeeze shut and my words turn into a guttural scream as my pussy clenches him, contracts against him, milks his cock while another orgasm overwhelms my body. My muscles all tighten and the white-hot bliss radiates through me, bringing me a level of pleasure I never knew was possible.

“Oh fuck, I’m gonna cum,” Seth growls and fills me deep with his fat cock. I can feel the spurts of his cum erupt inside me, splashing against the walls of my pussy. His cock twitches inside me as he empties his seed.

Seth pulls out and a little of our mixed juices slide down my inner thigh. I smear them into my skin, leaving a glistening sheen.

I turn and face him and Seth kisses me sensually. Like he’s savoring me.

He tugs his pants up and grabs my hand, leading me over to the couch. We both lie down; my face is pressed against his marked skin and I can hear his heart thumping inside.

“That was amazing,” he rakes his fingers through my long locks.

“I couldn’t agree more. It just sucks though,” I don’t want to be ungrateful or start pouting. I knew when I came here tonight that this could only ever be fleeting if it could be anything at all.

“Why?” he meets my eyes and once again I’m transfixed by his soulful gaze.

“I dunno,” I feel a bit shy, “I can’t imagine you’re in town for long. I guess I’m just saying I’m gonna miss you. I wish I would’ve given you a chance in high school now. It just seemed like our age gap was so huge then, you know? Like a few years was an impossible thing to bridge.” I trace over the art on his chest as I explain.

“I know. That’s all in the past now anyway,” he pulls me closer. “But, um, well this is the last stop on our tour, so I was thinking about sticking around for a while. I’m not sure how long, but I am sure I’d like to take you out,” he trails his fingers down my back.

“I’d love that,” I answer honestly. “I really would.”

I lie in the heat of his arms and listen to his breathing grow deeper as he drifts off. It’s just incredible how life turns out sometimes. I snuggle into Seth and let myself drift into a hazy memory of him back when we were in high school. His sweet smile that has turned sultry over the years. His blue eyes that can lock me in place now. I never would have thought that he’d be the man who made my heart swell, and now I can’t imagine it any other way.