Chloe’s eyes held so many questions, but it was too loud for me to think, too loud to talk. While I was still on a high, we went downstairs and shook our tails to the rave music blaring on the speakers. When my feet felt like they were going to fall off, we strolled out of the club and into the parking lot, laughing like lunatics.

“What did he taste like, Sammy? I need to know.” Chloe linked her arm through mine, dragging me toward the car.

With my free hand, I lifted my long blonde strands that were sticking to my back, sweaty from our dancing session. The humid August night air didn’t help. “He tasted like cigarettes, beer, and one hundred percent bad boy.”

She stepped back, bounced on her toes, and threw me a you’re-so-cool look, as if I were the famous one. “Do you know what you just did in there?” She pointed back to the club. “You kissed Hawke Calvin.” She batted her eyelashes, and the inflection in her voice took on a dreamy tone. “His tongue was down your throat. Do you know how many women would want to be you?”

With my shaky hand, I touched my lips and laughed. “Yeah.” I pulled the postcard from my back pocket and took in his unreadable signature. “I kinda wish I’d had more time than our less than five minutes make-out session.” Even though I had been the one to walk away, disappointment surfaced. “He wasn’t what I’d expected.”

“What did you expect?” Chloe smirked as she pressed the button to unlock her Mercedes. “You don’t like the super-hot kind?”

“No, I just thought he’d have more”—I shrugged—“substance.” Yes, he was hot, but I guessed I had hoped for the non-typical rock star who didn’t have only one thing on his mind.

Only in my fairy tales.

“What? Were you going to pick his brain?” Her voice turned incredulous.

I turned toward her, smiling. “As a matter of fact, I was. I wanted to know what his inspiration was for his song ‘Death by Life.’” It was such a beautiful song that spoke about a woman who had to die to feel alive. Deep, moving, and powerful.

She flipped her brunette locks over her shoulder, mid eye roll. “Only you, Sam. You’re so odd.”

I opened the door, slipped in right next to her, and laughed. “I’m a pastry sous chef. We’re all odd.”

After she pulled out of the parking lot and veered right, she braked to a halt, causing me to buck forward. My palms slammed against the dashboard. A SUV limo had purposely stopped in front of us.

“What the fuck?” She threw the car in park, flew out the door, and approached the black Hummer limo in front of us that had dangerously cut us off.

Before she got herself in trouble, I stepped out, muscles tense, eyes cautious.

The limo was shaking from the music playing inside, causing the windows to rattle.

“What the hell is your problem?” she yelled, stepping in front of the vehicle

I tugged at her shirt. “Chloe…” I said in my calm mama-bear voice even though my pulse was racing.

She pounded at the driver’s black-as-night window. “Are you trying to kill people tonight? Open the fuck up!” Her tone could have cut metal.

My adrenaline spiked, and I pulled at her arm as hard as I could. I didn’t want to go to jail tonight—or worse, be a statistic. “Let’s go.”

I desperately tugged at her, yet she wouldn’t budge. She was on a mission to beat some ass, and I was on a mission to stay out of trouble.

When the rear window rolled down, she jerked back, and her eyes widened.

My fingers flew to my parted mouth, and a low gasp escaped me.

Hawke was inside, a cigarette between his lips—the lips that I’d had against mine hours ago. The chatter of the people partying inside his vehicle echoed through the open window.

He tipped his chin. “Hey.”

Chloe blinked, her face totally shell-shocked, and answered with a, “Hey.”

His eyes were on me the whole time.

A dizzying current took over my body, and I focused on the soft breaths leaving my mouth.

Holy smoking-hot rock star.

Maybe he had no substance, but he most definitely made up for it with his sex appeal.

Even if I still wasn’t that girl, only a blind person wouldn’t be able to appreciate his fineness.

His eyes were like a laser-light beam against mine, unwavering. Now that we were no longer in the club, I took in his strong features—his dirty-blond hair, his prominent nose, the electric-green eyes that seared through me.

I swallowed. Hard.

“Sorry about that. I was trying to get your attention.” His voice was calm and smooth, as though his driver hadn’t almost caused an accident.

He held this demeanor, like nothing fazed him. I bet nothing did.

“Well, you got our attention.” She smiled, cheeky-Chloe style, and her eyes ping-ponged from Hawke’s to mine.

He flicked his cigarette out the window and blew out a long puff of smoke that fizzled into the night air. “Wanna get a bite to eat?”

Before I had a chance to contemplate if I should go or figure out what to say, Chloe interlocked our arms and answered for the both of us, “Sure, we’d love to.”

He let out a low chuckle. By the look on his face and the fact that he couldn’t stop staring at me, I didn’t think it was a joint invitation.

This was a bad idea. Bad. Bad. Bad. Especially considering the way my body was reacting to him. “Chloe, I don’t think—”

He pushed open the door. “Let’s go.”

“I’ve gotta park my car.” Chloe waved me toward the limo. “Sam, jump on in. I’ll be right behind you.”

Chloe turned and headed to her vehicle, and I sucked in a breath, focusing on her retreating back. Focusing on anything but the green-eyed male and his intense stare.

He stepped out and tipped his head toward the door. “After you.”

The full moon was out tonight, and I knew, if I got in the vehicle, a whole lot of craziness was about to come, but with Hawke sporting his cocky, crooked smile, I couldn’t resist.

I hopped in, and he slipped in beside me.

Black leather seats spanned the whole vehicle, and fluorescent lights lit up the bar behind the seats. The bar was stocked with beer and hard liquor and the party had already begun.

Every spot was taken. There must’ve been over a dozen people in the car. I recognized two of the band members, who were preoccupied with the women—multiple women—on their laps.

“Hey there.” Two words. Simple and seductive. Hawke’s fingers pressed against my waist.

Warmth spread through me from where his hands touched my body, and the nervousness I had been feeling jumped up twenty notches.

“What do you want to eat?” he asked, his hot breath brushing against my skin. “I know what I want to eat, but it’s not food.”

I didn’t know why his abrasiveness had surprised me, but it had. I wasn’t used to men being so forward. Instead of fighting it, for once, I decided to play with him to calm the jitters stirring inside of me.

When I smiled and leaned in, his lips parted at my proximity.

“Oh God…I want…” I breathed heavily. “I want…” I forced a sexiness in my voice that made his eyes flash with lust. “Chicken nuggets and fries,” I whispered back in the most seductive tone, sweet and sexy soft.

He reeled back, looking confused at first, and then his lips twitched at the corners until a small laugh escaped. “You’re cute, you know that?”

“I’m here,” Chloe said in her peppy voice.

And I was glad for her arrival.

I pressed at Hawke’s chest, needing the room to breathe.

Hawke scooted in to let her jump in on his other side, but because the limo was crammed like a bus of football players going to an away game, he pulled me onto his lap, one hand resting on my hip. I didn’t protest.

Chloe’s eyes brightened as she scanned the limo. “Where are we headed?”

“Apparently, somewhere that has nuggets and fries.” Amusement leaked from Hawke’s tone.

“Let me guess; that was Sam’s suggestion.” Chloe laughed. “She eats nuggets and fries like it’s a five-star meal.”

“And her wish is my command.” He laced his fingers together around my stomach, pulling my body flush against his.

It took all my energy to keep my face level and not melt into his touch. All the while, I was thinking, This is so not happening to me. So not.

Chloe dreamily peered up at Hawke. I wouldn’t be surprised if she started pawing at him and petting him as if he were a real live pet. Goodness…we could take turns.

“Guys,” Hawke announced, “say hi to my friends. This is Chloe, and right here is Sunshine.”

Murmured greetings echoed through the vehicle.

“Sunshine?” I turned to face him.

His crooked smile was on display, the same smile that had stared at me from my bedroom poster and fueled my teenage dreams.

“Cheery and bright,” he said, amused by his own nickname for me. Then, he grabbed a strand of my sandy-blonde hair. “Sunshine.”

My hair was a natural yellow. My mother used to describe it as being as yellow as the brightest sunflower.

A broader male with a crew cut, right in front of Chloe, spoke up, “How about you? Are you cheery and bright, too?”

In the dim light, Chloe blanched. We glanced at each other with recognition, her eyes widening. When Cofi, the drummer of Deception, smiled his devastatingly beautiful smile, I knew Chloe was a goner.

“Not cheery and bright,” she said. “More like sweet hard candy.”

He laughed and beckoned her over, patting his knee.

Without hesitation, Chloe hopped onto his lap. The woman sitting right next to him scowled at Chloe, but Cofi ignored her and whispered something in Chloe’s ear that made her giggle.

“Sunshine, you’re going to make this hard for me, aren’t you?”

I swallowed. “What?”

He reached for my hand and placed it on his jeans. The length of him hardened underneath my palm, and my breath caught in my throat. Someone needed to press the Pause button. Stat. Super stat.

Playing the game, I squeezed, knowing he was well endowed, and I rubbed against the ridge in his pants. He leaned back, and his eyes filled with a lust so strong, my heart raced.

I creeped up, close enough to whisper something in his ear, “It’s too bad what they say about rock stars isn’t always true. Such a shame really.” I released him, pinching my finger and thumb together, and shrugged.

He smirked, tugged at my shirt, bent down, and trailed his tongue from my neck to my ear. The wetness of his tongue against my skin caused warmth to pool between my legs.

“Oh, I’m going to show you, that’s far from the truth. I’m the epitome of a rock star in all things.”

My stomach fluttered, my pulse skyrocketed, and my breathing hitched. I pulled back and stared at him, still pretending to be unaffected by his proximity, which was the opposite of the havoc happening internally. There was no doubt his words were true, judging by his cocky smirk.

“I doubt that.” My tone shook like a glass on top of a washing machine.

He flicked his tongue against my lips. “Better watch out. I might take you and never give you back.”

I smiled, but in the next second, I pressed my hands against his chest and turned toward AJ, the bass guitarist. I needed to focus my attention on something, anything, anybody else because my cool demeanor was slowly fading in front of Hawke.

Breathe, breathe, breathe.

“Where are we eating?” AJ asked.

“Wherever we can get nuggets and fries,” Hawke called out.

“Like chicken nuggets?” AJ asked. “McDonald’s!”

“Yeah”—Hawke nodded, meeting my eyes—“McDonald’s, it is.”

I rubbed my cheek against my shoulder. “Aw, our first date at McDonald’s. Calorie-infused foods. What can I say? I like what’s bad for me.” Somehow, Sensible Sam turned into Playful Sam.

“You’re a good girl, but you’re into bad things?” Hawke’s eyes darkened.

I had no idea where all this flirting was coming from.

Who knew I had it in me?

I straightened and smiled, fully knowing I was playing with fire that would burn me to ashes and leave nothing behind. “If you define bad as greasy and artery-clogging, then yes.” It was hard to keep the googly eyes off my face because, seriously, the rock star was hot. Not pepper hot. Not curry hot. Hot-sauce-burning-your-tongue-off caliente hot.

No wonder he had gained the massive fame that he had. The band was insanely talented, and their leader was crazy gorgeous.

I couldn’t stop staring.

Painfully tearing my gaze from his, I turned to the tinted windows. “Rock ’n’ Roll McDonald’s. Is that where we’re heading?”

We were in the middle of downtown, stuck in late-night rush hour. It might be a while.

“Who knows?” He shrugged. “Our driver will know.”

“Don’t tell me, you’re just going to get out, stroll into McDonald’s, and buy a burger. You’ll start a riot.”

He laughed. Even his laugh was sexy, hoarse, deep, and delicious. I wanted him to do it again.

“No, we’re ordering food and going back to the hotel.”

I blinked and raised both eyebrows.

Back to his hotel?

Well, Sam, what did you think was going to happen?

Did I think we’d drive around in his limo, pigging out on nuggets, and he’d drive us to our car afterward?

I shook my head through the fog. “Wow. Presumptuous, aren’t we?”

He shrugged. “This guy gets everything he dreams of.” There was no hesitation in his tone. He spoke as though it were a known fact.

“I don’t doubt that,” I said. “It looks like you’re living the dream.” I motioned to the people in the limo. “Right Chlo—” I stopped mid sentence because I had just caught my best friend riding Cofi, the drummer boy, like she was at the rodeo. Dry-humping, of course.

She still had her clothes on, but his hands were on her ass, and her fingers were threaded through his hair. Even with the jam-packed car, she did not care.

“All righty then.” I cleared my throat.

“Jealous?” Hawke whispered, thoroughly amused at my reaction.

“Actually, yes.” I sighed, feigning disappointment. “I’ve always fantasized about Cofi and me. Together. Having passionate—” I paused at Hawke’s abrupt change in his demeanor with his clenched jaw and eyes flashing with jealousy.

His arms tightened along my waist as he angled closer, and with one hand at the base of my neck, he pulled me into a kiss so fierce, I forgot where I was.

He captured my lips with possessiveness, with a want that was evident by his hard length pressing against my thigh. I might have moaned against his lips. I might have pressed my breasts against his chest. I might have opened my mouth to feel his warm tongue against mine.

After a beat, against all those warnings screaming in my head, my hands slowly moved along his firm, toned abs to his pecs, and then I slowly pushed him away. I broke our kiss, needing to find my bearings.

“How many dates?” he asked, his eyes darkening, his breathing labored. “What date will you give it up, Sunshine? I’m here tonight for another sold-out show.”

My mouth dropped, and I lightly placed one hand on his chest, just so I could continue to touch him even though the question annoyed me. His heartbeat raced against my hand.

Rock star or not, he shouldn’t assume I was like every other girl he had access to.

“Wow. You’ve got nerve.” My body tensed.

“That’s nothing I haven’t heard before.”

When I went in for another shove, he reached for my hand and intertwined our fingers. “Then, I’ll be traveling for a few weeks before we head to Europe. “How many dates?” he pressed.

When I stared longer into his eyes, the cockiness in the green slowly disappeared. I witnessed something deeper that surprised him as well because he leaned back, giving himself some room.

I swallowed. “If I say twenty dates, are you going to fly me all over the world until we hit the twentieth McDonald’s?”

“Maybe,” he admitted with a chuckle.

“Oh, you want to get in my pants that badly?” I was still annoyed but also shaken that he seemed to even care, to want me that badly.

He leaned in, his warm breath laced with the scent of cigarettes brushing against my face. “You have no idea.” And then he kissed my lips again without hesitation and without apology.

His kisses were hot and intense, making me squirm in my seat, my whole body rising in temperature.

“You taste so good,” he said through his kisses. “I can only imagine how it feels to be inside you.”

His fingers trailed under my shirt, touching the bare skin right above my hip, inching up to the middle of my back. When he unclasped my bra, I placed one hand on his chest and broke away from him.

“Sorry, you’re not getting that kind of action.” My voice shook with arousal.

I was using all my self-control not to take off my bra and toss it at his face—which I was certain happened often. The crowd in the limo was a good deterrent though.

The music died down as someone yelled from the front of the limo, “Orders! We’re almost there.”

A couple of pads of papers along with pens flew down the aisle. The lights flipped on, and there were echoes of complaints.

I welcomed the lights and the distraction and the interruption.

I rested against his chest, catching my breath.

The sooner I was out of this car, the better.