The car was filled with silence for a moment.

Well that was intense.

I didn’t know what had rattled me more – the passionate feel of Parker’s kiss… or the craziness that followed after.

I took a deep breath and took a few seconds to take in my surroundings. I was sitting next to Parker, Hannah was opposite me, Jasper next to her.

Of course the rock star has a limo.

I glanced around and spotted my phone on the seat between us. I reached for it, but Parker was too quick, he snagged it off the leather and leaned back, holding it in the hand furthest from me.

“Oh c’mon,” I whined. “Would you stop being such a pain in the ass?”

Parker grinned and shook his head.

Jasper laughed.

“Is he always this much of a stalker?” I asked Jasper.

He looked at me quizzically for a moment, like he was trying to figure something out.

“Nope,” he eventually said with a shake of his head. “Never... I dunno what’s got into him.”

Honest… I like it.

Parker flipped him the middle finger, but didn’t deny it as he continued to tap away on my phone.

I turned my attention back to the man causing me worlds of trouble. “What the hell do you think you’re doing on there anyway? And how’d you figure out my pin?” I lunged for my phone but he moved swiftly out of the way.

“Really, Charlotte?” he asked, clearly amused. “One, two, three, four wasn’t exactly rocket science. Even for me.”

I blushed. “Fine. I’ll change it,” I mumbled. “Can I have it back now?”

“Just… one… more…” A phone rang from somewhere in the car and he grinned triumphantly. “Done.” He handed it back to me.

“Did you just call yourself from my phone?” I asked in outrage as I snatched it from his hand.

He nodded, not an ounce of remorse on his stupid, cocky face.

“Saved my number for you too.” He grinned.

“Did you now…” I deadpanned as I clicked on my recent calls.

I couldn’t help the small smile that escaped my control. He’d saved his number as ‘Sexy Rock Star’.

“You sure think a lot of yourself, huh?” I asked as I tucked it safely back into my bag and away from Parker.

He just laughed.

I glanced up at Hannah and Jasper; they were both regarding us with curious expressions.

“What?” I asked.

Jasper just shook his head in response.

Hannah raised her hand timidly. “Um, I have a question?”

“Hannah, right?” Parker replied as he slung his arm over my shoulders. It was so casual, you’d be forgiven for thinking the two of us were as close as they came, not total strangers. I considered shrugging it off, but decided it was pointless – the man had just had his tongue in my mouth, this was by far the lesser of the two evils.

Hannah nodded in confirmation of her name and blushed.

I rolled my eyes. I’d never seen my best friend blush once.

“Go ahead,” he encouraged.

She lowered her raised hand. “Um… well…” She glanced back and forth between us, and then at Jasper.

He winked at her in encouragement which only made her blush more.

Huh… more blushing… interesting…

“Well… what the hell is happening here?” she finally asked.

Parker chuckled. “Here as in…” He gestured between me and him.

She nodded, wide eyed. “You’re Parker Sloan,” she replied quickly. Her voice caressed his name like he was royalty.

I rolled my eyes again and huffed out a breath.

“And we’re in your car,” she carried on. “And you’re looking at my best friend like she’s a tall glass of water and you’ve been wandering in the desert for days.”

Parker and Jasper both laughed and I couldn’t help but join them. Han was always cracking me up with the stuff she came out with.

“And you’re Jasper Jones.” She turned to face him. “You know they say you’re the only one who can keep him under control,” she stated.

Jasper raised his brows at her. “He just kidnapped you and your friend here, right after he carried her off the dance floor and stole her phone like some kind of caveman…” He pointed out. “Does it look like I have his ass under control?”

Hannah giggled.

“I knew I didn’t just lose it.” I pointed my finger accusingly at Parker.

I left Jasper to do his best to explain the current situation to Hannah, even though it seemed like he was nearly as confused about it as she was.

Parker grinned at me, again, totally unremorseful.

Shit…

When he smiled like that it caused a deep dimple in his right cheek that was far sexier than I wanted to admit.

“This isn’t normal behaviour, you know that, right?” I choked out.

He laughed loudly and made an attempt to slide me across the leather seat, closer to him.

“Does it look like I do normal?” he asked with a hoarse voice, right at my ear.

Nope… nothing normal here…

I twisted my body in his direction and tucked one of my legs up under myself, effectively putting some distance between us.

He frowned at my obvious resistance, but sat back and angled himself towards me.

“You’re crazy,” I stated.

“You’re beautiful,” he replied.

Mr. Smooth…

I shook my head at him and tried to hide my smile.

“Do you always stalk women?” I asked.

“Do you always make men work so hard for your attention?” he threw back.

My smile broke free at that question and he grinned back at me.

Damn that dimple.

I studied him hard and finally admitted to myself that I liked what I was looking at.

Dammit…

More than like…

He’s not my type... at all.

He was covered in ink. Nearly every visible inch of his arms and chest were covered in designs and pictures. An image of a guitar on his deltoid caught my attention.

I couldn’t deny it was fascinating to look at, he was like a living breathing piece of art. All that ink made me want to explore and see what else there was to see.

His dark hair was flopped forward onto his face again. His grin was wide and easy, like he didn’t have a care in the world, and his eyes were sparkling the same way that they did when he was on stage.

I would know – I’d seen countless pictures and clips of this man singing. Hannah bought every single gossip magazine there was, every damn week, and it’d become habit for me to flick through them. She also wasn’t shy about her YouTube habits and was always forcing me to watch one clip or another of her latest crush.

I didn’t know why he was doing it, but having him looking at me like that was making me nervous. He was intense. The man was more in tune with his sexuality than anyone I’d ever met. It rolled off him in waves that screamed ‘I’ll have you, and you won’t regret it’.

Maybe I’ll let him have me…

“Stop making those eyes at me,” I demanded suddenly, shocked at the direction my thoughts were heading.

“What eyes?” He smirked.

“Those rock star eyes.” I pointed at him. “Stop it.”

“Make me,” he replied, still looking at me in the exact same way.

I sighed. “You are bat-shit crazy, boy.”

“And you are beautiful, legs.” The reply rolled off his tongue, and this time I felt myself blush.

“Legs?” I asked with a frown when I realized what he’d just called me.

He smirked and raked his eyes over the exposed flesh on my legs, nearly making me shudder.

“Those damn sexy legs.” He almost groaned.

His reaction did crazy things to my insides. Things I tried to bury deep, deep down.

“Ah… where are we going?” Hannah asked, breaking through the tension building between Parker and I.

I took a deep, steadying breath and tried to get my wits about me as I looked out of the window.

“Home,” I replied at the same time as Parker answered, “My place.”

“What?” I spun back around. “We are not going to your house.”

“Ignore her. We’re keen,” Hannah interrupted quickly.

“Hannah, what the fuck?” I demanded, my new-found anger shifting from Parker to my so-called best friend in a flash.

She just shrugged at me, not in the least bit bothered by my reaction.

I groaned in frustration.

Barking up the wrong tree there…

She’s a lost cause.

I looked to Jasper for help, but he was just staring at Parker with curious eyes and a surprised expression.

I turned back to Parker. “Rock star, there is no way I’m going home with you.”

He just smiled, but otherwise ignored me.

“Excuse me…” I called to the driver when I realised I was wasting my time back here. “Corner of West and Donohue please.”

The man in control of the car glanced in the rearview mirror to meet Parker’s eyes.

Parker shook his head at his driver.

God damn rock star.

“I’ll go to the press,” I threatened him.

“You won’t,” he replied with a cocky grin.

I suddenly felt incredibly nervous. I knew he was just playing, but I didn’t want to go home with him… I didn’t want to risk another media frenzy like we’d encountered at the club… I didn’t want any drama.

I just wanted to go home and sleep in my own bed. Alone… but he was right – I would never go to the media with anything.

I felt my smile drop.

“Hey,” he said softly, noticing the change in me immediately. “I was only joking around.”

I peeked up at him.

He reached out and gently stroked the side of my face. “You really want to go home?”

I nodded. “Yes please,” I whispered.

He smiled and leaned in, placing a soft kiss on my forehead, completely taking me by surprise. Parker Sloan didn’t strike me as the kind of guy that kissed foreheads; he seemed more like the ‘screw you hard and fast in a toilet cubicle’ kind of guy.

“Kelv,” he called out to the driver. “Corner of West and Donohue,” he repeated the address I’d given from memory.

I saw the driver tip his head in acknowledgement.

“Say please,” I growled quietly and nudged his leg.

I heard Jasper laugh but I didn’t look at him.

Parker stared hard at me and I stared right back.

I won.

“Please, Kelv,” he added.

“Better.”

Parker shook his head like he was confused, and ran his hand through his hair.

“What is it about you, woman?” he mumbled to himself.

“Should I be concerned you know where I live now?” I asked, ignoring his comment.

“Probably,” Jasper drawled.

Parker shook his head but then shrugged. “I dunno, maybe…” He smirked. “Now I’ve got your number and your address. There’s no way you’re getting out of our date tomorrow.”

My mouth fell open before I quickly regained control and snapped it shut.

“We are not going on a date tomorrow,” I argued.

“Oh yes we are,” he replied, totally unfazed by my resistance to the idea.

The car slowed and pulled over.

I peered out of the tinted glass.

Home.

Thank god.

“Seriously, rock star… do you understand what it means when a woman tells you no?”

“I wouldn’t know,” he replied. “Can’t say I’ve ever heard it.”

I laughed, but stopped abruptly when I realized he wasn’t joking.

“What?” I choked out. “You’ve never been turned down?” I asked in disbelief.

“Not in the last five years,” he replied in a cocky voice.

Is he serious?

“Got girls lining up to be a part of that show back at the club, do you?” I asked him, suddenly remembering that I hadn’t yet made a fuss about the shitty move he’d pulled on me back there.

His smile dropped slightly.

That’s right…

“Which, by the way, I never got to thank you for… I’m looking forward to seeing my face in the news tomorrow,” I added sarcastically. Truth was, I wasn’t looking forward to it at all – I was dreading it.

He shrugged. “It’s the price I pay.”

The door next to me opened and I turned to climb out. “Well, not me.”

“You know I won’t just give up, legs,” he called after me as I stepped out of the car.

It was both a promise and a warning.

“Thank you.” I smiled at the driver, Kelvin, who had opened my door, and he nodded politely in response.

I stuck my head back into the car. “Suit yourself, rock star… but don’t expect me to fall at your feet like one of your groupies.”

He smirked at me and I heard Jasper laugh.

“Thanks for the ride, Parker,” Hannah gushed as she slid out of the car.

Thanks for the kidnapping more like…

I rolled my eyes for what felt like the millionth time this evening and got away from this crazy man while I still could.

“See ya, Jasper,” I called over my shoulder as I strolled towards the doors of the building.

“Laters,” he called back from inside the dark car.

I rummaged around in my bag for my keys.

Rock star probably stole them and had them copied…

Crazy-ass stalker.

The car’s engine started up again and I watched out of the corner of my eye as they drove away.

“Why do I have a feeling that won’t be the last I see of that man?” I groaned as I opened the door.

Hannah was virtually bouncing next to me. “Oh my god, Lotte.” She swooned. “He’s never like that with girls… he must really like you… you are totally going out with him… ugh I’m so jealous… oh my god what if you get married…” She rambled, non-stop all the way up to our floor.

“Breathe, Han… remember to breathe,” I reminded her.

“Sorry!” she exclaimed. “This is just so exciting. You have the Parker Sloan’s number.”

I stopped in my tracks and pointed a finger at her. “I swear to god, you put a ‘the’ in front of his name one more time and I’m gonna slap you,” I threatened.

She ignored me completely and put her hands together like she was praising the lord. “Thank you, god, my girl is finally getting back in the game. And with none other than Parker Sloan, ladies and gentlemen… what a way to come off the bench!”

I rolled my eyes and sent up my own prayer that she’d shut the hell up.

 

 

I woke to the sound of music blaring.

What the hell, Han?

I groaned as I rolled over onto my side and tried to go back to sleep.

The music stopped abruptly and I sighed in contentment.

It was short-lived.

The music started up again and I recognized the song as one of Parker’s.

Make Me Feel Alive.

Jesus, Hannah. Fan girl: level one hundred.

Banging came from the wall to my left. “Shut the hell up, it’s early,” Hannah’s muffled voice yelled from the next room.

Not Hannah then…

My fuzzy brain was slow to catch up.

If it’s not Hannah then who…

The music stopped momentarily before starting over again.

I sat bolt upright, only now noticing the light on my cell flashing.

“Rock star,” I grumbled, realising exactly what he’d been doing when tinkering around on my phone.

I snatched it up off my nightstand and swiped to accept the call of the self-professed ‘Sexy Rock Star’.

“You’re persistent, I’ll give you that,” I stated by way of welcome.

“Charlotte.” His caress of my name was smooth and seductive and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit it gave me tingles.

I yawned loudly in an attempt to hide my reaction. “I was sleeping ya know?”

“But it’s after nine?” He questioned.

“So?” I demanded. “Me and Han have an agreement, no noise before ten on a Sunday. You and your number one hit just cost me the dishes for a week,” I complained.

He laughed and the sound made me smile.

“You’re a rock star; I thought you only came out at night?”

“I’m a musician, not a vampire.” He chuckled.

I scoffed at him.

“So… you know my song’s a number one,” he stated smugly, entirely ignoring the part that meant I was on cleaning duty because of him.

“Yeah, yeah,” I acknowledged. “I wasn’t trying to feed your giant ego.”

He barked out a laugh. “Do you know you’re kind of brutal?”

“I’m aware. Do you know you have psychopathic tendencies?” I fired back.

He chuckled again. “I like you.”

“You don’t know me.”

“Well what I do know, I like,” he amended.

I sighed. “Look, rock star, what do you want? I’m not your usual M.O.” I flopped back down onto my pillows. “I’m not tall, blonde, sexy and looking for a good time,” I explained, just in case he was under any illusions about what I was or wasn’t.

There was silence for a moment before he answered me.

“You were the sexiest woman in that club last night, and you didn’t even know it,” he growled as though I’d said something to insult him. “You are sexy,” he added in a gruff voice.

I blushed and was lost for words for once in my life.

“What do you want, Parker?” I whispered.

I heard a sharp intake of breath as I spoke his name to him for the first time.

“I want you… I want to take you on a date, I want to see you smile, and I want to look into those pretty blue eyes while I fuck you,” he answered. “Then I want to do it all over again.”

It was me that inhaled a sharp breath this time.

“And you know what I want more than any of that?” he asked, but he didn’t wait for me to answer him. “I want to hear my name in your sexy voice, coming from your soft lips. Again, and again, and again...”

A nervous giggle escaped my mouth.

“So, Charlotte, how about it?” he asked, more light-hearted than before.

I paused for a beat, thinking about the consequences that this could have on my life. Parker Sloan was famous – big-time famous. I knew I’d be in the news already, just from last night alone.

Do I need that drama in my life again?

It was more than that too. He was so intense, and for some reason, that intensity was focused solely in my direction – I didn’t know how to handle a man like this.

“Please?” he begged.

I could already feel my resolve slipping.

“You’re killing me here,” he groaned.

“Alright,” I answered quietly, giving in to him. “To the date,” I added. “Not the ‘looking in my eyes while you fuck me’ part.”

He laughed loudly.

“Alright,” he repeated. “That’ll do for now.”

 

 

What am I doing?

I smoothed down my jeans for the fifth time in the last two minutes.

Why am I doing this?

I’d been second guessing my decision from the moment Parker had let me off the phone. I’d accepted that I was already going to be doing the dishes for the week, so I’d gone and woke Hannah up early to tell her the news. She’d been flying around like a tornado ever since.

First thing she’d done was sit bolt upright, grab her laptop, and load up her go-to gossip websites… and there I was, with speculation running rampant.

‘Who is Parker Sloan’s latest squeeze?’

‘Sloan carries mystery redhead across dance floor.’

‘Who’s got Parker Sloan going all cave-man?’

I cringed as I thought about how many times I’d seen my own face in the last hour.

Hannah was thrilled. She would have loved nothing more than making the front page of the tabloids. She’d even been able to spot herself in the background of numerous pictures; I’d never seen someone excited about something so stupid.

I wasn’t so thrilled. I’d been there, done that, and sworn never again.

Yet here I am.

There were a dozen or so videos of Parker sweeping me up in his arms and carting me off towards an amused-looking Jasper, me cursing and thrashing about. They were all over YouTube; some of them had millions of views already.

Fame is one crazy bitch.

I would know. I’d had an unpleasant brush with it.

Understatement of the century.

I just had to hope that that particular experience would stay firmly in the past.

This thing with Parker was nothing… I had no need to tell him about my past right now. If things went any further, then maybe…

Getting ahead of yourself…

It wouldn’t – I was just the latest plaything for a guy like him.

I took a deep breath as I studied my appearance in the mirror.

I’d reminded Parker of the fact that I wasn’t his usual type, but the truth was, he wasn’t exactly my type either. I had a list – a short list, but a list nonetheless, of ‘boy next door’ type boyfriends – blue eyes, blond hair, tanned skin, muscular and no tattoos.

That was my type. Right up until the last one blew up in my face about two years ago.

These days my type was more of the non-existent variety.

Parker Sloan didn’t exactly fit my tastes, but the more I thought about him and looked at the photos of us together, the more I felt my preferences shifting – in the bad-boy rocker direction.

The dangerous direction.

Shit.

“It’s just lunch. Stop freaking out.” Hannah’s voice brought me back to the present.

She was standing behind me, pulling my long hair effortlessly back and forth into a stunning, but simple ponytail.

Hannah was a fantastic hairdresser – meeting her at a photo shoot all those years ago had been a blessing. I took care of making faces look perfect, and she took care of the hair – we were a team.

“I wish you’d let me cut this mane,” she moaned.

“I like it long,” I muttered. “And maybe if you weren’t so trigger happy with those scissors, I wouldn’t be so strict.”

I saw her roll her eyes in the mirror.

“Where is he taking you?” she quizzed me.

“He just said lunch,” I answered. “I didn’t ask.”

“Well you look stunning,” Hannah told me as she put one final touch on my hair.

“Thank you,” I replied quietly, looking at myself in the mirror.

Since I didn’t know where we were going, I’d chosen casual clothes, and I would choose shoes – either Nikes or heels, depending on what Parker showed up wearing.

A knock at the door took me by surprise.

“He’s early,” I stated dumbly, grabbing for my bag. “Someone must have let him through the front door.”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course they did, he’s Parker Sloan for Christ’s sake… you wait here,” Hannah instructed. “I’ll text you about the shoes,” she added as she flew out my bedroom door.

“Try not to eye fuck the shit outta him,” I called after her. “And don’t agree to anything stupid, just because he’s famous.”

Her laugh sounded throughout the living room.

I heard her swing open the door. “Parker!” she cried, sounding genuinely surprised.

She should have gone into acting.

“Hey, come in,” she added.

“Hannah?” Parker’s voice sounded confused.

I held back a laugh; Hannah looked completely different now than she had last night. She was wearing sweat pants and a tank top and didn’t have a stitch of makeup on her face. She looked one thousand times more appealing than she had a mere twelve hours ago.

Silly girl.

Hannah must have nodded in response to his question.

“Oh, I didn’t recognise…you look… different,” Parker elaborated.

The pang of anxiety I felt, took me by surprise.

What if he made a mistake choosing me?

Hannah was like all the girls he was photographed with; tall, blonde, stunning, slim… everything I wasn’t. Well, sure, I was slim, but I was short too, and my pale skin and dark red hair were a far cry from Hannah’s beach babe look.

Calm your shit…you’re not meant to like him anyway.

My phone chimed next to me and pulled me from my pity party.

“Nikes. Definitely Nikes… god he’s HOT”

I smiled. Parker must have been in his usual jeans and chucks get-up.

I grabbed my white Nikes and slipped them on my feet, I rolled up my black jeans a couple of rounds and I was as ready as I’d ever be.

Here goes nothing…