Bracing myself against the trunk of my car, I try to hold myself together as the sexiest man alive tastes every square millimeter of my mouth and runs his hands over my sides. The one and only Jace Hawthorne is ravaging my lips, making my body respond in ways I never even imagined. Men have turned me on before, but I’ve never felt an ache between my thighs this persistent. Our tension is like a bomb waiting to detonate.

I was so surprised to see him tonight, and before that to hear he’d been looking for me. He must have a thing for thick redheads. Lucky me. My panties were already soaked when he walked in the door, and I had to check them in the bathroom later to make sure nothing was dripping down my legs. He creates a tsunami of desire in me. I can’t contain it.

Jace pulls me closer into him, and for the first time, I feel the situation I’m creating for him down below. It pulls a small squeal out of me.

“God, you’re huge.”

“Don’t be afraid of me, sweetheart.” Jace pulls my hair away from my face and grasps it at the nape of my neck, drilling into my eyes with his bright amber orbs. “I’ve got you.”

Grabbing the backs of my thighs, Jace hoists me onto the back of the car with little effort and continues to pummel my lips with his. His hips fit perfectly into the space between my legs. The thin film of the shirt I’m wearing almost makes me feel naked inside the hard grip of his arms. We haven’t even gone on a date yet, and I’m afraid I’m about to end up fully nude on the back of this car, right now, letting him take me all the way. My fingers run down the length of his thin sleeves, feeling every ridge and curve of his muscles underneath them. Then I reach up to feel his tight jawline underneath the short beard he’s growing, holding it as I press my lips back against his.

As unearthly and thrilling as this feels, I can’t manage to convince myself he’s interested in only me. There have to be at least ten others like me out there. Guys like Jace don’t fall for girls like me. It’s just not possible. He’s probably got girls like me waiting in Paris, Rome, and all the other major cities he visits on tour. This situation only has the potential to hurt me and hurt me bad. If I let myself fall into his arms like this, I’m letting him win. Somehow, it feels like I’m letting Dad win, too. I can’t let another man wreck my life. I got so close to forgetting everything and moving on. This doomed romance can’t continue even another minute, or I’m going to lose everything.

I pull back from the kiss just as Jace starts leaning me back onto the rear window. Breathing hard, I push him off of me and rush around to the driver’s side, not even looking back.

“What’s wrong?” Jace follows me with concern edging his voice.

“I just…I gotta go. It’s late.” I open the door, climb in, and then he almost gets caught in the door when I slam it shut. I shove the keys in the ignition and start the car with a sputter. Jace pounds on the window.

“Wait!” His shout is muffled by the engine and the glass of the window. “I don’t have a way to reach you.”

Rolling the window down just a crack, I flash him a stern look. “Don’t wait on me again.” I roll the window back up, and as soon as he’s out of my way, I back out of the parking space and blaze out of the lot, barely remembering to look both ways before I turn left at the flashing stoplight. A car comes barreling over the hill at full speed toward me and barely misses the rear of the car. They lay on the horn, but I don’t even bother to turn around and flip them off.

Regret settles in my chest as soon as Jace is out of sight. I had him in my arms. He was giving me what I’ve dreamed of for years and I ran away from him just because of my own fear. What is wrong with me? Millions of girls would kill me for letting this opportunity slide. I’m an idiot for letting him out of my grasp, I know that, but I can’t get hurt the way Dad hurt Mom. Jace is definitely not going to be around forever, and he’ll get bored with me soon enough even if he is here for a while. I’m just protecting myself from future heartbreak.

On the way home, I turn on the radio to my usual hard rock station. Of course, just my luck, a song by the Bangers is playing. The deep baritone of Jace’s voice floods my ears, and tears rush to flood my eyes. Before I can dissolve into a blubbering mess, I turn the dial to an adult hit station, which is playing the P!nk song, Sober. I sing along, trying to drown out the pain of what I just lost and put it behind me.