Covington, Georgia. This is definitely not where I thought I’d be going at the end of our first world tour as a band. The hot moisture in the air alone would be enough to keep me from this fucking dreadful place, but the mosquitoes certainly aren’t helping this state’s chances of us returning for a visit.

Sitting outside our trailers for a cookout was Connor’s idea. I’m willing to bet he’s regretting this shit now. Drummers are accustomed to being drenched in sweat, but this is too much, even for him. Even our little portable grill seems on the verge of exploding with all our bratwurst slung haphazardly over the grill bars. I’m beginning to miss cloudy, dreary London days. I want my loft apartment and my comfortable bed. Most of all, I want to shut out all life except mine and just be alone for a minimum of six weeks. My hearing is shot and my body seems to vibrate without end. Concert life is the life for me, but even Jace Hawthorne needs a good, long break now and then.

My mobile vibrates in my pocket. I pull it out and see message after message from some horny woman I fucked on tour who somehow managed to get my number. My stomach churns. I toss the phone down on the ground and scowl into the burning coals of the grill. I never thought I could get sick of being a virtual woman magnet, but I can no longer stand this fuckery. Coming home to an empty trailer every night with a harpy on each arm is the loneliest feeling I’ve ever had. I used to dream about such things, but lately I’ve found I have a new dream.

When I come home at night, I want to be utterly alone. No more bullshit one-night stands. No awkward goodbyes. No manufactured excuses as to why I can’t call the girl back in the morning. I just want my own bed and my own life. I want my domain to be my domain, and nobody else to taint it.

I’ve always been bitter, but lately I’m struggling to find a reason to live anymore. I made it. Our songs have made the Top 40 list more often than I can count. We’re going down as one of the most popular rock bands in British history. I’m numb to it all. My parents are still proud and badger me all the time about coming home for a visit. I have nieces and nephews who would love to see me. My grandparents are all still alive. My life could be perfect…idyllic, even.

So why is it that in a crowd of people, I still feel like the last motherfucker on earth? And a part of me wishes that could become a reality?

Our manager, Rick, comes to sit by us at the grill. He’s the cocksucker that brought us here in the first place on a personal errand. If he hadn’t made us the sensation we are today, we never would have considered it, but we owe him. The man sacrificed everything he had to become a band manager and he’s the best in the business. We promised him we’d give him his best chance at getting his family back.

Connor takes our bratwurst off the grill and seasons them with mustard. As we’re all munching on our dinner, Rick tells us about his plan to get his girls back.

“As you all know, my ex-wife Becky and my daughter Kyri live here. Elyza is away, unfortunately. I heard it from a cashier in a gas station who went to high school with her. I have a picture from Facebook of Becky and Kyri, though. Can I show it to you?”

“Yeah, sure,” all of us mumble. He passes his mobile around the circle to Connor, then to Eddie, our bassist, and then the unfortunate device ends up in the pervish hands of Damien.

Damien grins his approval at the sight of Rick’s daughter. “Leave it to me, Rick. I’ll see to it that at least one of them comes on the road with us.”

Rick’s furry salt-and-pepper eyebrow pulls up in disapproval. “Shut your mouth, Demon, before I shut it for you. Pass it on to Jace. I know he’ll treat her with respect.”

Damien rolls his eyes and passes the mobile to me without making eye contact. “Oi, manager’s pet.”

I accept the phone, expecting to see an ugly female version of Rick since Damien would fuck anything that moved. I’m not prepared for the vise that squeezes around my chest at the mere sight of Kyri Calloway.

Long, waved auburn hair, clear green eyes, a slender nose, and well-shaped, plush lips. Her frame is generous and curved to perfection. My eyes are immediately drawn to her chest, which seems to go on forever into a cinched waist that’s the perfect size for my arms. She reminds me of an Irish pin-up girl. What really captures my attention is the humorous sparkle in her eye. She’s got a secret, and fuck if I don’t want to dig deep inside her and learn what it is.

“Earth to Jace.” Rick watches me with amusement, holding out his leathery hand. “Can I have my phone back, please?”

“Oh…yes. Sorry.” I pass it to him, ignoring the snickers coming from all around the circle.

“Anyway…” Rick tucks his phone into the back pocket of his denim pants protectively. Our reactions must have unsettled him. “My hope is that bringing you guys with me will show them how much better our lives can be now and give them a reason to come back to me. I know I screwed up. Even if they don’t come on our next tour with us, which I sincerely hope they will, I want my family back.”

“So you’re using us as a bribe?” Eddie’s lips curl up in a smirk.

Rick’s low chuckle rattles out of his chest. “Something like that.”

Normally I’d be annoyed at something like this, but with Kyri Calloway’s face clouding my mind’s eye every two seconds, I find there isn’t a single part of me resisting this trip anymore. However, there is a part of me that’s rock solid and resisting my tight jeans. She’s not the usual type I would take to a hotel, fuck, and never see again. There’s something different about her. Her vibrancy, her innocence…I’ve never seen anyone like her, and I think I like it. My body likes her intensely, that’s without question. I shift uncomfortably in my seat, attempting to conceal the hard-on I’m going to have to take care of later.

“Jace…”

Rick grabs my attention again out of the blue.

“Can I talk to you in private for just a minute?”

Bloody hell. He must have read my filthy thoughts. I’m sure I’m about to receive a lecture about staying away from his daughter. I stand and nod, then follow him around to the other end of our small camp site. Taking me behind a trailer, Rick leans in and whispers to me.

“Listen, son. I’ve done some stalking of my daughter online, as you probably noticed…” His unpleasant chuckle sounds again. “You are her favorite celebrity, from what I’ve seen. She adores you. With any luck, you’ll be able to lure her to us easy.”

A smile drags the right corner of my lips upward. If Kyri Calloway “adores” me, I’m about to get the luckiest I’ve ever been.

“What I want you to do is warm her up to the idea of coming on tour with us. Act interested in her. Let her think she has a chance with you if you need to.”

I bristle at his words. What makes him think she doesn’t have a chance with me?

“Whatever you have to do, I’m counting on you to get her on board with this plan. I’ll make sure the record doubles your cut and gives you all a lifetime contract if you do this for me.”

My eyes widen. Double our cut? A lifetime contract? My mates would fucking murder me if I didn’t agree to this. It’s almost too good of an offer to be true. However, this is a completely unethical way of going about it.

“Rick, I…I dunno…are you sure you can even do that?”

“I know I can.” Intensity enters his coffee-bean eyes. Whatever Rick sets his mind on, he gets. In all the years I’ve known him, that has always been the case.

If he could get us a lifetime contract, we wouldn’t have anything to worry about ever again. A five-year run as one of the most popular rock bands in the UK isn’t a small feat, but no one is guaranteed forever. We’re all entering our thirties now. I’m the eldest at thirty-one, and as soon as my looks start slipping away from me, our popularity at risk of declining, hard. The security is too good to pass up.

The opportunity to seduce Kyri Calloway without consequences is an appealing thought, too. Her own father just gave me permission to lure her into bed, which means total amnesty for every sick, twisted, wicked thing I plan to do to her once I have her in my arms. I don’t see how I could lose.

“Well…all right. You have a deal.” I reach out my hand and shake his thick, stocky one, hoping I haven’t just made a colossal mistake.