Comfy chair… She blinked slowly and leaned her head against the chair arm. She curled her legs under her for warmth and tugged her towel closer. So sleepy… Sed… Please don’t be mad at me… I’ll find you… Sorry I hurt you… I do need you… Please, hold me… Don’t leave me alone…
Chapter 20
Sed stalked down the wide sidewalk, oblivious to the crowds milling along the Vegas strip. The throngs of people parted before him like the red sea. Apparently, his pissed-off aura preceded him and alerted them to get the f**k out of his way. He didn’t even know where he was going. Back to the tour bus maybe. Or a bar. He could use a drink. And not that watered down shit they gave away at the casinos.
“Oh my God, it’s Sedric Lionheart!” a feminine voice wailed.
Sed froze. He wasn’t in the right state of mind to deal with rabid fans. He glanced around, looking for an escape route or a place to hide.
“It is him. Sed!” a voice said from the opposite direction. “Sed. Sed. Sed! I love you.”
He spun on his heel, wincing at the large group of young women racing toward him. His only means of escape was the busy street beyond the sidewalk. He headed in that direction, but hesitated on the curb. Cars zoomed past.
Several bodies careened into him and he stumbled, one foot landing in the road. A car blared its horn as it swerved, barely missing him.
His fangirls wouldn’t push him to his death, though. Several hands grabbed his T-shirt and pulled him back onto the sidewalk.
Fabric tore along his back. While he’d regained his balance, within seconds, he’d lost his shirt. Again. Why did they always have to rip his shirt off? Christ. There was a reason he kept his hair short and didn’t wear jewelry. If they could grab it, they considered it fair game for their collections.
Hands, belonging to various females in the growing mob, touched, caressed, squeezed, poked, and prodded any bare skin they could get their hands on.
A few of the more bold ladies copped a feel of his ass beneath his jeans.
Another grabbed his crotch. “So that video wasn’t enhanced,” someone murmured into his ear from behind. “You are a monster.”
He pulled a hand away, only to have it replaced with another. Camera flashes were going off all around him. The excited twitters of high-pitched voices made his head swim.
Normally, it didn’t bother him to be fondled and groped by appreciative female fans, but he’d had enough of being used for one day. Jessica thought of him as a toy, and all these chicks just saw him as an object for their amusement.
No one gave a shit about him. Not the real him. He tried to be a good guy. To treat Jess right and she reminded him of how little he really meant to her? Fuck her. He didn’t need her. He didn’t need anyone.
“Back off!” he bellowed.
Everyone froze.
Hesitated a few seconds.
Continued their game of who can touch Sed in the most invasive manner.
“Sed!” a familiar masculine (thank you, God) voice called from just outside his circle of admirers.
An engine revved loudly and girls dashed aside as a Harley Davidson bumped over the curb and onto the sidewalk. The bike stopped next to Sed and its driver slid forward on the seat.
Jace. Bassist. Savior.
“Get on,” Jace said, jerking his helmeted head toward the back of the bike.
Sed peeled his fangirls’ leech-like hands from his body and climbed onto the motorcycle behind Jace.
“Can I have your autograph, please?” a young woman asked, her grip like iron on his wrist. “Please!”
“Some other time.”
Sed tugged free of her hold. The motorcycle shot forward, hopped the curb and entered traffic. Several horns blared as Jace cut across three lanes.
“Man, you saved my life. Did you just happen to be driving past?”
“I saw the chaotic crowd of females. Figured it was you in the middle of it. Or Brad Pitt.”
Sed chuckled. “I thought you were visiting Trey.”
“Eric doesn’t want me around.” The bike rumbled loudly as Jace accelerated, whipping between cars in the heavy traffic. The guy was a maniac. Sed’s heart raced after the first near fatality. By the third, he just wanted off the f**kin’ bike.
“Hey, slow down. Shit, man, are you trying to kill us?”
“Just don’t want to be seen riding with a half-naked dude on the back of my bike.”
Sed laughed so hard he almost fell off the motorcycle. He wrapped his arms around Jace’s waist, the cool, smooth leather of Jace’s jacket against his bare chest. Sed rested his chin on Jace’s shoulder. “Is this better, snookums?”
“Ack!” Jace scooted forward, but Sed tightened his arms to keep him from shifting onto the shiny red gas tank. “Get back.”
Sed snorted. “Slow down and I’ll let go.”
Jace slowed and carefully moved to the lane closest to the sidewalk. As promised, Sed released him and scooted to the back of the seat. A moment later, they turned into the parking lot where the tour buses were still parked.
“Home sweet home,” Sed murmured as Jace pulled to a stop next to the front bus.
“Did you want to go somewhere else?”
“In this outfit?” Sed climbed off the back of the bike and let himself into the empty bus. Jace followed.
Sed found a spare shirt in the bedroom that didn’t smell like stale sweat. He donned it and returned to the common area.
Jace, who was seated at the dining table, watched Sed pass as if he wanted to talk. Rare for Jace. Better humor him.
Sed slid into the bench across from him.
“So what have you been up to lately?” Sed asked. “Haven’t seen you around much. You’re always taking off on your bike.”
Jace shrugged, rubbing the small hoop earring in his lobe between his thumb and the side of his index finger. “Stuff.”
“You’re probably just sick of Eric harassing you all the time.”
He shrugged again. “Eric’s cool. He was here first.”
“Eric can be real a douche bag, you know? Don’t let him get to you.”
“No, really, he’s cool. You should cut him some slack.”
“Me?”
“The dude idolizes you and you cut him down all the time. He just laughs it off, but…” Jace shrugged again.
The quiet ones always surprised him with their insight. Was he too hard on Eric? Sed scratched his forehead, scowling in thought. He did cut Eric down, but Eric needed that to keep him on an even keel. Didn’t he? Yeah, as an outsider, Jace just didn’t understand their dynamic.
Chapter 20
Sed stalked down the wide sidewalk, oblivious to the crowds milling along the Vegas strip. The throngs of people parted before him like the red sea. Apparently, his pissed-off aura preceded him and alerted them to get the f**k out of his way. He didn’t even know where he was going. Back to the tour bus maybe. Or a bar. He could use a drink. And not that watered down shit they gave away at the casinos.
“Oh my God, it’s Sedric Lionheart!” a feminine voice wailed.
Sed froze. He wasn’t in the right state of mind to deal with rabid fans. He glanced around, looking for an escape route or a place to hide.
“It is him. Sed!” a voice said from the opposite direction. “Sed. Sed. Sed! I love you.”
He spun on his heel, wincing at the large group of young women racing toward him. His only means of escape was the busy street beyond the sidewalk. He headed in that direction, but hesitated on the curb. Cars zoomed past.
Several bodies careened into him and he stumbled, one foot landing in the road. A car blared its horn as it swerved, barely missing him.
His fangirls wouldn’t push him to his death, though. Several hands grabbed his T-shirt and pulled him back onto the sidewalk.
Fabric tore along his back. While he’d regained his balance, within seconds, he’d lost his shirt. Again. Why did they always have to rip his shirt off? Christ. There was a reason he kept his hair short and didn’t wear jewelry. If they could grab it, they considered it fair game for their collections.
Hands, belonging to various females in the growing mob, touched, caressed, squeezed, poked, and prodded any bare skin they could get their hands on.
A few of the more bold ladies copped a feel of his ass beneath his jeans.
Another grabbed his crotch. “So that video wasn’t enhanced,” someone murmured into his ear from behind. “You are a monster.”
He pulled a hand away, only to have it replaced with another. Camera flashes were going off all around him. The excited twitters of high-pitched voices made his head swim.
Normally, it didn’t bother him to be fondled and groped by appreciative female fans, but he’d had enough of being used for one day. Jessica thought of him as a toy, and all these chicks just saw him as an object for their amusement.
No one gave a shit about him. Not the real him. He tried to be a good guy. To treat Jess right and she reminded him of how little he really meant to her? Fuck her. He didn’t need her. He didn’t need anyone.
“Back off!” he bellowed.
Everyone froze.
Hesitated a few seconds.
Continued their game of who can touch Sed in the most invasive manner.
“Sed!” a familiar masculine (thank you, God) voice called from just outside his circle of admirers.
An engine revved loudly and girls dashed aside as a Harley Davidson bumped over the curb and onto the sidewalk. The bike stopped next to Sed and its driver slid forward on the seat.
Jace. Bassist. Savior.
“Get on,” Jace said, jerking his helmeted head toward the back of the bike.
Sed peeled his fangirls’ leech-like hands from his body and climbed onto the motorcycle behind Jace.
“Can I have your autograph, please?” a young woman asked, her grip like iron on his wrist. “Please!”
“Some other time.”
Sed tugged free of her hold. The motorcycle shot forward, hopped the curb and entered traffic. Several horns blared as Jace cut across three lanes.
“Man, you saved my life. Did you just happen to be driving past?”
“I saw the chaotic crowd of females. Figured it was you in the middle of it. Or Brad Pitt.”
Sed chuckled. “I thought you were visiting Trey.”
“Eric doesn’t want me around.” The bike rumbled loudly as Jace accelerated, whipping between cars in the heavy traffic. The guy was a maniac. Sed’s heart raced after the first near fatality. By the third, he just wanted off the f**kin’ bike.
“Hey, slow down. Shit, man, are you trying to kill us?”
“Just don’t want to be seen riding with a half-naked dude on the back of my bike.”
Sed laughed so hard he almost fell off the motorcycle. He wrapped his arms around Jace’s waist, the cool, smooth leather of Jace’s jacket against his bare chest. Sed rested his chin on Jace’s shoulder. “Is this better, snookums?”
“Ack!” Jace scooted forward, but Sed tightened his arms to keep him from shifting onto the shiny red gas tank. “Get back.”
Sed snorted. “Slow down and I’ll let go.”
Jace slowed and carefully moved to the lane closest to the sidewalk. As promised, Sed released him and scooted to the back of the seat. A moment later, they turned into the parking lot where the tour buses were still parked.
“Home sweet home,” Sed murmured as Jace pulled to a stop next to the front bus.
“Did you want to go somewhere else?”
“In this outfit?” Sed climbed off the back of the bike and let himself into the empty bus. Jace followed.
Sed found a spare shirt in the bedroom that didn’t smell like stale sweat. He donned it and returned to the common area.
Jace, who was seated at the dining table, watched Sed pass as if he wanted to talk. Rare for Jace. Better humor him.
Sed slid into the bench across from him.
“So what have you been up to lately?” Sed asked. “Haven’t seen you around much. You’re always taking off on your bike.”
Jace shrugged, rubbing the small hoop earring in his lobe between his thumb and the side of his index finger. “Stuff.”
“You’re probably just sick of Eric harassing you all the time.”
He shrugged again. “Eric’s cool. He was here first.”
“Eric can be real a douche bag, you know? Don’t let him get to you.”
“No, really, he’s cool. You should cut him some slack.”
“Me?”
“The dude idolizes you and you cut him down all the time. He just laughs it off, but…” Jace shrugged again.
The quiet ones always surprised him with their insight. Was he too hard on Eric? Sed scratched his forehead, scowling in thought. He did cut Eric down, but Eric needed that to keep him on an even keel. Didn’t he? Yeah, as an outsider, Jace just didn’t understand their dynamic.
