Page 70 of Saving the Rockstar

I shook my head, a small smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. "I'm not doing this for you," I said softly. "I'm doing this for me, for us. I want to be able to hold your hand in public,to kiss you without worrying about who might see. I want to be able to shout my love for you from the rooftops, because you deserve nothing less."

Jared's smile was blinding, his eyes shining with a joy so pure and radiant. He surged forward, capturing my lips in a kiss that was both tender and fierce, a kiss that spoke of all the hope that we held in our hearts.

We lost ourselves in each other, the water lapping gently at our skin as we moved in unison. The candles flickered in the dim light of the bathroom. As he pushed his dick inside me, I felt a sense of peace and rightness settle over me, a certainty that this was exactly where I was meant to be.

The next few days passed in a blur of interviews and performances, the end of the Asian leg of the tour looming on the horizon. On our last day, Jared surprised me with a suggestion, his eyes sparkling with mischief as he pulled me close.

"Let's make today special, Ash," he said, his voice low. "Just you and me, no distractions, no interruptions. What do you say?"

I grinned, my own eyes lighting up with a matching sense of playfulness. "That sounds like the perfect way to spend our last day in paradise," I teased, my fingers trailing down his chest with a feather-light touch. "But what exactly did you have in mind?"

Jared's smile turned wicked, his hands sliding down to cup my ass and pull me flush against him. "Oh, I have a few ideas," he murmured, his lips brushing against my ear. "But they all involve you, me, and a whole lot of lube."

I laughed, my heart soaring with joy and a lightness. "Then what are we waiting for?" I asked, my voice breathy with anticipation. "Lead the way."

We spent the day holed up in our hotel room, ordering room service and exploring each other's bodies with an intensity that left us both breathless and sated. As we lay tangled together in the sheets, the sweat cooling on our skin and our hearts beating in sync, Jared pressed a soft kiss to my navel, his voice low and serious.

"Asher," he said, his fingers tracing idle patterns on my ass. "I just want to remind you. You don't have to go public with our relationship if you’re unsure. I love you, and I'll support you no matter what you decide."

I felt a rush of love and gratitude wash over me. "I know," I said softly, my fingers lacing through his. "But this is what I really want, what I need."

Jared's smile was blinding, his eyes shining with joy. And then he was kissing me again, his lips soft, sweet and filled with tenderness. As he soon pushed inside me once more, the world outside faded away until there was nothing but the two of us.

Chapter 22: Asher

As the plane touched down on the tarmac, the familiar sights and sounds of Los Angeles flooding my senses, I felt a sense of unease settling in the pit of my stomach. The past few weeks had been a whirlwind of emotions, a rollercoaster of highs and lows that had left me feeling raw and exposed.

Jared and I made our way through the crowded airport, our hands clasped tightly together in a silent show of solidarity. It wasn't until we were in the car, speeding down the highway towards the city, that I finally saw it. There, splashed across the front page of a tabloid magazine, was a headline that made my blood run cold.

"Jared: The Truth Behind His Relationship with Asher Roth," it read, the words seeming to mock me from the glossy pages. "Exclusive details about his past affairs and his true intentions revealed."

I felt my heart drop into my stomach, a wave of nausea washing over me as I scanned the article with shaking hands. It was filled with accusations and insinuations. It painted Jared as a fame-hungry social climber, suggesting that he'd used his previous relationship with a well-known actress to gain access to Hollywood's inner circle. It claimed that he was only with me for the publicity, for the chance to further his own career.

I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't do anything but stare at the words on the page. The idea that my love for Jared might be based on a lie, that the one person I had come to rely on more than anyone else in the world could be using me... it was too much to bear.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, gentle and hesitant, and I looked up to see Jared's face, his eyes filled with concern and uncertainty. "Asher," he said softly. "What's wrong?"

I couldn't speak, couldn't find the words to express the depth of my pain and confusion. Instead, I thrust the magazine into his hands, my own shaking so badly that I could barely keep my grip on the pages.

Jared's eyes widened as he scanned the article, his face draining of color as he took in the accusations and the lies. "Ash, this isn't true. You know that, right? You know that I would never, ever use you like that. You know how I feel about you, how much you mean to me."

But I could barely hear him over the roaring in my ears, the sickening swoop of doubt and anxiety that threatened to pull me under. It was as if all my worst fears, all my deepest insecurities, had been laid bare on the page, exposed for all the world to see.

By the time we reached my apartment, I was spiraling, my mind racing with worst-case scenarios and bitter recriminations. Jared followed me inside, his concern palpable, but I couldn't bring myself to meet his eyes.

"Ash, talk to me," he pleaded, reaching for me. "Don't shut me out. We can figure this out together."

Something in me snapped, the hurt and confusion boiling over into anger. I wrenched away from his touch, my voice shaking as I rounded on him.

"Is it true?" I demanded, hating the way my voice cracked. "What they said about your past, about your ex. Is that why you're with me? For the fame, the attention?"

Jared recoiled as if I'd slapped him, his eyes wide with shock and hurt. "What? How can you even ask me that? After everything we've been through, everything I've done to prove my love for you?"

"Have you, though?" I countered, the words tasting like ash on my tongue. "How do I know it hasn't all been an act, a ploy to get close to me, to use me like you apparently used her?"

Jared's face hardened, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. "Is that really what you think of me? That I'm some kind of opportunistic leech, latching onto you for my own gain?"

He stepped closer, his eyes blazing with a mix of anger and anguish. "I have risked everything to be with you. My privacy, my anonymity, my own fucking career. I've stood by you through the media circus, through the public scrutiny and the invasive questions. I've held you through your panic attacks and your nightmares, I've been your rock and your safe haven. And you have the nerve to question my intentions? To doubt my love for you?"

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