Page 23 of Her Rock Star's Dark Secret

“I was just kidding.” No need for him to get a bigger head than he already had.

“No one’s perfect, Lauren. There’s definitely a façade involved in this industry.”

Was it possible that Chase didn’t have a big head after all? He sounded so humble when he talked about himself. That wasn’t the image of Chase she’d created in her head.

“I have to appear a certain way to my fans. Other businesses brand themselves with a logo or a certain set of colors. I brand myself with the way I appear to the fans.”

“And now you’re putting your entire brand into my hands? No pressure, right?”

“Nope. No pressure. I don’t think it makes that big of a difference for me at this point in my career. I’m already so established that my fans wouldn’t care if I shaved my head completely.”

“Wow. Bragging much?” Lauren said, teasing him.

“I didn’t say that to brag. It’s to prove a point. I’m not worried about my image anymore. Not that I think you would do anything to ruin my image. But I don’t have to be so crazy perfect anymore. And part of that is because I care a lot less now than I used to in the beginning. It’s more about the music for me now. I’m pretty much over the hype.”

“That’s not entirely a bad thing,” Lauren said.

“I agree,” Chase said. “Unfortunately, my manager doesn’t feel the same way, but what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him, right?”

Chase was the lead singer of Remington Sound. He was so famous he could fire his manager and get another one in a heartbeat. His songs always topped the charts for months when he released a new album.

And she wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Because she felt her heart tugging her toward Chase, but she wasn’t prepared for what might come next. Did she want a relationship with Chase? She shook her head to clear the ridiculous thought. Relationships were off the table. Especially with someone so famous.

Chapter 8

“Iheard Owen is in town a bit early for the reunion. Do you care if I invite him over tonight, Alexis?” Chase said, looking up from his phone.

“Owen? As in famous-movie-star Owen?”

“He’s no more famous than I am. No need to hyperventilate.”

“But, I mean, you’re you. And Owen Hadley is . . . He jumps off buildings in his movies and kills bad guys.” Her voice was full of awe like she was talking about a Greek god or a superhero. And it might have been possible that she was crushing on him a little bit. He was definitely getting that vibe.

“And I’ve sold my music to millions of people. It’s really not that big a deal.”

“Not that big a deal? Only a celebrity would say something like that.”

“Anyway, Owen has stunt people jumping off buildings for him. They just make it look like it’s him with their movie magic.”

“It’s still pretty incredible.”

“So does that mean you’re okay with him coming over? I don’t want to just randomly invite my buddy over to your place unless you’re cool with it.”

Alexis looked around frantically. “I can’t let him sit on my ratty couch.”

And yet it was fine for Chase to sleep on it for a week straight. He wasn’t sure he liked her priorities. “Uh. About the couch.” He checked his watch. The furniture store was supposed to be there any minute. They’d just texted that they were running late but would be there soon. But he still hadn’t told Alexis anything about the couch yet. “I don’t think you need to worry about that too much. I kind of, um . . . might have . . .”

“Chase,” Alexis said with a warning in her voice. “What did you do?”

“I bought you a new couch on Sunday. It’s supposed to be a surprise.”

Alexis started shaking her head vigorously. “Nuh, uh. No. You can’t just go buying me furniture.”

“Well, too late. I already did.”

“Chase . . .”

“It’ll be here any minute.”

---