Page 148 of Hard Rock Tease
“Because you’re a vain glory hog.”
Kell just grinned.
I thought for a moment. “Jayce said we couldn’t be together because the fans would get mad.”
“That’s stupid. I mean, I guess a few of them would, but it’s not like we care. Is that what he told you?” Kell shook his head, exasperated.
“You think he lied about why he didn’t want to be with me?”
“Oh, he definitely wants to be with you. He’s been following you online forever, and then you show up on tour with us? It’s too good to be true. As for why he’d lie to you—” Kell was brought up short, looking stumped. “I guess you’ll have to ask him that.”
I was silent for a moment, processing everything Kell had told me. I needed to diffuse the tension between Jayce and Neil before things exploded between them, but first I needed to get some answers from Jayce.
If he wanted to be with me, why had he lied?
Chapter Seventeen
Iwaiteda few days until I could corner Jayce right after a concert. I almost felt bad trying to catch him off guard, but I needed to confront him when he was at his most vulnerable. I didn’t want him to just blow me off or try to change to subject. I needed him out of his depth if we were going to have the kind of conversation I needed to have with him.
We were in a different venue, but he’d managed to find a back entrance that led to a fire escape. I wondered if Jayce scouted out the best hiding spots at every concert venue they played.
I found him sitting on the edge of the metal stairway, arms hanging over the railing, legs dangling off the sides. The cool air seemed to do him some good. His skin didn’t look as dull, and the whites of his eyes were clear.
“Hey.”
He jerked his head around and then relaxed when he saw me. “Hey.”
“How you feeling?”
He shrugged. “Better than usual.”
“Did that meditation app help?”
“Yeah, a bit.”
“Good.” I hesitated for a moment. “Do you mind if we go inside and find somewhere private to talk?”
“What? Why?” He looked concerned. “What’s wrong?”
“I need to ask you something, and I don’t want it to be outside on a fire escape.”
“There’s an artist’s lounge that none of us have been using. It’s too small for the four of us.”
Jayce led me through the hallways, avoiding the staff and crew rushing around as always. I wondered how they always managed to be so busy. Surely there couldn’t be that much work, especially after the concert was over. Maybe they wanted to look like they were busy so no one noticed they were actually slacking off.
“Here it is.”
Jayce was right. The room was very small. Just a loveseat and a vanity stand with a stool and mirror.
“What was it you wanted to ask?”
I took in a deep breath. “Were you lying to me before?”
“No!” He looked offended, then confused. “Lying about what?”
“You said we can’t be together because of your fans.”
He looked even more confused. “Yes. Why?”
