AIDENI packed the guitar into the case and carried it out to the bus. Another city done. Next stop: Atlanta, Georgia. Where the girls were hot and the sexy was hotter.With any luck, I’ll find a chick to fuck Elena out of my system.For real, this girl has been our assistant for six days and I was going stir-fry motherfucking crazy.I could see her now, standing in the lobby of the hotel, a notepad and pen in her hands, laughing and smiling with everyone. Despite her initial shyness, she was fitting right in. Everyone seemed to love her.She was gorgeous, she was quiet, and she was sweet.She was a fucking walking dream, if you like that shit.She was soft and gentle—even down to her laugh. I swear to God that when she laughed, the clouds part, like something out of the Bible, and every giggle was accompanied by an angel singing.Shame about the shadows in her eyes whenever I asked her why she was here. It was the ex—of that I was damn well sure. She clammed up when I asked about him
ELENAI stared in the mirror. It was faded. In fact, it was almost gone. Sure, I froze my butt off lying in an ice-cold bath for an hour last night, and I was pretty sure I had a cold coming, but the bruise was better.Aiden walking in yesterday had ruined everything I planned. I didn’t want anyone to find out about my hellish past. I just wanted to come in, do my job, find myself. It seemed so simple before—but before, I didn’t know Aiden James.I didn’t expect him to push. I didn’t expect the James brothers to be so . . . immature, at times. Of course, if I didn’t have Martin’s voice whispering in the back of my mind so often, if I weren’t a victim-turned-survivor of both mental and physical abuse, I wouldn’t have been so bothered by their words. I’d have simply laughed and maybe said something snarky back in response.Instead I clammed up, got scared, and ran.And now my past wasn’t so secret.He knew. I was not stupid. I denied it until I was lacking in oxygen, but Aiden knew. The
I smiled. “Because you had to?”“That’ll be it.” She laughed again. “How are you feelin’?”I looked into my glass and ran my finger across the base, wiping up the condensed drops. “I’m all right.”“You don’t look it.”I shrugged. “I guess I just feel kind of bad that Tate’s bad mood is because of me and now it’s affecting everyone.”I did. Being honest with him really wouldn’t have hurt anyone. Why was it so hard to admit that I had a crappy relationship that I ran from? Why wouldn’t the words fall from my mouth?Even to Chloe, I had to add in “maybes” and “might haves” like they softened the blow.“It ain’t your fault, you know?” she prompted. “He’s not happy because he isn’t getting his own way. He’s a big old baby, Aiden is. He can’t get inside your pants because you work for him, and now you won’t tell him stuff he wants to know.”“You didn’t tell him?” I snapped my eyes up.Chloe shook her head. “Elena, no. It ain’t my place to tell him. I told Conor your ex was an asshole and yo
AIDENFuck everything.My name.My kiss.Her tears.Her fear.I rested my elbows on the dining table and ran my fingers through my hair. I wasn’t supposed to kiss her last night. I wanted to—fuck, have I—but I wasn’t going to. I was going to pull my big-boy boxers on, unravel my cock, and get the fuck on with it. Maybe I’d jack off once or twice, then be such an asshole she’d quit and leave.Now it wouldn’t happen. That sassy, attitude-filled act she put on was just that—an act. It was fucking bullshit, a total performance so no one sees the scared-as-shit girl inside. So no one would get close enough to look into her eyes and see the pain there.She wasn’t broken, though. She was strong and resilient, despite the odd switches to shyness. She was like a knotted ball of my mom’s yarn waiting to be untied and unraveled, ready to spin into something beautiful.Except she was already. Beautiful. Her smile, her eyes, her laugh—it was all so fucking beautiful it pissed me off. She and her g
“No—just messin’. What’s up?” I dropped onto the sofa and eyed her.Her dark hair was twisted into a braid that hang over her shoulder, and her dress hang loosely, stopping at mid-thigh.“I spoke to your lawyers,” she said quietly. “They’re going to try and see if they can silence her and forbid her from releasing the video, but they’re not hopeful. Now that it’s out there—and being clamored for by your fans, I might add, check Twitter—she may release it for financial gain. And if you approach her with money, it may seem as if you’re bribing or blackmailing her, which will get you in trouble.”“I thought you said it didn’t exist.”She chewed on the inside of her cheek. “There’s evidence to the contrary.”Fuck.“Sit.” I moved the guitar to the side and motioned for her to sit down.She did, slowly.“So what do I do?”“Nothing,” Elena sighed. “There’s nothing you can do, Aiden. Not until you hear from your lawyers. They’re already offering a significant amount of money to the media outl
ELENAI rubbed my hands over my face, ignoring the guilty twinges in my lower stomach. They popped up the second Chloe smacked Aiden on the head yesterday and explained everything.Extra media attention on Dirty J. was the worst thing that could happen. Even if the #AidenSexTape trend on Twitter told a different story—and wow, were these girls so obsessed they’d watch him have sex with some girl?I knew this was a risk, taking this job. I wasn’t, and am not, naive to the fact that I was very much in the public eye. I was not so stupid as to think I wouldn’t get snapped on camera at least once or twice, but it didn’t matter, because petty celebrity matters were far beneath my family and the Diazs. Even my friends rarely checked the tabloids.Hell, I only did it on my phone when I went to the toilet, then I had to clear my browser history.No, this job was the safest risk I could have taken. Not least because I was constantly surrounded by big, strong-as-hell men nearly sixteen hours a
Yay for your parents choosing your future husband and forcing you to fall in love with him.Maybe I needed to start a bucket list.Kiss just for fun: I can tick that off.Have random sex.Fall in love.I leaned against the doorframe as Dirty J. finished up their practice. They were singing the song Conor introduced when they were back home a few weeks ago without clearing it with their label or manager. Turned out it was so popular among fans that they were forced to practice and perform it on tour, ready to record the second it was over.They were incredible, truly. Four brothers, each so different, so unique, yet they jelled together like they were quadruplets. I didn’t think it would make a difference if Bray and Titus weren’t twins. I thought the four of them would fit together in the most perfect way anyway.It was easy to see why America—and no joke, the world—loved them. It was easy to see why they had rabid, crazy fans. Why even moms and grandmas sang along to their songs.Dir
AIDENThat look was far too fucking attitude-filled for my liking. And that smirk on her pink lips. Damn.I left my guitar leaning against my chair and got up, following her out the door. Having dinner alone my ass—there wasn’t a chance in hell she was gonna do that. I was going to follow her ass through this hotel and up to her room because I wanted to. Besides, with the others not around, it was the perfect chance to pull some of that past of hers out of her, to make her talk.I wanted to hear her talk.You don’t run from one night of abuse. That much is painstakingly clear.“Hey, sugar,” I drawled, leaning on the receptionist’s desk.“Mr. James.” She glanced up through her hair.“C’mon, now, I’ve told you to call me Aiden . . .” My eyes flicked to her badge. “Tracey.”She blushed. “How can I help you, Aiden?”“I can’t seem to get hold of my assistant on the phone, and she’s sick. I know she’s in her room. I’m real worried about her. What are the chances of you givin’ me her room ke