Hard as Rock (The Rock Star's Seduction 3)

Riley looked back and forth between them in abject terror.

I was sure one of them was going to walk out right now, and my money was on Ryan.

Then he surprised me.

He turned and pulled me tight against him, kissing me passionately, fervently.

I was so shocked, I barely had time to return the kiss. I was just sinking into it when he let go of me, turned around, and leered right in Derek’s face. “She’s with me now. Get used to it.”

And then he walked onstage to the ever-increasing roar of the crowd.

Derek had murder written all over his face as he watched him go.

Unsure of what to do, Killian hesitated… then followed Ryan.

Riley seemed entirely lost. She gazed out at Ryan and Killian, then back at Derek… then timidly shuffled out to join her bandmates.

Derek turned and looked at me. The anger softened into pain, and he stared deep into my eyes.

“I love you,” he said, barely audible over the crowd’s roar. “This isn’t over.”

Then he walked out onstage, too.

111

When Derek emerged from the wings, the audience went berserk. Feminine screams filled the air, supported by the bass of ten thousand men. They had thought Bigger might break up – but here they were, live and in the flesh!

If the fans only knew how close they’d come to never seeing them together again.

Killian had been uncharacteristically silent, not playing one of his mischievous intros, so there wasn’t any music until Derek grabbed the mic and shouted, “One, two, three, four!”

As though broken from some fairytale trance, Riley immediately hit the drums and started thrashing. You’d never have known she’d been almost catatonic with fear just thirty seconds before.

The band launched into “Forgot You Were Gone,” which had peaked at number one on the Billboard charts just three months before. The crowd tried to sing along, but were confused when Derek changed the lyrics:

Could’ve been

A night of sin

But you played it safe

And went back to him

But I’m not holding back

You say he’s the one

But you know he’s not

We both know your past

I haven’t forgot

So I will never hold back

You thought I was gone

Just for a second

So you went with a man

Who doesn’t deserve you

I asked for forgiveness

And I’m still waitin’

For you to come on back

The crowd was puzzled, but still roared their approval.

Ryan was livid.

He played his part, but he stared down Derek with a glare so hateful that I thought somebody’s head was going to explode in flames.

It only got worse from there.

They were supposed to play one of their new songs, but Derek suddenly shouted at the crowd, “Hey – I feel a cover coming on. What do you think?”

The entire audience cheered.

“I’m thinkin’… I don’t know… ‘I Wish That I Had Jessie’s Girl.’ What do

you

think?”

Rick Springfield’s early 80’s hit about a guy who’s in love with his best friend’s girlfriend.

Oh shit.