Hard Rock Sin: A Rock Star Romance Read online

  "Noah!" I called out.

  He stopped. His brows furrowed as he tried to place the familiar voice. I ran up behind him and threw my arms around him. He stiffened immediately.

  "Surprise," I cheered, before he could shrug me off, thinking I was a stranger.

  He turned, his face wide open with shock.

  "Lily? What are you doing here?"

  "Since I got accepted into the summer program I decided to come home early."

  "But you're not supposed to—"

  "Shut up and give me a hug."

  He paused, scowling for a brief moment, before the lines on his face relaxed. He wrapped his arms around me, squeezing tight.

  "You're not supposed to be here for another few weeks. I thought you were still at that artists' retreat."

  "I couldn't wait that long."

  I didn't want to wait and risk him changing his mind.

  "I'm still not sure if this is a good idea," he began, like I knew he would.

  I smiled to myself. Always so overprotective.

  "I'll be fine," I reassured him.

  Noah pulled back and took a good look at me. "What the hell are you wearing?"

  "There's nothing wrong with what I'm wearing."

  So what if the dress was a little short?

  "You look like—"

  "It's nothing worse than what the other girls at this concert have on," I pointed out, cutting him off.

  He grunted, but didn't continue arguing. A small smile graced his lips as he stroked my hair. "I'm really glad you're here. I missed you."

  A sting of tears hit the back of my eyes. "I missed you, too."

  "I want to hear about everything. The artists' retreat and your summer course."

  "The retreat was…" I searched for the right words. "Interesting. The other women there were very much the hippie, Bohemian artist types."

  "I hope you didn't feel out of place."

  "It was kind of fun actually. Like having a bunch of cool older aunts."

  Noah and I both went silent for a moment. We were no doubt both thinking the same thing. We didn't have aunts, or uncles, or any other family that we knew of. It was just the two of us. It had always just been the two of us.

  "I'm sure I'll have a lot more in common with the students at college," I continued. "They'll be around my own age, at least."

  "And you're absolutely sure you don't want to go to college in London? It's not too late to change your mind."

  "I'm sure. It's been long enough. It's well past time for me to come back home."

  "It's even worse than last time," Noah warned. "The band is more popular than ever. There's media following our every move, and crazy fans. Not to mention, you're an internet celebrity now. After that stunt you pulled, everyone knows you're here."

  Ever since I'd gone on a social media spree, posting selfies and updating the world on my whereabouts, my brother hadn't stopped lecturing me.

  "You know why I did that," I told him reasonably. "If I hadn't, you would have kept me locked away like Rapunzel. I've had enough of that already." The all-girls boarding school I'd attended through high school hadn't exactly let me spread my wings.

  "After what happened last time…" he began.

  A small spike of adrenaline hit me. Anxiety raced through my body. I twisted my hands together to hide the shaking.

  "I can handle myself," I said with a surety I didn't feel.

  Noah looked doubtful and opened his mouth to argue. Before he could, one of the assistants ran up with a bottle of water and a towel. He eyed me for a moment before taking the towel. While he soaked up the sweat droplets in his hair and chugged down his water, I surveyed the backstage.

  The place was even more crowded now that the concert was over. Roadies and crew took down the equipment for my brother's band and set up equipment for the band going on after them. There were a few bands playing at the venue that night, which explained why I'd seen more leather pants and eyeliner than usual.

  Across the room my eyes caught Cameron's. His attention immediately switched from the girl in front of him with a water bottle and onto me. Our eyes locked. A wicked grin crossed his face.

  My heart thumped loudly in my chest. Those butterflies were starting to become a familiar companion.

  Cameron strode over with confident steps.

  Now hydrated and dried, my brother turned back to me.

  "How did you even get backstage, anyway?" he asked.

  "I had help." I nodded to Cameron, who was now steps away from me.

  "Hey there, Angel," Cameron said with a teasing glint in his eyes.

  "You helped Lily get backstage?" Noah asked him. "Thanks for that."

  Cameron stared at me with confusion. He turned his gaze to Noah. Recognition dawned on his face.

  He went pale.

  "Shit."

  Chapter Three

  "Now that Lily's back, I want to introduce her to Jen," Noah continued, not seeming to notice Cameron's terrified expression. "You mind watching over my sister? I don't want any of the assholes here hitting on her."

  "Ah. Sure," Cameron croaked. "No problem."

  Noah gave me a one-armed hug around the shoulders before leaving to find his girlfriend.

  "Lily?" Cameron asked, almost cringing.

  I hadn't thought he'd be so taken aback. "Yeah, it's me."

  "You look…"

  I raised an eyebrow. "You better think carefully about the next words that come out of your mouth."

  "Different."

  "You mean I look like an adult now and not the little girl you remember?"

  "I'm so fucking sorry," he blurted. His face was tinted vaguely green. "I never would have talked to you like that—"

  "It's okay," I interrupted. "I know you're a flirt. Besides," I flushed, but forced myself to meet his eyes. "I liked it. It was flattering."

  His eyes flicked down my body, as if seeing me for the first time. His gaze honed in on my legs. The ill look on his face slowly melted away, replaced by a simmering heat.

  "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

  "I—"

  Was too overwhelmed by your gorgeous, sexy, god-like presence to put two words together.

  "—didn't think it mattered," I continued.

  "The hell it doesn't matter."

  "It's fine. You flirted with me. Whatever. It doesn't mean anything."

  To my complete and utter shock, Cameron Thorne actually seemed vaguely abashed. "When you walked in on me with that woman…"

  Now it was my turn to feel abashed. "I'm so sorry about that. We can never mention it again if you like."

  "No. We should talk about it. So I can apologize."

  I blinked. "For what? I was the one who walked in on you."

  "For all of it. Asking you to join in. Asking to hook up with you after the concert. Putting my arm around you." He ran his hand through his sweat-dampened hair, pushing it back from his forehead, expression pained. "I really shouldn't have done that."

  "Why?" A pang of hurt hit in my chest. "Because I'm Noah's sister? I don't want to be treated any differently because of who my brother is."

  "Unfortunately for you, you don't get to make that decision." Cameron looked disconcerted. "I just thought you were another fan looking to score with a rock star. If I'd known…"

  "If you'd known, you would have treated me like everyone else does. Like a little kid."

  "How old are you now, anyway?" Cameron closed his eyes and lifted his head upward. "Please for the love of god be legal."

  "You don't need to have a crisis of conscience. I'm nineteen."

  Cameron cracked an eye open. "With all that makeup, I'd have taken you for twenty-five." His gaze roved over me, from my glossy, raven hair to my high heeled shoes. He kept flicking back to my exposed thighs. I shifted my weight from foot to foot, nerves and anticipation flowing through me.

  "So were you telling the truth before?" I asked.

  "About what?" he murmured, eyes still lock
ed on my legs.

  Twisting the material of my dress between my fingers, I gathered the courage to ask my next question.

  "Were you telling the truth when you said I was sexy?" My voice wavered slightly on the last word.

  He pinned me down with a look that blazed with an inner fire.

  A pulsing heat flared between my thighs at that look. My insides began to tingle, an unfamiliar feeling. A nervous fluttering started up in my stomach.

  I'd had such a crush on Cameron growing up. I'd never in a million years thought he might ever feel the same way about me.

  Maybe now that I was all grown up…

  I took a step toward him.

  The heat in his eyes extinguished just as quickly as it flared up.

  "Fuck," he cursed, his mouth twisted. "Fuck, he's going to kill me." He shoved a hand in his hair, pushing back the strands that covered one eye. "I can't be here." He turned on his heel and stalked off.

  "Cameron!" I called after him. "You don't need to—"

  But he was already gone.

  Disappointment welled up in my chest. I'd finally found someone who treated me like an adult. Finally found someone who saw me as a grown woman. Someone who might even return my long suppressed feelings.

  Even without being present my brother still managed to scare him away.

  I was still mourning Cameron's vanishing act when Noah returned with a young women in tow. Her wavy brown hair and light brown eyes both contrasted and complimented my brother's dark features. She was slightly on the short side. I was a bit taller than average for a girl but she wasn't so short I towered over her.

  "Lily!" Jen threw her arms around me in an enthusiastic hug. "It's so good to meet you in person." She pulled back and gave me a beaming smile. "This is such a surprise, though. I wanted to throw you a welcome home party."

  "I just couldn't wait to finally be home."

  "Noah told me all about your summer program." She looked as excited for me as I'd felt when I'd got the acceptance letter. "I want to hear all about it."

  "I'm just taking a few courses this summer before college officially starts. I'll get some first year requirements out of the way so I can concentrate on my art classes during the school year."

  "No wonder they accepted you. You're incredibly talented. I've seen some of your art." She nodded to the tattoos on my brother's arms. "Using photos of your brother's body for your application was certainly unique."

  "It was his idea."

  I couldn't stop the yawn that escaped my mouth. My brother immediately looked concerned.

  "I'm just tired." I told him. "It was a long flight."

  Not to mention the ups and downs my emotions had been wrung through dealing with Cameron.

  "Let's get you back to my place," Noah said.

  "Your place?" Jen and I said at the same time.

  "Lily's staying with us."

  The surprise on Jen's face no doubt matched my own.

  "I planned on staying at the hotel until school starts," I said carefully. "It'll only be for a few months. Then I'll be in the dorms."

  I waited for his reaction. All I got was an eyebrow twitch.

  "Why?" he said flatly.

  "I just want some privacy."

  "You think I won't give you privacy? I'm not going to snoop and read your diary."

  "There's no need to be a Mr. Cranky-Pants," Jen laughed.

  I shared the laugh. What a perfect nickname.

  "I want to give you privacy, then," I continued. "Do you really want me to walk in on you and your girlfriend having sex all the time?"

  Jen stopped laughing and flushed. "Maybe Lily's right. I mean, she is an adult. She can't live under her brother's thumb forever."

  "I want to make sure someone's keeping an eye on you. The last time you were alone—"

  "You don't have to keep reminding me." I tried to push down my rising unease. I didn't want to think about what had happened, but my brother seemed determined to bring it up again and again.

  "You're tired," he said. "Let's go home for now. We'll talk about it later."

  "Okay," I agreed. "Later."

  I did want to spend time with my brother. I missed him as much as he missed me. But that didn't mean I wanted to live under his thumb. Staying with him for a while might be nice. But I was resolved. After boarding school dorms and spending the last six months living in a communal artists' retreat, eventually I was going to need my space.

  A small trickle of dread ran down my back at the thought. I shoved it away ruthlessly.

  I refused to let old fears control my life.

  Chapter Four

  I opened the door to Noah's condo and shrieked.

  "Oh my god, seriously you guys, on the kitchen counter?!"

  Jen's expression was one of pure mortification. Noah looked unperturbed.

  The shopping bags in my arms dropped to the floor as I rushed to cover my eyes with my hands. Dramatic, but it got the point across.

  "That's it," I declared. "We're having that talk. Now."

  "What talk?" I heard Noah ask.

  "About where I'm going to live."

  I could hear the frown in Noah's voice along with the buckling of his belt. "We'll keep it to the bedroom from now on. You can look now," he added.

  Gingerly lowering my hands, I saw Noah was dressed and Jen had fled the room.

  "This is not happening again," I told him. "I'm moving out."

  "It's just for the summer. You said it yourself, you'll be in the freshmen dorms soon."

  "Not soon enough. I'm serious, Noah. I need my own space."

  "We'll talk about it later." He turned his back, dismissing me.

  "No, we'll talk about it now," I said in my most reasonable voice.

  "I've got to leave for Cameron's. We're already late."

  "You can't keep putting this off—" I halted. "Wait. Cameron?"

  "He's throwing another one of his crazy parties. Jen's friends are going to be there." The distaste in his face was plain enough. Jen was clearly dragging him along.

  Something inside me went giddy.

  A party.

  A party at Cameron's.

  A rock star party.

  At Cameron's.

  "I want to go," I blurted out.

  "No." My brother shot me down with a look. "I don't want you anywhere near those things."

  "I haven't met the rest of your friends yet. I barely remember them. I want to see everyone again."

  "You'll get a chance to meet them."

  "I've been stuck at a boarding school for years," I pressed on. "I want to live a little."

  He scowled, eyeing me.

  "I'll stick close to you and Jen the whole time," I promised.

  With a sigh and a grunt, he nodded once.

  I threw my arms around his neck with a cheer and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you. I promise I'll behave."

  "It's not your behavior I'm worried about."

  I bit my tongue as I picked up my bags from the floor and went to change quickly.

  I'd finally gone shopping for more appropriate clothing. All I owned were school uniforms, yoga pants for the weekend, and grungy paint-spilled jeans and t-shirts I'd worn during my time at the artists' retreat. Aside from that one hot number I'd worn at my brother's concert, I had nothing that could be considered mature. Adult. Sexy.

  My cheeks flushed, remembering the look on Cameron's face as he scanned me up and down.

  I wanted to be mature.

  I wanted to be sexy.

  I settled on a classy little black dress with a hemline just shy of scandalous. Noah narrowed his eyes at me when I stepped out of the bedroom. I lifted my chin up, challenging him. He frowned and turned away, not saying anything. One point to Lily.

  When we were all ready, Jen, Noah and I filed into a taxi. Jen's red face told me she wasn't quite over her embarrassment. I gave her an apologetic smile, knowing the awkwardness would fade after an hour or two, as it always did.

&
nbsp; The taxi took us into the fancier part of town, full of mansions owned by celebrities, star athletes, and rich CEOs.

  "Why don't you own a place here?" I teased my brother. "Aren't you a rich and famous rock star?"

  "There's a difference between being well off and being obscenely wealthy."

  As we pulled up to a mansion, I had to agree. The place was massive, with a handful of floors on a vast, expertly landscaped property.

  Expertly landscaped, aside from the trash, beer bottles, and cigarette butts tossed haphazardly on the lawn. Loud music blasted from every open window. More than two dozen people mingled in the front yard, dancing, stumbling, and laughing in their drunkenness.

  "I see Natalie!" Jen hopped out of the taxi the moment it came to a stop. As I climbed out, I watched a bodyguard at the front gates nod her through. Noah exited the vehicle and tugged me close to his side.

  There were even more people milling about in the marble-floored foyer than there had been out on the front lawn. Everyone had one drink or another in their hand, whether it was a beer, a cocktail, or some other concoction in a red plastic cup. A few were even drinking straight out of liquor bottles.

  As I took in the high ceilings, crystal chandeliers, and fancy art on the walls, something vaguely skunk-scented wafted through the air. I wrinkled my nose at the smell. Alcohol wasn't the only substance being consumed. Despite the classy decor surrounding us, this was like every frat party I'd seen in the movies.

  People eyed me as we made our way through the mansion. Girls with quizzical looks on their faces whispered to each other, before recognition set in. Guys leered and started making their way over to me before their friends pulled them back with a shake of their head and a warning.

  Great. Thanks to my social media stunt, everyone knew I was Noah Hart's little sister. Everyone was staying away. Especially the guys.

  "Stick close to me," Noah said. "Don't talk to those guys over there. And whatever you do, knock before you enter any bathroom."