Isaiah’s hands slide up my skirt, grasping my panties.
“Whoa!” I push my skirt down, forcing his hands out from under it. “No, no, no.”
“Hailey.” He kisses my cheek. “Come on, it’ll be fun. After what you’ve been through, I think you deserve a little tension relief.” He kisses down my neck.
“Stop.” I push him off me, sliding out from under him and pulling my shirt down. “I can’t. Not like this.”
“Why not?” He kneels up, turning to face me. “I won’t hurt you. I want to make you feel good. I want to see you smile again.”
I shake my head. “I’m not like that. I need to know I’m in a stable relationship first. Exclusive. I need to know that there are long-term prospects.”
His eyebrows shoot up. “Tom didn’t exactly do that for you.”
I wince. “No…”
He stands, advancing on me. He rubs my arms, looking into my face. “Hailey, you’re hot, and I like you, a whole lot. Just trust me.”
I shake my head, walking toward the door. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s that we need to date first.”
He rushes after me and pins me against the wall. “Hailey, I’ll do a relationship. I want to be with you.”
I chew on the inside of my lip. “Not now.”
“Why?”
“I told you.” I push his chest, a little alarmed. “I need a relationship first.”
“We have a relationship. We’ve been dancing around this for a while. And now you’re single.” He bends down and kisses me.
I push him back. “I said stop.”
The door to the room flies open. Lucas’s eyes narrow on Isaiah. Isaiah’s arms wrap tightly around me. I try to push him off.
“She said stop.” Lucas storms over and grabs his arm.
“Back off, Lucas.” Isaiah shakes free of his grip. “She chose me. She’s begging me to be her boyfriend.”
“I am not!” I shove his chest.
“Get off her!” With a heave, Lucas tears Isaiah away, tossing him onto the bed.
Isaiah shoots back to his feet. “She wants me, Lucas.”
Lucas grasps my arm, guiding me out the door.
“Hailey.” Isaiah bursts into the corridor in front of us. “Hailey, let’s go somewhere and chat.”
Lucas shoves him out of the way.
“Hailey.”
I look back at Isaiah. “I’m not interested.”
His eyebrows shoot up. “Excuse me?”
“She said she’s not interested!” Lucas yells.
“Lucas.” I grab his arm, shocked by his outburst.
He pulls me against him protectively as he glares at Isaiah. “Go take a cold shower.”
Lucas guides me away in a hurry while Isaiah calls, “Hailey, I’m sorry! Come back and we can work this out!”
I glance back, feeling a hint of guilt. Somehow, Isaiah’s intentions felt…genuine. For once. But with Lucas’s arm providing a secure cocoon around me, I allow him to lead me away. I’d come to see him, after all.
Lucas leads me to a rental car and opens the door for me. “Are you okay?”
I nod. “When did you get the rental?”
“Just after the last eliminations.”
“Oh.”
He hurries around to the driver’s seat. We drive without conversation. He turns up the music to fill the void. I look at him, trying to get a read on what he’s thinking. His eyes are dark, his jaw clenched, his shoulders tense as he clutches the steering wheel. Angry. Definitely angry.
We pull up at the beach and he bursts out of the car. I scramble to climb out, locking the doors behind me. “Lucas!”
He marches onto the sand but pauses to wait when I call to him. I rush up beside him and grab his clenched fist. “Lucas, what’s going on?”
“He tried to take advantage of you.” The viciousness in his voice makes me start. He remains staring out at the dark ocean, his lips pursed.
“Lucas, I could have handled it,” I say gently.
He sneers. “He would have handled you.”
“Lucas, come on. You think I would have fallen for that after what happened with Tom?”
He looks into my eyes, his jaw muscles twitching. “He’s sleeping with Drusilla.”
I pull away from him, horrified. “What? But she’s married, and she’s, like, thirty years older than him.”
His eyebrows shoot up as he turns his sad, dark eyes to me.
“Isaiah’s not that bad.”
“He’s sleeping with Jessica too.”
I wince. “No…”
“Yeah. He started that one right away, pretty much the moment we arrived. Drusilla is fairly recent. He thinks he’s keeping us in the comp.”
I shake my head in disbelief. “No. I can’t believe it.”
“Well, you don’t know Isaiah like I do.” The bitterness in his voice is unmistakable.
“He said we’d be exclusive,” I whisper, clutching at my heart.
Lucas draws a sharp breath. “You do want to be his girlfriend?”
My voice catches in my throat. If I can’t have Lucas, maybe…no. That’s self-deprecating. But I can’t say that to Lucas. “Well, yes and no. Everyone knows I had a bit of a thing for him, except I didn’t want to…” My nose tingles as tears force their way to the surface. “Why do I attract guys like that? Do I have sucker stamped on my forehead?”
His expression softens as he turns to face me. “No.”
“He just wanted to have sex with me. He wouldn’t…” I rub my eyes with the heels of my hands, on the verge of hysterics. “I’m such an idiot.”
“Don’t you dare blame yourself.” He grabs my shoulders. Alarm shoots through me at the ferocity in his gaze. His eyebrows lower and his nostrils flare. “This…I think this is my fault.”
“Your fault?” I ask with a quaky voice. “How could you have known he’d come on to me?”
He takes a deep breath, his grip on me tightening. “Because I know him and what he’s like. You remember how I told you my girlfriend cheated on me?”
“Yes.” I gaze up into his eyes as it dawns on me with whom. “No.”
He nods. “Isaiah always homes in on girls when I show an interest in them. I should have known better than to think she’d be any different.” He scowls and steps back from me. “When I found him with her, I wanted to rip his head off. But you wanna know the worst part?”
I shake my head, staring at my feet. To think his own brother could do that to him breaks my heart more than Tom’s affair. How beyond awful Lucas must have felt.
Lucas doesn’t seem to notice my refusal. “He said it was nothing, just sex. So, when you told me that Tom said the same thing, I wanted to kill him. I couldn’t believe he’d treat you with such blatant disregard. Not you, not when you’d been so faithful.”
Lucas caresses my face. “Don’t let Isaiah make you feel bad about yourself. He does this to spite me. I don’t know why he gets such a kick out of it.”
“I’m sorry, Lucas.” I wrap my arms around him, resting my head on his chest. “I didn’t know. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have gone inside to wait for you. I wouldn’t have trusted him.”
He holds me tightly, his warm breath in my hair soothing me. He’s safe, reliable. I press my ear against his chest and listen to his heart beating steady, strong. Like him. I sigh, closing my eyes.
“Please don’t cry.” His thumb brushes my cheek. “I hate it when you cry.”
“I’m sorry.” I nuzzle against him. “I still hurt, and this has brought it all back to the surface.”
His pecs rise and fall as he sighs. I breathe deeply, listening to his heartbeat, wishing we could be more. But I don’t attract guys like him.
“Hailey?” His deep voice resonates in his chest. “Don’t…” He lets out a long breath.
I lift my head to meet his gaze. “You asked me to meet you because you wanted to tell me the truth. Is that what it was? That Isaiah has been sleeping with
Drusilla to help you win? And that you two can’t get along because your girlfriend cheated with him?”
Pain fills his eyes. “Yeah.”
“Lucas.” I clasp his face. “I know you’re not like that. You’re honest, so I know you are really hurt and embarrassed by all of his antics. What happened between you and Isaiah, I don’t know if time will heal it or not. But I understand. You don’t need to be ashamed of that, especially with me.”
A sad smile appears on his face.
“And Drusilla…” I grasp the collar of his pale blue shirt. “Don’t think you have come this far because the comp is rigged. You have talent. You’re all amazing. The first time I heard you, I knew I didn’t stand a chance against you.”
He shakes his head. “You’re way more talented than me.”
“No. I couldn’t have done half of what I did without you.”
He sucks his lip in, chewing on it as he stares into my eyes. “Hailey?”
“Yes?” Butterflies erupt in my belly at the way he spoke my name in a deep, yearning, husky tone of voice.
His fingers run through the hair framing my face. “I know what I’m going to do now.”
“What?”
“You’re still coming to the finale?”
“Of course. All the top ten are.”
“Good.” He steps away from me. The distance between us tears the sense of security he gave me away. I feel breathless, wanting him to hold me just a little longer.
“I’m going to take the lead solo this time.”
I smile proudly at him but can’t deny the feeling of disappointment tearing at my heart. “It’s about time.”
“We’re not going to win—that’s certain—so I’m going to take a risk.”
“What kind of risk?”
He clears his throat. “I’m going to write the song.”
I smile, shuffling closer to him. “That would be magical.”
He returns my smile, his eyes lighting up. “I’ve been working on something, and now I know what I’ve been missing. I think it’ll just be me and Clarissa singing.”
“Oh.” I point at him. “How are you going to convince her to do that?”
He shrugs. “I know my sister. I know ways to motivate her.”
“It’s moments like this I’m glad my brothers are way younger than me and can’t manipulate me.”
He chuckles. “Yeah, we’re good at that.”
“Are you going to threaten to tell Taylor she likes him?”
His grin widens and he grabs my wrist, pulling me against him. “Something like that.”
He lifts me over his shoulder.
“Whoa!” I squeal.
He laughs and swings around, charging toward the ocean.
“No! What are you doing?”
The waves crash around us and he drops me in. I jump up and slap his chest. “This shirt is white!”
He blinks, then looks down at my chest.
I cross my arms around myself. “Stop.”
He grins. “Nice bra.”
I slap his shoulder and march toward the shore.
“Hailey.” He grabs me by the waist and pulls me back against him. I grasp his arm clinging around me as he wraps his other arm across my chest, grasping my shoulder. His nose brushes against my ear, making my heart skip a beat. Leaning back into him, I shut my eyes, pretending, hoping, that he feels the same way about me as I do about him.
“I said you could ask me anything,” he whispers, his hot breath on my ear sending ripples of goosebumps over my body. “I meant it.”
I can’t speak. To ask the one thing I want to know terrifies me. What if I’ve misread all the signs? After everything that happened with Tom, I doubt my judgment.
“Anything, Hailey.”
His hand lifts from my shoulder and gently turns my face toward him. Our eyes meet. The overwhelming urge to kiss him hits me.
“Do you trust me?” I whisper.
“More than anyone.”
I smile, closing my eyes as I lean back against him. His arms engulf me, holding me firmly. Lucas.
“Why did you avoid me?” I ask softly.
“I didn’t want to be all over you. You were taken.”
I blink. Did that mean…I shiver, my hopes rising. “It’s cold.”
He lets me go to pull off his shirt. “Wear this.”
Is he serious? Oh, his body is too amazing. I’m doing the muscles naming again as I stare, clinging to my arms as I shiver.
“Hailey, you’re trembling.” He steps out of the water and rests his hands on my waist. He pulls me against him, his warm flesh making me gasp.
“If you’re cold, let me warm you.” His hands slip under my wet shirt. “Do you trust me, Hailey?”
I look up into his eyes, my teeth chattering. “Yes.”
He keeps eye contact as he pulls my shirt up over my head, and slips his on me. “I won’t hurt you.”
“At dinner,” I say breathlessly. “You barely acknowledged me.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I was angry with Isaiah, and I didn’t want him to hurt you like Tom did.”
“And Clarissa? Why is she acting so…possessive?”
“She doesn’t want Isaiah and me to drive you away with our fighting.” He touches my cheek. “I’m sorry you ended up in the middle. No matter what, I hope you stay friends with Clarissa. She looks up to you.”
“Me?” I can’t help smiling. Pretty, bubbly, sweet Clarissa, looks up to me?
“You’re worth looking up to. You’re worth so much more than you even realize.”
Grinning like an idiot, I stare at his mouth. I want to kiss him, so badly. My fingers run over his bottom lip.
He smiles, his arms tightening around me. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m not…sure.” I look up into his eyes.
“Ask me,” he says breathlessly, urgently.
My index finger traces his lips. “Ask you…ask you what?”
“What I’m thinking.”
My hand drifts down his neck, over his Adam’s apple, and rests on his bare chest. “What…what are you thinking?”
He presses his hand against the back of my head, pulling me closer. His lips brush against my ear as he whispers, “I’m thinking about how beautiful you are.”
My heart lifts, fluttering. Without thinking, I turn and kiss him. His grip on the back of my head tightens, holding me firmly in place. My fingers find his jaw as he deepens the kiss, his hand never releasing my hair as he coaxes my mouth open.
My whole body tingles. Lucas is kissing me, and it’s incredible! His tongue flutters over my lips, making my knees weak.
He breaks away, leaving me breathless. “I’m surprised you did that.”
I cover my mouth. “I’m sorry. Oh my gosh.”
I try to pull away, but he holds me tight. “I’m glad you did that.”
My cheeks warm as I giggle like a teenager. I bite it back, and he grins, shaking his head. “You’re cute.”
He steps back, but holds onto my hand as he leads me up to the car.
“Did that really just happen?” I ask, then cover my mouth when I realize I just thought out loud.
He glances back at me. “Yeah. It was pretty great.”
“Does this mean…” I squeeze his hand. “You like me? But not like a sister?”
He raises an eyebrow. “Definitely not like a sister.”
We approach the car and he opens the door for me. He drives me back to my hotel, talking the whole way about the comp, his classes, his dad. At the hotel, we climb into the elevator and he grabs me, kissing me with passion as he pins me against the wall.
When the door opens, he pulls back and leads me to my room while my head spins. Wow, he’s amazing. I grab him again as I open the door to my room and pull him in. I want him badly, every inch of me screams to have his body around me. But at the threshold, he pulls back.
“Lucas, come in.”
He shakes his head. “If I go in, I won’t b
e able to stop myself.”
“Maybe I want that.”
He eyes me over, letting out a shuddering breath. Then he meets my gaze. “Not yet.”
“What?”
“I don’t want to be like the other guys in your life. I’m sorry, Hailey. You’re beautiful, but I can’t.” He steps back into the corridor.
I walk toward him, resting my hand on his shirtless chest. He shudders under my touch. I run my hand up his neck, resting it in his hair on the back of his head. “You’re nothing like any other guy I know.”
I stretch up and kiss him, but he doesn’t kiss me back. I pull away, looking into his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“Goodnight, Hailey.” He plants a kiss on my forehead and walks away.
“Lucas?” How did he do that? He just flipped from hot to cold in the blink of an eye. “Lucas?”
“I’ll call you,” he says, turning and walking backward. “I need to get back. Goodnight.” He hits the button in the elevator, and the doors close him off from me.
I back up into my room, shutting my door. What just happened? I feel like maybe he played me. Maybe he saw Isaiah coming on to me, so he decided to give it a shot. But nothing else tonight night backs that idea. Nothing about Lucas says he’d do something like that. Maybe it was me. Maybe I’d come on too strong?
I slap my forehead. Of course I had! I’ve freaked him out. After all, only a few weeks had passed since Tom and I broke up, and I’d almost let Isaiah have his way with me. I must be desperate for affection. Lucas must think I’m rebounding.
I grab my phone and text Lucas.
Me: I’m sorry. I’ll back off.
As I change for bed, he replies.
Lucas: Sorry? For what?
I huff.
Me: Rebounding onto you. You were right to leave.
He replies right away.
Lucas: That’s not why I left. Don’t overthink it. I’ll call you tomorrow and set up a time to see you.
I flop onto my bed and groan. I’ve already blown it with Lucas. I fall asleep thinking of him, and my dreams are riddled with us making love.
Chapter Twenty
“So, when are you meeting that agent?” Vanessa asks in the recording studio.
Quest For A Popstar Page 21
