Rock Starred: Love My Way by Karen Booth Read Free Book Online

stomach.
    The club was packed, a throng of sweaty and anxious music fans. It was a much smaller venue than Slump would normally play. They were building buzz for a live record that would come out in the fall by selling out every show in record time.
    You could sense the anticipation in the air as the music over the PA changed to an instrumental version of Slump's most recent hit, Clouded . The crowd pressed closer to the stage as people craned their necks in hopes of being one of the first to see the band. Stony led the procession, taking his seat behind the drum kit and thumping the bass drum a few times. The crowd erupted in a roar of screams and cheers, which only grew louder when Elliot and Peter took the stage.
    The audience became more eager, chanting the band's name. Peter looked down at his feet, tuning his guitar. He stomped on an effects pedal, cocked an eyebrow at me and strode to the center of the stage with more charisma than I ever imagined could be crammed inside a body. I watched as he sent an entire mob of people into a state of euphoria with a single strum of his guitar.
    By the middle of the first song, I'd nearly forgotten where I was. I became immersed in the performance, astounded by how tight they were as a unit. Their musicianship far surpassed anything I'd imagined. It was obvious that the magic on the record was entirely their own, effortlessly replicated in a live setting. Watching Peter was more than a little bit of a turn-on, seeing him masterfully play guitar, arms glistening with sweat, his hair sweeping across his forehead. Girls screaming for him from the first few rows, he peeled out several mind-blowing solos. He was in his element, with a visceral rock swagger all his own.
    He sauntered over to me after the set as the band stood in the wings, waiting for the crowd to earn their encore. "Let's get out of here right after these last two songs."
    I smiled, eying his sweat-coated chest and forehead, his hair slightly damp from the moisture. "Don't you want to hang out with the guys afterward?"
    He leaned into my ear with hot lips against my skin. "Not when I can be alone with you."
    * * * * *
    Sitting in the back of the limo with Peter, it felt as if we were stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, except I was fairly certain we'd hit nothing but green lights. We couldn't keep our hands off each other. He kissed me a few times, but each instance quickly became incendiary, hands slipping under clothing, fingers grasping, tongues winding together. We would stop, sit back and collect ourselves, smoothing garments and catching our breath. Then one of us would break down and look at the other and we'd both give in to temptation again.
    Peter flattened me against the wall of the elevator on our way up to his room. "I think I played better tonight because of you. That was the best show I've had in a few weeks." He firmly gripped my rib cage, his thumb grazing the side of my breast. "You're wearing a bra. That's no fun."
    My eyes fluttered. Even fully clothed, every brush of our bodies stoked the fire. "I have a feeling I won't be wearing one much longer."
    The elevator dinged. "Yeah, not if I can help it."
    We hurried down the hall at a lightning pace, holding hands. Peter jammed the keycard into the door and it flashed a red light. He tried a second time. Red light. He glanced up at the room number. "Shit. We got out on the wrong floor."
    I snickered and grabbed his hand. "The stairs will be faster."
    We walked double-time for the door at the end of the hall and took the steps up one more floor. The keycard flashed green this time and we stumbled into the room.
    "Shower?" he asked, stealing a kiss as he slid his hand around my waist. "I'm sweaty."
    I'd already started on his shirt with one more button to go. "Um, sure. Whatever you want." The thought of him wet and soapy was more than a little appealing.
    "Anything? Will you loofah my back?" He rolled his shoulders from his sleeves, the expanse of his chest