The Masquerade by Alexa Rae Read Free Book Online Page A

he gripped it with one hand, and held it up. He turned around and threw the stand over the drum set. The stand just barely missed PJ's head before it fell somewhere in the darkness backstage. PJ's head shot up. His eyebrows knit together as he
    glared at Ben. Ben shrugged in response. PJ shot him a dirty look, before he turned his attention back to his instrument and continued to own the thunderous beats he created.
    Ben jumped around the stage, moving from one end to the
    other as he sang; his deep voice raspy from the screaming. I examined his appearance while he moved. The trademark black leather jacket was purposely left open to expose his bare chest. I bit down on my lip when I noticed his
    toned muscles. He also wore black skinny jeans and combat boots. It was difficult to contain the grin pinching my cheeks as I watched him. He was definitely a rock star worth tossing a bra on stage for.
    He stopped on our side of the stage and flipped his head
    back. His wild black hair flew around his pale face. His piercing blue eyes roamed over the crowd. A fire burned in them, it was demonic with the capability to destroy, and angelic, holding the power to create.
    His eyes, that I was deeply mesmerized by, flashed up, and met mine. My cheeks burned and I quickly shifted my gaze to Hayley, who was trying to catch Jesse's attention. From the corner of my eye, I could still see
    Ben's eyes fixated on me while he sang in front of a few fans on the far side of the stage. I bit the inside of my cheek to hide the smile begging to break free.
    When the song ended, the band quickly exited the stage for a short intermission. The rush of the crowd died, but the excitement was still in
    the thick, musky air. Hayley immediately turned to me, her skeptical eyes on me, brows raised. I held my breath, waiting for the accusations.
    "What's up with you and the sexy lead singer?"
    "Nothing," I said quickly, trying to make light of the situation.
    "Shiloh, did you catch that?" She grinned. "Was that a defensive tone, I heard?"
    "Yes, my dear, it was!" Shiloh shouted. The volume of her voice dropped as though he was right beside us. "It's like his eyes were drawn to you. He couldn't look away." Her eyes wandered above her, to
    stare at the ceiling, dramatically placing one hand over her heart. "Even when you weren't looking, he was."
    I chuckled, unsure of how to respond. I had no way of denying it. Ben was looking at me...or maybe the girl behind me, whose body I
    felt pressed up against the back of mine throughout The Masquerade's performance. But my mind couldn't focus on the girl behind me when all I saw was Ben. If we really had a moment then it was the most beautiful thing I could have experienced in my seventeen years. It was wonderful, in a dark sort of
    way.
    I opened my mouth to respond to my friends, who were still expecting a response, but suddenly the crowd erupted into cheers. Our personal space demolished immediately, feeling the people behind us push into our
    backside again. Oh, the joys of being at a concert.
    I looked up to see Jesse walk back on stage with his guitar, ready for the three final songs. He stopped when his eyes caught an item on the
    floor. He bent down to pick up the discarded bra. He held it in the light for everyone to see. It was a, rather large, red bra with black lace sewn on the edges. It reminded me of the bra Hayley borrowed from my closet a few months ago. I never really noticed it was gone, although I still wasn't sure why she
    had it. It wouldn't have fit her. I whipped my head to the side to see Hayley beaming. I rolled my eyes, laughing, and turned back to Jesse who stood in front of us.
    "Now this," he shouted, "is what I'm talking
    about." The crowd roared. In that same moment, Ben walked onto stage. He took one look at my bra, looked at the crowd, and then back to the bra.
    "Jesse, I didn't know your mom was here." He said
    holding up the microphone up to his mouth, his voice low and seductive. The