She scanned the pictures and muttered, “Understatement. This shit’s disturbing even for me, and I’m not even the poor bitch getting papped when I’m in a state of undress.”
A cold shiver ran through me at the thought of somebody violating me in that way and in the privacy of my own bedroom. I’d literally run out of the bathroom to grab a robe, and he’d caught me topless with a long-lens camera. “If these get into the press, my dad will have a fucking stroke. It’s not just about my privacy being invaded; it’s about how vulnerable being photographed without my knowledge or consent makes me feel. I can’t stop my mind racing with worst-case scenarios, like salacious tabloid headlines and the paparazzi swarming like vultures.”
Talia’s hand covered mine comfortingly. “I won’t let that happen, babe. I’ve got the publicity team on it. You're covered.”
I smiled, and then my head turned slightly as I caught the sound of footsteps echoing from my house, along with voices and laughter. “The boys are here,” I murmured, craning my neck to look toward the back door, where Jonny J appeared, followed by Boomer and Sam.
Immediately, Jonny peeled off his tee and shucked off his jeans, his hands whipping down to cover his junk as he ran for my pool. He divebombed in with a loudwhoopbefore surfacing and shaking the water from his black hair.
“We’re supposed to be having a meeting,” Talia yelled, her tone filled with the type of annoyance a mother would show her wayward toddler.
“I’m here, aren’t I?” Jonny shouted.
“And he’s sober,” Boomer muttered, pulling out the chair beside me and dropping into it. “Count your lucky stars.”
“You should get in, Saint,” Jonny urged. “The water’s fine.”
“I’m not wearing a bathing suit,” I told him.
He grinned. “What about you, Talia?”
She cocked an eyebrow at him disdainfully. “You just wanna see my tits.”
“You’ve seen mine,” he laughed. “And can friends really call themselves friends if they haven’t seen each other’s tits?”
Tally rolled her eyes. “Behave, Jonny. The bodyguards will be here soon. Let’s at leasttryto make a good first impression.”
Jonny swam to the side of the pool and hoisted himself out. Water sluiced off his glistening muscles, and he didn’t bother covering his junk with his hand that time. Instead, he strutted to a pool lounger and grabbed a towel that was neatly folded on it. He dried his hair off, then wrapped it around his Adonis-belted waist before stooping to grab his clothes from the ground where he’d left them.
“Getting dressed,” he called over before disappearing inside the house.
Boomer stood from his chair. “Need a piss,” he declared, following after Jonny.
Sam glanced at the images, still spread out on the table. “You better put these away before security gets here.”
“They want to see everything,” Tally explained. “Saint’s problem is the reason we’ve called them in. Granted, you would’ve needed personal protection soon regardless, but it’s escalated because of what’s happening.”
Sam touched my hand. “I really think if they wanted to hurt you, they would’ve done it by now. Mydad gets this shit all the time, has done for years, and he hasn’t been attacked yet. Sometimes, fans just get carried away. I’ve seen it all my life.”
Talia tapped the topless image of me with her finger. “That’s a violation.”
Sam’s gaze came to me, and he smiled. “I’m sorry it frightened you, babe. But it comes with the territory. We don’t belong to ourselves anymore. We belong to everybody else.”
“Why does it have to be like that?” I asked. “We give them enough of our souls with our music. Can’t we keep something for ourselves, too? I don’t want a stranger spying on me through windows and taking naked pictures of me without my consent. That’s for me, not them.”
“You’re right,” he acquiesced. “I hate the thought of you going through this. You know I’m here if you need me, and the offer to stay at my place still stands. The house is massive, and we’ve got one of the best security systems in the world. Nobody will get to you there.”
“Thank you, Sam,” I murmured, meaning it down to my heart. “I’m good for now, but if things get worse, I’ll keep your offer in mind.” I beamed a smile at him, suddenly grateful that we were able to get over our blip. Back when we slept together, I was a mess. I’d just discovered Jacob had lied to me, and I didn’t know what to do with all the emotions I felt, so I tried to drown them in tequila.
It was a big mistake and not one I had any intention of repeating. It wasn’t that I didn’t like Sam, I loved him, but we made music together, and that shit never went well. The true love of my life was Stevie Nicks, and if there was one thing Stevie had taught me, it was not to shit where I ate, especially when you were in a rock band.
Thinking of my night with Sam made me remember the reason it happened, and my belly gave a little leap.
Over the last few days, I’d been stressing about seeing Jacob again, though I didn’t know why. He probably didn’t even remember me.
I was embarrassed by what happened because it shouldn’t have hurt so much when I discovered his duplicity. It was one night, and I’d told myself I’d forget him over time. But something about Jacob Irons had buried deep inside, and however hard I tried, I couldn’t shake him off.
Talia’s cell buzzed again, and she plucked it from the table and checked her messages.
