“The honour is all mine,” Van said, his eyes roaming over Rafe. “It will, no doubt, be a pleasure.”
Rafe cleared his throat and threw a glance Parker’s way before focusing back on Van. “Yeah, we’ve only heard positive things about the festival. It’s a great opportunity for us to listen to the other bands, and hopefully we’ll get some much-needed exposure.”
“Sheila’s been saying great things about HyperOctane. I’m sure you’ve got a great future.”
Rafe shrugged. “Good to know, but we’re not counting our chickens just yet.”
“Did Sheila tell you about the interview?” Van asked, looking between Parker and Rafe.
Argh. Parker’s stomach plunged at the thought of another interview.Bloody press.
Van chuckled and reached out to faux punch Parker on the upper arm. “Not a fan of interviews, huh?”
“What gave it away?” Parker forced a laugh.
Van winked. “Looks like you don’t have to worry about this one. It’s a one-on-one, or perhaps I should say, two-on-one.”
Rafe tilted his head. “Haven’t heard a word.”
“You and me, man,” Van said. “It’s for a feature article about lead singers from top upcoming bands. I guess they’ve chosen us because we’re from opposite sides of the world. Sheila’s trying to look for some new angles for publicity and if we can help each other along the way.”
“You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours, kinda thing?”
“Exactly.” Van’s grin was even wider, if that was possible, before his voice dropped. “You never know. Maybe we can do more than a little scratching.”
Fuck!Was it only light-hearted teasing or was it flirting?
Rafe smiled. Was Parker reading into it, or was that smile a little less bright than the smiles Rafe had been bestowing his way?
“Let’s get a drink to celebrate the start of an amazing collaboration!” Van leaned in over Rafe’s shoulder, much too close in Parker’s opinion, and waved down the bartender.
Rafe shrugged, and Parker forced a smile. It wasn’t Rafe’s fault their escape had been thwarted, and he knew staying and having a drink with Van was in the best interests of HyperOctane.
Trying to think positive didn’t stop him having regrets. The night wasn’t over yet, but dancing in Rafe’s arms was the only part of the evening that Parker had enjoyed. Hell, he’d more than enjoyed it; he’d bloody loved it. The opportunity to dance with Rafe almost made up for having to attend the party in the first place. Almost, because now it looked as if things had the potential of going downhill fast.
Parker reluctantly took the shot glass.
“To us.” Van winked and clinked his glass against Rafe’s. “Bottoms up.”
Parker downed his shot and pretended the bitterness in his chest was from the spirits.
22
Waking up next to Parker was the best thing about this trip.Who’d have thought Rafe Moreno would actually like waking up with someone in his bed?Rafe smiled at his thought, and the way he was thinking about himself in third person. But in all honesty, hedidfeel like a different person, a new person, abetterperson. But the part that surprised him—totally fucking amazed him—was the fact that he wasn’t at all concerned about the changes he was seeing in himself. He expected to be freaked out, but he was content.Fucking content!
He turned slowly so as not to dislodge Parker’s arm that was thrown over his waist. The weight was comforting, the body warmth in the slight chill of the air-conditioned hotel room soothing. He pulled the sheet up to cover Parker’s exposed shoulder and snuggled closer.
For years he’d let nothing come between him and his dreams. No guy, no relationship was worth risking his success. He’d been king of the cut and run, happy to make the most of his looks and ride the band’s increasing popularity. Getting someone into bed, or more accurately, into a secluded back room, had been easy—perhaps too easy—and served its purpose of scratching the itch. But now a quick fuck wasn’t nearly enough.
He pressed his nose into Parker’s hair, inhaling the faint scent of shampoo and his sleep-warmed body.
His taste of Parker, and all he had to offer, made Rafe realise what he’d been missing. It wasn’t just the awesome sex, although sex with Parker was on a whole other level. He guessed it was true what they said about making love versus fucking.Making love. Perhaps he wasn’t quite there yet, but he let himself acknowledge that he could so easily fall in love with Parker and that wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing. Being in lovewouldn’tjeopardise his success—he could have his career and have his man.My man.
Parker was gorgeous, and sexy, and loyal. He was a great listener, a good friend, a supportive brother. Parker saw the real Rafe, the man behind the rock star. He calmed him and soothed the buzzing in his head, bring a quietness to his soul. Importantly, he had gotten Rafe thinking about what he truly wanted from life.
Was a number-one US hit really the pinnacle? What then? What they’d achieved so far was pretty fucking amazing. Not too many bands made it to the heights HyperOctane had in Australia, and just being asked to be a wild card act at Rocktoberfest was an achievement in itself. Parker had reminded him that he should be acknowledging his achievements so far and taking joy from the music, like Parker did with his own job, focusing on the tasks he enjoyed.
His quiet conversations with Parker had influenced his dreams. Dreams that had once been all about showing the world—or if he was more honest with himself, his stepfather—that he could make something of himself, now encompassed more than that. Not only had he started to redefine what success really meant, but his dreams now included a desire to share his life with someone. Hecouldhave it all because healreadyhad success. And he’d come to realise that having someone in his life wouldn’t necessarily jeopardise the rest—success in the music industry and a love life weren’t mutually exclusive.
