“Wait! Wait, there’s obviously been some confusion. I’m not your photographer.”
His eyes narrow on me. “Then why are you wasting my time?”
Wow. What a dick.
Tobias doesn’t give me time to respond before barreling on. “We’re not currently signing autographs?—”
“But that’s not why?—”
“—If you want something signed, you can see us at the meet and greet like everyone else.”
At being ignored, my jaw tenses. “I’m not here for your autograph. I’m here because?—”
“Listen,” he holds up a hand to cut me off, “I’m sure you have a riveting story; they all do. But, quite frankly, I’m not in the mood for a guilt trip.” He reaches for the door again. “Apologies.”
“Would you just listen to me, asshole?” I ask, raisingmy voice. I’m determined to drown out whatever retort he has.
He tsks his tongue behind the mask and shakes his head. “Being a bitch isn’t going to get you anywhere with me, sweetheart.”
“Excuse me?” He can’t be fucking serious.Este pinche culero. “You and the rest of this band can suck my fat ass. I’m not here for you; I’m here for Niki.”
We glare at one another, neither of us moving. I almost expect him to slam the door in my face as the tension between us thickens, making it harder to breathe. Seconds drag by, and my skin begins to crawl beneath the weight of his gaze.
I don’t fear men, and I’m rarely intimidated by them. But something about the power radiating from Tobias, even when I can’t see a single inch of his skin, makes me uneasy. Like staring a serial killer in the eyes, I can tell there’s something dark lurking in him. It might not even be hovering far beneath the surface.
Finally, after an agonizing wait, he rolls his eyes. “They’re on the other bus.”
“Thank y?—”
The door slams in my face, leaving me staring at my reflection in the glossy black exterior.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I mutter, without moving from the spot.
I have half a mind to bang on the door until he opens it again so I can rip him a new one, but I shake my head and march off. He isn’t worth my time, and he’d probably enjoy the fight.
Rounding the end of the bus, I spot an almostidentical one parked a few feet away that I hadn’t seen when my Uber pulled up.
Whoops.
Wish I’d known that before I had to deal with Grumpy McFuckface back there.
Trying not to waste another second of my thoughts on Tobias, I hurry over and knock eagerly on the other bus. Now that I know I’m in the right spot, my pulse kicks up a smidge, and I bounce on the balls of my feet.
Seconds later, the door swings open, and I find myself staring up at Niki’s smiling face.
Chapter 2
Joseline
Niki looks tired as hell with dark circles under her eyes, like she hasn’t slept in a week, but I guess that’s to be expected. After all, she’s seven months pregnant. I’d be fucking tired too. She’s in pajamas and makeupless, her faded blue and purple hair pulled into a bun on top of her head.
“Jos!” she exclaims, hurrying off the bus to hug me.
With a squeal, I pull her in, and my chest warms. “I missed you so much, Nik! You’re never allowed to stay gone that long again, understand?”
“Deal. Never again.” She giggles in my ear before pulling away. “How was your trip? It wasn’t too bad, was it?”
It wasn’t… until I got here, and Tobias was such an ass. I can’t believe I’m still thinking about it either. He got under my skin more than he should have.
