Across the Miles (The Not So Bad Boys of Rock #1) by Rhonda James

sky; I mimicked her actions.
    “The stars are beautiful over the ocean,” she gasped, lying flat on her back, arm pressed against mine.
    “I love coming out here at night, especially after a long day.” We sat there quietly for what seemed like an eternity. I was dying to kiss her, to feel the soft press of her lips against mine. It was too soon; I didn’t want to scare her off. She appeared to have finally let her guard down after we left the store, and when we had dinner she even flirted with me. No, I had to fight the urge, no matter how great it was. I needed a distraction.
    “Hey, how is your head feeling?”
    “About the same I guess, still having headaches but not as intense.”
    “I’m glad that you decided to stay; I would have been worried if you had tried to fly this soon.”
    “Yeah, it probably was for the best. Thanks again for being in the room with me, I don’t like confined spaces,” she shivered slightly.
    “Are you cold?” I asked, genuinely concerned, not only for her comfort, but also because I wasn’t ready for her to head off to bed just yet.
    “Maybe just a little.” I snuggled closer, careful not to overstep any unwritten boundaries. I felt my heart rate increase, knowing what I was about to do. I took a deep breath and moved my hand slowly, stopping only when itcovered hers completely. Before I knew it, her hand had enveloped mine, squeezing it for a brief moment before lacing her fingers through mine. She never made eye contact, just kept looking straight up into the nighttime sky as if this were a natural occurrence for us. I licked my lips nervously, feeling the heat that had begun to radiate throughout my body, letting it warm me completely. The effect she had on me was amazing. I felt like a young schoolboy waiting for his first kiss. For the first time in my adult life, I wondered what it would be like to just kiss and hold a woman, without all of the expectations of sex. I had a feeling that, with Brooke, kissing would more than satisfy my needs.

CHAPTER NINE
    Brooke~
    Sebastian took off early the next morning, heading off to practice with the band. He had arranged it so that they would meet early and still be done after lunch, so we could have the entire afternoon to hang out. I pushed him out the door, doing my best to convince him that I would be fine on my own for a few hours. Just before he left, he turned to me and pulled me in close for a warm embrace, planting a soft kiss on my forehead, my heart fluttered slightly. I was going to check with Steve and see if that could be part of the concussion symptoms, that had to be it. The only other explanation would be that I had somehow managed to fall for this man, even though I knew that would be a bad idea. We could never make a relationship work. Could we?
    “So how is it living with a rock god? Is it everything we dreamed it would be?” Jade gushed into the phone, never even saying hello. “No wait, don’t tell me, I don’t think I can handle it. I’m holding a slight grudge overhere, just so you know.”
    “That so?” I chuckled, knowing if the roles had been reversed I would be a bitter fool.
    “Okay, spill it. I can’t stay mad at you. Jealousy is an ugly accessory,” she sighed dramatically.
    “Well, if you’re sure you can handle it, I mean it’s pretty hot stuff,” I teased.
    “What! No way! Seriously?” her breath hitched.
    “Calm down, good grief, I barely know him. Things have been nice. He is an amazing man. He has been a perfect gentleman. He took me to Malibu and bought me a T-shirt,” I reminisced.
    “Is that all?”
    “Oh, and he held my hand twice and has kissed me on the forehead a few times.” I heard a thud and then silence, followed by a soft whimper. “Jade?”
    “Yeah, sorry about that, I needed a moment. How the hell did you get so lucky?” she guffawed. “Seriously though, you deserve to have good things coming your way. You’ve had enough of the bad stuff to last a