Always Rayne (The ALWAYS SOMETIMES NEVER Rock Star Romance Series) by Sierra Avalon Page A

at myself in the full length mirror. “Oh, God.” It’s even worse that I thought it would be. I look completely ridiculous.
    Another knock. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
    I slowly open the door and step back into Nic’s bedroom.
    When his jaw actually drops I feel like I’m going to cry. I’m not sure what I was thinking. He’s been with the most beautiful women in the world. Models and actresses. I definitely don’t look like any of them.
    He’s got a strange expression on his face and it makes me extremely self-conscious. If there was giant hole anywhere close, I’d definitely crawl in it.
    I try to blink back the tears that I can feel starting to accumulate in my eyes. “This was a mistake.”
    I turn to head back into the bathroom but Nic grabs my arm. He looks confused. “Where are you going?”
    “To change,” I spit out.
    “But why?”
    I can feel the tears start to stream down my face. “The look on your face. Like you can’t believe I’m even out here in a bikini. I get it. I know you’ve been with every model and actress in Hollywood. My body must be shocking after that.”
    “You’re right. It is a shock.”
    “Let go of me, please.” I try to wriggle free but he’s got a hold of my elbow pretty tight.
    “No, not until you look at me.”
    I try to wipe the tears from my face before I turn to look at him. His eyes are even more resolute. “You, Harper Leigh, have the hottest fucking body I’ve ever seen. And it was a shock. I had no idea what you had going on under those hippie librarian clothes of yours but ever since I saw you that first night, I’ve wanted to find out.”
    I feel like I’ve been tossed into an ocean and I’m being battered around in the tumultuous waves of emotion. Did he just say I had a hot body? He might have even said it was the hottest body he’d ever seen. Seriously?
    “Would you repeat that?”
    He laughs. “I’ve been thinking about what’s going on under your hippie librarian clothes since the first night I met you.”
    “No, the first part.”
    He drops my arm and takes a step back. He slowly looks me up and down taking in every inch of my body. “You’re the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
    I gulp. I feel like I’ve stepped into some alternate universe where all the nerdy bookworms are considered hot and models and actresses are mocked.
    “Aren’t you going to get changed?”
    Nic is still in his jeans and T-shirt. He nods. “I’ll be right back.”
    After a few moments he returns from his closet with some swim trunks. I expect him to go into the bathroom to get changed but to my surprise, he drops his jeans right in front of me.
    I try to protest but no words will come out. My mouth is just opening and closing like a mute puppet.
    “What’s wrong?” Nic gives me that smug grin of his.
    “You’re—um—” He’s standing in front of me with just his T-shirt and box er briefs. He’ll need to remove the underwear to put on the swim trunks. I know I should probably turn around but I’m frozen in place.
    Maybe I should close my eyes?
    He removes his T-shirt and his chest seems even bigger and more muscular than I remember when he took his shirt off on stage. Maybe it’s just because he’s right next to me, but I can see the outline of his muscles and the way his tribal art tattoos seem to fit perfectly around them.
    I’m so busy checking out his flawless chest that I don’t realize until it’s a little too late that he’s going for his boxer briefs.
    “Don’t you want to change in the bathroom?” I mumble.
    He shakes his head and grins at me. “No, I don’t want to get changed in the bathroom. My house. My rules.”
    He pulls down his boxer briefs and I catch a glimpse of everything before I manage to cover my eyes with my hand. Brooke was absolutely right when she said he was well-endowed. That’s a rumor that has now been proven to be one hundred percent valid.
    “You can take your hand from your eyes