SPARKED: A Bad Boy Rockstar Romance (With bonus book, PERFECT) Read online

  Sparked

  A Bad Boy Rockstar Romance

  Stephanie Brother

  Contents

  Sparked

  Copyright

  1. Amber

  2. Aidan

  3. Amber

  4. Amber

  5. Aidan

  6. Amber

  7. Amber

  8. Amber

  9. Aidan

  10. Amber

  11. Aidan

  12. Amber

  13. Aidan

  14. Amber

  15. Amber

  16. Amber

  17. Aidan

  18. Amber

  19. Aidan

  20. Amber

  21. Amber

  22. Amber

  23. Amber

  24. Aidan

  25. Amber

  26. Amber

  27. Amber

  28. Aidan

  29. Amber

  30. Amber

  31. Amber

  32. Aidan

  33. Amber

  34. Amber

  Epilogue

  Perfect

  Copyright

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Epilogue

  About Stephanie Brother

  Also by Stephanie Brother

  Sparked

  A Bad Boy Rockstar Romance

  Copyright © 2016 Stephanie Brother

  All Rights Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locations is purely coincidental. The characters are all productions of the author's imagination.

  Please note that this work is intended only for adults over the age of 18 and all characters are represented as 18 or over.

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  1

  Amber

  My story begins like all the truly classic romances. It’s Saturday night and I’m being dragged by my overbearing roommate to a dive bar crammed full of obnoxiously drunk losers.

  Thrilling, right? I really should be studying, but Megan is nothing if not persistent. So I squeezed into a short skirt and took time to put on makeup, though now I wish I hadn’t bothered.

  It’s not very late when we get there, but the crowd already seems half wasted. People are yelling, jostling for space at the bar; it feels like a fight could break out any moment. I’m not looking for romance, but if I was in the market for a guy this is the last place I’d choose.

  I pull Megan close and yell into her ear, “This is where you hang out on the weekends?”

  “Stay right here,” she yells back. “I’ll get us some drinks!”

  She starts pushing her way through the crowd. I stay near the wall, trying to hold onto a little personal space. There’s a band playing on a small stage on the other side of the room, though no one’s paying them much attention. I listen for a few moments and realize everyone else is right to ignore them.

  Maybe I can get away with leaving after one drink ... but that won’t satisfy Megan. She thinks I’m missing out on the full college experience. Honestly, with all the time I’ve been spending at the library, this rowdy place is a shock to my system. If this is the full college experience, I’m okay with being a little bit deprived.

  I don’t expect the hand on my shoulder. Megan’s back already?

  I turn, and instead of my roommate I’m faced with a stunning man. Dark hair, sexy as hell, with eyes that I can’t look away from. I blink, not certain my imagination hasn’t conjured him up. He’s not much taller than me, but broad and solid — and standing squarely inside my personal space.

  Even though he has my attention — boy, does he have it — he doesn’t move his hand from my arm. “Do you need a drink?” he asks. He’s holding a beer bottle, and I can smell it on his breath when he leans close to make himself heard.

  I shake my head and give him a half smile to thank him for his offer. His dark eyes penetrate mine and I’m mesmerized, unable to look away.

  He doesn’t return my smile. I’m not even sure he blinks. And he’s still touching my shoulder.

  “Are you here alone?” He leans in closer still, and I finally manage to break eye contact. Aside from his undeniably beautiful face, he’s really not my type. His hair is messy, his jeans are torn, and his shirt is open halfway down his chest.

  I shake my head, then add, “With a friend.” I turn my head to look at his hand, which hasn’t moved, the heat of him burning through the thin fabric of my sleeve. I would typically be telling a guy to get his hands off me at this point, but for some reason the words don’t come out of my mouth.

  A tiny corner of my brain wonders what’s going on. I’m not the kind of girl guys hit on, usually. So what is this stud doing paying attention to me?

  He follows the direction of my gaze and one corner of his mouth turns up. A subtle lift of an eyebrow adds to his smirk as his hand leaves my shoulder to reach for my hair. He tangles it slowly around his finger, pulls gently, then rests his hand against my arm again, fingers still playing with the lock of hair he’s claimed as his. He steps in closer, his foot against mine, our hips nearly touching. A shiver runs down my back as my whole body seems to come to attention.

  His actions are entirely inappropriate, but instead of telling him to get lost, I’m staring at his lips, noticing how thick they are, how they’re curled into a slight smile. It’s clear that he knows what kind of effect he’s having on me, and his cocky expression pisses me off. But it also turns me on. I can’t remember ever having a reaction like this to someone I’d just met. Or really anyone, ever. Whatever reaction he’s sparking in me, I’m not sure I like it.

  He speaks again, but at the same time the singer on stage starts to wail, shredding his vocal chords to no good effect. I shrug my shoulders and touch my ear, to let him know I can’t hear him.

  He releases my hair and brings his mouth against my ear. I feel his warm breath on my skin when he speaks. “Follow me.”

  And with no apparent decision on my part, as though the logic centers of my brain have been completely switched off and I’m being controlled by other powers in my body, I follow him.

  2

  Aidan

  I wasn’t planning to hook up with anyone tonight, but something about this girl drew me like a magnet. Up close, she’s got the biggest eyes I’ve ever seen and long, silky hair that I can’t help but touch. She’s beautiful ... but I’m used to that.

  I usually go for the let-it-all-hang-out type, not the quiet ones, but there’s something different about this girl. I can’t quite put my finger on it — but putting my hands on her is definitely on my agenda.

  I take her out on
to the deck and the crowd parts for us as I lead her to the back corner. The night air has a chill in it; when we stop I spin to face her, take hold of her arms, and rub them slowly under the guise of keeping her warm.

  “I haven’t seen you here before,” I say. “What’s your name?”

  “Amber.” She’s silent for a moment and then asks, “What’s yours?”

  Ah, she doesn’t know who I am. That’ll make this more interesting. “Aidan,” I say. “You’re not here for the band, I guess?”

  “Them?” she says, gesturing inside. She gives a cute little snort of disgust. “You’ve gotta be kidding.” She searches my face for a moment before continuing. “Sorry, if you’re a fan.” She doesn’t look particularly sorry, and I almost laugh but I shrug instead. I’m not going to badmouth the opening act.

  “So you’re here with a friend?” I lean back against the railing and bring her closer, still rubbing her arms. She shivers, but I don’t think it’s from the cold. I find another strand of her silky hair to play with. “And not here for the band? Just looking for a good time?”

  Something flashes in her eyes — I’m not sure if it’s irritation or panic. Maybe I’m going too fast for her, which means she’s definitely not my usual type. I give her a smile as I search her expression, and the flicker of discomfort I’d seen is gone as quickly as it came.

  I twirl her hair around my fingers, release it, and then cup the back of her neck, where I find her muscles drawn tight. “Hard week?” I ask as I rub the soft skin just above her shirt collar. My hands want to wander, to explore more of that softness.

  “Just classes. You know.” Her voice is softer and has that undertone that tells me she likes what I’m doing. If I had more time, I’d take her off the patio, down into the shadows, and do her right now.

  Good thing it’s dark out here, because I’m suddenly sporting the world’s biggest hard-on. My magic hands have her melting like putty, and I can’t wait any longer to find out if she tastes as good as she looks.

  I tangle my hand in the hair at the base of her scalp and pull her close. Next to her ear, I whisper, “I’m going to kiss you now.” Her body tenses with surprise, but she doesn’t pull away, not one inch. I look into her eyes and watch them flutter closed as I approach her pretty mouth.

  I touch my lips to hers softly at first. She tastes of berries and smells of mint, and I remember that she wasn’t holding a glass when I saw her. It’s not often I’m kissing a girl who hasn’t had a drink or two already. I start to explore her lips, slowly, and wait for her to return my kiss. It doesn’t take long. She moves slowly too, and after one more kiss I pull back to look into her eyes.

  I see what I knew I’d see there; her eyelids are heavy, her cheeks are flushed. When I lower my head again, she meets me halfway and her lips part for me. I wrap my arm around her back, bring her body against me, and claim her mouth as mine. Pressed close, she feels as good as I knew she would, all soft curves and sweet-smelling warmth.

  I’ve only just sampled her, but I want more. I want it all. Too bad my time’s almost up.

  I sweep my palms down the length of her back, then slowly bring them upward, applying pressure along the sides of her body as I explore the landscape. Later, I want to peel her top off in just this same motion, and discover her inch by inch. My hands slide over the outline of her bra; maybe I’ll use my teeth when I take it off.

  My cock jerks at that thought, reminding me that it’s more than ready to be let out of confinement. The next few hours are going to be torture.

  Control is not a problem for me. Not usually, anyway. I get the girls all worked up, but I know exactly what I’m doing. This girl, though — Amber, I think she said — she’s testing my limits. I need to go soon but I don’t want to stop.

  I run my tongue slowly along her upper lip, needing one more long taste to hold me over. I grab her hips and pull her into me and practically moan when my cock presses against her body. But then I feel her stiffen under my hands. She goes still for a second, and when she kisses me again it’s more tentative, a little hesitant.

  I pull back and look at her. Her gray-green eyes are wide; she looks startled. I run my thumb down her cheek and along her jaw. “Everything okay?”

  She nods.

  “I need to go do something,” I say. “Will you wait for me?”

  Her eyes flicker to my lips, then back to my eyes, still with that deer-in-the-headlights expression. Finally, she nods.

  I take her face in both of my hands and go in for one more sweet taste. “I’ll see you soon,” I say, and then I force myself to pull away.

  3

  Amber

  What the hell just happened? One minute I was walking into this dive, finding everything around me distasteful, and the next minute I’m attached to some guy at the face?

  In my defense, the guy — oh my god. He hypnotized me with those gorgeous eyes. One touch of his lips to mine and I was ready to do whatever he wanted. Which is not like me at all.

  Then in the middle of the most amazing kiss of my life, he says he has to go. Some urgent thing he has to do, but he wants me to wait for him? I’m confused; I’m irritated; I’m dazed with pleasure.

  Speaking of pleasure, I’m pretty sure that was his cock pressing against me. His hard cock. Maybe he needed to go adjust himself or something.

  Coming out of my makeout haze, I notice the crowd on the deck is thinning out. I can’t believe I just participated in such a public display of affection. Seriously, I swear I was a victim of hypnosis. A very willing victim.

  A group of three girls leaves the deck and I suddenly remember Megan. She’s probably wondering where I went, but she’d be proud of me if she knew what I’d been doing. She’s always telling me I need to study less and have more fun.

  I can’t slack off, though. Chemistry is kicking my butt, and if I don’t bring my grade up I could lose my scholarship. I can’t even think about that possibility.

  The deck is nearly empty now. Did a fight break out inside and everyone went to watch? And where is Aidan?

  I hug my arms around me to ward off the night air; no point putting my sweater back on if I’m going back inside. I wander back toward the building, and as I get closer I hear chanting. I hope Aidan hasn’t been caught on the other side of a big brawl.

  With some hesitation, I open the door and peer in. The chanting continues; it sounds like the crowd is saying, “Go back, go back, go back!” Not like the cries of blood-thirsty drunks, though; more like organized cheering. Maybe everyone sobered up all at the same time and realized the band is crap.

  I step inside to get a better view. With few exceptions, everyone is facing the stage, which is now empty. I hope to god the crowd isn’t cheering for an encore. That can’t be possible; no one was paying much attention to the band before, so they must be waiting for the main event.

  I raise up on my toes to try to get a better view and see Megan waving at me from a position closer to the stage. I look all around and there’s no sign of Aidan, so I squeeze through the crowd and make my way to my roommate. Eric, her friend from high school, is with her now. They hang out together more often than not.

  “Where’ve you been?” Megan asks. “I had to drink your cocktail myself.” She waves a nearly empty glass at me.

  I wonder, briefly, how she got served alcohol, and if maybe that’s why this place is where she spends her weekends, but I’m too distracted to worry about that right now.

  I give Eric a quick hug and hope my face isn’t turning red with guilt. “I went outside for some air. What’s going on?”

  “Throwback’s about to come on,” she says, practically bouncing with excitement. She notices my blank look and turns to Eric. “She’s never seen Throwback!” Eric shrugs and takes a drink of what looks like Coke.

  The chanting stops abruptly and the crowd erupts into loud cheers as four figures walk out onto the darkened stage and pick up their instruments. I look around to either side and behind me; st
ill no sign of Aidan. I hope he’s not out on the deck looking for me. Just the thought of him has me biting my kiss-swollen lips. I can still taste him.

  Notes from the guitar sound out over the room and the fans quiet down in anticipation. The first few soulful chords already sound better to me than the opening band, but maybe I’m just caught up in the energy of the crowd, or affected by the afterglow of my make-out session.

  Megan squeezes my arm. Cheers sound again as the stage lights up and the lead singer starts his first number. His deep, husky voice instantly commands attention, and I stretch for a better view.

  Tousled hair, open shirt revealing a well-muscled chest, ripped jeans over strong thighs ... am I still high from that kiss?

  He moves under the spotlight, and any doubt I had is gone.

  Holy fuck.

  Aidan isn’t out on the patio looking for me. He’s right in front of me, singing to a packed house.

  4

  Amber

  At first I’m too stunned to think clearly. Why didn’t he mention he was in the band? Why did he ask me to wait, instead of telling me he was going off to perform? After a few seconds, though, it doesn’t matter; I fall under his spell just as surely as I did out on that patio.

  Aidan performs with the same sexy intensity as he kisses, and for the longest time I can’t look away. I’m as mesmerized by him at this distance as I was when he was standing right next to me. He owns the stage, and his performance has me convinced that he feels every single word of the bluesy rock ballad he’s singing:

  Well it took one time to know her

  Gonna take two times to show her

  She’s all that I need, all night long