“Hey.”
Reg twisted his head around and saw a man he didn’t recognize standing right behind him. “Hi.”
“You’re the guy dating Jeremy Jameson or whatever, right?”
“Right.”
“I saw you guys on TV earlier.” Dragging his gaze from Reg’s face to his backside, the man sniffled and said, “It was hot.”
Well, it seemed his plan had worked, at least to some extent. That guy didn’t have any question about whether Jeremy was faking his interest in Reg. For that matter, neither did Reg, but he was going to be patient while Jeremy made his way to the same realization.
“You guys play or whatever?” the guy asked.
Though he had never considered himself the jealous type, that was exactly how Reg felt at the mere thought of that man touching Jeremy. It was particularly strange because Reg himself didn’t have the privilege to touch Jeremy all that much. Oh, sure, they stood close together and Reg was always fast to offer a backrub or footrub, but until that morning, he’d never had his lips connect with Jeremy’s skin or Jeremy’s entire body pressed against his. Based on Jeremy’s reaction, Reg was hopeful it had been the first time, but not the last. He knew Jeremy craved physical attention, and he hoped he’d be taken up on his offer to give it.
“’Cause I’m interested or whatever,” the guy said.
If he used the word “whatever” one more time, Reg was going to throttle him.
Whoa. Violent thoughts were never a good thing.
Turning around so he was facing the stranger, Reg said, “No, man, we don’t play.”
“Seriously?” the guy scoffed and then sniffled again, making Reg wonder what he’d been snorting and how he’d gotten backstage.
“How’d you get back here?”
Lifting the badge he had draped around his neck, he said, “I work for the arena. I’m helping with security and shit backstage.”
Well, that made Reg feel safe. Forcing himself to take in a deep breath, he suddenly had more sympathy for why Jeremy frequently lost his temper. “All right, well, nice to meet you, man.” He turned back around, returning his focus to Jeremy on stage.
“Let me know if you change your mind. We can party later. I’ll be—”
“I’m not changing my mind,” Reg snapped, his gaze unwavering from Jeremy’s hands moving over his guitar. “Jeremy and I are exclusive. Completely.” He watched Jeremy rock his hips in concert with the music and rasped, “He’s mine.”
In his most outlandish fantasies, that was a true statement. When Jeremy had offered Reg the chance to go on tour and the see the world, he had seen no downside. Traveling, adventure, music, and a fun guy to hang out with the entire time—all good things. But as the days and weeks and months rolled by, Reg realized there was one hitch he hadn’t considered—developing feelings for Jeremy that went beyond being a travel buddy. The way Reg’s heart had pounded that morning when he’d gotten to hold Jeremy in his arms and breathe in his scent confirmed what he already knew deep down—for his part, the only pretending he was doing in the relationship was pretending it was pretend. Because the feelings Reg had for Jeremy were very real.
Chapter 9
CONFUSION WASN’T an emotion Jeremy felt often. Being born into his family meant having innate knowledge of the music industry and engaging in frequent conversations about everyone in it. As a result, he had never had trouble navigating his way through his chosen profession. And while he was quick to get angry at what he considered incompetence on the part of his staff—like Francis—or intrusiveness into his life—which was just about any interaction with the press—he knew those things were necessary parts of being in his industry.
His personal life had been much the same. He had been raised to understand the dangers of saying or doing the wrong thing with the wrong person and ending up as the lead story on TV or in the gossip magazines with less than flattering information. Which was why he dated other celebrities, oftentimes those who were up-and-coming. If they wanted a long-term career, making enemies of Jeremy’s family by fabricating lies about him wouldn’t serve them well. So long as he didn’t give people reasons to despise him, they generally walked away without creating a scene, content with the ability to forever tell the world they’d been with Jeremy Jameson.
At thirty-one, he’d had about a dozen relationships, all of which had been in the public eye and all of which had ended amicably. Remaining friends with his exes had never been an issue for Jeremy because he didn’t expect it. After all, he hadn’t been friends with any of them before they’d started dating, or even while they’d been dating, so it would make no sense to suddenly strike up a friendship after they broke up. The basis of his relationships had been a need for someone to walk down the proverbial, and sometimes literal, red carpet at his side and keep him company during his rare downtimes. Unfortunately, Jeremy had found that the type of person who enjoyed dressing up and going to premieres and fancy dinners wasn’t the same type of person who enjoyed hanging out at home, watching a game on TV, and drinking a beer.