Series Starter Firsts in Series Collection - Kaylee Ryan Page 0,244

I care. It’s usually me who slips out in the early morning hours, but not this time. This time I brought her here, to my space. The only conclusion that I can come up with is that I wasn’t done with her. I wanted to sink myself inside her at least one more time before we parted ways. Glancing at the clock, I see that it’s a little after nine in the morning. Her flight leaves today, but I have no idea what time.

Without taking the time to second-guess why I do it, I race back to the bedroom, pull on a pair of shorts, and run out the door. My bare feet hit the hot sand, but I barely notice. I jog to their rental and knock on the door.

No answer.

Peering in through the window, I see two keys laying on the counter.

Shit! She’s gone.

Defeated, I turn back the way I came. On the way back to my house, I contemplate calling the owner of the rental and trying to get her information. That thought lingers until I reach the back deck and I realize I sound like a crazy-ass stalker. Paige is the only woman I’ve hooked up with since my time here in Hawaii. My lack of sex has obviously affected my brain.

I settle into a lounge chair, close my eyes, and listen to the early morning waves as they hit the shoreline. I’ve been here for three weeks. Three weeks of being just ‘Kacen’ not the famous lead singer of Soul Serenade. Just coming off of an eighteen-month tour takes a toll on you. My bandmates all went home to visit their families. I opted for tropical paradise. My mom was not impressed when I told her my plans, but really, I just needed to decompress.

I will never complain about the success of the band or the life of liberty that success has provided for me. I love what I do. What I don’t love is never knowing who I can trust. This is a cutthroat business, and unless you are blood related, which really stops at my parents, or a member of my band, you are not on the list. Hell, I have women, who I know for a fact I have never seen before in my life, showing up outside my hotel room telling me I fathered their unborn child. I love the music, writing the lyrics, and fitting it to the perfect notes. I hate the fame that comes with it. I’m thankful for it and loathe it all at the same time.

My intention was to escape into this private beach house and decompress from the tour, from the fans, the groupies, and everyone else who seems to constantly want a piece of me. I kept to myself for the first two weeks, and then as I was walking down the beach, I saw her.

Paige.

Her long brown hair was blowing in the wind. I could tell from a distance that she was beautiful, and I was . . . drawn to her. Against my better judgment, I stopped to see if they needed help. Her friend, Lynn, all smiles for me, just like all the other women I meet. Paige, not so much. She was more reserved, yet polite. Her kind smile was just that, kind. She wasn’t mentally conforming to a plan to seduce me; she was just offering a welcoming smile.

A smile so contagious that it pulled me under her spell. There is no other explanation for why I continued to seek her out. I was here to get away from it all, even the women, but one glimpse of that smile, the one that lit her eyes, and I was captivated.

As the week passed by, it became even more obvious to me that she had no clue who I was. This past week has been the best time I’ve had with a woman in, well . . . ever that I can remember. Last night, in my bed . . . it was different. I’ve been with my fair share of beautiful women. My job keeps me surrounded by them at any given time. Paige, she was different. She wasn’t with Kacen the rock star; she was with me, just Kacen. Well, Michael. The lie I told her slipped off my tongue. It was my weak attempt and silent wish that she would not recognize me. My wish was granted when neither of them realized who I was. Technically, I