Sweet Temptation

One of his discarded songs is only one stanza, but it fills my head and keeps going with new words of my own. I grab one of Michael’s chewed-up pens and hunker over the paper, writing furiously. When I’m done Michael snatches it up.

I feel strangely nervous. I tap the pen against my leg and watch as Michael’s head begins to bop back and forth and a grin stretches across his face.

“Dude, this is hot.”

I shrug. “I don’t want credit for that. Just a one-time thing, mate.” The lyrics hit way too close to home. I can’t have anyone knowing I pe

“What else you got?” Michael asks.

I shake my head and lie. “Nothing.”

“Yo, Raj! Be

We finally get to visit the studio and learn the ropes. I’ve no clue if we’ll get a recording contract, since it’s so competitive, but our manager is frat brothers with some bigwig’s son, so he says he’s got an “in.” We’ll see.

We’ve decided to record the single I mostly wrote, but Michael is more than glad to take credit.

We’re taken into a room where a girl with straight, honey-blond hair is setting up mics and checking the sound. She’s incredibly cute and has a kind contentedness in her aura that stabs at my lungs. She looks up and beams when we walk in.

“Hey, guys! You’re right on time. I’ll bring you some waters, and you can let me know if you need anything else. I’m A

The ground seems to rock under my feet. Bloody hell . . . why does the world hate me? Why?

She shakes the other guys’ hands, and when she gets to me her aura flares bright orange with a red streak. Her eyes search every feature of my face and then she blushes. I quickly let her hand go and stuff mine in my pocket, looking away.

This is fantastic. Just what I need.

She leaves us and Raj punches my stomach. “She wants you, dude.”

Michael raises his chin. “Told you you’d be getting all the ass you want here.”

I shake my head. “I’d rather not mix business and pleasure.”

“For real, though.” Be

“Exactly,” I mutter.

A

It’d be easier if she weren’t so bloody nice. Or if I didn’t have to see her nearly every day. Or if she didn’t remind me in so many small ways of my A

Seriously. I keep hoping it will become less difficult to deny my body, but it hasn’t. It’s a constant ache. It would be so easy to give in. To give myself release with the dozens of willing girls who light up with lust for me.

And then I remember how I felt last year when I’d slept with all those women after coming back from our road trip. I’d been riddled with guilt and self-disgust. I never want to feel that way again. This is the first time I’ve ever challenged myself, and I need to win this.

If Kope can bloody well fight his temptations, so can I.

After six months, I have to admit, I’m so damned proud of myself that I want to shout it to the world: I haven’t shagged in six months!

On second thought, I don’t think anyone would be that impressed. Except A

I love you. I only want you.

And then an image of Belial’s face fills my mind and I’m reminded of all the reasons why I can’t have her. A pang of dreadful fear pierces me at the thought that A

My plan to stay away is ruined when A

I’m filled with familiar rage, at everything. My anger and sarcasm rain down on A

I don’t care, I tell myself. She shouldn’t have come. She knows as well as I do. This is a mistake.

When we leave, she sees me being picked up by Marissa’s driver. We’re only having di

We are cursed. And my fortress is useless against her. I return to L.A. emptier and more broken than ever.

It’s Friday when A

“Hey, Kai. Um, I’m having people over at my apartment tomorrow night. Just a small party. . . .” She bites her lip and her eyes go round. She really is quite attractive.

I flip through different excuses I can use, but I know the other band members will expect me to be there.

“Sorry, but I’m visiting an old mate of mine in Santa Barbara this weekend.”

“Oh!” She smiles, but disappointment fogs her aura. “No problem. Hope you have fun.”

“Yeah, you as well.”

Now I just have to ring Blake and let him know. He’s been trying to get me to visit for months, but I haven’t wanted him to know I’m not working. Well, no better time than now.

“Dude. Brah. Compadre. Cut the shit.” Blake and I are sitting on bar stools under a tiki hut on a crowded beach where I have gently rejected the advances of three girls in the past hour. Blake is ogling me in disbelief. I continuously search the skies for whisperers.

“Don’t make a big deal of this,” I say.

His eyes drop to my glass of water then rise to my face. “I will make a big deal of it, because it is a big deal. You don’t need to do this, man. You got nothin’ to prove.”

“I’ve got plenty to prove. To myself.”

He closes his eyes, shakes his head. I didn’t expect him to understand.

A blond bombshell saunters up to us with mile-long legs and mini black shorts. She has a posse of manicured beauties following behind her. Blake sees me looking over his shoulder and turns.

“Ah, hey, baby!” he says. The blonde smiles and stands between his legs, wrapping her flyaway arms around his neck and kissing him.

She’s magazine material. A few men glance at Blake with envy.

“How’s my man?” the girl asks, leaning her forehead against Blake’s.

“Helluva lot better now that you’re here.”

She turns to me and blinks with big eyelashes.

“Oh, hey,” Blake says. “This is my boy from way back, Kaidan. This is my girlfriend, Michelle, and her J-Pack of friends, Jessica, Jamie, and Jen.”

Girlfriend? Apparently I’m not the only one with secrets.

We shake hands, and I say, “Nice to meet you, Michelle.”

Her eyes widen at my accent, and her friends move forward, all their eyes on me, auras zinging with red. I shake each of the J-Packs’ hands and sit back.

“Hey now,” Blake says when Michelle has stared at me a beat too long. “Don’t be looking at him. He’s gay.”