A possessiveness that was still very much new to Harper took over. She wanted to reach over and throw every one of those damn phones on the ground and stomp on them with her heels.

Romper caught Harper’s eye, which she was doing her damnedest to not let turn into a death glare.

“That’s Liam James,” she whispered to Harper in explanation.

“I know.” Harper nodded. “What do you think his girlfriend is going to make of the fact that you guys were just taking pictures of his ass?”

“Who cares? He’s hot.” The blond with the bob shrugged as she touched up her bright red cherry lips, pouting them as she looked into the mirror of her compact.

“Isn’t he dating Kiki Jean Carlow?” The redhead in the skintight black dress looked around. “You think she’s here?”

“Nah.” Cherry lips shook her head. “She’d be surrounded by people fawning all over her. But more is the better for me. I’m going to get him to take me home with him.”

Oh, look at how quickly that had all morphed into a boiling rage coursing through Harper’s veins.

“And what makes you think you’re the one he’s going to want to go home with?” Stilettos fluffed her hair as she pulled the top of her dress down more than just a little bit.

“It’s obvious. He prefers blonds.” Cherry smacked her lips together as she closed her little compact and tossed it, along with her lipstick, into her purse.

“Harper, honey,” Liam called, pulling her gaze away from the women. He was waiting just on the other side of the stand, holding out his hand for her. “They’re pulling the car around now.”

The group of girls all openly gaped at Harper, and as she walked by Cherry she couldn’t help herself. “Actually, he doesn’t prefer blonds and he’s going to be taking me home tonight.”

Liam’s eyes narrowed, studying her face as her hand slid into his. “What was that about?”

“Nothing, I just told her I liked her hair.” The lie might’ve fallen easily from her lips, but it felt wrong. All wrong.

He took a step forward, his free hand going to her face. “You sure?”

“Yes.” She nodded, forcing a smile as she leaned in and kissed him.

But even the taste of his lips couldn’t take away the bitterness in Harper’s mouth.

Chapter Twenty-One The Power of a Lie

The bitterness was still lingering the next day. Harper did everything in her power to not let the little incident at the end of dinner the night before upset her. But it had gotten under her skin and was now festering.

It was one thing to be out somewhere and see other women checking out your man. It was quite another to know that there were women out there who had absolutely no regard for the fact that he was in a relationship.

But this was what it was going to be like if she was with him.

No, there was no if.

She was going to have to get used to it. His fame was only getting bigger, so this was the life she was signing on for.

She’d been living in a bit of a fantasyland perpetuated by the bubble that was Mirabelle. That tabloid article a week ago had been a small taste of reality, and it had been just as bitter as the events of the evening before.

But it was nothing, nothing, to what Harper went through on Saturday night.

In the beginning she’d been excited about seeing Liam perform live onstage. It wasn’t something she’d experienced and she wondered what it would be like to be a part of the crowd.

And as always, Liam’s music resonated through her body, settling deep in her bones. And it wasn’t just Harper who was enjoying the music. Sofia was moving, like really moving. She was kicking up a storm in Harper’s belly.

“He’s talented.” Celeste shook her head in awe as Liam got to the guitar solo for “Music Shaker, Money Maker.”

“He is.” Harper grabbed her aunt’s hand and pressed it to the spot that was being used like a soccer ball.

Celeste grinned over at Harper. “She likes Daddy’s music, too, huh?”

“Apparently. She’s having a rave in there.”

The last chords of the guitar solo faded away and the crowd around Harper cheered, screaming Liam’s name. It was one of those moments that she couldn’t quite process. Watching him up on that stage. Seeing him, hearing him sing his heart out.

And he was hers.

But not all hers. Not when he was up on that stage. This was the part that she had to share. In a way, when he was performing he belonged to everyone in that room. Belonged to his fans that knew every word of his songs…and the women in the crowd who were eye-sexing him.

Just like that Harper’s heart started beating hard and her stomach rolled, but this time it wasn’t from Sofia’s acrobatics. She closed her eyes, taking deep steady breaths.

“You okay?” Celeste asked.

“Yeah.” Harper nodded, opening her eyes and looking over at her aunt. “I just need to go to the bathroom.”

“I’m coming with you.” She turned to Reed next to her and said something to him before they headed through the crowd.

But before they could make it there, Harper saw something that made her feel five thousand times worse.

Kiki Jean Carlow was standing at the opening of the hallway, signing autographs for the crowd of twenty or so people that surrounded her. They were mainly girls, most in frayed jean skirts, cowboy boots, and flannel shirts tied up and above their midriffs. Kiki was wearing a similar outfit.

Harper stopped dead in her tracks, unable to move on. It was like watching a train wreck…a train wreck that was her life.

“So it is true?” One of the girls next to Kiki gushed. “You really are dating Liam James?”

“Just flew in from California to get here. Wouldn’t miss it.” Kiki beamed.

“So ‘Forever’ must be about you, right?” someone else asked. “Since he just wrote it recently.”

“You guys don’t miss anything, do you?” she asked as she grabbed another picture and scrawled her signature across it.

“That’s so cool.”

“Gawd, you’re lucky.”

“The luckiest.” Kiki’s gaze came up and landed on Harper. The look of cold recognition was clear; she knew exactly who Harper was. “Did you want something signed, darlin’?”

Darlin’.

Ohhh, Kiki could sign something all right. Harper’s fist…right after she threw up.

She said nothing. She couldn’t open her mouth. A sick queasy pressure tightened her stomach and her feet were moving before she was even conscious of it. Her heart was now pounding out of her chest and there was a ringing in her ears. The ability to pull air into her lungs was nearly impossible as the people pushing in around her increased.

She had to get out of there. Stat.

There was no way she was going to last long enough to get through the line that snaked out of the women’s restroom, so she bypassed it, pushing through the doors at the end of the hallway and outside.

She made it about twenty feet past the entrance, and away from the people gathered around getting a smoke, before she’d gotten to the limit. She reached for the wall, holding her balance as she leaned forward and threw up against the side of the building. Hands were moving across her back, pulling her hair back as she emptied her stomach.

Celeste.

When the heaving stopped, she held on to the wall and tried to keep herself upright while she started to hyperventilate.

“Come on.” Celeste helped guide Harper away from the wall and to the curb. The second her butt was on the ground she dropped her head between her knees. Celeste’s palm rubbed across her lower back in slow circular motions. “You need to breathe, babe.”

Breathing. That would be good. Maybe if she got some air into her lungs the black spots on the edge of her vision would go away.

Maybe.

She had no idea how long they sat there, but it felt like forever for her to catch her breath. When she was finally able to pull her head up, she looked over at her aunt. “I need to get out of here.”