This could ruin everything.

I was born broken, with a past full of ugly secrets and a brother doing life in prison.

Not that you’d know it if you read the tabloids. According to them I’m the rock-solid guitarist for the biggest band in the world. I’m the dependable one. The steady one. The anchor.

They don’t know the truth. No one knows who I am underneath, once the music is over and the lights are off. No one but Darcy. She’s my best friend. She’s my f--king savior, my light in the dark, beautiful as hell and talented as f--k and every bit as broken as me.

And I f--king yearn for her. I have for years.

I see the way she looks at me, what’s behind her eyes. I know what she thinks about alone, in the dark, because how could I not know.

It’s getting worse. Every second, every heartbeat, every moment we spend together and every secret we share makes me want her more. Even though I know that one kiss could ruin everything we have, I need her.

But to get her? I’ll risk everything I’ve got.

Amber Reed