Rockstar Rivals: First Time Gay Romance
Read Rockstar Rivals: First Time Gay Romance Online
Authors: Natasha Ryder
First Time Gay Romance
Kindle Edition
Copyright 2015
Natasha Ryder
All characters in this book are 18 and over.
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Table of Contents
Gavin
It was a dream come true to be here.
This was everything that Gavin had worked for. Everything that he'd been away from his family and friends for, other than the members of his band, of course. Everything that he'd sacrificed for, everything that he had daydreamed about while working his minimum wage job at the car wash.
It seemed impossible that he was here, sitting backstage, getting ready to open for his favorite band of all time. When things had gotten really bad, when he'd been driven crazy by asshole customers yelling at him, he always knew he could go someplace quiet, slip his headphones in, and listen to to the rough voice of the lead singer of Crossroads, the band that he was somehow, against all odds, playing with tonight.
Speaking of said lead singer, the touring manager had said that they were going to be meeting him for the first time tonight. Mark Tisdale was way, completely out of his league, and he knew it, but that didn't stop him from having a ridiculous little crush on the man.
It was strange that they hadn't met already. Gavin and his band had met everyone else in Crossroads, except for Mark. Gavin shrugged it off, but it did seem a bit strange. He was probably just busy, though.
Gavin nervously picked up his guitar and started to play it. He'd played in front of big crowds on the reality TV show that had gotten him here, gotten his little Southern band discovered, but nothing like what he was going to face tonight.
As always, the music calmed him. He picked out the chords for the most recent Crossroads single, and it helped. It would all be okay. Again, this was literally a dream come true, he couldn't let anxiety ruin it.
And it was working, too. He was relaxing, at least until the door suddenly slammed open and all 6'2 of muscular, blond Mark Tisdale walked into the room. No, he didn't walk. He
stormed
in, with more drama in every movement than Gavin had expected.
Everyone looked up, but then, Gavin was sure that was pretty much par for the course. What he wasn't sure about was if Mark usually wore that look of distaste when he looked at new people, the look he was giving Gavin.
Gavin's band, Mark's band, various roadies and stage managers and lighting guys and all the other people required to make a memorable concert, they were all staring at Mark, confused by the hostility in his handsome, rugged face.
The blond man ignored everyone. Everyone except Gavin, that was. Flinging his golden curls back over his shoulder, Mark stalked over, his leanly-muscled body looking oddly predatory. Like Gavin was his prey, and maybe not in a good, sexy way.
Nervously, Gavin's fingers had continued to pluck out the chords to the new Crossroads song, even as Mark stalked over to him. For some reason, Mark glared at his fingers, at the way they caressed the strings of the guitar.
“Don't play my shit,” he growled. Gavin shivered. He couldn't even help it. That voice. So rough, so masculine, so very intense. The strange thing was, Gavin had heard that Mark was supposed to be a fairly calm, laid back kind of guy when he wasn't on stage. That wasn't what he was seeing.
Instantly, he stopped. Looking into those gray eyes, he realized that he'd been wrong. It wasn't distaste he saw in them. It was hatred, pure and simple. He didn't know why, and he was pretty sure he'd never been hated in his life before, but Mark Tisdale, his idol, hated him.
Setting the guitar down, he looked up at the huge man in front of him. Gavin at 5'9 was not a tall man, but he wasn't really used to other men towering over him quite as much as Mark did. He stood up, and it wasn't just the fact that he'd been sitting. Mark was tall and broad and muscular and golden, and Gavin was small and slender and dark, with shaggy brown hair just long enough to fall into his eyes.
“I … Sorry?” Gavin stammered the words, sort of hating how uncertain he sounded. Apparently Mark wasn't too impressed with it, either. He rolled his eyes, then turned away.
“You're some sort of big shot, aren't you? Why don't you just sing your own damn stuff?”
Gavin gulped air, trying to get some sort of control back into this situation. When he'd dreamed about meeting Mark, it definitely hadn't gone this way.
“I'm guessing you know who I am.” As always, when he was nervous, or just when he wasn't thinking about it, his Southern accent got thicker, and that seemed to irritate Mark more. Or maybe it was his comment.
“Of course I do. Gavin Cross.” He said his name with a sneer. “Like anyone believes that's your real name. You're the front man of Star Crossed, some kid from the South with a good look and a decent voice who thinks you're a big fucking deal because you won some reality TV show.”
Gavin winced. Most of that was a little harsh, but basically true, but on one point, Mark was just plain wrong. Without thinking, Gavin reached out and grabbed Mark's wrist.
“It's my real name.”
Mark snorted, but Gavin persisted.
“It is. Want to see my damn driver's license?”
Mark looked down at Gavin's hand like it was some sort of slimy, disgusting worm, and a dangerous one, at that. Flushing a little, Gavin dropped Mark's wrist. Oh man, if the older man hadn't hated him before, he was going to now!
“I'm surprised you're old enough to drive, kid,” Mark growled. Hatred or not, that voice sent a shiver of intense attraction down Gavin's spine. It wasn't fair how completely gorgeous Mark was, how sexy he was without even seeming to try.
Then Mark turned away, like Gavin was completely beneath his notice. Which was probably the case, actually. He moved over to where the rest of Crossroads were and started to chat to them, leaving Gavin alone and humiliated.
Quietly, he got up and left the room. He had a concert to play in just half an hour, and he had to get himself into a better mood or he'd stink the joint up.
* * *
As always, once he was on the stage, under the bright lights, with cheering fans in the crowd, their faces all blurring together, nothing else mattered.
Mark had made some snarky comments about Gavin being too young, but honestly, this wasn't his first time playing to a crowd. The whole time he'd been on
Next American Superstar
,
the reality TV show that had changed his life, he had been playing to a crowd. Then his band had signed with a label, and he'd been doing concerts since then, promoting his first album.
Still, there could be no doubt that he'd never done anything as big as this before.
Mark was out there first to introduce Gavin, and Gavin stared from backstage. The man was absolutely magnetic. He held the crowd in the palm of his hand, flirting, laughing, that sexy, deep, growly voice controlling the entire room.
“Now, it's my great pleasure to introduce Gavin Cross and Star Crossed!”
Gavin was so busy staring at the gorgeous blond that he almost missed his queue. Alan, his drummer, smirked at him and poked him in the ribs with his drumsticks.
“C'mon, man,” he urged, and Gavin gave him a surprised look. Thanks to him, though, he was only a few seconds delayed, and he came out on stage, joining Mark right in the middle, where the lights were brightest.
“Thanks for having me, Mark. I'm a huge fan, and you're the reason I'm here today,” Gavin said, holding his own microphone. It was true, and it was what he'd wanted to say when he'd met him, but it had gotten all out of hand.
To Gavin's surprise, Mark draped his arm around Gavin's shoulder, hugging him tight against him. At first, he was shocked, but then he realized it was all for show. Well, he should probably be glad that Mark was professional enough to do his job, at least. He wouldn't have to deal with the humiliation of being hated on in front of the whole damn world.
For that few seconds, when Gavin was pressed close to Mark, when he felt the warm weight of his arm around his shoulders, it felt like there could be something there. Gavin even forgot himself enough to look at him and smile, but there was no answering smile from the older man.
Mark pulled away, and then walked offstage. He would be playing later, but Gavin and Star Crossed were opening for him.
He watched as Mark left, but the other man never looked back. Well, Gavin could be professional, too, and he shot the crowd a huge grin.
“Mark Tisdale, everyone,” he said, listening to their cheers. The man could clearly be charming, he'd gotten the crowd worked up already.
With that, he went into the opening chords of his first big single. And from that moment, nothing else mattered. Let Mark be a jerk. Let him hate him. This was what he was meant to do, and there was nothing in the world that would stop him from doing it.
Gavin sung his heart out, clearly having an amazing time, and the crowd responded. He felt each and every cheer deep inside him, he drank it up, and it was amazing to him that these people could sing along when he invited them to, that they knew all the words.
He was high on life, high on the energy he was getting from the crowd, but that high wavered a little when he realized what song was next. There hadn't been time to change it, though after seeing how Mark had responded earlier today, he would have if he had been able to.
The song was
Don't Give Up
and it was the song that Gavin had sung to win the competition that had launched his career. It just so happened to be a Crossroads song, and he was afraid he knew all too well how Mark would feel about him singing it.
But there was really no choice. So he sang the song, and as he did, he felt like he could actually feel a pair of smoky gray eyes smoldering at him from backstage, where Mark doubtless waited for his turn.
The whole thing brought his mood down, and he was glad that was the last song of his set. He managed to grin at the crowd, gazing out at them. He couldn't see individual faces. He could barely see anyone, with the bright lights in his eyes, but he acted like he could.
“Well, how about the real thing? Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for Mark Tisdale and Crossroads!” The crowd roared its delight.
He and Mark crossed each other when they were trading places. Mark was grinning, and so was Gavin, but it was all horribly forced and fake.
The two men shook hands, and the crowd loved it. They ate it up. Meanwhile, Gavin just wanted to get out of there, and he quickly made his escape, letting Crossroads take the concert over.
He should have left then. He had nothing to do for the rest of the show, his part was done. But his band were all huge fans, too, and this was a pretty huge deal for them, to get to watch a band they loved so much play.
So he watched as Mark flirted and charmed everyone in sight. Including Gavin, he had to admit. When the show was over, all he wanted was to go to his own hotel room and go to bed.
He didn't know it then, but that just wasn't going to be happening.