ROCK HARD (A BRITISH ROCKSTAR BAD BOY ROMANCE) by Nikki Wild

hospital as soon as they got off the bus. I stood in front of the bus, watching them walk away, strolling side by side quietly, as if the fighting earlier hadn’t happened at all. The rest of us disappeared into the hotel to check in. I dropped my bags in my room, changed clothes and took a stroll to stretch my legs.
    We’d been on the bus for hours, just stopping briefly a few times along the way. Liam and I had spent the better part of it together talking quietly, and I’d stepped off the bus with a completely different view of him.
    After all he’d told me, he now seemed even more human than ever.
    I’d reached out and touched his hand when he told me about Ally, my heart breaking for him. Somehow, he’d managed to keep this story out of the countless articles about him. I’d done extensive research, and I hadn’t read one word about Ally. The pain that flashed in his eyes when he recounted the story was hard to look at. When he interlaced his fingers with mine, I let him. I had a feeling he didn’t exactly reach out to many people like that.
    The sun was shining brightly and I inhaled deeply as I strolled along the gardens of the hotel, thinking about everything he’d told me.
    I’d pondered how to approach this story. How to best portray the human side of someone who most people only knew as a one-dimensional figure. There was obviously a lot more to Liam than met the eye.
    The bright Philadelphia sun burned my skin as I walked around the hotel and onto a trail that led to a large park. The skirt of the airy yellow sundress I’d changed into back in my room fluttered around my legs. The edge of the park lined one side of the hospital and I took in my surroundings as I approached. It was filled with kids from the hospital. Some being pushed in wheelchairs by parents or nurses, some wearing hats over their obviously bare heads, some being helped along as they walked slowly down the paved paths that wound around the park and around a large pond.
    I strolled around the pond slowly, Liam’s words echoing in my head. I wanted to show everyone how human he was, but I wasn’t sure how to do that without revealing some of the personal things he’d shared. Surely he knew I’d want to use that information. But somehow, it felt like a betrayal.
    I rounded a corner and stopped in my tracks. A few yards ahead, Liam was sitting on a bench, a book in his lap and a very young boy sitting next to him, hanging on his every word. Liam read aloud, his face animated and full of happiness. He looked completely relaxed and at ease. The deep lines that were a usual fixture on his forehead had disappeared, and his eyes shone brightly with joy as he looked down warmly at the boy as he turned a page, the two of them oblivious to anything but each other.
    I took out my phone and snapped a quick picture of the two of them. I’d send it to Liam later as a gift. Quickly, I turned around and headed the opposite way down the path. The last thing I wanted to do was break up a moment like that. I slipped my phone back in my purse and turned my face up to the sun. The fresh air filled my lungs, refreshing me. If felt good to feel the heat on my skin, to stretch out and be alone with my thoughts. I continued my stroll back to my room, my steps slowing as images of Liam filled my head.
    The more I learned about him, the more I wanted. I felt like I’d only begun to scratch the surface. The question was, how deep was I willing to go?
    If I was honest, I’d tell you my boundaries were pretty flexible right now.
    If I was honest, I’d tell you that in the last few hours, I’d found it increasingly hard to stay objective and professional. His kiss from last night had stayed with me all day. Talking to him alone, away from the energy of everyone else - Ian, fans, managers, and all the other people in his orbit - had given me a glimpse of the real Liam.
    And so far, I liked what I saw.

Chapter 16
LIAM
    C allum McGregor and Ian sat across from