"James is caught in traffic, Miss Ashley," Max said, "so I'll head in with you to pick up your luggage."
"It will just take me a few minutes to grab my bags," Ashley said as she headed for the door. "Neither of you needs to come with me. Besides, I don't have that much stuff."
But both Drew and Max got off the bus behind her. "I have sisters," Drew said, "so I know not that much stuff means different things to different people. A carry-on would be all Olivia would need for weeks. But Madison..." He shook his head. "She'd need to rent a storage trailer to pull behind the bus."
"It sounds like Olivia has me beat," Ashley said. "But not by much." She pointed to the right. "The lockers are over there."
They had taken only a handful of steps when Drew heard the telltale sound of fan recognition--shocked and excited screams followed by, "Oh my God, it's Drew Morrison!"
Max immediately moved to step in front of them, but in an instant, they were surrounded by girls and women of all ages. "Ashley," was all Drew was able to say to Max before he could no longer be heard over the excited and quickly growing crowd. Fortunately, his driver was already on it, covering her first and foremost.
"You're gorgeous, Drew!"
"I love you!"
"I can't believe it's really you!"
"Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!"
There were tears and requests for selfies and autographs and a ton of flashes going off all at once. He hadn't thought to put on a low-brimmed baseball cap before leaving the bus, had been able to think only about Ashley. Now, he was cursing himself for not making at least that small attempt to disguise himself. He tried not to complain about the fame that had come along with his success--only his family knew just how much it sometimes bothered him--but things like always having to put on a hat and glasses when he went out in public weren't easy to get used to.
Airport security rushed over and quickly pulled Drew, Ashley, and Max from the group to take them to a secure, glassed-in area behind the check-in desks. "We're going to have to file a report about this disturbance," the head security officer said in a stern voice. "You created a very dangerous situation for all of the passengers in the terminal today."
"But none of this is our fault," Ashley protested. "We just came in to pick up my bags from the storage lockers, and when everyone saw Drew, they started freaking out. He can't help it that he's famous."
"I do know who you are, Mr. Morrison," the officer said, the frown still furrowing his forehead. "My daughter has your poster on her wall. Which is exactly why you should know better than to walk into an airport unassisted by our security staff."
When Ashley opened her mouth to protest again, Drew put his hand over hers. He felt a tremor run through her at the shock of contact--one that was rocking through his system just as much.
"I apologize for the disruption." And he truly was sorry. It was never his intent to cause a scene in a public place or anywhere else. "We should have called to let you know we were coming in."
"Or you could have let me come alone like I wanted to," Ashley muttered as she deliberately slipped her hand out from beneath his.
The security team looked between the two of them with raised eyebrows while Max practically drew hearts in the air around them with his fingertips.
"While you fill out these forms," the officer said, "we'll get your bags, miss. What lockers are they in?"
"Just number 196, thank you."
While Drew scrawled his name and other requested information on the form, he noted that Ashley filled out hers in an extremely neat hand. Jesus...even that turned him on.
He was screwed.
A few minutes later, Ashley had her two small suitcases, and the three of them were escorted out a side door and back to their bus by half a dozen of the security officers. "Thanks again for your help," Drew said to them all.
"Before you go," the head officer said with a slightly ruddy glow to his cheeks, "you wouldn't mind taking a picture with me, would you? My daughter would just love it."
"No problem," Drew said, knowing the airport staff could have come down on them a lot harder for the disturbance he'd caused.
When the other officers all said they'd like the same thing for their kids, Ashley offered, "I can take the pictures for everyone, if you'd like."
One after the other, they handed her their phones, and by the time they were done, Max had come out of the bus with a stack of T-shirts and other concert swag for them all.
"Ready to hit the road to Las Vegas, boss?" Max asked when the three of them were alone again.
Drew looked at his new bus-mate for confirmation. "Ashley?"
"I'm ready to go. I've actually never been there before."
"You're going to love it, Miss Ashley," Max told her. "More bright lights than you've ever seen in one place. It will make your head spin."
She looked a little uncertain about whether she'd actually like it. "Okay, I'll try to prepare myself for all the lights and head-spinning."
"Have a good night, you two," Max said with a wink that couldn't have made his hopes for the two of them more clear before he headed out their door and around to the separate driver's area of the bus. "See you bright and early at five a.m. for our first radio spot."
"You have the nicest staff," she said to Drew after Max had closed the door behind him.
"He likes you, too, Ashley."
Drew took her hand before she could move away, that shock of electricity between them even more intense the second time. They both looked down at their joined hands, then back into each other's eyes.
Damn it, if he was trying to keep his distance, he was doing one hell of a bad job. But he simply couldn't keep from touching her again.
"I'm sorry about what just happened. Actually, about everything you've dealt with tonight, starting with the women backstage."
"It's not your fault you're famous and people love you." Her cheeks flushed at the word love--or maybe it was his hand over hers that had her flushing so beautifully. But at least she didn't step away or pull her hand from his. "It must be scary for you when that happens."
No one apart from his family and security staff had ever really understood just how strange it was to be the center of a big group's attention--or adoration. He loved his fans, of course, but he didn't love it when the press of people and voices and requests affected anyone else. He'd been worried about Ashley freaking out, but it turned out she'd only been thinking about how he must be feeling.
"I'm sorry if it was scary for you."
"They didn't want anything to do with me, didn't even notice I was there. I was fine. But they were all over you."
He shrugged. "It comes with the territory."
She frowned, and just as she'd leaned over the table earlier that evening to make her point, she moved in closer now to say, "Just because it comes with the territory, doesn't mean it isn't frightening to have everyone want a piece of you."
Did she realize she was close enough for him to kiss her? Or just how badly he was dying to taste her skin? Her eyes were the most extraordinary color, amber with flecks of green and blue, and he couldn't stop staring into them, mesmerized.
"Music is amazing, isn't it?" Her voice had lowered nearly to a whisper now. "The way it reaches down into you and makes you feel so much? Makes us feel like we know the singer, even when we don't."
He'd already felt an intense attraction between them. He liked her, too, of course. But now there was even more connecting them--a strong and immediate bond over the incredible power of music.
Already, Drew was less than a heartbeat from breaking his vow not to kiss her, and swore he could already feel the heat of her lips against his, when the bus suddenly jolted into motion.
Ashley was thrown into his arms, where he caught her and held her tightly, working to memorize every curve, her scent, the silky softness of her hair where it brushed against his chin.
Too soon, she was stumbling back, her eyes wide, her breath coming fast.
"I
t's late." She was looking everywhere but at him. "Really late. I should get to bed now. And I'm sure you must be exhausted, since you were the one doing all the work tonight on stage."
Her words came out in a breathless rush, tumbling over one another as she moved to put as much space between them as she possibly could on the narrow bus. So even though it was the very last thing in the world he wanted to do, and hating that he was clearly making her feel uncomfortable, Drew made himself nod and say, "If you need anything tonight--"
"I'll be fine!"
She turned away and started unzipping one of her bags. He knew he had to go or risk being the one acting stalkery. But even after he had closed the door to his private quarters at the back of the bus, he could still hear her moving around.
What was she doing now? Was she stripping down to her bra and panties? Was she sliding beneath the covers and thinking of him the way he was thinking of her? Was she as disappointed as he was that they hadn't kissed? And was she still replaying the feel of his arms around her the way he was reliving the feel of her in his arms?
Two hours later, still lying in bed staring at the ceiling, Drew knew two things for sure. There wasn't enough freezing cold water in all the tour buses in the world to cool him down.
And it was going to be hell trying to survive this tour if he wanted to send Ashley home to her father as pure as when she'd arrived...
Chapter Three
Las Vegas, Nevada
Five a.m. came really early the next morning. Ashley had always been a fairly early riser, but this was pushing it even for her. Especially since she'd set her alarm for four so that she could shower in the tiny little bus shower stall and make sure her clothes were on straight and her hair was brushed.
She hadn't had the best night's sleep either. How could she, when Drew Morrison was only one thin door away? For a while there last night, she'd sworn she could hear him turning over in the bed, could practically hear him breathing. And that was when it had finally occurred to her--could he hear her, too? Just in case, she lay as still as possible in the bunk, but that only made it harder to fall asleep. Finally, exhaustion had taken its toll, but she couldn't have had more than a handful of hours of rest.
She hadn't brought much with her, just a few pairs of jeans and T-shirts, a denim skirt, and one just-in-case summer dress. Looking pretty had never mattered to her before--why would it, when she'd always had her nose buried in a book or computer? But as she went to grab the clothes she'd brought into the shower with her from the counter above the sink, she suddenly found herself wishing she knew something about fashion. Her mother had tried to get her interested in shopping plenty of times over the years, would even bring home clothes for her to try on, but Ashley always felt like an impostor in dresses and heels. It was so much more comfortable to go into her father's office on campus to help him with whatever research project he was working on than to try on the too-colorful clothes her mother favored or let her drag Ashley to a makeup counter.
In any case, it was just as well that she hadn't brought anything special to wear since so many of the girls and women who had been freaking out over Drew yesterday were beautiful. Stunningly so, in some cases. He could have his pick of any of them, so there wasn't even the slightest chance that he'd want her.
Besides, whether or not Drew would ever be attracted to her was utterly irrelevant. She was here to do research for her business school application. Period.
Speaking of putting her clothes on straight, however, as Ashley went to get dressed, she was dismayed to realize she'd brought in her jeans and T-shirt, but had forgotten her bra and panties. It looked like she was actually going to have to walk out of the bathroom naked. Nearly naked, anyway, with only one of the towels hanging on the rack wrapped around her. It was still well before five a.m., though, so she figured if she was quick, odds were pretty much nil that Drew would catch her making a mad dash over the handful of feet between the bathroom and where she'd stashed her bags in the little closet behind her bunk.
The mirror over the sink wasn't quite long enough for her to make sure the towel actually covered her breasts and hips, but she was pretty certain it did. She opened the door a crack and peered out, confirming the coast was clear. A moment later, she flung the door open, went racing across the bus to her suitcase...
...and ran straight into Drew.
His chest was so hard it was like running into a brick wall. The air whooshed from her lungs as she started to ricochet back from him.
"Whoa." He put his hands on her shoulders to steady her. "I've got you."
But by then she was also working to steady herself by putting her hands on his chest. Which meant that she wasn't holding on to her towel any longer. A towel that had fallen.
All the way to the ground.
Oh God. I'm naked in Drew Morrison's arms.
She froze, unable to remember how to breathe or think or do anything but stare up at him in shock.
"Are you okay, Ashley?"
Do you want me to kiss you, Ashley?
Wait, no, that wasn't what he'd just said. She scrunched her eyes shut and willed her synapses to start firing again. "I didn't mean to nearly knock you over," she said when her brain, and her lips, finally came unstuck. "I forgot something in my bag, so I thought I'd make a run for it from the bathroom. I didn't think you'd be up yet."
"I couldn't sleep." His deep voice made shivers run up her spine. Or maybe it was the fact that she was still slightly damp...and naked in the middle of his tour bus. Drew's fingers tensed ever so slightly on her shoulders as he added, "Your towel fell. I should let you put it back on." It sounded like he was having trouble catching his breath, even though she was the one who'd been rushing. "I should probably let you put your clothes on, too, shouldn't I?"
She finally chanced a look up at his face and swallowed hard at what she saw in his eyes. Something that looked like desire. Which, she quickly told herself, would have likely been any guy's reaction to being barreled into by a naked woman first thing in the morning, wouldn't it?
"That--" Her throat felt hot and scratchy, and she stopped to clear it. The one small movement made her naked curves brush against his muscles...and so much heat exploded inside her body that she nearly forgot what she had been about to say. "That would be great." God, it was so hard to breathe right now. Almost as hard as Drew's chest, where her hands were still splayed. "If you could just close your eyes for a few seconds..."
"Good idea. I'll close my eyes so that you can cover up." But for a few moments he simply continued to stare down into her eyes. Finally, on what sounded like a groan of pain, he closed his eyes and stepped back. "I won't look again until you tell me it's okay."
"Thanks." She picked up the towel first, and after she'd wrapped it much more firmly around herself, she hurried over to her bag and pulled out the first bra and panty set she could find. To get back to the bathroom, however, she needed to scoot past Drew. Only, he was still standing right in the middle of the bus, and there was no way she'd be able to get by without rubbing herself against him. And even though she knew exactly how good that would feel...
"Could you move just a few inches to your right, please?"
She sounded both hesitant and uptight. Which was funny, considering she'd just been standing butt naked in a rock star's arms a few seconds ago. At least, it would have been funny if she wasn't presently the most mortified she'd ever been.
A muscle jumped in Drew's jaw as he nodded and shifted slightly to the right. She held her breath as she moved past him. Once she was safely locked in the little bathroom, she called out, "It's safe to open your eyes now."
Unfortunately, it wasn't at all easy to get dressed inside the teeny tiny little bathroom stall. She banged her elbows and head and knees on pretty much every hard surface possible before she was done, probably sounding like she was playing Ping-Pong inside the bathroom. She'd never known humiliation could run so hot or so deep. Not until this morning.
When she fi
nally came out, she knew her cheeks had to be blazing red from the hot and steamy bathroom. And her T-shirt, she realized a few seconds too late, seemed to be sticking to her skin.
She had no idea what to say to Drew at this point. Nothing beyond, "Can we both just forget that ever happened?"
The tension still riding his expression seemed to ease a bit. "Do we have to? 'Cause I'm pretty sure that was straight out of an eighties rock-band video. Poison, maybe?"
His unexpected response had laughter bubbling out of her before she knew it was coming. "Actually, I think it might have been Whitesnake."
He laughed, too, and suddenly her morning didn't feel quite so horrible anymore. Not when his laughter was one of the nicest sounds she'd ever heard. Someday soon, hopefully, she'd be able to forget how embarrassing crashing naked into him had been.
Although she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to forget how good it had felt to be that close, or to have his hands on her bare skin. Every part of her still felt hot and sensitive in the nicest possible way.
"Come and have some breakfast," he said. "I've got coffee brewing, and there's cereal and frozen waffles. Eggs in the fridge, too, but I'm pretty sure that involves pans and stoves."
She laughed again, appreciating that he was clearly going out of his way to make her feel comfortable. "I actually know how to use a pan and a stove, so I can make us both eggs, if you'd like."
He looked at her in awe. Truly, there was no other word for it. "I don't want to embarrass you by getting down on my knees and begging, but one more bowl of Cheerios just might push me over the edge."
Maybe she wouldn't be totally in the way if she could at least make herself useful. Eggs for breakfast was a good start. "Fried? Over easy? Scrambled?"
"All of the above."
She opened the fridge and found eggs, butter, and a bag of bread, and a pan in the cupboard. "How about over easy today with toast and then we can try something different tomorrow?"
"I owe you, Ashley."
"Are you kidding? It's the least I can do when you're letting me join your tour."
"Touring is great, but sometimes it feels like we're just doing the same thing every day and every night on repeat. Having you here is already a change for the better."