The music kept playing, people kept talking and laughing around her, but all Ashley could hear was the blood rushing in her ears.
Oh God, I am such an idiot!
She should have known better than to get all dressed up tonight. She must look like she was trying too hard. All her life, she’d done just the opposite—she hadn’t tried at all. But after this morning and afternoon on the bus, she’d started to feel more sure about taking another risk like the one she’d taken on the beach in Los Angeles.
She’d assumed that when he said he wanted to talk with her tonight, he’d meant he wanted them to talk about taking things even further. But she must have been wrong, must have misunderstood...all because she wanted the fairy tale to come true so badly.
Ashley gulped air into lungs that felt like they were burning as she hightailed it through the hotel and back out to the bus, even though she knew it wasn’t any sanctuary at all, because she was sharing it with Drew. She’d just have to pretend to be asleep when he got back.
But then it hit her—what if he came in with one of the models? Or more than one of the models?
Wait. No. She couldn’t go back to the bus tonight. Not if there was even a hint of a chance that he was going to board it with someone else. She’d been saving for graduate school and had been really careful with her money so far on this trip, but it didn’t matter how much a night in this fancy hotel cost.
“I need a room,” she told the woman behind the reception desk. “Just for tonight.”
The woman behind the counter shook her head. “I’m sorry, but we’re fully booked.”
“Can you recommend another hotel nearby?”
“All the other hotels I usually recommend are booked, as well. This tends to happen whenever a really big musician comes to town.” The woman’s eyes drifted to the newspaper on the counter, which had a picture of Drew on the front page. “Are you here for Drew Morrison’s show tomorrow night?”
Knowing how the woman would react if she found out Ashley was on tour with Drew, she simply said, “I just really need a place to stay tonight. Are there any other options? Maybe a B&B or—”
She stopped when the woman gasped. “Those models were with him earlier. I think he must be about to come this way.”
Ashley shoved away from the front desk so fast she nearly fell. She needed to get on the bus, grab her things, and then figure out where to go from there. Anything but trying to fake it with Drew and the models.
So much for the big night she’d been expecting. Looked like she was going to keep being the good girl her father expected her to be...and that everything made perfect sense after all.
Because the rock star wasn’t going to end up with the normal girl.
Chapter Nineteen
Drew hadn’t wanted to tighten his grip around the stranger’s waist, especially after she’d pressed her mouth to his in a sloppy approximation of a kiss he really didn’t want. But she’d been so drunk it had been nearly impossible to keep her upright.
“Let’s get you somewhere you can sit down.”
“Don’t wanna sit down.” Her words slurred together. “Wanna be with you.”
He helped the woman into a seat and texted James to let him know there was a problem he needed help with. A big one, considering that one moment Ashley had been smiling at him, and the next, when the model had draped herself around him like an octopus, she’d gone completely pale. And then had turned and left the party.
The next text he sent was to Ashley.
Can we talk now? I’ll be on the bus in five minutes.
He stared at his phone, waiting for her response. But there was none. He knew he shouldn’t have let the damned circus take over. The label had already gotten enough from him today.
And now he needed to find her right away. Needed to explain what had just happened. But most of all, he needed to talk with her about what they were doing. About where their attraction and friendship were taking them.
He’d never wanted anyone as badly as he wanted her—never liked anyone as much either—but having a fling while on tour with her still didn’t feel right. Not just because of her father. Of course, he wanted to respect his former professor’s wishes. But if there was one thing that Drew had learned from his mother, it was that the most important thing was to follow his own heart, no matter the sacrifice, regardless of how difficult.
And Drew’s heart had been leading him toward Ashley since the moment he’d met her.
Ashley deserved more than a fling while they were on the road. They both did. Drew was ready to take the next step, not just into bed with each other, but toward having a real relationship. She’d be his girlfriend, he’d be her boyfriend, and the whole world would know they were together.