Good Girls Don't Date Rock Stars(14)

“What if I asked you to be my date tonight?” His gaze was searching, watching for a reaction from her.

“For what?” Should she close the door? Probably not, just in case he got the wrong idea.

Like maybe I want to throw him on the bed and have a casual one-off? Yeah, ’cause that would be a good idea.

“I have a charity event to go to tonight and I want you to be my plus one.”

“I don’t know,” she said, thinking about all of the press that would be waiting to take pictures.

But after all the camera phones going off today, there are probably already a hundred pictures of me currently being Tweeted, so what does it matter?

Unless someone in Rock Canyon saw them and recognized her. Then it mattered . . . a lot.

“It’s going to be very boring, but if you’re there, I’ll have an excuse to sneak out early. We could go dancing or gambling, or just take a drive.” He reached out and took her hand, threading his long fingers through hers. “What do you think, Gemma?”

“I . . . the awards are supposed to be pretty fun,” she said again weakly. Yes, she had been looking forward to them, but deep down, she wanted to spend the evening with Travis more, despite all the reasons she shouldn’t.

His lopsided grin was disbelieving. “You would rather go to a boring awards ceremony alone than go to a boring charity event with me?”

“I don’t have anything appropriate to wear,” she blurted out, hoping that would seal the deal. “All I have is this black cocktail dress, but I’ve seen pictures of those charity events, and everyone walks around in Armani and Vera Wang. I would look so out of place and embarrass you.”

“You could show up in a garbage bag and still be beautiful. It doesn’t matter what you wear, at least not to me,” he said, and the romance of his words would have made any red blooded American woman melt. “If you’re worried about fitting in, though, I could put in a call downstairs; there’s a dress shop and salon in the hotel, and I’m sure it wouldn’t be too much trouble to squeeze you in.”

Gemma was almost speechless at his high-handedness. “Travis, I can’t afford all that.”

“It would be on me. Since you’d really be saving me by going,” he said.

“I can’t accept that. I’m sure whatever they have is way overpriced and . . .”

Squeezing her hand firmly, he said, “Please, Gemma. I really want to spend the evening with you, but I already committed to this thing. You wouldn’t make me go alone, would you? I’ll be forced to talk to a bunch of stuffy people in penguin suits, and I’ll be so lonely.” His lip protruded as he made puppy-dog eyes at her.

“I’m sure you wouldn’t be lonely long,” she grumbled.

With a laugh, he snaked out an arm, wrapping it around her waist. She was so surprised, she didn’t even resist as he pulled her against him. “Come on, it’ll be just like prom. You were my savior then, and you’ll be my savior now, too.”

Pursing her lips, she said, “Well, when you put it that way, it seems like I don’t have any choice.”

“That’s my girl,” he teased, his blue eyes twinkling with laughter. But under all that, she saw it: the spark. It was like a roaring fire on a cold night that made you want to get closer, and right now, with Travis’s body pressed against hers, she wanted that heat.

What would it feel like to be Travis’s girl again? To pretend, if only for tonight, that they could be together?

I’m losing my mind.

So what if he didn’t really mess around in Phoenix? The longer Gemma hung with him, the harder it would be not to mention Charlie.

And then I’ll have to pick up the pieces when Travis breaks Charlie’s heart.


Despite the warning voice, Gemma wasn’t really thinking of Travis in a forever kind of way. As of this minute, she was just thinking it had been a very lonely, long dry spell, and her body was humming with need. Especially when he was leaning so close, his hair falling forward in such a messy way that she wanted to smooth back his curls and run her fingers through them.

She’d been quiet for too long, and Travis’s expression had changed from cheerful teasing to concern. “If you really don’t want to—”

“No!” she cried, her cheeks burning. “It’s just, well, things are complicated, and I’m not sure this would be a good idea.”

His mouth twisted into a grim line. “This is about Phoenix, isn’t it? Gemma, I told you over and over that nothing happened. I need you to believe that.”

No, it wasn’t just Phoenix. She wanted to go with him, but at the end of the night, it would be one more secret. A secret she’d have to keep from Charlie and her friends. Her stomach hurt just thinking about it; she’d never lied to Charlie, even when he’d started asking about Travis. She had told him everything, including why she hadn’t told Travis about her pregnancy, and Charlie had been accepting but disappointed.

If he knew she’d spent almost an entire day with Travis and never said anything about him, Charlie would never forgive her.

Even if I refuse to go, I could have told him about Charlie anytime today. If Charlie finds out, that’s all he’s going to think about, so what does it matter if I stop seeing Travis now? Why can’t I grab onto this weekend with both hands and do something for me? What’s that old saying, in for a penny, in for a pound? The damage is already done.