Good Girls Don't Date Rock Stars(56)

FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER, Gemma walked through the front door, loaded down with groceries, and called, “I’m home.”

A loud bay made the hairs on her neck stand up, and Gemma screamed as a huge dog came barreling around the corner, skidding to a halt at her feet. Sucking in air like a vacuum, she looked down at the monstrous beast with floppy ears, currently tilting its head to the side as if studying her for her edibleness. Pounding feet sounded down the hallway as Charlie came around the corner to stand behind the hellhound.

“Mom, this is Annie. Dad got her for me today!”

Travis came into the room with a sheepish grin on his face, holding something in his hands. Fighting for patience, Gemma looked from her husband to the dog before finally focusing her attention on her son. “Charlie, I thought we said we would get a dog when the right one came along.”

“But she’s perfect! She’s already potty trained and she knows all of her commands. She likes cats and other dogs. And she was trained as a hunting dog. Isn’t that cool?” Charlie said, giving the dog a hug.

Gemma’s gaze shifted to the man responsible, ready to give him a piece of her mind, but words failed her when she saw the small, silvery white kitten in his big hands. Its little ears stood up and it was honestly kind of ugly, but Gemma’s outrage faded a bit. “And who’s this?”

“This is Stormy.”

Setting her groceries on the couch, Gemma reached out and took the tiny kitten from Travis. Their hands brushed, causing zings of electricity to erupt between them, and she tried not to show her reaction. Bringing the kitten against her chest, she nuzzled its soft fur, and a rumbling purr erupted from its body. Looking up at Travis, Gemma fought a smile as she said, “You are clever.”


A wide grin spread across his handsome face. “What do you mean?”

“Bringing home a kitten with the dog,” she said.

“It wasn’t on purpose,” he said, reaching out his hand to scratch the kitten’s batlike ears. “I had already picked her out when Charlie fell in love with Annie. She was just so sweet and all alone.”

Damn him. How could you not melt over a man who adopted a kitten so she wouldn’t be by herself? “As cute as she is, you really should have asked me first.”

Something clouded over Travis’s face, and she thought he would argue. Instead, he took a deep breath and said, “You’re right. I apologize.”

She was surprised, and wondered what else had happened today.

Gemma looked down at Charlie, whose eyes were starting to water, and his lower lip stuck out half an inch. It was a lost little puppy look if she ever saw one, and she reassured him, “It’s okay. It seems like you picked the right one.”

“Yes!” Charlie said, rushing around the dog to grab one of the paper grocery sacks off the couch. “Thanks, Mom!”

Gemma shook her head and held Stormy up for further inspection. “And you? Did your daddy pick out a good one, too?”

Walking over to pick up the last two grocery sacks, Travis said, “I think I did.”

When she met his gaze, there was definite heat in it, and her heart went skippity-skat as his shoulder brushed hers.

“Thanks for getting him the dog. You made his year,” Gemma said softly.

The look he gave her made her want to back away, it was so fierce. “He’s my child. I’d do anything for him.”

“Are there more groceries, Mom?” Charlie asked.

“Yeah, a few more,” Gemma answered, watching Travis as he set the sacks on the counter and started pulling stuff out.

“I’ll do that,” she said, shaking herself into action.

“It’s okay, I think I’ve figured out your cabinet system,” he said, sticking a gallon of milk in the fridge. “Besides, I wanted to run an idea past you before Charlie comes back.”

Apprehension settled in as she said, “Sure. What’s up?”

Just as he opened his mouth, though, the front door flew open, and Charlie rushed in. “Got it all, Mom.”

“Later,” Travis said, and started talking to Charlie about what they planned to do tomorrow.

Gemma continued to pet little Stormy, wondering what he’d wanted to ask her. The idea couldn’t be worse than the two of them living under the same roof, though she tried to pretend she didn’t warm up from just being in the same room with him. His sweetness to Charlie, and even his behavior toward her, had been caring, and all of it was getting to her.



TRAVIS CAME DOWN from reading to Charlie and found Gemma at the kitchen table, headphones on, typing away.

Walking up behind her to see what she was writing, he read loudly, “‘Lady Emily couldn’t believe his gall. Moving swiftly, she pushed at his shoulders, knocking him off balance, and with arms flailing, Lord Everton fell back into the fishpond with a resounding splash.’”

Gemma reached up and jerked her headphones off. “What did you say?”

“Why did she push him into the pond? What did he do?” Travis asked.

Gemma pressed a few keys before shutting the laptop. Turning in her seat, she looked up at him with clear irritation. “He behaved insufferably.”

“What, did he forget to lay his coat down over a puddle or something?”

She stood up and took her glass to the counter. “No, he made a rude comment about a kiss they shared.”