Good Girls Don't Date Rock Stars(7)

“Good afternoon, folks.” Travis watched the doorman’s eyes widen as he recognized him. He half-expected him to ask for an autograph, but the man seemed to decide against it. “You have a nice day.”

Travis smiled and noted his name. He like a man with discretion. “Thank you. You do the same, Gerald.”

Gerald grinned, and Travis turned his attention back to Gemma, who looked like she was going to jump at the first boo.

“Are you okay?” Travis asked as they walked along the crowded sidewalk.

“Is it like that all the time for you?”

“Like what?” He smiled at the people who stared as they passed and ignored a few more camera-phone flashes. He caught Gemma holding her hand up to cover her face and understood. Gemma had never been the type to seek attention, but for him, it came with the territory.

Lately, though, he had been impatient with the tight schedules and fake people constantly dogging him for one thing or another. He loved music and was grateful for his success, but he was definitely done with the users. He had been itching for some time off for a while, which was how he’d ended up with a few weeks off after this charity thing tonight. The only reason he’d agreed to go was because he was in town, and Callum O’Shea, the hotel’s owner and a good friend, had asked him to.

He realized Gemma had said something. “Sorry, what?”

“Do you always have cameras flashing in your face everywhere you go?” she asked.

“Sometimes. It depends. Not everyone recognizes me, especially if they don’t listen to country,” he said, holding open the door of the casino for her, leaving the adoring fans outside.

“Really? They won’t recognize you from that movie you did with Emma Stone?” she asked teasingly.

Travis shook his head. “I doubt it. I keep trying to forget that one.”

“Come on, it wasn’t bad. It was cute. What girl doesn’t dream of falling in love with a hot rodeo cowboy?” She raised her voice over the noise of the casino.

“Yeah, women loved it and men wondered what the hell I was thinking.”

As they wound their way through the slot machines and poker tables, Travis reached back for Gemma’s hand. When she tried to pull it away, he stopped and faced her. “I was just trying to make sure I didn’t lose you in the crowd.”

“I’ll make sure to keep up,” she said, starting off ahead of him, and he had to bite back a wave of irritation.

It’s not like I have cooties or something.

He tried to understand her reaction, to see it from her point of view, and caught up to her. “I’m sorry. It’s kind of hard not to touch you.”

She stopped and swung around, her eyebrow raised. “Considering we haven’t seen each other in ten years, it shouldn’t be too hard.”

“Maybe that’s what makes it so hard. When you spend years thinking and dreaming about someone and have them fall back into your life? Sounds like fate to me.”

His words shocked even him. Though it was true—he’d thought it was bizarre that they had run into each other—he was sure she’d take the sentiment as a line.

Only it hadn’t been rehearsed or even thought through; it had come straight from his heart.

I can’t do this. I can’t be that guy again, especially when she can barely stand to look at me.

Gemma’s pale face was pinched, and he said, “Gemma, I know you think something happened in Phoenix with that woman, but I swear nothing did. I have no reason to lie about it. I’ve already lost you, right?”

Her silence ate at him, and he almost offered to walk her back to her hotel room, but she surprised him. “I’m trying really hard to believe you, but it isn’t easy to just change your point of view in an hour.”

“I remember you used to get me to see things your way with little effort,” he said, teasing gently.

Her smile was small, but the tension around her eyes was gone. “I remember things differently. I spent a lot of time going along with whatever wild plan you cooked up for us.”

“I seem to remember that the idea for legendary Dreyer’s Ice Cream caper came from you. Mike, Gracie, and I were just along for the ride.”

She gasped and put her hands on her hips, drawing his gaze to the indentation of her waist.

“I said let’s get some ice cream! I didn’t say let’s shoplift a gallon in our jackets!”

“Nope, I remember it clearly. You were the first one out the door.”

“With no ice cream!” she said, shaking her head with a laugh. “You three snuck out, and I went back inside to pay for the two gallons Gracie and you took.”

“Just because you chickened out doesn’t mean it wasn’t your idea.”

“Wrong. If it was my idea, you wouldn’t have ended up with cookie dough ice cream crushed against the front of your T-shirt.”

He had to give her that one. By the time they’d gotten outside, the ice cream had started melting, and when Kirsten Winters had seen him in the parking lot and given him a huge hug, the ice cream had exploded under his jacket and oozed down his body. Gemma had thought it was hilarious, until he’d unzipped his jacket and chased after her with it.


This time when Travis reached for her, she didn’t jerk away. Smoothing his thumb over the back of her hand, he said, “There’s a lot of good history between us, and we were friends for a lot longer than we were lovers. Can you try to remember that and just come to lunch with me? I’m trying to make amends here, but it won’t work if you won’t meet me halfway.”