Page 27 of The Bachelor

Pat laughed. “She’s new,” she told Shane.

“So I understand.” Shane glanced at his watch. “I actually need to head out but would you ladies be able to join me for dinner tomorrow night? We can firm up a deal. There’s a new rib joint I’d love to try out.”

“Avery and me?” Pat asked, clearly surprised.

He nodded.

“Of course,” Pat said at once. “We’d love to.”

Good thing she had a say in this. Not. At least Pat would be there as a buffer. That was a blessing because she didn’t think she could be alone with Shane without wanting things she couldn’t have. Things that involved his lips on hers and his body in her bed.

It was such a good body.

Why did he have to be rich and famous? If he was just a regular guy, she could date him. Though that probably wasn’t true either. She wasn’t sure she could casually see the man she’d lost her virginity to. She would want more. Things. All the things. Like love and a commitment.

It was better he was who he was. This way she wouldn’t even be tempted.

“Great, see you both tomorrow.” Shane nodded his head like he was tipping a hat he wasn’t wearing. “Ladies.”

“Have a pleasant afternoon,” she managed.

“I will, thank you. I hope you do, too.” He smiled warmly.

“I’ll walk you out,” Pat said. “And we can settle on a time.”

The minute they left, Avery rubbed her forehead. She had been bamboozled. That was not the way she’d seen her afternoon going, to say the least.

Lauren came rushing back into the room.

“Holy crap!” she whispered excitedly. “You’re going to have a song on hold for Jolene Hart! That is insane.”

“It is. I feel kind of sick.” Avery set her guitar down and stuck her head between her legs, suddenly feeling lightheaded and dizzy. “Oh, Lord, please don’t let me puke.” She concentrated on breathing through her nose and swallowing the bile that kept crawling up her throat.

“Hey, Avery…”

No. No, and no. That was Shane’s voice in the doorway. She didn’t dare risk raising her head for fear of what might come up.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice alarmed.

She could sense him coming straight up to her, and even through the curtain of her hair, she could see his legs.

“She said she feels like she’s going to faint,” Lauren offered, oh-so-helpfully.

She wanted to tell him she was perfectly fine, just a touch overwhelmed by the idea of her music being heard by a superstar country singer, but she couldn’t seem to get the words out. Shane squatted down, and she felt his hand warm on her back.

“Are you pregnant?” he murmured, close to her ear.

That made her head snap up, and nausea rolled over her, her vision momentarily blurring. “No!” she hissed. “I’m just having a moment.”

He looked concerned and he tucked her hair back behind her ear. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” Avery swallowed back the last of the bile, confused as to how she could both want to lean into his touch and jerk away from it. “This is a big deal to me. Having my first song put on hold.”

He smiled slyly. “Guess we share a lot of your firsts.”

It was going from bad to worse. In case he was blind and couldn’t see Lauren, she murmured as low as humanly possible while still making sound, “We are not alone here.”

“Right.” Shane winked at her.

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