Page 51 of Too Little Too Soon
Maria canted her head, studying him. “I can, but…are you sure you’re okay with this?”
“Of course.”
“It’s just…this is literally the polar opposite of how you’ve been acting since the band began. Or so that’s what Oz tells me. Not to mention your general dislike of relationships and insistence that you only do one-night stands.”
Shit. He hadn’t thought about that aspect of this little charade. Maria was right; he had been a dick when Lacey and Parker first started hooking up, and then he’d done it again when Oz and Maria started dating.
She was also right in that he’d sworn he was a one-night stand guy pretty much since he split from Suzie. Initially, it had been a reaction to his failed marriage. Then it became habit. Easy. No expectations. From him or whomever he took to bed.
Gaining himself a stalker had convinced him to take his stance a step further. Not just one-night stands, but one-night stands with women who weren’t associated with the band.
And he’d been loud and proud with his stance.
Shit.
With a smirk he hoped to hell she couldn’t see through, he said, “Hey, a guy can change his mind, can’t he? Especially when the perfect woman comes along and makes it so easy to do.”
He sounded incredibly cheesy to his own ears.
Maria blinked rapidly. Frowned. “I mean, I guess…” She shook her head. “Just don’t mess with her, okay? Ava has a good head on her shoulders, but…”
“But?”
She shook her head again. “I don’t think she’s ever had a serious romantic relationship. I mean, ever. So, you know, be gentle.”
Probably no surprise that he immediately thought of sex and how very much Ava didnotwant him to be gentle.
He managed to bite back his grin. “Hey, my marriage didn’t implode because of me,” he reminded her. “Trust me. I know what I’m doing.”
But did he? Because this was all supposed to be make-believe, yet the longer Ava stayed away, the more edgy he got.
He wanted her around. He wanted to know she was okay. He wanted her to want to be around him too.
Which didn’t sound very make-believe, did it?
ChapterEighteen
Ava didn’t goto the restroom. She snuck away to the tour bus. The wrong tour bus, she realized too late. She should have slipped onto Panic Station’s bus instead of Demigoddess Revival’s, but she figured she had a little time before either band was ready to get on the road, so she poured herself a glass of wine and curled up on one of the sofas and practically pressed her nose against the screen of her phone as she stalked—poor choice of wording—Demigoddess Revival’s socials.
So many pictures of her and Travis. Good Lord, their fans were certainly obsessed with the bandmembers’ romantic lives, weren’t they?
She ought to be relieved that no one was angry or annoyed that Travis had unexpectedly gained himself a girlfriend seemingly overnight. Although there were a fair number of comments regarding Ava not being his type. Was that because she didn’t dress like a groupie? How did they even know his type?
Whatwashis type?
The answer was her.
Right?
That’s what he’d implied earlier.
“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. And I realized I don’t want to. I don’t want to stop thinking about you. I don’t want to stop being around you. I don’t want to stop sleeping with you.”
It had been a pretty darn romantic declaration, all things considered. And these pictures were—wow. She stared at one of them walking into the meet and greet room, his arm around her neck, his face turned toward her, leaning in, like he was whispering in her ear. She had what could only be described as a bemused smile on her lips.
Like she liked his attention.
Which she did. It was just still so…odd.
