Page 22 of Good Girls Don't Date Rock Stars (Rock Canyon, Idaho 2)

Jesse laughed, and Gemma tried not to think about what might have happened between Chelsey and Travis. Grabbing another glass of champagne, she tipped it back, emptying its contents. She wasn’t a big drinker, but she didn’t have a problem slamming a few back when out with friends. It was amazing the affects alcohol could have on a person; some became belligerent assholes, others giggly clingers, and—

“Excuse me, gentleman, but I believe I owe this lady a dance,” Travis said, taking her glass and setting it on a passing tray before leading her over to the stage, where a band was playing. When the singer leaned over, Travis whispered to him, too low for her to hear.

“What are you up to?” Gemma asked as he twirled her onto the wooden dance floor.

“Nothing. You just looked like you could use a dance, and I wanted to hold you close.”

Snorting, she almost asked Travis about Chelsey but decided it was none of her business and let it go. He slowly swayed her back and forth to the band’s version of “Amazed” by Lonestar, and Gemma smiled. “This reminds me of prom.”

“Really? Funny, I remember prom differently. First of all, I don’t see multicolored streamers or Mrs. Andrew’s marching around with her ruler, prying everyone apart.”

“Hmm, I just mean this: holding you. Dancing with you. It was one of the best nights of my life,” she said.

His breath was warm against her hair as he said, “Mine, too.”

Lifting her face, their gazes locked. “Sometimes I lay awake at night and think about you, just holding me while we dance.”

“When I think of you, we’re doing a lot more than dancing,” he said, waggling his eyebrows.

“Gutter brain,” she said, but she couldn’t seem to wipe the smile from her face.

His hands swept up into her hair, cupping the back of her head. “I’ve never been able to shake you, Gemma. No matter whom I was dating, or what I was doing, something always reminded me of you.”

Heart pounding, she whispered, “I can’t shake you either, Trav.”

Travis dipped his head, kissing her, and for a moment she forgot about the cameras, the past, and every reason why what they were doing spelled nothing but heartache and trouble. She gave herself over to Travis’s kiss as the music changed. The melody to “Hazel Eyes” played over the speakers, slow and hauntingly familiar, and Gemma was transported back in time again, to sitting in her bedroom on a hot July day, watching Travis strum on his guitar. Any time Travis played for her, she felt like she was the only girl in the world, and the lyrics brought tears to her eyes. When he’d finished, he’d set down the guitar against the bed and whispered, “I love you, Gem.”

It was like time had stilled and the earth had stopped turning as he’d reached out to pull her up onto his lap. She’d been embarrassed, worried her weight was hurting him, but he’d just cradled her cheeks in his hands and brought her mouth to his in the sweetest kiss she’d ever had.

Suddenly, she was back in a crowded ballroom as Travis’s mouth rested against her ear and he softly sang:

“Hazel eyes, you know you had me from the start,

You looked at me and I gave you my heart,

And as long as I live, I can’t thank you enough,

For your strength and your love, Hazel eyes.”

Teary-eyed, she listened to him, his low baritone sending shivers of awareness down her spine, and she cuddled closer, so close that even if Mrs. Andrews had been there, it wouldn’t have mattered. Nothing was getting between her and Travis tonight. Nothing.

SEVERAL HOURS LATER, Travis almost agreed with Gemma; the gala had turned into something a lot like prom. Well, except for the alcohol. Somewhere between their second dance and their fifth, a drinking challenge had ensued. He’d never seen Gemma drink before, but as she tossed back another fifth of whiskey with a wheeze, he couldn’t stop laughing. That drink had been preceded by three others for each of them, and now Travis had a good buzz on.

As they danced to Josh Turner’s “Your Man,” Travis twirled her out and back in, and she landed hard against him.

“Oomph. I’m sorry. I’ve had a wee too much.”

Travis laughed. “And a wee too much conversation with Callum, I think.”

“He does have a lovely accent. I could listen to him speak for hours,” she said dreamily.

“Perhaps it was a mistake introducing the two of you,” Travis teased with a mock scowl.

The smile she gave him was pure mischief, and she stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “I said I liked his voice, not him. Well, not like that; I like him as a person, but not like in a romantic way.” Looking up through her lashes, she said, “You, however, I like a whole lot. I get all kinds of happy feelings when I’m with you.”

Now he could hear a lot more of that. “You know, I’m kind of hungry. Wanna get out of here?”

“Yes, I’m starving. I had a hard time eating earlier.”

---