“I would never!” His words had a slight slur to them, and she held on tightly to his shoulders as he straightened up and kept walking.

They passed a group of women in sequined dresses who stopped and squealed.

“Oh . . . my . . . God, you two are adorable! Did you just get married?”

Gemma thought it was the alcohol at first but realized that the women were actually men, dressed to the nines.

Before she could say no, Travis said, “Yep, just wait

ing for our limo to take us off so I can get this little honey alone.”

The group laughed and the one in pink asked, “Girl, how’d you find a man that fine? I swear, men that hot can only be found in Hollywood.”

Nashville, actually.

Gemma smiled sheepishly. “I met him in the library.”

Travis laughed, and one of the men asked, “Is that like a club or something?”

“Nope, an actual library.”

“Hmmm,” he said, tapping his golden lips. “I’m gonna have to try that. I’ve heard of grocery stores, but libraries?”

Suddenly, a stretch limo pulled up alongside them. The driver hopped out and ran around the back to greet them. “Evening, Mr. Bowers. I’m Tony and I’m here to take you wherever you want to go.”

Tony opened the door to the limo and stepped back with a wave of his hand.

Travis lowered her back down to shake Tony’s hand, and Gemma waved at the group as they walked away. She had to gather her dress up in her arms as she climbed inside, just to fit through the door, and lost her balance, sprawling across the seat. She tried to right herself, but she was clumsier than usual. When she was finally sitting, she saw several bags on the floor, and the smell of food tickled her nose.

Travis crawled in next to her and reached out for one of the bags, pulling out two containers and handing her one. She opened the lid to find a large bacon cheeseburger and fries inside.

“Oh, yummy.”

He laughed as he brought out two beers and handed her one. “That’s my girl.”

They clanked their beers together, and she took a napkin from him, stuffing it into her bodice like a bib.

“I like the look. Very sexy,” Travis said, taking a bite of his burger and giving her a closemouthed smile, his cheeks filled with food. She threw a French fry at him, which bounced off his cheek and fell onto the seat. He finished chewing in time to protest, “That wasn’t very nice. I was giving you a compliment.”

“Uh-huh,” she said, washing a fry down with a gulp of beer. She had to drink beer fast, while it was still cold, or it tasted bitter.

Though her brain was still pretty fuzzy from all of the drinks at the gala, Gemma ate her food quickly, setting what she couldn’t finish back in the bag. “Thank you. I needed that.”

“You’re welcome.”

Sitting forward, she started looking through some of the bottles in a brightly lit cooler and asked, “Are these for us?”

“I figured what’s the point of riding around in a limo without a little alcohol?”

“No point at all,” she teased, watching him pour two glasses of amber liquid which she assumed was more whiskey. Taking the glass from him, she tossed it back and shook her head, her face scrunching at the aftertaste. She could feel her hair loosening and reached up to undo the pins, shaking out the curls.

Holding out her glass, she smiled. “Another, good sir.”

Travis filled her glass, but his gaze never left her face. Her cheeks warmed as she recognized his desire, and she clinked his glass. “Here’s to a night to remember.”

He drained his, and just as she set hers down, he tangled a hand in her loose curls and wrapped his other arm around her. “Believe me, Gem, any night with you is unforgettable.”

And then his mouth covered hers and his kiss set her on fire.