Now Reese laughed. “Definitely not. Bratwurst? As in brat? No way.”
Sterling grinned. “I don’t know. Brat seems like it might be a perfect nickname for you.”
She swatted at his arm. “You can’t call me that.”
“Aw, Brat, you don’t like your new nickname? Hits too close to home?”
Reese just rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to win this, am I?”
“Sorry, Brat. I think you might be stuck with it. I think it’s cute. If you actually were a brat, I couldn’t use it. But since you’re not … ”
“You think I’m cute?”
Sterling froze. He could tell that she didn’t mean to ask the question and that it just popped out. Her eyes grew wide. “I didn’t mean—I shouldn’t have—I’m sorry,” she breathed.
He let his eyes trace over her face slowly, starting at her eyes, moving over the apple of her cheek down to where she was biting her lower lip. He didn’t trust himself to pause too long there. Moving his gaze back up to her eyes, Sterling lifted his hand and traced a finger down the perfect slope of her nose, across her cheek, and along her jaw. Her breath hitched.
“Cute barely begins to cover what I think about you, Reese.” His voice was low and husky.
The intensity of this moment felt palpable, like he could cut through it or physically grab hold of what stretched between them. What was he doing? He felt reckless for the first time in a very long time. He was used to the constant back and forth of his emotions. Moody was the perfect word to describe him. He couldn’t deny it. But this felt like a whole new level of emotion. If his normal swings were like storms, this felt like a tsunami. It scared him, but he wasn’t going to back away.
Breaking the moment, Sterling bent down to his bag, pulling out two decks of cards. He held one out to Reese. Hesitating, she took it. “What is this?”
Sterling pulled down her tray table and then his. “We’re playing solitaire. Together.”
“How do you play solitaire together?”
He laughed. “Get with the program, Brat. You play solitaire on your tray. I play on mine. Solitaire together. The faster player wins.”
Reese sighed, but when he glanced at her, she was smiling as she pulled out the cards, starting a clumsy shuffle between her fingers. A peaceful calm settled between them for the next hours as they played a solo game beside one another, talking sometimes, laughing a lot. Solitaire, together.
Chapter Seventeen
Reese’s nerves started firing again as they took an Uber to the hotel. The driver clearly recognized Sterling. He hadn’t said anything yet but looked totally twitchy and kept glancing in the rearview mirror. What if he took a picture of the two of them together in the back seat? She made sure to sit as far away from Sterling as possible, not touching him. She felt overwhelmed by nervous worry. Sterling didn’t seem to notice.
Knowing that they were in L.A. made Reese feel much more paranoid. She was used to Nashville, where tons of celebrities lived and no one really cared. L.A. felt different. She could sense Sterling tensing up as well. But they were able to get out of a back entrance of the airport and didn’t see any paparazzi or other people taking photos. That was a relief. Hopefully she wouldn’t feel like she was watching over her shoulder the whole trip. The plane ride had been so enjoyable, playing solitaire—something she never would have thought of—and just talking to Sterling. Best plane ride ever, which had exactly zero to do with being in first class and everything to do with the company.
Sterling James, rock star. Her teenage crush. And now her very adult something-much-more-than-a-crush. Reese wouldn’t let herself consciously think about how much deeper her feelings ran than a simple crush. But they weren’t even comparable.
Now they were headed to a hotel. She hadn’t thought through the ramifications of this or the details of the travel, thinking maybe they would stay at his family’s house, where she’d be in a guest room or something and he would be in his childhood home. But a hotel. They’d have separate rooms, right? But that meant he was paying more. She couldn’t stay in the same room with him, but she didn’t want to have to ask him to pay more for a separate room if he hadn’t thought of that. He already bought her plane ticket too. First class plane ticket. She started going over the numbers in her head.
“So, hey, um about the cost of all this?”
Sterling waved a hand. “Don’t worry about it. Seriously. Don’t think about it again. Everything is covered and it’s not a big deal.”
That was a relief, given her okay, but not particularly flexible income. “Okay. I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t being—”
“You’re not,” he said, smiling. “Whatever you were going to fill in that blank with. You’re fine.”
He reached for her hand and then went back to looking out the car window. This wasn’t the first time that he held her hand, but each time felt new and exciting and sent her whole body into some kind of high alert, like her cells were screaming: YOU ARE BEING TOUCHED BY STERLING JAMES! YOU ARE BEING TOUCHED BY STERLING JAMES! She hoped the driver didn’t notice.
Reese tried to play it cool and turned her head to look out the window so he wouldn’t see her smile. “Thank you,” she said.
This was her first time in California and she wanted to pay attention outside but was distracted by the feel of his fingers linked through hers. He traced his thumb over the back of her hand and that tiny motion was perhaps the most insanely sensuous touch. The touch shot straight up her arms and over her shoulders, up her neck to her lips, which were aching to kiss him. It was a completely extreme and unrealistic reaction to what could have been a sweet and innocent touch.
If you were going by the old bases analogy, holding hands was like somewhere in the dugout. Yet holding hands with Sterling was more like being held up on the shoulders of all the players after you just won the whole game. It was no small thing to her.
Reese didn’t hold hands with guy friends. But she didn’t want to assume anything either. Plenty of times in her life, she had assumed a guy felt a certain way about her only to be wrong. Like the guy in college who kept asking her out to coffee. She thought they were dating. He had a girlfriend and thought they were just friends.
But that guy hadn’t held her hand. He hadn’t linked their fingers, using his thumb to stroke the skin on the back of her hand … Reese shuddered at Sterling’s touch. He had been holding her hand for five minutes and she just couldn’t calm down.
“Cold?” Sterling looked over. She tried to shake her head, but he was already leaning toward the Uber driver. “Can you turn the air down a bit? Down, as in make it less cold.”
“That’s really okay,” Reese said.
“I don’t want you freezing over there. Here,” Sterling said, unclipping his seatbelt. He slid across to the middle seat and put his arm around her, crowding her space and pulling her into him. She caught the eyes of the guy in front, who seemed shocked.
Did Sterling not realize that the guy recognized him? He was paying attention to everything going on in the back seat. She should probably tell Sterling to get his seatbelt on and move back over, but he smelled so good. And he was so warm against her. Maybe she had been a little cold. Either way, she wasn’t moving now. Settling into Sterling with a sigh, Reese couldn’t get over how right it felt to be this close to him and how safe he made her feel. Not that she had felt unsafe; the Uber driver seemed to be driving under the speed limit, but it was a general sense of security and protection that Sterling seemed to exude.
“I probably should have rented a car,” he murmured, close to her ear. She shivered at the way his breath teased the skin on his neck. He pulled her in closer.
“Why didn’t you?” Reese asked, feeling the driver’s eyes flicking back to her.
“See all this traffic? Driving in L.A. is the absolute worst. I figured we could just Uber everywhere. But maybe this was a mistake.”
“I do feel a little bit like we’re on display or something,” R
eese whispered. Then again, if he was driving, they wouldn’t be snuggling this close and she definitely didn’t want to give that up. “I think the driver recognizes you.”
Sterling leaned forward. “Change of plans. Instead of the hotel, can you take us to the closest car rental place?”
“Sterling, you don’t need to do that,” Reese said.
He turned toward her so that the driver wouldn’t hear them. “I don’t like feeling as though people are watching us. I want to be off the grid, under the radar. All those metaphors.”
Did that mean he wanted privacy? With her?
The thought thrilled Reese, but he probably just meant that he didn’t want to end up in the tabloids or celebrity gossip blogs. Especially considering the budding fake relationship with Morgan that was already all over the headlines yesterday. That had been one of Reese’s fears about coming on this trip with him, but since they were coming for the intervention and not really doing big public things, it should be fine. He had assured her that L.A. was better than most places about understanding the need for privacy, so they could pretty easily go in through VIP entrances and things like that.
“Plus, it’s not like I’m Brad Pitt or something,” Sterling had said when she brought it up before they left.
You’re hotter, Reese had thought but did not say. He truly was. But what he likely meant was that as a rock star, he didn’t quite have the same notoriety as some of the big-time A-listers in Hollywood. Most of the tabloids were focused on them. And even though Sterling had been in the press more with the whole baby-daddy scare, it died out relatively quickly.
The woman claiming to be pregnant with his child didn’t have the money or the power to keep the story resurfacing once it was out there and he suspected most people didn’t believe it. There hadn’t been too much about him and Morgan made public, though photos had emerged publicly, and stories ran that he was now dating his childhood sweetheart.
There were a few new scandals that broke this week and some Kardashian batted an eyelash or something, so Sterling could go back to mostly being invisible. Reese was glad. He and Morgan both had seemed increasingly uncomfortable with the fake relationship thing even after a single day. She wished she had listened to her gut instead of Kevin and Morgan. They could probably let that go when they got back as long as things calmed down.
Reese was surprised when Sterling said he generally was able to keep a low profile, but he told her that he avoided big public events or places that tended to get celebrities noticed. It wasn’t about the fame for him, but the music. That made a difference. And made her realize how so many celebs must have worked hard to actually be in the public eye as much as they were.
The Uber driver pulled over briefly to use GPS to find a car rental place and ten minutes later, they were standing at the counter of an Avis rental place while the young woman behind the counter tried not to fall to pieces.
Reese hung back, keeping a little bit away from Sterling. She only came forward when the woman wanted a photo with Sterling. Reese took a few photos of them together, where Sterling tried to smile, but she could read the strain on his face. Okay, so clearly, he couldn’t fly under the radar everywhere.
Once they were in a smaller black Lexus SUV, Sterling sighed. “This was definitely a better choice.”
Reese had to agree. The windows were tinted and the car engine was quiet. She didn’t realize how tense she had been with the Uber drive constantly looking at them in the rearview mirror. She had been kind of surprised that he didn’t ask for photos or for Sterling to sign something when he dropped them off. But he practically peeled away from the curb, which was interesting considering that he had driven so slowly while they were in the car. She did, however, miss cuddling in the backseat with Sterling.
“Where are we staying?” Reese asked.
Normally she was a planner and liked knowing all the details. But Sterling hadn’t offered any about the trip and she didn’t ask. It was weirdly refreshing to just abandon control. That’s what she felt like she was doing with Sterling in general: releasing the white-knuckled grip she usually had on her life. Letting go was terrifying, but also exhilarating. And so far, she was really enjoying the ride.
“You said you like the beach, right?”
“Yes! I’ve never seen the Pacific.”
“Well, you’re about to see a lot of it. I got us a place right on the beach in Santa Monica, closer to my mom’s house. You’re going to love it.”
“A place?”
“Sorry—hotel rooms.”
“Rooms, plural?”
Sterling gave her a sideways glance as he put on his turn signal. “Yes, rooms. I stole you away, but I’m not planning to steal your honor or anything.”
A light blush tinted her cheeks. “Thanks. I definitely want to keep my honor intact.”
He chuckled. “Noted.”
“I don’t have a bathing suit though. Maybe we could stop somewhere?”
“I think they have a boutique in the hotel. Or, at least, a lot of times they do.”
“Sterling, I shop at Ross.”
“What’s Ross?”
She stared at him. “Ross Dress for Less? A giant discount store full of wonder and amazing things?”
“Not familiar, sorry.”
“Of course not. I forgot you’re a celebrity diva.”
“I’m not a diva.”
“Then let’s go to Ross. I can’t afford anything in a hotel boutique and I’ll feel really weird if you’re buying me clothes. I can say escort since we’re alone. I’ll feel like your still-keeping-her-honor-intact escort.”
Sterling laughed. “You are too much. I’ll get you something at the hotel.”
“No. I will let you run this trip. This is your town. But I’m insisting on this. We are going to Ross. I already found one on my phone. That is, if you feel like you can handle a store where the commoners shop.”
Sterling rolled his eyes, but he grinned. “Where is it? We’ll go there first. That way once we finally get to the hotel, we’ll be there and can settle in.”
Reese knew that the intervention was the following morning. She’d asked Sterling on the plane if he planned to see his family today, but he said he needed time to readjust to just being here and to mentally prepare. Plus, he thought if they saw him, his mom would forbid him from coming or his sister might realize what was going on and run off. He planned to show up at his house right at the time of the intervention and not a moment before. Until then, they were just hanging out. Which felt amazing like one big first date.
Twenty minutes later, Sterling pulled up in front of Ross. They were in California, but Ross looked like every other Ross she had ever been to. Except for some palm trees lining the cross street, which reminded her that she was in California. Sterling pulled out his phone after parking and looked at the GPS. There was something comforting about its consistency. A Ross was a Ross was a Ross.
“Ever wanted to go to Venice Beach?” he asked. “We’re close and can go after.”
“Sure,” she said. “I hadn’t ever thought I’d come to California, so I don’t have a bucket list or anything. I’ve heard of Venice Beach though.”
Sterling shook his head. “I don’t want to be all touristy and cliché, but I’m going to take you places that will give you a sense of California. After Ross, I’m taking over.”
“Noted. Now, your Ross challenge is not to spend more than $50.”
Sterling gave her a look and made a face. “I’m not planning to buy anything. Except whatever I buy for you.”
She laughed. “You’re not buying my stuff. And you just think you’re not buying anything. That’s because you’ve never been to Ross before. Trust me.”
Thirty minutes later, Reese giggled as Sterling’s total rang up as eighty-seven dollars. “Told you,” she said, from a few registers away. He had tried to buy her stuff, but she refused. “What did you even buy?”
“I don’t know,” Sterling said. “I f
ound a few T-shirts and a pair of jeans and then there were these shoes and they have the kinds of sunglasses I like …”
“You’ve been Ross-ed.” Reese said, laughing.
Sterling walked back to join her with this big plastic shopping bags as she signed her receipt. “Is that a thing?”
“It is now.” Smiling, she linked her arms through his and they walked out of the store. No one had seemed to recognize him in there. That was the power of Ross. No one really made eye contact. They were there to shop.
Outside he put his new sunglasses on awkwardly, without unlinking his arm from Reese’s. “Okay, Reese. I know what we’re going to do today.”
A little thrill went through her just at the way he said her name. And the fact that he was making plans of what “we’re” going to do? She was totally sunk. “What?”
“You’ve shown me your world. Now I’m going to show you mine.”
Reese sat in semi-stunned silence. “Wait, exactly when did I show you my world?”
He grinned at her as he opened her car door, taking her bag and dumping it with his in the back before closing her door. He jogged around to his side of the car and got in. She fastened her seatbelt, trying to think about what Sterling meant.
Half of her was caught up in the swoony idea that he was going to share his world with her. But when had she shown him her world? Her world was mostly in Nashville. Her apartment with Staci. Church and her small group. Her three favorite restaurants with live music and open mic nights. The coffee shop ten miles away and totally worth the drive. He had seen exactly none of that. She turned a curious face to him as he started the car.
Sterling’s grin stretched wider. He pointed to Ross. “The way you talked about it, I just figured that Ross was your world.”
Teasing! Reese slapped him on the arm and he grabbed her hand, managing to back out of the parking spot with only one hand, something that made her as impressed as it did nervous. He actually looked out of the windows, not at the backup cam. Reese would have hit multiple things that way.
Managing The Rock Star (Not So Bad Boys Book 1) Page 17
