“But how do I know you’re not just saying it?” Nervous tingles started at the tips of her toes, dancing their way up her body.
“You don’t, but you have to give people a chance.”
She stared at him for long minutes. The thing was, when you gave people chances they learned how to break you. They could take everything in a single moment. And she wasn’t sure she was ready to put herself out there like that. Not now. Not ever. Look what happened when she decided to give her dad another chance. He’d promised to come get her during Christmas break. He said he’d rent a hotel room up north and take her skiing, just the two of them—make up for some lost time. Then he got busy, never showed up, and didn’t bother calling until after she’d gone to bed that night to explain that something had come up. He’d talked to her mom and hadn’t even bothered to apologize to her—well, at least not until he’d seen her at the airport, which was months after it’d even happened. So yeah, she didn’t trust men at all.
“We should probably head back,” Daisy said.
“Actually, I wondered if you’d like to take a quick walk on the beach before we go. I—I kind of set something up for us.”
A thrum of excitement buzzed through her. What kind of surprise had he planned? She just needed to stay calm. Act cool. “Someone might recognize you.”
He scooted out of the booth, tugging her with him. “No they won’t, I promise. It’s just, I don’t get to really see the ocean and enjoy it. At least not without a crowd.”
“Okay, but we better keep an eye on the time so you’re back before your show starts.”
“Now you’re starting to sound like LJ,” he teased.
She smiled, lacing her fingers through his as they walked out of the restaurant and headed across town. If her dad found out she’d lied to him, she was dead meat. But so far, this date had been worth it. Besides, it might be good for Dad to see just how rebellious a teen daughter could be.
Chapter Eleven
Wet sand squished between Trevin’s toes as he walked along the beach with Daisy. He was glad that his buddy Adrian’s family had their vacation home down here. They’d given him permission to go on their private property for a couple of hours. If he’d had more time to plan things out, he would’ve just had lunch delivered there instead, but this would work, too. The warm water lapped against his and Daisy’s feet, erasing their footprints. The scent of salt hung heavy in the air, and he inhaled deeply.
He closed his eyes and listened to the gulls overhead. Between that and the rhythm of the waves crashing to shore, he felt relaxed. More relaxed than he’d been in ages. He stopped walking, and Daisy cast him a quick glance.
“Do you hear that?” he said.
“What?”
“The ocean. It’s so peaceful. If we were going to be in Miami longer I’d probably grab my guitar and come sit out here for a few days and just write music.” He sighed. “I love to write and compose stuff. Problem is, our record label normally dictates what we put out—they like to keep with our boy band image. So we get stuck singing a lot of the ‘bubblegum’ type songs.”
“Can’t LJ fight to have more of a variety of your music on the albums?”
He leaned down and picked up a stone, then skipped it across the water. “LJ said it’s better not to rock the boat until we get another album under us. If we keep selling out stadiums like we have been, they’re going to be more willing to give in to a few demands.”
“But didn’t they let Ryder and Miles write a lot of the songs?”
“Yeah, but I think that was more because they were afraid of losing them, and even so, it wasn’t exactly the type of music Miles and Ryder liked.” Trevin stared at Daisy as a breeze swept her hair across her cheek. He reached forward and swiped the strands behind her ears. His pulse quickened. More than anything, he wanted to kiss her again. To feel her lips move against his like they had yesterday. But he knew if they got started, he might never want to let her go. Besides, he had something else he wanted to do for her. The whole reason he’d brought her out here.
“Come with me for a minute—I have something I want you to hear.” Trevin ushered her to the deck that wrapped around the back of the house. “Have a seat.” He pointed to a lounge chair.
“What’s going on?”
“Just give me a sec, okay?” He took his acoustic guitar from its case, which was leaned against one of the built-in wooden benches, and tuned it. When he finished, he cleared his throat. “I’ve been kind of playing around with your grandpa’s song.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, it’s got this really great melody. And the lyrics are beautiful. I don’t know how someone hasn’t tried to remake it yet.”
Trevin strummed the chords then started to sing. He watched Daisy’s eyes light up and his chest warmed. At first, he thought this might be a great gesture to win her over for the bet, but seeing how it was affecting her now, he realized he was doing it for her. Not just to beat Ryder. “Haven’t you heard, I’m stuck on you, my heart beats only for you…”
When he finished, she just stared at him. Like she didn’t recognize him.
“I-I didn’t realize how well you played.”
“Did you like it?” He set his guitar back in its case.
She nodded, her eyes welling.
He moved closer to her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
“No, it’s not you. I just miss him, you know.”
Trevin touched her cheek, wiping away the stray tears that trickled down.
His finger pushed strands of hair from her face as he pulled her against his chest. Her body trembled against his as she cried, and all he could do was hold her. “Shh…it’s okay,” he whispered softly.
She clung tighter to him, and he let her. She felt good in his arms. Soft. Warm. Perfect. His palms stroked her back, her bare leg pressed against his. His lips brushed against the top of her head, so lightly, he didn’t think she felt it. But she tilted her large brown eyes up, until they met his. And in that moment, he saw a lot more than he wanted to. Her pain. Her hope. Her trust. And it nearly destroyed him.
What the hell was he doing?
“We—we should probably head back soon so you don’t get in trouble,” Daisy whispered, her cheeks tinged pink, whether from their closeness or the sun, he couldn’t tell.
He slid back and peeked at his watch. Shit. It was close to one. How had he lost track of time? He whipped out his phone and dialed Miles. His number went straight to voicemail, which meant he was likely talking with Aimee. He couldn’t call Will because he was with Beau, and he definitely didn’t want to bring Nathan into this. With a groan, he dialed Ryder next.
“What?” Ryder answered.
“Listen, man, I’m running a little late, can you cover for me until I get there?” Trevin put on his shoes, then turned and grabbed Daisy’s arm, tugging her toward the boardwalk with one hand while carrying a guitar in the other, trying to balance the phone against his ear with his shoulder.
“Where are you?” Ryder asked, his voice sounding amused.
“I went for a walk.” Trevin pushed the button at the crosswalk with his elbow and waited for the walk sign to appear.
“And not alone, I assume? Beau got back about fifteen minutes ago and is looking for Daisy—who I’m guessing is with you?”
“Fuck, they’re back already?” How the hell was he going to explain this? Great, here he’d just made progress with Daisy, and he’d likely end up getting her grounded for the rest of the summer.
“Yep. So what do you want me to tell them?”
“I don’t know, make something up. But don’t bring Daisy into this, okay?”
“Gotcha—oh and by the way, you owe me big,” Ryder said. “And don’t think I’m letting you off the hook with the bet, either.”
Trevin let go of Daisy’s hand for a second while he clicked off his phone and shoved it in his pocket. He cast her a quick glance, his heart beating faster, hoping she hadn�
��t heard Ryder’s loud-ass comment. When she didn’t say anything, he let out a sigh of relief.
Daisy wrapped her arm around his back, hanging onto his belt loop as they rushed across the street.
“Are you in trouble?” She turned to look at him as they hurried down the sidewalk toward the hotel.
“Ryder’s gonna cover for me, but I’d suggest we go in the back entrance.” He gave her hand a squeeze. “And you might want to come up with a good story, because your dad is searching for you.”
“I—I’ll tell him I was running on the beach.” Daisy chewed her bottom lip.
“Um, I’m not sure he’s going to buy that.” Trevin glanced down at her outfit. “You’re not really dressed for the gym or for a run.”
“Crap,” she said as they stepped into the back parking lot. She squeezed her eyes shut then peeked out at him. “D-do you promise not to tell anyone what I’m about to do?”
“Of course.” He cast a curious look in her direction.
“Just so you know, I don’t normally do stuff like this.” She tugged her peasant shirt off to reveal a white tank top. Next she slid off her shorts, until she wore only a pair of black boy cut underwear.
Trevin sucked in a deep breath. Holy shit. Did she have any idea what she was doing to him? His nails dug into his palms as she kicked off her shoes. “You’re going to walk in there with only your underwear on?” His voice sounded hoarse.
“My dad won’t be able to tell the difference; I’ll tell him they’re my volleyball shorts. Can you shove the rest of my clothes in your backpack?” A blush covered her face, seeping down to her neck.
Trevin’s eyes followed the line of her smooth white legs as she bent down to pick up her shoes. Damn. He needed to quit staring at her before he decided to skip out on his band mates and take her straight to his room. Averting his gaze, he took her clothes from her and pushed them into his bag, then slung it over his shoulder.
They snuck in the back door. Down the hall, he saw LJ pacing, checking his watch.
“Shit. Just leave the talking to me. In fact, hop on that elevator and go right up to your room,” Trevin said.
“What about you?”
“I’ll tell LJ I was in a private area writing music and lost track of time.” Which wasn’t a total lie—he had been playing his guitar.
“But I thought Ryder was going to make an excuse for you?” Daisy frowned.
“Don’t worry, I’ll figure it out, okay?” He patted her bare shoulder, then hurried down the hall away from her.
LJ glanced at his watch again, then up at Trevin. “You’re late. Where the hell have you been?”
Ryder hurried toward them. “Hey, did you finish writing that song?” He nodded at Trevin’s guitar.
“Yeah, I might need some help with the last verse, though. I’m not sure if the lyrics are working or not.” Trevin mouthed, Thank you.
Ryder grinned. “No problem, maybe we can work on it tonight on the bus.”
“I thought you said you didn’t know where he was.” LJ crossed his arms at his chest and glowered at Ryder.
“Look, he needed some alone time to get this song finished. And to be honest, I forgot about where he said he’d be writing. For shit sake, he’s back, can we just board the buses and get to the stadium now?”
“Fine—but next time, let Beau or me know where the hell you are. Which reminds me, have you seen his daughter?”
“Nope, not since earlier this morning.”
“Okay, well, get your crap in order, we need to get moving.” LJ watched him as if trying to detect a lie, but he must’ve been satisfied with the answer because he stormed down the hall, already on the phone to let everyone know Trevin had been found. That’d been close. A little too close.
“Thanks for covering for me.”
“Let’s not make a habit of this,” Ryder said. “I really don’t need to get on LJ’s bad side again.”
“I won’t.”
Ryder snorted. “Why is it I don’t believe you? And just because I helped you doesn’t mean our bet isn’t still on.”
Trevin smiled. Bet or not, today had been perfect with Daisy. And he hoped he had a lot more chances to spend time with her.
…
Daisy got to her hotel room to find her dad waiting outside. His jaw tightened when he saw her. “Where were you?”
“Running on the beach…” She pushed around him, but he caught her arm.
“Then where are your shoes?”
She stiffened. Crap. “My tennis shoes give me blisters and Mom hasn’t had the money to get me a new pair yet—so I went barefoot.” Daisy tugged her arm from him. “Am I not allowed to exercise now?”
“That’s not the point. You didn’t tell me where you were going. I’ve been worried sick about you.” He ushered her inside.
A tinge of guilt knotted her stomach. She hated lying, but it’s not like he never lied to her. How many promises had he broken over the years? “Look, I’m sorry. I should’ve left a note or something. It’s just I got bored and didn’t want to sit in the room all day.”
Her dad sighed. “All right, let’s lay some new ground rules. If you’re going to leave the room, at least message me or call me or something to let me know where you are.”
“Okay,” she said. Wow, he was being a lot less hard-assed than she thought he’d be. “I need to change before we leave.”
“I’ll let you get to it, then.” He grabbed his duffel bag from the bed and shoved his razor in it. “Trevin wasn’t with you, was he?”
“No, haven’t seen him since this morning.” Daisy grabbed a change of clothes and hurried into the bathroom. She was going to hell for this. She’d never lied to her mom before, but here she was creating elaborate stories to tell her dad in order to sneak off with Trevin. If her dad found out, he’d likely rearrange Trevin’s face. She leaned against the bathroom door and squeezed her eyes shut. What was she doing?
Hearing his rendition of her grandpa’s song had caught her off guard. The slow, soft melody on his lips nearly brought her to her knees. Tears welled in her eyes and she wiped them away. Why was he doing all this now? He’d had his chance with her and screwed it up. And she wasn’t a girl who gave second chances.
Maybe pretending to like Trevin wasn’t such a great idea. Today, he’d made her feel all kinds of things. Just thinking about the walk with him on the beach made her fluttery all over again. Damn it. Trevin was her kryptonite. She needed to tap into the hurt she’d felt when he’d ditched her last fall. That should wake her up.
With a sigh, she slid Trevin’s phone out of her bra, where she’d tucked it away. She thought for sure he was gonna catch her when she caught her finger on his belt loop. Luckily he’d been distracted with crossing the street and getting back to the hotel. She set it on the bathroom counter, then pulled out her own cell.
Hand trembling, she dialed Lena’s number. She answered on the second ring.
“Oh my God, I haven’t heard from you in a couple of days. Is everything going okay?”
“Oh yeah. Trevin is definitely interested in me.”
“That’s awesome. See? I knew you’d get him to fall for you,” Lena said.
“Yeah, it was easier than I thought it’d be.” Daisy slid on a clean pair of shorts, holding her cell with her shoulder and head.
“Hmm… Then why don’t you sound happier?” Lena said.
“I don’t know, maybe this revenge plot wasn’t the best idea after all.”
“Tell me you’re not falling for him. Tell me you’re not putting yourself in a position for him to hurt you again.”
“He’s way nicer than I thought he’d be.” Daisy grabbed her toothbrush, deodorant, and floss from the bathroom counter. “But don’t worry, I won’t get caught up in the idea of Trevin and me having this happily ever after. I mean, I had to lie to my dad today, just to sneak off with him.” But she couldn’t deny the fact that today had been amazing. Being on the beach, holding Trevin’s hand,
sharing something special with him.
“Wait, you snuck out with him?” Lena screeched on the other end.
“Yeah, but I didn’t have a choice. My dad is holy protective and won’t let me hang out with Trevin unless I’m supervised.”
“Which makes it hard to get him to fall for you. Okay, I can see why you had to go behind his back. Just be careful, Daisy. Don’t lose focus.”
“I won’t. I knew a talk with you would get me back on track. After he kissed me yesterday, I’ve been kind of off my game.”
“Wait, back up,” Lena said. “He kissed you?”
“Well, not for real—I had to be in their music video, long story. But yeah, we had to kiss.”
“Oh God, how was it?”
Daisy hesitated. The thing was, the kiss was epic—like Disney World fireworks show epic. She’d had all these feelings. And she wasn’t supposed to. Trevin was the enemy. He was a heartbreaker. Hell, he was more than that, he was the king of heartbreakers. If she let herself fall for him, then she knew she’d only be disappointed. Because true love didn’t exist. The only thing guys were good at was leaving. She’d had a lifetime of good-byes and no-shows from her dad as proof.
“Daisy?” Lena interrupted her thoughts.
“Sorry, I’m trying to pack while I’m on the phone. The guys have a show here in Miami tonight and we’re pulling out right after.”
“So the kiss?”
“It was nice. He definitely knows what he’s doing.”
“I can’t believe Trevin Jacobs got to steal your first kiss. How unlucky is that?”
“It’s fine. At least I won’t be the only senior who hasn’t been kissed anymore.”
“True. So, what’s up next in your revenge plot?”
“Well, it just so happens that I swiped Trevin’s phone when I was with him today. And I think I’m going to open his social media apps and request everyone bring panties to the concert tonight to throw onstage.” Daisy ran a brush through her hair, then tossed her toiletries into her purse. “Or do you think that’s too much? I mean, maybe I don’t have to go all out now. I could just give his phone back and tell him he dropped it on our walk.”
Daisy and the Front Man (Entangled Crush) (Backstage Pass) Page 11
