by Bella Andre
"Ashley."
He didn't realize he'd said her name aloud until it was too late. Her eyes flew open, and her hand immediately came out from between her legs. Of course, that only made him hotter, hungrier, when he saw how wet her fingers were.
"Don't stop," he found himself saying. "I swear I didn't know you were here. I didn't plan this. But, please, don't stop."
He watched as embarrassment shifted to indecision on her face. But beneath both was the arousal she hadn't been able to bank. Not when she was obviously so close, hovering on the edge of what he suspected was going to be one hell of an orgasm.
Thank God, it didn't take long for desire to win. "I won't stop," she whispered, "but only if...only if you touch yourself, too."
He couldn't get his pants undone and his hand around himself fast enough. "I'm already nearly there, Ashley." He throbbed hard into his hand as she let him watch hers disappear again beneath the thin white fabric. "God, you're sexy."
Her lids came halfway down as she began to touch herself again. But she didn't take her eyes from him as she said, "So are you."
It took every ounce of control he possessed not to leap into the bunk with her and replace her hand with his own. Or better yet, his mouth.
He wasn't going to last. Wasn't going to even make it until she came. But then, a beat before he lost it, he watched as her hips lifted up off the bed, her eyes closed, and she whispered his name in a broken voice.
Not wanting to miss one second, Drew stilled his hand over himself and watched with wonder as she gave herself over to what looked to be one seriously hot and powerful orgasm. And when she finally opened her eyes and looked straight into his, her hands now unmoving inside her clothes on bare, damp skin, even though he was standing fully clothed in the middle of his tour bus on a Wednesday afternoon, Drew came harder than he could ever remember coming before in his life.
* * *
It took way too long for Ashley's heart to stop racing and for the fog in her head to clear.
Oh God.
What had she done?
Of course, given that her body was still tingling in the most delicious way, she knew darn well what she'd just done. She'd not only locked herself in the tour bus to touch herself and then kept going even once she realized Drew was there watching her...but then had actually been bold enough to ask him to touch himself, too!
She felt so out of her element. Beyond mortified. She couldn't stop her hands from shaking as she shifted on the bunk to pull her skirt down. Of course, that was when she also finally realized that somewhere in the madness that had taken over she'd pulled her top open, too.
At this point, there wasn't anything left to say to him but, "I'm really embarrassed right now."
"Don't be," he said, his clothes already put back together. He grinned at her. "It could have happened to anyone."
His easy, teasing response caught her off guard, so much so that she actually forgot to be embarrassed. "Really? Other people have come onto your tour bus to--" Ah, there was the mortification flooding back in. Seriously, if the earth could just open up to swallow her whole...
She licked her lips nervously, and his gaze fell heavily to them before he grinned even wider and said, "No. You're the first."
How was it that she was on the verge of grinning back at him after what had just happened?
But she already knew the answer: Drew owned his sexuality so well that he seemed to assume she would own hers, too.
Now that was quite a thought, one she'd been circling more and more during the time she'd been with him. Why did she always feel like she needed to run from something that she knew was perfectly natural? And what would happen if she simply embraced it instead?
But she still couldn't forget the hurt from Drew's rejection on the beach, when she'd asked him to be with her. As the remembered pain whiplashed her so hard that she swore she could feel the sting of it, she said, "You probably need to get back to the set, or they're going to think something happened to you."
"Something did happen to me. Something amazing."
She wanted to believe that what had happened meant as much to him as it had to her, but it was scary to let herself go there. So scary that she knew she couldn't be anything but honest. "I can't do this again, Drew. It hurt so much when you told me you didn't want to be with me out on the beach. But now..." She bit her lip. "Now it would crush me to hear you say it."
"Ash." He reached for her hand and tugged her closer. "That night, it nearly killed me to walk away from you. And now--" His phone rang with James's special ring tone. "Damn it, can't I just have five minutes alone with you?"
"As soon as James sees me, he's going to know. They all will."
She might admire those women in the audience every night who owned their sexuality, but who was she kidding? She wasn't one of them. Slipping her hand from Drew's, she turned to look for the shoe that had fallen off the side of the bunk.
"Ash." Drew's voice was so full of warmth that she had to turn back to face him. "What just happened was beautiful. The most beautiful thing I've ever been a part of." She felt herself flush all over again as he continued. "I have to get back to the shoot now, but we need to talk tonight. As soon as I can get away from everything."
She took a deep breath, trying to get her brain to work right in the aftermath of her shockingly good orgasm. But she already knew he was right, even without her synapses firing. There was no way to hide from what was happening between them anymore. Not now that they'd both just watched each other break apart into a million perfect pieces.
And when James called her phone, she knew Drew's bodyguard was about to storm onto the bus to lay into his rock-star boss for skipping out in the middle of his photo shoot. "Okay, we'll talk tonight. You need to go, though. This shoot must be costing a fortune."
"Do you want to come back with me to the set?"
For a moment she was tempted to hide out on the bus. But that's just what it would be--hiding. And, suddenly, she was sick of hiding. Sick of sitting on the sidelines of life. No, she wasn't yet ready to propose a fling again the way she had in Los Angeles, no matter how many sweet and sexy things he'd said to her since then. But just because she was still trying to figure things out, didn't mean she wanted to figure them out in the shadows. Not when it seemed she'd been doing that her entire life.
"I like having you there," he added when she didn't answer quickly enough. "But I know you're probably bored senseless."
"I wasn't bored." Which was an understatement, given the fact that she'd been riveted by every flex of his abs, the slight sheen of sweat that had begun to cover his tanned skin under the hot lights, and how funny and clever he was as he joked with the photographer's staff. "I like being there, too."
He reached for her hand, and it felt more electric than ever. "And then after, we'll talk. Tonight."
She couldn't look away from his beautiful eyes as she echoed, "Tonight."
Chapter Eighteen
Ashley was on pins and needles as We'll talk tonight played over and over in her head like a song on repeat. She didn't want to make the mistake of getting her hopes up again and letting anticipation take over, but every time she thought about what had happened on the bus that afternoon...
"You're a trouper, Ashley." James took the seat next to her. "Hanging out all day while Drew makes pretty faces for the camera."
"I hate having my picture taken. He makes it look so easy, though."
"Some things come easy to him, other things come easy to you, like whatever you're doing on your computer all the time. I think that's why you and Drew fit so good together--you round each other out just right."
She was so stunned by his comment that she couldn't stop herself from echoing back to him, "You think we're good together?"
"Sure do," he said with a nod. "I've worked for plenty of guys like Drew who make it big real young. It's natural for them to want to sow some wild oats. But as soon as you came into the picture--" He grinned at her
. "Let's just say I've got a feeling about the two of you."
Ashley was floored by everything James was saying, that he had a feeling about her and Drew. He couldn't possibly know about what had happened on the bus that afternoon, but her face still flamed with heat as she asked, "Has he sown a lot of wild oats?"
Obviously sensing that he was about to enter a minefield--one that he'd accidentally just set up--James held up his hands. "No more than any other guy in his position. And I'm sure he's done with all that now."
She shouldn't be bothered by finding out about all the women Drew had been with, but hearing the words aloud still made her feel as if she'd been punched in the gut. It didn't help that a group of the most beautiful women she'd ever seen walked into the room just then.
"Who are they?" she asked James.
"The label decided to bring in some models for a few of the shots."
Models who quickly began to drape themselves all over Drew, even before the photographer encouraged them to do just that. Ashley couldn't stand to watch--but she couldn't look away either.
Mine, she thought, even if all they'd shared so far was a week in a bus together and a few stolen moments of pleasure. He's mine, not yours.
"The label is throwing a party tonight," James told her. "Might be a little fancy. You still have that pink dress from Valentina and Smith's party?"
She knew what James was telling her, that maybe she should think about trying a little harder than her usual black and white outfits for once. "Valentina emailed and said Tatiana wants me to keep it. I think it's a fancy designer dress and probably costs a fortune, but she wouldn't let me give it back." Ashley had never thought she'd be getting fashion advice from a bodyguard, but given that pretty much everyone understood fashion better than she did, maybe it wasn't all that surprising. "Do you think I should wear it tonight to the party?"
Just as the photographer encouraged the most stunning model of the group to pucker up and pretend she was kissing Drew, James said, "Yes. You should definitely wear that pink dress tonight."
*
Ashley was even more nervous tonight than she'd been the night she'd joined the tour. Back then she hadn't even dreamed of kissing Drew, of him holding her in his arms, of him whispering words like God, you're sexy to her as desire took them both over. She hadn't given much thought to her clothes, her hair, or the fact that she wore mascara and lipstick only on special occasions.
She was wearing makeup tonight, along with her new pink dress. She didn't have any heels, which was just as well, considering that even in her flats she felt more than a little wobbly from sheer nerves. The last thing she needed was to fall on her face in front of the photographer and the people from the record label and the models.
It was funny, she thought as she headed into the hotel to join the party, the only person she wasn't worried about falling on her face in front of was Drew. Partly because she'd already done plenty of embarrassing things in front of him. But mostly because she knew that whatever happened, he'd just give her one of his gorgeous, teasing smiles and make her laugh about it.
No question, he'd been raised well. In two days, she'd get to meet his father and siblings when they came to New Orleans for his birthday. She'd find out if all the Morrisons were as great as Drew. She had a feeling they would be. She really hoped that the gift she'd been working on since he'd mentioned his birthday in the Valley of Fire would be ready in time.
The valet at the front door took a long look at her cleavage as he held the door open for her. She wasn't used to that kind of attention--wasn't quite comfortable with it either, to be honest--but told herself it was a good sign that she might not be totally overshadowed by all the models.
Laughter bubbled out of her at the absurd thought. Of course she would be overshadowed by the models. They were all tall and glossy and perfect, whereas she was just...her.
But he seems to like "just you," a voice inside her head reminded her. And I thought you were sick of hiding?
As she walked inside, she made herself hold her shoulders back rather than rounding them forward to hide her chest in the form-fitting dress. Insecurity didn't become anyone, so even though she'd been hit with it big-time as soon as the beautiful women had joined Drew's photo shoot, she wasn't going to let it take over.
Not tonight.
Laughter and music were spilling out of the ballroom as two gorgeous women who looked to be her age walked out in sky-high heels and teeny-tiny shimmering dresses. They hadn't been in the photo shoot, although they were certainly pretty enough to have made the cut. They didn't even spare her a glance as they walked by, arm in arm, laughing.
The insecurity she was so bound and determined to push away tried to rear its ugly head again, but she'd made it through Smith and Valentina's party in one piece, even with falling into the pool, hadn't she? So what if there were dozens of gorgeous women here tonight? All that mattered was that she and Drew had formed a connection. Even James had commented on how well they seemed to fit together.
No, it didn't make the least bit of sense that a star like Drew would fall for someone normal like her. And Ashley had always worked hard to make sure things added up, both in math class and in life. But maybe everything in life didn't always have to make perfect sense.
Could some things just be pure, sweet joy and pleasure?
The room was packed, but thankfully James spotted her within seconds. She figured Drew had asked his bodyguard to keep a special eye out for her the way he usually did. "You look great, Ashley." She smiled at him, really glad to see a friendly face. "I'll get you a drink. What's your poison?"
James was drinking a beer, but she'd never been much for alcohol. Besides, she didn't want to feel at all fuzzy once she and Drew finally got a chance to talk. "Sparkling water would be great, thank you."
"You're a good girl," he said approvingly, almost like a father would to his daughter. "I'll be right back."
Ashley knew she was a good girl and had never worried about that before. No one wanted the CEO of a company to be wild, after all. But she didn't think she wanted to be that good girl anymore. At least, not tonight. Not when she was finally realizing just how much joy and pleasure there was to discover in Drew's arms.
She tried to be casual as she leaned against the wall and waited for James to bring her drink, but it wasn't easy when she felt so far out of her element. She'd rarely been to parties even in college, though she'd gone to plenty of clubs in San Francisco to watch up-and-coming bands of all styles.
So far on this tour, she'd done plenty of things outside her comfort zone...especially this afternoon on the bus. But where that had been more enjoyable than anything she'd ever imagined, maybe coming to this party had been a mistake. Then again, if she wanted to work in the music business, wouldn't she have to get used to participating in events like this?
She groaned out loud at the way both sides of her brain were at war. Stay. Go. Stay. Go.
The crowd parted suddenly, and she looked right into Drew's eyes. Even though he was on the other side of the ballroom, she swore she could see heat in his expression. The same heat that had been there when he'd seen her wearing this dress for the first time, and then again on the bus this afternoon when he'd walked in on her touching herself.
She smiled at him, suddenly feeling incredibly happy that she'd stayed. Especially when he held out a hand and she knew it was for her.
All these beautiful women in the room and she was the one he wanted. It felt like a fairy tale. Like a dream come true. Even though she'd spent more of her life with her nose in a book or with a calculator in her hand than dreaming about Prince Charming, Ashley suddenly understood all those fairy tales her mother had liked to read to her when she was a little girl. Because when a man looked at you the way Drew was looking at--
Ashley stopped short as a positively stunning woman took Drew's hand, lifted it, and twirled around beneath it as if they'd choreographed the movement. And then, the next thing she knew, the woman
was in Drew's arms, and he was holding her tightly against him.
Feeling as though she were standing in the middle of the train tracks able to hear the conductor's whistle, but not able to get her feet to move, she watched as the woman lifted her lips to Drew's for a kiss. Just then, someone moved in front of Ashley, but she'd already seen enough. And when she got another clear look at Drew a moment later, he was still holding on to the gorgeous stranger, even more tightly now, his lips close to the woman's ear as if he were whispering sweet nothings to her.
The music kept playing, people kept talking and laughing around her, but all Ashley could hear was the blood rushing in her ears.
Oh God, I am such an idiot!
She should have known better than to get all dressed up tonight. She must look like she was trying too hard. All her life, she'd done just the opposite--she hadn't tried at all. But after this morning and afternoon on the bus, she'd started to feel more sure about taking another risk like the one she'd taken on the beach in Los Angeles.
She'd assumed that when he said he wanted to talk with her tonight, he'd meant he wanted them to talk about taking things even further. But she must have been wrong, must have misunderstood...all because she wanted the fairy tale to come true so badly.
Ashley gulped air into lungs that felt like they were burning as she hightailed it through the hotel and back out to the bus, even though she knew it wasn't any sanctuary at all, because she was sharing it with Drew. She'd just have to pretend to be asleep when he got back.
But then it hit her--what if he came in with one of the models? Or more than one of the models?
Wait. No. She couldn't go back to the bus tonight. Not if there was even a hint of a chance that he was going to board it with someone else. She'd been saving for graduate school and had been really careful with her money so far on this trip, but it didn't matter how much a night in this fancy hotel cost.
"I need a room," she told the woman behind the reception desk. "Just for tonight."
