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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."
