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"I don't like it," he said with a frown, "but I'm trying to respect your wishes, Ash. Although, when my family comes out to meet me in New Orleans tomorrow for my birthday--"
"We can't tell them." The words flew from her mouth before she could pull them back.
His frown deepened. "Because it will get back to your father?"
"Partly. But also because they love you and they'll think I'm just some scheming groupie who planned this whole research project to get into your pants."
His frown fell away as he laughed. "There's no way they would think that."
"Even if they wouldn't..."
She suddenly felt like she couldn't breathe right. When she was in the moment with Drew, when she was in his arms, when she was listening to him play his music, everything was so exciting, so exhilarating. But then, whenever she tried to come back down to earth, she couldn't stop the spinning, and it felt like everything was spiraling out of control.
Not just because her physical need for him was so overpowering, but because her emotional need for him was becoming just as strong, if not stronger. Even after he'd just made love to her, she wanted to be with him just to see him smile, just to hear him laugh, just to see him look at her again as though she was the most important person in the world to him.
"Ash." She felt his hands on her cheeks as he cupped her jaw, and she focused her panicked gaze on him. "I didn't mean to push you too fast. It's just that I already know what I want--you--and I'm not used to waiting. But I'll wait. As long as it takes, okay?"
Even though his words were meant to soothe, she could still hear the impatience behind them. Impatience for her to own up to being with him, not only in dark rooms in a concert hall or a tour bus, but with their families...and millions of strangers. All of whom would surely wonder the same things: Why her? And how long can it possibly last?
The knocking came again, louder this time, along with James's voice. "We really need to get to the meet and greet, Drew."
She made herself smile at him. "I can't wait to meet your family tomorrow, and to celebrate your birthday with you." He'd given her the best week of her life. No matter what, she would make sure that he had the best birthday ever. Which meant freaking out like this was not an option. She pressed her lips to his, then said, "Go make your fans' dreams come true. I'll be just a step behind you, okay?"
She opened the door before he could answer and gave James her biggest smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to steal Drew away from his fans. If they're mad, it's my fault, not his."
"No one's mad," James said.
But she didn't chance a look at Drew's face, in case it turned out that he was indeed mad at her for not happily claiming the place he wanted her take at his side--as his girlfriend.
Chapter Twenty-Five
New Orleans, Louisiana
The next morning, Ashley tried to slide carefully from beneath Drew's arm without waking him, but she'd barely moved when his arm tightened around her.
"Don't go." His voice was heavy with sleep, but intense nonetheless. As if he truly never wanted to let her go.
"I just want to get your birthday present."
With his eyes still closed, he smiled, but didn't loosen his hold on her. "I already have the best birthday present in the world. You, here with me in bed."
It would have been so easy just to snuggle back into him, but she knew how quickly Drew's world moved, especially while on tour. If she didn't give him his present now, who knew when she would get another private moment? Especially because she wasn't sure he would want to share it with anyone else. Actually, both of his birthday gifts--the one she wanted to give him now and the one she would give him tonight when they came back to the bus after his show--were private.
She pressed a kiss to his incredibly sexy mouth, loving the way his morning stubble scratched her cheeks before she pulled away. "I'll be right back. I promise." She slid off the bed and out of reach before he could stop her.
All week she'd been hoping that the gift she'd had made for Drew would be delivered in time, and thankfully, Max had taken receipt of it yesterday afternoon. He'd texted her right away to let her know that it had arrived at the venue's business office and he'd put it in her bunk. She didn't have any wrapping paper with her, but at least it was still in the box, so Drew would have the pleasure of opening that.
Taking the small package out of her suitcase, her heart started thudding hard in her chest. She so hoped Drew would like it and that her gift would make him happy. She'd taken a risk by making it for him, but it was one she'd been compelled to take.
He was sitting up with the sheets loosely pooled around his waist when she returned to the bedroom. Even though she'd seen him naked more than once, the sight of his six-pack abs, muscular chest and arms, and smiling face was enough to make her stumble as she came through the door.
"I feel the same way, Ash. Every time I look at you." His grin shifted from slightly wicked to very wicked as he added, "Especially when you're walking around the bus without any clothes on."
She felt her skin flush all over, but even though she wasn't used to being naked in front of anyone else, the way Drew looked at her when she wasn't wearing any clothes made that little bit of lingering shyness more than worth it.
She moved to the side of the bed and held out the gift. "Happy birthday."
He took the present, but instead of opening the box right away, he put it down beside him and pulled her onto his lap to capture her mouth with his. He was grinning when he let her up for air, resting his hands gently, but possessively, on the curves of her hips. "Have I mentioned yet today how happy you make me?"
"I'm pretty sure that's what you just did," she said, her smile so big it almost hurt her cheeks. Not only was she flushed, but he'd just melted her insides, too. "You make me happy too, Drew. And I really hope you like your present."
"I know I will. Because it came from you."
She wiggled back enough for him to pick up the gift. She laughed when he shook it, just like a little kid trying to guess what might be inside. In the same way that he liked to build up their anticipation when they were making love, he took his time undoing the tape on the small box. She always shredded packages as she tore them apart to get to what was inside. It was exactly the way she felt with Drew--utterly desperate to have him. And powerless to control her urges.
Finally, he reached into the box and pulled out a tiny handmade wood, steel, and porcelain guitar hanging from a silver chain.
"It's my first guitar." His words sounded choked, as if he could barely get them out. "The one my mom gave me." He looked up from the necklace. "How did you know what it looked like?"
"After you told me about it, I scoured the Internet until I found a picture of it." She was unsure from his expression whether she'd done well...or horribly. "I just thought it was so lovely that your mother bought you your first guitar and that you ended up being so inspired by--"
His arms came around her, hugging her so tightly against him that the oxygen she needed to finish her sentence whooshed out of her lungs.
"Ash." She could feel how hard his heart was pounding against her own chest. "This is the best birthday gift anyone has ever given me."
She smiled and hugged him back as relief hit her. But at the same time, tears threatened to come, too. Her parents meant just as much to her, and she couldn't imagine losing them. And yet, when was the last time she'd seen her mother? At least a year ago, on her mother's last trip out to California.
Drew's phone buzzed from the corner with James's ring tone, and she knew their private time for the morning was up.
"I'm really glad you like it," she said when he finally loosened his hold on her.
"I love it."
For a moment, he looked as though he was going to say something more, and her heart nearly stopped beating at the thought that he might be about to say he loved her, too. Nothing in her life had ever moved as fast as her relationship with Drew. It had all been amazing so far, bu
t in the light of a new day, all those worries she'd made herself stuff down last night wanted to come popping back up like the Whac-A-Mole arcade game.
In the end, though, all he said was, "That's my half-hour warning bell from James. How about we see if we can both squeeze into my shower before he comes pounding on the door?"
Silently bopping her worries over the head with a mallet so that, at the very least, they would go away for the rest of Drew's birthday, she smiled at her amazing rock-star lover. He was the only man who had ever made her entire body heat up like this, with nothing but a few naughty words.
"Is your shower bigger than the one I've been using?"
He already had her in his arms, had grabbed a condom from the bedside table, and was carrying her toward the shower. "A little bigger, but not by much." He grinned down at her. "We're going to have to get real creative in there."
Creative. Oh my, just the thought of getting creative with Drew was enough to nearly send her over the edge.
"I have a minor in math," she told him when he put her down to reach into the shower to turn on the tap. "I was particularly good with space-filling models. I could always make things fit that no one else could."
"Jesus, Ash." He dragged her under the water. "Show me." His hands roved in dangerous and wonderful ways over her naked, wet skin. "Show me how we fit together better than any two people ever have."
The water was hot, but she still shivered at the passion beneath his words. All she wanted was to be close to him--there was nothing as good as that moment when he pushed inside her--but the shower wasn't big enough for her to wrap her hands and legs around him the way she wanted to.
The kisses he was running down over her neck and shoulders and then the swell of her breasts didn't help her brain work any faster. For several long moments, all she was capable of was soaking up the dual sensations of his mouth and hands on her.
