“Right,” I said, peeling myself from the seat and grabbing my bag that lay next to my feet before cracking my door open. “In Quincey Falls, it’s easy to forget the whole famous thing, ya know?”
“Trust me, I know. But you’ll get used to it.”
Would I, though?
The thought of being under a constant microscope hadn’t really crossed my mind, but now I couldn’t stop thinking about it. The idea of people just waiting to pick you apart every chance they got had my coffee from earlier splashing around my rib cage.
I swallowed, attempting to clear the invisible lump in the back of my throat.
I needed to tell him about the adoption, and I would, but not yet. Not until after the show. He was already anxious about it,that much was obvious, and I wouldn’t be the one to heighten his nerves.
His palm slid to my thigh, the sudden touch sparking a tingly sensation in the tips of my toes that crept all the way up my brain. “I promise,” he said.
I shifted my head toward the driver’s seat just in time to see a storm rolling through his eyes, turning them a deep shade of midnight blue. This touch was different than the hug we shared earlier. This touch was laced with suggestion, and we both knew it.
Before I could collect my thoughts, he was out of the car and opening my door.
“Holy shit,” I mumbled under my breath before he could hear me.
“Hey, y’all,” Michael said, his accent even more Southern than both mine and Stetson’s combined. “This must be Ms. Carson.”
“Yes, sir. The one and only,” Stetson said.
“Hi, it’s nice to meet you,” I said, stepping up and offering my hand. “But please, call me Scarlett.”
Michael shot a look over at Stetson.
Stetson nodded. “I told you. Whatever she wants.”
Whatever I want?
I aggressively rubbed my lips back and forth, hoping for a distraction because my thoughts had already hopped into the saddle and were ready for another ride.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Scarlett. Our boy Stetson here hasn’t been able to stop talking about you. Me and the rest of the guys were starting to think that maybe you were just a figment of his imagination.”
The comment forced a tiny laugh to escape my mouth.
“Is that so? Only good things, I assume…” I was talking to Michael, but I was looking right at Stetson as a grin crawled across the lower half of my face.
“The best actually,” he confirmed before moving on. “I’ll be running Stetson to the stadium here in a bit, but then I’ll be back to come get you whenever you’re ready.”
“Actually—” Stetson cleared his throat. “I need you to take her downtown to get ready at her hotel before the show, and then she’ll be staying there tonight.” The words were so forced he almost seemed mad he had to say them.
“That’s not a problem at all. Are you wanting to head there now?” Michael asked, trying his best and still failing to mask his surprise.
Stetson’s lack of eye contact and rigid expression must’ve been the confirmation I needed because before I knew it, my mouth was moving, saying exactly what I’d been wanting to say since we were in the truck.
“If it’s easier, I can just get ready here…” I offered. “If that’s still okay with you?”
He maintained eye contact with me and only me as he unclenched his teeth, a sinister grin taking over his entire face. “Michael, would you mind getting Scarlett’s bags out of the truck bed and bringing them up?”
“Of course not.” I wasn’t looking in Michael’s direction, but in my periphery, I swore I saw a smirk.
“Thank you, sir,” Stetson chimed in. “I’ll be back down here in about forty-five minutes.”
“Don’t be late,” Michael insisted. “I don’t want to listen to Mark.”
“Did you hear that? Don’t make me late or you’ll get me into trouble,” he said, his eyes flashing to mine, as they flirted with even more suggestion now.
