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West was happy she was finding ways to keep herself occupied. It made it easier for him to concentrate. Their setlist was twenty songs deep, though they only had to rehearse a handful to figure out the sound in the room.
Not to mention it would sound much different when the room filled anyway. He wandered over to her once they broke off to start the wining and dining portion of the evening.
“What are you scribbling so furiously over here?”
She blinked up at him, her eyes unfocused. “I spoke to a few of your fan club members. Did you know a few them have seen you guys over twenty-eight times?”
“We play a lot of clubs in and around California. Not terribly hard to find us.”
“It’s textbook stalking. And considering my history with your band, it seems the python may have more people to worry about than me.”
“Python?”
“Sorry. That’s rude. I didn’t mean to say that part out loud.”
West shrugged. “We call her Dragon Lady sometimes. Twenty-eight shows you say?”
She nodded. “Jody Walters. She’s really nice, and man did I get an education about your background. She’s better than Wikipedia.”
“Yeah the band has quite the past.”
“No, you.”
“Oh.” He was a little worried about that subject. He wasn’t exactly an innocent—not nearly as legendary as purported, but he definitely had his share of fun.
“I think my favorite rumor was that you were with Jamie DuCaine.” She tipped her head, her phone clutched in her hand. “Any truth there?”
His eyebrows shot up. “What?”
“Evidently, there’s been a few photo sessions with the bands on this tour and there’s a lot of speculation that you and Jamie had something of a tryst.”
“Tryst?” Her word choices never ceased to amuse him, but that was a rumor he hadn’t heard. Brooklyn Dawn may have been the main act on the tour, but they were so out of their sphere. When they did get the chance to interact, they were welcoming, but their PR schedule was incredible. They were literally sprinting to get to soundchecks and the two bands passed each other with barely a wave.
“You’re not answering.” She gnawed the inside of her cheek. “It’s fine if you were,” she said quietly.
He crouched in front of her chair. “No. God, no.”
She held up her phone and turned it to him. “Really?”
Jamie—James to most of her friends—was on his lap and had turned his face to hers at the last minute and planted a liplock on him.
He remembered it now that the picture was in front of him. But it had meant little to either of them at the time. James was always doing things to shock people. She’d kissed Elle a few weeks ago on a dare from her guitarist.
The best part of that one had been Elle’s right cross. She’d snapped Jamie’s head back and bloodied her nose. James had laughed like a lunatic and hugged her. The girl was fucking insane. There was no way in hell he’d be dating a woman like her.
“Are you formulating a lie? I’ll know.”
He sighed. “I’m sorry you know how to spot a lie.”
Her lips parted and her eyes went shiny. “I know you’ve been with people before me. And I’m sure I’ll bump into a former girlfriend or sex partner, but I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to compete with Jamie DuCaine.”
He stood and pulled her up to meet him. He cupped her face. “First of all, there’s no competition. James and I are barely more than acquaintances. And even if there had been a past between her and I—and there isn’t nor wasn’t,” he said when she opened her mouth. She snapped her teeth shut with a growl. “We may only be starting here, Lo, but I would never disrespect you like that.”
She looked down. “I don’t like these confusing emotions.”
He tilted her chin up and covered her mouth. The kiss was firm and possessive. He wasn’t sure how to tell her that there wouldn’t be another person like her in his life. At least with words that wouldn’t send her sprinting for the door. Four days, goddammit. Four days and every cell told him he’d never be able to live without her.
He was fucking certifiable.
