“Hmm… Sleep sounds good.”
“Or maybe you’d be interested in grabbing a coffee with me?”
“Do we have to sneak out again?” He climbed to his feet, running a hand through his hair.
“No, apparently there’s a Starbucks upstairs in the main lobby that’s open for you guys.”
“Ah, my very own Starbucks—I must be dreaming.”
She laughed. “C’mon.”
Beau glanced over at them from where he stood talking with some of the other security detail.
“Where are you two off to?”
“Just grabbing coffee upstairs,” Daisy said. “Do you want me to bring you one back?”
“No, I’m fine. But don’t be gone long.”
“We’ll be right back,” Trevin said. But for once, he wished they didn’t have to come right back—that they could go on a regular date and not have to worry about crowds and paparazzi or Beau getting suspicious. However, he knew things would be like this for a long time. And he’d have to make the most of the short spans of time they got with each other. At least Beau was being more chill now that they were off the bus. And he hadn’t said anything to LJ about Daisy falling asleep on the couch, so maybe he was warming up to the idea of them hanging out. Although, if he found out about the bet he and Ryder had going, that might change everything.
…
Daisy glanced at Trevin as they made their way upstairs. She couldn’t believe she’d fallen asleep with him last night. She liked waking up in his arms this morning—it felt right. Not that she was about to tell him that. Damn. What was he doing to her? Pretty soon she’d be too far gone to ever get revenge on him. As each day passed, she found more reasons to postpone her big plan.
The more she got to know him, the more she realized he might not be the douchebag she first thought he was.
“Have you heard from your mom at all?” Trevin reached for her hand.
Daisy let him take it as they approached Starbucks. “Not since the day of the video shoot. She’s in Italy with her boyfriend—so I’m sure she’s just totally busy. What about you? Do you hear from your family much?”
He smiled. “Yeah, I actually talked to my sister this morning. She’s trying to survive a summer of boredom on our farm.”
“You must’ve had fun growing up on a farm, all those animals and lots of land.”
He shrugged, taking out his wallet as they approached the café. “Trust me, it was a ton of work. We barely had time to do anything but focus on crops and cows and that sort of thing.”
The barista moved to the counter to wait on them. “What can I get for you?”
“A mocha Frappuccino.” Daisy took out her own money, not wanting him to pay for everything all the time. It was nice to know that he was normal before the whole explosion of Seconds to Juliet. That he wasn’t really some rich, stuck-up guy who threw his money around. If she was wrong about that stuff, she wondered what else she might be wrong about.
“I’ll have the same,” Trevin said, pushing Daisy’s money back at her. “Let me get this round.”
“But you bought me that dress in Georgia, and it cost a lot.”
“Daisy, please? I want to treat you. Besides, guys are supposed to pay for dates.”
She quirked an eyebrow at him. “So this is a date?” Nervousness fanned over her like windstorm. She had to admit she liked the sound of that.
Trevin paid the barista. “About as close as we’re going to get to one here on tour.”
Once they had their drinks in hand, Daisy tugged Trevin to a small table overlooking a courtyard. “Since we have time to burn, we might as well enjoy the peace and quiet.”
Trevin let out a contented sigh as he sat down across from her. “I miss stuff like this. The solitude—being able to just enjoy things without people hounding me.”
“Do you ever think about quitting the band?” Daisy played with the straw on her cup.
He stretched out his legs and leaned back in his chair. “No. Don’t get me wrong, I love making music and hanging out with the guys—I just miss having downtime.”
“Will you get time off soon?”
“Hard to say. This tour will take us through the end of summer, then LJ talked about us doing an overseas venue. So we might get home for a few days around Christmas—but he’s already working on booking us a New Year’s Eve concert.”
Daisy couldn’t imagine being away from home all the time. Well, at least not until she went away to college next year. “So you missed your junior and senior years of high school?”
“Yep.” He grinned. “Trust me, I didn’t mind it too much.”
“That means you didn’t get to go to prom or homecoming or walk for graduation?”
“Nope. I took my classes with private tutors and teachers. And while everyone else was going to school dances, I was playing concerts and presenting at award shows.”
Daisy cringed.
“I bet you’ve had lots of guys lining up to take you to dances,” Trevin said.
“Actually, no. The last guy who was supposed to take me to homecoming stood me up the day of. It was pretty shitty—so I boycotted prom and every other school function that required a date.” Daisy took a drink, avoiding Trevin’s gaze.
“Seriously? Someone stood you up? What an asshole. I’d love to meet this guy.”
He didn’t realize the asshole was sitting right across from her. She wanted to tell him—to make him feel horrible, but instead she bit her tongue. Why the hell was it so hard for him to remember what he did? Even now, sitting across from her talking about it, didn’t even trigger anything.
“He’s one of the reasons I’m not big on dating now,” Daisy said at last. “Because in the end things never work out. My dad walked away—and I’m not sure I could handle someone else doing that to me.”
Trevin leaned across the table and took her hand. “Daisy, I’m not your dad—I would never hurt you like that.”
Problem was, he already had, and Daisy didn’t think there was any coming back from it. Her chest tightened and she shifted her gaze away from him. She wanted to believe he’d changed, that he wouldn’t do something like that again, but he already had two strikes against him: one for standing her up and one for not remembering her.
“Look, I’m sure you’re this super nice guy, but you’re also very busy. You won’t have time for dating or a serious girlfriend.” She stared at their fingers linked together.
“Maybe I would, shouldn’t that be for me to decide?” Trevin slid his hand free of hers and touched her face.
Her breath caught in her throat, while her pulse echoed like the constant chime of a clock in her ears. His thumb swept over her lips as if to steal a kiss from them. Trevin bent forward until his forehead touched hers.
“Do you want to go somewhere with me?” he asked.
“Wh—where did you have in mind?” Crap, she needed to abort, now. If she went anywhere with him, she knew she might not be strong enough to resist Trevin’s charm. Already, she felt herself falling soul first into his eyes. And last night, if her dad hadn’t been on the bus with them, she would’ve given in then, too.
“Probably somewhere close or your dad might shank me,” he teased, pulling back slightly so he could stare down at her. “I think I saw a door to the courtyard. We could go out there—that way we’re not technically leaving the building.”
She smiled. “It’s all in the small details, right?”
“Yep, see, we’re bending the rules, not breaking them.” His chair scraped against the tiles as he slid it back and stood, offering her his hand to help her up.
Daisy followed Trevin down the wide hall, lights reflecting off the tan and white tiles. The air conditioning blasted them with cold air as they rounded the corner. There on the right were the glass doors. Trevin pushed them open and a blast of heat hit them as they stepped out into the sun. The scent of flowers seemed to surround them as butterflies twitted about the blades of grass. Water tric
kled from a small fountain near the back of the courtyard, while two large trees offered some shade against the heat of the day.
“Wow, it’s beautiful out here.” Daisy spun around.
“It’s nice to be outside in the fresh air—I don’t get to do a lot of that anymore.” Trevin found a spot under one of the trees and slipped off his sweatshirt over his head, using it as a pillow as he lay down.
Daisy took a seat next to him, watching as he closed his eyes. He looked so peaceful. And cute. She loved the way his mouth turned up at the corners. How she could just get a peek of his abdomen when he lifted his arms.
“Are you watching me?”
She blushed. “No.”
He cracked an eye open then tugged her down beside him so her head rested in the crook of his arm. “You smell good.”
“Well, I haven’t showered this morning, so I’m sure you’ll change your mind about that soon.”
“No, I don’t think so.” He paused. “Have I told you how often I’ve thought about that kiss we shared during the music video?” He brushed strands of hair from her face, then perched himself upright with his elbow.
She wet her lips. “No.”
“I think about it every night, when I see you watching our show, or when I see you sitting across from me during meals. Before I go to bed.”
She thought about it, too. More than she wanted to admit. Her insides fluttered like tiny moths tickling her belly. The warmth of his hand cupped the back of her neck as he urged her closer. His mouth pressed against hers, and she wrapped her arms around him, letting him kiss her.
Heat spiraled out of control as her blood pounded in her ears. His lips parted hers and she caught the faint taste of mocha Frappuccino. She needed to stop this. Yet she didn’t back away; instead, she gave in. Gave in to the year of pent-up emotions. To the longing she’d felt before everything happened. Her fingers wound into the hair at the nape of his neck. It was like they were picking back up where they’d left off during the video shoot. When she’d wanted more, but was too scared to let herself enjoy it.
His tongue teased hers, his palm sliding down her back, making small circling motions.
“Trevin.” She whispered his name as she caught his bottom lip between her teeth.
“Do you want me to stop?” His breath fanned against her neck.
Yes, she thought. But that wasn’t the word that came from her mouth. “No.”
In the distance, Daisy thought she heard the sound of a door opening, but she ignored it. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything,” Miles said. “But LJ is looking for you, mate.”
Daisy jerked free from Trevin and quickly smoothed down her clothes. “I should probably go find my dad.”
“Daisy, wait,” Trevin called, catching hold of her T-shirt before she could run away.
“Sorry I barged in,” Miles said.
“No, it’s fine.” Daisy glanced at Trevin. “It’s probably good that you did. I’ll see you later.”
This time she hurried away, not looking back. What the hell had she done? It was one thing to kiss him for a music video, but quite another to make out with him in a courtyard of her own free will. Damn, she needed to get herself back on track. Maybe find a snippet of the video where he stood her up—that ought to be the cold bucket of ice water she needed about now. But was the video still an option? Did she truly want to take him down? God, she was so confused. Drunk on his kisses and sweet words.
Chapter Sixteen
Trevin’s body still tingled like he’d been zapped by an electric wire. He didn’t know what’d come over him—but he couldn’t get enough of Daisy. After their first kiss, all he’d thought about was getting a second and third. He loved spending time with her, but out here, it seemed next to impossible. Maybe she was right. Maybe starting something was a bad idea.
Then why did his heart tell him otherwise? Shit. He was fine before she came along. He focused on his music and keeping the guys in line. Now he spent half his time daydreaming about her or pissing off her dad. Okay, he needed to remember why he started to pursue her to begin with. He had a huge opportunity to get in on that collaboration. But was that what this was still about?
“Dude, I never thought I’d see the day when you’d be tripping over a girl,” Miles said.
“Don’t start. What you just witnessed was a moment of weakness.” Trevin slung his sweatshirt over his shoulder and followed Miles back downstairs.
“You keep telling yourself that, mate. But I know that look—I’ve seen it on my own face when I’m with Aimee.”
“I just don’t know what to do. One second I think she really likes me—then in the next moment she’s shoving me away. She’s got a lot of trust issues when it comes to guys. Plus, it’s not like any of this is real, right?” Or that’s what he kept trying to tell himself. Deep down he wasn’t so sure anymore.
“Nice try, but I think it stopped being about the bet after you kissed her on the beach.” Miles slapped his arm.
“Do you think I’m making a mistake?” Trevin had no idea where all the doubt was coming from. Normally he was so sure of himself.
“I don’t know—only you can answer that. If you like her, then no. But if you’re not into her, then yeah. Maybe you should just call it quits with Ryder, dude.”
“Wow, that was a lot of help.” Trevin rolled his eyes. But maybe Miles was right.
“I’m full of all sorts of good advice. Like don’t eat yellow snow, floss after you brush, don’t piss off blokes bigger than you…”
“Yeah, you’re a walking book of knowledge.”
When they got downstairs, he found LJ waiting for him by his dressing room. “Good, Miles found you. I need to have a quick word with you.”
“Sure.” He went into the dressing room and LJ closed the door behind them.
LJ perched himself on the arm of a loveseat. “I hope we can put yesterday’s incident behind us. I already talked to PR, and lucky for you, the fans thought you guys were funny. But you can’t let anything else like this happen—who knows if we’ll be able to clean up the mess next time. Do you understand?”
Trevin sighed, jamming his hands into his jeans pockets. “Yes, I got it.”
“And you need to be careful with Beau’s daughter. I don’t need you getting distracted from things going on around you. For instance, did you realize Ryder snuck off with Mia the other day? Before this girl came along, you knew exactly where everyone was at all times.”
“I thought you were the one who said it’d be good to date her.” Trevin fisted his hand. His jaw tightened. No way was he going to let Lester tell him who he could and could not have a relationship with.
“I said it’d be good for your image to ‘date the help,’ not take her to bed.” LJ snorted, popping a Life Saver in his mouth.
Trevin seethed. What a fucking asshole. Did he honestly think Daisy had slept with him? If so, who the hell told him about the incident on the bus to begin with? “I don’t appreciate you talking about Daisy that way. And for your information—we didn’t have sex. I’m eighteen… You’re my manager, not my fucking life coach.” Trevin flung open the door and stalked out.
“Trevin, I didn’t mean it like that. Look, let’s calm down.” LJ chased after him.
Will glanced at him as he pushed out of the concert hall, but no one tried to stop him. Within a couple seconds he heard Beau behind him.
“So are you going to just take off without a bodyguard?” He grabbed his shoulder and tugged him to a stop.
“I’m so fucking sick of Lester. Tired of him shoving his nose into my business. Tired of him telling me who I can and cannot date. And I’m damn sick of him forcing me to babysit everyone in this band—like every bad decision they make is my fault.” Trevin’s breathing came faster. With a grunt, he hauled off and punched a nearby brick wall. Pain shot through his hand and up his arm. But it felt good to lash out. He wanted to live his life, not answer to someone every second of every day.
“Hey.” Beau stopped him from swinging again. “LJ’s a prick. And you’re right that he shouldn’t have a say in every aspect of your life. He’s your manager, which means he needs to look after the band. None of what the other boys do is your fault or up to you—they all make their own decisions, and they have to pay the consequences. Unfortunately, some of what they do may affect how others see the band as a whole. But you’re better than this, Trevin—don’t let him get to you.”
“You know I was okay with him talking shit to me, until he mentioned that I slept with Daisy. I didn’t like the way he said it.” Trevin glared off into the distance. “I know I pissed you off when I fell asleep with her on the couch, but I promise I’d never disrespect her like that on our tour bus. Nothing happened between us—but someone ran his damn mouth to LJ.” Since Ryder had convinced LJ to do away with the video cameras, he knew either one of his bandmates or the crew said something.
“Maybe one of the guys was joking with him—I know you didn’t do anything with her the other night. If I thought for a second you’d taken advantage of her, she wouldn’t have been allowed to get coffee with you earlier. I trust you—to a point.”
“What? You don’t think I’d make great son-in-law material?” Trevin grinned.
“Now you’re pushing it. Don’t make me throw you in a trash can or rearrange your face.” Beau joked, releasing his arm. “You think you’ve calmed down enough to go back inside?”
“As long as Lester stays the hell away from me for a couple hours,” Trevin said.
“All right, how about I send Daisy into your dressing room to keep you company? As long as you keep your hands to yourself.”
Trevin held up his palms. “I will.”
“Good. Then I’ll tell LJ you need some time to cool off, and he can talk to you later.” Beau glanced down at Trevin’s hand. “We might want to get that looked at. I think it’s swelling.”
Trevin rubbed his bruised fist. “I’ll be fine. If it still hurts after tonight’s show, I’ll see if we can swing by the hospital tomorrow on our way to Tennessee.”
Trevin let Beau lead him back inside. He wondered if his bodyguard would be so quick to let Daisy hang out with him if he knew about their second kiss in the courtyard.
Daisy and the Front Man (Entangled Crush) (Backstage Pass) Page 15