Crazy Baby (6 page)

“Travis Malone. Do you have a girlfriend I haven’t met yet?” Andi asks sweetly.

“No,” I say with a laugh. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“Ah,” she says with a nod of her head. “One of
those
, then.”

“One of what?” I stop and look at her, one side of my mouth quirked up in a semi-smile. Is that jealousy I detect on her part? Or is that wishful thinking on my part?

“Oh, you know. Friends with benefits, all that,” she says with a dismissive wave of her hand.

As she turns to continue walking down the hall, I grab her arm around her elbow to stop her. I’m not ready for this conversation to end just yet. “Hold up. Guilty until proven innocent, is it?” I ask.

“No,” she denies. “Well, maybe.” She gives me her full-on smile before she continues. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound so judgmental. I’m sure you have a long line of women just waiting to be with you—friend, girlfriend, or just general benefits. What you do with them isn’t my business.”

“But you don’t approve of one of those three, I take it.”

“I can only speak for myself. Maybe I’m just selfish, but I refuse to share. If I’m not worthy of being the only one, then he’s not worthy of sharing my bed,” she explains.

“Would you still think badly of me if you knew the girl was willing to share me?” I cross my arms over my chest and wait for her answer.

“I don’t think badly of you for it regardless, Travis. I’m simply saying if we were seeing each other, it wouldn’t happen that way. I don’t share at all. If I found out tomorrow that Luke’s cheating on me, it would be over between us. It’s all the same to me—either I’m enough or I’m not.”

“Thanks for clarifying that,” I reply with a smile.

“So, who’s the hot girl then?”

“There wasn’t one. Honestly. He has me confused with someone else.”

She gives me a dubious look. “I find that hard to believe. It’s a little hard to mistake
you
for someone else, Travis.”

“You think I’d lie to you? Do you not trust me, Andi?” I ask. I’m honestly interested in her response.

Her teasing smile fades and her expression turns serious. “Of course I trust you, Travis. I was teasing. I thought maybe you didn’t want to talk about your private life, but I never thought you were lying to me.”

The sincerely apologetic tone in her voice is unmistakable. Her hand reaches out to take mine, creating a connection and reassurance regarding her intentions. The touch ensures a direct bond between us, and the impulsive urge to pull her into my arms becomes overpowering.

My face must give away my internal battle between doing what’s right and doing what I really want to do. Andi misreads it, though, and thinks that I’m offended by her insinuation.

“Travis, I’m really sorry. Are you honestly that upset with me?”

Lacing my fingers with hers, I give her hand a small squeeze. This is the first time I’ve held her hand since I met her on the show, and it’s sad how much it thrills me. Her skin is so soft, her hand so small in mine, and I can’t make my hand let go.

“No, Andi, I’m not upset with you at all. I don’t know why he said that
—
” I jerk my head toward the sound booth “
—
but there was no brunette, or blonde, or even a redhead for that matter. Not saying I haven’t had my share of ‘general benefits’ while on tour, but that was before. That’s not where my heart is anymore. I just wanted you to know the truth because it matters what you think of me.”

Her eyes dart back and forth between mine as she contemplates my words. I can see her mind is working overtime to process everything I just said. When she finally replies, she owns me with her sincerity all over again.

“Travis, you have to know how I feel about you. Every time I learn something new about you, I’m amazed all over again at how wonderful you are. Just when I think I have you figured out, you floor me again. You obviously feel things in ways that others never even think about. You pour those feelings into your music, and it speaks to so many people. I think the world of you.”

I have just one question that needs answering now.
What do I do if my soul mate is already attached to someone else?

ANDI

Time is flying by way too fast. We’re quickly approaching Christmas and, too soon after that, Luke will leave for the training camp. Even with not getting to see each other much, he’s always here when I climb into bed at night. More times than not, he wakes long enough to make sweet love to me. Our nighttime encounters are even more special, and he takes his time to make sure my body is thoroughly worshiped.

I’ve been getting up early in the morning just to spend a few minutes over breakfast talking to him. Our opposite schedules are hard right now, but I’m seriously dreading the first night that I climb into our cold, empty bed alone. Taking a seat beside him, I place his bowl of oatmeal and fruit in front of him.

“Thank you, baby,” he says and gives me a quick kiss. “How’s the rehearsing going?”

“It’s really good. I wish you had time to come by the studio and listen. In the last couple of weeks, my voice has really strengthened. The two duets that Travis and I have been practicing are almost ready to be recorded.”

Luke gives me a warm smile, and the gleam in his eyes says he’s proud of me. “I can’t wait to hear them, Andi. And, for the record, your voice has always been amazing. That first night I heard you sing in the club, you stole my heart before I even knew your name.

“Although, I have to admit, when you sang ‘Familiar Taste of Poison
’
to me during your skit, you completely owned me. I’ll never forget that,” he says. “That’s when I knew you were the only one for me.”

This big brute of a man melts me in every conceivable way. As if we can read the other’s mind, his arm moves out of the way just as I move over to my place in his lap. His muscular arm wraps around me, I snuggle into his warm body, and he finishes his breakfast with his one free hand.

“Luke, I’m going to miss you so much.”

“Hey, are you crying?” he asks, his voice thick with concern.

“I’ve just been thinking about when you leave and I come home at night. I love crawling in bed and snuggling up to you. Being apart will really suck,” I state flatly.

“Yeah, it will. No doubt about that. Our schedules will be fucked up during that time, too. Time zones. My days will start before dawn, and yours will probably just be ending then,” he says.

“Not every day, but the days around concert nights definitely will. We have press junkets to attend, shows to do, and interviews at radio stations. Some days will be spent traveling between cities, so that’ll be some downtime for me,” I explain.

“I’ll do whatever I have to do to make it work,” Luke promises.

“Me too. Even if that means getting up at whatever unholy morning hour I need to just to talk to you for a few minutes,” I vow.

“And if I have to stay up all night to wait for you, I will.”

I laugh at that comment because Luke really doesn’t know Joe at all. “No, you won’t, babe. Joe will have a tight leash on you and, if you defy him, he can kick you out of the camp. Don’t do that—it’ll cause too many problems.”

“This camp will be worse than boot camp in the military, won’t it?”

“Yep.” No need to sugarcoat it for him. He’ll see for himself soon enough.

Luke sighs heavily and wraps his other arm around me. “What about smuggling you in to stay with me when you’re in the area? Will that get me kicked out?”

“I’m hoping Pop has some pull with that. Normally, spouses are allowed a rare conjugal visit.”

“Great. Now I feel like I’m going to prison.”

I laugh and squeeze him harder
. “You’ll consider prison as a vacation when Joe gets through with you.”

“Oh, think you’re funny, do you? Getting a little too much pleasure from my impending pain?”

When all I can do is laugh as a reply, Luke suddenly stands and carries me to the couch. Plunking me down on my back, he quickly covers my body with his. He holds my hands above my hand with one of his big hands, and his legs have my legs completely trapped. With a devilish grin
, he threatens me.

“You know you have to pay for that now, don’t you?”

“What? Pay for it how? No, Luke!” I squeal as I see his other hand coming for my ribs and realize his intention.

For the next several minutes, it feels like we’ve found our way back to each other through a gigantic maze of obstacles. He tickles me relentlessly and I laugh hysterically. For a short time, we just have fun together and forget about everything else going on in our lives.

My screams of laughter from being tickled mercilessly seem to add fuel to the fire, as he laughs and enjoys his form of torture way too much. Writhing and squirming as much as I can under his weight, I try to get away, but his grip is too strong.

“Are you going to make fun of my predicament again?” he asks with mock intimidation in his tone, his left eyebrow quirked up in playful challenge.

“No,” I reply on a heavy breath. “No! I won’t!” I scream when his hand moves back in place.

“That’s what I thought.” He smirks at me. His hand flattens against my side as his mouth covers mine, instantly changing the charge in the air. He moans appreciatively as I slip my tongue into his mouth.

“You’re trying to kill me,” he whispers against my lips. “You know I definitely want to stay home with you now.” He quickly glances at his watch, and his face registers the disappointment he feels. “Damn, if I don’t leave now, I’ll be late.”

“You better go then, Luke. Mack will be mad if he’s there this early and you’re not. It’s best for you to keep in his good graces,” I sigh. He kisses me one last time before he gets up. My body instantly feels the loss of his warmth, and the craving is so bad it causes me to shiver.

Rising on shaky legs, I fill his water jug and assemble his snacks while he gets his gym bag from the bedroom. When he rushes back into the kitchen, my heart skips a beat as he smiles brightly at me when he realizes I’ve saved him a little time.

“Thank you, baby. I love you,” he says sincerely as he threads his fingers through my hair. “Wake me when you get home tonight.”

“Oh, with pleasure,” I reply seductively as I kiss him goodbye.

He walks out the door to the garage, and I can’t help but smile when I hear him mutter under his breath, “Fucking killing me.”

Since we both dread the same unavoidable consequence of our separation, I’ve finally decided what to get Luke for Christmas. I’ve spent my mornings decorating the house with lights and garland over the past week. The tree is up and ready for a few packages with all the bows and shiny wrapping paper.

Since I have some free time this morning, I move quickly to finish putting up the last of the decorations, pick up the house, and then get dressed. I have a couple of destinations to hit this morning, and neither will be easy to get to in the last-minute Christmas rush. There are two malls in the Buckhead area of Atlanta that are calling my name. I don’t know why I didn’t think of these gifts earlier, but now I have no doubt that they’re perfect.

Pulling up to the area of the first mall, my bottom jaw drops. Atlanta traffic is bad on a good day, but it’s an absolute nightmare during the shopping season. By the time I finally find a parking spot, I’m convinced I’m no closer to the mall than I was before I left my house. Partly walking and partly sprinting, I finally make it inside and elbow my way through the crowd.

It’s now that I realize the line for the cashier is extended outside the store and into the main corridor of the mall. With a groan of frustration, I stand in line and wait for my turn. Checking my watch repeatedly only adds to my frustration as time keeps slipping away from me. At this rate, I’ll slide into the studio parking lot, taking the curves on two wheels, and rush inside just in time to be late.

I grab as many accessories as I can in this store so I won’t have to try to find them somewhere else later. Once I’m finally at the cash register, the young girl behind the counter stops and stares at me for a moment before blinking again.

Smiling as I try to remember that she’s probably just as frustrated as I am in this crowd, I speak first. “Hi. How are you? I’m running a little late, so if I can just get these and run, I can figure out how to program them on my own.”

“You’re…you’re Andi,” she stutters.

“Yes, that’s right,” I reply, confused.

“You’re…you’re going on tour with Sound Bar!” she shrieks loudly, causing other heads to snap to our direction.

“Umm, yeah,” I reply, unsure of what else I’m supposed to say. I never thought anyone would recognize me since I’m just the first opening act.

“Oh my gosh! I can’t believe you’re here! Can I get your autograph?” she gushes.

“Yes, as soon as you hand over my credit card receipt,” I tease. “I’ll be glad to sign another one for you, but I’m really late, so I need to finish up here. Please.”

“I’m so sorry! Here you go.” She finally hands me the papers to sign. “I’m sorry, really. If I’d known you were in line, I would’ve had them bring you up first.”

“Oh, that’s not necessary at all. I just have another stop to make, and I’m already running late for it. Thanks again, Peyton,” I say, reading her nametag.

She squeals again when I say her name. “I can’t wait to see you and Travis Malone sing together! It’ll be amazing!”

I smile and wave to her as she dreamily watches me leave. I feel sorry for the person behind me who’s still waiting to be checked out. But I don’t feel sorry enough to stop now that I’m out of the store. Rushing to my next location, I’m relieved to find it is much more organized and easier to maneuver through the crowd to the jewelry store. The clerk expertly helps me find the perfect item and sends it off for engraving.

Once I’m finally alone in my car after my shopping excursion, I replay the conversation with the young girl at the first mall. I had plenty of interactions with the paparazzi when I went through a very trying time publicly, but this felt so different than that incident.

This was an average, everyday person who recognized me as the opening act. After experiencing that odd sensation of a stranger knowing me, I can only imagine what it feels like for Travis to experience that to the thousandth degree. His fans are zealots over him. I’ve heard stories about how they wait outside his hotel, behind the arenas, and at his tour buses just trying to get a glimpse of him.

Once Luke’s name and face get out there, it’ll be the same for him. His rugged good looks, his muscular physique, and his fighting prowess will quickly propel him to the top of the top of the world’s sexiest man category. I’ll either have to fight every living female off or I’ll have to quickly get used to women throwing themselves at him right in front of me. I didn’t handle that so well when it happened with one waitress, and now it’ll be with hordes of women who are clamoring after him.

I have exactly five minutes to spare, and the gym is on the way between where I am now and the studio. Making an impromptu decision to stop and see my man, I whip into the gym parking lot and rush inside. The enormous gym is as packed as ever with men of varying skill levels and weight classes working on their boxing skills. But, it’s the view in front of me that stops me dead in my tracks.

Luke is in the ring sparring with another guy. His shirt is off, and I’ve never seen his beautiful body so ripped. He’s been working out hard, giving this dream everything he has, and his hard work is certainly showing now. Every muscle is pumped and ready for action. The sinewy cords are flexing and straightening with his every breath, his every twist and turn. The beads of sweat run down his chest, over every ripple and bump of his abs, until they find the perfect V that disappears into his shorts.

I’m standing here drooling like I’ve never seen a shirtless man before. The thing is, I haven’t seen
my
man look like that before now. Where has my mind been? I feel like the worst girlfriend-slash-fiancée in the world. I haven’t been here at the gym to support him because I’ve been so focused on my own ambitions.

When Tom rings the bell to signal the end of the round, Luke trots to his corner to get water and I approach the ring. I see his eyes cut toward me, but he quickly looks back at Mack. Then his head jerks in my direction and his mouth gapes open.

“Hey, baby! What are you doing here?” he asks, obviously surprised to see me.

“I missed you,” I admit. “I had some errands to run in the area, and I have a whole five minutes to stop and see you before I’m officially late. But it’s so worth it to me,” I say as I rake my eyes over him again.

I do believe I just made my man blush. What about that.

“Put your mouthpiece back in and get back out there.” Mack orders.

Luke flashes me his sexy grin, and I know without hearing the words that he’ll pay me back for this later tonight. I can’t help but smile back because I’ll gladly pay the price for him. He leans over the ropes and so thoroughly kisses me, right in front of everyone, that I’m positive my body is about to erupt into flames any second now. My toes are curled, my hands are clenched around his neck, and my chest is heaving with needful breaths.

“Have a good day, beautiful,” he winks, and Tom puts Luke’s mouthpiece back in place.