Page 71 of Love on Tour
Austin leaned back in his seat and looked at her.
“Don’t try to say anything, Austin. There’s nothing to say.”
“You have no idea what that did to me.”
“Yeah, well. It didn’t do me any favors, either.”
He unbuckled his seat belt, leaned over, and gave her a hug and a light kiss on the lips. “I’m sorry.”
“I know.”
He got out of the car and walked onto the bus. Christine knew Matt was behind the bus door. So close. She shook her head, put her car in drive, and went home.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Shortly after the drive home from Cookeville, Austin left for his parents’ house in Clearwater, Florida. With his tour over and Thanksgiving a week away, it was a good time for him to relax on the beach. Christine was happy to see him take the time.
She fell back into a routine of going to the office, listening to songs, contacting people who might record those songs, and having quiet evenings at home. Occasionally, she’d grab a bite to eat or watch a movie with Julianna. Austin called and begged her to visit. Christine missed him, but there was no way she would go.
She didn’t mind the break from her cyber haters. What she really missed was the chance of seeing Matt. She was tempted to text him and see if he wanted to grab a cup of coffee since coffee was safe and didn’t automatically mean a date. The temptation was so strong she had written out the text a number of times before deleting it. “Respect Cait,” she reminded herself. “She has first claim.”
A WARM SPELL HIT NASHVILLEthe Friday before Thanksgiving; the forecast said it would be sunny and seventy-five. It would probably be the last time until spring. Christine decided kebabs on the grill sounded like a perfect—and safe—evening.
She parked at Publix, opened her car door, hit the lock, and accidentally dropped her purse on the ground. She was bending down to pick up the contents when her elbow hit the door and it closed. “No!” She looked inside at her keys, which were still in the ignition. “This ruins a beautiful day,” she said.
She had just pulled up the Uber app to get a ride home and grab her spare keys when she heard a motorcycle pulling up close to her. She loved motorcycles. There was something slightly dangerous and exciting about them. This guy, however, was getting way too close. He stopped beside her and she sensed a familiarity. When he took off his helmet and shook out his hair, her heart stopped.
Matt rode a motorcycle? How did she not know this?
“Hey, Christine. Everything okay?”
“No. I locked my keys in the car. I didn’t know you rode a motorcycle.”
“Yeah. I rarely have time to, but today was so beautiful I couldn’t resist. No spare key?”
“I have one back at my apartment. Big help, huh?”
“Here.” He reached behind his back and grabbed a helmet. “Put this on and I’ll take you there.” He took her purse and stuffed it into the back compartment.
“I can’t ask you to do that,” she said while thinking about how awesome it would be to slide behind him and hold on.
“You didn’t. I offered. And you’re already wearing a black leather jacket. It’s like you were expecting me.”
She put the helmet on and climbed behind him. It was a tight fit and she tried not to focus on how close her entire body was to his. But it was impossible. He was right there, nestled between her legs.
“Hold on tight.”
She wrapped her arms around him and inhaled, breathing his scent into her lungs. She was worried she might rest her head on his back and drift into la-la land. Or worse, nibble his neck. She restrained herself.
“Do you want to go straight to your house or ride around for a bit?”
“Even need to ask? Ride around.”And hang on to you the whole way, she thought.
“Done.” He took off.
Between the bike’s vibrations, having her body pressed against Matt’s, and his musky smell mixed with the smell of leather, Christine was overwhelmed by the sensations coursing through her body. A warm whirlpool of emotion circled through her stomach. Matt didn’t seem to have a goal in mind—he just drove. He passed the expensive homes in the town of Franklin, and Christine looked at them with longing. She’d never been a pretentious person, but working in an industry with so much wealth made it difficult not to dream. Matt handled the bike with expertise, even when the road started winding. His sexy factor went up three notches.
He circled back an hour later and took Christine to her apartment. She was pleasantly surprised that he remembered where she lived since he’d only been there once, when the limo dropped her off.
