We’ll sort this out. You hang on, my summer Skye.
Yes, Bean. XO!
Ditto.
Ash turned down the radio. “I thought you were going to take a nap?”
She turned off her phone. “Bean wasn’t done scolding me.”
Everything had changed between her and Ash with the mistake of two signatures.
She always knew their adventure would come with an expiration date.
Three days—that was the limit of their contract. She thought she wanted more, but not a till-death-do-you-part more. And his bandmates might not let her stick around.
Once the demands of regular life resumed and they descended from the dreamlike state of this vacation, they would face two very different lives.
She didn’t fit in his, and he didn’t fit in hers.
Chapter Eighteen
Ash and Skyedrove to the next town with an airport. After dropping off the rental car, Skye headed for the shuttle that would take them to the passenger terminal. A whirlwind of possibilities swirled in the space separating her and Ash. Time slipped through their fingers as the inevitability of the real world approached.
Ash gripped his guitar. She held her backpack. They each clung to the pieces of their lives.
She followed the other travelers queuing up for the shuttle, but the weight of Ash’s hand on her arm stopped her in her tracks.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“We have a car coming.”
She didn’t even question the why or how. This was no longer Ash but Blaze, lead singer and front man of Angel Fire, whose manager chartered planes on a whim.
A black sedan pulled up outside the rental agency, and a large man climbed out the driver’s side. He looked familiar until she realized he was one of the drivers of the Hummers the day she’d met Ash.The man opened the passenger door. His appraising gaze settled on her, making her hands tremble.
“Mr. Dean”—then, he included her with a fractional nod—“Miss, the jet is waiting.”
Ash hefted his guitar. “Hey, Sam.”
Sam took her backpack from her tight grip while Ash loaded his guitar into the trunk.
Sam gestured to the car. “Have a seat, please. I’ll take care of this.” He lifted her tired backpack and gently laid it beside Ash’s guitar.
Climbing into the car, she heaved a heavy sigh. Sam’s appearance irrevocably erased the carefree world of a mountain cabin, hiking, and waterfall hunts. Ash’s world of rock-star fame, fortune, glitz, and glamour barreled down on them. And she feared she was nothing more than an unwelcome interloper.
Once Ash joined her, she pressed her fingers against his arm, needing contact to galvanize herself against what would come next. “Who is he?”
Ash gave a strained smile. “Sam’s a part of my security detail.” He relaxed into the seat, kicking a heel over his knee and patting her hand. “Don’t worry about him. He’s cool.”
With a sigh, she leaned against Ash, her stomach lurching with nerves. “Maybe I should drive home by myself and let you deal with your band.”
Being thrust in the middle of whatever conversation Ash would have with his bandmates, plus an irate manager, didn’t seem like a good idea.
“You’re not leaving.” He slung an arm over her shoulder, and she snuggled against the hard muscles of his chest.
Sam settled into the driver’s seat and started the car.
“The guys can be a bit over the top,” Ash said, “but don’t let them scare you.”
