In need of a distraction, I pick up my phone and find a messagefrom Shay that the press is camped outside my hotel. I also missed Mama’s call, which I need to postpone indefinitely because I know she’s going to ask me for money.
I look up at Finn’s gorgeous eyes, they’re like the Pacific, dark and deep. “I don’t know how to do this—relationships.”
“It’s new for me, but I’m making an effort. We’ll take it one day at a time. Plain and simple, Kate. What do you say?”
I consider his proposition. On the plus side, he’s a practice run for the real thing—the marriage to the man I hope to have in my future one day. Finn is just my starter husband. No big deal, right? I can do this.
I want to say no, but my body says yes. And the devil? He’s daring me to do it.
“Yes.”
Why the hell do I listen to the devil every time I’m at a crossroads?
And for some reason, I’m happy when relief floods his face, and he smiles, like I’ve made him happy. And God, he has a panty-dropping smile.
One minute, we’re negotiating, and the next? We’re shaking hands like business partners. We agreed to a fake marriage. One year. A deal made for mutual benefit. This is strictly transactional.
So why does my stomach somersault every time he looks at me like I’m already his?
“What now?” he asks.
“I have a meet and greet before we get on the bus. Then, I’ll ride with the band to the hotel.”
“You mean we do, right?”
“Sure, but I doubt you’ll like the hotel. My manager has a budget. And when I say budget, I really mean—it’s nonexistent.”
“That’s fine,” he says at last.
I move to the mini fries and grab a water, doing it before we head out to the meet and greet at the tour bus.
He stands politely to the side as I greet fans and sign the T-shirt the woman is wearing. I get caught up in the moment until I notice the other band members are getting on the bus.
A few of the women ask for Finn’s autograph, and he looks at mesheepishly, like he doesn’t want to intrude. I smile and nod. There’s no reason to piss off fans. We’re both public figures, so I assume it’s bound to happen.
Finn is polite, signing autographs, and we’re asked to stand together for a picture, and Finn slides his hand possessively around my waist as he pulls me to him.
Then, he surprises me when his strong arms reach out and pull me to him, and he then kisses me.
The fans erupt. It was a spur-of-the-moment kind of kiss that took me by surprise. But it was incredible. When he pulls away, my lips are still warm, and the tingling sensation that ran up my spine is still there.
Damn that man, He has a way of making me feel things I’ve never felt before.
A band member announces that the session is over, and we make our way onto the bus, which is usually chaotic, but when Finn steps in, it comes to a halt. The air becomes quiet, like the calm before a storm, quiet.
“Hi, everyone, this is my husband, Finn,” I say, hoping this will break the uncomfortable silence. “That’s Matt, my drummer, and Ken, who plays bass.” I nod to another man, “Nate, my lead guitarist, and Shelly, my backup singer. And last but not least, is Zack, he’s on keyboard.”
I walk further into the bus and take a seat. Finn follows behind me, nodding to my band members and shaking hands with them. He slides into the seat and sits beside me.
He’s so tall, it’s like he’s stuffed inside a sardine can. His legs hit the back of the seat ahead of us.
“Nice guys,” he murmurs.
“They are. I’m lucky. We get along. Some tours are miserable.”
He nods like he knows what I’m talking about.
Finn doesn’t miss a beat when the bus stops at the hotel. The bus pulls up at the back, and we walk unseen into the old hotel.
