Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
GAVIN
Breakfast this morning only left me hungry for more time with her.
I loved making her laugh, watching the emotions of her facial expressions when talking with her, even when the subject matter turned sad discussing her father and my brother.
This morning when I woke up, I thought I imagined those crazy, intense feelings I had last night, but they all came crashing over me the moment I saw her gorgeous smile.
Never once did the conversation feel forced and the only issue was that I struggled to keep my hands to myself.
I wanted skin-to-skin contact with her, even if it was just holding her hand.
The force of our sexual chemistry almost had me pushing her against her car to devour those lips I so desperately want to taste.
Just thinking about all the things I want to do to her makes my cock ache.
I’m not alone in my desire; I saw it in her eyes when I was holding her.
I know if things continue between us, I won’t be able to restrain myself for very long, so hopefully I can prove I’m serious about her.
About us.
I just hope I don’t scare her off with my intensity.
I don’t want to waste time playing games, because first, that’s just not how I’m wired.
Second, taking things slow means it’ll take longer to figure out if she’s who I think she is to me.
I can tell Aly’s guard is up because of my profession, and I get why she’d be more cautious about getting to know me.
Then again, if we continue on, we’ll both have to prove we’re loyal to each other and build the trust that is so necessary to have, especially in this industry.
While walking to my car, I pass a flower shop and go in to send Aly some flowers.
Since I don’t know what her favorites are, I choose ones that remind me of her: white sunflowers for the happiness she seems to radiate, gardenias for how intoxicating she smells, and calla lilies that represent her beauty.
The flowers are perfect for her, and once the florist describes how she’ll arrange them, I look up Aly’s work address and pay for my purchase, knowing she will love them when they get delivered.
I leave the shop and decide I might as well go work out, since I haven’t heard back from Bruce.
I get into my car and drive to the gym, and as soon as I pull into the parking lot, my cell phone starts ringing with a call from Sosie.
“Are you still at Star Bagel?” she asks before I even get a chance to say hello.
“How did you know I was at Star Bagel?” Dread starts to fill me at the thought of how she found out, since I never told her I was going.
“Pictures of you and Alyson are all over the internet. My phone is ringing off the hook from news stations and reporters asking if I can provide a statement on who the mystery lady you were kissing was.”
“Shit!” I yell into the phone, angry that I can’t even eat a fucking meal out in public anymore.
This is the ugly side to fame, where you lose all rights to your privacy.
Some people don’t care, because they want to be famous, but I’m not that person.
It was the main reason why I hesitated releasing “User” on my own, but the idea of someone else singing my story didn’t settle well with me.
Now, anyone who’s with me will pay the price of losing their freedom of anonymity.
Tori loved it when fans and paparazzi took our photo, but Aly seems to be the total opposite with how visibly uncomfortable she was from the attention this morning.
I run my hand through my hair in frustration, trying to think of how to respond.
“We didn’t even kiss on the lips. I kissed her cheek, for fuck’s sake. ”
“Did you get amnesia between last night and this morning? Here’s a refresh—you agreed to take things slow by talking to her on the phone first for a week before taking her out on a date.
Is this starting to ring a bell at all?” Sosie asks in a chiding, sarcastic tone that starts to grate on my nerves.
“First, watch your tone with me. Second, I know exactly what I said last night—and then I changed my mind, something I have the right to do, because I’m a grown-ass man.
I don’t need permission to date anyone. So, ask me again if I plan on taking things slow with her,” I challenge, because although she can’t understand how I feel, she needs to know what my stance on Aly is now that I’ve seen her again.
“I think I already know what the answer is, Gavin.”
Damn fucking straight. “Be prepared for more phone calls, because I plan to spend more time with her.”
She must know by my tone not to argue with me, because the line goes quiet for a moment before she softly replies with a mixture of resignation and worry. “How do you want me to respond to the media?”
“Tell them there’s no comment and to respect my damn privacy,” I growl, hating we even have to discuss this kind of bullshit. This hasn’t been an issue before, but with the popularity of “User” and the hype about my new single fixing to drop, this seems like the new norm of my life.
“Gavin, do you understand that once they find out who she is, they’ll probably hound her at work and possibly where she lives?
” I nod at the phone, but don’t say a word, because she’s right; they definitely will.
At least with my building, I have the protection of it being locked and a doorman to keep people out.
I have no idea if Aly has that same protection.
“Don’t get mad at me. I’m only trying to look out for both of you, but maybe you should just cut your ties now before it gets worse.
It’s not fair to subject her to the kind of scrutiny she’s about to endure.
Tori was different, since she was already in the limelight, but I don’t think Alyson is ready for this. ”
Her words cause a sharp, sudden pain in my chest, making me refuse to even entertain the idea.
“Fuck no, I’m not letting her go unless she tells me she doesn’t want to see me,” I lie, because even if she did tell me she didn’t want to date me, I won’t back down.
No matter how crazy and insane that thought is, I’m determined to see where this leads.
“Again, you just met this girl. Stop acting like a caveman.” Sosie sighs, but I hear a hint of humor in her tone and my lips twitch.
I do feel territorial and possessive of Aly, which is a foreign feeling for me. When Tori would flirt with other men, I would just laugh it off, since she has a flirtatious, narcissistic personality. The thought of Aly flirting with another man makes me feel like I want to punch something.
“I need to go. I know I gave you the day off, but let’s meet at my place in two hours to discuss my travel plans before I have to get to the studio.”
“Seriously, now I have to meet you on my day off? Some boss you are.”
“Go pick up lunch on me from your favorite sushi place and meet at my place,” I tell her to soften the blow of having to work on her day off.
“I can do that,” she agrees, and I chuckle.
I tell her goodbye and immediately dial Aly to check in with her. Since she’s at work, I probably should’ve just sent her a text, but I want to hear her voice and know she’s okay.
“Hey, sorry I didn’t call you when I got into the office,” she says when she answers. “I was bombarded by my boss as soon as I stepped through the door.”
“I just wanted to make sure you got to work okay, baby,” I respond, then frown when the phone goes silent. “You still there?”
“Yeah,” she responds quietly.
“What was that about?”
“You.”
“Me?” Worry fills the pit of my stomach.
“I’m just not used to being called ‘baby’ and ‘darlin’.’”
I smile. “Start getting used to it. I have more good ol’ Texas terms of endearments up my sleeve, sweet cheeks.” My smile broadens as her whimsical laughter fills my ears.
“We’ll see,” she says, sounding serious after her laughter dies down and she clears her throat. “My boss told me there are photos of us from breakfast all over the Internet already. Did you know about that?”
“Sosie just called to tell me. I’m really sorry about that. I wish we could’ve eaten in peace. Is that what your boss bombarded you with?”
“Yes, the photos were sent to him by one of our marketing assistants, who follows country music gossip. They didn’t mention my name, but she recognized me and emailed the link to him.”
“You’re not in trouble, are you?” The last thing I would want is for her job to be in jeopardy because of her association with me.
“No, I didn’t get in trouble, but do I need to be concerned that this is going to happen every time I’m out with you?”
My intuition on her not liking the attention was obviously spot on. Fuck. I grip my steering wheel harder, hating the worry in her voice.
“I’d like to tell you this won’t happen every time we’re together, but I can’t control when people take our photo and post it to social media,” I tell her, wishing we weren’t having this conversation less than twenty-four hours after we just met.
“Listen, I’m asking that you take a chance on me.
I want to get to know you and spend more time with you.
I know you’re hesitant about me, but I also know you’re feeling this insane chemistry we have.
” Hearing her little sigh, I continue my argument.
“I want to properly date you, and we can go at whatever speed you’re comfortable with.
Just know that whenever you’re with me, I promise I’ll keep you safe,” I vow, hoping she believes me.
I understand the consequences of dating someone in the spotlight.
I just hope she thinks I’m worth the risk.
Silence fills the line for a brief moment before I hear her whisper, “Okay.”
“Okay,” I say, smiling like a fool. “I’ll see you tonight, darlin’. Call me if you need anything.”