Chapter 2
Zach spins around quickly with me in his arms, taking one step toward the passenger door, when more fans swarm in and block his path. Police officers are making their way to us, but we’re getting pushed farther away from the car. I wrap my arms around Zach’s shoulders. Dear God, he smells like a day at the beach. Salt and sea and…is that sandalwood? It’s intoxicating. I look behind him as he backs away from the car. We’re getting closer to Officer Honey Badger but farther away from my friends.
“Please, everyone,” he shouts with a practiced grin on his face. “Let me get the mermaid back in her car.”
No one listens. More people shove their way between us and the car. He keeps backing away.
“Please let us through!” Zach yells a little more forcefully.
Cell phones are out and recording. People are shouting out song requests in some sort of mass someone-famous-is-here hysteria. None of them seem to care that the police are closing in. We’re a good two-and-a-half car lengths from Ash and the girls now. At least they’re safely inside the car, even if they are yelling at the crowd and gesturing wildly like sailors on leave who can’t get in a bar. Scarlet whips out her cell phone.
“Mr. Adams,” Officer Honey Badger says from right behind us.
Zach turns to face him.
“If you could just get back on the bus and out of sight, we’ll get the rest of the crowd under control.”
A stricken look comes over his face as if he’s blaming himself for the chaos.
Well, actually…
Zach nods. “Of course, Officer,” he says, turning away and taking off in long strides toward the bus.
Wait, what?
“Hey!” I cry out, pointing toward the car. “I need to go that way!”
He looks down at me, a soft smile on his full lips. My pulse rate is all over the place.
“I know, love,” he says huskily. “But right now, we need to get out of sight before we start a riot…so I’m going to have to ask you to trust me.”
The last thing I see before Zach steps up into the bus, carrying me like I’m no burden at all, is Ash and Merry watching with their mouths wide open and Scarlet recording the entire thing.
The bus driver gives me a wink as Zach whisks me inside the bus. He takes a few steps inside and gently lowers me to my feet. My right hand has a mind of its own, and I lightly skim my palm across his muscled shoulders. I don’t know how it happened. Truly. A slow grin spreads across his handsome face as if he knows exactly what I just did. My cheeks warm, and I let him go.
Zack steps over to the nearest window to look outside and see whether the police have gotten everyone back in their cars. For the first time, I notice his three bandmates sitting on plush chairs in the living area of the bus. They’re all watching me with lazy grins on their faces.
I put my hands on my hips. “What?”
They keep smiling. The one closest to me thrusts his chin at Zach.
“Catch yourself a mermaid, Zach?”
I roll my eyes at him, and then my eyes meet Zach’s as he turns around. He stops dead in his tracks, his expression softening. As if in slow motion, the corner of his full mouth tilts up in half a smile. He gestures behind him at the window.
“They’re still trying to calm things down,” he explains.
I can see police officers still moving around outside the window. People are making their way to their cars finally. Good.
Zach takes a step towards me, placing a broad hand on his chest. “I’m Zach,” he says softly, extending a hand. His expression is warm. Expectant.
“I know who you are,” I answer, placing my hand in his with a laugh. His long, strong fingers wrap around my hand, and it nearly disappears. There’s a crackle of energy between us. Warmth creeps up my cheeks.
Zach shakes my hand slowly, his warm brown eyes locking with mine. For a moment, everything seems to still…like we’re the only two people here. His grip on my hand is calm. Reassuring. Natural. I cock my head to the side, wondering if he feels the same, and he suddenly lets go.
“I’m Marina,” I offer coolly.
“These are my bandmates. Rick, Jimmy, and Sam…this is Marina.”
My eyes meet his again at the sound of my name on his lips, spoken almost reverently. I quickly look away. What is this feeling between us? Does he feel it too? With as much dignity as I can muster, I wiggle walk until I’m close enough to shake each of their hands.
I can’t believe it. The Royal Rebels in the flesh. These guys have been on the covers of magazines. Featured on countless documentaries and gossip shows. They seem completely normal. Not an entitled celebrity vibe among any of them.
“I can’t believe I’m standing in The Royal Rebels’ tour bus,” I say quietly, stifling an awkward laugh. What are the odds?
“Can I get you some water?” Zach offers. “Or something else? Pop? Juice? Tea?”
He seems almost nervous. I smile and shake my head.
“No, but thank you. I really just need to get back to my friends.”
Zach nods in understanding and glances back out the window.
“Oh!” he mutters softly, then takes a step to move around me as if he needs to speak to the driver.
Suddenly, the bus lurches forward a few feet, and I’m knocked off balance again. Zach reaches out and wraps his arms around me just in time to save me from falling. I grip his muscled shoulders, willing myself to keep my hands still this time. He whirls around gracefully and deposits me in a plush chair, then gives my hands a reassuring squeeze.
“Let me just see what’s happening,” he purrs, turning and walking towards the front of the bus. I turn to find his three bandmates watching me with interest.
“My friends and I entertain at parties on weekends sometimes,” I explain, gesturing at the mermaid tail. They continue to stare in silence. “For extra money.”
I laugh softly, realizing how ridiculous I sound to these guys. None of them has to work a second job just to make ends meet. And here I am, trying to act like a normal person having a regular conversation when my legs are trapped in mermaid hell. Nothing to see here. Just your average girl having a chat with a rock god and his band.
“Seems like a pretty cool gig to me,” Rick replies with a grin.
One half of the Rebels’ hit songwriting team, Rick looks like some kind of Viking god turned rock star. He’s just as tall and muscley as Zach, but with blond hair and crystal blue eyes. He’s incredibly handsome, and yet I don’t feel the same pull towards him that I do towards Zach. Of course, this means exactly nothing because I do not date. I don’t need any more drama in my life.
“I love that you were singing The Wellerman,” Sam says. He looks like a younger version of Kevin Costner. “And dressed like a mermaid…with sailors? I get it. What a great idea.”
I grin ear to ear. “Word of mouth has started getting out now that we’ve done a few, and we’re getting more jobs,” I offer. “This costume makes normal movement impossible, so we’re always arguing about who has to wear it. I lost today.”
“Not from where I’m standing,” Zach’s gravelly voice sounds from behind me as he comes back into view.
Little chills run down the back of my neck. I’ll bet this guy could talk about indigestion and it would still sound sexy with that British accent. Which means I have to get away from him. As quickly as possible.
I stand up, my mind already working on how I’m going to get off this bus without him carrying me. He gives me a smile that makes me feel like a teenager at a boy band concert and hands me my cell phone. I look up at him, raising my eyebrows in question.
“One of your friends sent a police officer over with it just as traffic started moving,” Zach explains, pointing to it. “It’s been vibrating like crazy.”
I break my gaze from his, open my lock screen, and see a handful of unread text messages. I tap on the first one, and the bus lurches forward again, sending me careening straight into Zach’s chest. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jimmy catch my cell phone before it hits the floor. My cheek hits a wall of solid muscle, and I start sliding, my face skidding down his shirt as I struggle to grab hold of him and pull myself up. With a deft move I can’t even fathom, he twists around, puts one arm behind my knees and the other at the small of my back, and lifts me up again.
Rick laughs. “Whatever you’re getting paid for wearing that thing, you need a raise.”
Zach swings me around and sets me down in the chair again, then takes the seat next to me. All eyes are on me, I realize. I turn to Zach.
“How am I getting back to my friends?” I ask as Jimmy hands my phone back to me. “I assume there’s a plan?”
The bus is moving steadily now. My cell phone vibrates a few more times.
Zach nods, looking to his bandmates and then back at me.
“I think the most logical thing to do is for your friends to follow us to the stadium,” he begins. “We’re in town for two big performances and some personal appearances over the next few weeks. They’re letting us keep the bus there. There’s a tunnel at the stadium we can pull into so the helicopters can’t see us.”
My eyebrows shoot straight up to my hairline. “What?”
Jimmy laughs and points a finger up toward the sky. “You can’t hear them?”
I listen for a moment. Sure enough, it sounds like hornets outside. My eyes dart back and forth between Zach and his friends.
“Why are there helicopters?” I ask breathlessly, a sense of impending dread crawling up from my gut to my throat. This is not good. I do not have a good feeling about this.
“There was one above the bridge, probably reporting on the accident,” Zach explains. “But then it moved to us when it saw the crowd swarming. Suddenly, there were…a few more. I have a feeling we’ll be tonight’s top story on the news.”
I throw my face into my hands. No, no, no, no . I shake my head, feeling tears well up behind my eyelids.
“It’ll blow over in a few days,” Rick offers in a consoling voice. “We’re used to it.”
I raise my head finally, looking at Rick with wide eyes.
“Well, I’m not,” I counter, shaking my head and looking at all of them. “This can’t happen. My job…my real job…this can’t happen…”
My heartbeat leaps at the mere thought of being caught up in some kind of viral video. The firm frowns on any kind of notoriety. I will absolutely be fired.
Zach looks at me with understanding and lifts a hand as if he’s going to touch me, then decides against it. He levels his gaze at me. His eyes are so dark I can barely see his pupils. They’re beautiful in a way that makes me just want to stare into them all day and forget about everything else.
“Marina,” he says, almost a whisper. “Let’s think about this for a minute. What’s real here? What’s the truth?”
The spiral my mind is caught in stops completely. I blink at him for a moment.
“What?” I ask, my voice trembling.
His throat bobs. “In this moment. Right now,” he says in a soothing voice. “What’s the truth? What do we actually know?”
I blink again, not sure how to respond. He flexes his hand, gives me a pensive look, and places his fingers on my hand.
“Have you lost your job yet?” he asks coolly.
I shake my head. “No.”
He nods slowly, never taking his eyes from mine.
“Right,” he says simply. “We haven’t even seen the media coverage. We don’t know if they got a good shot of your face.”
“There were cell phones everywhere,” I shake my head, my voice still shaky.
He shakes his head gently, his warm brown eyes burning into mine. “What are the facts, love?”
Something in the emotion behind his eyes reaches into my chest and wraps around my heart, calming me. I take a deep breath and he nods.
“We don’t know enough yet,” I say quietly.
He gives me a small grin and releases my hand, sitting back in his chair.
Jimmy leans over and catches my eye. “It’s gonna be okay, Marina. We deal with this all the time.”
I look at him skeptically, shifting in my seat. Looking out the window, I can see that we’re still on the bridge and not moving very fast at all. Zach slips his gaze to the window and seems to read my mind again.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, Marina,” he starts with a wicked grin, “but if I were wearing that thing, I’d be dying to get out of it. I don’t have anything that would fit you, but I do have a pair of joggers and a t-shirt you can borrow if you’d like.”
I raise my brows. “Joggers?”
Sam chuckles. “Sweats, man! When are you going to talk like an American?”
Rick and Jimmy laugh. Zach rolls his eyes and looks at me for my answer.
“They’re in my closet just back there.”
I look behind him, down a long hall that leads to the back of the bus. He nods and stands.
“Yes, we sleep on the bus a lot when we’re touring the U.S.,” he offers. “So there’s a bedroom with a door at the back where you can change in private.”
I look between the four of them. “A bedroom? Just one?”
Jimmy laughs. “The Duke gets the bedroom. We’ve got bunks.”
The sudden realization hits me that he’s not just a rock star. What have I done? I really hope I’m not going to end up dealing with the aftermath of a viral video of the two of us. I’ve seen enough of him on the news to know that his parents are also a duke and duchess in the United Kingdom. He’s basically royalty. This is surreal. And it’s a news story in two countries. No, thank you.
I stand up and nod. “Sweatpants sound amazing. Yes, please.”
Zach gestures to the hall. “After you, Siren.”
Once I get a real look at how far the back of the bus is, I heave a big sigh and shake my head. “Actually, that looks really far.”
Zach looks confused for a moment, and I kick my foot, making the large mermaid tail flop against the floor. A big, floppy fish anchor holding me down.
“Maybe I should just grin and bear it,” I say, looking at the chair in resignation.
Zach reaches for me hesitantly. “May I offer assistance?”
“Doesn’t anything faze you? You seem completely unbothered that a mermaid on your tour bus needs to borrow your…joggers? Is that what you call them?”
The guys snicker.
Zach watches me carefully, his warm eyes creasing just slightly as he smiles.
“I am unbothered.”
I nod my permission, snaking an arm around his neck and telling myself it’s completely out of convenience and nothing else that I’m allowing this…let’s face it…drop dead gorgeous man to hold me in his arms again. He picks me up immediately, stalking down the hall as the guys all yell, “See you soon, Marina!”
I laugh out loud, trying not to take a huge whiff of that sea salt, sage and sandalwood scent that’s so intoxicating. I fail. Miserably. We pass two open bays with bunks on either side. There’s also a small kitchen area. He comes to a stop at the end of the hall and lowers me gently. I pull my arms away from him, feeling a blush crawl up my cheeks.
“Thank you,” I mutter, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious .
Zach nods and reaches over to open the door. “Let me get you those sweatpants ,” he says with a grin. He even makes sweatpants sound sexy with that flawless British accent.
The door opens to reveal a surprisingly spacious bedroom. Muted tones of gray and cream decorate the space, and natural wood cabinets flank the king-sized bed. It’s neat and clean, not at all what I expected from a rock star’s bedroom.
Zach steps in, walks over to the cabinet on the far side of the bed and opens it. Several drawers line the inside. He flips through two before he finds the sweatpants and a t-shirt, snatching them up with satisfaction and pacing back over to me. He hands them to me with a smile.
“You fold your sweatpants,” I murmur with a smile, taking them from him. His fingers brush mine and my gaze flicks up to find him watching me.
He nods. “So?”
I hold his gaze and my smile. “That doesn’t seem very rock star of you.”
He raises his eyebrows. “Do you know many rock stars?”
I tilt my head as if I’m counting through my list of many friends, then shake my head. “You’re the first one.”
“Well, then we’re even,” he murmurs. “You’re my first mermaid.”
I laugh softly, and he grins like a Cheshire cat, then steps out of the room. He gestures at the bedroom.
“All yours, Marina,” he says softly.
I nod and take two wiggle-walk steps into the bedroom when I feel his touch on my arm. I turn to face him with my hand on the door.
“Unbothered,” he purrs. “But completely bewitched.”
He turns and walks down the hall, his gait overflowing with confidence. He shakes his head to himself and mutters, “Siren,” as I close the door with a soft laugh. I lean on the back of the door for a moment, trying to let my brain catch up with the events of today.
I’m alone in a rock star’s bedroom. On a bus. On the Golden Gate Bridge. This day just gets weirder and weirder.
I reach back and unzip the mermaid tail, then quickly shimmy my way out of it.
Aaah!
“Yes!” I whisper as I toss it onto the bed.
I gently pop the sparkly purple flats off my feet and pace the room, digging my toes into the thick, luxurious carpet and letting my legs enjoy their freedom. My phone vibrates again, and I unlock my screen to look at my text messages. They’re all from Merry.
Merry: Officer Honey Badger to the rescue! We got him to run your cell to the bus.
Merry: Text me when you get a minute…we want to make sure you’re okay, girl.
Merry: Honey Badger came back with a message from the bus driver to follow along. You can get off the bus at the stadium.
Merry: He is so pretty, but a total honey badger. Mean. Sassy. Will probably fight me. Bummer.
Merry: Okay, are you so enraptured with the rock star that you can’t text back?
Merry: Let us know you’re okay because we are DYING FOR DEETS!!!
Merry: If you don’t answer me in the next 5 minutes, you’re wearing the mermaid for the rest of our gigs all year!
I laugh and hammer out a quick text.
Me: I’m fine. Sorry to worry you guys. This bus is amazing! I’m changing into a pair of sweats so I can walk like a normal person. And NO…I will not be wearing this death trap all year. LOL. See you soon!
I tap out of my texts and toss the phone onto the bed next to the mermaid tail.
There’s a plush chair in the corner, and I step over to it. A stack of books sits atop a small table, and I can’t help but snoop. British naval history mostly. Famous shipwrecks. No wonder our sea shanties lured him out of the bus. There’s a picture of Zach and his parents in a silver frame. They’re all dressed up, looking very…royal. They’re standing on a finely manicured lawn, and I can just make out some kind of palace or palatial estate in the background.
I shake my head. I wonder what the Duke and Duchess of Wherever would think of me, growing up in the foster care system without a penny to my name. Aging out of it because I was a wild teenager nobody wanted. Not to mention…my brother. I force down the lump that forms in my throat every time he pops into my head.
Not now, Marina. Not now.
I steal one more glance at the picture before grabbing the sweatpants and my phone from the bed. Zach grew up in a world of tea parties and polo ponies. We couldn’t be more different. He couldn’t be more out of my league. A good thing, actually, since I swore off dating two years ago and I’ve kept to my word. Not that someone like Zach would ever be interested in some nobody dressed as a mermaid.
I inwardly chastise myself. I’m not a nobody. I’m a loyal friend. A dedicated employee. A good person. At least I am now. I’m secure enough to see that I’m not the same caliber as the celebrities and supermodels throwing themselves at someone like Zach. And that’s okay. None of that appeals to me. I don’t like drama. I don’t like messes. I had enough of all of that as a kid.
I slip my legs into Zach’s sweats, and I’m instantly swimming in them. They’re soft, though, and I can move freely. And they smell like him. My mind immediately wants to wander off into Zach-land, wanting to know more about him. Wanting to spend more time in his presence. I know what it’s like to be held in his arms…sort of. But what would it really be like to be wrapped in those arms and kissed by those lips? There’s something that’s equally exciting and calming about him, and I have to admit feeling attracted to him. Very attracted.
No, Marina.
I roll the waistband of the pants a few times so they stay up and I can see my feet, then slip the t-shirt over my head. Now the scent of him hits me full force, and I feel the rest of my resolve crumble into dust. Just for a moment, I think as I bunch the fabric up in my hands and press it to my nose. I close my eyes and inhale deeply. He smells like beach sunsets by the fire. Salty, woodsy, fresh and clean. I could smell this scent forever.
I hear laughter coming from the living area, and I let go of the shirt, smoothing it down with my hands. Time to go. I slip my feet back into my flats and neatly roll up the mermaid tail, grab my phone, and square my shoulders. Time to make small talk until I can meet up with the girls and say goodbye to Zach and his friends for good. I wonder if they’d let us take a selfie with them for posterity’s sake.
I open the bedroom door and walk down the hall to the living area, being extra careful with my steps. The bus is traveling at normal speed now, and I can see we’re off the bridge. I take a seat in the chair next to Zach. Everyone smiles at me, and Jimmy points at my legs.
“That must feel better, yeah?” he asks with a grin.
I nod. “It’s a pretty costume, but a horrible experience.”
Zach looks at me with what seems to be regret, pulling all my attention his way.
“I think I owe you an apology,” he says.
I blink back my surprise. “Why?”
His eyes scan my face, as if trying to discern something. “Your reaction to the helicopters,” he explains. “I should have thought about what I was doing. About the attention I would bring just stepping out of the bus. I just heard your voice, and I had to see where it was coming from. Who it was coming from.”
His passion for life amazes me. It also reminds me that we’re from two different spheres. He lives for himself. He’s wealthy, famous, and doesn’t have to deal with dictator bosses or worrying about making rent. My early life taught me all the ways I did not want to live. Poor. No autonomy. No control. Now that I have a precious little bit of what I’ve fought for since my eighteenth birthday, the idea of doing anything to compromise it sends me into a panic. So I make every effort not to stand out. He lives in the spotlight. For me, this could be catastrophic. For him, it was just a duet on a bridge with a woman he’ll never see again. That’s all. A lump forms in my throat. Truthfully, I wish I had the luxury of being a little more like him.
“It’s fine,” I say in the voice I use to appease people a million times a day at work. “I work for a very conservative company, that’s all. They would…well, there could be serious repercussions for me if things got out of hand.”
All eyes are on me again, and I can feel half a dozen questions hanging in the air. No one is brave enough to ask them. I’m about to start up some small talk about the bus when Sam claps his hands and rubs them together like he’s concocted an evil plan. While not as strikingly handsome as Zach and Rick, Sam is a regular guy with a bit of a Dad bod…but there’s an energy about him that makes you want to smile.
“Right,” he says with a grin. “Then I think we’re duty-bound to give you some tips and tricks on how to evade the paparazzi, Marina.”
I grin at him. “Yeah?”
Rick nods in agreement. “We snuck a peek at the news while you were changing,” he reveals. “It doesn’t look too bad right now. Most of the footage is of Zach because he’s Zach.”
I look around at all of them, hopeful that it’s just as they say. I just can’t afford any negative attention, and my boss is a demon in four-inch heels. I nod as if the act of doing it will ward off any bad mojo from today.
“Anyone who knows you personally may spot you in some of the footage we saw,” Zach says calmly, looking like he wants to reach for my hand again. “But the media doesn’t know who you are. They would still have to search for you and find you in order to cause any real problems.”
My eyes widen again as I think about every terrible scenario, including the real fear of losing my job. That’s exactly what would happen if I broke the cardinal rule of bringing unwelcome attention to the firm .
Zach’s warm, strong fingers close over my hand again.
“We’re going to show you how to make sure that doesn’t happen,” he says gently as I look into his eyes. I feel like a ball of tight energy is spinning around in my gut every time our eyes meet. “And we have a few tricks up our sleeves as well.”
I take a big, shaky breath. “I’m listening.”
“The press,” Sam begins with a grin. “At least the kind that follow us around, aren’t too bright sometimes. They see what they want to see.”
Zach nods. “So we help them come to the right conclusion.”
I frown at Zach. “I’m not following…”
“We hide in plain sight,” Jimmy offers.
“For example,” Zach says quietly. “As much as I absolutely hate the idea, you might want to keep your hair up on your head for a few weeks.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Putting my hair up is going to solve this?”
Jimmy laughs. “ Cover it up, Marina. They’ll be looking for a redhead with long hair.”
I grin slowly. “Okay, I can do that. ”
Zach shakes his head, and I turn back to him.
“And you hate this idea?” I ask with a frown.
Zach’s eyes drift over my long red hair, and an expression I can’t quite identify falls across his face. He shakes his head again.
“It’s a crime to hide anything about you, Marina,” he rasps. Not smiling. Not joking. “Especially that beautiful hair.”
I feel the air in the room change. It’s charged as if there are little invisible sparks flitting back and forth between the two of us. It pulls at me, and I resist it. I clear my throat.
“Okay, what else?” I say lightly, looking at Jimmy pointedly.
“Do you drive or take public transportation?” he asks.
“This is San Francisco,” I say with a laugh. “Do you have any idea how expensive it is to own a car here? Parking fees everywhere, let alone the price of gas.”
He nods. “All right then,” he begins, looking thoughtful for a moment. “Don’t go down to the bus stop until the last possible moment. Maybe change hats on the bus and put on a scarf so you look a little different when you get off than when you got on.”
I laugh out loud. “Wow,” I say with a shake of my head. “This is starting to feel like I’m running from the CIA.”
They all chuckle. Zach leans forward.
“You’ll only have to do it for a few weeks,” he says gently. “By then, the press will have lost interest, and they’ll be on to the next big thing.”
I’m about to ask another question when the driver yells back to us. “We’re here!”
I smile excitedly, dipping my head to look out the window, relief flooding through me. I’m rewarded with a view of the stadium looming ahead. The bus slows to a stop, and I hear the driver exchanging words with someone. He thanks them and we’re moving again. The light dims everywhere as the bus enters a huge tunnel under the stadium. We slow to a crawl, then make a long turn, and the bus finally stops.
I stand, wanting to run for the door. I need to get away from Zach and his…everything. This has been a weirdly fun experience, but Zach unsettles me in a way I can’t comprehend, and that’s something I absolutely cannot allow. Before I take a step toward the door, I offer Zach and his friends a polite smile.
“It’s been amazing to meet all of you,” I say with genuine sincerity, then turn to Zach. “Have fun at your concert this week.”
Zach blinks. “The benefit concert? That’s not for a couple weeks. But we managed to book a handful of other appearances in the area as well, so we’ll have plenty to do.”
“Well,” I say softly, taking a step away. “Thank you for coming to my rescue.”
Zach looks at me like a poker player contemplating his next move, then extends his hand palm up. I lightly place my fingers in his hand, and he pulls my hand to his mouth, planting a light kiss on the back of my hand. My pulse reacts like a jackhammer as his soft lips touch my skin.
“It was an honor, my lady,” he says with a twinkle in his eye, that British accent wrapping itself around my heart again and squeezing.
My fight-or-flight response is fully triggered by the full-fledged sex appeal emanating from this man. I laugh softly and pull my hand away, regarding them all one last time.
“Well,” I say as I turn toward the door. “Goodbye. Enjoy your time here.”
I turn and head toward the door, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other.
“I’ll walk with you,” Zach says quickly, closing the distance between us.
As I take the few steps that lead off the bus, I feel the heat of his body behind me like a shadow I can’t shake. I hit the ground in the tunnel just as Ashley pulls the car up behind the bus. I make a bee line for the car, but I stop when I hear multiple footsteps behind me. I turn around to see Rick, Jimmy, and Sam are following as well. Great.
The girls trot over to Zach, and high fives are exchanged all around, and again when they meet Jimmy, Rick, and Sam. Merry and Scarlet decide to monopolize Zach for a few moments, so Ash and I decide to chat with the guys. I study Rick for a few seconds. He’s looking at Ashley like he just saw an angel, and I have to fight back a grin. How sweet is that?
“I have a few more tips for you if you’d like,” Sam says to me. He rubs his hand through his scraggly light brown hair. “When you’re on the bus, let’s say you’ve changed your hat and put on a different jacket. Walk a little differently when you get off the bus. If there’s a back entrance to any building, use it. Make it as hard to find you as possible.”
I nod solemnly. This feels like so much. All of this just because I was spontaneous one time. This is exactly why I always make a plan and stick with it. See what happens when I don’t stick with said plan? Now I have to worry about my viper of a boss finding out, so I’m thinking about disguises and walking with a limp when I get off the bus.
Any unplanned attention aimed at the firm is unwelcome, Marina , I can hear her hissing.
“Hey,” Ashley says quietly. “You okay?”
I nod automatically, fixing another placid smile on my face. “Fine. Just anxious to get home. Zach and the band have so much to do…we don’t need to be in their way.”
Jimmy laughs. “Are you kidding? Have you seen the way he looks at you?”
I blink up at him in surprise.
Rick shakes his head, pats Jimmy loudly on the back, and shoves him away. “Don’t listen to him, Marina. He’s just weird.”
Zach, Merry, and Scarlet come over to join us. Scarlet’s smiling so big I think she might explode.
“We’re going to the benefit concert!” she squeals. “Zach’s gonna give us VIP tickets.”
He laughs softly, turning to me. “The benefit concert and the big Rebels concert the week after, if you’d like. Tickets will be waiting for you at the Will Call gate. How many should I leave?”
I look at him in confusion. “Four, I suppose?”
He nods. “Of course, but would any boyfriends want to come? Certainly some of you ladies are spoken for.”
Ashley throws up a hand. “Oh, I’d love a ticket for my fiancé!”
Zach nods, then looks at Scarlet with a curious expression. She shakes her head. Merry waves him off. Then he turns to me.
“And what about you, Marina?” he purrs with an infuriatingly charming gleam in his eye. He knows exactly how obvious he’s being. “Boyfriend?”
My green eyes meet his beautiful, I-see-you-Marina brown eyes. It should be illegal to be as handsome as he is. I can’t afford to flirt with this man. It doesn’t matter if those eyes pull at me with the power of a thousand magnets. Zach is a storm waiting to toss me around at sea, and I can’t let that happen. Ever.
“I don’t have time for men,” I say, a touch of coldness in my voice.
I watch his expression change from one of surprise to understanding, just like every other guy who gets ideas about me. Good. I’m good at keeping strict boundaries, and I mentally pat myself on the back as I add another brick in the wall between me and Zach.
Ashley looks a little surprised at my tone. She smiles at Zach.
“Marina is studying to be a lawyer,” she explains.
I give her a look that tells her to stop giving details as I nudge her towards the car .
Jimmy walks over to Zach. “I just took a peek. No helicopters outside.”
“Great!” I cry, turning back toward the car with Ashley. “Let’s get out of here before they come back.”
I prod Ash, trying to get her to hurry it up. She whirls around to face me.
“What is up with you?” she whispers. “You’re being really weird.”
I open her car door for her and nudge her towards the seat.
“No, I’m not,” I insist. I totally am , but whatever.
I look up to find that Merry has hung back and is talking to Zach again. Whatever they’re talking about, he’s listening with way too much interest. I hit Ash’s horn and Merry looks up with a frown.
“Let’s go!” I yell a little too quickly, then run around to the passenger side and get in.
Scarlet climbs in the back seat and looks me up and down. “What are you wearing, dude?”
“Zach loaned me some clothes so I could move normally,” I explain. “I’ll figure out a way to get them back to him.”
Merry finally comes back to the car, and we’re ready to go. I wave at Zach.
“Thank you again!” I call over the windshield.
He waves at me, a sly smile splayed across his face. The guys wave as well, and Jimmy yells, “See you at the concert!”
Ha. Not for a million dollars. The girls can go if they’d like, but I’m not getting within one hundred yards of Zach Adams, his muscley shoulders, or his beachy campfire vibes again. No good can come from this. I throw one last wave in the air, and as Ashley steers the car out of the tunnel and toward the stadium exit, I feel confident that my little Zach encounter is over and done with for good.